Back on the patch!

Time to get back to the blog!
I've been away far too long.
But, tiny steps.....

A little something from Sunday......

Whinchat

April Round Up

Note to self: Update Blog more regularly. Leaving it to the end of the month is too much like hard work.

I'd say it's been a fairly quiet April but to be fair migrants have been coming through in good numbers.  First Chiffchaff, then Swallow, House Martins and Sand Martins too.
3 new patch ticks. Greylag Goose, Blackcap (can't believe I haven't had that before) and most bizarrely - House Sparrow! That takes my patch list up to 78.

Rather shakey Greylag Goose photo

Other notable birds have been Little Grebe, a pair of Tufted Duck (looks like they may be preparing to nest), a pair of Kestrels (definitely nesting), and a handful of Goldcrests.

Some recent photos:

Reed Bunting

April Hare

Pied Wagtail

First swallow arrives

The orchards burst into blossom

Although the weather has still been a little on the chilly side, the first Damselflies have put in an appearance:

Large Red Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly

Next update due soon!

Shrikey!

Many thanks to top bird spotter Martin G for alerting me to to the Great Grey Shrike at Ashleworth Ham today.
What a corker!
And all the more enjoyable because I have dipped on the Forest of Dean bird everytime I've searched for it.
I couldn't get as close as I would have liked and some of the shots are into the light but all in all I'm chuffed to bits I saw that bird!
Sorted!

Of Moths and Men

Well I never.
Well I bloody never..... (more of this later)
I was having a fairly low key, in fact VERY low key month on the local and patch. Birds have been pretty scarce down at the Orchard Centre.
The Kingfisher has been noticable by it's absence and there have been very few new arrivals, although the first Chiffchaff turned up last week. Huzzah!
Some water birds have been returning in good numbers though. At least 10 Moorhen and around 4 or 5 Coots. The Little Grebe put in a brief appearance. Otherwise it's been the usual cast of Mallards, Teal, Mute Swans and a few Lapwing.
And talking of Mallards, what was this one doing on the Barn Owl box?

What the duck?

I did add Treecreeper to the patch list though, taking the number up to 75. Wah-hey!
I went off patch by a couple of miles or so when a couple of Common Cranes turned up at Ashleworth Ham but I dipped 5 times on the Garganey in the same place!

Cranes at Ashleworth

So here's the thing. The "well I never" thing.
In some kind of fit of middle aged, bobble-hatted stupidity I bought myself a moth trap.
Yep, a moth trap.
Not like a killing machine for Lepidoptera. Just a simple light-box thingy to attract our little night butterfly friends.
Well, I thought, why not.
It seemed like a bargain and got a free beard and pair of National Health spectacles to go with it!
Anyway, I've only gone and found myself a rare moth!
Talk about beginner's luck.
Third night out and I've struck Gold. Not that I knew that. I can barely identify even the most common species at the moment, so I just post 'em up on Twitter and wait for the ID's to come to me.
Anyway, I put this rather shakey picture of a fairly unremarkable looking moth up and all of a sudden I'm in the centre of a Twitter storm.
Blimey, Charlie!

Barred Toothed-Striped and Hebrew Character

Now I'm thinking, the fella on the right looks like a fine specimen. Good, bold markings. Nice shape. what a stunner. Not sure about his mate on the left. Looks a bit plain.
Turns out that the Hebrew Character is of little consequence in the mothing world but Mr Barred Tooth-Striped on the left is a bit of a rarity in this neck of the woods.
In fact, it's only the 2nd time it's been seen in Gloucestershire since 1980.
If only I was this lucky with birds!
But that's not the end of it. Two nights later I caught another three! I've only gone and got myself a colony, Rodney!
But Ssssssh! Mum's the word. There are people out there who actually kill and collect rare moths. I don't want to be coming home from work and finding a garden full of homicidal bug collectors running amok.

That said, this could get addictive!

No.74....... and about time!

It's officially spring. I don't care what anyone else says. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.... It's spring. O.K, that wind was a bit chilly but so what?
After coaxing my daughter to come along and take photos for me, we took a quick jaunt along Mill Lane to add Grey Wagtail to my Gloucestershire Year List (96) and then made for the Orchard Centre:
First up was a female Kestrel, quickly followed by a Pied Wagtail. By the time we had got to the hide it was evident that the dull birdless winter days were finally over.
3 Canada Geese sat elegantly in the water opposite the hide. Moorhens and Coots had pretty much disappeared over the winter but I could see at least 2 of the former and 4 of the latter from where I sat today.

