Our birding Photo Challenge creeps on at snail's pace

The Safari saw that the Waxwings were still hanging around some berry laden trees alongside the main road in to town the other day so we had  a quick run up there at lunchtime passing a Rook (55) foraging on a grassy roadside verge on the way.

We spotted them in the tall Poplar trees as soon as we pulled up but the light was awful on a grey dismal drizzly day. Before long they flew down into the berried Whitebeam trees which were much shorter and offered a better angle but before we could get the camera to them a passing pedestrian came by and spooked them making them fly up the road towards town. We waited a good few minutes but they didn't return. Nothing for it as lunchtime quickly ebbed away but to drive back to work the way the Waxwings went and there they were sat up in a tree in a garden about 300 yards up the road.

We threw the car in to the nearby DIY store and jumped out with the camera to try to get a few yards closer.

They came down to one of the two scratty Rowan trees by the side of the car park and we were able to get just one slightly better shot.

Great to get Waxwings (56) on the year list and in the Photo Challenge album.  Lucky too as they haven't been seen in town since that day. While we were chatting to FB, who'd driven up for a quick look at the Waxwings, a Pied Wagtail (57) flew over us.

A quick stop at the waste depot on the way back to the office revealed very few gulls and certainly not the Iceland Gull, more's the pity/

In the afternoon the sun came out and we were able to have a wander on the beach where we got some nice pics of already spotted species for our Photo Challenge.

Redshanks

Redshank and Turnstone

And back on the seawall someone had left a huge pile of left over probably stale crackers but Turnstones will eat almost anything.

Great Black Backed Gull

Oystercatcher

 There were a few Sanderlings down on the water's edge too.

But perhaps the best thing we found wasn't a bird but a large lump of sea-coal, the biggest we've ever found anywhere ever.

A Carrion Crow on the work's lawn became our 29th species for the Photo Challenge.

All good stuff but sadly nothing added on a very windy day today although a Goldcrest (58) was heard while out with Monty, the Peregrine was on the tower and the Magpie roost in the park is up to at least 100 now.

Where to next? Apparently there's some snow on the way, that might shuffle things round a bit.
In the meantime let us know who's dodging the waves in your outback.

A grey day and even greyer pics

The Safari didn't get to the Southside as expected today. At the time we anticipated we'd be leaving there was thick for again so we decided against traveling. Instead we took Monty round the very soggy Butterfly Zone on Patch 1 where he met several other doggies he's not played with before and he had a blast. Trying to get the worst of the mud off him we walked him round the dry paths of the park where we added Woodpigeon (P1 #15), House Sparrow (P1 #16), Song Thrush (52; P1 #17), and Wren (P2 #18) to our lists.

Once back at Base Camp Monty fell asleep shattered after all that running round and we watched a very empty garden. It wasn't until much later we started to pick up a few distant species for our Photo Challenge. Most of which we're sure we'll be able to get better pics to replace them over the course of the next few weeks.

The Greenfinch (54; #022) was over 90 yards away which at ISO Stupid and hand-held at 600mm we don't think is actually that bad a pic.  A much much nearer male Chaffinch (53) didn't get past the cutting room floor. We doubt we'll struggle for that species though so we're not overly bothered we missed out on it today.

Where to next? Hopefully a bit of sunshine tomorrow lunchtime will allow a mooch on the beach with the big lens. 

In the meantime let us know who's been massively over-processed in your outback.

More first week shenanigans

The Safari was subjected to a pretty dire foggy day today which mostly involved chores. We did have to go out early afternoon on an errand which took us past FB's house where he's been watching nearly a dozen Waxwings on the street tree opposite from his sitting room window - when we drove past it was that foggy we could hardly see the trees from the driver's seat never mind any birds sat in them.

The grotty weather gave us the opportunity to see nothing was happening in the garden and after that we got to grips with a couple of recent SD cards to show you some more of what we've been up to this week.

Black Headed Gull taken at work

Starling also taken at work

Both of the Snow Buntings

They find the tiniest of seeds well out on a lower strandline well out on the beach

 And then there's the sunsets...

Good to see people videoing the Starling mumuration with their tablet - all technology is acceptable!

The Sparrowhawk banking away after an unsuccessful dart at the flock

Where to next? Back to the Southside for some family duties but we may well get a chance to bob in to some wildlife sites soomewhere sometime during the day.
In the meantime let us know who's been gleaning all the seeds in your outback.

