Surely not another morning on the nature reserve

The Safari spotted a midge/gnatty thing on the outside of the kitchen window late yesterday afternoon and went to get the super-macro. What fantastically feathery head-gear! Shame the pic had to be taken through two panes of dirty glass with near darkness outside.

This morning we were able to have a couple of hours at the nature reserve in some bright almost warm sunshine, warm enough for a visiting birder to be wandering around in shorts. Like the other day there were a decent number of Blackbirds about although maybe not quite so many.

One of the far far too many dog walkers with unleashed dogs told us an owl had been seen earlier. The amount of doggy disturbance this morning was seriously shocking - if only the main path wasn't a Public Footpath and the gate could be locked...wouldn't stop them one would be down with bolt croppers within hours no doubt and before then most of them would have climbed over anyway; they're a nightmare! 

Passing a few flushed Fieldfares we walked down to another out-of-town birder who was obviously looking for the owl but in the wrong place. We joined him and showed him where we'd seen it the day before yesterday but couldn't see it in there today. With both of us looking for about half an hour we eventually found it for him...in the tree it was in the day before yesterday but now the sun had moved round it was seeable - just.

We took it in turns to stand in the only specific spot from which it could be seen when a Chiffchaff flew past behind it. A Redwing perched briefly behind it too and had a little feather flurry but was more than slightly obscured by the closer tall summer's dead vegetation.

Moving on we saw more very wary Fieldfares and Redwings a shy Great Spotted Woodpecker a fly-over Skylark and a Cetti's Warbler out in the open ever so briefly in the scrub. Further on we met MJ and EP who were setting off on the wrong path for a look at the Long Eared Owl so rather than describe where it was with the risk of them not finding it we retraced our steps and showed them the bird. By now the sun had moved round a bit more and a slightly better vantage point had been found. Slightly being the operative word!

Thank goodness for  manual focus!

Once again we'd lingered too long and it was time to head back to Base Camp before we'd had a chance to look properly at the waterfowl.

Where to next? Back to Patch 2 in the morning where there have been some good birds seen while we've not been able to look.

In the meantime let us know who's almost invisible in your outback.

Yet more dipping - will we get lucky this spring?

The Safari didn't get out yesterday until about lunchtime, we parked up and straight away bumped into AL who was just leaving the reserve, "Owt about?" we asked "Nah, just a load of Chiffchaffs and not a lot else". "No Willow Warblers?" "Didn't hear a single one!" And with that he was off to the pub. Seconds later we got a txt from SD saying he was on Patch 2 and an Osprey had just flown over him. We ran to the middle of the field and put the bins on the tower but then noticed a shed load of gulls going up a little way to the north, probably about the start of Chat Alley, the lower sky here was obscured a by tall trees and the narby hotel so we missed yet another Osprey this spring, how many's that now 4, 5?

Starting our walk proper we went around the outside of the reserve listening to several Chiffchaffs on the way but only really getting glimpses of them when we stopped to look for one. We anted to see if the Long Eared Owls were still on site, arriving at the spot we were a little disappointed to find the 'easy' one wasn't there but a quick scan with the bins gave us the one that normally sits behind it and then the tricky one which was extremely tricky this time. But there was a big bonus, the first one was facing us AND had its eyes wide open, the first time we've seen it like this all winter! Could the camera (which is playing up after a recent soaking) find it and focus??? Yes it could!!!

We were able to show a young lad and his mum the pic on the camera and wished we'd taken our scope so he could see it for himself, we hope he googled it when  he got home like he said he would.

On we strolled into the reserve and along the embankment, all quiet along there apart from a couple of Cetti's Warblers.

The gulls on the mere went up and we scanned hopefully but found the cause of the consternation was the regular Buzzard not an Osprey.

 The flood in the nearest field has dried to a soggy mud but still looks good for stuff to come in and hunt flies and other invertebrates but it was devoid of bird-life as was the stubble beyond it and the still very wet floods in the field the other side of the dyke. All we could find of note in the stubble field was a solitary Stock Dove.

