Last Patch Walk in October

Date: 30/10/2014
Location: Patch Walk - Zones 1,2+5
Observation: Started patch walk through campsite and up to dog walk not much about until fields. Skylarks buzzing over hedgerows and 5 Jays with a squirrel in field also. Into village with a Buzzard soaring overhead. Through church yard and another Jay collecting food.

                  At Lake Little Owl And Kingfisher Were Present.

Out Through College On Rugby Field

 A Common Gull, Seen One Last Year Same Place !

Headed up to Park View Farm, Meadow Pipits on ploughed field and groups of Linnet numbering 50+ and Starlings around 30 also Kestrel on the hover and Sparrowhawk low over edge of field.

Then a flash past on lower fields thought Hobby as seen one here 3 weeks ago but looking at pictures think Peregrine (any comments ? ) Poor shot sorry !

Weather: Grey Skies + Warmish
Other Species: Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Little Owl, Peregrine, Skylark, Goldcrest, Linnet, Kingfisher, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Common Gull. 
Still - Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral.

12 O'clock lane a Goldcrest and a large group of Blue, Great + Long-Tailed Tits!

Thanks for Looking !

Another Portland Trip!

Date: 25th-26th October - All Day

Location:  Weymouth - Ferrybridge + Portland Bill

The Brent Goose Dance !

Spooked !

 The Mud Crew!

Observation:  Had the weekend off to do some birding, Weymouth it is! Got to Portland about 9am Saturday and done the normal 10 mile walk, was cloudy and windy. Was a disappointing walk with only 16 species seen total on that whole walk and only 10 pictures between us! Headed back to Ferrybridge but no geese either as low tide. A report of Yellow-Browed Warblers came through so headed to Radipole Lake to find them. Seen a small group of birders who were watching it, got there and popped out in full view (I was too slow for picture!) and it made us wait another 20 minutes before showing enough for a picture! Got a few shots but don't think good enough for life list :(

Sunday morning we got up for high tide at Ferrybridge, 1,000+ Brent Geese on The Fleet so watched them for an hour or so, another report come through for 2 Velvet Scoter but couldn't see/find them. Headed onto Radipole after about 80 pictures of the Geese! North Hide highlights were Marsh Harrier, 3 Buzzard, 2 Green Sandpiper and 4 Meadow Pipit washing in front of hide! Nice to see the Hooded Merganser back also! 2 Yellow-Browed still present but even more elusive than ever! No improved shots. We had better luck with the Long-Tailed Duck it was opposite the Discovery Centre, we seen another birder on cycle way on the oppisite side, we also walked around that way, bingo popped up about 15 feet in front of us, so led down not to scare it and kept within that distance. Nice little bonus!! Lastly, went to Lodmoor, not alot there really but a nice Sparrowhawk hunting, a Snipe, Godwits, Stonechat and a very close Grey Heron. Before we headed home we drove to the Lighthouse, and had dinner, finally found the Little Owl at Obs Quarry, been looking in the wrong quarry all this time! A few night shots and home!

Weather:  Cloudy, Windy - Not good for birding or photography!

Other Species: Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Little Owl, Stonechat, Linnet, Goldfinch, Shag, Yellow-Browed Warbler, Brent Geese, Turnstone, Green Sandpiper, Black-Tailed Godwit, Meadow Pipit, Hooded Merganser, Gadwall, Grey Heron, Long-Tailed Duck, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Mediterranean Gull - Of Note

Thanks For Reading!

Uphill Estuary Wander

Date: 16/10/2014

Location: Chew Valley-Uphill-Weston STW

Observation: Blue skies so headed to Chew for a look for Skua which was reported day before and 2hrs before I got there. But No. Saw a video Here . Hope you don't mind Lee! 

Gave it an hour so then headed to Uphill & Weston STW. A kestrel was first spot with Raven hounding him Squawking... DROP IT ! 

A big groups of Linnets & Goldfinch overhead and Stonechats at least 10 in hedgerows toward STW.

Female Framed

 Keeping An Eye On Me !

 Reed Bunting, Gravel Breakfast ?

Reeds have grown a lot couldn't see much on pool but there were a lots of gulls overhead snapping up Dragonflies.

Headed round other side of estuary at Uphill where Redshank maybe 50 + & Shelducks 50+ Teal and a few Wigeon were on Mud Bank.

Black Rock On River Axe Estuary

 I Seem To Do A Lot Of Laying Around !

Finished Walk With Some Beautiful Starlings. Incoming !

Weather: Blue to start, grey but dry to end + warm Other Species: Shelduck, Teal, Redshank, Wigeon, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, GBB gull, Grey Heron, Stonechat, Linnet, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Raven, Starlings - Of Note

Late Report From 9/10/2014

A dead Weasel found along Waltining Lane by Trigpoint ! + 7 Skylarks in fields.

Thanks For Looking !

A Soggy Day At Westhay RSPB

Date: 15/10/2014

Location: Westhay-Somerset Levels

Distant Wet Peregrine

Observation: Headed to Westhay RSPB with thoughts of a wander round but rain shortened the walk! From hide a Peregrine was perched on gate post with Shovellers, Teal & Wigeon in pool not much else.

Sat in van for coffee watching feeders not much there either Chaffinch, Tits. I'll try again next month.

Weather: Rain + Cloudy

Did See This Little Chap

Male Chaffinch Looking Good!

Other Species: Grey Heron, Peregrine, Buzzard, Shoveller, Wigeon, Teal, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Robin - Of Note

Thanks For Looking !

