Thursday 12th May; Hot-foot for a Red-foot!
I said that things would be warming up now we were into the busy month of May. While I was slogging away at work the bird news services burst into life mid-morning telling of a female Red-footed Falcon that had been found at Woolhampton Gravel Pits just east of Thatcham. I couldn't get away from work until three but I kept a close eye on proceedings. The bird was still present when I got home so I collected Mrs Caley and hit the road for the hour long drive down the dreaded A34.
The first bird that we ever twitched was a female Red-footed Falcon so the memories of that came thick and fast as we trundled along in the heavy traffic. Of the other Red-foots that we've seen since, all but one had been females and we are yet to see an adult male, our only male was a first summer, which look entirely different to the females. But for the purposes of a year list, as long as it's a Red-footed Falcon then it doesn't matter what sex or age it is.
After finding a parking space that we thought would be a lot closer than the pub carpark where most folk seemed to be leaving their cars, it was just a short walk along an old access track and then across a field, with a slight detour to avoid a herd of cattle, to join the lakeside path fairly close to where the Falcon was purported to be hunting.
We joined just two other birders in a small gap between the heavily tree-lined bank which gave views out across a narrow bay and to a trio of heavily vegetated small islands. The Red-foot favoured the airspace above and around the islands and the trees to the right which grew on a promontory that jutted out into the lake. It didn't take long for the Falcon to appear and, although largely distant, it gave excellent views throughout our hour long stay.
The Falcon did come closer on occasion on the other side of the promontory but I didn't have one of my better sessions with the camera. There was also a Hobby hunting alongside the Red-foot, enabling direct comparison of the two birds but as per usual my attempts at photographing it ended in abject failure. My camera and Hobby's do not get on.
Year List addition;
210) Red-footed Falcon
Friday 13th May; Unlucky but Fortunate, My Duck!
We ventured back out onto Otmoor in the afternoon in the hope of seeing the Turtle Dove that had turned up earlier in the week but had evaded us. Consolation on that night had come in the form of a beautiful Tawny owl. On this visit we failed to find the Dove again but lucked in on the long staying but almost as elusive Mandarin Duck instead. We were watching Hobby's hawking over Big Otmoor when the Mandarin flew in along with its Shelduck companion. The two ducks had been together for a few months and had been coined the odd couple by some. Should the Shelduck be a female and the two manage to breed (if that's even possible) then there will be some very odd looking ducks on the Moor later in the year.
The Mandarin treated us to a bathing and Andre Previn impersonation before disappearing into the long grass presumably for a sleep. There was no sign of the Tawny Owl this time but the Spoonbill was still sifting for food in the shallow ditches on Greenaways.
Year List addition;
211) Mandarin Duck
Saturday 14th May; Catch that Pigeon (Dove)!
Now that we had disappointingly failed to find the Turtle Dove on Otmoor during the week, I had to find one and I had to find one quick. I did some research of reliable spots but didn't really fancy driving to Norfolk or Lincolnshire just yet but luckily I remembered seeing a FaceBook post from last year of a couple of Turtle Doves that had been seen in nearby Bedfordshire. I did some extra and more thorough research of the relevant FaceBook group and amazingly found the original post and the location details. It's good to still have a few memory cells left in the old head.
The nature reserve was surprisingly quiet on the very warm morning and we soon sought the shade of leafy trees as we walked a trail. We had no idea where on the reserve that the Doves had been seen but a photograph of two of them had been posted showing them perched on wires next to a large electricity pylon so I was headed towards them. We spent a bit of time watching a feeding station but the only birds frequenting that was Wood Pigeons and Pheasants. Luckily at the main hide which overlooks a reedbed we met a couple of guys leading a "Dawn Chorus" walk and they very helpfully told us that Turtle Doves were still around this year and where we could expect to see them, which was ironically around the carpark and visitor centre!
