No sign of any Wagtail this a.m. but at least 500 Hirundines over the water, unfortunately not much else of real interest(to Brian, at any rate). Cheers Ian
JasonAtkinson said
Sun May 20 12:48 AM, 2012
I think I may be right in saying the whole Blue/Grey/Black Headed Wagtail complex is as frustrating as Redpoll ssp.
Cheers Jason
Ian McKerchar said
Sun May 20 12:11 AM, 2012
paturner wrote:
Hi Ian, I agree with comments you made about the Thunberi, but does have a lot going for it as well, Helm says (sometimes has faint eyestripe, sometimes none,) I do agree it is a paler bird on the head than would like, but not all birds come so uniform as everyone would like, there must slight differences to these birds,some paler some darker, so for me eyestripe is not really an issue,as it may, or may not have one? It has the necklace of dark spots, that it says in the book, that this is a distinguish feature of this bird, only one other (Macronnyx) China, Mongolia, Southern Eastern Russia, not a lot but counts? Who am I to question the master, only ideas? Thanks for responding, lovely bird whatever it is, Please tell if its rubbish? I would still like it has a Thunberi, and someone tell me I,m wrong Please!!!!!!!!! Cheers PT
Master? Perhaps not
As I have stated, in my opinion, it is not a pure thunbergi as it clearly has elements of flava in it. There's just too many key features not right and which true thunbergi should clearly not display. The range of integration between thunbergi and flava is considerable and birds portraying mixed characteristics are common enough in that zone.
I would love it to be a pure thunbergi Peter but it isn't I'm afraid.
paturner said
Sat May 19 11:51 PM, 2012
Hi, sorry for the spelling mistakes was in a rush, Thunbergi, and anything else
paturner said
Sat May 19 11:13 PM, 2012
Hi Ian, I agree with comments you made about the Thunberi, but does have a lot going for it as well, Helm says (sometimes has faint eyestripe, sometimes none,) I do agree it is a paler bird on the head than would like, but not all birds come so uniform as everyone would like, there must slight differences to these birds,some paler some darker, so for me eyestripe is not really an issue,as it may, or may not have one? It has the necklace of dark spots, that it says in the book, that this is a distinguish feature of this bird, only one other (Macronnyx) China, Mongolia, Southern Eastern Russia, not a lot but counts? Who am I to question the master, only ideas? Thanks for responding, lovely bird whatever it is, Please tell if its rubbish? I would still like it has a Thunberi, and someone tell me I,m wrong Please!!!!!!!!! Cheers PT
Ian McKerchar said
Sat May 19 7:08 AM, 2012
Hi Peter. If you have the Helm guide then perhaps you may compare the features I noted and which are in my post below, against their description on Grey-headed Wagtail. I am keen to know how you feel these features fit into the plumage of a pure Grey-headed Wagtail? If you saw the bird well I would value your opinion on it.
paturner said
Sat May 19 6:06 AM, 2012
While reading the posts on this wagtail that dropped in at Elton, not all species of the same bird would be identical, there must be differences to each bird, if you look at Helm Identification on Pipits and Wagtails,it says supercilium lacking, but often a faint narrow one behind the eye, but does not always show? and regularly shows a necklace of dark spots, which this bird did have!!! There are many of these birds in the country right now!! so why not at Elton, I,m not an expert at this, but looks more like a Thunberi than anything else, am I talking rubbish or what, I would like to say it is, and then someone tell me I,m wrong,??????
Simon Johnson said
Thu May 17 3:52 PM, 2012
6-7.45am
No sign of the Wagtail but to be honest didnt have the time to hang around
Med Gull 1st Summer which put in 2 appearances
Whimbrel - landed on wall near pump house very close it then flew up calling to see of a Curlew which flew over it then mobbed it and basicly saw it out of the area with both birds heading north
Full count of warblers 3 Reed Warblers (2 Coney Green 1 Dip) Lesser Whitethroat 8 Sedge Warbler 12 Whitethroat 10 Blackcap 20+ Willow Warbler 1 Chiffchaff
20 House Martin 150 Swallow 80 Swift
brian fielding said
Wed May 16 11:31 PM, 2012
0545 till 0900 i was delighted to relocate the mystery wagtail this morning,having read up yesterday and checked loads of images,it gave me a second chance to have a good look at it.my thoughts yesterday were clearly wrong,spanish wagtail would show a very white throat patch and partial supercillium,this bird as niether of those,anyway a cracking and interesting bird, also this morning 1 female yellow wagtail 1 common sandpiper 1 pochard
Dennis atherton said
Wed May 16 9:37 PM, 2012
i managed a quick hour twitch at dinner to look for the bird and got very lucky when it flew and landed on the bushes next to the farm. Only ten feet in front if me. great stuff. a superb bird what ever it turns out to be? good find. Well done Brian.
