Leam Valley on form

Leam Valley was on fine form this morning, offering good views of some of the bird species which can be locally scarce (or at least hard to see).

Spring is in full effect now, and for the birding world this means an explosion of warblers. These fine songsters are generally spring and summer visitors which arrive from late March onwards - they prefer to spend their winters in southern Europe and Africa.

Those on view today were plenty of Blackcaps (I saw three males and one female, and heard another three singing), three or four singing Chiffchaffs, a couple of Willow Warblers, half a dozen Whitethroats and two Reed Warblers.

Given their spectacular red-and-black plumage, Bullfinches can often be elusive. So today I was pleased to find not one but three splendid males, all giving good views. Similarly bright were the two Grey Wagtails I found on the bank of the river, the Kingfisher which flashed away from me at Offchurch Bury weir, the two Green Woodpeckers I watched near the scrape, and the cock Yellowhammer which sat high on a hedge singing its famous little song.

In among the Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits was a single Coal Tit, a bird which shows only rarely at Leam Valley - something it has in common with the Reed Bunting female that joined it.

And the morning's entertainment was not confined to the birdlife - I also got great views of a fox as it trotted around the edge of the wetlands (putting various birds to flight, but being frightened off by a belligerent Mute Swan), found a Muncjac Deer on a footpath in the woods, and spotted a shoal of sizeable Chub swimming together in the shallows.

And as I left, rounding off a very good morning indeed, two Swifts arrived overhead - my first this year.

41 species of bird, two mammals and a fish - plus, as my new pedometer told me, 7 miles, 15,000 steps and nearly 1,000 calories expended. Certainly beats going to a windowless gym for my exercise.

First Cuckoos of Spring

The call of the Cuckoo is perhaps the quintessential sound of spring. Sadly, like so many sounds from the natural world, it has been getting much scarcer in recent years.

Fortunately I still hear them across my patch. Last year the only one I heard was calling somewhere near my garden (an early evening treat it repeated often over the course of a month or so). This morning I was able to find at least three - one at Napton Reservoir, and two at Ufton Fields.

Unfortunately, and despite some careful searching, I wasn't able to track any down sufficiently well to actually see them, but simply hearing that most distinctive of calls was among the highlights of my morning.

There were plenty of other highlights: a pair of Common Sandpipers at Napton, an influx of Swallows over the water and a beautiful low-flying Lapwing; at Ufton there were great views of a male Blackcap and then a Garden Warbler, the flashing white rump of a passing Bullfinch, and the gentle floating song of perhaps a dozen Willow Warblers.

Forgiveness

Without (I hope) offending anyone's faith, I feel the urge to paraphrase - "Forgive me all, for I have (blog) sinned - it has been nearly a month since my last post."

What can I say? Plenty of reasons (life), no excuses - I just haven't had the time to sit down and put hands to keyboard.

However, here by way of a catch-up is a whirlwind review of the birding I managed in April.

I've taken a couple of trips to Leam Valley, where spring has been bursting out but the birding has been relatively quiet. Highlights there included some nice photographs of Chiffchaffs and Song Thrushes (one of which is top left), watching an ambitious fox put to flight by a pair of Swans, and finding my first Tufted Ducks on the scrape. Told you it had been quiet.

A trip to Essex enlivened things a bit - at Fingringhoe Wick I enjoyed the coastal aspect, including plenty of Little Egret, Golden Plover, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Curlew and other common waders. At nearby Abberton I was able to photograph a bold pair of Linnets (a photographic first) , and the next day on the Blackwater Estuary I found a handful of Ruff and some late-staying Brent Geese among others.

Back on my patch, Ufton Fields made for an enjoyable early morning walk last weekend - again, nothing outstanding to report, but lots of the more common birds to enjoy - including my first Tufted Ducks at Ufton, a pair of Little Grebes and plenty of freshly-returned warblers.

And finally I managed to squeeze in a really quick visit to Brandon, where birding of late has been pretty good. Others have managed to find such rare Warwickshire birds as Ring Ouzel and Wood Warbler - I was happy however with a more modest haul including Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, four Common Tern, some late Sand Martins and a Hobby flying high over East Marsh Pool.

Wonderful Warwickshire birding

A simply superb day of birding in mid-Warwickshire today. A day off work, fine sunny weather, three sites and a pile of birds, some rare and some not - what's not to like?

I started at 7.30am, checking out a set-aside field near the Napton Reservoir for Barn Owls. No owls in sight, but a best-ever Chiffchaff photo opportunity. Nice start.

At the reservoir itself there was still an early chill, not helped by a bitter north wind. Chiffchaffs sang around the site, perhaps five in all, and there was an abundance of Reed Buntings flitting from hedge to hedge. As the temperature rose the Chiffchaffs were joined in song by some Skylarks, Chaffinches and Great Tits. Then came an extraordinary but familiar sound - the explosive call of the Cetti's Warblers. It's not uncommon to hear of these secretive birds one at Napton these days, but this time I got good close up views as well - a real bonus.

I moved on to Draycote Reservoir, the region's biggest water, hoping for some more early migrants. Not many on show today - a few Chiffchaff and a lone Swallow, with no Wheatear in sight. But there were still plenty of birds to enjoy, and plenty of great photo opportunities to grab. Highlights included two Great Northern Divers, a Sparrowhawk high overhead, a couple of Treecreepers, a lone Wigeon and Goldeneye, plus a Goldcrest.
By this point I was well satisfied with my morning, but there were plenty of highlights still to come. I went to Brandon Marsh, and highlight one was breakfast - full English of course. Highlight two was the Grey Wagtails at Streetly Hide. Highlight three was the array of waders on East Marsh Pool - an Oystercatcher, three Redshank, a few Lapwing. Then a group of 20 or more Sand Martins flew overhead - I was so busy watching these that I almost stood on an exceedingly unimpressed Grass Snake.

