29/03/2021 Pennington Flash

Garganey: Today we are riding the crest of an optimistic wave as lockdown restrictions are eased and folk are allowed to travel freely across the England.  Perhaps some folk are waiting for me to publish photos of the long staying mockingbird, but alas I've not seen it yet as I've been trying to header to the aforementioned restrictions.

Instead toady I stayed local once more and after work I headed out to enjoyed the last of fisrt spring warmth down at Penny to pick up a pair of garganey which were found a few days ago by Phil Rhodes. 

This cracking looking drake was accompanied by a female who were giving me the runaround, but relocated in Ramsdales Bay. Both birds were elusive to say the least as they seem to favour feeding behind one of the small islands on the scrape.  

Always a nice bird to connect with, the drakes are lovely looking things.  

18/03/2021 Mythop, Blackpool

Green-winged Teal: This bird was formerly split in December 2000 and given full specific status by the British Ornithologists' Union's Records Committee. 

It doesn't really seem that long ago. 

The green-winged teal is the American counterpart of our own Eurasian teal and the drake's are identified by an obvious vertical white stripe at the front of the flanks which Eurasian Teal does not. This remains the single most striking feature to look out for when scanning through a flock of Eurasian teal.

Disappointingly I witnessed a photographer enter the farmers field and approach bird. The bird was subsequently flushed along with all the other birds and he even disturbed a pair of lapwing which were going mad, before he spotted me scoping from the lay-by and hurried away back to his car. 

17/03/2021 Undisclosed Site

Black-necked Grebe: Today I found myself working on a waste services plant carrying out a preliminary ecological appraisal, but it wasn't all that bad as I got the chance to see these beautiful birds on a local lake.  

Their favoured habitat is shallow, eutrophic waters, usually with extensive fringing vegetation and often floating aquatic plants, and a site preferably sheltered from strong winds.

If I had to pick a favorite grebe species I think I would choose black-necked grebes, they are not only charismatic, stunning birds but they in a way an embolism of the north west as they breed by at Woolston Eyes NR

Some of my earliest memories birding as a kid are birding the inland lakes of Moore NR and Runcorn searching for these grebes, hoping find one that's on its way to Woolston to breed. 

There were three birds on this particular lake, it had appeared that two had already paired up while the single bird was frantically calling. They won't be breeding here and will soon be off to their regular breeding site. 

09/03/2021 Platford Green, Hornchurch, London

Baikal x Eurasian Teal: Take a look at this absolute beauty. This is the presumed hybrid Baikal x Eurasian teal that was found last week on a duck pond in Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London.

Hybrid ducks are famously difficult to identify, typically they exhibit intermediate characteristics  from both parent species, but can show patterns resembling a third species or even some patterns and colorations existing in no true duck species anywhere in the world.

However,  this hybrid bird exhibits both partners, with its striking green nape and head pattern from its Baikal parentage and its lack of black head, its  black eye tear shape replaced by a rusty brown and its spotty pinkish breast from Eurasian teal parent. 

The bird was associating with a small flock of mallard and was never far away from them, even when the mallard moved out of the water and up onto the grassy bank to feed the small teal followed.  And when it stood out of the water to rest and sleep it was always close to some loafing mallard. 

Whatever the identity and origins the birds parents is, it was still such a great bird to catch up with. 

Special thanks to Tom bell, a local lad and West Ham fan who was there to show me the bird and some of the cracking images he took earlier in the morning. Top work mate.

Just the usual caveat - again I was sent to carry out a survey near London and after the survey on my way home I topped off briefly at this pond  and when I met Tom Bell it was socially distanced.  

07/03/2021 Bantons Lake, Lancashire

Pied-billed Grebe: In order to keep the self fladulating twitter warriors at bay, I have to continually explain my movements and whereabouts. Some folk enjoy twitter shaming as ifs like some sort of pathetic, preadolescent sport.

As I've mentioned before Dawn is from Carnforth and her 92 year old Gran lives in Warton. So when she reached out to us for some help with groceries I was happy to help and thought it would be a good opportunity to take the 10 minute detour off the M6 near Lancaster to see this rare bird.

The bird showed really well, if a little distant as it fed furiously close to the island in the middle of the lake.

This is my 3rd PBG I've seen in the UK and the 2nd one I've had in Lancashire, but the fisrt that showed pretty well. 

02/03/2021 Ness Gardens, Wirral

Common Crossbill: Enroute to an early morning winter bird survey not far from neston took me right past Ness Gardens where there has been a flock of crossbill hanging about for about a week or so. 

As I arrived the light was dreadful and made worse by the light sapping Scots pines that bank the edge of the visitor attraction. Scots pines have  have reddish bark towards the crown of the tree and brown bark towards the base. The needles are twisted and provide a thick blanket that blots out the light.  

 

The birds were already busily feeding on the small pine cones and chirping in the low branches, viewed from the public footpath off Neston Road.

Pine cones and their seeds were falling like confetti.

There has been up to 15 birds seen within this flock but I count 5 birds while I was there. 