Simon Warford said
Wed May 16 7:29 PM, 2012
Early this morning, Brian had located the interesting "wagtail" just as I arrived at the Pumphouse just after 7am. It showed quite nicely on the wall loosely associating with a female Yellow Wagtail. On views obtained im 99% confident it is a Grey-headed Wagtail, full yellow throat and uniform grey head although not massively dark. Unfortunately I left my battery for my camera at home so couldnt get a photo - nice bird though. Its mobile and getting into the highland cattle field behind Old Hall Farm.
Ian McKerchar said
Wed May 16 2:25 PM, 2012
The wagtail showed well today around midday along the reservoir wall just beyond Old Hall Farm.
A cracking bird, I'm afraid I'm not quite sure fits the Grey-headed Wagtail ideal in my opinion. The main stumbling points for it being a pure thunbergi are it's faint pale supercilium running from the bill to the rear of the eye; rather pale forehead and ear coverts (I'd perhaps expected them to be slightly darker grey than the rest of the head and more similar to the very dark lores); narrow cresent of white below the eye on the eyering, short and not along the full length of the eyering but there all the same; and what appeared on one side of the bird at least to be a very faint paler area underneath the eye on the centre of the ear coverts.
So what is it? A hybrid Grey-headed (thunbergi) x Blue-headed (flava) Wagtail seems perhaps likely but there were some excellent images taken whilst I was there and they may well shed more light on the subject.
I'm more than happy to be proven wrong as it would be great for it to be a true Grey-headed but either way, it's a genuinely cracking looking bird and well worth a look.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 02:44:12 PM
brian fielding said
Tue May 15 7:00 PM, 2012
no further sign of possible spanish wagtail at elton up to aprox 1030, but could easily be in any of the fields around crow trees farm/capsticks or withins, info from ian peters.i found this bird at aprox 0755,on the side of the res between the pumphouse and old hall farm,when i first saw the bird,bearing in mind i have never seen a blue-headed wagtail before,the blue on the head was more grey/blue than on any pictures i have seen before,no decernable eye stripe, when ian peters arrived he also felt the bird looked duller than previous flava he has seen,we checked the book,as well as the head colour the bird showed darker tertails and a distinctive dark smudge on the breast side, of course my lack of experience with this sub-species may mean that this is all within range for flava,or sum hybrid but enough there to make it possible spanish/iberiae wagtail,who said birding is easy!maybe i should invest in a good camara.ian peters who also saw the bird well is also doing some more research.
brian fielding said
Tue May 15 5:14 PM, 2012
0715 till 0930 found a blue headed wagtail nr crow trees farm, closer inspection showed characteristics of iberiae sub species, no sign after 0915,still being looked for by ian peters,more research needed but a very interesting bird to say the least.
brian fielding said
Mon May 14 7:39 PM, 2012
0700 till 1145 1 hobby, over the canal nr bridge 19 briefly 1 dipper 1 kingfisher 1 oystercatcher
Ian Boote said
Mon May 14 12:27 AM, 2012
Whimbrel on old rail track Grasshopper warbler in field same area Curlew oystercatcher over lesser whitethroat lane at capsticks Common tern Kingfishers on river Three goosanders with one duckling Loads and Loads of Blackcaps
Simon Warford said
Sun May 13 7:25 PM, 2012
This morning 7-8.40am
3 Whimbrel in amongst the sheep behind Capsticks then flew low towards Spenmoor! 3 Yellow Wagtails (2 near Old Hall Farm and 1 flew over) Lesser Whitethroat still singing away at Corran Stud Grasshopper Warbler reeling by the Creek 7 singing Sedge Warblers (only two weeks later than usual!) 1 Common Tern 200 Swift 2 Reed Warblers singing in the Dip also a Robin feeding two fledged juveniles.
