All Quiet

It's noticeable that I haven't posted much recently, for the very good reason that not much has been happening.  Continuing wet weather spells have made going out looking for birds on spec unattractive. Usually there are one or two winter rarities turning up in the North East and staying around, but this year not very much at all is getting reported - a couple of fleeting appearances of little auk flocks at least capturing my interest briefly.

I had hoped to see a few waxwings sometime but it's clear there hasn't been a major irruption this year and for the most only single birds have been reported.  Apparently there haven't been any hawfinches either, except a good deal further South.

Anyway I participated in the Big Garden Birdwatch again this year. The scores were:  Blue tit 5, long-tailed tit 5, 3 each for jackdaw, wood pigeon and collar dove, 2 for coal tit, great tit, nuthatch and bullfinch and just 1 for robin, blackbird and dunnock.  There were no sparrows or starlings, which is mostly the case.

I was pleased with the five long-tailed tits, as they've only appeared sporadically this year and a bit surprised that coal tit didn't outnumber great tit, which it might have done on any other day.  An odd number of collar doves was interesting, since I invariably see them in pairs. 

This was probably the most successful Big Garden Birdwatch I've had here, as in the past they've produced few simultaneous sightings.

Today I got out for only the second lengthy bike ride this year, as the rainy day forecast did not materialise.  As a first sign of better times, I saw my first few clumps of snowdrops this year and later a whole bank of them - as well catching a rare hour of sunshine.

Snowdrops

Home Sweet Home

A curse upon Chopwell Woods!   I keep visiting in the hope that it will produce some reasonable sightings and invariably come back disappointed.

On my last attempt about three weeks back, the main notable event was the almost total flooding of the southern path into the woods from Blackhall Mill. 

I only managed to start the walk at all by scrambling through the puddles next to the bushes and the best thing I actually saw were a few clumps of snowdrops by the River Derwent after getting off the bus.

In spite of wandering around fairly extensively through the western part of the woods, it was pretty much like a desert with hardly a thing to be seen and precious little to be heard - just a couple of blackbirds, the odd pigeon and a few blue tits.

Even when I strayed into Chopwell East Field during a burst of sunlight, the only change was a slight increase in the amount of bird song.  You would usually reckon to see a squirrel or two somewhere, but absolutely zero - just our canine friends and their captive humans.

A couple of bike rides - to Bolam Lake and yesterday to Corbridge produced nothing at all either.

So once again my interest has been tied to what happens in the garden and nearby.

Red kites have been active over the village and on one occasion right over the house as I drove into the front drive.  Coal tits and long-tailed tits have been doing well, the latter being the second most-spotted tit visitor and interestingly both are more prevalent than great tit, which seems to have dropped down the rankings for some reason.  A pair of blue tits inspected the nesting box, but as in previous years, did not pursue their interest.

Robins have visited frequently and I noted that two of them were untypically tolerant of each others' presence.  Then it became apparent that some mating behaviour was starting and one day I suddenly spotted THREE robins on the gravel within an area just one metre square - but of course it only lasted a couple of seconds or so.

As well as the regular dunnocks, a wren has been seen twice. 

Marsh tits have been past occasional visitors - meaning literally once or twice a year - but last week one actually turned up on three days out of four.  After several attempts when it proved nervy, |I finally managed to get a reasonable photo of it on its last visit.

Marsh Tit

It hasn't been seen since, but of course that doesn't mean it hasn't been back.

Overall though, my campaign to up the level of bird sightings this winter hasn't been a great success and I'm now looking forward to the return of butterflies and bees over the coming weeks.

Which reminds me that at by this time last year, I had already seen my first red admiral.  What a difference a year makes!

Variety is the Spice...

By chance I managed two trips out in two days.

Last Sunday I was at Geltsdale with my son and his fiancee.  Unfortunately there was only a light breeze but we did manage to see a few birds of prey, notably several kestrel, one of which I thought might have been a sparrow hawk and a single buzzard as well as canada geese, lapwing, curlew and a stonechat.  Snowdrops are now out and there was a nice wee bunch near the RSPB Visitor Centre.

Snowdrops

The day after I was on a Naturewatch trip to Big Waters, which produced a pleasing variety of species, without turning up any major rarities.

As well as tufted duck and a couple of great crested grebe debating whether the mating season has started, there was a good head of lapwing on the stony island.

Lapwing

There were several teal around and one showed nicely on a sail past.

Teal

Further round we also caught up with wigeon, pochard and goldeneye.

Goldeneye

Wigeon

Pochard

Around the Western hide there were no snipe or water rail this time but several finches on the feeders and a pair of reed buntings, the female of which had a brownish head that kept us guessing for a while.

Reed Bunting

On the way to tennis today, I had a little time to spare at the weir on the Derwent and noticed some more teal that were standing and sliding around in the fast water by the fish run.  They appeared to be feeding on grubs in the newly-formed streamer weed.

