Local Patch Events

I was out with Laddie this morning as usual and it was a wet and misty morning. Two things of note happened both of which require a bins equiped return.

Firstly, I could hear a very loud drumming Woodpecker coming from the edge of the woodland (just by the little bridge where there's a gap in the fence to get into the field)... had I got my bins I'm sure I would have spotted it so I must take a look around.

Secondly, a Mallard flew right past me... the third time I've seen them fly across my 99.9% land local patch recently but this time it landed! I saw him (male) land on the little stream in the very field you can only access through that very hole... so again I'd better go and have a sneaky look!

Dippers at Loggerheads

We took Laddie to Loggerheads in North Wales again this morning and saw a Dipper again in exactly the same place as last time (by the bridge over the river on the main foot path)... except this time there were 2 of them! And it very much looked to me like they were building a nest under the bridge somewhere. I don't know if that is where a Dipper is likely to build a nest, I will certainly endeavour to find out and will definately pop back in May to see if there are any fledglings around.

Garden Greenfinches

We've just had 3 Greenfinches at once... 2 on the feeder (sunflower seeds) and 1 on the table (sunflower seeds)... now I realise that's not exactly amazing BUT we so rarely get any finches in our garden for some reason, it is actually a record!

Also today a Blue Tit and Great Tit have finally been feeding from the feeder in the front garden. There have also been a number of House Sparrows and Blue Tits feeding on the fresh tree shoots... it's great to watch them dangling upside down on the thinest of thin branches to get to the juicy shoots.

Garden Pond

Today I finally started our wildlife garden pond. So I thought I'd take a photo and pop it into my blog to keep a record of the progress. So far I smashed up 6 paving slabs with a sledge hammer (what fun!) and have dug a big hole... next step is to line it with sand and pond liner... then fill it up, pop a few plants in and watch.

I was actually a little inspired to crack on with the pond this Easter weekend as we found an old plant pot, not only full of rain water, but full of frog spawn! So hopefully I'll be able to re-home it very soon but I'll need to progress from day 1 sharpish...

Homemade Fat Cakes

Suet/Fat balls are expensive aren't they. £2 a pop and in the cold spell the garden birds were getting through one a week. So this week I decided to make my own. I had a look round on the web and found some vague recipes and ideas but basically made it up...

1/3rd Vegetable Fat
2/3rd crushed peanuts, raisins, oatmeal and sunflower seeds

I melted the fat, mixed it all up then spooned into paper bun cases... et voila!
Once set I put a couple into my fat cage that dangles from the bird table and watched. Good news... the birds actually like them! All in all that probably cost me a pound to make about a months supply.... good eh!

Digley Reservoir

The same morning as my early trip to Blackmoorfoot we took Laddie for a walk around Digley reservoir and saw Canada Geese, Tufted Duck (just one) and 3 Mallards (one of which was a domestic cross).

There was a large amount of unusal bird noise and activity going on around us in the sky and surrounding moorland and farmland I will definately go for a proper birding trip to Digley soon as I'm sure there's lots to to see. The local bird club website has reports of Sand Martins which I'll definately look for... there's an old quarry at Digley which would be my first port of call in search of those.

One I'm convinved I also saw a Little Grebe on the water. I was quite a way off but I'm sure it was small, reddy brown headed and diving... but when I got closer 5 minutes later it was no-where to be seen... but nor was there anything else. I'm not happy enough to call it a tick... but I'll be keeping an eye out for it next time.

Return to Blackmoorfoot

Laddie got me out of bed at some unGodly hour today so I decided to make the most of it and have an hour or 2 back at Blackmoorfoot, this time on my own. I certainly didn't see as much but did see 2 Lapwings in the same field as last week. We did hear Skylarks last week to but didn't see any and again this morning I could hear them... then one landed in a field, I grabbed my scope, and got a superb close-up of one... very very pleased.

Back at the reservoir I saw a few Mallards and 4 Great Crested Grebes.

Blackmoorfoot Club Trip

I went to a local birding spot today (Saturday)... a place I have been before and not seen much. But today was different, today I was with a few members of the local bird club incluing the recognised expert of the area... and boy did the number of species I see shoot up. It just goes to show what a little experienced guidance can do for you.