Paul Wilson said
Sat May 12 11:22 AM, 2012
7.00 - 11.00 with Ian Campbell:
c150 Swift Plenty of Sand Martins and Swallows A few House Martins 1 Grasshopper Warbler showing well in scubby area near creek where it was last weekend 1 Lesser Whitethroat (creek area) 2 Common Sandpipers 1 Little Gull Raven calling Several warblers inc 5 male Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warber, 5 Whitethroats, numerous Sedge Warblers. 1 Wheatear 1 pair Mute Swans on a nest, 1 pair with Cygnets (6) and one nest with eggs but no Swans! Also heard Whimbrel call from over fields behind Capsticks but couldn't locate it.
-- Edited by Paul Wilson on Saturday 12th of May 2012 11:37:30 AM
Keith Mills said
Thu May 10 7:52 PM, 2012
5.45 to 7.30 This evening with John Parkinson, Sitings:
Grasshopper Warbler...1 reeling on low brambles out on the Marsh County Life tick for me. Sedge Warbler....1.. Capsticks Plenty Sand Martins over the reservoir ,often landing on the path just feet away. Swallows elsewhere and later 12 Swifts near the top of the Dip. Grey Heron being hassled by Corvids. Wheatear...1
-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 10th of May 2012 08:15:50 PM
brian fielding said
Wed May 9 6:59 PM, 2012
0700 till 1130 2 common tern 1 common sandpiper 6 oystercatchers
brian fielding said
Tue May 8 6:56 PM, 2012
0630 till 1115 5 whimbrel, the 4 together plus a single bird which spent about 45mins nr the creek 1 lesser whitethroat,hedge nr capsticks 1 common buzzard over 1 common tern 1 drake shoveler 1 goosander over
Simon Johnson said
Tue May 8 3:15 AM, 2012
Went looking for the 4 Whimbrel had given up hope and was heading come When a different bird came over high circled over sailing club calling before going NE
Also 100+ House Martin 300 Swallow Reeling Grasshopper warbler spenmoor and showed well from bramble patch 2 Whitethroat 2 Sedge warbler
brian fielding said
Mon May 7 7:20 PM, 2012
0645 till 1145 with the 2 ians 4 whimbrel,still around moving between the res and the pylon fields between the creek and wader point 1 peregrine,which attacked the whimbrel over the res whilst we were watching,superb! 2 common sandpiper 1 kingfisher 1 wheatear in the highland catle field 1 goosander over 1 oystercatcher
Simon Warford said
Mon May 7 3:47 AM, 2012
Lesser Whitethroat singing near Corran Stud today.
Info thanks to Peter Baron.
brian fielding said
Sun May 6 6:59 PM, 2012
0630 till 1130 1 yellow wagtail, over pumphouse 1 common sandpiper 2 wheatear 1 grasshopper warbler loads of swifts more whitethroats and sedge warblers now in.
brian fielding said
Sat May 5 9:41 PM, 2012
0600 till 0900 4 whimbrel, again on far bank and then flew into fields towards capsticks 1 female goldeneye 1 common sandpiper
brian fielding said
Fri May 4 4:39 PM, 2012
0600 till 0900 with ian campbell 4 whimbrel, landed on the far bank for aprox 5mins before flying off 1 grasshopper warbler, showing well in the marsh 1 common sandpiper 2 wheatear 3 goosander over
Ian Boote said
Thu May 3 11:12 PM, 2012
Rob Thorpe wrote:
Ian Boote wrote:
Dinner much quieter Common sandpiper 2 common terns few blackcaps
You ate all those yourself?!?
BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRP!
Rob Thorpe said
Thu May 3 8:40 PM, 2012
Ian Boote wrote:
Dinner much quieter Common sandpiper 2 common terns few blackcaps
You ate all those yourself?!?
