HIWWT Blashford Lakes :: 20 January 2019

Today we dropped our eldest daughter at SEASON, the Exclusive Cookery School located in a converted well house within the grounds of Lainston House Hotel.

We then continued on to Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve - I'd scanned potential birding sights earlier in the week. The Blashford Lakes reserve used to be a series of gravel pits until it was developed. The woodlands, lakes and grasslands at Blashford attract a plethora of wild birds and I decided well worth a look. With six bird hides and 8km of rolled gravel paths it probably won't be the last time either.

We left the car in the main car park and walked round to the Tern Hide. Having never been there it was good to find some maps of the reserve in handouts. A large flock of linnets fed on the water's edge. It was absolutely freezing and so we didn't stay in the hide for long. After I left I heard two guys talking and it appears there was a lesser scaup on the very far edge - not visible with our bins though.

We continued round to the Education Centre and Charlotte decided to stop and have a cuppa before pushing on. I decided to go on to the Woodland Hide to see what they were getting on their feeders; best birds were nuthatches and a small flock of siskins.

No sign of Charlotte so I continued on to Ivy South Hide. As I set out two blokes said there were some goosander here and a yellow browed warbler, if I could find it. I stopped off at the hide, picked up what I could and stepped out hoping for the YBW. Three guys were pacing on the far side so I made my way over. Talking to one he said that it had shown an hour earlier but only for 10 seconds and it was high in the trees - not looking good. I strolled to and fro for around 10 minutes, and then Charlotte arrived. She told me that she had stopped off at the Ivy North Hide and had views of a bittern, although not in the open and only really visible with a scope - damn.

Not two minutes later I saw a bird that looked a likely candidate for LBW; before I could get the camera on it, it flew off towards the trees on the edge of the water. I kept an eye on this area and just a few minutes later spotted it making its way back over. A couple of photos and I could see it was the target bird. As others arrived I pointed them to the spot where the bird had been and left them in hopeful mood.

We headed back toward the Ivy North Hide but before we reached it, we spotted a water rail reasonably well in the open, feeding. Good views! Into the hide and we didn't manage to spot the bittern but had more views of water rail.

Returning to the Education Centre for lunch, we heard some noisy greater spotted woodpeckers chasing one another and as we stopped to watch, a treecreeper ascended a tree ahead.

Sightings today (39) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, chaffinch, coal tit, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, goldeneye, goosander, great crested grebe, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, grey heron, linnet, little egret, little grebe, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, mute swan, nuthatch, pheasant, pochard, reed bunting, robin, shelduck, siskin, song thrush, treecreeper, tufted duck, water rail, wigeon, woodpigeon, wren and yellow-browed warbler.

Seamill & West Kilbride :: 02 January 2019

Our festive trip to see the folks up in Ayrshire allowed me to indulge in a spot of birdwatching, mostly from the beach outside our hotel. Unfortunately sunrise is 30 minutes later than back in Banbury, and sunset 10 minutes earlier. So heading out before breakfast resulted in very poor light and very high ISO to get any shot.

Firstly, I hoped to pick up the dippers in the burn beside the hotel wall. Nothing doing. In the seaweed there were two meadow pipit and beyond were numbers of wigeon, teal and herring gull.

As I walked on I had a flypast from a drake red-breasted merganser and a few seals bobbed close to shore. A pipit flew left to right and I took a photo, assuming it was a rock pipit - reviewing later it turned out to be water pipit.

Pairs of eider cruised well offshore, joined by cormorants - none that showed as shag. At the point I saw a handful of redshank which drew me to three turnstone feeding nearby. I was just admiring them when I noticed an intruder to the party - on closer inspection (ISO 5000) it was a purple sandpiper [#38] - never managed to find one of these before.

Time to get back and join the rest of the family.

The next morning Eilidh had a hair appointment in the next village (Fairlie) and as we entered the village we could see a number of birds on the shore - ducks and some small waders. Having dropped off Eilidh I headed back to the car park at the point, and parked up. Gulls dominated at the point but redshank fed in several groups, wigeon glided on the water, accompanied by several teal and a single shelduck. A single little egret fed at the end of the burn.

One wader caught my eye, being larger than the numbers of redshank. I managed to get a bit closer and found it was a greenshank [#42].

Back round to the car and I added curlew [#43]. As I tried to get in position for a photo, and to the brow of the hill, I saw the red-breasted merganser again. Much better view this time.