Potato Lane
Potato Lane is basically a couple of hundred yards from the Blackmoorfoot reservoir that gives excellent views of a farmer's field of just the right consistency for many birds. I've been told to keep an eye out for Skylark, Meadow Pipt, Stonechat and Dotterel.

The birds I did see however were Lapwing (about 10), Golden Plover (about 30), Wheatear (2 female, 1 male hopping on and off a dry stone wall) and a Little Owl who was hiding away in an alcove of another wall.

Orange Wood
This small wood sits beside the reservoir and didn't offer much today although the birds we did see were Kestrel (at the edge of the wood), Great Tit, Blue Tit, Pheasant (in a field beyond the wood), Jay and Long Tailed Tit and we could hear Robin and Blue Tit.

The Reservoir (from the inlet and/or hide)
Mallard, Tufted Duck (3 male, 2 female), Golden Eye (2 male, 1 female), Great Crested Grebe (3), Goosander (3), Teal (8) Herring Gull (1), Lesser Black Backed Gull (2), Black Headed Gull (numerous), Common Gull (numerous) and Goldcrest (dotting around at the side of the hide).

A tip I learned about the reservoir itself is that the birds tend to stay on the NW side on windier days... the bit you can't get a good look at without access to the locked hide... and a Kingfisher often perches just outside the hide too... I will have to enquire as to how to gain a key.

All in it all it was a fabulous 2 hours.

Dipper

A new tick today! We took the dog for a walk at Loggerheads Country Park (again) and I and I saw something, well, dipping into the river. I didn't have my bins but certainly got a good enough view to see smallish bird, browny/black with browny/red crown and a large white breast... a confirmed Dipper. It was cleary feeding from the river and flew off just a little further downstream after getting my excellent bins free view.

Welsh Redwings

I'm in North Wales near Mold staying in a house that backs onto farmland. The garden is quite active with "typical" garden birds but while out back today I saw of flock of Redwings flutter off the field behind the house. After grabbing my bins and most of them return to feed I confirmed they were indeed Redwings... a new UK tick for me! :)

I also got a great view of a Treecreeper today, the first time I've seen one that wasn't spiralling round a tree. We were walking the dog at Loggerheads Country Park, I turned to cross a stone bridge and there it was on the bridge in front of me. The sun was bright and the view perfect, I'd never realised how bright the underparts of a Treecreeper were until today as those bits are usually hidden by a tree.

It's been a good day. Does a birder ever stop birding? I haven't purposely been out birding at all today but have had 2 great finds just by keeping my eyes open. A great hobby isn't it.

IDing Thrushes Part 2

I've just been out with Laddie for our evening walk and managed to see a Mistle Thrush and Song Thrush, one after the other, which has helped immensely in nailing down which is which. The Mistle Thrush was much bigger, almost "prouder", a little greyer and it's dry, rattling call was a dead give away. The Song Thrush was smaller, browner, and basically the one I usually see. But now I've had a good look at Mistle Thrush I'm sure I'll know instantly in future which one I'm looking at in the future.

My initial technique for thrushes is still very much valid (see here) but now I have a whole arsenal of things to look and listen for.

I should also mention I'm pretty pleased with myself at using the call of the Mistle Thrush as an ID technique. I'll get the hang of birding yet ;)

Lunchtime Garden Frenzy

We've had some more snow overnight although it's melting away now. I put some food out as usual this morning (sunflower seeds and peanuts) and the last of a suet cake and apple were still out from yesterday. Come lunchtime I made myself a cuppa and glanced out of the window and saw the most varied feeding frenzy I've seen in the garden to date. No new species, nothing rare, but a marvellous sight nevertheless. Birds don't have to be rare to excite me...

Wren (x1), Coal Tit(x1), Long Tailed Tit (x1 and on the suet cake as is now usual), Greenfinch (x2), Bullfinch (x4), Blackbird (x2 and eating apple which seems to be becoming a favourite), Great Tit (x1), Blue Tit (x3) and finally Nuthatch (x1).

I should make tea more often.

Local Patch Mallards

I saw a pair of Mallards fly over my patch today. My patch doesn't have much in the way of water (a small stream), in fact it's a few miles to any river, pond or reservoir so it's not often I see any wildfowl. But that's a new tick for a farm/woodland/grassland local patch.

Garden Jackdaw

Isn't it funny how the most common birds can cause such excitment if they turn up in the garden. A Jackdaw perched in a tree today and was soon on his way... but that's a new garden tick!