Canada Goose

8 Mallards, 12 Teal (alas, none of the Green-Winged variety) and....oh, steady on! A Little Grebe. Where have you been since November chum?
O.K, you're thinking, fairly standard fodder so far. But I was really enjoying this. And the real beauty of it is that we were on our own. This place is special because it is so rarely frequented by the Lens Brigade. What a joy it is to sit here in absolute silence without being jostled by a throng of eager birders, in their sagging khaki britches and camouflage jackets, playing the "My lens is bigger than yours" game.
O.K, got that off my chest. Move on.
A few Common Gulls drifted over:

Common Gull

A Lapwing put on a superb ariel display for us and two Buzzards made good use of the thermals above. I got a photo which wouldn't win any sharpness competions but I love the way the light shines through the tail:

Common Buzzard

A walk along the side of the main pond revealed 8 Snipe and then my daughter spotted a Stonechat flitting along a line of fence posts. Well, this was very exciting, "Get some photos girl!" I shouted and she duly obliged. What a cracking bird and a patch first for me which is very belated I know, but I was well happy to put No.74 on the list.

Stonechat

So, we meandered along the ponds for a while. There were plenty of birds in the hedgerows, including Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits and numerous Robins and Dunnocks. All this was set off against the mellow and uplifting sound of singing Skylarks.
I can't normally bear to see photographs with myself in but I thought that she captured me perfectly and in my element here!

A study in contentment

How long before the first dragonflies emerge, I wonder?

Coming soon..... to a patch near you.

It's a month since my last post and I have only made a few visits to the Orchard Centre. To be fair, it's been very quiet although bird numbers have been picking up in the last couple of weeks. Counts have included 32 Teal, 14 Mallards, 2 Kestrels, up to 20 Snipe, 2 Grey Herons, 3 Linnets, 20 Long-Tailed Tits, 3 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Jays, a Goldcrest, scores of Redwings and Fieldfares, the 2 resident Mute Swans and a huge (c500) flock of Woodpigeons. Oh, and a Kingfisher.

Mute Swan - always available for a photoshoot!

Still no sign of a Jack Snipe or Water Rail but I remain ever hopeful.

So, the big winter tick never arrived. Particularly frustrating when I had to go just a few miles down the road to Ashleworth Ham today to see an American Green Winged Teal. Just a few wing flaps North mate and you could have had a lovely little pond all to yourself!

Until next time........ a photo of the Moon (well, why not?).

The Moon from my patch!

My patch from the moon (enlarged of course!)

Back to Basics

So after the giddy "Kid in a sweetie shop" effect of visiting Slimbridge last week it was more than a welcome relief to get back to a bit of patch birding this weekend.
On Saturday I visited HARTPURY ORCHARD CENTRE at around 10:30am.
What an absolute joy it was - to be sat in the cold, draughty hide with a flask of Yorkshire Tea ......... and a complete lack of "serious" birders around, showing off their latest flashy photographic equipment and Khaki trousers.
Oh....... and a complete lack of birds!
Well, to be fair there were 2 Mute Swans gingerly picking their way through the frosty water.

View from the hide today. Note teeming bird life.

But you know what? It was bloody lovely. The sun was shining and I felt that air of anticipaion again. Oh boy, it was good to be back.
A walk along the reedbeds revealed 4 Snipe....  and not much else.
So a particularly quiet morning, even by my standards.
No matter, I thought. I'll move on. So without further ado I relocated myself to Mill Lane, just outside the village of Staunton. To my delight the large flock of buntings was still present in the stubble field. I estimated around 80 birds overall, evenly split between Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings.
Many of the birds were spread along the tops of the neatly trimmed hedgerows. This photo shows a small section. Times it by 20 and you get an idea of how it looked!

Bunting hedge

Male Reed Bunting - head tucked in - windy day!