From the trees by the bridge (there's a songbird who sings...) we heard our first Willow Warbler (130, MMLNR #84) of the year and then heard another somewhere in the scrub near the hide. At the hide we met MJ and EP who hadn't seen too much of seasonal interest other than the nearby Willow Warbler and several Chiffchaffs, it was still more wintry fare out there although numbers of waterfowl are now well down with four Goldeneyes, 16 Tufted Ducks, and just eight each of Teal and Mallard. A Coot sitting tight on its nest and the occasional passing butterfly told us it was really spring after all. All of a  sudden a Heron came and landed on the 'goalposts' it's only very rarely that we see them on there. It looked like it had seen something in the reedbed to the right and eventually flopped down into rather deep water for a closer look.

MJ and EP went off to look for Water Pipits while we continued our circuit in the warm spring sunshine, well it was warm if you were out of the increasingly strong easterly breeze, that had a bit of an edge too it.

On the lawn there were several Rabbits that were nibbling away totally un-phased by the numerous passing humans and their dogs.

Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock butterflies fluttered along the sunny edge of the lakeside scrub but we're still to come across a Comma this season and a Brimstone here would be a very nice bonus, they're still barely annual on site.

We weren't too chuffed with the Rabbits a little further on, a look at the wet meadow showed that they'd nibbled off several of the Snakeshead Fritillary flowers. We snuck carfefully into the meadow and was disappointed to see bicycle tracks all over the place in there, people don't seem to understand that a fence means you shouldn't enter any more, there were foot prints all over the place too and several of the Snakeshead Fritillaries and Cowslips had been trodden on as well as ravaged by the Rabbits.

At the hide we sa tand watched the gulls coming and going without finding anything out of the ordinary until an all black billed winter plumaged Black Headed Gull had us getting a bit twitchy for a while. outside a Wren sang loudly and then we spotted it on the window sill when it flew into the hide. up it went to a nest and out again in a tiny brown blur.

We waited ages camera poised ready for action and when it returned we fired off  a few dreadful shots at only 1/8th of a second, maybe we should have used the flash eh?

The Wren doesn't appear to be carrying any food and this is deffo a male bird  as we've seen it singing so this might only be one of several 'cock' nests that its made of which his mate will chose the one she likes best to raise their brood in - good luck to them we hope they have a good season. 

From there we went round the other side only stopping very briefly at the Feeding Station, we wanted to watch somewhere were there was plenty of sky and were rewarded by the gulls find another Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk but no Ospreys.

Down the path a bit the Gorse we planted many years ago was looking good if being blown about a bit in the wind. Standing in the lea of it the whiff of Coconut coming from the flowers on the breeze was gorgeous. Sadly we doubt if any of the several passers-by noticed the somewhat exotic fragrance.

And looking into the sun across the mere the light catching the  tops of the old reeds and giving them a  silvery wash was gorgeous too.

All too soon our time was up, we had an errand to run before the shops shut, it always seems too soon to leave!

Just outside the reserve gate we were rewarded with the only butterfly we saw stationary all afternoon and overhead a flock of about 25 Sand Martins appeared, but no Swallows or House Martins for us yet.

Back at Base Camp a little later we discovered there were two Ospreys fishing in the river near the bridge we'd taken Wifey across on the way to see her Hares.

Our Extreme Photographer has sent some more snaps from his garden in south west Wales.

Dunnock

Marsh Tit

Female Siskin

Male Siskin

Male Sparrowhawk, taken through his non-opening kitchen window

He tells us he's had to order another 100kgs of bird food, he must go through more in a week than we do here at Base Camp in a whole winter!
He's got some pics of non-garden birds for you coming shortly.

Where to next? We hope there's more on Patch 2 tomorrow than the single Herring Gull, single Lesser Black Backed Gull, two Eiders and two Pied Wagtails today. But a walk up to the shops did give us a Great Tit for our Patchwork Challenge tally but not our Patch 2 tally.

In the meantime let us know who's giving you the runaround in your outback.

A change of scenery

The Safari got out of bed way to early today and we perhaps should have gone out for an early morning look-see but we didn't we waited in to make Wifey her breakfast when she woke up.

We did get out just before lunchtime and made a detour to the large park rather than  head straight to the nature reserve. There were plenty of gulls on the lake but nothing out of the ordinary. A Great Crested Grebe was top of the bill on the more open part of the lake. The other part of the lake had a few Shovelers and a few more Tufted Ducks. It wasn't waterfowl we were here to look for though, we were more interested in what might be in the trees. Last week CR had had good views of Treecreepers which we've missed at the nature reserve this winter and now they'll be back on the much bigger trees here. A Great Tit sang non-stop for several minutes while we checked the tree trucks for mouse-like birds.

