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.