Rhodes Town - Greece

Date: 4th-12th October 2014 - All Day

Location:  Rhodes, Lindos, Kiotari - Greece

Observation:  Went on a non-birding holiday to Greece with a few friends for a week, but I couldn't help myself in finding a few new birds for myself! There were Hooded Crows every direction you looked, so although I only had my iPhone and Nikon with 55mm lens I still got some decent shots which is nice! The hotel was full of Spanish Sparrows, Wagtails, Swallows and Martins catching flies and drinking from the pools and even the beach had flocks of Sparrows and a few Collared Doves scattered around. I did spot a Red-Backed Shrike on the hotel ground but typically had my iPhone and the only picture I got you can't make out its a bird, ran back to grab my camera but was gone. We went to Lindos for one day where again were alot of Hooded Crows flying around and nesting at the Acropolis. 2 Great Grey Skrikes were seen on a quick glance but the don't think the bus would stop to let me take some pictures! Lastly we went to Rhodes Old Town for the day, we done a Submarine trip and seen ALOT of fish must have been 10 species total, no wonder there were Little Egrets fishing all over the harbor! Also more Sparrows and Crows were hanging about. Apart from the odd bird picture I got, I do now need to sort through over 500 videos/pictures of landscapes during my stay! Tempted to go back and do a birding trip soon though!

Weather:  Blue Sky, Hot, 28+ Degrees, Humid

Other Species: Rock Dove, Hooded Crow, Spanish Sparrow, Great Grey Shrike, Red-Backed Shrike, Common Gull, Little Egret, Barn Swallow, House Martin, Shag, Collared Dove, Yellow Wagtail - Of Note

Butterflies: Large White, Red Veined Darter

Thanks For Looking !

Trip to Slimbridge

He's thinking "wtf is that bloke doing led down in all that duck sh*t !"

Date: 07/10/2014

Location: Slimbridge WWT

Observation: Headed to Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, weather said rain but headed there anyway blue skies all the way there with very bright sunshine. Staff doing Work on Rushy, well almost everywhere so no birds on the Rushy Pen or Tack Piece ! Walked down to Holden Tower, Barnacle, Greylag, Lapwing but distant so went to South Lake to see Pink Footed Geese very distant no pics. Lots of Greylag and Black Tailed Godwits about, but as always in the South hide sun in wrong place, blinding !

Saw a Chiffchaff by Decoy hide and lots of fly over Greylags but a bit bare.

So took a few snaps of Captives birds and the Golden Eye.

Hooded Mergansers one of my favorites !

Common Crane Posing in the sunshine

Weather: Sunny,Bright,Cloudy,then Rain.

Other Species: Chiffchaff, Greylag, Crow, Rook, Raven, Jackdaw, Buzzard, Teal, Black Tailed Godwits, Lapwing.

Black Swan, love the eyes !

 Mute & Menacing !

A Simple Moorhen.

Thanks for Looking !

Peregrine Falcon on Patch

Date: 6/10/2014

Location: Patch Walk 

Observation: Walked into Campsite within minutes spotted a Kingfisher on Newton Brook! He kept moving down brook but got a picture. 

2 Jays on walk up to dog track, and 2 dogs Springer! Saw some Crows in fields to left and something else, focused binoculars and a Peregrine Falcon came into view!! He was sat until Crows decided this was their field and chased him off. Nice, new patch tick !!

Bird had a light blue ring on left leg ,can't see number.

Very little until village where Pied Wagtails were fluttering everywhere at least 20+, not seen as many since farm shut, House Sparrows 50+ near Pigs. No Barn Swallow left. Only short walk today but worth it !

Weather: Had just rained but blue skies 

Other Species: Kingfisher, Jay, Coal Tit, Peregrine Falcon, Raven, Pied Wagtail, House Sparrow, Buzzard - of note .

Thanks for Looking !

A Day On The Somerset Levels !

Date: 2nd October - All Day

Location:  Ham Wall - Shapwick Heath

The Chase Is On!

 Fly Past Marsh Harrier!

Marsh Harrier VS Lapwing Video

Observation:  Started at Ham Wall for a change, a loud Cetti's Warbler started off the walk, with more walking towards the 1st platform. Pretty scarce at 1st platform and new Tor hide, with only 2 Buzzards, Gadwall to note. Thought we would see more so popped along to 2nd platform as not often walk down there, one little Wren popped across the path. 2 Great White Egrets, a few Grey Heron and Mute Swans were visible from platform. Then in the reeds at the back of scrape, a Lapwing flew up and started harassing a Marsh Harrier brave little thing! After the Harrier attempting to invade the Lapwing's patch for around 5 minutes he flew off empty handed and rested in a nearby tree before flying down towards Shapwick.

As nothing else of note was spotted, we moved onto Shapwick Heath, the scrape was full of waders must have been over 200 Black-Tailed Godwits, with a few Dunlin, Snipe and a Great White Egret at the front of the pool fishing. Meare Hide was like it always is to start with, apart from a fly-past Marsh Harrier and 6 Gadwall and 1 Shoveller which flew in when we got there. Noah's Lake is pretty much the same with a few Cormorants, Gull's, Gadwall and some very distant GWE of note. Walking back along the path, 6 Buzzard were circling above Meare Scrape and another Great White Egret had joined the back wall of the scrape. A nice walk and nice to see the GWE close by aswell! Still some Butterflies and Dragonflies aswell which is surprising!

Lift Off!

Close Call of the Great White Egret!

Weather:  Sunny, Some Cloud, Warm

Other Species: Buzzard, Great White Egret, Jay, Marsh Harrier, Gadwall, Cetti's Warbler, Kingfisher, Dunlin, Knot, Black-Tailed Godwit

Butterflies/Dragonflies:  Red Admiral, Small White, Speckled Wood, Common Darter

Common Darter Video

Thanks For Reading !