25/05/2019 East Grinstead RSPB Local Group visit to RSPB Lakenheath in Suffolk and Weeting Heath for Stone Curlew

Saturday 25th May 2019

15 members made another long journey, this time to Suffolk to take in RSPB Lakenheath as our primary venue but hoping to finish off at nearby Weeting Heath to look at the resident pair of Stone Curlews.

RSPB Lakenheath
 

There were no surprises here but the staples were well worth coming to see.

• Last week there were dozens of Hobbies here.  We had to settle for much less but we still saw at least 10 as we enjoyed lunch at the far end of the reserve.
• Bitterns are also here and, despite a crowded Mere Hide, we all managed to get good views of a couple.  At lunch we got superb views as a Bittern flew a short distance over the reed bed.
• We heard Cuckoo's soon after we arrived but it wasn't until lunchtime that we got the flight view we were craving.
• Marsh Harriers thrive here too and we had excellent views throughout our stay.  We even witnessed a food drop by the male to the female below it - very impressive!

A species count of over 50 meant we saw a good variety of bird life.

Weeting Heath NR
 

We finished off with a brief visit to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust site at Weeting Heath.

• The Stone Curlews were present and showing well from the East Hide with the female on the nest to the left of the cameras and the busier male to the right.

It's always great to see this strange looking bird!

22/05/2019 Ashdown Forest: Nightjars, Woodcock and Tree Pipits RIP Terry Priest

Wednesday 22nd May 2019
Ashdown Forest, Sussex

My first attempt to see Nightjars in 2019 was a resounding success with 4 sightings on two sites 100 metres apart.  Definitely 2 birds, male and female, but probably 4.

• The first sighting was from Brian and Jane's seat just south of the Hindleap car park.  Clive and I heard the first churring at 21.12 then had magnificent views of the bird flying around, wing clapping and  calling with the familiar cuick sound. 

• Another sighting at 21.22 before we headed up the hill to the favourite tree from previous years where we saw the male and female flying low over the ground - again the views were terrific in the superb lighting.

 

I also had Tree Pipit and roding Woodcock on my bucket list and I was rewarded with good sightings of both species.

• As I walked from the car park down to Brian and Jane's seat I could hear Tree Pipits singing and just after I arrived at the seat, I got the superb view that I wanted as the bird sang from the top of a high bush just 20 metres from me.

• Normally I see Woodcock first then Nightjars afterwards but that didn't happen tonight. It wasn't until 21.24 that I saw my first Woodcock - nearly 15 minutes after the Nightjar appeared.  Eventually I recorded 3 sightings of this lovely bird.  I had seen this species earlier in the year but my preference will always be to see it roding in the Ashdown Forest.

• By way of a bonus Clive and I heard Tawny Owls calling at regular intervals during our stay.

A great night!

 

RIP Terry - I will miss you!

15/05/2019 Knepp Estate with the East Grinstead RSPB Local Group Turtle Dove, Nightingales and a White Stork

Wednesday 15 May 2019
Knepp Estate, Sussex
East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

A cracking trip to the Knepp Estate this morning.

• We only saw one Turtle Dove but it stayed in place in the canopy of a leafless tree for about 25 minutes before flying off, allowing all 14 members to get good scope views.
• Bird of the day for me was the magnificent White Stork which we saw flying around as we headed back to Shipley from the south side of the estate.
• It's always nice to be in the presence of Nightingales and we came across several.  They were not giving us their full repertoire of song but enough to ID them and appreciate what we did hear.

We were lucky to have Malcolm and Julie on board and they provided us with valuable insight into our dragonfly and butterfly sightings.

It was a good day for early season butterflies and dragonflies.

• We had good views of female Broad-bodied Chasers, a very fresh male Beautiful Demoiselle, Azure Blues and a Large Red Damselfly. 

• Butterflies seen were Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Red Admiral and a Peacock.

Just over 40 bird species seen but a truly memorable outing with friends in the group.

16/05/2019 Scotland Trip with my Cumbrian Friends

Saturday 4 May to Saturday 11 May 2019
With Brian, Graham and Harvey
In and around John o' Groats

This year's tour was centred on a rented cottage in John o' Groats - a surprising choice but one that proved to be a winner with perhaps our best ever birding experience. The weather conditions were OK with lots of sunshine but it was cold and windy early on and cold and wet for a few days in the middle.  Thankfully I was indisposed for the latter and only missed out on a few new birds.

Travelling up to Scotland

 

We saw an impressive 61 species as we made the 400 mile journey by minibus from Workington to John o' Groats.  None of them were particularly rare but they provided a good basis for our trip species count. 

 

Loch Garten was both a surprise and a disappointment.  Not only did we not get a hint of any Crested Tits but we were gobsmacked to learn there were no Ospreys on site at all!

 

 

 

Duncansby  (Sunday)

 

We visited this site immediately after breakfast. 

• Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags, Fulmars and Kittiwakes provided a vibrant start.
• Bonxies were very evident and dominated the scene.
• One of my favourite species, Eider, was present in huge numbers.



courtesy of Brian Collis



Loch Watten and Scrabster Harbour   (Sunday)

• On the way to Scrabster Harbour we saw a lovely Black-throated Diver on Loch Wotten.
• Scrabster Harbour was quite superb with outstanding close views of Black Guillemots (the first of over 100 seen during the week!) and an amazing Iceland Gull - a real bonus bird!  We also saw a Great Northern Diver.



courtesy of Brian Collis



 Forsinard and the Flow Country   (Sunday)

• We finished off this second day in the valley leading to RSPB Forsinard where we enjoyed a real Hen Harrier fest with at least 6 (and probably as many as 8) birds seen including several stunning males. We even had a male fly by the cottage while we were waiting to eat in the evening!



courtesy of Brian Collis



Dunnet Head RSPB Reserve  (Monday)

 

• As we neared Dunnet Head we saw a couple of Red-throated Divers in the loch off to our left and close to the road - ideal!



courtesy of Brian Collis



courtesy of Brian Collis


 

• It was very windy on the head but we still managed to get good views of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars etc - similar to the views we had at Duncansby.

• Of course we came to see the Puffins and they did not disappoint with good numbers on view near the bottom of the cliffs and in the water nearby.

St John's Pool and Loch (Monday)

 

• The main point of interest here, apart from seeking shelter from the cold and wind, were the terns with both Arctic Terns and Common Terns present, to complement the Sandwich Terns that we had seen previously at other sites.

 

 

 

Orkney (Tuesday)

 



The weather forecast put Tuesday as the best day so we booked the first ferry out from Gills Bay at 9.30 am and returned on the last ferry leaving St Margaret's Hope at 5 pm.  Despite the relatively short time slot we were able to get round most of the mainland and saw some super birds.

 

Most of the birds seen were not new to us on this trip, they were just closer and more numerous.

 

• The big exception were the many Long-tailed Ducks we saw as we moved around.
• Red-breasted Mergansers clearly flourish on Orkney.
• We were fortunate to find some breeding Little Terns on Water Sound as we headed back to the ferry in the afternoon.
• There were at least 2 more Hen Harrier sightings.

 

 Wednesday and Thursday

 

This saw me housebound with an infection.  The weather was much wetter on these days and the boys struggled at the Loch of Mey and in the Helmsdale area.  I missed out on Crossbill, Yellowhammer, Spotted Flycatcher, Velvet Scoter, Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Goose.

 

 



Friday

 

This was very much a mopping-up day.  The boys revisited some of the sites from the last couple of days allowing me to catch up with some of the species I had missed.

 

Dunnet Bay

 

We finished up in Dunnet Bay where we enjoyed a terrific finale.  Nothing new but a rich birding experience.

• We saw at least 100 Puffins on the water.
• Great Northern Divers were a feature with at least 4 seen.

Travelling back to Workington

Faced with a 400 mile return leg to Workington we planned out a route that would allow us to see some spectacular new birds on the way.  Our plan worked perfectly!

Loch Ruthven

The highlight of the trip was a visit to Loch Ruthven to see Slavonian Grebes in full summer plumage.   This was Graham's choice. I had been here before some 10 years ago and could hardly wait to see these lovely creatures again.

• Bang on cue the grebes showed up with 2 pairs showing well.  Brian's picture captures the moment really well.

courtesy of Brian Collis



Findhorn Valley

Next stop was the Findhorn valley to look for Eagles.  Once again we struck lucky.

As we approached the bottom of the valley we could see 4 Golden Eagles in the sky ahead of us.  When we stopped and investigated further we realised there were at least 6 and probably 8 altogether. 

Cairngorms

 

Brian's choice was to visit the car park at the visitors centre near the now defunct funicular railway on the Cairngorms.  He was hoping to see Snow Buntings. 

 

• Just as earlier, everything turned up trumps and he had great views.  There were 6 showing really well on the roof of the centre.  Alas I was on the loo at the time and missed them and as we were on a tight schedule I had no chance to wait for them to return. 

courtesy of Brian Collis



• There was some compensation however when a male Ring Ouzel flew into the bushes close to where I was standing. 

A cracking trip - my last with these lads, although I will visit them if and when they are in my area. 

Nearly 125 species seen with many in superb summer plumage.



03/05/19. In Cumbria - Pied Flycatcher, Ospreys and Dippers

3 May 2019
Cumbria

Spent the day with Brian in Cumbria.

Loweswater
 

Rather than go to our usual place at Wythop, Brian took me to Holme Wood on the south side of Loweswater Lake where he had seen Pied Flycatchers using a nest box a few days ago.  

• Unfortunately they were not doing so today so we had to graft before getting our prize.  It was well worth the effort with a couple of outstanding views of a male singing away on the exposed branches.

courtesy of Brian Collis



Bassenthwaite Lake

The Ospreys are back again this year but they are playing havoc with the Forestry Commision arrangements.  Instead of returning to the usual nest site, covered by cameras and all, they used the nearby nest set up by the local farmer who has no monitoring equipment in place.

• Although we saw the Osprey flying from our usual vantage point just off the A66 we could not see the new nest.  We had to go round to the opposite side of the lake before we could enjoy good views of the nesting birds.

River Derwent, Workington

• After Brian dropped me off I walked by the River Derwent where I saw 2 Dippers, my first of the year.

courtesy of Carl Thompson on Twitter

A cracking prelude to our Scotland visit.