randombirder

This was my first visit to Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire.  I'd heard positive things about it so I knew it was going to be good.  It was great!  A sweeping manageable reserve with defined paths that lead up to the saltmarsh, open fields, and a massive sky, all made for an environment that was teaming with birds. The undoubted highlight was the majestic male  Hen Harrier  that moved low along the marsh as viewed from the ridge that spreads out onto The Wash.  It exuded pure class as it made slow but purposeful progress to the south. The fields were a chorus of yapping  Dark-bellied Brent Goose ,  Wigeon , and  Teal .  The pools held a few smart drake  Pintail . A  Merlin  was zipping around causing havoc amongst the birds congregated on the flood. Merlin The skies were alive with birds.  Clouds of Golden Plover and Lapwing , a good selection of waders that included four wintering...

This is the Brecks and it's a great place for a birding day, well half-a-day as it happened. This Common Buzzard was spending a lazy Sunday morning around the woodland at Santon Warren. It took a while to pin down the Parrot Crossbill but around a dozen were showing high up in the conifers north-west of the railway crossing.  They looked conspicuously bull-necked, and that bill could cause some serious damage.  There were a few Common Crossbill here too. The woodland also held Siskin , and Redwing while a Kingfisher dashed along the river. Moving onto Lynford Arboretum, the place was alive with birds.  Best were three Hawfinch seen high up in the canopy in the gardens of Lynford Hall.  The trees along the river were particularly fruitful, titmice and finches were gorging on the alders with Siskin plentiful, and a few Lesser Redpoll .  A Kingfisher was seen here too. It was great standing by the feeders, watching five species of T...

Tenerife is a spectacular place.  Avoid the southern sprawl, string vests, and soggy chips, and head for the hills.  For the hills hold beauty that a package holiday urchin can only begin to dream of while staring benignly into the spittle of an empty pint glass.  Jump on a plane, head south for four hours, and take it all in. El Teide National park, the open road stretches out into the distance, squeezed in by the volcanic backdrop of monoliths and hardened rocky screes, that were once molten, but now remain frozen in time.  The deep blue added to the beauty of the place. This is Poris de Abona, a quiet fishing village located just 30 minutes north along the TF-1 from Tenerife-South airport.  This is where we spent five nights, and it was a charming place, overlooking the eastern seas and free from artificial light that illuminated the night-sky. The island has some interesting birds, hardly overwhelmed by variety or ...

Another productive hour or so over the park with a Redpoll immediately over heading west which was then followed by a steady westerly stream of migrants that included; 320 Woodpigeon , 35 Chaffinch , 14 Redwing , 11 Fieldfare , a single Greenfinch , and a single Meadow Pipit .  The morning was topped by another calling Brambling that cruelly evaded my sight. Resident birds included a Great Spotted Woodpecker , a Goldcrest , and a count of 57 mobile Common Gull  within the grassy areas.

I had no regrets heading up to Pitsford Reservoir when news broke that the Cory's Shearwater had been sighted mid-morning.  The traffic was kind to me, always a bit of a risk when attempting to make use of three of our busy motorways. The Cory's was not seen again after the initial sighting, which then made for a relaxing few hours at this top inland site. It was teeming with wildfowl, best of which were four Greater Scaup of which one was a drake, but all of which were enjoying a late morning snooze.  Four Red-Crested Pochard were also present (three drakes), amongst the large groups of duck that included Wigeon , Shoveler , and Teal .  Decent numbers of Lapwing were present on the islands and shoreline.  A single Little Grebe was present off-shore. It was great to see my first Goldeneye of the season, at least a dozen here that included at least three drakes. A couple of Common Buzzard soared over being typically mobbed by the resident corvids, as did...

Managed to drag myself out into the mirk of another weekend morning, it was raining on and off for the hour I could bear standing watching for anything of interest passing over the park. The first bird seen was a vocal Brambling heading west fuelling a bit of anticipation that it could be a good morning.  It was ok - remembering that this is my local park in the depths of East London. Observations from 0700-0800 included a single Siskin associating with a small flock of Goldfinch , 105 Redwing , and a fly through Great Spotted Woodpecker .  Common Gull numbers have now increased to 13. Two Goldcrest were busily skitting around a conifer near the Pavillion.

Wasn't as good as yesterday but there was at least a bit of interest in a watch from 0645 to 0815. On the deck, the group of gulls contained eight Lesser Black Backed Gull , 55 Herring Gull , and six Common Gull . Small groups of Woodpigeon were still on the move with 190 counted.  Other species on the move were 15 Redwing , 20 Chaffinch , 40 Goldcrest , a single Song Thrush , and four Meadow Pipit were particularly notable. Other bits and pieces comprised a single Goldcrest , three Mistle Thrush , a single Jay , and a Sparrowhawk .

It's only taken me five and a half years to contemplate birding at Hackney Downs Park.  It's just next to where I live and visit it often, primarily for more physical recreation such as Tennis and Running.  It's quintessentially a municipal park, well maintained, and a nice place to be. Birding though?  Well this morning I was overwhelmed by a rare Archimedean (?) moment and decided to head to the park and check the skies for any signs of migratory passage.  There has indeed been plenty of activity over the last week or so of the Hawfinch and Woodpigeon variety. So I stood along the Cricket pitch and eyed the skies, and, it was really good!  When a couple of Meadow Pipit flew through, I began cursing why I hadn't done this a lot sooner.  Three returning Common Gul l were loafing around on the dewy grass. There were small groups of Redwing and Fieldfare , Chaffinch , Starling , pulsing through with half a dozen Pied Wagtail , a couple of Greenfinch ...

Made it in the end.  It was cold and windy so I can't imagine how those hardy birders braved it yesterday during Storm Brian.  A lovely bird in such a beautiful part of the UK. The Common Rock Thrush also had a juvenile Northern Wheatear for company.

With a heavy heart we left the islands - but not without a final walk around Penninis Head. Another phenomenon and brought in by the strong currents were decent numbers of Portuguese Man o'War strewn across the beach at Porthcressa.  Bizarre looking creatures but also extremely eye-catching in more ways than one.