On the way back there was also a pair of goosander diving away.  Usually all you see there is  couple of mallard and maybe a heron.

Sunday 28th January

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." or so I thought on deciding to head back to Ken Dee Marshes to get a few snaps of the greenland white-fronted geese mentioned in my last post.

In fact it wasn't as simple as that.  On arrival at the RSPB car park, a returning couple reported that they had seen neither the geese in question, nor any willow tits - just lots of the usual tits, a woodpecker and some nuthatch.

Their evidence was proved partly correct when my first ever visit to the goose viewing platform revealed nothing but a couple of crows and some unidentifiable ducks in very distant flight.

There was a sign that prospects could be better when a small group of fieldfares took up station in a large tree near the main path.  However at the first hide I saw exactly what they saw, with the bonus that, while Mr Woodpecker was attached to one feeder, Mrs Woodpecker arrived on the other.

On regaining the main path, I saw a young red deer turn tail and make into the undergrowth.  Continuing bright, low sun and the first sight of this year's snowdrops made it a pleasurable stroll along through the trees to the furthest hide, where I settled down to eat, observing the feeder right next to the side windows.

It was only five minutes before a single willow tit turned up and made several nervous raids on the peanuts whiel evading the attentions of the other birds.  This continued for a good twenty minutes or so.

Willow Tit and Blue Tit

I went to take a bit of a look out of the main windows to see nothing at all.  On returning to the feeder I sat it out again for ten minutes, but tit willow did not reappear.  I must have hit lucky.

After another fruitless visit to the goose viewing platform, I was asked by a couple of new arrivals if I knew the best place to look for the elusive Greenland white-fronted geese.  I told them what I knew - but added that it must be their day off.

Then, taking a last look down the loch, there they were, a group of about thirty just visible in a fold in the landscape about four hundred yards away.  I was simply pleased to get a good enough photo to be able to identify them for certain.

Greeland White-fronted Geese

There was another skein of geese feeding on the road back to Glenlochar, but they proved to be barnacles.

Thursday 11th February

I am playing catch-up again here as various domestic disasters have combined to distract my attention.

Last Wednesday I managed the bike ride to Moniaive in nice sunny conditions, but also very chilly once in mid Nithsdale.  There was a good view of a meadow pipit going up towards Newtonairds and further up another reasonable flock of redwings.  Not quite sure where the fieldfares are, unless I'm missing them.

On the way back I noticed a clump of snowdrops that were almost out before joining a couple of others for a pacey ride as far as the Old Water bridge. But getting back home, I noticed a clump in my garden that were nearly in bloom too.  No news there then!

In the garden, I'm astounded that the fish in my pond are still feeding regularly, even including the orfe, who usually disappear all winter long.  This is testament to the mild if stormy weather.  Last night the pond froze for only the third time and I'm shocked to see the lawn already needs mowing. I'm already sowing seeds for butterfly friendly plants indoors, thinking they might be going out surprisingly early.

Yesterday things got a little more interesting on my travels.  Coming down from the Glenkilns toward Bogle Bridge, I stopped at the place where someone is obviously feeding the birds on a regular basis. as soon as I sat down on the wall, the coal and blue tits started appearing, so I started throwing some bits of apple out towards the tree and, sure enough, they came down to feed, later joined by a chaffinch and nuthatch.  None of them seemed especially perturbed by the arrival of a mewing buzzard a hundred yards back.

How many birdies? What kind?

Then just as I was thinking of heading home, a red quirrel turned up and started hunting for the apple chunks the birds had missed.  Not sure if this gives the impression fully, but s/he actually got no more than a couple of arms lengths away:

After that I took a few steps back and tried to catch him again, but he went camera shy and, after a couple of peeks over the wall, decided to run off into the beech trees.

Thursday 21 January

Winter at last!

A temperature leap out of the -0 C zone enabled me to go for the Wednesday bike ride to Gatehouse of Fleet. Didn't pay much attention on the way there, especially through Laurieston Forest, where it was apparent that winter had finally arrived and was still with us. Spent most of my time watching for potholes and unexpected patches of ice or snow.

On the way back, took a little detour via the Ken Dee Marshes area and was glad I did.  A number of buzzards and red kites were wheeling around and showing well above the road over from Laurieston. There was one buzzard who did not take part and sat moping in a tree as I cycled right by.
Then a flight of redwing took off from another tree, again before I could very close up.  I'm sure they dislike my cycling jacket.

Then on the way back towards Glenlochar, I observed fascinated as three youngish roe deer did a steeplechase through the fields, outpacing the bike until they ended up by the road and the first one crossed the road just in front of me before the others panicked and doubled back.

Last a small clump of snowdrops, not quite out, reminded me I must start thinking what to get for the garden this year.  I think I'm going to go for butterfly friendly plants and maybe leave a strip of lawn to go 'back to nature'.