Stroke(s) of luck! Richard's Pipit, Gloucestershire, 26th January Part 1

  

  For somebody that has been birding seriously for over 20 years now, I have a few quite glaring omissions on my British list (that I don't keep by the way). My life list total is rather held back though, by not being an all out mad twitcher preferring instead to bird reasonably locally or whilst on holiday. For example I have yet to see a glaucous gull despite several near misses. Neither have I seen a buff-breasted sandpiper which always seem to see me coming and disappear as I approach. Another bird that I've spent time trying to see more than once (more than six times in fact) over the years is a Richard's pipit. My trip down to Gloucestershire on Friday was an attempt to at least right the last of these and catch up with a "bogey" bird!

   Mrs Caley and I had tried in vain before to see Richard's pipit in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cornwall (several times) and had been wondering if we'd ever see one. We've stood by a rotting pile of manure for hours once because the "bird always comes back to it". It didn't! We've watched a short grassy field by the cycle track at Sennen all afternoon because the "bird favours the shed roof  to catch insects on". It didn't that day! But one thing you do learn as a birder is that patience and persistence do pay off eventually so when I heard news of an adult Richard's pipit residing by the river Severn in deepest Gloucestershire for the second consecutive winter the decision was made to make the effort and nail the bugger!

   So, with a(nother) sneaky day off work, we found ourselves parking up in the small village of Arlingham not far from the WWT mecca of Slimbridge (which we'd get to later in the day) and trying to make sense of the OS map and directions to the where the pipit was reported to be. Our first stroke of luck was donning our brand new pairs of "Muck boots" wellingtons that we'd treated ourselves to at Christmas. This was to be their first outing and are we glad that we had them! Without the wellies we would never had made it out to the edge of the Severn since the path to it was a quagmire! It took us half an hour sloshing, wading and sliding through deep puddles and mud until we reached a less than friendly Alpaca that stood guard to the field where the Richard's pipit was supposed to feed. On the way there we had met another birder returning from the area and he informed us that in the hour he had been there he had not seen the bird. Typical! In fact he ruefully shared with us the news that he had now been three times and had not seen the pipit on either attempt! Not the most encouraging of news. Our second stroke of luck though was that I had a good feeling about things and felt sure that I would see the bird! So we kept wallowing our way through the swamp towards our target. 

   There is a single spindly hawthorn bush in a narrow strip of rough weedy grasses between the river wall and the river itself and the bird chooses to feed there. If not found at that spot it is usually close by in adjacent fields (according to the reports on the excellent Glosterbirder website). There wasn't another soul to be seen in any direction so if we were going to see the pipit then we were going to have find it ourselves. I kind of like it that way anyway, feeling it's always much better to find and identify birds yourself than to be shown a bird. That way you remember salient features and behaviour of the bird better and are more prepared for identifying birds in the future. So I set about scanning through the long grass and came up with absolutely nothing! Mmm not a good start. The only birds that I could see were a few black-headed gulls on the river and a flock of fieldfares in some trees further inland away from the river. The river wall was even muddier than the walk to it thanks to  a herd of cows (or elephants) that had churned it up as badly as a tractor and plough would. So we walked at the bottom of the embankment taking care to stop and scan the grasses so as not to disturb any birds that may be lurking in them by blundering straight into them. We needn't have worried since the grassy strip around the hawthorn tree was devoid of all birdlife. We rested next to a barbed wire fence (it is surprising just how hard it is walking through 6 inches of squelching mud) and discussed our next move. A couple of days previously the pipit had been seen in the field that we'd first come through (the one that had the Alpaca as guard) so maybe we'd have to retrace our steps and look more closely there. Firstly though and our third (and biggest) stroke of luck, I decided to scan the (short cropped) grass field to the west of our position and almost instantly noticed three small brown birds feeding about 100 yards away. I set the scope up and locked on to one of the birds and, with the fourth stroke of luck, saw a pipit that had a very clear and striking pale eye-stripe. "I've got it!", I announced jubilantly to Mrs Caley. To be sure I then examined the other two birds and was disappointed to see two similar looking and similar sized birds. Disappointed because all the literature that I'd read said that a Richard's pipit was much bigger than a meadow pipit! Almost skylark sized in fact.. So I looked carefully through the eyepiece again at all of the three birds and it dawned on me. Of course, the other two birds were skylarks!