Ian Boote said
Thu May 3 8:23 PM, 2012
Dinner much quieter Common sandpiper 2 common terns few blackcaps
brian fielding said
Thu May 3 4:26 PM, 2012
0600 till 0900 1 lesser whitethroat, in hedge nr capsticks 1 sedge warbler 1 whitethroat 3 curlew over 2 common sandpipers 1 wheatear 3 common terns 1 oystercatcher 2 pochard 1 goosander over
John Doherty said
Wed May 2 7:35 PM, 2012
Good walk around Elton today, partly with Peter Johnson and his wife (thanks for the tour and great to meet you both)
Started at the canal from Water Street (?) 1:30pm
Common Whitethroat Singing Reed Warbler/s heard in the reedy bit near the pond off the canal, Greenfinch singing. Swans with goslings, A Mallard with 13 ducklings (two completely yellow ) and several Coot families.
Reservoir, Withins and surroundings, some of the sightings with the Johnsons: - 2 Oystercatchers (over) 2 Pochards (main), 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 more Common Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, lots of Blackcaps and Willow Warbler, only 1 Chiffchaff singing, 4 Tufted Ducks, 1 Grey Heron, plenty of Reed Buntings ad Goldfinch, handful of Sand Martin and Swallows + usuals and quite a few Jackdaws.
6 Wheatears in one group (cattle field with rusting trailer in it, viewed from dip beside Withins)
Dip (near boathouse)- Little Grebe
On the canal going home saw plenty of swans, first Swift of the year over, quite a few Lapwings. Good day in all.
-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012 07:46:45 PM
Dennis atherton said
Wed May 2 7:17 PM, 2012
brian fielding wrote:
0600 till 0800 1 osprey, over heading northeast at 0715,good close view as it flew over just in front of the pumphouse 3 shelduck,landed for 10mins before heading off northeast 8 dunlin 2 common sandpiper 5 common terns 4 wheatear 2 pochard 1 peregrine 3 sedge warblers and whitethroat,info from ian peters,
Great stuff Brian, i should of got myself out out bed early, would of made a cracking photo from the pumphouse
Cheers Den
brian fielding said
Wed May 2 3:50 PM, 2012
0600 till 0800 1 osprey, over heading northeast at 0715,good close view as it flew over just in front of the pumphouse 3 shelduck,landed for 10mins before heading off northeast 8 dunlin 2 common sandpiper 5 common terns 4 wheatear 2 pochard 1 peregrine 3 sedge warblers and whitethroat,info from ian peters,
Ian McKerchar said
Wed May 2 2:59 PM, 2012
Osprey over NE at 7:15 this morning.
Info thanks to Brian Fielding
brian fielding said
Tue May 1 6:36 PM, 2012
0700 till 1100 1 little ringed plover through north 3 pochard
Simon Johnson said
Tue May 1 12:02 AM, 2012
Also
2 Gadwall on pool in field near Crow tree farm Repoll over 10+ Swift
Sedge Warbler - singing in capsticks Reed Warbler - singing at coney Green 4 Blackcap - coney Green 2 Sparrowhawk 3 Kestrel
Dennis atherton said
Mon Apr 30 8:41 PM, 2012
My first half decent find of the year, I was saying to Brian ten mins earlier as we walked round that I had a feeling today was a good day for a Black tern and that is why I made the early visit, then the next thing on the other side of the res I picked um up, excellent, sorry they did not stay around for you Keith, Dennis.
Keith Mills said
Mon Apr 30 7:38 PM, 2012
10.45am No sign of Black Terns or much else! Bumped into John Parkinson who was there before me and had also missed the Terns.He had spoken to several of the other (frustrated) Birders. John went down to find a Sedge Warbler. Kestrel...1 Willow Warbler....4 Cormorant...1
brian fielding said
Mon Apr 30 6:09 PM, 2012
0700 till 1030 2 black terns, flew off north east 2 yellow wagtails, north over pumphouse 1 merlin, north over res 2 common sandpiper 1 common tern 3 pochard simon johnson also had another yellow wagtail, wheatear, sedge and reed warbler. 12 birders on the res today!
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Apr 30 2:49 PM, 2012
3 Black Terns present this morning.
Info thanks to Simon Warford and Brian Fielding.
