More waxwings

Well after me chores this morning i nipped out for an hour to look for waxwings, that turned into half a day as i did find some at Marks and Spencers Car park in Workington. Once again the light was crap and it was drizzling making it again impossible to get a decent photo of the Waxwing, this was the best i could do... PLEASE let the sun come out and let me see some Waxwings..

 

I will keep trying, one day the sun will come out and ill have enough light to get a decent photo...

Soddy and Lancs

Well Yesterday it was a case of Covering Soddy gap again. The only things new in were an Adult Green ringed Med Gull and a Pinkfooted Goose with the Greylags, seems to have linked up with the Greylags for the past couple of years.

Today However Keith and i decided to try and get the Wood Sandpiper that had been reported with the Lesser Yellowlegs at Aldcliffe Marsh in Lancashire.
We couldnt find the bleeder but the i managed much better views of the Lesser Yellowlegs.

We finished the day in the hides at Leighton Moss. Nothing special of note unfortunately but 2 Marsh Harriers.

 

 

 

Soddy and Siddick

Well its pouring down so i had an hour in the gym and then Jamie (dog) and i had a wander around Siddick Ponds and Soddy Gap in the rain. Nothing really at Siddick, a single Goosander and Few Teal and 2 Whooper Swans was it really.
Onto Soddy Gap and the list was a little more impressive.....

Good selection of ducks, 60 Mallard, Tuftie, Pochard, Goldeneye, Wigeon, 40 Teal and 140 Goosander.

Siskin, Redpoll, Bullfinch. Long-tailed Tit, Goldcrest.
35 Snipe came flying in from god knows where.
Few Black headed and Herring Gulls.
That was it really

Waxwing

Well i was in Workington this morning doing me chores when 8 Waxwing flew over calling, nice start to the day. So after me jobs i went on the search but couldnt find the Waxwings or any trees which might hold some. So now having the need to see some more and close up i headed to Kingstown in Carlisle. When i arrived there were no sign of any on the rowan trees but i did see five flying around the tops of some Silver Birch a few streets away so i made my way around there but they had gone. I sat for a while when they dropped back in but after 30 seconds they were gone again. I made my way back to my original spot where again i waited but nothing for about half an hour. Eventually the five dropped in but the movement of lorries and people around this area made them very flighty. Then a group of seven dropped in again for a matter of seconds then they were away and the five dropped in again, so theres 2 groups of at least 12. I managed a few really crappy shots again in the gloom, wind and the heavy drizzle so i just gave up and came home. The weather had really closed in by now.. Shame really i love Waxwings and would love to photograph them on the ground as a couple of people have done from this site, but there was no way today!

Amazin Ollie!!!

Well today i got up cleaned the van and thought hmmmm where should i go today.... Fife erm yeh ok, that Eastern Olivaceous warblers been screaming at me for 3 weeks now. So i was on my way but first stop was Carlisle for some cracking Waxwings, pity it was grime light and pissing down AGAIN!

So i gave these birds half hour as i sat in the van waiting for the rain to stop, it never so i moved onto Fife, arriving just after lunch. i notice a Surf Scoter had been reported from Lower Largo and as i was passing i stopped to look at this first, nervously ;-). I scanned the sea a few times, great views of Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Ducks and Slavonian Grebe, Red Throated Divers, Eider and Shag. Eventually a long way off i spotted the Male Surf Scoter, OK scope views but that was it.
Probably would have been closer to Ruddons Point.
So now onto Kilminning for the 3 week old Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, a lifer for me but i really hadn't been able to muster the enthusiasm to go see it till now. I got to the favoured car park and immediately i could hear it calling and then bingo my first views, pale, large and cracking!!!! WOW well worth the trip and the easiest lifer Ive had in years.

 

So by 3pm i had seen all my target species so went back to look for the Surf Scoter, by now the swell was much worse and i couldnt find it...
What a Very Very good day though.....

Lesserlegs

Well i was supposed to be working today but the job got called off for various reasons so i headed South to Lancashire and Aldcliffe Marsh's. There had be a Lesser Yellowlegs present for a couple of weeks. It took a while to find and eventually it showed in front of me on its usual pool just long enough for me to identify it before it flew to another pool. It was much more distant now and views were not good looking into the sun. The pics below i no are awful but i couldn't do anything else...

Lesser Yellowlegs (left)

Lesser Yellowlegs

Whilst watching the lesserlegs, i could hear a Wood Sandpiper which eventually showed a little better than the lesserlegs, also a Green Sandpiper flew over calling, my first of the year finally. A Water Rail was calling from the undergrowth.

