Can't beat a sparrow or two

The Safari was lucky enough to get out at lunchtime at work the other day just as the sun broke through the dismal grey of the morning. Patch 2 was poor out to sea but we did see this sticker from our friends from the Love My Beach project on one of the bins.

Not sure we agree with the sentiment here, gulls have been using the sea as a resource for a lot longer than we have been bathing/swimming/paddling in it en-masse. What happens when thousands of them turn up on a shellfish wreck after a storm? How much poo do the pods of 30 or more Bottlenose Dolphins do as they cruise the coast in the summer? We can understand not feeding them to prevent nuisance food/ice cream thefts but why the need to vilify them, the poor things get a bad enough and unwarranted press as it is?

With nothing happening out to sea we took the camera round the gardens to see what we could spy.

Where the kind mystery person had put the feeders up there was a good flock of House Sparrows. The sounds coming from the flock are superb, really cheery and uploiting on a dull winter's day.

There were several more to the left and right too

They're usually quite wary and unapproachable but not today, they allowed a reasonably close approach.

And with caution and no sudden moves we got closer still.

This particular female was showing great interest in something at the tip of the twig she was perched on....seeds?

The males are resplendent and overlooked by far too many folks. Dapper little crackers they are.

But if you try to sneak another inch this happens

While we were there a few gulls started flying around and one of them was the nearly full black headed Black Headed Gull we mentioned the other day.

Yesterday was another family day but a wander out onto the dunes with the dogs found us a large Puffball fungus but not the 'normal' Giant Puffball. It's something we've not seen for a good few years.

We didn't get out today, we had hoped to nip down to the pier to have a look at the Starling murmuration at dusk but the afternoon sunshine gave way to grey murk rather than a fabulous sunset so we gave it a miss.

Where to next? There's still a Velvet Scoter to be found out on Patch 2 and of course if there's a sunset there could well be a visit to the Starlings after work.

In the meantime let us know who's doing the cheery chirruping in your outback.

Wax off - wax on

The Safari booked a day off yesterday and minutes after having it Ok'd by the boss on Tuesday afternoon news of a flock of about 50 Waxwings in the neighbouring town broke. Well that was fortuitous! No need to make any difficult decisions about what to do or where to go. We had already planned a chill-out day around a safari somewhere but this news was just what we wanted. 

Tuesday had already seen us looking at a Borage plant still in flower and then watching a Black Headed Gull with an unseasonal almost total brown head in the melee after the last scraps of DB's lunch she was launching skywards over the seawall. Every winter there always seems to be one whose moult is highly retarded or overly advanced. Also slightly unseasonal were a good number of Daffodil sprouts sprouting tall above the soil.

And then back at Base Camp we saw the first green shoots of our Spanish Bluebells.

Anyway after a few small household chores yesterday waiting for the morning rush to die down we then pointed the car eastwards, half an hour later we were pulling up in a parking space to see a small cluster of birders stood close to a berry-laden roadside tree looking very odd and out of place amongst the hip and trendy university students making their way to lectures in the adjacent building...talk about sore thumbs! Trouble was none of the half a dozen or so birders ever lifted their bins once while we were walking towards them - a sure sign of chit-chat and no birds to be seen. Sure enough the word was there were some but they'd gone to who knows where. Other birders arrived who'd gone to look at nearby who-knows-where type places but without success.

Eventually news broke that two had been found at a 'traditional' berry-tree lined street not too far away. By the time we'd driven round there they'd done a bunk over the houses not to be seen again. Many years ago we almost bought a house on that street

Two Waxwings had been seen there not long before we got there but had disappeared over the rooftops. The local bloshy Mistle Thrushes might have had something to to do with it as we watched them successfully defend their precious berries against a party of marauding Blackbirds several times. 
With no sign of the Waxwings news came that there were others a mile or so away...off we went and bingo - success. Driving down the small street we looked up at four smallish birds in the top of the tallest tree.