And then for the finale, as a male Garganey flew into view. This is a decidedly uncommon bird, our only summer migrant duck with perhaps only 100 or so seen annually in this region. They are famously secretive so always a thrill to find. In fact, this was only the second I have ever seen, and the first in Warwickshire. The perfect day was sealed.

In fact, there were so many photo opportunities, that I have only managed to squeeze in a few here - from the top, these are: A perfectly posing Dunnock at Brandon; the Chiffchaff near Napton; A Pied Wagtail and then a Meadow Pipit, both at Draycote; and finally the drake Gargany at Brandon.

'My' Goosanders?

One of the more unusual species of bird I have found during my time birding at Leam Valley nature reserve is the Goosander - a pair of which set up temporary residence on the river and pool there between February and March 2005.

Well, today they were back. I say 'they' like they were the same pair, but who knows - perhaps they were? These fine creatures were the highlight of my morning at Leam Valley - too far away and into the sun to photograph properly, but lovely to watch on this sometimes sonambulent patch of water.

In fact there was a positive party going on down there this morning, with two Mute Swans, a few Mallards and Canada Geese, four Coots, four Moorhen, a Grey Heron and various species flitting around the edges - notably Long-tailed Tits, Chiffchaffs and a Coal Tit.

Around the whole reserve, the Chiffchaffs were the only spring migrants I could find, but most of the resident species were in full song, most notably three Song Thrushes and a goodly number of Wrens. Add to this a smattering of other species including a Green Woodpecker, a pair of Jays, a few Yellowhammers and three species of finch (gold, green and 'chaf'), and you have a pleasant morning's birding with 31 species to enjoy in all. Although I couldn't get the best photos of the Goosander (a masterful understatement) I did stop for a few snaps on way round. Above are photographs of the new wetlands sign (very nice indeed), a view across the pools to Radford Semele, the Goosanders, a singing Robin, and, left, the playing fields Rookery - this year numbering 14 nests.

A crackerjack morning

A lifer, a patch first and some welcome early migrants - today was crackerjack birding in anyone's book.

It started with a trip over the county border to the lovely Oxfordshire village of Cropredy. Perhaps better known for its annual hosting of the Fairport Convention festival (at which I was a regular attendee in years gone by), Cropredy has hit the birding headlines in the last couple of weeks for its hosting of something considerably more elegant (and much quieter) - a Common Crane.

The Common Crane may be common on the continent, but it is an extreme rarity round these parts - hence the trip. It was the perfect kind of twitch for me - arrived at 8am to find one birder departing, reporting no sign of it during the last hour. I waited with two other newly arrived birders, found a Little Owl to pass the time and then, 10 minutes later, in she flew. Nearly 6ft of resplendent white, black and grey plumage, with a shape perhaps best described as a cross between a heron and an ostrich!

A stunning bird and a pleasure to watch feeding in the watery fields for the half-hour or so I was there. Fortunately, photographer-about-town Steve Seal also turned up later that morning and it is by his kind permission that I reproduce the stunning photograph above (more photographs of the Crane, plus plenty more first-class bird photography, can be found at http://steveseal.fotopic.net).

With that mission accomplished, I returned home via Napton Reservoir. I was hoping for some more early migrants to follow the ridiculously early Chiffchaff I heard there nearly three weeks ago, and I wasn't disappointed. First I found two more Chiffchaffs, singing loudly and foraging low down in the hedges around the reservoir (I don't blame them for keeping low, there was a biting east wind by this point).

Then I saw two small shapes fluttering between the Tufted Ducks, Coots, Common Gulls and Great Crested Grebes on the main water - Sand Martins. These classically early migrants were freshly arrived from East Africa, no doubt wondering in these temperatures why they had bothered!









And finally, to turn a brilliant morning into a near perfect one for me, I noticed a small wader rising from the other side of the reservoir, passing high overhead and descending into a nearby field. With its compact stubby shape, pointed wings and bizarrely long bill, this could only be a Snipe, quite a common bird wherever there is suitable habitat (ie marshy / muddy / watery land) but my first on patch. Fantastic.

My little photos above, by the way, are not (you may have noticed) of a Crane, Sand Martin or Snipe - these were too far, too fast and too high respectively (and I don't have Steve's determination and photographic skill). However, at a little feeding station by Napton Canal, I was able to take this Chaffinch and Dunnock. I like them because of the contrast with the blue boat, green post, yellow string etc - I think this makes for some unusual bird pictures.

A walk in Cubbington Wood

Today started with the brightest of March mornings, so I went for a quick walk around Cubbington Wood to look for more early signs of spring.

It was beautiful - sunny, warm, fresh after overnight rain, and totally peaceful at 8am on a Saturday morning. Birds were singing everywhere, notably the Great Tits, a Song Thrush, Yellowhammers, Dunnocks, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Skylarks and a few Robins.

I found most of the classic woodland birds I was hoping for - a Treecreeper, two Nuthatches, some Goldcrest, three Jays, a couple of Marsh Tits and a few Redwing - but surprisingly no Great Spotted Woodpecker, either seen or heard drumming.