On Sunday I returned to the ORCHARD CENTRE at around 11am to meet up with birding buddy Alan. It was very quiet on the ponds again, even the swans were absent. However a walk around the site revealed a few hidden gems: 8 Snipe, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 20+ Redwing, a Goldcrest, 7 Goldfinches and around 20 Long-Tailed Tits. We also enjoyed the site of 2 healthy and well groomed Foxes playing together. These were superb looking animals with gorgeous coats and tails - so different to the photos you see of those scrawny town foxes.
Just as we were about to leave we noticed a couple of small birds in the top of a silver birch tree. Well, I'll be blowed..... Lesser Redpolls ( too far off for a decent photo). A patch first and No.73 on the Orchard Centre life-list I think.
Ker-ching!

Pin the tail on the......

A visit to Slimbridge today....... just to get the Year list off to a flying start.
I added a few more ducks and waders.
I already had a Pintail on the list but couldn't resist a couple of photos. What beautiful ducks;

However, the highlight had to be this rather elusive Water Rail. I've been trying to track one of these little blighters down on my patch for months. With no luck. So I was thrilled to get a peek at this little fella today:

The elusive Water Rail

Finally, I couldn't resist this shot - The House Sparrow that wants to be a Reed Bunting!

Reed Sparrow

Other highlights today included a huge flock of hundreds of Lapwings and Golden Plovers circling overhead, Bewick Swans, Black-Tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Redshanks, Shelducks and Barnacle Geese.

You know, Slimbridge is a marvelous place and the birds are just astonishing, but for me there was something lacking.
It's a sort of sensory overload. There are so many birds that it just overwhelms you. It's like being in some sort of avian supermarket and just scooping the goods off the shelves.
It's all too easy.
Back to the patch, me thinks.... and the thrill of the chase. There's something to be said for sitting in a damp, draughty hide for hours on end with nothing but a couple of nervous moorhens to watch.
Waiting ..........  for that special bird to turn up.

Get Shorty!

I've recently taken on a new role at work which means I am out in the car most days travelling the length and breadth of Gloucestershire.
Today took me to Winchcombe, and I thought, "That's quite close to Hawling. Short-Eared Owl territory". Well, it would be rude not to!
I arrived at the now well publicised site at around 3pm. I could see an owl flying low and gracefully around the field as I pulled up.
Ker-ching!
There were already a couple of other birders on site and even though the weather was against us - dark, cloudy and more than a little windy, we enjoyed some great views.
I counted 3 Short Eared Owls and a Barn Owl (who was coming under attack from the Shorties whenever it made a kill).

Shorty coming in to land

The light was poor and the birds didn't really get close enough for a great shot but here's a couple of (heavily cropped) photos that I managed to fire off.

To be honest, I was happy just to get any picture. It was just a thrill and privilege to watch these magnificent birds.
Return visit booked!

Out with the Old, In with the New

I can't believe that I haven't posted since November.
It's not like I haven't been birdwatching. I've just been too damn busy or too bloody lazy to post.

No matter,
New year. New start.

A belated seasonal greetings to all my (3) readers

So, where are we?
Well it's January 11th and my year list stands at 55. That's not the patch list mind you - just my County list.
Not bad but I'm not sure that I want to stick my neck out and sign up for the Gloucester 200 Club yet.

The highlight so far (at least until today) has to be the Dartford Warbler in Cheltenham. What a beauty!
I've only managed 3 trips to the Orchard Centre so far, the best birds being: 15 Teal, 7 Canada Geese, 4 Green Woodpeckers, over 20 Snipe, 2 Bullfinches, 6 Reed Buntings and a steady flow of Fieldfare, Redwings and Mistle Thrushes.

Reed Bunting

I did spend sometime watching a rather handsome Red Fox last week. I couldn't get close enough for any good photos but managed to get a couple of passable shots:

So, about today:
After a quiet but enjoyable visit to the Orchard Centre I had a walk along Mill Lane in Staunton & Corse. There's a large stubble field along the lane which is always good for the odd Yellowhammer.
The odd one?
The hedgerows were full of them - I estimated that there were at least 60. Certainly the most that I have ever seen. They were amongst a larger flock of mixed finches (mainly Chaffinches and some Greenfinches) and around 30 Reed Buntings. To say that I was gobsmacked was an understatement! I'm guessing that this is some kind of local record. No doubt someone will let me know.
Now then...... that New Year's Resolution?
I MUST update my Blog more regularly. ;-)