After a casual start to our year in January, we slowed up even more during February so there is not a great load to relate in this blog. The weather was generally awful, I was very busy at work in a vain attempt to secure a more comfortable retirement, which thankfully will come sooner rather than later now, and we sadly suffered a family bereavement. However, we tried our best to see some birds, although apart from one excursion out of our area, most of our birding was fairly local and standard. It took me two weeks to even try to take a photograph!
Sunday 1st February; Gloomy Farmoor
After the decent sunshine of the last day of January, it was back to a dreary, drizzle filled morning to kick-off February. But we didn't waste the whole day, and ventured up to Farmoor for an hour or so. It helped dispel the awful cold that I'd been carrying around since before Christmas if not much else. We saw birds of course, including the long staying duo of Common Scoter and Greater Scaup, but the heady days of bird-filled trips to the reservoir appear to be well and truly consigned to the past. Lockdown did for it.
Otherwise it was purely common fare with the main entertainment being provided by the regular ducks and other water-birds.
Saturday 7th February; Greycote Water
Another week and no difference on the weather front; it was still dreary and drizzly. We took a drive to Draycote Water in the hope of adding a few decent birds to our new year list. There are major works going at the reservoir, the aim being to increase the depth of the water by a whole two feet apparently but which would (astonishingly) add another five percent to the volume of water contained within the embankment walls. The works have meant that the Farnborough and Toft Banks are closed and no longer accessible to the public. Thus our only option was to walk towards the dam and so we would miss out on the main bird holding area.
However, we made the most of it despite the constant light rain. We found Goosander, Goldeneye, and a very distant Great Northern Diver, as well as the more common waterbirds. My camera stayed holstered. In the conditions it wasn't worth taking photos. I have plenty already.
Saturday 14th February; Sad Love for Valentine's Day
We were at Ravensthorpe Reservoir near Northampton trying to find a Red-throated Diver that had been found there. I caught a glimpse of the bird way out on the water but for the next half-hour or so, it disappeared. This particular bird had a talent for just dissolving into the water it swam in, and we, along with the few other birders present, were confused and amazed at how the Diver did it.
When the Red-throated Diver finally surfaced close enough for me to grab a few quick shots before it disappeared again, Mrs Caley's phone rang, and the sad news of her brother's passing, that we had been expecting but dreading, was conveyed. We tried to continue with the birding but sometimes other things are more important. So we headed home to deal with other things. From now on, every Red-throated Diver I see, will remind me of Billy, bless him.
Friday 20th February; Deep Water Birding
A Long-tailed Duck had been present in West Oxfordshire for at least a couple of weeks. It had been seen at various water bodies in the Standlake complex of gravel pits but had eventually appeared to settle down at Rushy Common Pit, and could be conveniently viewed from the hide there. The said hide is only accessible to key-holders, and luckily I had a key in my possession, although I had never used it before!
The hide was also only accessible to people wearing high wellington boots! It had been raining almost non-stop, or so it seemed, since Christmas so we expected quite a lot of water at the site. We weren't quite anticipating almost a foot of standing water, and some it flowing as well in places, along the path to the hide. Our own wellingtons were barely sufficiently high enough to enable a dry wade to the viewpoint, indeed Mrs Caley ended up with wet socks!
The walk through the deep water was hardly worth it as well, since despite several thorough scans of the open water we failed to find the Long-tailed Duck. A few Pintails and Goldeneyes were the best ducks we found.
We sloshed our way back to the car, a little bit disgruntled at missing out on such a long-staying bird, nothing ever seems easy for us lately. At least we'd had some childish fun splashing around in the water. However, just in case, I decided to check the northern end of the pit again from the carpark before leaving; I had done just that when we arrived but hadn't seen anything of note. On my first scan of the water, I just caught the view of a duck's rear end as it dived under the water. I was pretty sure that it had been the Long-tailed Duck so I waited for it to resurface. Happily my suspicion was confirmed when the grey, black & white duck popped back up. My relief was palpable and I excitedly called Mrs Caley over to see it while I took a few record shots.
