Dipping on a Dipper

I have been to three locations now that were recommended for Dippers. I dipped on all of them! So, today we went for it again. A location I have tried before. Dowels Brook in the Wyre Forest.

 

It's a four and a half mile circular walk in beautiful surroundings. What made the walk even more enjoyable was great company, and successfully seeing a Dipper. Four sightings in fact. Not sure how many were repeats, but I know I saw a least two different birds.

The pictures aren't great, but decent record shots to remember the day and the birds by.

Ideal Dipper Habitat

 

 

It's been a long time since I last saw a Dipper. I won't forget these in a hurry.

 

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You're Barred

I had tried a couple of times locally for Crossbills with no luck. Some had been reported, but I hadn't been able to locate them. So, seeing a family of Two Barred Crossbills being reported in South Yorkshire for a few days on the trot, I decided to go for it.
Two Barred Crossbills being scarce, in fact, nationally rare, were obviously going to attract some attention, I wasn't wrong. Even arriving at about 8.30, parking in the lanes and bays was at a premium. Luckily, I got chatting to a local as soon as I got out of the car. He kindly offered to show me where to go, an offer I couldn't refuse, and off we went.
The popular viewing area was a clearing in the woodland amongst the Larch trees. The clearing was not clear on our arrival, twitchers had already occupied the area.

Standing room only.

With a few minutes of me finding a space to stand, a flock of about 60-70 Common Crossbills noisily arrived and started feeding in the tree tops. An impressive sight to see. A few minutes later, one of the throng of birders shouted out "Two Bar" and all scopes pointed in the direction he indicated. We followed his directions in the tree tops, and located our targets. I saw the female Two Barred and a Juvenile, unfortunately the male eluded me. Nevertheless, I was very pleased. They soon left with the rest of the flock, and on their return, I again located the female and a single Juvenile, again no male. I wasn't worried, I was happy,with what I had seen. More and more birders were arriving and I decided to vacate the area and make room for others.
The birds were very mobile, so I didn't manage any record shots.

I didn't manage a photo

A great morning in South Yorkshire. On the way home, we called into several picturesque places in the Peak District.

Broomhead Reservoir South Yorkshire

Langsett Reservoir

Heard Crossbills at Langsett, couldn't see them in tree tops though.

Peak District

Derwent Dam

A very memorable day!

Derwent Dam

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Bird Fair 2013

I set off this morning Rutland Water bound, for Bird Fair 2013. I left Tamworth in torrential rain with roads flooded, and the rain stayed with me all the way to Rutland. I arrived at the advertised opening time of 9.00am, and still got caught in a traffic queue to gain entrance. The cars in front of me had already turned the field into mud a fest, and the rain kept coming.

It did stop for about half and hour, then kicked in again. By 11.45, I had seen what I wanted to see, spoken to who I wanted to talk to, and decided to leave rather than wait for conditions in the car park to deteriorate further. I was surprised to discover I had to leave the same way as I came in, against the flow of traffic. It wasn't too bad though. I headed over to the Lyndon side of Rutland to have a look at this years young Ospreys. The rain stopped, it brightened up and I hope the car parks over at the Bird Fair improved quickly?

The rain didn't deter the crowds, the place quickly filled up.

 

 

The Swarovski Stand

Ornithological Pornography

 

I was very impressed with the new ATX scopes and how they are designed to incorporate digiscoping as a function of the scope rather than an afterthought. Enjoyed playing with the equipment.

I saw the complete Manton Bay Family of Ospreys. The adult female spent time with the three juveniles around the nest and perches. The male, was way down the reservoir on a perch getting some peace and quiet. Whenever he was within sight of the young, they constantly screech and beg for food. So, they all thought he was off fishing, when in reality he was enjoying some quiet time.

Adult Female and one of this years young.

 

Adult Female and Youngster

 

Not bad pictures hand held with my Canon SX40 camera considering they were about 300 yards away.

I also enjoyed chatting with the Rutland Osprey Project volunteers in the hide. They were asking about my little Opticron GS52 ED scope. I let them view the Ospreys through it, and they were impressed. I even hand held my phone to the zoom eyepiece and took a snap, just to show them it was capable of distant record shots. This was 300 yards in very hazy conditions.

iPhone through scope

 

They were suitably impressed with lightness, compactness and image quality. I think most of them know they have carried their 80mm scopes down to the last hide. They took details of make and model, and I think Opticron will be hearing from them. Wonder if I can earn commission?