A movement high above us caught our eye, not a Grey Squirrel this time but something more interesting and bluer...a Nuthatch, then we lost it as it flew to another tree. This was good as they have been reported only very infrequently this winter. Fortunately it reappeared after not many minutes.

Look at that, it's got a sunny seed. It was stashing them in the cracks in the bark for a rainy day. Following it back as well we could through the twigs and branches we soon found where they were finding them. Many kind souls bring seed and fill a variety of homemade feeders and this was where the two, yes two, Nuthatches were finding the seeds.

Not the best of pics the light was dodgy (poor excuse we know) and they are quick little devils!

The seed ran out and they soon disappeared but PL came by with some in his pockets and scattered it around for the other small birds and the ever greedy Feral Pigeons. The Nuthatches didn't come back. They were, however, a tick on our Patchwork Challenge Marton Mere list but it won't go on our 'official' Mere list, the site boundaries aren't the same.

There's always a Robin or two on the prowl

And they aren't shy of accepting free offerings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered through the park with PL coming across some Gadwall at the far end near the heronry, not many Herons were in residence today. this one was at the water's edge sunning itself.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard drumming but we didn't locate it in the tree tops. We left the park crossing the road to the ornamental woodland. Here we heard a Goldcrest but again couldn't find any Treecreepers. At the old log PL put down more seed from his pocket and down they came in their droves as if they'd been expecting him including this female Blackbird.

Out of the wood we had a look under the wooden sheets to see if there were any early waking Great Crested Newts, there weren't but there were two sleepy Toads.

Wandering on we checked out the nearby Bee Orchid patch at the side of the path, we found four rosettes which was nice. 

Now the nature reserve was beckoning, we looked unsuccessfully for the Stonechat at the wetland on the way. Instead of going in we went round to look for the Tawny Owl, no joy but it's probably long gone. There was a family looking for the Long Eared Owls, they'd been told were to look from by another birder but couldn't find the owls in the bushes. We were able to put them on to one of them straight away, the other two were tricky.

The easy one, facing away as usual

We met up with PL again. this time with TS and spent some time watching several Buzzards soaring in a 'kettle' on a thermal reaching an prodigious height. Away beyond the distant woods a white flash from a flock of birds was seen over the trees. A look gave us a flock of Lapwings and then the white flock again - Golden Plovers, about 200 of them. Another Patchwork Challenge tick - you can count birds seen from your patch boundary, but again not an 'official' patch tick,, far too far from that patch boundary. Another 100 or more Lapwings were on the flood the other side of the dyke and two Shelducks on the nearer flood in the corner of the field. The Lapwings weren't calling and displaying today despite the sunshine and we heard no Skylarks. There were a couple of dozen Fieldfares in the nearer field but we still can't find a Redwing.

A look at the Bee Orchid area which has been mown, fortunately sparing the two Bee Orchid rosettes we found a few weeks ago. Coltsfoot was in flower at the edge of the meadow, the first we've seen this year.

A quick sprint back to the car in the park took us past the wooded area to look for Treecreepers again - again no joy but we did nearly step on some Dog(?) Violets we hadn't noticed earlier in the day.

What a cracking day out on safari.
Where to next? Back to see what's happening on Patch 2 tomorrow.
In the meantime let us know who's been playing hide and seek in your outback.

Yet more invisible owls

The Safari was feeling decidedly liverish did the last of the BTO Goldfinch survey watches yesterday morning. We'd been out until ridiculous o'clock supping copious excessive quantities of fine ale with good friends and Wifey to her favourite karaoke haunt. Wifey is a very good singer, we don't sing, the agonised shrieks and howls of those suffering unmentionable torture at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition are nothing in comparison at our attempts at warbling. Blurred double vision aside we counted four Goldfinches for the survey, one of our higher counts! six Greenfinches was a good count too. This has to have been one of the easiest citizen science surveys ever devised and if there's something similar soon we'd recommend you take part.