Ian Campbell said
Sun Apr 29 10:28 PM, 2012
Early a.m. with Brian Fielding, not sure why we bothered in the cold, wind and rain, for 1 Oystercatcher and 2 Goosander Cheers Ian
Ian Boote said
Sat Apr 28 5:12 PM, 2012
2 House Martins, 1 Swift, Jay, 2 Blackcap, Kestrel, sparrowhawk, 2 Meadow pipit, and Grasshopper Warbler heard three times seen once but gone on return visit some one was burning rubbish all on north bank of res Willow Warbler Chiffchaff Skylark Very windy with squalls 10-2
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:13:28 PM
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:14:14 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:33:23 PM
brian fielding said
Sat Apr 28 2:52 PM, 2012
0615 till 0915 1 whimbrel, sat on wall nr pumphouse until flushed off by a dog walker at 0650 1 wheatear also on wall 1 buzzard over 30+swifts moving through
-- Edited by brian fielding on Saturday 28th of April 2012 02:52:38 PM
Dennis atherton said
Fri Apr 27 8:06 PM, 2012
this evening in the rain to see if the rain brought anything down,
high numbers of swallows and sand martins, 30 ish house martins, of note was 40 ish swift high above the res, 4 pochard 3m 1f, i shoveler m, singing willow warblers and chiffchaff but no other warblers found, lots of reed buntings, 1 skylark below withins, peregrine falcon at 7pm sat on center pylon with flat top with prey for 30 mins plucking away, 1 common sandpiper near wader point, no excitng gulls or terns tonight
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 27th of April 2012 08:16:34 PM
Simon Warford said
Fri Apr 27 6:59 PM, 2012
A Whimbrel was on the waters edge stood on the grass near the first pylon but I accidently flushed it and it flew off north-west calling at 7.25am, also 3 Swift and 4 Pochard present. Still no Sedge Warblers and we're nearly in May.
Simon Warford said
Fri Apr 27 2:03 AM, 2012
7 Swifts over the pumphouse at 5pm, no sign of any Little Gulls or Terns as was the case first thing this morning. Probably 600+ hirrundines feeding over the reservoir included at least 40 House Martin.
brian fielding said
Thu Apr 26 10:55 PM, 2012
1345 till 1515 2 little gulls, second bird, an adult came in at aprox 1500 1 little ringed plover, through north 1 common tern 1 peregrine on pylon loads of hirundines, someone had a swift through before i arrived but none for me so far
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Apr 26 9:13 PM, 2012
Single Little Gull present at 2:10pm today.
Info thanks to Brian Fielding
Simon Warford said
Thu Apr 26 2:15 AM, 2012
Early morning, 2 Arctic Tern and a single Common Tern were present.
This evening 5pm-6.30pm zero Arctic Terns present (whats all the fuss about?) but did see a Yellow Wagtail by the pumphouse, a single Little Ringed Plover flew north-east and a single Swift over the reservoir with at least 300 Swallow and 200 Sand Martins.
Cheers Ian
Cheers
Jason
Master? Perhaps not
As I have stated, in my opinion, it is not a pure thunbergi as it clearly has elements of flava in it. There's just too many key features not right and which true thunbergi should clearly not display. The range of integration between thunbergi and flava is considerable and birds portraying mixed characteristics are common enough in that zone.
I would love it to be a pure thunbergi Peter but it isn't I'm afraid.
Thanks for responding, lovely bird whatever it is,
Please tell if its rubbish?
I would still like it has a Thunberi, and someone tell me I,m wrong Please!!!!!!!!!
Cheers PT
There are many of these birds in the country right now!! so why not at Elton, I,m not an expert at this, but looks more like a Thunberi than anything else, am I talking rubbish or what, I would like to say it is, and then someone tell me I,m wrong,??????