Considering that we were now half around the reserve we thought we may as well carry on and complete the circuit since we would end up back at the parking area anyway. We were glad that we did as well because we found some really good birds. I had my usual travails at photographing a Hobby that flew around high above us, and we heard at least two Nightingales belting it out although we couldn't see any of them. A Kingfisher buzzed over a small grassy field as we sat watching the Hobby. Then we heard a Cuckoo and watched it fly across the clearing to the clump of trees from where the Nightingales sang. Another Cuckoo joined in and then the pair flew along the trees together. Maybe the Cuckoos were too engrossed in each other or didn't see us sat on the bench because instead of veering away they both approached really closely and then amazingly one, a female judging by the rufous tones to the neck and breast alighted on a treetop just thirty metres away. Although the bird was partially obscured by leaves it was definitely "fill your boots time" and even I couldn't balls the photos up.
The treetop Cuckoo called loudly and that encouraged the other bird to whirl around and return towards it. That gave me the chance of getting some very nice flight shots before both of the birds dropped out of view behind the trees. My own personal Cuckoo portfolio up to that point wasn't that great, I've never wanted to go and photograph the almost hand-tame mealworm eating Toggers favourite, "Colin the Thursley Cuckoo", so these photos are a great addition. Who needs Colin anyway?
We grabbed some lunch in the visitor centre cafe and spoke to the local tour leaders again. They told us that a Turtle Dove had flown right across the front of the building just five minutes before we took our seats! Halfway through our lunch one of them raced in to tell us that a Turtle Dove was purring away from the top of a tree in the carpark but by the time we'd gotten outside it had flown. The next hour was disappointing to say the least as we explored every possible place where the Turtle Doves were supposed to frequent without a sniff of one. So close and yet so far.
Frustrated we retreated to a bench that overlooked the visitor centre and one that gave a wide vista of the sky above it. If anything flew past then I should see it. In the next half hour Oystercatchers, Stock Doves, Wood Pigeons and Lapwing all obliged with flypasts. Then I spotted a fast moving bird flying directly towards us. It was a Turtle Dove and luckily I managed to latch onto it as it sped past. Purrfect!!!
Satisfied after almost five hours of effort we returned happy and contented to the car. As we drove out of the reserve I spotted a deer feeding in the long grass that bordered a stream and took a couple of shots. On review later I realised that we'd seen a Chinese Water Deer, a new species for the portfolio.
Year List addition;
212) Turtle Dove
Sunday 15th May; Rain, Rain and Very Wet Birds
It was tipping it down so we spent an hour at Bicester Wetlands (BWR) watching birds through the constant veil of the wet stuff. We managed to spot a Cuckoo, not anywhere near as clearly the day before, but good to see since they are not so frequent at BWR. We also caught up with a pair of Shelduck, again infrequent on the reserve and listened to a Grasshopper Warbler that stayed well and truly concealed this time.
With little to do I watched a Robin bathe in the garden birdbath despite the rain that was still falling. Maybe it preferred bathing to taking a shower like me. Sometimes it's good to watch some of our more common birds at length rather than chase the more unusual.
Saturday 21st May; A Lot of Effort, Scant Reward
Black-necked Grebe was unusually missing from our year lists, we've normally seen some before now, so the report of a couple gracing the reservoir at Pitsford Water just north of Northampton had to be followed up. My scouts and good friends, "The two K's", had beaten us to it on the Saturday morning but at least we knew that the birds were still present. The Grebes were favouring the far end of the reservoir in the area known as Scaldwell Bay which requires a permit to access. In keeping with many other popular places to visit, parking fees have been introduced at Pitsford and places where free parking was always available have been blocked off by bollards, yet more examples of profiteering and rip-off Britain. It always baffles me how places advertise their wares to encourage folk to visit and then charge them to park once they are there. Maybe the parking charges help to pay for all the advertising campaigns and the bollards. For those in the know, there are still a few places to park that still give free access although it is often a longer walk from them. We met our friends halfway to the Grebes and received the lowdown including the usual line, "You should have got here earlier, the birds were really close in but have swum further out now". Having captured some nice photos of BN Grebes before I wasn't too worried by that. This was a ticking exercise anyway.
The birds were located easily enough and yes, they were a way out from the bank but we saw them and I got a few record shots for this blog. Black-necked Grebes are lovely birds, similar in looks to the Slavonian Grebe but maybe not quite as beautiful. As the name suggests Black-necked Grebes in breeding plumage have black necks, in fact they are pretty much black all over except for some bright yellow feathers that radiate out from behind a bright red eye, and a rich orangey-brown lower body. A long time ago, I paid a tenner to join the Woolston Eyes nature reserve near Warrington to see our first of the species, not realising at the time that they can turn up anywhere during migration. Since then we've seen some almost annually including some fine specimens locally at Farmoor and Otmoor.