 

Little time for blogging but there's still some wildlife being seen

The Safari is back to work after the holiday and with puppy classes and other stuff to attend to in the evenings we've not had a chance to put pen to keyboard to let you know what we've been up to and what we've seen.

Our trip to the Southside was a fun day out with our birding mates but we spent more time chatting than watching. The site we visited is renowned for its Stonechats

and wintering Short Eared Owls, there were four of these but by they time they got up to fly round mid afternoon we'd walked well past their favoured area so mostly only got distant views.

When we birded this area on our bike on the early 70s Little Egrets wouldn't have been on our radar, they weren't in the basic field guides we had at that time.

As is always the case with nature reserves these days there was a numpty with a dog who let it run all over the place without any control what-so-ever. Once over the river it ran miles across the farmland from where it disturbed a flock of Lapwings and Golden Plovers.

Had there been livestock in some of the fields instead of newly planted crops and stubble the dog would have ended up getting itself shot by the farmer - it's almost a shame nature reserve managers don't have the same rights as farmers to protect their 'livestock' and were allowed to shoot unleashed dogs running amock on reserves.

At lunchtime the other day we got out to have a look for the local Snow Buntings, news from the birding website was they'd flown high and away the previous day but we went out feeling hopeful in good sunshine. After a good while and almost at the point when we had to think about going back to work empty handed they flew in from behind us and landed not 20 yards away. Edging round to get them in better light they were now only 20 feet away.

After work we met up with CR at the pier to watch the Starling murmuration over the high tide. There was a bit of a sunset too. A Sparrowhawk came in and bunched the Starlings up and just happened to become the only Sparrowhawk we've taken a pic of over the sea.

Not a bad end to a week with only 'limited' opportunities for watching wildlife.
Our various lists stand as follows:-
Garden - 8
Patch 1 - 14
Patch 2 - 12
Year List Photo Challenge - 17 - some of the other challengers are well over 50 already and over a third of their way to their target - - we're 'pacing ourselves'!

Grand Total - Long Tailed Tits going to roost in the dark gloomy drizzly fog on Patch 1 while out with Monty in the very last of the light yesterday were #50 for the year.

Where to next? A weekend busy with family stuff may mean little time for wildlife again but we're sure we'll see something somewhere.

In the meantime let us know who was only feet away in your outback.

And so off we go again

The Safari had yet another rough night, will this darned cold ever go? Monty laid in bed late but still had us up well before dawn. As soon as we were out of the front door we heard a Robin (1) singing somewhere in the darkness. On the grass verge of the main road we could see the dark shape of a Blackbird (2) hopping around listening for early rising worms. Unfortunately the light from the street lamps revealed the Peregrine had gone from its roosting ledge, probably frightened off by the ridiculous barrage of fireworks - when did all that nonsense start and more to the point why???

Once daybreak came round it wasn't long before Herring Gull (3), Great Tit (4), Woodpigeon (5) and Collared Dove (6). 

Late morning we set off with Wifey and Monty for the beach, stopping just around the corner to have a close look at the Peregrine (7), which had thankfully reappeared.

At the beach the tide was in as were a fair number of New Year's Day swimmers,  

the skinny dippers were particularly brave as there was a stiff icy breeze blowing and a temperature of no more than 5C. With the swimmers and literally hundreds of dog walkers we didn't hold out much hope of finding the local Snow Buntings....and we didn't!

A flock of Ringed Plovers (8) were trying to roost at the top of the beach but were continually being disturbed.

They'd be flushed, fly round a bit and then try to settle back down but before many minutes had passed yet another dog walker would come along and walk straight towards them putting them up again. We made sure Monty was kept well away from them by at least 100 yards.

Eventually the traffic died down a bit and they were able settle properly, so we used the little available cover to get big-lens close, we fired off a few shots and went backwards to leave them in peace.

Shame about the Snow Buntings but we'll try again at lunchtime later in the week. If there were no dog walkers the beach would have been empty, which says something about the rest of society.

The drive back to Base Camp gave us several Feral Pigeons (9) and once home we heard a Dunnock (10)  calling in the garden.

Ten down, two hundred to go, our year list gas started...and the grand total for the Photo Challenge is two.

Where to next? Off on a birding mission to the Southside tomorrow which is good.

In the meantime let us know who's out on a ledge in your outback.