No sign of the Wagtail but to be honest didnt have the time to hang around
Med Gull 1st Summer which put in 2 appearances
Whimbrel - landed on wall near pump house very close it then flew up calling to see of a Curlew which flew over it then mobbed it and basicly saw it out of the area with both birds heading north
Full count of warblers
3 Reed Warblers (2 Coney Green 1 Dip)
Lesser Whitethroat
8 Sedge Warbler
12 Whitethroat
10 Blackcap
20+ Willow Warbler
1 Chiffchaff
20 House Martin
150 Swallow
80 Swift
i was delighted to relocate the mystery wagtail this morning,having read up yesterday and checked loads of images,it gave me a second chance to have a good look at it.my thoughts yesterday were clearly wrong,spanish wagtail would show a very white throat patch and partial supercillium,this bird as niether of those,anyway a cracking and interesting bird,
also this morning
1 female yellow wagtail
1 common sandpiper
1 pochard
A cracking bird, I'm afraid I'm not quite sure fits the Grey-headed Wagtail ideal in my opinion. The main stumbling points for it being a pure thunbergi are it's faint pale supercilium running from the bill to the rear of the eye; rather pale forehead and ear coverts (I'd perhaps expected them to be slightly darker grey than the rest of the head and more similar to the very dark lores); narrow cresent of white below the eye on the eyering, short and not along the full length of the eyering but there all the same; and what appeared on one side of the bird at least to be a very faint paler area underneath the eye on the centre of the ear coverts.
So what is it? A hybrid Grey-headed (thunbergi) x Blue-headed (flava) Wagtail seems perhaps likely but there were some excellent images taken whilst I was there and they may well shed more light on the subject.
I'm more than happy to be proven wrong as it would be great for it to be a true Grey-headed but either way, it's a genuinely cracking looking bird and well worth a look.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 02:44:12 PM
found a blue headed wagtail nr crow trees farm, closer inspection showed characteristics of iberiae sub species, no sign after 0915,still being looked for by ian peters,more research needed but a very interesting bird to say the least.
1 hobby, over the canal nr bridge 19 briefly
1 dipper
1 kingfisher
1 oystercatcher
Grasshopper warbler in field same area
Curlew
oystercatcher over
lesser whitethroat lane at capsticks
Common tern
Kingfishers on river
Three goosanders with one duckling
Loads and Loads of Blackcaps
3 Whimbrel in amongst the sheep behind Capsticks then flew low towards Spenmoor!
3 Yellow Wagtails (2 near Old Hall Farm and 1 flew over)
Lesser Whitethroat still singing away at Corran Stud
Grasshopper Warbler reeling by the Creek
7 singing Sedge Warblers (only two weeks later than usual!)
1 Common Tern
200 Swift
2 Reed Warblers singing in the Dip also a Robin feeding two fledged juveniles.
c150 Swift
Plenty of Sand Martins and Swallows
A few House Martins
1 Grasshopper Warbler showing well in scubby area near creek where it was last weekend
1 Lesser Whitethroat (creek area)
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Little Gull
Raven calling
Several warblers inc 5 male Blackcaps, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warber, 5 Whitethroats, numerous Sedge Warblers.
1 Wheatear
1 pair Mute Swans on a nest, 1 pair with Cygnets (6) and one nest with eggs but no Swans!
Also heard Whimbrel call from over fields behind Capsticks but couldn't locate it.
-- Edited by Paul Wilson on Saturday 12th of May 2012 11:37:30 AM
Grasshopper Warbler...1 reeling on low brambles out on the Marsh
County Life tick for me.
Sedge Warbler....1.. Capsticks
Plenty Sand Martins over the reservoir ,often landing on the path just feet away.
Swallows elsewhere and later 12 Swifts near the top of the Dip.
Grey Heron being hassled by Corvids.
Wheatear...1
-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 10th of May 2012 08:15:50 PM
2 common tern
1 common sandpiper
6 oystercatchers
5 whimbrel, the 4 together plus a single bird which spent about 45mins nr the creek
1 lesser whitethroat,hedge nr capsticks
1 common buzzard over
1 common tern
1 drake shoveler
1 goosander over
When a different bird came over high circled over sailing club calling before going NE
Also
100+ House Martin
300 Swallow
Reeling Grasshopper warbler spenmoor and showed well from bramble patch
2 Whitethroat
2 Sedge warbler
4 whimbrel,still around moving between the res and the pylon fields between the creek and wader point
1 peregrine,which attacked the whimbrel over the res whilst we were watching,superb!
2 common sandpiper
1 kingfisher
1 wheatear in the highland catle field
1 goosander over
1 oystercatcher
Info thanks to Peter Baron.
1 yellow wagtail, over pumphouse
1 common sandpiper
2 wheatear
1 grasshopper warbler
loads of swifts
more whitethroats and sedge warblers now in.