 

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It must be Dove......

I keep reading that the Endangered Turtle Dove population of the UK is still declining, with 2013 being the worst year on record for reported sightings.

So, I had to venture out of Tamworth in search of these magnificent farmland birds.

I headed down to Oxfordshire, and started my search.

I really couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled upon a Juvenile Turtle Dove, and managed pictures. To be honest, I though I would be clutching a straws searching for them.

Considering the scarcity of these birds, I felt very privileged to find proof of successful breeding in this area of Oxfordshire.

Within a further ten minutes, I was gazing at an adult, again I managed to snap a few shots before it disappeared.

 

 

My first ever sightings of Turtle Dove. What a cracking day!

I hope there will be a time when I can regularly find them around the farmland areas of Tamworth

 

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Local Gems.

It's been so quiet locally, that a sudden run of birds on my local sites has been very well received.

It started with Middleton's Great White Egret on Friday, then carried on into Saturday morning at two of my patches.

The first mooch of the morning was around Borrowpit Lake. Not an ideal venue for waders, but it gets the odd one drop in. This mornings surprise was a Common Sandpiper. It started off perched on the Jetty, then took flight. I tracked it across the pool and watched it land on a small gravel scrape adjacent to the car park. I got myself round there and managed a picture.

 

 

Then, it was off to pick up Pete, as we have decided to start getting serious with the Moors again now temperatures have cooled a little, access has improved, and Autumn migration is upon us.

We had a slow walk around, stopping off at one of our favoured bird spotting areas. There was quite a bit of bird activity, and we both scanned the area. It was well worth the effort when we located a pair of Spotted Flycatchers. What a result! Our first recording of the species on the Moor. We watched them for at least twenty minutes, and I attempted to get some record shots.

A very productive mornings birding.

 

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It was Great

For the second consecutive day, a Great White Egret was reported at RSPB Middleton. It was regularly commuting between the Jubilee Wetlands, and Fishers Mill. It was easily spooked and very flighty.

Pete and I decided early evening would be best to try and locate it, as we hoped the reserve would be quieter. We were right in our assumption, with only two other birders there.

We initially spotted the GWE in the reeds along the New Reed Bed pool. It was as reported flighty. It moved to Jubilee Wetland briefly, then backtracked and carried on to Fishers Mill. It did eventually move back to the New Reedbed and seemed more comfortable there, stalking the reed line. Even though it was distant and light not great, I attempted some record shots. This is my first Midlands GWE, my only other sightings being in Somerset.

 

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Rock and Roller

Occasionally, its nice to go birding somewhere a little further afield, and Mrs Moocher and I have just returned from Norfolk.I always enjoy going to Norfolk, and the birding is spectacular. This year was no exception, with a very special bonus thrown in for good measure.We were walking around Cley Marshes trying to photograph a Rock Pipit when the text alert came through. European Roller showing well at Horsey.

This was a further 40 miles each way, but a European Roller couldn't be ignored. We were soon in the car and heading to Horsey.We arrived to find cars parked all over the place, I decided to park in the pub car park (Patrons only) but assured the landlord I would be frequenting his establishment later.

It was a longer than expected walk to the viewing area. First down a track alongside the pub, then a right turn and about a further mile on a sandy track.

Eventually, I reached an area with a few other birders, and they soon put me onto the bird. It was about 400 yards out perching on various fence posts. What an impressive bird, even more so in flight. I attempted to take pictures, waste of time really, facing into the sun, 400 yards away, heat haze, but I just wanted a record shot of the occasion. This was the best I could manage.

The views through the scope were very good. Trying to capture those images as a digital picture is so frustrating. Anyway, it looked like this.

After a good half hours observation and with the tick secured, I made my way back towards the car and the Nelsons Head Pub. After the walk in that heat, that pint barely touched the sides. I had to share some of it obviously

A great start to an enjoyable trip. A few days later on a scenic route back towards home, we called at RSPB Ouse Washes and another life tick in the form of a Blue Winged Teal was an excellent way to end our birding break.

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