The Richard's pipit (centre) flanked by the two skylarks

  We edged a bit nearer to the birds and I fired off a few record shots and then crept a bit nearer still. At about 50 yards away we had crippling views of our first ever Richard's pipit and another birding hoodoo was well and truly laid to rest! Only problem was the bird was still  a bit too far for my 400mm lens' reach. A fifth stroke of luck came in the form of my 1.4 converter which, for once, I had with me (instead of it being left in the car or at home)! So I now had a 560mm lens which enabled me to get some better shots without getting any nearer to the bird. I haven't used the extender that often but I am learning slowly how to use it and practice will make perfect (almost).

   Richard's pipit when seen well are more "wagtail" like than anything else. Long legged and long tailed it put us in mind of juvenile yellow wagtails that we'd seen in the autumn. It was however very pipit like in appearance being predominately streaked brown with that striking pale supercilium and equally striking pale under parts. The bill was very strong and big (for a pipit) and the black eye stood out. It fed like most pipits, deliberately pecking away at seeds and small invertebrates hidden in the short turf and didn't dart around like a wagtail would. It was keeping loose company with the two skylarks. We watched it for around half an hour never getting too close (we wouldn't have been able to anyway what with no cover to use). A couple of times it flew up with the skylarks and relocated a few yards further up the field but carried on feeding seemingly oblivious to our presence. Once, when in flight, you could hear the characteristic"shreee" call which (when learned apparently) is a vital tool in identifying Richard's pipit's flying over at migration hotspots. Just once and only for a few seconds it was joined by three meadow pipits and then the size difference and different jizz could be ascertained. Just as we spotted some more birders struggling along the muddy track in the distance the pipit suddenly flew up and over the river wall and disappeared. We couldn't find it again. Our news was shared with the arriving birders and having wished them luck, we returned to the car but via a different route that thankfully wasn't quite as muddy! We met some of the other birders back at the parking area and they had had no luck. I believe that we were the only people to see the Richard's pipit that day! Lucky indeed!

(to be continued.....)

    

Owling about at work! 17-21 January 2018

   

   I'm unlucky enough to still be working (maybe I should have worked harder when younger) but lucky enough to have a job that gets me out to some beautiful properties in rural Oxfordshire. And often those fantastic houses come with huge gardens and associated fields, paddocks, woods and so on. The possibilities for birding while at work are almost always there and naturally I am always looking!

   On Wednesday I began a new job at a house on the edge of a small village in North Oxfordshire. I as I drove up the private track that leads to the house I saw the wide open vistas of an old quarry and surrounding fields and quietly thought that this could be a good spot to be for the next couple of days. I make sure that I quickly let my clients know of my birding interest wherever I go these days because, well, you never know what may be around. I must add that in this case I already knew of the existence of little owls in this part of the world but even then when I casually asked "so where are these little owls then?" to my client, her reply of "oh, it sits in our tree out the front" took be back somewhat! The tree in question is just a few metres away from the bathroom window where I'd be working so that tree was sure to get some intense scrutiny over the next day or so. Further discussions revealed though that the owls were more likely to be seen in a pollarded willow next to a small pond about 400 metres away but which could still be seen from the window. I never managed to find a little owl in the whole of 2017 so I was more than a little bit excited by the prospect of finding one here!

The "owl" tree by the pond

   I did do some work (very luckily I am self-employed) but also spent a lot of time gazing at the two trees in question. There were a multitude of other birds in the paddocks and in the garden and I spotted a green woodpecker, lots of fieldfare and redwing, a pair of mistle thrushes and many common finches including a fair number of greenfinch (sadly uncommon in my own area). Despite a pheasant shoot taking place nearby there were raptors around too and red kites shared the airspace with buzzards, whilst a kestrel caught and then devoured a vole on the garden fence.

