Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Spotted Flycatcher gets noted

Birdguides gave my Spotted Flycatcher image a noteable tag this week and I'm always pleased with these small moments of recognition.


Here's the image............

Spotted Flycatcher

A moment of weakness

I was happily painting the ceiling this morning when Jim rang to say he was going for the Marsh Warbler at Ware. He had good directions from Matt M. and just wanted me to have them in case I also fancied it which I didn't until he did and then I did.

I washed up and drove the 15 miles to Ware parking in Myddleton Road and walking along the river to find a couple of other birders staring at a distant bush. The Jims arrived shortly after and pretty soon we were enjoying the song of the Marsh Warbler and in the next hour managed three decent views. Good to see the Jims out birding again and glad they managed to get me up for the trip too as you don't get to see too many Marsh Warblers.

Nothing but a distant record shot of the Marsh Warbler

The Warbler bush.....social distancing wasn't a problem.

Coot (still yet to get contrast right on one of these)

Year list now 208

Cemetery birding

I drove down to Oare Marsh this morning arriving at 6am with a view to just getting in some quality birding and hopefully a year tick or two. Napoleon has been seen this week and a couple of Garganey had been reported but I found neither on this visit.

I did enjoy some time with a very showy Sedge Warbler and had a pair of Cuckoo for company as I walked the reserve. A couple of Stock Dove sat on the telegraph poles but I didn't see or hear any Turtle Dove. Bearded Tits and Cettis Warblers showed well before a Marsh Harrier started to hunt the reedbeds. The reserve was quiet so I was quite comfortable in my space but left before the dog walkers took over.

Sedge Warbler at Oare Marsh 

Sedge Warbler

On the way home I stopped at a local cemetery and found a pair of Spotted Flycatchers so pulled out the camera to catch a couple of images. I spent a couple of hours at the cemetery as it was really quiet and I with the flycatchers for company the time flew.

Spotted Flycatcher

June birds

Accepting that things are a little different this year and it's difficult to get out and about and with twitching almost out of the window I thought I'd take a minute to look back at previous June birds and reflect on happier birding times.

2010
Common Rosefinch at Tottenham Marshes, a nice local twitch with a few familiar faces.
Blue-winged Teal at Berry Fen Cambridge

2011
Squacco Heron on Hookers pit at Dunge

2012
Marsh Warbler from Serin mound at Rainham
Little Bittern on the river Colne Rickmansworth
Purple Heron at Dunge

2013
Black Kite at Selling in Kent
Pacific Swift at Trimley marshes in Suffolk
Roller at Edgefield
Black-winged Pratincole at Shellness in Kent
Wilson's Phalarope on the Isle of White
Melodious Warbler at Tiln in Notts

2014
Spectacled Warbler at Burnham in Norfolk
Short-toed Eagle in Ashdown Forest

2015
Hudsonian Whimbrel at Pagham Harbour

2016
American Golden Plover at Rye harbour
Great Knot at Titchwell

2017
Elegant Tern at Church Norton

2018
Bonapartes Gull at Oare marsh in Kent

2019
Black-headed Bunting and a Subalpine Warbler at Flamborough Head
Lesser Grey Shrike at Horsey
Black-winged Pratincole at Frampton marsh
Little Bustard at Slimbridge

Be great to see days like this again soon

Remember those socially social days we used to enjoy

So the month of June delivers for sure and most of the above were life ticks for me as highlighted so it's a really good month to be out and about.

Stay safe guys.

End of May review

So as per my previous post we know I had 63 birds on the list at the end of May last year that aren't on the list this year but I thought in my obsessive way I'd break this down a little to see if it was all Covid related and again excuse my thinking out loud here.

June 2019 was a good month for me but I doubt we'll see scenes like this again for a while.

So the obvious birds missing I could have got this year without lockdown include....

Wheatear
Grasshopper and Dartford Warbler
Garganey
Wood Sandpiper
Arctic, Black and Sandwich Tern
Whimbrel
Arctic and Great Skua
Little Ringed Plover
Little Gull
Yellow Wagtail

Then there's the family breaks I would have taken which would have bagged most of the sixteen birds I saw last year whilst in Scotland.

Add the twitchable birds I may gone for like.....

Iberian Chiffchaff at Ponders End (no doubt I would have gone for this but it came a bit too soon after lockdown for my liking so I left it alone)
Squacco and Purple Herons would have had my attention for sure without lockdown
Whiskered Tern would have had me jumping in the car for sure and then there's Temminck's Stint and numerous twitchable Red-footed Falcons or perhaps one of the passage Dotterel would have attracted my attention.

