09/03/2015 Woodlarks in the Ashdown Forest

Monday 9th March 2015
Old Lodge NR


Got a tweet from Andy, after more than a year, wanting to meet up and go birding at Old Lodge.

There was not much to be seen apart from a couple of Woodlarks, a Stonechat, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a couple of Ravens.

In the area around Counties car park we came across another 6 Woodlarks as well as a Meadow Pipit, a Skylark and a couple of Fieldfares.

At Stonehill we saw 3 more Woodlarks as well as a flock of 6-8 Fieldfare flying over.

Our last port of call was to a Little Owl site near the Anchor Inn at Barcombe.  Unfortunately the Owl was not showing when we got there, probably because it was too late in the day when it could have been hunting for food.



Really nice to meet up with Andy again.  The Owl site was a new one for me and one I will try to visit again tomorrow.

08/03/2015 Dungeness with the Ashdown Bird Group

Sunday 8th March 2015
Dungeness
Ashdown Bird Group

Sue and I, together with friends Anne and Chris, made a rare appearance with our Ashdown Bird Group.  In bright sunshine but with a fair breeze, 10 of us ventured around Dungeness NR.

• The bird of the day for me was the lovely drake Goldeneye that we saw near the end of the trip from ARC Hanson Hide.  With it's exquisite iridescent green head and white circular patch in front of, and below, it's yellow eye it made a superb view.

• On the same line, the Kingfisher we saw from Scott Hide showed brilliantly in optimum lighting conditions.

• There were not many Marsh Harriers on view but we did get an exceptional view of one sitting on the banks of the New Excavations from the Christmas Dell Hide and at least one good sighting of the bird in flight over Denge Marsh.

• After a struggle we finally got sight of a Great White Egret just behind the reeds on Hookers Pits then lo and behold if another 2 appeared from nowhere and all 3 then flew away to the south west.

• We had excellent views of the female Smew but the male counterpart was not seen.

We were unable to see any Bitterns on this trip.   Even the Cattle Egrets let us down and were nowhere to be seen on Denge Marsh, despite being seen there earlier in the day.  A stop at Scotney on the way home proved fruitless with the winds getting very strong, there was no sign of the Grebes or the Scaup.  We looked hard for the Little Stint but couldn't find it so I was unable to confirm whether or not the bird I saw on Thursday was the correct one and for now I cannot tick this species as seen in 2015.


A nice leisurely trip to Dungeness, with friends, on a bright but breezy Sunday afternoon - it doesn't get much better than this!


Today's species list:
Barnacle Goose
Bearded Tit (h)
Black-headed Gull
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Carrion Crow
Cetti's Warbler (h)
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Coot
Cormorant
Curlew
Gadwall
Golden Plover
Goldeneye
Great Black-backed Gull
Great Crested Grebe
Great Tit
Great White Egret
Canada Goose
Greylag Goose
Herring Gull
Kestrel
Kingfisher
Lapwing
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Magpie
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pochard
Redshank
Reed Bunting
Robin
Shelduck
Shoveler
Smew
Teal
Tree Sparrow
Tufted Duck
Wigeon
Woodpigeon
Wren (h)

 (49)

07/03/2015 New Forest again!

Saturday 7th March 2015
New Forest Birding
Paul and group


Mark Ash Wood

• After a short wait, we heard the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker drumming deep in the forest so we went in search of it.  We soon found it high in the trees just ahead of us.  We had enough time to set up the scopes and get a short but very clear view of a lovely male with it's characteristic red crown.  Soon after it flew away and we never saw it again.

• Driving out of the wood we got a fleeting view of a Brambling as it flew with scores of Chaffinches.  With it's characteristic white rump it stood out from the chaffinches.

Acres Down

• At Acres Down the Goshawks showed well again today but the number of sightings was less than yesterday, probably due to  windy conditions.  We did, however, get one superb, close view of one.

• Also seen were Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk, a Raven as well as some spectacular scenes provided by flying Woodlarks.

Blashford Lakes

• We saw the Long-tailed Duck on Ivy Lake today - it usually stays on Rockford Lake.

• On Rockford Lake the most interesting bird was the female Goldeneye.  At least 6 Bullfinches were seen as we headed back from the lake on our way to the Goosander Hide. 

• From the Goosander Hide  we saw the Goosanders, of course!

• From the Tern Hide we saw the Black-necked Grebe as well as my first Mediterranean Gull of 2015.

• I saw my first butterfly of 2015 - a Brimstone.  In fact there were 2 together.   

Brimstone
Library oicture

Piper's Wait
At Piper's Wait, around 16.00 we didn't see any Goshawks but we did get good view of a Peregine as it flew from left to right in the distance.




Addition to BUBO 2015 UK Bird List:
Mediterranean Gull   (175)



Today's species list:
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Egyptian Goose
Wigeon
Gadwall
Teal
Mallard
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Goldeneye
Goosander
Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Black-necked Grebe
Cormorant
Little Egret
Goshawk
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Coot
Lapwing
Mediterranean Gull
Black-headed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Woodpigeon
Stock Dove
Green Woodpecker
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker.
Woodlark
Grey Wagtail
Meadow Pipit
Dunnock
Robin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Nuthatch
Magpie
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Raven
Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
Reed Bunting

(56)

06/03/2015 New Forest again to see the Goshawks and Lesser-spotted Woodpecker

Friday 6th March 2015
New Forest

Travelled down to the New Forest with Alan and Shaun to look for Goshawks and Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers.  An early start meant we were in the area for 08.30 and raring to go.

