Great Grey Shrike & Slimbridge

Date: 
29th-30th January
 Location:
Daglingworth, Slimbridge, Newton St Loe.

Weather: 
overcast with Some blue skies.

Species Highlights: 
Great Grey Shrike, Curlew, Shoveler, Bewick Swwan, Bullfinch, Whooper Swan, Blackcap

Observation: 

29th Wednesday I headed up to see the Great Grey Shrike in Gloucestershire, Daglinworth. On arriving met another birder who'd already seen it we waited on the road waiting for it to return to it's patch, 20 mins past and we had distant views but it then disappeared only to fly over our heads perching a bit closer with a Kill!

I've cropped image to show you the small bird, I posted on Twitter the consensus seems to be either, Linnet, Stonechat, Robin, Corn Bunting?
What do you think? 
Answers on a postcard to the usual address. 
It caught 2 birds while we were watching, diving down to its lair to pluck the birds, leaving feathers drifting on the breeze.

On way home I headed to Slimbridge, a Green winged Teal was on show from the Zeiss hide. It's amazing that I've never seen a Green Winged before the Chew Valley bird but now in just over 2 months I was looking at my second one, not any closer but tick! ( tiny white stripe in middle of frame...really)

From the hide I stared into the distance hoping for something else to add, this non-ringed Common Crane landed, I think the only wild Crane there?

From the other hides had good views of Curlew a fine looking bird.

A few flocks took to the skies put up by two Peregrines which i couldn't see and still not on my year list.
Barnacle Geese.

Black tailed Godwits with a odd one out.

One of my favorite duck is the Northern Shoveler, very smart duck

Almost better than the Red Arrows!

The day was a mixture of sunshine and grey overcast, the sun was shining from the Rushy hide, this Male Pintail always looks fabulous.

Any trip to Slimbridge this time of year you can't fail to spot a few Bewick Swan.

Mostly Black Headed Gulls from the Rushy and a single Common Gull, another top bird.

Lots of photographers in hide when this "just a Buzzard" floated over, its never just a Buzzard, surely. no one else took a picture of this fine bird!?

Thursday I was back on Patch it started with 2 Bullfinches in the garden and 4 more in through Bath Mill. Treecreeper along the brook,Not much up over fields but Common gulls flying over. Down onto Globe fields more gull species here, Lesser Black Backed and Black Headed washing and chilling.

Down towards Send a Cow more Bullfinch and all the normal species.

On through woodland and out onto Butterfly alley leading to fishing lake, another Bullfinch making 8 birds, a influx!

Signs of spring on the way with Snowdrop and Primrose starting to come into flower along the banks of top lake.

 A surprise to see Grey Heron in nest, previous year date are:
21/02/2016
07/02/2017
21/02/2018
21/02/2019
Hope this year its more successful than last years 3 nests.

After two conversation with professional dog walkers letting their 10 dogs run wild along and into the top lake!!! it a permissive path and dogs must be kept on a lead, AAARRRGGGGG!

Sort of pleased the Whooper swan is still there, I think maybe he should be going but with Mutes seen to be chasing and him at the other end of lake now, don't think it'll be too long now till he departs.

So another week over, next week Lauren but on the ticking thing hoping for a few good ones, check back next Friday for a update.

Whilst working from home, Lauren spotted a stunning Male Blackcap on the Home Feeders. We managed a few shots before it got flushed by the neighbour walking past.

Wayne Year Bird List: 110
Lauren Year Bird List: 101

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Slimbridge with the new 7D Mark II..

Date: 19th December 2016

Location: WWT Slimbridge + Marshfield

Weather: Foggy, Light Wind and Warm (7 Degrees)

Other Species: Pintail, Pochard, Bewick Swan, Lapwing, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Shelduck, Shoveler, Wigeon, Barnacle Goose, Bullfinch, Wren, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Teal, Gadwall 

Marshfield: 50+ Red Legged Partridge, Pheasant, Starling, 4 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 4 Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer

Observation: With us both recently upgrading our camera kits, to Canon 7D Mark II, we headed to Slimbridge in the hope of some clear skies to try out the camera. On arrival the visibility was low due to fog. We headed for Rushy first, and were greeted by plenty of birds to photograph. The numbers of Bewick's have risen from 35 to 118 in the past 2 weeks!

