Almost a Cuckoo photo

A quick trip to Brandon Marsh near Coventry this morning, partly to get a photograph of a Cuckoo.
Hmmm. I suppose technically I achieved that, but at a distance of about 150 to 200 yards. I'm not sure the resulting photograph is what I had in mind. Still, a nice morning to be out, some nice birds around, plenty of chatty people to brighten up the morning, and a top-notch cooked breakfast.

Garden birding

While my morning's birding (see The Cubbington Triangle below) was a little lacklustre, my garden birding has surpassed all expectations since moving to this house nearly five years ago.

I mention this now because while gardening this afternoon I not only heard a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker - my first for ages - but also enjoyed the spectacular sight and sound of two Ravens flying low over the garden, calling as they went. These were the first Ravens I have seen in the area since the spectacular occasion some months back when more than a dozen of them gathered on a nearby hill.

This takes my garden list to 46 - 35 in the garden, eight flyovers, and three heard only (Green Woodpecker, Cuckoo and Skylark). Highlights (apart from those three birds) include several Sparrowhawks, a female Pheasant, a fairly regular Hobby high overhead, a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders, regular Mallards and a Grey Heron (my pond, while created to attract nature, is both small and relatively new), and a collection of warblers including Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap (a regular winter visitor).

While not small, the garden is certainly no more than a regular suburban size, with about half given over 'to nature' - a pond, longer grass, feeders etc. All in all I'm pretty chuffed with the results - you can add hedgehogs, smooth newts, frogs and toads to the list, plus stuff I'm sure I never see. I'll be intrigued to see what birds take me to 50!

The Cubbington Triangle

I headed to the northern end of my patch today - the walk from Weston-under-Wetherley to Cubbington and back, via Cubbington Woods and the surrounding farmland.

This is a lovely walk, mostly on permissive paths and land which is sympathetically managed for nature by the local farm owner. It was a lovely way to spend a bright and breezy May morning, even if the birding was curiously lacklustre.

Most of the usual birds were on show, but not in huge numbers. Swallows swooped and Skylarks trilled, with a few Yellowhammer, Linnet and Whitethroat to keep me company as I followed the hedgerows. The woods were quiet, with only Wrens and Chaffinches really calling. I scanned in vain for the Spotted Flycatchers which were the highlight of the area in previous years, but had to settle for a few Blackcaps and a nice view of a singing Garden Warbler. Ho hum, c'est la birding vie.

Warbling

After a few weeks of mega rarities across the Midlands (while I wasn't able to get out) the natural order is restored and the birding has become that little bit more predictable (yup, you guessed it - now I'm back).

Feeling a little lazy, I chose to go to Brandon Marsh this morning (it is quite close to home, not too far a walk round, and has a tearoom serving great cooked breakfasts).

As far as I could tell there was nothing particularly out-of-the-ordinary to find, but it was still a lovely morning and I thoroughly enjoyed myself - it was my first lengthy trip to Brandon for what seems like ages.

There were warblers calling everywhere - Blackcaps; Chiffchaffs Whitethroat; Willow, Reed, Garden and Sedge Warblers were all in glorious effect. I was hoping for a cuckoo photo, but although one showed briefly and distantly, there was no hope of a picture. Instead I was pleased to get this Sedge Warbler shot, my first of this distinctive and noisy warbler.

Other highlights included: a massive influx of Swifts, now well and truly returned; a pair of Oystercatchers looking after a brood of four chicks; the Common Terns and Lapwings on East Marsh Pool; and great views of a Garden Warbler on East Marsh track (I tend to hear a great many more of these than I ever see).

Hare today...

I spent a couple of early hours at the southern end of my walkable patch this morning - the fields and farmland around Radford Semele.

There was plenty of wildlife to complement the woodland and riverside birding I did yesterday at Leam Valley. Yellowhammer were much in evidence, cock birds sitting high on hedgerows and singing lustily. A Willow Warbler joined in from a patch of woodland near the village, and the well-hidden village pond harboured a Grey Heron, Moorhen and two Mallards.

Further out from the village I was delighted to find four Lapwings flying about. Although they are relatively common in local farm fields during the winter months, they are getting scarce across the county as a breeding bird. A lot of work has gone into encouraging farmers to operate in a manner that is helpful to birds like Lapwings, so who knows - perhaps this is a sign of better things to come.

A Buzzard patrolled overhead, a Kestrel scoured the hedgerow edges for prey, and high over them both were a good number of trilling Skylarks.

There were plenty of other birds on show, including some favourites like Whitethroat, a Green Woodpecker, and the recently arrived Swallows. But the final words goes to the mammals, perhaps fittingly after yesterday's fox and muncjac deer sightings.

As I returned home along the main farm track, three 'lumps' in a ploughed field turned out to be Brown Hares, and I was able to spend a good 15 minutes watching two males sparring over a female. She was clearly, and submissively, in the 'possession' of one of the males, a situation not entirely accepted by the other. Sadly for him his repeated attacks had got him nowhere near her - I left him regaining his breath and considering fresh strategies.

The photo is not, you may have noticed, of a hare in a ploughed field. Correct. This, as they say, is one I took earlier. In fact, it's perhaps worth saying that I had no camera with me for the whole weekend - something I wasn't much looking forward to. However, I think it did free me up to be a more acute observer - so if you're a birdwatcher reading this and in the habit of taking your camera everywhere (as I am), why not leave it at home every now and again - you might be surprised how it changes your birding experience (PS. I'm taking no responsibility if an incredibly rare bird perches photogenically in front of you on that day).

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.