The drake Long-tailed Duck looked a bit odd because it wasn't long-tailed at all. By that I mean it didn't't have the long tail feathers from which it takes its name. Hence it was shaped more like a female but had the plumage of the male. I guessed the tail feathers would grow back at some point. We moved to the screen about fifty metres closer to the bird but then had difficulty in seeing it so well because of the duck's proximity to the near bank-side reeds.
As we waited for the bird to emerge into more open water, which it did do eventually, the weather deteriorated again, a heavy drizzle turned the day into yet another cold, damp one. So, even when the Long-tailed Duck performed nicely for us, by preening and stretching, and then by swimming reasonably close to our vantage point, my photos were affected by that flat light, which often produces dead flat, felt-pen and cartoon like images, particularly of such a sombre coloured bird. At least the pink bill gave the duck some definition. In such conditions this bird would be better called "Smudge Duck". I long for a nice weather day on which to take some photos.
Saturday 21st February; It's a Fair Cop!
This was our only major excursion out during the month. We travelled to the upland area just north of Stoke-on-Trent to the delightful hilltop village of Mow Cop, which is sort of famous (sort of, because I'd never heard of it before) for it's very old castle-cum-tower that sits prominently on a smaller (presumably man-made) mound on the much bigger (natural) mound. I'm not really a culture, or ruined building, vulture so that's as far as my interest extended. I was more interested in seeking out a Shore Lark that had been present in the area for at least a few weeks, and probably for the whole winter. We are used to seeing Shore Larks on a beach so to see this one feeding in a muddy cattle field would be unusual. We also missed out on the species last year so "needed" to refill our Shore Lark tank.
The walk from the small castle carpark to the field on the edge of the village took barely five minutes. The Shore Lark was immediately obvious, feeding amongst what little grass was left in the predominately mud-scape left by the herd of heavyweight cows, maybe thirty metres from the field gate. The rarely seen sunshine was helping to illuminate the strident lemon-yellow of the bird's head. It felt good to be using the camera in fine conditions for a change.
We watched the striking little masked bandit at length for around forty minutes. We were happy, the bird was happy although it never really ventured close enough for top notch photography. All was well until, without any warning, I suddenly sneezed. Too loudly too, since the bird took off and disappeared down the hillside. I heard someone else mutter, 'Who was that?', and '****'. Oops! I had to own up to it. One bloke laughed, the others present scowled. My inadvertent devil expulsion had ruined the mornings session. We beat a hasty retreat to the car. Thankfully the bird returned a few hours later, and stayed for several more weeks as well. I was annoyed I missed the flight shots.
We'd been tipped off by good old Kev, that Willow Tits could be seen at Tittesworth Reservoir which was only about ten miles away. For the last few years we'd been getting our Willow Tit fix, the species is now sadly extinct in our local counties, at Carsington Water, so if we could connect at Tittesworth then that'd save us a longer journey.
We parked and headed to a small hide at the eastern end of the reservoir where Willow Tits visit bird feeders. The hide is small and tucked away in a quiet corner where most of the many visitors to the site don't bother to go. Unfortunately for us, there were already two other birders encamped within the hide. Nothing wrong with them being there, they were both lovely people and we enjoyed their company, but the position of the hide in relation to the feeders was the issue. The hide faced out over the water, and the feeders were placed to the side of the hide, meaning that the only good view of them was out of the side window and the kindly old gent sat there was blocking the view for the rest of us.
Thus the only way we could see the bird tables and hanging feeders was to peer around the chap's shoulders and head. And of course, he had his own camera, which was raised every time a Willow Tit appeared, further blocking my own view. I really wanted to capture the Willow Tits as they posed in the adjacent bushes but that proved to be impossible so I had to be content with grabbing a few of the less desired images of birds on the tables. I vowed to return to Tittesworth again next year, preferably during the week when hopefully it'd be quieter and I could gain the window seat.
While sat in the hide we heard our first Tawny Owl of the year, and saw various birds on the lake and on the small island in it, most notably Oystercatcher and Golden Plover. According to the other hide users this was a good spot to observe Goshawks and Peregrines over a nearby escarpment. Above that rocky outcrop was a good place to see Red Grouse too apparently but we didn't have time for that on this day. We had a stroke of luck when we got back to our car when I heard a Mediterranean Gull call, "ye-hah!" Even better luck was had when the said bird landed on the water straight out from our car. In some years we struggle to get Med Gulls on our year list, they are still very uncommon locally, so this was a well received bonus bird for the day.
