22/2/10

Ventured to the very edge of Greater Wigan today with Mr Thorpe (jnr):

Gigrin Farm (and nature trail):

The Black Kite, which showed very well on two seperate occasions
c150 Red Kite (including the leucistic individual)
22+ Buzzard
c20 Raven
1 Sparrowhawk
many Carrion Crows & Rooks
2 Grey Heron
1 Fieldfare
1 Bullfinch (m)
2 Mistle Thrush
4 Pied Wagtail

We graced the Tower Hide, and paid £15 each for the privilege.......


Caban Coch Reservoir:

1 Red Kite
2 Great Tit
2 Blue Tit

I was there yesterday as well, we had booked 2 places on the other photographic hide - only to be told on arrival it was full - not impressed! We decided against going in the Tower Hide due to the weather, hadn't realised how exposed it was so good decision from that point of view. However normal hides, although the one we chose was empty, are not too good for photography due to narrow windows and to a degree positioning. Nevertheless it was wonderful to say the least, some spectacle, great to get the 'white' one and black kite. Next time Tower Hide though. Wasn't too happy about the snow and resultant road conditions on the return journey, happily only for a short distance.

Called in at the Shropshire Meres on the way through, no good due to fog and Ellesmere and Hanmer being frozen still.

Phil

Took half a days leave today and detoured to Gigrin, got close to turning back with all the snow between Bristol and Gigrin but really glad I persevered.

Decided to try the Tower hide having found it tricky to see incoming birds on my last visit - well worth the money but completely open bar some shelter at the back - which made it a bit chilly in the snow showers! Was also the only person in the Tower so plenty of time to spot the birds as they flew in - total included:

Appx 150+ Red Kites
1 Leutistic Red Kite
8 Buzzards - one very light on the front
Lots of crows
12+ Ravens
1 nervous starling
6 Pied Wags which flew out into the feeding field in quiet spells

and the star bird for me the Black Kite

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on how to pick it out - being able to see everything from the Tower it was quite easy to spot with its colouration, straight tail and it did seem slightly stockier looking. I did do a couple of double takes at immature Red Kites at the start as they were similarly coloured on first glance. The Black Kite visited twice in the hour and a half that I was there - first time for ten minutes just after the meat had been put down and then there was a second wave of feeding after all the other visitors had left at about 2.50pm when it returned as did the Leutistic which had hung back on the first wave. As I left about 3.10 a third wave of feeding seemed to be starting. Shame most people missed two thirds of the spectacle!

It was grey and cold today but the time flew by and if anyone else is going I really recommend the Tower Hide for brilliant views - there are also two new hides going up of the same construction, so weekends should be easier for anyone wanting to photograph.

Paul is right. Although it was a weekend, and therefore there were plenty of, shall we say, very part-time birders there, there was somebody in the hide who knew what he was looking at, and called where it was and what it was doing. Being somewhat deaf, my wife relayed the instructions to me and I was very quickly on to it. I would say one thing about the tail fork - it is not as noticeable in Red Kites when they are diving and manoueuvring close to the ground - don't rely on it alone to get you on to the Black Kite.
But as Ian says, it is distinctive once you pick it out.

Good luck!

Every time the bird came anywhere near the hide, several people shouted out where it was, so it was pretty easy to get onto. Trying to get on it with the camera wasn't as easy, but spotting it with the naked eye was pretty straightforward - the bird does look very different from the Red Kites.

Cheers Ian, useful thing that "out of county" gallery

Main thing would appear to be lack of a forked tail, generally darker appearance and from some other videos I've seen now: relative size. I'll just have to give it a go! Cheers, Peter

Pete, you could do worse than checking out Paul Wilson's photos of the bird on the out-of-county gallery on the Manchester Birding website. You might well then appreciate just how distinctive this bird is

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 15th of February 2010 10:55:37 PM

Richard, a question if I may: I might be able to get there soon - is the Black Kite easy to pick out - I've been before and remember a swirling mass of birds! Thanks in anticipation, Peter

Just to say that I was at Gigrin on Saturday 13th Feb and the Black Kite, in pristine plumage, put on a stunning performance, picking up meat scraps that were consumed on the wing, meanwhile flying in circles around the feeding area. As a former air traffic controller was much impressed by the density of traffic, and lack of collisions, although one Raven was much startled by a Red Kite dropping through his level, coming from above and behind.

If you haven't yet been for the Black Kite but are tempted, I can recommend it.

-- Edited by richard howells 2 on Tuesday 16th of February 2010 12:23:47 PM

Many happy returns, Mel

Visited Gigrin Farm today with Warfy and Cliffy

On the way we easily counted 23 Buzzards,Simon pulled into a small layby as we had plenty of time and we (well me ) spotted our first Red Kite gliding over our car.

Fuelling our thirst for more we headed to Rhayader and approximately a mile from there, out of the car we watched four Buzzards circling and a surprise appearance from a male Goshawk!!

Gobsmacked we watched this fantastic bird, who gave us time to get the scope on it, he then flew over some trees where we picked it up again before it disappeared again over the hills.
Although our time was brief the quality was excellent

At Gigrin the 'show' had begun well before 2 when the birds were being fed, up to 300 Red Kites showed up, a staggering amount and considering these birds were swooping and flying around each other, none collided and there were very few skirmishes. The twenty Buzzards had a hard time, trying to gorge and duck from being mobbed by the Kites. There were plenty of Raven also adding to the other Corvids and a handful of Heron arrived to snatch what they could.

The star attraction easily though was the Black Kite (L)...a stunning Kite deserving all he attention he got. Our view of this magnificent bird took us to within 30ft...we couldn't have been happier.

Graceful, subtle and extremely hypnotising this beautiful bird had Simon and Paul following it's every movement, pausing momentarily to see a Brambling at the hide by the farm shop.
Another lifer was, a Leucistic Red Kite wonderful and easy to see...........you'd think amongst all them red 'uns.

Just before we left, the Black Kite was gliding away from the many other birds and 'owning' the skies above the car park....time for us to gorge on the view!! No-one could get enough or had had enough...but home beckoned


On our way back, eagle-eyed Cliffy spotted some swans they were soon id'd as Whooper's...approx' twenty or so.

All in all l can honestly say l had a great 'bird-day'....(ahem...daft joke as it's my birthday).....x

-- Edited by Melanie Beckford on Sunday 17th of January 2010 10:29:45 PM

Up to 70 ish Med Gulls in Flocks at Llanon, south of Aberystwyth. In various ages and moult. There were some superb adult summer plumaged birds there when we popped down. Wader passage is well under way. Red Kited everywhere as you can imagine. Several over our house everyday and the feeding station nearby gets well over 100 birds. In winter, this increases to around 200!! The numbers of Buzzards are on the increase too. a couple of nests near us are certainly fledging a few jusdging by the noises coming form there. All te usual Welsh woodland species around and fingers crossed for next year for Osprey breeding success at the Osprey project on the river Dyfi. As I type, there is an adult male and juv Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders, along with a million blue and great tit fledglings, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Dunnock and Nuthatches on the feeders in the garden!