As I left the wood, I saw a Buzzard soaring overhead. And then the sight of the morning, as three Green Woodpeckers chased each other for a few moments, landed on a tree a few metres up and watched while one of their number engaged in a spectacular display, raising and curving his wings like a bird of paradise into a dome effect around him. It only lasted for a moment, and I don't know if it was threat or courtship, but it looked amazing.

A very early bird at Napton

A singing Chiffchaff is, for me, the archetypal sound of early spring.

The distinctive 'chiff chaff chiff chaff, chiff chiff chaff' call normally starts to be heard in these parts towards the end of March and continues right through to October. Today however, I heard by first Chiffchaff call coming from the bushes alongside Napton Reservoir, a full three weeks before my previous earliest record.

It was a very pleasant surprise on a sunny but cold afternoon. The reedbed at the back of the reservoir has received a rather severe short-back-and-sides since I last visited, so there was no chance of any lingering Bitterns (one was reported there a month or so ago).

Instead there were mostly the usual suspects on the water - 30+ Tufted Ducks, 60 or more Coots, Black-headed and Common Gulls, a Mute Swan, two Little Grebes, a Pochard and a Great Crested Grebe, now just about returned to splendid breeding plumage.

A Buzzard soared overhead, along with chattering Skylarks, a large flocks of both Redwing and Fieldfare, both winter visitors who will linger for a few weeks yet.

I spotted a Lesser Spot

Hurrah and huzzah, success at last. Today I enjoyed my first ever decent, prolonged view of a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

It was, of course, at Whitacre WWT reserve, but not on the car park feeders where so many photographers (including me) line up their cars and lay in wait, trying to take its picture. After an uneventful hour watching those feeders this morning, I decided that a) I don't have the patience to be a decent bird photographer, and b) I needed to stretch my legs and pee.

So I set off around the reserve to meet both these needs. Just 300 yards into the woods I heard a call which I recognised immediately. I have heard it several times before and either not seen the bird, or seen a disappearing shape. But this time, high above my head in the leafless branches, he was there - a tiny woodpecker with a distinctive white 'ladder' up his back. This was the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - the least common of Britain's three woodpeckers and, owing to its size and chosen habitat, definitely the hardest to see.

I watched for a few minutes as he made his way along a few branches, I took a photograph so poor and blurry that I won't even bother to post it here, and then grinned like a loon for 10 minutes. Success always feels better when you've put the hours in first.

I then walked around the entire reserve, finding plenty to enjoy - a Buzzard soaring low over the pools, two pairs of Little Grebes squabbling among themselves, a lurking pair of Teal in the undergrowth - 30+ species in all. And, as usual, I lingering in the feeder hide for some photo opportunities - these are the best of today's crop.

A day at Abberton Reservoir

I took a prolonged trip around Abberton Reservoir in Essex today. When I arrived I heard that a Black-necked Grebe and several Smew had been seen the day before - suffice it to say that I didn't find them today though.

I did however have a pleasant morning's birding, including: great numbers of Goldeneye and Pochard, an Oystercather, a Red-legged Partridge, an impressive flock of 200+ Starling, a male Bullfinch, three Goosander, the Cormorant roost, two Egyptian Geese (pictured) and a Brown Hare.

And yes, I do know the latter isn't a bird. It is my favourite of our wild mammals though, and it always feels like a wonderful privilege to spend a few moments watching one.

They tend to be fast, fleeting and distant, and that is reflected in the photograph.

A Slimbridge escape

Good God - a day off. Surely a mistake, I thought, so before anyone noticed and sent more work my way I bundled the family in the car and headed to Slimbridge.

As soon as we arrived, I sneaked (snuck?) off for the obligatory birding session without the family, but quickly returned to the captive bird areas to take some photographs and generally enjoy some quality time with J and C.

I normally keep The Hornet's Nest for wildlife shots rather than captive / tame animals, but I like these enough to make an exception (only the Pochards here are wild birds).

The Draycote Gull Roost

There comes a time in a man's life when he has to face facts - ie. he doesn't know the first thing about gulls and he needs help.

Gulls are hellishly difficult birds to identify (from each other I mean - even I can tell a gull from a goldfinch, thank you). This is partly because many species are very similar, and partly because they change dramatically during their first few years - meaning that a first winter gull may look nothing like its second / third winter brother. Confused? Good, I like to share it around.

So when the opportunity arose via the Warwickbirds email group to join a group of birders watching the gulls coming in to roost at Draycote Reservoir, I eagerly seized the opportunity.

Thousands, if not tens of thousands, of gulls roost on this massive water, and among the Black-headed, Herring, Great and Lesser Black-backed and Common Gulls (all of which I can generally identify), are usually a handful of rarer birds - Mediteranean, Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls for example.

These look very similar to the more common birds, can be highly variable, and are therefore a complete mystery to me. It was as well then that many of the county's more experienced birders were on hand to help out the bewildered and dazed among us. With their help we found several Yellow-legged and Med Gulls, the former a lifer for me. Not only that, but a Stonechat put in an appearance before we had even started - a year tick from the cafe, fantastic.

So thanks to Richard for organising, Steve for the lift, and to all the other birders who attended what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable late afternoon.

Still no Lesser Spot

Back to Whitacre Heath for more photography this morning, and back for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which has been reported a few times since I dipped last weekend.

Same result again though. Some nice photos on the car park feeders, not much from the feeder hide (bar a very obliging Grey Squirrel), and dipped on the LSW. Word is definitely spreading, and today there must have been half a dozen cameras on site as I left. Nice to meet a few familiar 'cyber-faces' though.

