Saturday 4th, Draycote Bonanza
So early in the year, almost every bird seen is exciting and many will be new on the calendar. A morning walk part the way around Draycote Water produced no less than 14 year ticks, some common species that will be encountered many times through the year but a couple of others that we will only see a few times, and only if we're lucky at that.
Number one bird on the day probably goes to the Red-throated Diver that we found loafing just metres out from the dam wall. Red-throats are pretty scarce at inland waters, most usually spend winters off the coasts, so this was a big early bonus to get. Unfortunately by the time we reached the spot where the bird was, it had drifted slightly further out but it was still close enough for some decent images.
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| Red-throated Diver |
There was also a Great Northern Diver on the reservoir but that required almost full magnification of my scope to see. Rather easier to see was a flock of over a dozen Goosander, primarily females amongst just two adult drakes.
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| Goosander |
The other star bird present, and the main reason why we had travelled to the reservoir, was a fine drake Ferruginous Duck. It took us a while to find the handsome chestnut coloured fellow, in fact it found us when it swam directly towards us after being hidden behind a small group of bank-side trees. This corner of Warwickshire is proving quite a draw for "Fudge Ducks" with a pair also seen frequently at the nearby Napton Reservoir. That pair were actually proven to have bred last year too. Obviously having three such ducks in close proximity does foggy their true "wild" credentials somewhat but as far as I know they're good value.
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| Ferruginous Duck (& Tufted Duck) |
It was however, a pretty grim day weather-wise with rain forecast, and the paths around the reservoir were getting increasingly busy with joggers, cyclists and families so we beat a hasty retreat after a few hours. We stopped to watch a quick bout of Coot wars first though. Coots are incredibly tempestuous water birds.
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| Coot |
Saturday 11th; Red-neck!
A pleasant stroll through woodland and alongside the Grand Union Canal, took us to a complex of flooded gravel pits near Denham on the edge of London. It was a chilly and frosty morning and great care had to be taken when crossing the canal via a very steep sided bridge. By the time we reached the lake that our target bird was reported to be on, we'd already added the colourful and noisy Ring-necked Parakeet to our year list, West London is a haven for the exotic incomers and many would be seen or heard throughout our walk. Luckily we didn't see any actual Rednecks brewing up moonshine, although a shot or two of that would have helped warm us up a bit.
These days it doesn't usually take long to find a bird. That's because there will invariably be birders already on site watching. Find the people stood still by the water or by a bush and you will know where the bird is. I still like to find the bird myself though, unless I'm in a hurry or keen to see a lifer, but my mate Simon prevented me from doing that this time by instantly pointing the Red-necked Grebe out to us as we walked up. I'd seen some decent photos of the Grebe, courtesy of master togger Joe, but most of those posted online were testament to the fact that the bird was usually fairly distant on the small gravel pit. Our first sighting of the bird was of it right on the far bank, veiled in the thin mist that was hugging the water surface.
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| Red-necked Grebe |
Before Christmas we had seen a Red-necked Grebe at Rutland, but only just as that bird was incredibly elusive on our visit. Even this distant view here was our best look at the species for a few years. Of course the Red-necked Grebe promptly disappeared behind a submerged tree. Why should a New Year be any different? Our ability to get good views of certain birds still seemed to be lacking. We'd have to put some work into this one. Our mission wasn't helped by several birder/toggers walking the complete circumference of the lake and standing openly in full view on the banks in their attempts to get closer to the Grebe. Such lack of fieldcraft wouldn't help since the Grebe, and every other bird around would either remain in cover or head for the middle of the lake. Mind you if the Red-necked Grebe did swim for the middle then it would at least be closer than before.
It took almost an hour for the Red-necked Grebe to reappear, coinciding with the people vacating the far bank area. This time it swam determinedly to the other end of the lake, affording decent views as it did so. The mist had burned off and the sunshine had warmed the rare air, providing us with a new problem, that of the dreaded heat haze. However, there was ample opportunity to grab a few record shots.
We watched as the Grebe sail by and make for the far north-west corner where the banks were obscured by thick bushes. Viewing from the open banks was hampered by the strong sunshine in our eyes which defeated all attempts to gain clearer photos. However, we edged closer and stealthily made our way along the bank that the Red-necked Grebe was favouring. We managed to find a small viewing spot by clambering under a small willow tree. From there the Grebe didn't appear to be so concerned by our presence, probably because the tree and foliage of surrounding bushes helped to break up our outlines. For a couple of minutes I was able to take some half-decent shots before another birder/togger once again emerged into full view on the bank and sent the Grebe further out into the lake once more. How I wish that some folk could exercise the same levels of fieldcraft that we've learned to employ.
Sunday 12th; S**t Birding!