Wifey went out swimming and we had a sneaky hour at the nature reserve doing nothing other than looking for the Tawny Owl that had been reported again from the same place the previous afternoon. God to know it's still about. We looked high and low and east and west but couldn't see any sign of it. After a while another birder, from out of town, turned up. He wasn't over-impressed by the mega lurking in the trees behind the hedge but was, not unsurprisingly, more interested in seeing the Long Eared Owls which he naturally assumed we were looking at/for. We took him the extra 100 yards or so along the path and showed him one very easy, one not quite so easy and one very tricky Long Eared Owls. We both then went to look at the mere to see if the Iceland Gull was present, the other of his day's target species. We couldn't see it from the path but as we were now time constrained suggested he go down to the Viewing Platform and see if it could seen from there.

Later in the afternoon we were back for another longer look and met up with PL. We both looked high and low and east and west but again had no success. From not seeing the Tawny Owl we went to the Viewing Platform to try our luck with the Bittern(s). We stood there for the best part of two hours listening to the multitude of Cetti's Warblers, a couple deafeningly close, squealing Water Rails and a hweeting Chiffchaff. Behind us in the trees there was an unseen Goldcrest calling.

In the pool in front of us there was a pair of Teal and pairs each of fighting Coots and fighting Moorhens. The light began to fade and as it did so the Teal became more active and started feeding all around the pool eventually coming right to the bank below us.

By now toes and fingers were cooling down rapidly and with no sign of anything beginning with B, namely Bittern, Bearded Tit or Barn Owl we called it a day.

After breakfast Wifey was able to identify a Wren (Wifey #49) from its song drifting in on the gentle breeze through the bedroom window.

At lunchtime we picked up JH and GB at the prom and took them to the nature reserve for their first visit in 15 years, they have been out of town and ' overseas' for that time though. Indeed while waiting for their tram to arrive we had a scan of the sea and in the distance beyond the windfarm we could see the grey shapes of the tops of the hills of their previous residence, the Isle of Man. It wasn't a particularly birding visit more a social natter and show them what's been going on in the last decade and a half - more reeds!!! said GB.

Our first stop was the lively Feeding Station where there were birds a plenty. Most were flitting around too quickly, it was cold overnight and they were busy piling on the pounds for another cold night ahead. We failed miserably with the Coal Tits and only just managed a almost passable pic of one of the several Long Tailed Tits.

The rotters just wouldn't keep still! We wanted a pic of the Moorhen family that was sneaking around too, but they wouldn't sneak far enough out of the scrub for us, the cracking male Reed Bunting was behaving in exactly the same manner, refusing to come out into the open.

Continuing round we stopped briefly at Ice Station Zebra, it was lovely out on the grass with warm sun on our backs but as soon as we entered the hide there was a temperature plummet of about 50C. Gulls aplenty were on the water in front of us but not the Iceland Gull today. The only noteworthies were the large increase in numbers of Lesser Black Backed Gulls as they return from their wintering grounds on the tips and coasts of Spain, Portugal and North Africa. A Coot came into the reeds in front of us but wouldn't venture into open water, it looked like it was prospecting suitable nesting locations.

Crossing the bridge at the east end the view over the new stream the air was so clear it was almost possible to tick Red Grouse on the Bowland fells (but not Hen Harriers - cos they've killed them all!) 

Looking the other way the light was strong but back lit a patch of Teasels beautifully.

A quick jaunt out of the reserve took us through the sunny glade along the path illuminating a some well opened Blackthorn flowers.

And although it's still winter coming on spring we spotted a nice fungus growing on a broken stump deep in the wet scrub.

A few yards later we were at our target but they weren't showing quite as well as yesterday, Not only that we could only find two of the three.

Can you see the second owl?

We approached the Viewing Platform and rounding the last tree managed to only flush a flippin Bittern (109, MMLNR #76) right from the edge of the pool where we hoped it would be with PL yesterday. Unfortunately our chatter had it fly round to the left and drop into the dense reedbed not to be seen again.

Today it was warm on the bench sat in the sunshine, very pleasant indeed. As usual Cetti's Warblers verbally sparred with each other and Water Rails screamed at each other. The pair of Teal were still in the pool and a Little Grebe called unseen from the hidden pool to our right. After a while the Teal started moving around again, what a difference a bit of light makes.