Every twenty minutes or so they'd drop down into a scratty Rowan tree with hardly any berries left on a tiny street corner amenity planting where they gave pretty stonking views.

They are gorgeous aren't they - and just a bit better for their unpredictability rating.

Somehow we managed to only get pics of the juveniles and not the adults with the bright yellow wing patches - doh!!! We'll just have to go back!
Also in the tree briefly was a berry eating Blackcap.

Got one

Gone!

At work a walk to the shop for the crew's milk had us notice that our mystery local bird lover had been back and put out the feeders for the winter. Good on them. The 30 or more local House Sparrows are grateful too.

Where to next? Might have a look at the Starling murma=uration onm the way home tomorrow if the weather is OK, bit of a sunset would bee a bonus too.
In the meantime let us know who's sporting the natty tufts in your outback.

A mixed bag for a grey and dreary Sunday

The Safari was hoping to get out early for a wander down along the dunes just south of Patch 2 this morning but it didn't happen. Instead we ended up heading north with Wifey who had an errand to run for her sister who was working in her shop today. While Wifey went inside we stayed out to watch the car and watched the urban wildlife flying round the rooftops. Mostly Herring Gulls and Feral Pigeons.

Once the errand was completed we took Monty for a slither up the hill over the estuary at the rather soggy Country Park.

Looks like he's discovered mud!!!

Chomps more grass than the average horse too!

There were a lot of flighty thrushes flying around. Mostly Redwings and Blackbirds with a few Fieldfares and a Mistle Thrush or two thrown in for good measure. None of them allowed anything like close enough approach with the camera. Put on the muddy banks of the dropping river in the estuary there were a decent number of Lapwings taking to the air from time to time. 

Closer, on the marsh, but not close enough was a Little Egret working its way along a small creek.

Back at Base Camp Monty was washed down and a bite of lunch was eaten, then it was time to hit the dunes in search of a Snowflake which we now knew probably hadn't been seen since early morning.

We started off at the bottom of Patch 2 and walk the strandline south watching for flits and hits of movement among the clumps of washed up seaweed lying at the top of the beach. As expected we came across a couple of Pied Wagtails after only a couple of minutes.

Once passed those our luck ran out and we didn't see another small bird for ages until a female Reed Bunting was spotted lurking in a patch of Marram Grass on the edge of the dunes. We continued for about a mile seeing just another pair of Pied Wagtails before the light really started to fade. The area of the lower dunes just behind the posts was awash with doggy footprints so we can only imaging our lovely little Snow Bunting had been dogged-off...but will it reappear in the week when it might be a little less busy.

At the farthest point a couple of lads were having a blast up and down the beach on their kite trolleys. Even in the very light breeze they were getting a fair turn of speed going.

We hurried back to the car and leaving the beach watched a couple of folk watching an enormous gaggle of Starlings lined up on the tram's overhead wires. The lady asked us if we were filming the birds so it would have been rude not to point the camera at them even though the light was atrocious.

We left and headed back to Base Camp passing the pier where no roost had started and the sky was dull and grey. As it transpired there was an awesome sunset just after we reached Base Camp and had settled down to a nice cuppa. What a shame we didn't stay out a few more minutes and catch the murmuration with a totally fiery sky.

'Our' Peregrine was roosting in its usual place close to Base Camp when we took Monty out for his tea-time mooch round the block, probably been there all day as we saw when we left this morning.

Where to next? A day off work tomorrow with some jobs to do but we're sure we'll find some wildlife somewhere to tell you about.

In the meantime let us know who's been dogged-off in your outback.

Sad days and better days

The Safari said a final goodbye to mother yesterday, a hard day especially with father becoming so frail recently as well and requiring extra attention. Add to all that a whole heap of traffic problems and it was a pretty stressful day for the family. Our stress was lessened by Monty going to a doggy-sitter. He had a great time playing all day with new friends - shattered today.