4 whimbrel, again on far bank and then flew into fields towards capsticks
1 female goldeneye
1 common sandpiper
4 whimbrel, landed on the far bank for aprox 5mins before flying off
1 grasshopper warbler, showing well in the marsh
1 common sandpiper
2 wheatear
3 goosander over
BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRP!
You ate all those yourself?!?
Common sandpiper 2 common terns few blackcaps
1 lesser whitethroat, in hedge nr capsticks
1 sedge warbler
1 whitethroat
3 curlew over
2 common sandpipers
1 wheatear
3 common terns
1 oystercatcher
2 pochard
1 goosander over
Started at the canal from Water Street (?) 1:30pm
Common Whitethroat
Singing Reed Warbler/s heard in the reedy bit near the pond off the canal, Greenfinch singing.
Swans with goslings, A Mallard with 13 ducklings (two completely yellow ) and several Coot families.
Reservoir, Withins and surroundings, some of the sightings with the Johnsons: - 2 Oystercatchers (over) 2 Pochards (main), 2 Common Sandpipers, 1 more Common Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, lots of Blackcaps and Willow Warbler, only 1 Chiffchaff singing, 4 Tufted Ducks, 1 Grey Heron, plenty of Reed Buntings ad Goldfinch, handful of Sand Martin and Swallows + usuals and quite a few Jackdaws.
6 Wheatears in one group (cattle field with rusting trailer in it, viewed from dip beside Withins)
Dip (near boathouse)- Little Grebe
On the canal going home saw plenty of swans, first Swift of the year over, quite a few Lapwings.
Good day in all.
-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012 07:46:45 PM
Great stuff Brian, i should of got myself out out bed early, would of made a cracking photo from the pumphouse
Cheers Den
1 osprey, over heading northeast at 0715,good close view as it flew over just in front of the pumphouse
3 shelduck,landed for 10mins before heading off northeast
8 dunlin
2 common sandpiper
5 common terns
4 wheatear
2 pochard
1 peregrine
3 sedge warblers and whitethroat,info from ian peters,
Info thanks to Brian Fielding
1 little ringed plover through north
3 pochard
2 Gadwall on pool in field near Crow tree farm
Repoll over
10+ Swift
Sedge Warbler - singing in capsticks
Reed Warbler - singing at coney Green
4 Blackcap - coney Green
2 Sparrowhawk
3 Kestrel
No sign of Black Terns or much else!
Bumped into John Parkinson who was there before me and had also missed the Terns.He had spoken to several of the other (frustrated) Birders.
John went down to find a Sedge Warbler.
Kestrel...1
Willow Warbler....4
Cormorant...1
2 black terns, flew off north east
2 yellow wagtails, north over pumphouse
1 merlin, north over res
2 common sandpiper
1 common tern
3 pochard
simon johnson also had another yellow wagtail, wheatear, sedge and reed warbler.
12 birders on the res today!
Info thanks to Simon Warford and Brian Fielding.
Cheers Ian
Very windy with squalls 10-2
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:13:28 PM
-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:14:14 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 28th of April 2012 05:33:23 PM
1 whimbrel, sat on wall nr pumphouse until flushed off by a dog walker at 0650
1 wheatear also on wall
1 buzzard over
30+swifts moving through
-- Edited by brian fielding on Saturday 28th of April 2012 02:52:38 PM
high numbers of swallows and sand martins, 30 ish house martins, of note was 40 ish swift high above the res, 4 pochard 3m 1f, i shoveler m, singing willow warblers and chiffchaff but no other warblers found, lots of reed buntings, 1 skylark below withins, peregrine falcon at 7pm sat on center pylon with flat top with prey for 30 mins plucking away, 1 common sandpiper near wader point, no excitng gulls or terns tonight
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 27th of April 2012 08:16:34 PM
2 little gulls, second bird, an adult came in at aprox 1500
1 little ringed plover, through north
1 common tern
1 peregrine on pylon
loads of hirundines, someone had a swift through before i arrived but none for me so far
Info thanks to Brian Fielding
This evening 5pm-6.30pm zero Arctic Terns present (whats all the fuss about?) but did see a Yellow Wagtail by the pumphouse, a single Little Ringed Plover flew north-east and a single Swift over the reservoir with at least 300 Swallow and 200 Sand Martins.
Flipping freezing by the pumphouse!