Sightings totalled 32: black-headed gull, blackbird, buzzard, common gull, cormorant, curlew, dunnock, eider, great black-backed gull, greenshank, grey wagtail, herring gull, house sparrow, jackdaw, kestrel, little egret, meadow pipit, mute swan, oystercatcher, pied wagtail, purple sandpiper, red-breasted merganser, redshank, robin, rock dove / feral pigeon, shelduck, teal, turnstone, water pipit, wigeon, woodpigeon and wren.

WkWT Brandon Marsh :: 31 December 2018

Last day of the year and Charlotte suggested we go out again for a spot of birding, and some fresh air. There were reports of the caspian gull again at Brandon Marsh, plus a common scoter yesterday, so we decided to go there for lunch and then a quick circuit.

As we approached the Wright Hide we saw a small flock in the tops of the alder trees; a mix of siskin and lesser redpoll (#151). They soon moved off and back towards the Visitor Centre. We then dropped into the hide and after a brief scan found the caspian gull (#152). There were fewer greylag geese on the water today but a few more black-headed gulls. Not much else out there that was different.

I couldn't make out the caspian gull from the East Marsh Hide but did get a brief view of a water rail as it crossed the narrow channel to the left of the hide.

Back at the Visitors Centre we watched great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and an array of tits feed from the various stations. We were also treated with a jay passing through.

Sightings today (38) were: black-headed gull, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, caspian gull, chaffinch, common gull, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, great black-backed gull, great spotted woodpecker, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, herring gull, jay, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, lesser redpoll, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, nuthatch, pied wagtail, reed bunting, robin, shoveler, siskin, teal, tufted duck, water rail, wigeon, willow tit, woodpigeon and wren.

WkWT Brandon Marsh :: 29 December 2018

Needing one more species to progress to 150 on my year list, I read with interest that a drake smew had been spotted at WkWT Brandon Marsh yesterday. It was reported to have still been present at dusk and so I left home to arrive at first light.

When I got to Swallow Pool there were a couple of people already running circuits but there was no sign of the smew - another curse for Saturday morning birding. The bird wasn't located all morning and appears to have moved under cover of darkness. While running my own circuits I did manage to find centi's warbler (#150) and so not all lost, although I could find any redpoll either; I did disturb a small flock of likely candidates but they flew off against the grey sky and I didn't manage any ID.

I spent the rest of my time in the East Marsh Hide but didn't see anything of consequence and the bittern didn't show, despite recent performances for massed crowds.

Sightings (33) were: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, cetti's warbler, chaffinch, coal tit, common gull, coot, cormorant, dunnock, great black-backed gull, great tit, grey heron, greylag goose, lapwing, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, reed bunting, robin, shelduck, shoveler, starling, teal, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, willow tit, woodpigeon and wren.

Pitsford Water :: 28 December 2018

It has been about six weeks since I last got out and so I thought I'd try for a couple of year ticks. There had been some sightings at Pitsford Water and so I thought I'd head there. Charlotte decided to tag along for the fresh air (and the offer of lunch).

We stopped in Brixworth at The Coach & Horses for lunch - the BLT baguette came with so many chips and salad that Charlotte didn't manage to finish it all.

Back at the reservoir we put on our walking boot and both commented on how cold it was, despite the 9°C outside temperature displayed on the car. The lapwings were spooked by our passing and a small flock of about 40 rose and flew out across the water. Some goldeneye joined the wigeon and teal out on the water. Not far on, we came across the group of 11 whooper swans; two juveniles. As we reached the feeders at the end of the gated road we found numbers of chattering tree sparrows. They were joined by reed bunting, blue/great/coal tits and a couple of blackbirds. On the fringe of the reeds was a single female stonechat.

When we got to the Bird Club Hide we scanned to see what lay amongst the numbers of ducks and wildfowl on the water. Amongst the teal, wigeon and pochard was a female scaup (#149). Behind this we picked out 5 drake red crested pochard, plus four females - there may have been more. We also saw just the single great white egret.

Heading round to the Scaldwell Hide we picked out a pair of goldcrest, followed by a pair of treecreepers. At the hide we didn't spot anything new, other than a distant large gull which we couldn't be sure of the ID with just bins.

To finish, we walked both sides of the causeway, spooking the lapwing again but this time considerably more than 100 of them.

Just one more this year and I'll be happy.