I tried before lockdown for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Long-eared Owl and failed but would have tried again I'm sure but for the restrictions we faced. So probably I'd still have a few of the 63 missing but even without Covid birds like Great Spotted Cuckoo, Great Reed Warbler, Baikal Teal, Ortolan Bunting, and White-winged Scoter would still not have given themselves up again this year for me even if I could get out to see them but we can also add the birds I would have twitched if it were not for the restrictions.

Collared Pratincole only a couple of hours from home
Any one of numerous Red-backed Shrikes around
The Chew Valley lake Laughing Gull and I may have been tempted by the Ross's Gull back in March when I was isolating
I would have tried to connect with the Short Toed Treecreeper at Dunge but again I was isolating and this one hurts most as I've never seen one before.

So I'm now left to consider which of the 63 I might still connect with....
Obviously some are here all summer so I may get the chance to find them
If we're allowed to visit Scotland I may yet add a dozen or so from that trip
I'd like to think a couple of days in Cornwall is still possible and that might connect me with a few birds later in the autumn but I have to concede that this year will be a low list year and I'll just make the most of the days out as they come.

I may still twitch if a suitable bird comes along but where I usually have considerations of time, money, chances of connecting etc I now need to add the risk assessment attached to the current Covid situation. Anyway I'm sure the year will still give some good birding and I look forward to autumn passage more than ever before and amazingly I still have the excitement of my first Wheatear to come.

Happy birding guys and stay safe out there.

Day at Acres Down

Readers of my blog will know I'm a keen year lister and this year had started quite well until the lockdown arrived for me earlier than most on 9th March. I isolated for a few weeks without leaving the house and filled my birding obsession with garden listing and then with a short walk from the house each day where I managed to tick 55 species but only added three to the year list in this time with my first House Martin of 2020 flying over the garden on 20th April, a Whitethroat on my short walk from home on 23rd April and a Swift over the garden on 6th May. When the first relaxation came into play allowing us to drive again I started to make the short drive to Lee Valley a couple of times a week. I walked the valley at 5am to avoid contact with others but enjoyed the lovely dawn chorus and managed to pick up another 8 year ticks between 14th and 24th May. I picked up a Hobby whilst on a socially distant visit to my brothers in Woodford but I have been itching for a field trip.

In these times you've more to consider than just wanting to do something. Firstly I'd usually take the Jims and this obviously isn't an option at the moment. Then I consider the basic risk associated with filling the car with diesel and luckily my local BP is quite well set up, they have bags attached to the pump so you don't touch the handle and with contactless payment the risk is minimal. My next concern is a breakdown and causing somebody else trouble by my action but again I consider that a manageable risk. The biggest consideration was could I keep to a social distance at the chosen venue and this is why I chose the New Forest.

Perfect isolation

Acres Down..lots of trees, lots of birds....not many people!

I drove down to Acres Down yesterday arriving at 6am to find a single car in the car park with a gentleman asleep in the passenger seat. I walked the forest for a couple of hours and enjoyed wonderful views of several Common Redstart and a single Tree Pipit, lots of Treecreeper and Nuthatch plus a calling Cuckoo.  At around 8am I walked up to the viewing mound and at this point I'd only seen one other person. Arriving at the mound I was again alone and settled down to enjoy the view before being joined by another guy at around 9am who sat about thirty feet away.

I stayed until midday and left as the mound got busier peaking at seven people who all observed good distancing from each other including me thankfully. In my four hour watch I saw a number of Common Buzzard and some excellent views of several Goshawk with some sitting to give good scope views. I had a couple of distant birds that could have been Honey Buzzard but they remained too distant to clinch. I had what appeared to be Turtle Dove fly across the valley which I'm told would be a local rarity. A single female Crossbill flew over the mound and several were heard calling in the woods.

I had another hour before leaving for home so walked the woods again and managed to find my first Willow Warbler of the year, a Spotted Flycatcher  and a calling Wood Warbler. By now the forest was a little busier but the pathways are wide which made keeping a distance easier and more comfortable.  I continue to show restraint in everything I do and I have resisted twitching even the most local birds in order to ensure social distancing isn't breached but these days out are not without risk and need careful consideration and planning in order to stay safe and keep others safe too. I'm certainly not ready for larger crowds and my next outing will be with the same or even more isolation in mind.

I'm sure the year list will reflect the isolation we've endured as by the end of May last year I had 63 birds on the 2019 list that aren't yet on the 2020 list and It's already cost me at least one new bird with the seemingly twitchable ST Treecreeper at Dungeness whilst I was in isolation before the lockdown began but I have found a new balance in my life which I'm currently enjoying although I do still long for some good birding trips like the Highlands and Pembrokeshire etc but let's be thankful to be here and still have the prospect of more birding, some less fortunate don't have that luxury.

Year list now 207

stay safe guys and enjoy your birding however your getting your fix right now