Condolences

I was sad to hear this week that fellow Huddersfield birder Melvyn Collinson unfortunately passed away. Not only was Melvyn a genuinely nice guy, we also shared interest's in cricket as well as birdwatching. Melvyn had played for Skelmanthorpe Cricket Club and since his retirement, supported us both home and away. Our boundary edge chats about all things birds will be sadly missed. My sincere condolences go out to all his friends and family.

A few from the week off

The various walls, fences and fields surrounding the local reservoirs provide a great opportunity to see some of the commoner farmland species.

Goldfinch





One of the many Bee's visiting the bushes at Broadstones Reservoir



Meadow Pipit



Pheasant



During the Easter break we managed to fit in a couple of days on the east coast. Although I didn't do much birding, I did manage to sneak in a quick twitch to get the Woodchat Shrike which had been found. And a cracker it was too, just too far for any acceptable photo. All these were taken either at Scarborough, whilst flitting from Dodgems to arcades or during a quick clifftop walk at Bempton Cliffs.

Gannet





Fulmar







Kittewake



Turnstone

Good Friday

Thanks to William and Kate, booking time off work meant with the Easter weekend the fastest fingers first got eleven days off for the price of three. A bargain to say the least! Miss Piggy had girl shit planned on Good Friday so the week or so off got kick started with birding at Old Moor. A few migrants were on offer and were quickly picked up whilst on the connecting paths. Sedge Warblers sang from the reeds while Whitethroat and an elusive Lesser Whitethroat belted their songs out from the hawthorns. The Lesser Whitethroat got personal though, luring me into a test of will. I had narrowed the song down to a patch a metre square at most, but you just couldn't’t see it. Patience prevailed though and the bird broke first, showing itself briefly and gifting me the victory. It obviously knew I was prepared to wait!

Guess the duck! Feel free to leave a comment if you know what it is. If not, I will post the answer in a week or so. Sadly I don't have any prizes if anyone is successful!



Other year ticks came in the form of a pair of Common Terns and a late drake Pintail. I thought given it was a bank holiday it may be busier but the hides were quite sparse, which to be fair didn’t bother me in the slightest. A couple of hours though and I was ready to move on.

The plan was to finish off at Blacktoft Sands but given time was on my side, a stop off at Hatfield Moors could easily be factored in. I am quite a fan on Ten Acre Lake, a picturesque area which has been home to a Red Necked Grebe for the last few summers. Getting there though meant skirting around Doncaster, which is always a treat. It has been said that Doncaster isn’t twinned with anywhere in the world but has a suicide pact with Scunthorpe? There is a great sense of community though. It seems common practise for parents to leave longer gaps between children and it was great to see 14 and 15 year old girls helping mum and dad by taking their baby brothers and sisters out for a while, a caring and sensitive side to Doncaster that the hoards of tourists traversing the A1 simply don’t see. It’s touching in a way.

Small Tortoiseshell



The Red Necked Grebe showed well, as too did a three foot Grass Snake which in simple terms scared the fuck out of me, as I saw it quite late. This record shot is out of focus due to my hands trembling!



I have a severe dislike of snakes, but if knowledge conquers fear, experiences like this should go somewhere towards becoming a metre away from one, easier. I have been fortunate enough as a teenager to spend time in Mozambique and if the vivid memory of a Green Mamba falling from a thatched roof onto a table in a beach bar taught me one thing, it’s that they are far more scared of us than we are of them, if that’s possible? The snake took off amidst screams and breaking glasses as people trampled each other to flee the bar. An alarming couple of seconds to say the least! The speed of the thing was frightening, as too the Grass Snake. It disappeared as fast as it appeared but when a bramble tugged on my trouser it had me jumping like my shoes were on fire, even though I am fully aware they are harmless. An area of dead bracken though was a different story, the only way past was through, and it was like Snakesville!

A male Adder



I went slowly but loudly and tails were disappearing into the bracken left right and centre, and these were Adders? Again, they hate human contact, but it’s just the thought of walking through an area where there are snakes? If the experience taught me to be more relaxed around them, it also taught me that adrenalin is brown?

Grasshopper Warbler reeling his heart out.



Back to the car and Blacktoft bound, I had picked up two more year ticks before I had even entered the reserve. A roadside Yellow Wagtail by the entrance and a female Marsh Harrier hunting the adjoining fields got me off to a great start. Once inside, superb additions of a summer plumaged Slavonian Grebe, a showy Grasshopper Warbler and 100+ Avocets made for a quality finish to an already eventful day. I dipped on the Bittern which had been booming throughout the day, but I can’t grumble?

Avocet





Synchronised Swimming

Ingbirchworth Reservoir

A quick evening stop off at Ingbirchworth Reservoir provided a lucky opportunity to get some cracking views of a basking Little Owl. The little fella kept his eye on me though! A wooden post provided an ample vantage point to survey the neighbouring fields. As nice as this encounter was, unfortunately there was some disappointment. During recent works at the reservoir it appears that the tree I photographed last year with the Great Spotted Woodpecker nest has 'disappeared'? Shame, as I spent many a happy hour sat watching them come and go?