For a bit of a chill-out we took him to a local he's not been to yet and let him have a rare run around off the lead. Before we left he had a few minutes in the garden where up above something had upset the gulls and they were very vocal for a few minutes keeping his attention transfixed on them.

At the park he had a good old run around 

 and a great game of fetch, which at only 16 weeks old today is getting pretty good at.

We've still no idea what he'll look like in six months time, he could be twice this size or just a little larger and he could be silvery grey rather than jet black making look well old before his years.

The field was alive with bird sounds, mostly House Sparrows - one particular Blackthorn thicket must have held abut 40 of them, all exceptionally camera-shy. Flitting across the pathways were occasional Blackbirds while overhead we saw a few Magpies and Goldfinches.  

He slept all afternoon while Wifey was out n about with eh-up Muvver and we caught up with a few hours of doing very little indeed, which was just what we needed after a hectic few days.

We agree with everything SE mentioned in his comment the other day and would add that those dog owners that bag the sh*t only to throw it in the bushes rather than walk to a bin should have their ears cut off and  those that don't pick up at all should be made to lick it up!!! Neither should be allowed anywhere near a dog never mind own one!

Where to next? Might get out somwhere locally tomorrow - we hope.

In the meantime let us know who's doing all the running in your outback.

 

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.

A dull morning was anything but dull

The Safari had an impromptu day off today to get some head-space and a bit of chilling time. We left for the nature reserve just after the early morning rush. Almost as soon as we got out of the car we noticed there were a lot of Blackbirds around and it didn't take long to find a Song Thrush. A Goldcrest called from the hedgerow too. 

Our first stop was the viewing platform from where we saw there were a lot of Coots and other waterfowl. The light was dreadful so we didn't stop long moving on to see if wee could see our day's  'official quarry' which was lurking in the scrub somewhere. On the walk down we heard multiple gunshots from not very far away and immediately the sky was full of panicking wildfowl. The shooting was coming from an area where it's allowed but really there needs to be a buffer zone of at least a mile from wetland nature reserves/SSSIs where there should no shooting what-so-ever - what's the point of a sanctuary if the wildlife doesn't feel safe there?

A few of the Teal

A few of the Wigeon

We looked and looked and looked but couldn't see what we wanted to in the scrub but there were lots more Blackbirds and a couple more Song Thrushes. We gave up and moved on to the embankment where we got stupendous views of a Cetti's Warbler out in the open while another sang  behind it. Above it was yet another Song Thrush, given a bit of moving around and the risk of double counting we guesstimate we'd seen at least eight by now.

Continuing towards the bridge we heard another Cetti's Warbler but couldn't find the Stonechats. While we were looking for them we got a call from LR who was on his way, which was good as it was he who found our hidden quarry earlier in the week so we wandered back to wait for him. The scrub now held some Fieldfares, a flock of 13 Redwings flew over and the second Goldcrest of the morning was with a small party of foraging tits.

LR arrived and told us we were looking in the wrong place by a few yards and three or four trees. There was one of the two Long Eared Owls he'd seen earlier in the week well hidden deep in the bottom of a gnarly old Hawthorn. We never did find the second.

Time as ever was running short so we went round to the far side to have a look at the waterfowl from the hide affectionately known as Ice Station Zebra. There's been some management work done on the reeds but not quiet enough to fully open up the view. We saw lots of Coots, still in dreadful light, and not a lot else close by.

Still no sign of the 'Posh' Gull in town yet, if it's going to return for another winter it shouldn't be far away now.

With time pressing even harder now we bumped into MMcG armed with a new and hopefully Grey Squirrel-proof feeder for the feeding station. He spotted a sizeable flock of 15 Long  Tailed Tits and that was the end of our time allowed. Back to the car with some haste it was to go and do some jobs.

Where to next? Family visiting again tomorrow but Wifey has come up with a cunning plan for the first part of the journey - Monty might like it too.

In the meantime let us know who's keeping well hidden in your outback.