05/05/2023 Lunt Meadows

Temminck's Stint: An annual tick most years with regular passages birds turning up locally, I couldn't resist an evening walk around Lunt. 

Gary and I just arrived after a very heavy shower and the sun was breaking though lighting up the puddles and rain drops, this place was stunning. 

The small waders breed mainly in the tundra zone from Scandinavia eastwards to eastern Siberia with much of their European breeding located in Russia. Their wintering areas are from the Mediterranean basin and northern Afrotropics across the Middle East and east across southern Asia to Japan.

Sedge Warbler: The Temminck's was pretty faithful to the low lying island on a large muddy pool called The Great White Pool and was habitually creeping along the muddy Bankside feeding away. 

Common Sandpiper: We were also hoping for a barn owl or two, knowing that Lunt is a premier location for owls but they weren't out during our short visit. 

06/04/2015 Spurn, East Yorkshire

Willow Warbler: Great day at one of my favourite places, although it wasn't a typical Spurn day out as it was not fully loaded with freshly blown-in rarities, but one new tick to add to the list.

Sedge Warbler: I believe that Black Stork is genuinely one of those hard to pin down birds and its a bird that is missing from a lot of the twitchers and big listers tally sheets.

So I am glad to secure one on my list.

Black Stork: Almost as soon as I arrived around 8am I got on to the bird, however it was very comfortably roosting on the edge of the reeds in the middle of a big field.  Eventually the bird plucked up the energy to get up and walk straight out

It was then I was joined by two top blokes from Cheshire; Vernon and Dave Huston, who kept me company until the bird reappeared.

When it did reappear the bird was still in the middle of the big field and didn't take flight or move away from the reeds it was skulking in. Still it gave me some cracking scope views and a big smile on my face!

Unfortunately I didn't have time to explore the area and pretty much confined myself to the canal bank, but I still picked up a nesting Sedgie and got some great views of Common and Sandwich Tern, dozens of Dunlin and Knot, a Whimbrel and a Willow Warbler.

04/07/2013 Chester Meadows

Sedge Warbler: A very sunny and pleasant walk down to the meadows revealed a breeding pair of sedge's who were busy foraging and feeding their young deep within the tall grasses.

A part from this nice glimpse in to the Sedge Warblers busy world of young rearing the meadows where pretty quiet with a dozen or so House Martins  and some nice male Reed Bunting singing being the highlights.

15/05/2013 Ynys-hir RSPB

Stonechat: So now I am 29 it the last years of my twenties and I'm going grey, this could be a day to be down in the dumps! But with a gorgeous sunny day at one of my most anticipated RSPB reserves I had a lot smile about.

Sedge Warbler: Ynys-hir is stunning, the place was buzzing with life we had a lovely walk along the nature trails seeing Sedge and Reed Warbler along with all the usual suspects.

Pied Flycatcher:  The place was full of Pied Fly, from the carpark to the furthest trails they were awesome to see, although unlike Pensychant these mid Wales birds seemed to be more timid and flighty.







Dawn and I also visited the near by Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust's Dyfi Osprey Project and saw both female and male Osprey on their nest. This place is always worth a visit; the film footage and live cameras on their many huge HD plasma screens are AWESOME, but actually seeing the birds was disappointing as they were miles away, even through the scopes.

So now I'm 29  next year I will be 30 and more grey but with all this wonderful wildlife on offer I wont let that bother me.

25/07/2012 Gronant

Ringed Plover: My final day volunteering at the Little Tern colony and yet no more attacks from the Kestrel and all is looking good. Geoff from the RSPB tells me that the colony on the Northern Isles and in Ireland have had disastrous breeding results, affected by the prolonged bad summer weather, predation and usually high tides.

Gronant’s colony will have had bad results compared to previous years but im sure if you compare it to the other UK colonies if they have 60-40 successful fledglings then I would certainly view that as a positive result.

Sedge Warbler: The tide was out during my shift so didn’t see much in the way of sea birds but Ringed Plover can be found all over the site, many with young, one of which was sadly taken by the kestrel today.

Sedge and Reed Warblers where also seen on the salt marsh.
 

Curlew: There was a flock of about 30-40 Linnet on the salt marsh, a sighting of a Whimbrel and Natter Jack Toad reported by Andy the warden.

There was a huge mass of Oystercatcher on the tide line, I could hear Sandwich Tern but didn’t see any although I was pleased to see a fleeting glimpse of a Grey Wagtail heading towards Talacre.

And a single curlew was briefly seen along the tide line.
I would like to thank Wendy, Andy, Tom and everyone else I have spoken to while there for being very friendly and wish them and the Little Terns all the best.

11/07/2012 Gronant

 Little Tern: Look blue skies, Fantastic!

It was my first day at the Little Tern colony at Gronant as Voluntary warden and the sun was out I was accompanied by some really nice people. I was given an introduction and was trained to learn how to listen out for the birds alarm calls and act when a predator came.



Myself and the other volunteer warden primary role o to deter the Kestrels which have been devastating the colony of late, if we dont help stop them this could be the worst year they have had since Denbighshire Council took over from the RSPB.

Within minutes of my arrival there was an attempted attack from tow Peregrines, how came in low and fast the Little Terns did most of the fending off but Wendy the senior warden went running and shouting toward the killer bird and it soon flew off out of sight.

An hour or so went by then suddenly there was more commotion as we spotted a female kestrel flying in towards the colony, Wendy did here usual thing of running off after the bird and me and another voluntary warden kept out eye on it as it came away from Wendy and flew around the back of us. I then ran off was frantically blowing my whistle, which had very little effect as the bird flew in low and fast and grabbed a Little Tern chick, feeling very disappointed the bird then flew with speed out of sight.

Stone Chat: (male) The people on the site are doing some amazing work and they think there is about 40 chicks still active but if the kestrel attacks continue they may end up with ZERO! Therefore there is an URGENT APEAL FOR MORE VOUONTARY WARDEND, anyone who has some free time please get in touch with Richard (Email below) 

Sedge Warbler: Gronant is a stunning place it’s full of birds and orchids. As I was walking towards the colony I saw two Stone Chat a male and female, Skylark where everywhere and the odd Reed Bunting was spotted over the Reed Beds.





Although we didn’t want to see the Peregrines as they were attempting to take a Little Tern chick it was still nice to see two but the star bird has to be the 50-60 Little Terns.

Soldier Beetle: Marsh Orchids where everywhere looking stunning in the sunshine, with a quick change of lens I was able to get low and close and take this shot. The place was full of active Butterflies, Dragonflies and other insects bit many I was unable to Id.   

********URGENT APEAL FOR MORE VOUONTARY WARDEND*******

richard@deeestuary.co.uk

for details of who to contact

For more info on the Little Tern Colony see
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18179806