Tuesday 31 March 2020

On this day (March 31st)... in 2019, 2014 and 2008

It's the last day of March and I'll take you back 12 months to Venus Pool and a Pink-footed Goose, name of Nelson....

A pleasant couple of hours spent at VP this afternoon, produced good numbers of Sand Martins, at least 30 flying high plus a couple of Swallows. With the water dropping, the margins will hopefully turn up a wader or two? He says! The only bird of note, yet another Goose, this time a Pink-foot we ought to call Nelson as something seemed mortally amiss with his right eye...

I've tried to keep the pics tasteful by showing the 'best' side!


Apart from sleeping, a quick wash and flap...




Then a paddle about...






With a lot of territorial disputes going on, a bit of  'pelagic practice' - I even pointed my camera at a Coot!


And an obliging Little Grebe...


Both sides look good on this one!



It's becoming less busy at the moment so hopefully able to get out and about ? 

Returning from my south coast trip on March 31st 2014, the route home somehow took in South wales!!

... The highlight of this tour was of course a visit to see Gemma in Swansea :-) As she was busy until the early evening, I had to find something to do en-route? Well, with Cardiff Bay and a good chance of Bonaparte's Gull (2 were seen the previous day) it had to be worth a go.....

After a fruitless call and 15 mins wasted at Cardiff yacht club (doh) I crossed the estuary to Cardiff Bay! yacht club and found the parking area adjacent to it where local birders had been viewing the bay. It took 30 mins or so but eventually with a couple of local we were on the one and only Bonaparte's Gull remaining :-) Problem was - it was at least 400m away and strictly distant scope views! I could see it was working a line with other Black-headed Gulls not too far from the far bank - accessible via the Barrage - another short drive was indicated.....


There were at least four cranes on the far bank too! :-)


Down to business and here's some representative record shots......

Sorting out the Boney from the Black heads was fairly easy! A much whiter head with contrasting more prominent ear spot plus darker grey upperparts made it stand out....


The neat trailing black edge to the primaries was also clear, even at distance.


Plus the translucent outer primaries....



Putting it all together here - plus the black bill and flesh pink legs!


Whilst most insects were plucked from the water surface - quite a few came from aerial pursuit!






The most difficult aspect to capture was the upperwing pattern - just about managed here...


Against the buildings, an elegant gull indeed!




 With rain starting to fall late afternoon, it was time top wrap up a great two hour session which produced two Little Gulls (adult and 1st winter). Here's the distant adult, nicely flushed pink .....




Not a bad image of another fly over 100m distant :-)


Plus two Med Gulls (2nd and 1st Winter) Here's the 1st winter...



 off to Swansea and a tasty Italian meal :-)

To finish off on March 31st 2008, I'm sure nothing much has changed, Curlew at Venus Pool plus Dipper and Wheatears elsewhere in the Shire!

Back to base in Shropshire and with hopes of early migrants, I had an early start at Venus Pool. There was plenty of variety on the water, a Chiffchaff singing but nothing of real note. The high point was when a couple of Curlews made their way from the 'stump island' to the near grassy bank, about 40m left of the hide - a golden opportunity for a flight shot!!












Longnor was en-route to Titterstone Clee with a single Dipper sat on the stones waiting for me! A great opportunity to capture just about every angle you might want see.......

















I knew it was too early to have any real chance of Ring Ouzel but you never know? There were quite a few birds to be seen however: Stonechat, Meadow Pipit and Wheatear in good numbers! I estimated approximately a dozen in the quarry and just as many elsewhere! They were quite flighty though, difficult to assess numbers. Males were certainly predominant but there were females too, some bearing colour rings.

















Buzzards and a pair of Ravens displaying above plus a Peregrine flying through......

The final destination was Bury Ditches and yet another Peregrine was seen just the other side of Aston on Clun. Closely followed by a Red Kite approx 1/2 mile past Clunton on the way to the ditches (not a chance of stopping for either bird though).
A melodic welcome to Bury Ditches with both Yellowhammer and Song Thrush singing next in the car park, contrasting with the raucous tones of the large flock of Fieldfare (plenty of Thrushes still here) in the adjacent fields. The rain came so I opted not to walk up to the fort.

A great end to a fantastic month of birding - will be a hard act to follow!

Monday 30 March 2020

On this day (March 30th)... in 2014

No birding within Shropshire blogged for March 30th but back in 2014, an amazing day with Cirl Buntings and a surprise Glaucous Gull in sunny Devon.....

Courtesy of a plant show and the hospitality of friends, I had a sunny Sunday to make the most of a bit of Devon birding. Bowling Green Marsh had produced a bit of a wader feast the previous evening with a good number of species, notably: Curlew, Black / Bar tailed Godwits, Redshank, Greenshank, Dunlin plus a couple of Knot and a Grey Plover. A walk along the Exe at Topsham had not produced Water Pipit or the Slav Grebe and this was to be the same sorry result the following morning......

Exminster Marshes was pretty quiet apart from an explosive Cetti's Warbler which flew across the path in front of me (close to the canal car park). My first Willow Warbler of the year was singing over on the RSPB side.

It was possibly not the ideal time to go for them but I opted for a late morning drive over to Paignton and hopefully Cirl Buntings at Broadsands bay, where the beach huts were painting a pretty picture!


The fields and hedgerows around the overflow car park  have a good number of Cirl's...


.....and if you like them perched on branches, I managed a couple of males



Hard work though and eventually I opted for the easy life, sat down by a beach hut and small flock which had come in for a lunchtime feed :-)

It was a pretty even mix of males and females, a few images of the ladies here.......






Flashing off their grey-brown streaky rumps!




But I was now going to be totally distracted by some really well marked males, edging towards me :-)

Just a few images, I had some 300 to sort through!!


Some relatively pale marked males...


Through to brilliantly coloured....






And as they came closer - a bit of feather detail!




That wonderful combination of great (confiding) birds and awesome light!




I'd long since taken my converter off :-)


I'll spare you too many - here's an arty angle for a change!


Just simply stunning birds......


It was then back to the Topsham to see if the tide was going to produce something?

Exmouth was next on my route and assuming I could find the quay - hopefully a confiding 2nd winter Glaucous gull?? Through a myraid of side streets, I made it and against a backdrop of 'private parking - we will clamp' stickers, chance my arm on the quay.....

There it was, 10m away from the car on some machinery but.... directly into the sun! After a long wait (and after paying to park!!!) it eventually flew around a couple of times before settling down again. This time on the quay, after some scraps of food......


OMG, heading towards me!


False alarm, after something more tasty than me!




When given the opportunity of flight shot, buildings are not exactly helpful!


But blue sky is!




And water is even better - these were close enough top become frame fillers.....




Underwing shot.


And approaching for some eye contact.....


I'll leave you with one frozen in mid step!


Plus a close up!


Even better was to come with the tide rising, my timing a t the fourth attempt was impeccable - firstly the Water Pipit (flushed by a dog sadly) and then the Slav Grebe within 5 minutes of arrival. It had been quite a day :-)