Freiston Shore 26th October 2009

Took myself to Freiston Shore for an hour or so, 2pm - 3pm ish.  Very quiet from birding point of view, but lots of people around walking themselves and their dogs.

I really wanted to get a picture of a tree sparrow, but although there is a little colony, they weren't going to pose for me today!  Another day perhaps, because they're always there.

The hide was very quiet, but for me the highlight was this whooper swan

Also around were about 20 redshank, 10 lapwings, 2 oystercatchers, 8-10 little grebes, mallard and blackheaded gulls about 20 each.  5-6 pied wagtails, 2 herring gulls and one lesser blackbacked gull.  One shoveller.  Overfly about 30 brent geese.  One shelduck.

Frampton Marsh 24th October 2009

I keep saying I'm going to visit Frampton Marsh now that it's been re-vamped, so today I took the plunge.  After all, it's the nearest reserve to where I live!  Before the RSPB developed the site, I used to cycle to the mouth of the Haven, which is alongside the reserve, and that really was a good site.  I sort of expected today's trip to be similar, but really the weather was against me.  There was a stiff breeze with a low drizzley cloud and I just wasn't dressed for it.  Also, I didn't want to take the camera out of it's bag in the rain. My glasses kept misting over - I think I needed spectacle windscreen wipers.  On the plus side, it was near high tide and there was a lot going on.  Just couldn't see it!

So what did I see?  I didn't go into the hides, mainly because I wanted a view of the marsh rather than the lagoons - which seemed pretty empty.  I went onto the sea wall.  There were six little egrets, three of which flew over the sea wall accompanied by two curlew.  About 20 goldfinches, feeding on a teazle patch.  Redshank and blackheaded gulls all over.  I could hear masses of curlew and other waders, but saw about 5 curlew, about 20 redshank and several skylarks, meadow pipits and reed buntings.  A flock of about 20 linnets.

There were about 50 brent geese grazing, see photo, but the mist was so bad they were just on the edge of visibility.  One hen harrier, and a lagoon with about 50 teal, but also hiding 5 redshank, 6 dunlin, one black tailed godwit. 

Apparently I missed some lapland buntings.  Oh well!  But I'll definitley go back again.

Kirkby on Bain 17th October 2009

Not a lot around today.  The usual suspects, but although there was a stiff northerly wind blowing, it wasn't carrying any interesting birds my way!  Some other birders at the reserve agreed - the birds just aren't around today.

The usual birds included about 20 mallard, and along with most of the other wildfowl these had more or less finished their moult and were looking quite stunning.  Definitely dressed to impress!

There were also the following:  about 200 teal, 1 shoveler, about a dozen gadwall - photo below.  Several skeins of greylags flying around.  Moorhens, coots, two pied wagtails, four widgeon, about 6 little grebes and three great crested grebes looked like late juveniles.  Buzzard over the woods, jay, kingfisher, 2 magpies.

So, not much going on but still some to watch.

Sunday 11th October 2009 - no birding this weekend

Too much on this weekend, so no birdwatching trips. Instead, a couple of pictures from earlier this year. I was presented with the camera in the middle of August, and these two pictures were taken as I tried to work out how to use it. The first is a juvenile blackbird, the second a collared dove.



The garden is quite a useful place from time to time. Usual species at home include blackbird and collared dove (obviously), robin, wren, songthrush, mistlethrush, house sparrow, dunnock, magpie, jackdaw, starling, greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, bluetit, coaltit, great tit, longtailed tit, woodpigeon, stockdove. Have also had sparrowhawk, moorhen, pied wagtail, willow warbler, waxwing.

Saturday 3rd October 2009 Gibraltar Point

It was seriously windy today, about force 5 and it whips across the reserve. There was not a lot of birdlife to see, but even so, there were some highlights.

About 10.45am from the Mere Hide - loads of jackdaws flocking around, suddenly put up by a peregrine. Although it was only around for about 15 seconds, there were some stunning views as it tore into the flock of jackdaws. I don’t know if it actually took one of the jackdaws, but it twisted and turned so that we could see most angles – good views of the underside and under the wings. Apparently it turned up again a few minutes later but I didn’t see that.

Also on the mere were about 20 teal, two moorhens and 2 shelduck.

Next to the west lagoon hide. There’s rarely much there, but patience can bring some good sights. Two reed buntings in the bushes, I think they’re always there. Total of two moorhens and a coot, two redshank and a curlew. Photo of curlew and redshank obligingly posing together, but when I had put the camera away the curlew then fished out a frog and ate it to the delight of the watchers in the hide.

Finally to the Jackson Farm Hide. 7 little egret, 8 avocet, 12 black headed gulls, 1 grey heron, 4 shoveller, about 15 black tailed godwit, about 50 teal, 1 greenshank, 2 little grebe, 10 pheasant, plus woodpigeons, stock doves, starlings, the usual suspects. I am surprised at the continued presence of avocets and little egrets so late in the year, is it global warming perhaps, or are they just returning because there are less human predators?