There is a well known adage in birding that where there's s**t, there will be birds. The best place to find the former, which attracts many insects and flies, are at sewage treatment plants, and many birds are attracted to the bounty especially during the colder winter months when food is scarce elsewhere.
We've been visiting a few such places in the hope of finding something scarce or rarer. So far, we've not found anything too surprising but will plug on in the hope of discovering a wintering Yellow-browed Warbler or Firecrest, or maybe one day we'll get incredibly lucky and find a mega like the chap in Kent who came across the Yellow Warbler that we twitched over the Christmas holiday.
At Sandford St. Martin, it was only common birds on offer but I had fun photographing Goldcrests and Wrens amongst others in challenging conditions on another less than beautiful day.
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| Goldcrest |
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| Wren |
As we drove home we had the added bonus of a Woodcock flying across the road.
Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th; Failed Duck Chase
We headed to Hinksey Lake on the southern side of Oxford to hopefully year tick a Greater Scaup that had been seen there throughout the preceding week. There was no sign of it despite it having been seen earlier in the morning. It transpired afterwards that some budding young canoeists had flushed the duck off about fifteen minutes before we arrived. If that news had been put out on the local birding groups then the reporter would have saved us a wasted hour. We did see a fine Goosander.
We then travelled to Henley Road gravel pits on the northern edge of Reading, but on the Oxfordshire side of the Thames. We were looking for a pair of Smew which had also been present for a week or so. There was no sign of those either! The day wasn't going well. At least this time we learned from a friend who was also there, that the birds had flown off before we wasted another hour looking for the non-existent.
Finally we tried for another scarce county duck by dropping into Standlake where a female Ring-necked Duck had been frequenting a couple of pits there. A familiar story, with no sign of the said duck. I coined the filthy pun, Mother-duckers!!! I wasn't best pleased, particularly since all the ducks had been seen before we got to the respective sites.
Scant consolation of seeing our first Red-crested Pochards, (Common) Pochards, Egyptian Geese and Yellow-legged Gull for the year slightly softened the disappointment.
The following day we tried again for the Ring-necked Duck, this time at Dix Pit as well as the Standlake pits. Again we drew a blank, and again others managed to see it before we arrived. These Ducks obviously knew that we were coming!
There was a far rarer prize though. The female Ruddy Duck that we saw was our first for several years. We used to see Ruddy Ducks a lot locally, until unelected powers to be decided that they had to be eradicated because of their potential to cross breed with the White-headed Duck. Now they are very rare ducks indeed in the UK. The whereabouts of them need to be kept secret.
Thursday 23rd; Churchyard Haw Flaw
I'd been working at Sibford Gower in the north-west of Oxfordshire and had noticed that some Hawfinches had been noted at Honington in Warwickshire, but only just over the county border. After work on the previous Tuesday, I had gone to the churchyard to investigate. Within minutes I was getting the best views of Hawfinches that I've ever had. Four of the big-billed finches fed in yew trees just metres away from where I stood. It was thrilling but unfortunately I had gone sans camera so wasn't quite as pleased as I should have been!
So, two days later I returned, this time with Mrs Caley and my camera. And of course, the Hawfinches failed to repeat the performance. We saw plenty, more than ten in fact, but they were always distant and the photographic opportunities were limited.
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| Hawfinch |
We took lunch at Hiller's Farm Shop near Alcester where well stocked feeders attract many birds. Last year we saw Redpolls, Siskins, and Brambling there. This year there were none! The last few weeks hadn't gone particularly well at all. Entertainment was mostly provided by a very cheeky Muntjac Deer, although I wasn't impressed with its rudeness.
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| Muntjac |
We returned to Honington after our lunch to try again but again had no luck with the Hawfinches. A pair of Crossbills high up in a tree gave us our 100th species for the year, the quickest we've ever reached that number. Maybe another Big Year is on the cards?
Saturday 25th; Gloucester Glossary
We needed a fillip so planned a day out at Slimbridge where there is always a multitude of birds on offer. Although there was nothing particularly rare to catch up with, we'd be sure to add quite a few new birds to our year list. A quick stopover at the coincidentally named village of Ducklington got us a fine drake Mandarin Duck. Not sure of its provenance but it'll do for the list, and it felt good to finally nail a target duck in Oxfordshire!
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| Mandarin |
The main attraction at Slimbridge was actually just outside the site grounds. A Glossy Ibis had been showing well in a field right next to the overflow carpark, incidentally the same field that we'd seen one in a couple of years ago so presumably the same bird although of course it could be that lots of Glossy Ibis prefer the same place to eat just as we humans do. We had chosen a beautiful sunny day to visit, and I was keen to see the brightness bring out the oily sheen and true colours of the Ibis. We joined a fair few other folks at a gateway to view the field. I knew that the Glossy Ibis was showing well (I'd seen it from the car as I drove past) but I never expected it to be just twenty metres or so from the gate. Fill your boots time!