Sightings (35) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, canada goose, carrion crow, coal tit, common gull, coot, cormorant, fieldfare, gadwall, goldcrest, goldeneye, great crested grebe, great tit, great white egret, lapwing, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, red-crested pochard, reed bunting, rook, scaup, shoveler, stonechat, teal, tree sparrow, treecreeper, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, woodpigeon and wren.

WkWT Brandon Marsh :: 17 November 2018

So, having failed with the pintail at Pitsford Water and having seen that there was one at WkWT Brandon Marsh, Saturday afternoon's outing was sorted. A quick lunch before we headed out meant we could get straight onto the reserve.

Only having around 2½ hours to play with we headed out to East Marsh pool, stopping first at the Baldwin Hide. There we a few people in residence - they had been watching three whooper swans and a single black swan. The whooper swans were resting just to the right of the scrape and apparently hadn't moved all morning. Initially the black swan was feeding near the bank, past the Wright Hide, then it decided to have a nap too.

Quite a number of moorhen out on the scrape and around the perimeter of the East Marsh, not so many coot. Growing numbers of teal and wigeon were largely outnumbered by a significant greylag goose presence. A pair of little grebe fed on the far bank to the left of the Baldwin Hide.

On to the East Marsh Hide and as soon as we sat down we could see the pintail [#148], working right and soon out of view behind reeds. It eventually showed again working left until it again disappeared from view.

We wandered round past Carlton (nothing to see again) and into the Ted Jury Hide. As we talked with the other occupant, a sparrowhawk flew over and out low across the reeds. A single moorhen, and two trees full of woodpigeons were all that we found.

From the visitor centre we added great spotted woodpecker and willow tit. A nice hot chocolate and coffee in a crowded tea room was accompanied by a shared banana and toffee muffin.

Sightings (37) included: black-headed gull, blackbird, blue tit, carrion crow, chaffinch, common gull, coot, cormorant, dunnock, gadwall, great black-backed gull, great spotted woodpecker, grey heron, greylag goose, herring gull, kingfisher, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, little grebe, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pintail, reed bunting, robin, shoveler, sparrowhawk, starling, stock dove, teal, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, willow tit, woodpigeon and wren.

Pitsford Water :: 03 November 2018

A flock of c30 goldfinches, viewed from the upstairs "office", enticed me out today. Charlotte was off to play tennis in the afternoon so we grabbed an early lunch an parted, me to Pitsford Water in Northants, Charlotte to Charlbury in Oxfordshire.

The car park at the far end of the causeway displayed a notice indicating that the gates would be shut at 4.30pm and so I opted to park on the verge up the hill. I dropped down to the causeway and onto the northern circuit. Lots of wildfowl on the water with wigeon and numbers of teal, gadwall and pochard; there seemed to be quite a large count of pochard compared to my usual expectation. From here I also added a single yellow-legged gull.

I started round and as I went I picked up what I think are my first goldeneye of the winter. Across the water were four great white egrets. Large numbers of cormorant rested on the opposite bank. I scanned the swans, only to find the few dozen I could see from this point were all mute.

As I passed the first hide I had a small flock of tree sparrow [#146] in the bushes on the waters edge, opposite the gated road where the feeders are usually situated. I couldn't see any sign of feeders in place but a small flock of c10 collared dove landed in the big tree beyond the gate; a couple made there way onto the lane. Soon after I had great spotted woodpecker over.

I reached the next hide and from here could see the whooper swans [#147] up at the most northerly point.

On to the next hide and I was able to get a better view of 11 whooper swans, two first winter, feeding in Scaldwell Bay. A great white egret had relocated and was stalking the water to my right. The numbers of coot had increased from only a handful further back, to dozens here. Two moorhen worked their way passed from south to north.

Time to head back and only a lone yellowhammer to add until I reached the road. A short walk over the causeway added little egret and c50 golden plover over the water.

Didn't manage to pick out the pintail ducks reported the previous day. Annoying as they are probably still around.

Sightings (36) included: black-headed gull, blue tit, Canada goose, carrion crow, collared dove, coot, cormorant, gadwall, golden plover, goldeneye, great crested grebe, great spotted woodpecker, great white egret, grey heron, greylag goose, lapwing, lesser black-backed gull, little egret, long-tailed tit, magpie, mallard, moorhen, mute swan, pheasant, pochard, rook, shoveler, starling, teal, tree sparrow, tufted duck, whooper swan, wigeon, woodpigeon, yellow-legged gull and yellowhammer.