• At Mark Ash Wood we soon heard the Lesser-spotted Woodpecker drumming away.  I managed to spot it and get a fleeting view in my binoculars before it flew away.  That short but sweet view was to be the only one we would get.

• At Acres Down we had numerous views of Goshawks during our stay which lasted from 10.15 to 14.15.  Most of them were quite distant but they were clear and definitive.  One or two of the views were closer and, in the good light we had all day, enabled us to pick out the key ID features.  All agreed that, despite numerous sightings, there were probably only 4 Goshawks on show.

All agreed it was a most worthwhile trip.    

 

 

 

Addition to BUBO 2015 UK Bird List:

Woodcock   (174)

 

 

 

05/03/2015 Fulmars at Fairlight Cliffs, Pett Levels

Thursday 5th March 2015
Fairlight Cliffs near Pett Level

Andrew texted to say the Fulmars were nesting on the cliffs at Fairlight so I travelled down mid-afternoon to observe them at this lovely period in the calendar.  I first witnessed this last year with Andrew and was blown away by the sight of Fulmar's in such a convivial setting.

This year was no exception with most pairs sharing the nest on the cliff sides with the odd few flying around like mini "spitfires" to provide the aerial display. 

After 20 minutes or so I felt the need to leave, having intruded long enough on this intimate experience. 

03/03/2015 Birding in Essex on the North Thames at Coalhouse Fort and Concrete Barges

Tuesday 3rd March 2015
North Thames



Coalhouse Fort
I finally got to the North Thames site, at Coalhouse Fort, where Paul took the group last year to show them some of the birds he observed during his many surveys there. Unfortunately I was away at the time and so missed the trip.  The target bird, as before, was the Avocet with Paul having, more often than not, recorded numbers in excess of 1000 in his surveys.
 

• Today was no exception and we were privileged to see 1250+ Avocets on the muddy shore as the tide came in and by high tide they started flying around in formation.  The Avocet is such a lovely bird in it's own right so the sight of 1250+ all flying around against a backdrop of several large container ships passing by was truly unforgettable.  I have never seen such a display before - indeed I have never ever seen such a large gathering.

Avocets on the River Thames
Library pictures

• When I tell you the Dunlin outnumbered the Avocets at least 2 to 1 then you begin to realise what an exciting place this is.  Their aerial display was similar to watching a murmeration of Starlings -  truly mind boggling.

Dunlins on the Thames
Library picture

• The third most numerous species on view today was the Grey Plover with 400-500 seen, near the Avocets and mixed in with the Dunlin. 

• I was able to see Bar-tailed Godwits for the first time this year with 12+ showing quite well amongst the thousands of birds on the reserve.

Concrete Barges
We then transferred to Concrete Barges, another strategic wartime site, where we saw 12+ Redshanks huddled together on one of the barges but conditions were not suitable to find the Caspian Gull that was our primary target.  95% of the gulls were on the nearby landfill site and continuously flying around in search of food making it nigh on impossible to pick out our target gull.


A cracking experience with thousands of birds present, 2 new species for my year list and a couple of new venues visited.



Additions to BUBO 2015 UK Bird List:
Avocet   (172)
Bar-tailed Godwit   (173)


Today's species list:
Avocet
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-headed Gull
Blackbird
Buzzard
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch
Common Gull
Coot
Cormorant   (10)
Corn Bunting
Curlew
Dunlin
Dunnock
Gadwall
Goldfinch
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker
Grey Heron
Grey Plover    (20)
Herring Gull
Kestrel
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Magpie
Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Oystercatcher
Pied Wagtail   (30)
Pochard
Redshank
Redwing
Reed Bunting
Ringed Plover
Robin
Rock Pipit
Shelduck
Skylark
Song Thrush   (40)
Starling
Stock Dove
Stonechat
Teal
Wigeon
Woodpigeon
Wren

01/03/2015 Penduline Tits and Cirl Buntings in Devon and Black Guillemot in Dorset

Sunday 1st March 2015

With a good weather forecast for the first part of the day I decided to take Paul's advice again and go to Dart's Farm near Topsham in Devon to twitch the Penduline Tits that have been there for some time now.

• An early start meant I was on site for 09.50 and it wasn't long before I saw my first Penduline Tit near the top of the reeds to the left of the hide.  It then flew even closer to be in the trees just a few metres away.  It was soon joined in the tree by a second one.  The views were excellent in the sunshine.  This was the first sighting of this bird in the UK for me, having narrowly missed it near Bedford earlier in the year.  It was, however, not a "lifer" as I had seen several on our recent trip to Belgium.

Penduline Tits at Darts Farm near Topsham, Devon
Library picture

• Next stop was Broadsands  near Torquay to see 40+ Cirl Buntings feeding on the ground and in the surrounding bushes. 

• On the way home I detoured to Portland in Dorset where I saw my first Blackcap of the year at the observatory, a lovely female and the resident Black Guillemot in the harbour.

A lot of driving but well worth the effort.  Another valuable addition to my UK Life List - only 12 needed to reach the magical 300!





Additions to BUBO UK Birds Life List:
Penduline Tit   (288)

Additions to BUBO 2015 UK Bird List:
Penduline Tit   (268)
Cirl Bunting   (269)
Blackcap   (270)
Black Guillemot   (271)



The penduline tit ( Remiz pendulinus) is irregularly distributed in river scrub and marshes across Eurasia. An 11-cm- (4.5-inch-) long brownish bird with a black mask on its whitish head, it is named for its two-chambered nest (built by the male), which consists of a finely felted bag of plant down or wool, suspended from the tip of a branch (sometimes in reeds).