In a moment of madness, I thought it'd be a good idea to head to Rutland Water to seek out a Red-necked Grebe for the year list. Madness because I hadn't realised that the seventy mile journey across country would take almost two and a half hours! By the time we arrived, it was past three o'clock and because of persistent drizzle that had set in for the afternoon, it was very dingy at the dam end of our largest reservoir. To make matters even worse the Red-necked Grebe was at the other end of the dam to where we'd parked at the closest access point. The last time we'd been there, we'd watched a Grey Phalarope in warm sunshine so the conditions on this day were almost a polar opposite. But we'd done the drive so had to resolve ourselves into the almost mile long trudge. At least we found the grebe, although it was difficult to see well because of the extremely choppy water stirred up by the wind.
Despite the deteriorating weather, we found time to drop into Eyebrook Reservoir, to year-tick a couple of drake Smews. They took a bit of finding in the failing light but I prevailed eventually. An even later bonus addition to our year list came in the shape of an American Wigeon which was sheltering out the worst of the weather by the island with a few Eurasian Wigeon. Scope views were good enough to establish the identity but photography would have only recorded blurry blobs.
Sunday 22nd February; Thanks Mate!
A species that is often tricky for us to see locally is the Redpoll. These small finches are scarce in our local area and careful planning, or luck, is required to see them. We'd already tried a couple of likely places for them but had drawn a blank. However, I'd noticed that a good friend of ours, and expert Oxon birder, JD, had been reporting a number of Redpoll in and around his garden in Oxford. I inquired and JD very graciously allowed us to visit early on the Sunday morning and watch for the Redpoll from his kitchen!
We sat on two chairs conveniently placed so we could peer through a small opening in JD's patio doors, and into his garden. The neighbouring houses and trees meant that the amount light getting through to where the bird-feeders were placed, was minimal, and yet another grey rainy day wasn't helping. But this was a bird-seeing mission rather than an optimal photography session. We heard Redpolls before we saw them, their trilling contact calls were all around the garden trees so we knew they were there. It took a while though before the first birds appeared in the trees at the back of the garden. That tree was very densely foliaged so there was little point in taking any photos. Luckily however, a tree growing on the border of JD's garden was yet to bear any leaves, so when a Redpoll landed in that, I was able to gain a few images.
After we'd been there for around thirty minutes, the Redpoll flock had become settled enough to visit the feeders, and the scattered seed beneath them. We counted about thirty, some plain and streaked brown females and first-winter birds but also a few pink flushed males. JD had taken some really nice images of his own during the preceding few weeks, and although mine were nowhere near as good, I was happy to take a few, even if most ended up in the bin.
We spent a very happy ninety minutes watching and photographing the Redpoll flock, while chatting to our host about all thing birding. JD spends hours and hours out in the field locally and has become a bit of a bird finding legend, with Twite, Marsh Sandpiper, and Bluethroat amongst his recent finds in Oxfordshire. His reward is to get a visit from such beautiful birds like Redpoll. I've never seen a Redpoll in my own garden, and every year I hope that some will turn up. I keep my fingers crossed.
My thanks to JD for allowing us in to see these birds.
Wednesday 25th February; Pesky Peckers!
Around this time last year, we had a great encounter with a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in a secret woodland location in Buckinghamshire. On a day off work, we revisited the same location, hoping for a repeat show. Unfortunately it didn't work out this time. We saw a Lesser Pecker, another female, but our views were frustratingly brief of the bird high up a tree.
A consolation was watching a lovely male Firecrest buzzing around a holly tree. These energetic little sprites always lift the spirits. Treecreepers, Nuthatches, and Ring-necked Parakeets helped to fill out a nice morning spent wandering about the trees.
