Jul 18 2013

Visit to the Fish Dock at Holyhead : 18th July 2013

Visit to the Fish Dock at Holyhead : 18th July 2013

After we left South Stack we dropped in at the Fish Dock at Holyhead on the off chance that we might see the Black Guillemots there again and, very obligingly, not only were they there but they gave us a fine flying display showing off their red bills and legs beautifully. There were about half a dozen of them but most of them were just past the harbour mouth and only a single pair were happy to give us near views. This was the second time we had been there and both times we had seen them within a minute or two – very helpful. Continue reading

Jul 18 2013

Visit to RSPB South Stack : 18th July 2013

Visit to RSPB South Stack : 18th July 2013

We have had an absolute wash-out of a Spring and it has prevented us this year from going to some of our usual haunts at that time. These would normally include a seabird colony or two but this year we had not got to one during Spring and we had left it a little late in the year. Even so we thought, “better late than never” so what better place to go to than South Stack ? We suspected that we would be a bit late for some of the birds we would have liked to have seen and we were disappointed not to see Kittiwake or Fulmar. However there were the usual plentiful numbers of Guillemots and Razorbills – too many to estimate properly – and we even managed to see half a dozen Puffins still around. Continue reading

Jul 16 2013

Visit to Woolston Eyes 16th July 2013

Visit to Woolston Eyes 16th July 2013

We had previously been to the “open day” at Wooston Eyes on the 30th of June but we were keen to return there when the reserve was a bit quieter. We were told that they had four hundred visitors that day and it certainly felt like it. We had been so impressed with the site that we joined the conservation group and got our membership card and keys to the barriers on the same day. Having got back from the Azores to find the UK in a heatwave we thought we would go back there to see the site at greater leisure.  We opened the main barrier ok and drove down to the parking by the bridge that takes you over to Bed 3. As we got there we ran into a chap who was trying to fix a problem with a padlock on the gate that controls access to bed three. He had called out some engineers to fix the problem so we had no difficulty gaining access and we discovered that this gentleman was Brian Martin, the recorder for the conservation group. We got talking to him and he was very interesting and informative and we kept running in to him throughout the day which was very useful for us as he described some of the history of the site and the birds that they had there.

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Jul 12 2013

Some Bird Sightings : Azores 1st – 12th July 2013

Some Bird Sightings : Azores 1st – 12th July 2013

Whilst we knew that the Azores is not a great place to for birding unless it is the migration season, we did manage to see a couple of birds apart from the ubiquitous Chaffinch, Blackbird and Spanish Sparrow. On our return from a boat trip we had taken from Horta Faial to the island of Pico we came across first a few, then many, then hundreds of Cory’s Shearwaters. As we sailed by them we got fantastic views of them gliding just off the surface of the sea with the waves lifting them up and their wing tips very nearly touching the surface of the sea as they raced by.

The second highlight was on land on Sao Miguel where from one sightseeing point we looked up to see sixteen or more Azorean Buzzards (Buteo buteo rothschildi) all wheeling directly above us, high up in the sky.

Apart from these two occasions it was all the aforementioned woodland birds plus some Greenfinches and Goldfinches. We were a bit disappointed to not see Goldcrests and we were in entirely the wrong part of the island to see the rare Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina) which is restricted to the eastern end of the island which is much less occupied.

Be that as it may we were still happy to get two “life ticks” and to get really close views of the masses of Shearwaters.

 

Jun 30 2013

Summary June 2013

Summary June 2013

Garden

June started surprisingly warm and sunny although it was still cold in the evenings. On the first of the month I saw a Buzzard circling overhead. A remarkable feature in the garden of late has been the regular visits from a pair of Mistle Thrushes who seem largely unconcerned about our presence in the garden when it is warm enough to sit out. One day I saw them both sitting in the bird bath together and on the 4th of June we were sitting in the garden when a third bird also appeared and it was occasionally fed by one of the other two. Obviously this was a young fledgling of the other two. They eventually flew of the the house roofs at the back of us and our conviction, established earlier, that we could hear other Mistle Thrushes calling nearby was confirmed when we saw another three birds briefly also perched on the house roofs. Six Mistle Thrushes at the same time. Continue reading

Jun 30 2013

Woolston Eyes Open Day : 30th June 2013

Woolston Eyes Open Day : 30th June 2013

For quite some time I have been curious about the Woolston Eyes Reserve near Warrington so when I saw a reference to their “Open Day” (they only have one every four years !) I was keen to go over there and see what it was like. Being a “members only” site it was a rare chance to see if it was as good as I fancied it might be. Of course, it is well known for the uncommon breeding Black-necked Grebes they have there. In fact, I read that they have 25% of all the UK breeding birds on their reserve so the question was would we get this “life tick” or would they prove too elusive ?

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Jun 25 2013

Birding Group Visit to Brockholes Nature Reserve 25th June 2013

Birding Group Visit to Brockholes Nature Reserve 25th June 2013

Anne and I went to Brockholes on the 17th of May but just a month later the place was transformed with vegetation now abundant. and the meadows in full bloom and full of insect life. The islands in No 1 Pit were full of quite high vegetation and gravel was hardly to be seen ! Quite a change. By the way we ended up wondering why we always go on the M6 when really we should go all the way on the M61 !

We were a little early so before meeting up at the cafe, we walked around the back of the clump of bushes at the back of the bird feeder near the entrance and had a look at the reeds there. As we approached you could hear the Sedge Warblers singing loudly and our patience was rewarded when a single bird popped out of the reeds and, perched at the very top of a reed, started to sing loudly. The three of us got really good views. A small number of Reed Buntings also appeared and all this before we had started !

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Jun 11 2013

Birding Group Visit to The Spinnies, Aberogwen 11th June 2013

Birding Group Visit to The Spinnies, Aberogwen 11th June 2013

After we left Conwy, we drove along the expressway to the Tal-y-bont turnoff and then drove to Aberogwen where the North Wales Nature Reserve of “The Spinnies”  is located. We parked up at the small car park and immediately we could see birds in the distance plunging on o the water and rising quickly up showing the definite characteristics of Terns. As we got nearer we could get a scope on them and this showed them to be Common or Arctic Terns. As we looked at them we noticed at the foot of the cliffs a sumber of large white birds and on closer examination they turned out to be group a group of eight Little Egrets. The tide was pretty much all the way in and there was just a narrow strip of land between the cliffs and the sea. Looking closer at this strip revealed more, however. Continue reading

Jun 11 2013

Birding Group Visit to RSPB Conwy 11th June 2013

Birding Group Visit to RSPB Conwy 11th June 2013

This week’s birding day was to Wales and we all met up at the cafe at the RSPB site at Conwy. There have been quite a few changes to the cafe and surrounding area since we were last there. There is now the ubiquitous playground for infants and a new educational centre seems to be being built. In the cafe, the panoramic view has changed somewhat and wet parts are now dry and what used to be reedy parts have been cut back a bit. The bird feeders have also been removed. I don’t know if this is a good thing but I suppose we need to see the finished arrangement before passing judgement. Continue reading

Jun 04 2013

Birding Group Visit to Goyt Valley 4th June 2013

Birding Group Visit to Goyt Valley 4th June 2013

The birding group visit to Goyt Valley was always going to be interesting because last year we decided that we had probably left it too late to go there. This year it was decided to go a couple of weeks earlier but, of course, this year spring is so late in coming that we might even have been too early. This throws up the difficulty of planning so far ahead but it is hard to know what can be done to try to schedule our trips more flexibly. Anyway, as it turned out it was quite similar in the lack of birds to last year. The notable exception to this was very good views of Redstarts ! Continue reading