We didn't stay for long, we had other birds to see on our agenda. Normally we would have left the closest place to visit until last but I was nervous that the Grebes would depart once the reservoir became busier later on so had turned the day around. Our next stop was around sixty miles further north and a visit to the well known raptor viewing watchpoint at Welbeck near Worksop. We've had mixed experiences at Welbeck but last year we had our best ever views of a Honey Buzzard and a similar view is what we were hoping for. In the event our couple of hours spent scanning the skies over the distant forest was frustrating and unrewarding. There was one bird that could have been a Honey Buzzard, other people thought it was a Goshawk but I didn't think it fitted for that species at all. It was certainly pale but at the huge distance and with the added annoyance of heat haze I really couldn't claim it as anything except that it definitely wasn't a Common Buzzard.
In response to a report of a Temminck's Stint at Frampton Marsh, we left Welbeck and headed east to one of our favourite reserves. Just half an hour before we arrived a BirdGuides report had related that the Stint was showing well from the sea wall by the seaward carpark. We parked up and started looking for the diminutive wading bird. Apart from another chap with the same designs as ours who had turned up a minute after we had, there were no other birders present at all. For the next ninety minutes we, and the other chap, scanned the entire marsh either side of the access road but found no Temminck's Stint. After a good start it had turned into a very frustrating day. Our fellow birder did find us a welcome year tick in the shape of a Curlew Sandpiper although it was too distant and elusive for me to even get a record shot. Frampton Marsh is a terrific place to study other birds though and we enjoyed fine views of Avocets and their chicks, a few Ruff and other wading birds. Possibly the strangest sight of the day was to see a Little Ringed Plover that had chosen a dried out cow pat as a nesting spot!
Back at the car we were afforded excellent and point blank views of a Sedge Warbler that sang heartily from a bare tree. Maybe every reserve has a "Reggie the Sedgie"!
Year List additions;
213) Black-necked Grebe, 214) Curlew Sandpiper
Sunday 22nd May; Greenham Common; Late Evening Specials!
It was time for our annual visit to a small patch of heathland near Newbury. We don't actually go to Greenham Common for the two special birds that are active as it gets dark, although both species occur there, but I keep our favoured spot to ourselves because it is just a small fragment of land that could be easily spoiled if too many folk knew of its existence. We had chosen a warm evening, as we always try to do, with just a slight breeze. As usual, and despite trying not to, we had arrived far too early, so for the next hour or so while waiting for the sun to dip down behind the encircling trees, we suffered the annoying wee beasties that wait for daft people to arrive. At least we'd remembered the midge repellant!
Eventually though, and actually a bit earlier than normal, we were treated to some fine flypasts by a roding Woodcock. Most times Woodcock don't appear until it's almost dark but this bird was flying around well before the sun disappeared completely. It was still dingy but for once I was able to get some reasonable images despite having an ISO setting of 12000 odd. Woodcocks are a very curious member of the Wading bird family, spending the days asleep secreted on the woodland floor before emerging at dusk to feed in grassy and marshy fields. In the breeding season the males make "roding" flights when they fly around above the treetops emitting a repertoire of strange grunts and whistles. Everybody should watch and listen to a roding Woodcock at least once a year.
Woodcocks are merely a side show though when we visit the heathland at night. The bird that we really come for is the Nightjar, a crepuscular species which comes out to display and feed once it's almost dark and very helpfully hoovers up many of the insects that are so irritating to birders like us who stand around waiting for them! We have had some good views of Nightjar on this heath but on this occasion it was almost too dark to see before we heard a male bird begin "churring" which is the strange song that sounds positively alien like. We did get a fleeting view of a Nightjar as it flew through the trees but the light had almost completely gone so it was far from our best "Night-jarring" experience but nevertheless we'll look forward to trying again later in the summer.
Year List addition;
215) Woodcock, 216) Nightjar
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