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| Glossy Ibis |
As is a bird's want, the Ibis turned its back on us and walked away. The direction of the sun was casting the bird in shadow when it turned back towards us too. I didn't want more images of a dark black bird so I weighed up options to gain better shots. The Ibis needed to be facing eastwards for the light to illuminate it and reveal the beautiful hues of purples and green. We were stationed to the west of the bird so weren't getting the full value. So, I decided to walk along the road and get myself between the bird and the sun. Now the problem was one of being too short. There was a hedge bordering the field that was just too high for me to photograph over. I had to get inventive. I scoured the grassy verge and ditch for anything that I could use as a hop-up and found a couple of six inch logs. They provided me with just enough advantage to see over the hedge and get the photos I wanted.
A few Rooks shared the wet field with the Glossy Ibis. Rocks are one of my favourite birds, maybe I empathise with their perceived ugliness. They are clever birds though and also have a wonderful glossy plumage. Inside the WWT centre, I knew that they are very tame and offer ideal photographic opportunities.
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| Rook |
A few more takes of the Glossy Ibis and we headed into the centre. The Ibis was getting a lot of attention from some very excited folk, too many of which were making far too much noise. The Ibis was slowly walking further away from the gate and hedge. I think that when a bird like that shows so well that a lot of people behave like they're watching an exhibit in a zoo and think that the bird is oblivious to the noise of raised voices and camera shutters. It isn't. A little bit more decorum and everybody would get even better views.
It was far too busy for my liking within Slimbridge WWT so we generally sought the quieter areas. At one such spot, we encountered a lovely Water Rail feeding alongside a small flood. Water Rails are often very visible at Slimbridge, belying their secretive nature. The bright sunshine didn't help with that particular bird, viewing was directly into the sun, but it's always good to see a Water Rail.
We paid a quick homage to the Spoonbill that had been present for some time. It was predictably asleep, they quite often are. Whenever we go to see one anyway.
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| Spoonbill |
There were the centre's famous Bewick's Swans to catch up with and we had distant views of the pair of Whooper Swans as well. We found the White-fronted Goose flock, and the Barnacle Geese that had a Ross's Goose for company again. With a few common wading birds and a family of Cranes, in all we added ten more species to the year list. As I said a trip to Slimbridge is always worthwhile.
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| Barnacle Geese (& Ross's Goose) |
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| Common Crane |
Slimbridge is part zoo too. There are captive collections of many wildfowl species from around the globe. I don't usually bother with them but occasionally I like to get close up views of species that are usually distant when seen in the wild. After last weekends triple dip of duck species, we sought out those in the pens. The Smew, Scaup and Ring-necked Ducks won't count for our year list but at least we could see what they really looked like and I took a few decent images.
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| Smew |
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| Ring-necked Duck (male top 2, female bottom 2) |
Our route home took us past the well known Cotswold Owl hotspot. Two fields are maintained there to help wintering Short-eared Owls, and some local Barn Owls too. Because the Owls are so game and offer up splendid viewing, birders and toggers come from miles around to watch and photograph them. The place has become somewhat of a circus and on a fine day such as this one was, as many as a hundred folk can visit. The number of cars mashing up the road verges has become an issue and the police are often in attendance to keep an eye on things. It's not my ideal cup of tea but it remains a great place to see Short-eared Owls but I only tend to visit when passing since I know of other places nearer home to watch Owls, and we'll likely be the only people there. I am a birder who takes photos as well, always moving on to different species to see, rather than somebody who becomes obsessed with the same birds. There are toggers who are at this place at least once a week. How many Owl photos does one person need?
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| Short-eared Owl |
Needless to say, I took a few more photos, this blog is better for that. It actually wasn't too busy either and everybody behaved themselves. I was more excited by finding a small covey of Grey Partridge way across one of the cultivated fields.
Friday 31st; Got you, Mother-ducker!
The fact that we'd missed out on local "Ducking" a fortnight before, still rankled. So, after spending an hour or so getting to grips with some local, and yet distant, Goshawks in the west of Oxfordshire, we decided to revisit Standlake and try for a third time to see the female Ring-necked Duck. They say that perseverance pays off.
We parked up, got out of the car, scanned the closest pit to the road, and the first bird almost that I looked at was the Ring-necked Duck! Birding is unbelievable sometimes. All the trials and tribulations of our previous failed attempts were forgotten about in an instant. Try, try and try again.
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| Ring-necked Duck |
The dapper little North American duck, related closely to our Tufted Duck, but seemingly preferring the company of Pochards took our new yearly total to 116 species seen, easily the best return we've had in January of any year. And we didn't set out to break any personal records this year.
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