Puffing up in a 'what you looking at' manner! Obviously you can't see from the pictures but their constant shuffling and head bobbing make them very charismatic birds to watch.





Some of the smaller wildlife

Peacock Butterfly

An nice encounter with a Peacock Butterfly, getting up close and personal.











View from Cheesegate Nab

Back Out Birding

Well, after a couple of months on the sidelines, Monday night saw the binoculars finally get draped over the neck with a moorland walk planned to take advantage of the extra hour of daylight. It’s been a busy period, with absolutely no birding being done since my last post as Miss Piggy came to the party on February 11th and brought into the world a bouncing baby boy. So it has been all hands on deck. Unfortunately the poor little lad couldn’t come home straight away and had to be expertly doted on in Barnsleys Special Baby Care Unit for nearly three weeks, making days seem to blend into each other, so birding as you can imagine took an obvious back seat. The good news is though he’s home and fighting fit. The biggest concern is surviving the onslaught of cuddles from his big sister, who is nappy changing, feeding and bed time story reading like a trooper.



I let Junior lead the way in a cracking hour or so walk on the moorland fringes. Curlews were plentiful as were Lapwings and the walk was accompanied by chortling Red Grouse and the spiralling flight song of displaying Meadow Pipit’s, which given the recent circumstances and lack of birding was a year tick! As too, a Short Eared Owl quartering the moor and a telegraph pole hugging Little Owl. Great sightings for me but more so for Junior who has a thing for owls.



As good as these were though, a sighting of a partially moulted Mountain Hare took some beating. Mountain Hares were introduced to the Peak District for hunting and remnants still hang on, with this area on Huddersfield’s border being one extreme of their range. It’s not a bad time of year to be out searching for them either as in a few weeks time when they have full summer coats, their colour against the heather will make them virtually undetectable if they remain still.

Meadow Pipit



I don’t know how successful a team we will be, but after adding a Macro lens to the armoury, Junior has taken on the role of finding the subjects. Hopefully in the coming months if the birds don’t play ball we can hopefully get some wildlife shots of the miniature variety?

Woodlouse

Fairburn Ings

An early Sunday morning drop off at Wakefield train station in order to get the folks down to the Emirates Stadium for Huddersfield Towns FA Cup draw meant I could get a few hours birding in before Miss Piggy would even realise I was missing. Junior had stayed at her Grandparents so unless there was a comet strike it was unlikely Miss Piggy would stir? Given I was half way there; I decided to carry on to Fairburn Ings and have a couple of hours birding around the various hides and viewing screens. My first stop was Lin Dyke, as recent sightings had included a now regular Long Eared Owl roost and a small party of European White Fronted Geese. The latter were still present, grazing amongst a handful of Canada Geese but the Long Eared Owls weren’t showing. Due to the popularity of the owl roost with local birders, which for years has provided the opportunity to catch up with an otherwise elusive species, has meant that the viewing area is basically now a mud bath. So wellies are a must for any would be owl bagger. No owls, but a fly over Peregrine complete with quarry meant all was not lost. What looked to be an unfortunate Feral Pigeon would surely be a valuable catch as far as survival and re population of this once threatened species goes.

Mute Swan



The visitor’s centre is a maze of screens and feeders so with all the pools frozen, the bulk were a hive of activity, attracting all the common species along with a growing colony of Tree Sparrows. The stand out sighting though was a Mealy Redpoll, which was amongst a flock of 40 Lesser Redpolls. Redpoll ID has been put under the microscope lately on various websites and forums and plumages scrutinised to the finest of detail. Sifting through photos on various birding websites has given many people, including myself, a far better understanding of these birds but there is no substitute for field skills. A constantly moving treetop flock, coupled with the low winter sun flaring my binoculars meant identifying any of the key features would be tough. And it was. To the point I nearly walked away. My neck was aching from following flitting birds above me back and forth and sometimes it’s as though you’re actually trying to make birds into what they are not. That’s a Mealy! No it’s not it’s a Lesser. That’s a Mealy! No it’s not it’s a Lesser over and over. And that’s without throwing a recent report at Fairburn of Coue’s Arctic Redpoll into the mix! Even though you are confident you know what you are looking for? Its mind games of the modern birder!

Greylag Goose



A handful of birds eventually ended up on the ice, feeding below over hanging branches and although they weren’t stationary, they gave a far better, uninterrupted opportunity to study each bird individually. A good scan identified one of the birds as a stand out classic ‘frosty’ Mealy Redpoll, and to be fair, there was little deliberation. Luckily it was a stone waller. There may have been others present in the same flock but if you’re not sure, you’re not sure?