The Bewick's were very active today.

Always nice to see Lapwing up close!

After around 150 shots, we moved to Martin Smith Hide, the usual Buzzard was sat on the fence with a friendly Robin sat with him!

The Robin didn't even flinch when the Buzzard flew at him!

Think the Pintail enjoyed the water not being frozen, plenty of opportunity's to capture them washing!

At the Knott hide, a small group of 7 Wigeon were in front the hide but later got spooked and flew to the main group in the water.

The Willow Hide seems to have some new additions of 6-7 Wood Mouse (we think!) keeping the dropped seeds under control!

As the fog was reducing visibility we headed back for a final check in Rushy and the Teal had come close enough for some nice shots.

A final Tufted Duck to end the day.

We headed back home via Marshfield to see if there was much about, there were large groups of Red-Legged Partridge we counted 50+ in a small area but the Pheasant were impossible to count as numbers were very high! Also 20+ Starling, Yellowhammer and 4 Corn Bunting also seen but too foggy for pictures.

The only shot from Marshfield was a Red-Legged Partridge on a wall (not quite a Pear Tree!)

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Algarve - Portugal - Part Two

Date: 18th May - 24th May 2016

Location: Albufeira - Algarve (Portugal)

Weather: Blue Skies, Light Wind, 26-32 Degrees

Other Species: Cattle Egret, Kestrel, Little Bittern, Audouin's Gull, Kentish Plover, Sardinian Warbler, Hoopoe, Crested Lark, Greater Flamingo, Black-Winged Stilt, Shoveler, Zitting Cisticola, Greater Yellowlegs, White Stork, Serin, Bee-Eater, Yellow-Legged Gull, Little Grebe, Red-Rumped Swallow, Swift, Azure-Winged Magpie, Avocet, Spotless Starling, Cetti's Warbler  - Of Note

Observation: A visit to the Algarve isn't complete without visiting Lagoa Dos Salgados, we visited on a Saturday, around 10am. On the bridge into the Reserve there were 3+ Mediterranean Pond Turtle eating bread that was being fed to the Coot's.

Within minutes of entering the reserve we spotted this Little Bittern doing a quick fly-past before landing in the reeds distantly, the first of our two target species for today was complete.

After standing on top of the hide for 15 minutes, the count included 2+ Audouin Gull's, Kentish Plover, Black-Winged Stilt, White Stork, Sardinian Warbler.

Walking along the boardwalk, this stunning Cattle Egret was eating it's lunch, the cricket gave a good fight....

Think he was asking us to help him in this one!

After he got away a few times, the Cattle Egret swallowed him in one, and walks off with his head held high!

There was once again a abundance of singing Sardinian Warbler, it gives a powerful but very scratchy song!

At the second hide, we spotted approx 20 Greater Flamingo feeding in the shallow mud.

In front the hide screen, this Black-Winged Stilt was feeding, everytime it caught something, it would go onto the dry mud to eat it and go back to the water, happily feeding until it spotted predators flying over its nest and off it would go, dive-bombing them with help from the Avocet's.

Crested Lark landed in front of us and started singing, the meadow behind gave a colourful background. Crested Lark were in large numbers on all the reserves we visited.

As the Crested Lark flew off, we heard a unfamiliar call... A Bee-Eater !!!

Using some field craft we used a tree for cover and stood and watched, it fed for around 15 minutes flying and catching bee's and flies before landing on the same perch as before calling each time. A second then came and landed, where they took it in turns to feed and returned to their favoured perch.

Even managed a flight shot on manual focus, 200+ shots later!

With both our target birds captured, we headed back for the bus but not before a quick ice-cream on the beach until this Kentish Plover runs within 5 foot of us back and forth, it then sits on the boardwalk, almost as if it was watching our ice-cream!

Part 3 - Vilamoura + Portimao
Coming Soon!

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