Fieldfare

   For a couple of hours I saw nothing in the furthest tree (by the pond) except for a wood pigeon or two but I had a perfect, if distant, view and kept looking. It was a bright and breezy day so visibility was really good. At around 10:30 I noticed a quick flurry of movement and saw a small grey rounded shape emerge onto a branch. I was pretty sure that it was a little owl but at 400 metres or so it was difficult to make it out clearly. I had the camera with me and took a couple of shots, the viewfinder confirming that it was indeed a little owl! But I would need to get closer so leaving my co-worker hard at it and with the permission of the client, I went out to get a better look. Birding sure does beat working!

Distant view from driveway

   I noticed that there is actually a footpath that runs along the paddock that contains the "owl" tree so maybe not so cloak and dagger after all but at the request of the house owner I've been asked not to divulge exact details of location. Those reading this account who already know of this site will realise where I am now! I took some photos from the driveway that was about half of the distance away and stalked slowly down the field edge boundary hedge towards the tree stopping every 25 metres or so to fire off another couple of frames. As I drew closer I had the little owls full attention and it's piercing stare followed my every move. I didn't dare leave the hedge line since I didn't want to disturb the bird. At my closest I came to within about 50 metres and at that gap the owl was happy enough to stay put. The sunshine helped, the small branches and twigs didn't, but the photos were pleasing since they represent my exact view of the bird. After 5 minutes in the owls company I retraced my steps and returned to work. A quick look out of the bathroom window revealed the owl still sat in the same place!

Better views from footpath

   Despite working at the house all day on Thursday I didn't see the owl in either tree. But I will be back on Monday so fingers crossed it finds its way into the tree outside of the window!

   Friday took me off to a different job in a different part of North Oxfordshire. I had already spent a lot of time at this site and the chaps there had regaled me with tales of a barn owl that hunts over rough grassy fields by the house. Indeed they had seen it stood on the house and surrounding buildings and even on the works container store! In something like 20 visits to site I had yet to see the owl. So today we made the effort to get to site early before light and hopefully get to see it. 

   It was still dark at 07:30 and there was no sign of any owls as we made our way up the driveway towards the house. This is a big building site and because of the works, the paddocks to the either side of the drive have been left to grow a bit wild and it is these areas where the barn owl is supposed to frequent. As we drove in though we only saw a grey heron stood on a bridge over the small stream. 

   I parked up and wandered over to look at the paddocks and lo and behold was greeted by the sight of a barn owl flying low over the grasses! Obviously I had been arriving too late before. I legged it back to the van and grabbed the camera although in truth it was far too dark to take any decent shots. Simon (my brother and co-worker) was as excited as myself since he has a liking for owls too. We watched the owl quarter back and forth over the field for the next 20 minutes or so before it disappeared over the tree line. Several times it dropped into the grass but always seemed to come up with nothing. At one point it flew into a woodshed but quickly disproved my theory that it could be roosting in there by reappearing shortly after. It also very obligingly settled on a hedgerow for a few moments allowing me to get a few nice photos. The show was all over by 07:55 but I went about my work very happily that day!

   Mrs Caley, of course, had expressed her disappointment at missing out on the owls so we made plans to visit both places over the weekend. But then the weather deteriorated into one of the worst two days in recent years. On Saturday it just rained all day and there would be no chance of any owls venturing out to play, hunt, sunbathe(!) or otherwise. So we had to be satisfied with a quick trip to the local wetlands to see very little. Sunday morning, for the first couple of hours at least, was better but the rain had turned to snow! Despite that we stood outside the barn owl field at 07:15 in the dark and shivering against the cold. It was lightly snowing as we peered into the gloom but nothing was astir yet. Mrs Caley retreated back to the car while I walked up the lane and peered over hedges into the fields. I had the access code for the driveway but didn't want to take liberties by entering so remained outside at the gate. 