Moved on to Kingsbury Water Park, where I've not been for ages (a year perhaps). Plenty around including loads of Lapwing, at least eight Snipe, good numbers of Wigeon, Teal and some Shoveller, Gadwall, some Goldeneyes, a Grey Wagtail, and five Buzzards displaying high over the car park.

No Lesser Spot there either.

Garden birding

Forty-eight hours of snow and cold weather brought the nation to its knees this week. It normally does.

Still, at least the cold weather means decent garden birding at last.

With the mild winter we have had to date, I've not had much in the garden apart from the House Sparrows and a lone Blackcap a few weeks back. However, the cold weather drives birds into gardens looking for food, and as ever, I was there to oblige. So, the 2007 garden list got a little boost.

Visitors in the last three days include: Starlings, House Sparrows, Collared Doves, Wood Pigeons, Redwing, Dunnock, Robin, Pied Wagtail, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Song Thrush, Blackbird and Wren.

And, as I write this update a few days later, the Blackcap reappeared for a quick photocall - most obliging.

The Whitacre Heath photographers

My first and only previous visit to Whitacre Heath was not a success. Having eventually located this small Warwickshire Wildlife Trust reserve, and negotiated both the carpark lock and a distinctly misleading map, I discovered that a) the site was largely flooded; and b) my wellingtons were in the porch at home. I left sadly, vowing one day to return.

I'm pleased to report that today was that day, and it was an altogether more successful trip. The reserve itself is very near to the Ladywalk reserve on the outskirts of Coleshill in north Warwickshire. It forms part of the Middle Tame Valley, a renowned birding hotspot in these parts. Although small, it is (please excluse the cliche) perfectly formed, with a scrape, a few pools, five hides and some splendid woodland. Its record for birds isn't perhaps quite as strong as nearby Ladywalk, but its close proximity makes it a near contender.

But perhaps it real claim to fame is its appeal for photographers. The birders who visit regularly are to be much praised for the work they put in, not only on working parties and the like, but also for the huge variety of feeders which they have brought to the site and the regular feed they provide.

The upshot is that both the carpark and the 'feeder' hide are excellent spots for bird photography, giving you close access to a number of common (and not so common) woodland birds. As a result there seem to be as many photographers there as birders, with huge 400 / 500mm telephoto lenses and £1,000+ DSLR cameras. My little FZ20 looked like a toy in comparison, but I had huge fun nevertheless, and will be back for more photography, and of course for the birding.

Sadly the famed Whitacre Lesser Spotted Woodpecker did not appear. I'll be back for him too.

In the country

A few years ago, I moved out from my smart town centre flat (sorry, I think the developer would prefer me to call it an 'apartment') and moved to the country. Not the real country you understand, just a house a couple of miles out of town from where I can see fields and trees and go for a quick walk on something other than tarmac. Today reminded me exactly why I did that.

Working from home and in need of some air, I grabbed my bins and headed out for 20 minutes. In town I would have browsed a few shops, perhaps grabbed a coffee somewhere expensive, and then returned to my computer. But from where I live today I can stroll on to fields within a minute or two.

This afternoon, within five minutes of leaving the house, I had a huge flock of perhaps 500 Starlings roaring low over my head, gathered in a tight ball and then shape-shifting as only a flock of Starlings can. When they landed in some nearby trees they made an unbelievable noise - cacophony or music depending on your taste.

Fieldfares flew by in small groups, perhaps 150 in all, and small finches and tits dashed hither and thither. As I headed back to the house I noted a small mouselike movement on an oak tree trunk - I had found my first ever Radford Semele Treecreeper.

Refreshed, with air in my lungs and mud on my wellies, I returned to my computer a happier man.

If at first...

It didn't look so good to start with at Leam Valley this morning.

A few of the usuals were about - the finches, some smallish tit flocks, a few Carrion Crows and Rooks etc - but overall I was really struggling for birds. The scrape just about summed things up - full to the brim with water, totally devoid of anything avian.

But I persevered - after all, opportunities to go birding for more than a ten-minute stroll are few and far between at the moment. And that perseverance paid off as one by one, more species were added to the morning's list.

As I headed out of the reserve and towards Offchurch Bury, I had seen just 22 species, a paltry haul (I would normally aim for 30 as a bare minimum at any time of year). But things speeded up when I got to the weir at Offchurch Bury. In among 300+ Black-headed Gulls there were nine Common Gulls. In the field with them were about 30 Canada Geese, a Pheasant, seven Mallards and and two Coots.

Overhead a Buzzard soared, and a flock of 45 Redwings scuttled by. A loud squawk heralded a passing visit from a Grey Heron and then a Cormorant, a real favourite of mine, parked itself on a tree over the weir for five minutes. So I was over 30 species before I knew it.

Flushed with success I pressed on with the walk to Offchurch. Adding a small Fieldfare flock, a Kestrel, a Mistle Thrush and a few Chaffinches and House Sparrows to my list as I went, it turned out to be a perfectly pleasant morning on the patch.

Two different places?

I rarely go birding in the same place two days running (come to think of it, at the moment I rarely go birding two days running, but that's a different story).

Today, again short of spare time, I nipped out for a second successive stroll around the Radford Seleme fields - and it could almost have been a different place.

Most notably at the top of the hill, there were no Ravens. Watching them tumbling and dancing in the high winds yesterday, I wondered if this was why they had chosen this exposed spot. Perhaps I was right - today, with no wind to play in, they had gone.