Saturday 28th February; At Last! A Busy Bird-filled Day
Our last outing of the month turned out to be a good one. We initially headed to our favourite Berkshire heath to see one of my most favourite of birds, the dainty, yet tough, Dartford Warbler. I knew it was a tad early to be seeking them out amongst the gorse bushes of the common, but the species is well established there so I also knew that our chances should be good, and that we'd probably come across a few despite the early date. Later on in March the males would be singing heartily, on this grey-sky morning (again) they'd be less willing to pose but the forecast was for the weather to improve so it was worth a shot.
In the event, my eagerness paid off, and we found at least three male Dartford Warblers flitting about the stands of gorse and brambles. They weren't yet singing or displaying but with patience, we caught sight of them periodically as they moved from bush to bush. One particular male bird favoured a small straggly tree, and perched openly for a few seconds each time allowing me to get some reasonable photos.
Woodlark is another heathland speciality, and they were singing already but, despite their lovely melancholy echoing all around us, they proved very tricky to actually find. Like all lark species, Woodlark generally sing while on the wing. However, they also sing while stood on the ground or perched in a low bush, and then, thanks to their camouflaged plumage of browns and white, they can be nigh on impossible to find, even if you can pinpoint where the songster is singing from. It took a lot of effort until I finally found one stood on the gravelly ground of the heath. No sooner than I had found it, the Woodlark launched into a song-flight, and then, because of my own inadequacies with my camera, it took me ages before I managed a mere record shot.
A drake Ring-necked Duck had been reported from Fleet Pond, just twenty miles or so from where we were so we drove down there, stopping for lunch on the way. Fleet Pond is actually a fairly large lake but easily accessible for the birders and the general public alike. Hence it was busy with other people and far too noisy for my liking. The Ring-necked Duck was likely the one that had been present for a few weeks at Moor Green Lakes about ten miles away. It had disappeared from there two days ago but one had turned up at Fleet Pond so presumably the same one that fancied a change of scenery. We only stayed for half an hour or so, mainly because there was no sign of the duck on the lake, and according to a couple of local birders that we spoke to, there hadn't been all morning so it was curious as to why it had been reported just a couple of hours before. Ring-necked Ducks are similar to Tufted Ducks so I guess somebody without great experience had made an error. There were of course other birds to see, we noted a fine male Goosander and a couple of Goldeneye on the pool, and two Green Woodpeckers on the adjacent heath. I didn't unholster the camera however, there didn't seem to be much point, and besides thick cloud had covered the sky and turned everything gloomy again.
Whilst contemplating our next move, I recalled a site for a Tawny Owl that I'd been told about by another of my friends, sometime last year. It was only seven miles away too, although this is a busy area for traffic so that short drive took us almost forty minutes. The owl in question could be seen resting in an old tree that overhangs a small river, which was conveniently followed by a public footpath, and from the bank, good views could be had without disturbing the bird on the opposite side. First though we had to walk to the site which turned out to be a bit of a trudge in the, now warm sunny day. It took us a good half-hour to reach the tree. The Tawny Owl to its credit was visible immediately, and we stood back and admired it for a few minutes. The issue with sedentary owls is that they are just that, and don't move much so it's hard to stay interested for too long, even though they are incredibly beautiful birds. I had taken more than enough photos in those few minutes, and apart from a couple of head turns to each side, they were all the same. However, they were possibly some of the best images I've ever taken of a Tawny Owl, and certainly one of the closest views so I was very grateful to have seen it. My thanks to my mate for the tip-off.
Before leaving for home, on a hunch, I decided to travel a few more miles away and visit Moor Green Lakes, where the Ring-necked Duck had been before it moved to Fleet Pond. For once, one of my gambles paid off because as I stood scanning the main lake, I noticed right at the far end of the water, a drake Ring-necked Duck! It had obviously decided to return to its former residence, probably because of the female Tufted Duck that it was following closely around. We walked up to get a closer look and a few photos. The Ring-necked Duck was still a fair way from the closest viewpoint to it but at least I was able to grab a few recognisable record shots. It was our first drake of the species for a few years.
We had another surprise while watching the Ring-necked Duck, when a drake Mandarin Duck appeared from out of the trees on the far bank. It was then followed by a female. They later joined another two drakes further down the lake. The two duck species pushed our year total up to 139, about a dozen or so below our normal par score for the first two months.
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