#3 Birds!

Third and final installment. The way things have been going lately expect another blog post sometime around August. I'll look forward to it ;).

Despite feeling like I've not done much birding this year I've seen a fair bit I suppose, I've only been on two birding related trips (north Norfolk coast and Thetford Forest) but working at Rutland Water really does help with sneaking in an hours birding before/after/during work everyday. The feeding table under the caravan window has also kept me entertained on many cold mornings before work, its nice being able to bird without going outside!
Anyway, no photos were taken on a recent trip to the Thetford Forest so I won't mention that any further but a trip to Snettisham and Titchwell in mid-february was more successful photography-wise so....

Siskin at Titchwell

Brambling in the same place

House Sparrow - actually taken the next day at Ouse Washes

Song Thrush

Dodgy effort at the Long-tailed Duck

Spotted Redshank

No winter Titchwell trip is complete without a shot of a Sanderling bounding along the edge of the surf

After much deliberation we decided this Diver to be a Black Throated - any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated.

 

Other good birds seen but not papped on the day included Bittern and ringtail Hen Harrier

 

The yard list has crept up towards 100 (94ish at the minute) with a recent addition being the Great Northern Diver that was spied miles off towards the valve tower in the North Arm on Saturday afternoon. Good bird that. Whooper Swan was also a welcome addition after missing the last flock to fly up the North Arm. Here's a few other decent birds (and a couple already mentioned!) that have found themselves on the end of a phone-scoping in recent weeks at work;

 

Drake Smew from AWBC

Confused Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes in the North Arm (also both on the yard-list :D )

Intrepid Hide-robin on Lagoon 3

Great Northern Diver off the dam

Scaup with Pochard and Tufted Duck accomplices on Lagoon 1

Rails on the Egleton Meadows - showing very well at the minute - up to 6 birds.

Afforementioned Whoopers from the workyard

 

I've not been at home much this year but a welcome and overdue addition to the garden list a few weeks back was Lesser Redpoll, no doubt enticed into the garden by the shiny new niger feeder that the Hooded Birder purchased a couple of weeks prior. A few Siskin sightings have also helped spice things up after a general lack of them in the garden over recent winters.

 

And finally, Owls.

Seems like ages since I've written anything or uploaded any images of owls but I can break that run today! One thing I can report on is the evident abundance of owls in the area surrounding Rutland Water , Barn Owls are clearly doing well in the area, I'm always seeing them! Normally when I've not got my camera with me but about ten days ago I chanced upon a lovely shot of a Barn Owl in the falling light. Having to shoot through my less-than-clean windscreen was a challenge but I'm quite pleased with the overall result;

 

 

Little Owls have unfortunately not been as easy to find in the area surrounding Rutland Water but I headed out to a site near Lutterworth today and happily found a pair of Owls on their favoured haystack literally gagging to be my new header image!

 

This image and the next three aren't the best I'll ever take but I'd never managed shots of pellet regurgitation before. Behold...

A keen eye can just make out the pellet falling infront of the bale. click for bigger as always.

 

 

 

More owls and a Wheatear.

More Owls! Recently I have found myself reluctant to do any "proper" birding - and by proper birding I mean heading out to somewhere like Rutland for the day on the hunt of passage goodies. I'm not sure whats caused the reluctance, probably the total lack of any passage waders moving through Leicestershire over the past couple of weeks. As a result of not being arsed to go wader hunting nearly all the birdwatching I've done recently has been Owl related. Im starting to wonder whether there is some truth in Amy's claims that Paul is "grooming" me and turning me against all other avian goodies!

In correlation with this claim I headed out nice and early this afternoon on the hunt for Little Owl with the hope of adding some more images to my increasing portfolio of "the internets worst owl images". On a side note im considering buying an actual camera within the next couple of months and am somewhat baffled at what to buy..... as a reasonably cheap starter set up im considering something like this.........any advice on this would be much appreciated as im currently bumbling around like a blind man in a cave.


So I went out for an Owl today with two new targets in mind to help spice things up. Target one was getting some images from sites that I'd never previously managed to do so and the second target was getting two owls in one shot - again, something I'd never managed! Well, Im pleased to report I failed miserably on both counts and only managed to get images of my photo-whore owls that always give themselves up and allow me to photograph them. Still, shouldn't complain:

I also plumbed new depths by taking my first ever video of an owl. Dont worry, its only 12 seconds long so won't offend you're eyes for too long!

My travels today took me past Frolesworth so I stopped off for a while and grilled the horse paddocks in the hope of a nice Wheatear or Whinchat and thankfully saw the former... any comments on the race of this bird would be welcome, the bird had a very buff orangey front and pointed the stringy side of my brain towards the Greenland race but i'm just not sure......

see....very buff

In other news a single Swallow was seen in Peatling Magna on my travels today and 3 Buzzards were soaring over Ullesthorpe golf club. Garden sightings recently have included the first (4) Long tailed tits for a couple of months and we are now being regularly visited by two Greater spotted Woodpeckers (one of each sex), which is nice to see as during the summer months Woodpecker sightings tail off hugely in our garden. Mumsy had a probable Siskin yesterday too which was gripping but also satisfying as in a recent post I claimed the garden looked good for Siskin this year and BLAM! One turns up! In terms of stuff i'm no longer seeing in the garden Coal tit haven't been seen for a couple of weeks and Bullfinch sightings have slowed to a trickle.