In their place came two Buzzards roving across the fields and the edge of the village, mobbed by the Carrion Crow and Jackdaws as they went.

The huge Fieldfare flock of yesterday had also moved on, leaving just a solitary bird near the bottom of the hill. And where yesterday I saw a few distant Yellowhammers, today I was surrounded by them. Various birds which I only heard yesterday came out on show today as well - several Song Thrushes, Pheasants, Dunnocks and a Wren.

All in all, for a total of three hours birding, it has been a fabulous two days with an unforgettable patch first and huge variation - showing again why regular patch work is so important.

Ravens - a new bird in town

I published my patch 'wish list' a little while ago, and in response a birder from Kenilworth wrote to tell me that he had seen double-figure counts of Ravens in recent months - surely they were on their way to me.

And how right he was. I crept out for an hour-long birding walk around Radford Semele this morning before work (yeah, still too much of that right now) and was having a fantastic time (all the regulars, including great views of a Green Woodpecker and some all-too-rare Linnets) when I suddenly saw a large black bird among the Crows and Jackdaws.

At first I thought it was a dark Buzzard, but no - it was black, with a long, heavy bill and a diamond-shaped tail - this was my first patch Raven! Within moments it had been joined by three, four, five more and soon I was watching these amazing aviators twisting, turning and playing, their feet hanging low below them, in the strong westerley winds towards the top of Crown Hill.

It was wonderful to watch, and became more amazing as more and more Ravens turned up. In the end I estimated 18, but that has to be plus or minus 5 or 6 - they were so mobile that it was impossible to be 100% sure of the number.

Another go for the Great Skua

Thought I'd make a quick dash for better views of the Great Skua at Draycote today. Fat chance.

I finally found it (thanks Dave and Richard), but only a bit closer than last time. Apparently it's now on its last legs, so that's probably it for me. A slightly bigger blob than last time, but a blob nevertheless. Back to 'proper' patch birding for me from now on, and no more of this twitching nonsense!

It's a lifer... I think!

One of the frustrations of not being able to bird of late has been watching Internet discussions postings about great birds that have come and gone across Warwickshire and nearby counties - a Wryneck near Solihull, a Bittern at Napton, Whooper Swans at Draycote blah blah blah.

So when the Great Skua at Draycote was kind enough to stay for more than a week I finally dug my bins out and headed off for a quick twitch.

Well, I found it, just. It couldn't have been more distant and I could never have found it without help, but there you go. A great big grey-brown blob in the middle of a reservoir. Can't understand what those twitchers get so worked up about sometimes!

Leam Valley - but where's winter?

After weeks and weeks without any birding at all, I got up early, wrapped up warm and... boiled.

OK, so it wasn't exactly hot at just over 1 degree C, but there just hasn't been a real bite in the air yet this year (or at least if there has I've been stuck in a heated office and missed it). Still, it was just nice to get out, even if no one told the birds I was coming, and it was cool enough to get a nice mist rising off the River Leam.

A trip round Leam Valley produced most of the regulars, including a nice number of Bullfinches (five in all), and up to five singing Song Thrushes. It was also nice to meet a fellow birder in the hide - that makes three of us who I know keep a regular (in my case currently less than regular) eye on the place.

I pressed on to Napton and found a large number of Coots (around 160), plenty of Common Gulls on the water (80 in all - they seem to be more numerous here than elsewhere in the winter months), and a Grey Wagtail - always a welcome flash of colour on a winter morning.

A pretty poor haul by normal standards, but like an ice cold beer to a thirsty man after more than a month without any birding.

Fieldfare and Sky Lark by the score

I have just enjoyed a beautiful morning walking around the fields near Radford Semele.

The hedgerows, fields and skies were full of finches, buntings, gulls, crows, thrushes and plenty more besides as a low pale sun battled to break through.

Early highlights included a Goldcrest in my garden and then a female Bullfinch and a couple of Reed Buntings not far away. At the pond I found a couple of Mallards plus a Moorhen, but it was as I started to walk up towards Crown Hill that things got very interesting indeed.

First one, then half a dozen then perhaps 50 or more Sky Lark flew over in small and not-so-small groups - at one point I counted 30 in the air at once. This would make it easily the largest Sky Lark count I have made here or indeed anywhere else.










At the bottom of the hill I had seen 19 Fieldfare fly overhead, but at the top I was confronted with in excess of 160 of them, some feeding on the ground must most flitting from tree to tree in large groups. Again, this is a pretty decent number to find at any time.

On the way back down the hill I counted perhaps a dozen Yellowhammers, a few Redwing, more than a dozen Meadow Pipits and a solitary Common Gull (a sure sign that winter is in Radford Semele).

Sparrowhawks at Leam Valley

The Sparrowhawk is a common but elusive bird of prey which relies on the element of surprise in its attack. It is principally a woodland bird (although fairly common now in gardens and parks), able to twist fast and low through the undergrowth in order to surprise its prey - not just sparrows as it happens, but any suitably sized bird. For stealth, speed and manouverability in tight spaces it is unsurpassed.

The upshot of this lifestyle is that the Sparrowhawk is rarely seen, and so generally under recorded. Which makes today's walk around Leam Valley all the more unusual, with five (yes, count them, five) separate Sparrowhawk sightings.

First one flew high over me, following the line of the River Leam. Then, as I settled down in the hide for 30 minutes or so, I witnessed an attempted attack on three Redwings (unsuccessful) followed by a slow pass over the water, probably by the same bird. Later that morning, as I walked towards Offchurch Bury weir, I witnessed two separate Sparrowhawks being mobbed by other birds (first Jackdaw, then a finch species).