   At 07:35 a quick movement caught my eye and there was a barn owl sat on a tree branch just 25 meters or so away. I ran back to the car (thankfully only 50 metres away) and summoned my wife outside. When we arrived back at the gate the barn owl was still in the same place which delighted Mrs Caley. It is always good to see a barn owl! 

Barn Owl #1

   I then noticed a second barn owl stood on the same bridge that the grey heron had occupied a couple of days before. So there were actually two, presumably a pair, together! 

Barn Owl #2

   Both owls proceeded to hunt over the fields and didn't appear to be concerned by our presence at all since they would often fly very close to the edge of the field by which we stood. It was great watching them hunt even though we never saw either owl catch anything. The only slight disappointment being meted out by the weather since it was now snowing quite heavily and the light just wasn't lifting at all. I did fire off some frames though but with the high ISO and low shutter speed they are grainy and blurry at best. 

   Again at 08:00 both owls flew back towards the trees but this time I saw where they went and now know where they are roosting. Information that I will have to share with the site manager because of the impact of continuing works. I will still be working on and off at this site for a few months to come yet so hopefully the owls will stay out later as the days lengthen and offer some better photographic opportunities.

   We returned home warmed by the experience despite the cold and snow. Our garden was alive with birds coming to feast on the various feeders, I counted 10 goldfinches a new record for us at home. At 10:00 I glanced up from my desk and saw a fabulous immature female sparrowhawk perched close to one of the feeding stations. It was gazing about and remained in situ for a good 5 minutes before departing seemingly empty taloned.

Local Haw's, 6th & 7th January 2018

Hawfinches are normally tricky birds to see and especially so in Oxfordshire. They used to be seen in small numbers in the grounds of Blenheim Palace but in recent years, apart from occasional sightings, seem to have disappeared from the area. As far as I know there are no longer any reliable sites in the county although they do get sporadically reported from various areas.
   Over the last few months though the UK has been hit by a major invasion of these finches, known as an "irruption" and many have been noted in the country including some in Oxfordshire. We saw our first of these invaders in Cornwall back in October but views at the time were distant and difficult. Over the last few weeks more local reports had been coming in of birds seen at various places and we had caught up with some in a couple of local sites. They appear to have a penchant for churchyards since those places always contain a yew tree or two and hawfinches love yew berries! On Friday 5th January a fine local birder (Mick C) found a small flock of hawfinches feeding in Northmoor Churchyard in South-West Oxon so on Saturday morning Mrs Caley and I went down to have a look.

   We arrived, parked right outside the church gates and immediately clocked a hawfinch perched in a tree behind the church. Too easy! I hadn't even taken the camera out of the boot but fortunately the bird remained and I rattled off a few record shots just in case that proved to be the only sighting. I needn't have worried!

   Walking into the churchyard and towards the tree that the hawfinch was in we met another birder already there and shared the news of the hawfinch that was in the tree behind him but that he hadn't seen. He told us that there were more hawfinches present and that they were feeding in one of the yew trees but were difficult to see once they were in them. Yew trees are very dense trees and birds can easily disappear in them. I looked hard into the tree but couldn't see any birds but did notice several hawfinches flying overhead and back towards the original tree. Sure enough that tree now held at least 4 hawfinches but they didn't rest there long, they never do!

   We gained a better vantage point behind the church and soon the hawfinches returned with some of them flying into a yew tree right next to our spot. We had to back off slightly in order to see the top of the tree but our luck was in as we spotted a hawfinch feeding in the uppermost branches and even more fortunately, out in the open! This bird seemed unperturbed by our presence and fed heartily on the berries. We were getting brilliant views of a normally hard to see bird and my camera went into overdrive! It was joined by another two but they were more elusive choosing to feed in towards the heart of the tree. After a good five minutes or so the hawfinches all flew back to the original bare tree, preened for a moment and then exited to the south and into a neighbouring garden.