As ever time ran out and we had to make tracks. On the way back to the car we passed a good show of Crocuses we helped school children plant in the years running up to the Millennium.

Shame the other circle gets trodden on and wrecked by both dogs and humans walking on them - maybe we shouldn't have planted them so near the gate...ohhh hang on maybe the numpties should respect them and keep themselves and their mutts off them.

But enough of the ranting and doom and gloom this was a lovely day out with good company and plenty of warm sunshine.

Where to next? Back to Patch 2 where a couple of days of light winds should have calmed down the sea enough to have a good look at what's out there.

In the meantime let us know who's been showing themselves off in the sunshine in your outback.

 

Oh to be in Ireland now the winter's here

The Safari wouldn't have minded a trip over the water to have a gawp at the Glaucous Winged Gull and the Vega Gull that turned up recently, not to mention the five Ring Billed Gulls at the famous Nimmo's Pier in Galway - saw one there on our only visit many years ago to see the Double Crested Cormorant.

This morning saw last night's snow still lying on the ground but the local Magpies were busy building up their new nest some of it being scavenged from last year's nest.

After our Sunday morning traditional big bacon butty breakfast it was time to have a chilly wander round the nature reserve. One the way we counted three big snowmen and saw sledging fun being had on the slopes of the golf course near the hospital. The park lake was nearly all frozen over so we hoped there's be plenty of ice on the reserve too.

We started at the FBC hide where the water was far from frozen, the approach to the hide gave us our first Song Thrush here (MMLNR #56). There were a decent number of water ducks and a few gulls to look at. Always hopeful of a good gull we set about checking them over. Eventually something a bit different dropped in, a Herring Gull with a bit too much white in its wingtip and worthy of closer inspection.

After a while it was disturbed by another gull landing too close and we were able to get a bit of an open wing shot. Looks like a Scandinavian bird but not from too far north. Long white P10 tip big mirrors on P9 no mark on P5 and small 'pearls' on P6, 7 and 8. The mantle wasn't appreciably darker than the normal 'argenteus' Herring Gulls.

A Great Crested Grebe (MMLNR #56) was on the water with the other waterfowl. Time to move on and see what else we could find. The only frozen water was in the corner where there were a few Black Headed Gulls roosting.

We're sure you'll find the odd one out

From there we crossed the bridge and saw a Buzzard (MMLNR #59) sat in the Hawthorn bushes at the end of the dyke. The fields still had a smattering of snow and the large puddle/flood was frozen solid, the only things moving were a few Carrion Crows and a couple of Jackdaws. In the far distance there was a decent flock of gulls but too far away to do any justice too.

Continuing our stroll we left the reserve passing calling Water Rail and Cetti's Warbler on the way, but we still can't find a Reed Bunting.

We can't go to the reserve and not have a look at the Long Eared Owls, today we could only find one of them. While we were watching it doing nothing as usual we were able to be able to show it through the scope a couple of families out enjoying the wintery conditions.

Phonescoped

Retracing our steps back into the reserve (the owl is in the reserve but you have to view it from outside over the fence) we passed the reedbed on our left to the sound of a calling Chiffchaff (93, MMLNR #60). We couldn't see any more owls from this side either.

Looking up the main north path. The owls are slightly behind and to the right of this pic

A heavy and cold shower came down so we moved on quickly to the Feeding Station. At the feeders it was busy due to the cold weather, the two Coal Tits were top of the list here, still no Reed Bunting for us though.

Once the rain had stopped we continued our circuit looking over the mere from the 'Bramble Patch' - needs a bench here (hint hint!) but almost all the ducks and gulls were down the far end so we didn't stay long and went back to the Bird Club hide where MJ and EP were already counting the waterfowl.

There were at least 400 Teal, 50 Wigeon, 75 Mallards, 33 Gadwall, 50 something Tufted Ducks, 4 male Pochards and a female and a pair of Goldeneyes, Coot numbers were up around 100 possibly swelled by birds forced off the frozen park lake. We stayed a while enjoying the spectable.

As we left we saw a Blackthorn coming into unseasonal flower.

Another excellent mooch round the reserve and a few more species for our Patchwork Challenge.

Where to next? Back to Patch 2 tomorrow - weather permitting.

In the meantime let us know who's being unseasonal in your outback