Five sightings is unusual, but the fact that most of them were pretty fleeting is not! None lasted longer than 10 seconds, so these photographs are from earlier encounters - the male on the left at Brandon Marsh, the female on the right at Slimbridge.

There were plenty of other treats this morning - it was a beautiful crisp day, and most of the usual Leam Valley residents were out. These included two Green Woodpeckers, a Jay, a Kingfisher along the first section of the River Leam, two Sky Lark over Offchurch Bury fields and a Buzzard which sat motionless for 15 minutes or more opposite the hide.

I also found my first Fieldfares of the year, a flock of 40 or so along the river at Offchurch Bury Weir. Every year I forget how striking these large winter thrushes are, so every year they are a wonderful surprise.

Starlings and speed birding in Wales

A business trip to North Wales gave me the opportunity to pop in at Conwy RSPB reserve this week.

It was getting late by the time I arrived, so I set off around the reserve at some pace. The main interest was the estuary, with hundreds of Wigeon, some Redshank and Lapwing dotted about, and a Red-breasted Merganser, not a bird I see too often.

But the real highlight was the Starling roost - thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of birds pouring into the reedbeds in ever larger groups, turning in the evening light and creating beautiful shapes in the sky. A nice way to wrap up a day's work.

Barn Owls at Napton

One of the predictions from my 'wish list' post came true today (see here), with the discovery of two Barn Owls on the edge of my patch. Actually 'discovery' is stretching the truth a bit - I had a tip off. But a Barn Owl is a Barn Owl, and I'm thrilled.

It's been a beautiful day, and I had a lovely morning at Napton. The female Goosander is still there, along with many of the usual residents - a large number of Coots (c. 85), a few Tufted Ducks and plenty of Black-headed Gulls. Other birds of note included a couple of Grey Wagtail, a Cettis Warbler (heard only), a plentiful supply of thrushes included Redwing and a Song Thrush, and a field seemingly full of Sky Larks - perhaps only 6 or 8 though.

I drove next to Brandon (past a field containing perhaps 120+ Lapwing) and was pleased to find a few nice birds, albeit again nothing exceptional - plenty of Lapwing, more than 20 Common Snipe, a female Pintail and plenty of Goldcrest, including a rare opportunity to photograph a pair.

In East Marsh Hide I met two old acquaintenance, and it was one of these gents who tipped me off about the Napton Barn Owls. So back I went at 4.30pm this evening and... bingo! There they were. Beautiful pale birds, ghostlike and silent across the fields in the gathering gloom - deadly predators and yet surprisingly easy for Magpies and crows to mob and bully away, something which happened a couple of times.











These were birds I'd wanted on the patch for years, so I stood, watched and photographed until the light had all but gone. Brilliant.

Uncommon Mistle Thrushes

I saw a Mistle Thrush today, high in a tree by a churchyard as I took a lunchtime stroll in Henley-in-Arden. I did not see it well - I had no binoculars with me, and the bird was very high up - but the dry churring call was unmistakeable.

I knew it was some time since I had seen one, but I was amazed to go back through my records and find that this was my first since October 2005. Even more amazingly, the vast majority of my sightings have been while on holiday. Warwickshire sightings have been confined to fairly regular winter encounters in Henley-in-Arden, a June sighting in Long Itchington, and a solitary October sighting at Leam Valley.

Technically this is a fairly common bird, but clearly not so on my patch. They do have notably large breeding territories, so one never finds them in large densities, but I would have expected a few more local sightings over the last three years. Offchurch Bury Estate in particular should suit the species since it favours open parkland and woodland with mature fields. I shall keep my eyes open with renewed vigour for this large and powerful thrush.

On the Essex salt marshes

A wonderful Saturday spent on and near the Essex coast.

First to Abberton Reservoir, a huge body of water not far from the coast which attracts huge numbers of wintering birds. This trip saw plenty of Coot, Tufted Duck, Pochard and various gulls out on the water, as well as some Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of female Pintails. On the nearby Peninsula Trail however I found my star birds - a small flock of 17 Red-legged Partridges. Not a rare bird, but one I don't see on my patch, so these great views were a real pleasure.

Then off to the nearby Blackwater Estuary where I walked across the RSPB Old Hall Marsh reserve. This is a beautiful but desolate spot, acres of saltmarsh with traditional farmland nearby. It is also a birding paradise. Hundreds of dark-bellied Brent Geese were sweeping in off the coast, along with thousands of Wigeon. Overhead flew flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwing, with the occasional Curlew or Little Egret. I also found got great views of a Sparrowhawk, a Kingfisher and a pair of Stonechat.

55 species in all, which is no mean return for a morning's birdwatching - and I was able to add half a dozen more the following morning at Hatfield Forest. Thank you Essex.

Leave Essex alone!

Let's face it - Essex gets a rough old time.

I'm not exempt from blame in this respect, since I like an Essex girl joke as much as the next man. Particularly since J is from Harlow and I can't resist a cheap shot. I've no doubt I'm the poorer man for that.

However, since J still has family towards the north of Essex, I am a reasonably regular visitor, and I'm starting to reach the conclusion that we've all been more than a little harsh.

For a start, I'll admit it's got some towns I'm not mad keen on. But then where hasn't - I'm from Watford in the neighbouring county of Hertfordshire, and that's not going to win any beauty parades (just don't diss the football team - I'm not called Hornet for nothing). Even my beloved Warwickshire has its fair share of less desirable locations (no names, no pack drill) - but that's no reason to dislike a whole county.