Wood Sandpiper

 



The Lesserlegs wasnt gonna come any closer so i decided to head back home. Still a couple of nice year ticks..

Solway

Rach n I had a trip up the Solway, its pouring down so we weren't gonna venture far from the van. We followed the coast and saw 300 Whooper Swans at Blackdyke.

 

Very little after this until we got to Cardurnock where the American Golden Plover was giving good Scope views.

There were some Barnacle geese In the field behind me so i checked these but no rare Canada's, 2 Leucistic Barnacle geese was it.
Moved onto North Plain and at the gate the Great White Egret was giving distant views.

We followed the coast and then went for Lunch and Dobbies, then returned the same route. Stopping at The monument at Burgh Marsh, another Lucistic Barnacle goose with the many thousands of Barnacles, a Dark Goose was visible but too far to see whether it was a Pinkfoot or a Canada type, the light was just too poor. We Continued on, there were many more Banacle Geese at Cardurnock by now but still no Rare Geese.
We headed home but not before spotting a Little Egret flying out of the river Wampool at Anthorn. Still not a total waste...

Work birding

Again not done any birding this week as Ive been Working back on the fells, Fencing and Walling, i have seen however a Male Ring Ouzel with hundreds of Redwing and Fieldfare, Green Woodpecker, Bullfinch and a Peregrine.
Nice to be back at work however..

 

 

 

 



Pallas's Warbler

Been Working in Derbyshire all week so no birding, but on my way home today i nipped in for the Pallas's Warbler in Lancashire. Cracking bird and only my second ever.

Porpoise and Fall

Ive Been covering Maryport north Promenade daily for a couple of weeks now looks perfect for a good warbler but nothing as yet.

Today however there had been a fall of Blackcap 7 including 6 Female/juv and a Male. 4 female type together. Shed load of Blackbirds but fewer Songthrush, (handful)

3 Great spotted Woodpecker high south. Few Goldcrest, Robin and Dunnock. Small number of Pink-footed Geese going North.

2 Very close Porpoise on the high tide.

An Adult Med Gull flew over Netherhall School heading for the playing fields full of BH Gulls.

Otter

A nice stroll around Siddick yesterday morning supplied good views of Otter, Kingfisher and an Adult Med gull. 

Whooper Swan

Started at Maryport along the scrubby area on the Prominade, not a great deal but new in was a Great spotted Woodpecker.
Had a wander around the Abbeytown area. Very little about handfuls of Whooper Swans, 17 with 5 Juvs at Blackdyke. Another 18 with 3 juvs further towards the main road.
7 Pink-footed Geese in the field with the Whoopers at Blackdyke.
From Allonby 3 Black-tailed Godwit with a mass of gulls. Nothing unusual though.
Not quiet sure why the pics turned out so bad today?

 

Ring-necked parakeet

Today

A Ring Necked Parakeet was in a private garden this morning feeding on Beech Mast looked as wild as they come.

North Promenade Maryport, few Thrush's moving, Redwing and Song Thrush, 1 Chiffchaff, few Goldcrest. 15 Long-tailed Tits.

Yesterday 07/10/2012

Low meadows

Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Mixed Finch's.

Soddy Gap

Grey Wagtail.

Adult Med Gull at Maryport

Self Employed

Well Ive had to do it, i didn't want to but my options have run out...

Adult Med Gull over Maryport North Promenade this morning. A nice day so the birds were singing and showing much better, nothing out the ordinary however but a few more Goldcrest.

Local stuff

Well having no job means I'm starving and have no petrol in the car so everything I'm doing now has to be very local. I Still just about have the motivation to get up in the morning and walk the dog at least. So Ive been covering what should be a very good scrubby area on the Maryport North Promenade, well it would be good if it was on the east of the UK. The scrub here is very thick which makes finding anything pretty hard but anything calling could be found with some patience. The wind everyday this week hasn't helped things though. Birds i could hear were a mixture of Goldcrest, Robin, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wren, Blackbird, Greenfinch and Goldfinch. At no point were there anything unusual..
Soddy has been quiet with little on Low Meadows and just 22 Tufted ducks, 16 Coot, 1 Grey Wagtail. Usual Geese and Mallards looking in superb plumage now. The Water levels are high but the geese seem to be creating a muddy edge, although its getting too late for waders now..
This morning took a facebook friend visiting from staffordshire to see some Red squirrels, i thought we may struggle in the pouring rain but bingo we had excellent views. Brilliant little creatures and my friends went away very happy.