   While we waited, Steve joined us and we related our gripping tale of just how well they had showed in the yew! A hawfinch once again returned to the bare tree and Steve was able to join in the bonanza. No sustained views this time though and the bird flew out after just a few seconds. Amazingly there was now a whole flock of hawfinches flying over. They landed in spindly trees (elders?) next to a footpath that ran eastwards away from the church and between some gardens. I counted  7 hawfinches in one tree and another 2 in another making 9 altogether (gee my maths is good!). I had a feeling that with the birds flying around that there may have been more so 9 was a minimum number present. I tried to approach them but a (cursed) dog walker put them to flight before I could get there. They appeared to fly further away this time so I returned to the churchyard.

   The hawfinches were soon back though, again flying overhead but this time the destination was a very tall tree at the front of the churchyard. Here they posed beautifully and the sun had burst through the layer of cloud so they were well illuminated allowing all their colours to be admired. The breeze was at our backs too so they faced us too. We were definitely charmed today! 

   We realised that the hawfinches were now going to a yew tree next to the tall tree and once again we manoeuvred into position for a better view. Over the next half an hour several birds fed in that yew tree and a couple of them showed themselves extremely well. I think we got our best ever views of hawfinches and the only slight disappointment was my images weren't quite as sharp as I had hoped for. But to be fair, in order to see the birds at the top of the trees, you had to be a good 30 yards away. I'm not really complaining though since the experience will stay with me forever.

   Several other eminent county birders arrived but unfortunately the hawfinches became less cooperative and their appearances became less frequent with mainly fly overs the norm. We left the others to it and nipped into Farmoor where a water pipit had been seen earlier. We couldn't locate it but did have the consolation of finding the female greater scaup (a county tick for me, but I don't keep lists!) and burying a hoodoo after the lesser/greater scaup hybrid duck (which was also still present). Shame that it was fast asleep!

   Farmoor was a bit bleak and very cold now the sun had disappeared so we didn't linger long. Not much was around other than the feral snow goose flock which was loitering way over the far side of FII but interestingly the first time I had ever seen them at Farmoor! Some little grebes and squabbling coots provided entertainment on the walk back but despite searching for the water pipit again we could only find grey and pied wagtails.

   On Sunday Mrs Caley had come down with a heavy cold but fancied some fresh air so we chose to have a quick look around Blenheim Park. We parked in Bladon and entered the park next to the pub. This entrance gives a quick route to the walled gardens (which you can only access by paying) where hawfinches used to be found. A few hawfinches (3) had been seen in the park a few days before, close to Bladon bridge, so I was soon scanning the tree tops. About halfway to the wall I noticed a bird perched right at the top of the tallest tree at the southern end of the gardens. Sure enough it was a hawfinch! And another sat lower down in an adjacent tree. We were doing well! Soon there were 3 perched together in the same tree. I took a quick record shot and posted the sighting on to the magnificent www.oxonbirding.blogspot.co.uk 

   The parkland was alive with corvids (jackdaws, rooks and crows) and gulls (black-headed and herring) and a fair number of red kites cruised around in the biting northerly wind. We got ourselves up to the wall with a clear view of the trees and the palace in the distance and set up the scope ready. A few stock doves were feeding on the grass and a great spotted woodpecker went hurtling past but we couldn't see any more hawfinches. Under the trees are a few yews so I suspected that, in keeping with other sites, that the hawfinches were feeding in those but careful scrutinising of the parts that I could see yielded no birds except for a couple of blackbirds and a goldcrest. After 10 minutes or so some birds arrived back in the tree tops and this time we had 6 hawfinches perched in them. I managed a record shot of all 6 before a passing sparrowhawk spooked them all and they disappeared.

   On the walk back a large flock of redwing were feeding under some birch trees. A few fieldfares joined them.

   A terrific weekend of hawfinch spotting! My best views ever of this charismatic and elusive finch in Oxfordshire.