What Essex has going for it is sheer scale and diversity. It's huge. As well as Harlow, Basildon, Canvey Island, Stansted Airport, the M11 and M25, it also has Hatfield Forest (authentic medieval woodland), wide open agricultural spaces, miles and miles of coastline, and fantastic saltmarshes and tidal estuary.

And, being a birder, it is the latter which really excite me! Thanks to a recommendation from Pete I've just come back from the Blackwater Estuary (Old Hall Marshes et al) where I had the most beautiful afternoon imaginable (report to follow).

On the basis of that visit, plus my Sunday morning stroll around Hatfield Forest, plus all the other adventures that can be had in this most maligned of counties, I urge you to give Essex a second chance - it'll be worth it I promise.

The gathering gloom

The drive home from work is when I most notice the onset of darker nights.

This year's warm weather has held at bay most thoughts of autumn , but last night it felt decidely autumnal as I headed home, headlights already on.

However, one of the beauties of birding is that it can be done anywhere, and pretty much at any time. Even as I drove through the gathering gloom, birds were everywhere.

As I approached the A46, half a dozen partridges flew low over the road in front of me - surely Red-legged since I've never seen any Grey Partridges anywhere near here (or anywhere else come to that). As I headed on towards the Fosse Way a huge flock of Rooks erupted into flight from Ashorne Wood. And as I got out of my car, a Robin and two Blackbirds seemed to be engaged in a shouting match near my drive.

It's these little moments and encounters that make birding a constant pleasure, not just an occasional hobby. Whether it is a Kingfisher flashing along the local stream on my lunchtime stroll, or a Green Woodpecker calling noisily in fields near my garden, there is never a day when I don't partake in, and enjoy, some sort of birdwatching.

When a plan comes together

Yesterday I wrote:

"OK, so the wind is E / SE. Perfect. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning is clear, I have permission from J to go birding (!), and I have the car. The weather forecast is good. Surely nothing can stop me now?"

Except, I realised as I opened the curtains at 6.30am this morning, a thick mist and awful visibility - which is a shame, because that's exactly what I got. Still, we patch birders are a hardy breed, so with hope in my heart I headed off on my marathon morning, planning to visit Leam Valley, Ufton Fields and then Napton Reservoir if time allowed.

Unfortunately Leam Valley did little to lift my spirits. The mist lingered throughout my visit, and there were no spectacular finds to be had. There were certainly an unusually high number of Long-tailed Tits though, a theme that was to continue at Ufton and Napton, and also a goodly number of Goldfinch, along with a couple of old favourites, a male Bullfinch and a Grey Wagtail.

I pressed on to Ufton, but found little to lighten the mood on this grey morning. The only new birds for the day were a Jay, a few Goldcrest and a Coal Tit. So far I had been out for three hours, found just 25 species, and precious little sign of autumn.

It was Napton which restored my spirits and refreshed my soul. After an unpromising walk round the north water (the smaller of the two areas of open water), I turned back to view the south water and there before me was a female Goosander. I swear it was at that very moment that the mist lifted and the sun came out. Goosanders are wonderful ducks, sleek and bright and a real winter pleasure. They breed near fast-flowing rivers in the north, and then head south to spend the winter somewhere a little warmer. They are common at nearby Draycote Reservoir, but on my patch I've only previously found them on one occasion at Leam Valley.

The Goosander on its own was sufficient to make a good morning, but it got better still. I quickly located a female Wigeon, again only my second on patch, and the first for two years. A big flock of Starlings was great to watch, but even more so when a late-migrating Hobby flew through the middle of the flock, heading resolutely south.

There were other good birds - eight Skylarks caused a commotion nearby, four Reed Buntings showed well, and three Bullfinch played in the ever-strengthening sun. The photos above are of some of the more obliging birds - a Black-headed Gull, a singing Robin (perhaps freshly arrived from Germany, who knows?), and a juvenile Great Crested Grebe, still quite young in its stripey plumage.

But for me, the highlight of the whole day was the sight and sound of nine Redwing flying overhead. These quintessential autumn migrants are newly arrived, perhaps from Scandinavia or even further north. They are neat and handsome thrushs with red underwings and a distinctive pale stripe over the eye. They can be seen throughout the winter, either feeding on berries or flying overhead, sometimes in huge flocks. Look out for them and enjoy them while you can - they were a thrill for me today, and will continue to be through the long winter months ahead.

On your marks...

OK, so the wind is E / SE. Perfect. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning is clear, I have permission from J to go birding (!), and I have the car. The weather forecast is good. Surely nothing can stop me now?

In case this doesn't make a lot of sense to you, mid October is a prime time for birdwatching, because it is migration time. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of birds are pouring down into the UK from Europe and the Arctic Circle, some rare, some not, and all either passing through on their way south or settling down here for the winter. An E / SE wind will help push them west towards Warwickshire, and I'm gonna find them.

Wish me luck.

The real Autumn Watch

Back to where it all began - Minsmere, the bird reserve in Suffolk where I did my first 'proper' birdwatching.

J and I have just returned from a lovely two-day break with plenty of good birding. Perfect weather, a nice pub in which to hunker down on Saturday night, and some good birds - 63 species in all including (and here I select a few favourites at random) Spotted Redshanks (right), Barnacle Geese, Stonechats (below left), Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers (below right), a couple of Ruff and a nice selection of woodland birds (Marsh and Willow Tits, Goldcrest, Treecreepers, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and two separate Sparrowhawk encounters).