Common crossbill are normally found in the Scottish Highlands, the New Forest and the Forest of Dean so to have them on a small pine plantation on Wirral is a bit of  treat.  

Crossbill have to be in my top five best UK birds, for a relatively small passerine they are gregarious, chunky  birds, the males are scarlet red and the females and juvs are a bright green. 

And they have that bizarre, cross-tipped bill, which it uses to prise out and eat the seeds from pine cones.

Really smart looking birds. 
 

24/02/2021 Thursley Common, Surrey

Rustic Bunting: My job takes me up and down the country, as an ecologist there are times when working long distances can be a pain. The traffic, the early start and then throw in the weather, but there are times when you end up working close to a rare bird.   

This week I have been asked to carry out a bat roost assessment and ecological assessment near Aldershot and it wasn't hard to convince myself to take the short detour to the nearby Thursley Common so I can see the 1st winter rustic bunting and hopefully a little bunting or two that have been overwriting here.

Rustic bunting are normally found in northern Europe and Asia and there are very few records of overwintering birds in the UK. Typically these butnings overwinter in Japan, eastern China, and elsewhere in southeast Asia.

These medium bunting have bright chestnut-brown upperparts that are streaked with black on back. Their throat and belly are white, breast band is cinnamon-brown, and sides and flanks are streaked. Black head has slight crest and thick white eyebrow.

Little Bunting: The other bird that can be found amongst the yellow garsses and haether is this little bunting, who seemed a lot more confident then the rustic and came out to feed on the seeded area more often. there has been two reported in this area over the last few months but I only saw a single individual. 

Little bunting are widespread across northern Scandinavia and Siberia  and overwinters mostly in southern Asia. 

These little birds are considerably smaller than other buntings, hence their names and they resemble female reed bunting. With a dark, streaked back, pale underparts some streaking, and reddish brown cheeks. 

Occasionally the little bunting would take a short flight into the gorse or over the heather and call, which was pretty distinctive.  

Both birds remained faithful to a large area of gorse and young silver birch where some kind soul had been regularly seeding, attracting a range of buntings including reed bunting. 

I would like to add that ‘social distancing’ was maintained throughout my visit here and everyone behaved impeccably during the hour or so I spent here. Beside there were only three people here so plenty of space to spread out. 

It's easy to to keep yourself and others safe while twitching and birding, you are outside, socially distanced and where you can't you wear a mask..

But in this case It was just me and two other birders, so plenty of distance to be had. 

23/02/2021 Wigan Flashes Local Nature Reserve

Lesser Redpoll: Wigan Flashes is one of my favorite local places. There are eight shallow wetlands or ‘Flashes’ in the area which were formed as a result of mining subsidence. Over the years and with careful maintenance the industrial landscape has developed in to a mixture of beautiful habitats including open water, reedbeds and mossland.

There has been some unconfirmed reports of possible common (or mealy) redpoll spotted around the feeders, so after working from home and with the sun and blue skies distracting me I headed out for my socially distanced daily exercise.

When I arrived there were nine redpoll around the feeders with a couple feeding on them and several in the trees nearby.

Frustratingly the angles were all wrong and the branches kept getting in the way! And alas,  there was no sign of any mealy redpoll.

It was a really pleasant late afternoon walk, not a cloud in the sky and a real change of season in the air. Bird setting up breeding territories and birds collecting and building nets spring has sprung in Wigan.  

22/02/2021 Winter Hill, Lancashire

Snow Bunting: This marvelous male snow bunt  was found a few days ago at the Trigg Point on top of Winter Hill. Snow bunts are attractive little birds, that often give you a chance to get some nice images as they are typically bold and not shy of the camera.

So today, after being sent not too far from the office (based in Bolton) to Rivington for another wildlife survey.  I drove up Winter Hill to see the snow bunt. 

Winter Hill is the highest point in the West Pennine area and towers over Rivington and its surroundings, although it is not tall enough to be classed as a mountain. Winter Hill is really a large, raised plateau of moorland with several summits named as hills in their own right, one being Rivington Pike.

The bird was sticking pretty loyal to the Trigg Point foraging within 20 meters or of the  stone triangulation pillar. 

Although it did also spend some time behind the palisade fencing of the nearby building.

The North West has seen a record number of snow bunting across the region, with maybe 20 birds on North Wirral, one on Bull Hill, two at Cockersands Abbey, one at Wray Lancashire,  there are also a couple on the Great Orme in North Wales in recent days. 

I suspect a place like this can get pretty busy on the weekends with dog walker, hills walkers and cyclists and there's nothing wrong with that, if folk are sticking to the rules and exercising outdoors enjoying a wonderful place that this part of lancashire has to offer. But on a Monday morning it was relatively quiet. 

With a backdrop of black peaty soil, purple moor grass and rush pasture the bird stood out as I approached the Trigg point. 

And with a spot of with a bit of patience and the with the knowledge that you will get a muddy knee or wet bottom as you crouch down for a picture the bird came pretty close.  

Another safe, socially distance short walk to exercise my camar lifting arm.