But a real high point was following the advice of Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and particularly Simon King on BBC's Autumn Watch and getting out to see the rutting Red Deer. First thing on Sunday morning we set off into the woods, following the (somewhat scary) bellows of the rutting stags and trying to catch a glimpse. Eventually after much creeping and waiting we were rewarded with a glimpse, albeit brief, of three deer - a stag, a doe and a youngster.

Ironically it was as we returned to our car, chatting away without a care in the world, that a fine stag walked out virtually in front of us, giving us the best views of the morning. Proving yet again that there's nothing more unpredictable than wildlife.

Local migration

The first thing I noticed on my walk around the Radford Semele fields today was the effect of heavy rain - the soil was slick on the hills where the water had poured off, the roads at the bottom were covered in soil and stones, and the horse paddock had a ferocious stream running through it where previously there had been a path. Our weather certainly seems to be more extreme at the moment - a mini-drought followed by ferocious rains, combined with consistently high temperatures (this September being the warmest since records began).

The second thing I noticed was the effects of autumn migration and the onset of winter - hedgerows full of warblers, fields full of feeding finch flocks (pardon the accidental alliteration), and birds calling all over the place.

Nothing special turned up, but there was plenty to keep me interested. Of note were good views of a Blackcap and Garden Warbler (plus half a dozen calling Chiffchaffs), 40 or more Swallows at the top of Pounce Hill with good numbers of of House Martin (ready for their journeys to Africa in the coming days), a female Reed Bunting and several Skylarks singing high above.

Back to Warwickshire

I came back from holiday to discover an Osprey had been frequenting Brandon Marsh. These are lovely birds which I've only previously seen at Rutland Reservoir (they have an amazing reintroduction programme - see details here).

Of course I headed to Brandon as soon as I was able, but sadly it was not to be - I was there in the morning, and the Osprey decided to give it a miss until the afternoon. Blast. Still, it was nice to be back on local ground with a distinct autumn / winter feel to the birding.

An obliging Kingisher sat just in front of me for 10 minutes or more, and elsewhere there were 300 or more Lapwing, Teal and Shovellers, Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker, and a Green Sandpiper at Carlton hide.

A big day in Cornwall

What a fantastic break - a week with all my family in a cottage not far from Padstow in Cornwall. So what did that mean in practice?
(i) A gym, a swimming pool, a superb restaurant, luxury accomodation and general pampering;
(ii) My parents on hand for some very welcome babysitting - J and I had our first meal out together for ages and I got a full day birdwatching (of which more in a moment);
(iii) Cornwall in late September - with migration now fully underway, surely even I can something interesting.



So when the opportunity for a day out birding arose, I grabbed it with both hands. Up at 6am, dropped my brother off for his day's fishing at 6.30am, and was on the Camel Estuary by 7am.

The tide was out, but I was able to find a few waders, a Greenshank being the best. Just a short walk away were some river marshes - here I found two Little Egrets preening just a few metres from me, four or five Snipe and a Hobby squatting powerfully on a mudbank for 10 minutes or more.

I headed to the coast, and from clifftops I saw Gannets passing south, and Oystercatchers and Cormorants on the rocky shore. For the first time ever I saw a family of Dolphins arcing in and out of the water right below my feet.

It was a good day's birding, with 45 or so species chalked up, albeit nothing rare. The next day J and I walked up the other side of the Camel Estuary, adding Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit to my trip list. With a few local woodland birds near the cottage, the list headed up towards 50 - not exactly a record, but a reflection of some good varied birding in the limited amount of free time family life currently allows.

Not much birding in Yorkshire

So why did it take me three weeks to fix The Hornet's Nest anyway? Well, to be fair I was on holiday for most of the time, a week in Yorkshire followed by a week in Cornwall.

We visited a lovely part of Yorkshire, a village called Harden not far from Ilkley, Howarth and the moors. We have been here before, and there are some nice birding strolls - moors of course, plus the St Ives Estate with a particularly fine park and woodlands to enjoy.

Sadly, on this occasion there was little (ie no) time for 'real' birding. Instead we enjoyed a few family outings - to Ilkley (quiet, but a really nice place), Bolton Abbey (a beautiful spot), and the national photography, television and film museum in Bradford (go, I urge you - I love the place).

However, a birder is never off-duty, so on on our few family outings I managed to find a few decebt birds - a Dipper on the local stream, Nuthatch at Bolton Abbey, and on the St Ives Estate, more Nuthatch, a Treecreeper, plenty of Goldcrest and a tree-full of Coal Tits.

Nothing to write home about, so onwards and upwards to the main birding event, Cornwall.

You might not like me when I'm angry...

Lots of bloggers seem to spend their time in a state of perpetual fury, so although I like to keep The Hornet's Nest focused on nature and the gentler things in life, I thought I'd give it a try.

Grrrr. Grrrrrrrrrr. This is fun, I'm getting really angry now. And why? Because blogger decided to 'lose' all my template modifications and leave me with no links or features on my sidebar. No 'About the Hornet's Nest', no links to 'My favourite Blogs' and no RSS subscription - just the old basic blog. How dull.

So last night I spent three hours rebuilding the thing, not my idea of a good time (although I did get to add an email subscription service for those of you without RSS readers). I hope you've missed The Hornet's Nest, sorry for the three weeks of incomplete service, and welcome back.

I feel better for that.