Black-winged Stilt & Bempton

Sunday 15^th April 2012

Not such an early start today as at 5.00am we set off for Willow Tree Fen, near Spalding, Lincolnshire. The SATNAV took us down small lanes but eventually got us there, a surprise being that no one else was at the reserve. With a black-winged stilt on offer this rather surprised us, especially as you could see the bird albeit distantly from the car park.

Wanting closer views we walked into the cold northerly towards the distant hides. Birds were few in number with just one swallow and one chiff seen as well as a few meadow pipits [no water pipits Beardy], gulls and ducks.

Eventually we reached the hide we thought the stilt was in front of but no views of it when opening the shutters. It was on the other side of a stretch of phraggy, tucked up against them to shelter from the wind and feed along the edge of the water found there. It did give some close views but was mostly hidden so back to the car.

A Lifer for Chatty UTB and yet another good year tick bird, Olly Clam suggested Bempton RSPB reserve with its seabird massed chalky cliffs so off we set.

Now you may not know it but the same Clam has got a thing for bridges so we had to go over the 5^th biggest suspension bridge in the world, The Humber Bridge. The toll for it had just been reduced from £3.00 to £1.50 so a bargain for Olly.

Bempton with a strong, cold north wind in your face was bracing and fresh but exciting with gannets and auks and kittiwakes by the thousand. Surely this RSPB reserve must be in every birders top ten as one gets so close to the birds; well they come close to you as they glide along at eye level at times seemingly close enough to touch. One very friendly gannet came alarmingly close!

                                                     Gordon The Gannet - our new mascot

Scanning the sea we soon added puffin to the year list and fulmar also. The cliffs had mostly kittiwakes and gannets with a few guillemots, razorbills and herring gulls. How pure are the rock/feral doves? A couple of tree sparrows were even on the cliffs.

Now Bearded Clam had seen woodlarks on Cannock Chase a few days before and in usual p*ss taking mode every skylark seen or heard was said to be a woodlark; not that Captain Clam was questioning the birding prowess of the much larger, solidly built Beardy B*stard Clam! Suffice to say that there were a few ‘woodlarks’ singing in the fields next to the cliffs.

One could see an approaching April shower and luckily we didn’t head for the centre for shelter. Instead we stood on a newly erected Gilleards [note well Upton Warren] platform looking out over a spectacular section of the cliffs. As the shower approached a fabulous rainbow appeared which being below our eye level assumed an almost circular appearance. Beautiful!

Back at the centre, after warming hot drinks and the purchase of Gordon the Gannet, our mascot to be glove puppet [see above], we watched the tree sparrows and eventually set off for Carsington Water.

On arrival at this large Derbyshire reservoir we set about searching for the great northern diver that had been there for some time. Blackcap and willow warbler were seen along the pathway to the nature centre, with more tree sparrows at the feeding station there.

Down to the south end of the dam and the bird required was found by our ever vigilant Olly Clam at some distant out over the res’; Olly Clam’s 200^th bird for the year.

A stop off at on the suggestion of Bearded Clam made that 201 with a lone corn bunting atop an oak tree, accompanied by a dozen or so yellowhammers and a pair of little owls. The nearby gravel pit had around 100 or so hirundines, mostly sand martins.

The end of yet another successful Clam Day – clamtastic!　

Clams Hit Scotland - April 2012

Friday April 6^th.

So with The Birding Clams all together snug within the car by midnight, after a circuitous route of M5, M42 and A5, the long journey north to Scotland, via the M6, began.

Jason at the helm got the sleeping Clams to Aviemore for first light and dawn was seen from the cool comfort of the quite full Osprey observation room at the RSPB’s Loch Garten. Not that ospreys were the target bird; we were here to hopefully see a big black capercaillie. The osprey sitting on the nest was a Brucie bonus.

“
You’ve just missed one,” was not welcome news and the next 2 hours were spent scanning the area around the osprey nest and to its right. Not a feather of a caper to be seen; we had started our short Scottish break with a dip.

A walk in slight drizzle through the conifers along the west side of the Loch gave views of lots of noisy great-spotted woodpeckers, chaffinches and titmice, which eventually included a very close crested tit.

 

Beautifully still, the Loch was a mirror of dappled tree and hillside reflections with a single female goldeneye rippling through it.

An adequate if rather expensive breakfast snack in Aviemore was next; the café interesting for having a number of 1922 Archibald Thorburn prints, signed by the artist, of wigeon, pintail and mallard on the wall. Then a drive up to the Cairngorm Ski Centre to catch the funicular to the snow surrounded café in order to try for ptarmigan. Not that we needed to go that far for 2 of them were walking across the snow about 2/3rds of the way up as we passed them. Still mostly white but with flecks of summer feathers coming through, they were well seen, albeit briefly due to the speed of the train, by all except poor Tom who missed them. So after a quick perusal at the top; quick because it was bitterly cold with stinging sleety rain hitting us in the face due to the strong wind, and after a look from the café, it was down again to get Tom the birds. Having failed to do so we were informed that our funicular tickets lasted all day so up again and down again but once again they weren’t to be seen. Captain Clam did see an arctic hare though.

Off to the Findhorn Valley and then over the moorlands towards the RSPB reserve at Loch Ruthven, with stops on the way to watch the close by red grouse. One cheeky male stood atop a fence post acting out a scene from a famous advert. On approaching the right turn for a loch a fabulous red kite flew low overhead. What a shame that some Scottish landowners haven’t allowed these wonderful birds to thrive. Released at the same time as the Chilterns birds, compare the numbers in each area; hundreds to a handful. Thank goodness there are no grouse in the Chilterns!

An osprey greeted us as we walked along the path towards the hide at Loch Ruthven, hunting and hovering from a great height but, not seeing anything worth a plunge, it drifted off.

Slavonian grebes next, all in superb golden cheeked summer plumage, and a winter plumaged red-throated diver seen from the hide, which had been approached via a lovely walk through the silver birch bedecked with mosses and lichens.

Raining heavily now, we booked in at Loch Morlich Scottish Youth Hostel and spent the rest of the evening eating and drinking in Aviemore. Early to bed – early to rise, the four of us snored our way through the night.

Saturday April 7^th.

Back at Loch Garten after quietly leaving the hostel at 5.00am [!], a male capercaillie was soon found atop a reasonably close short pine tree. Preening and nibbling the huge bird allowed everyone present to see it and watch it for an hour or so. Brilliant views and a lifer for some of the Clams, the scene was completed by the osprey pair coming into the nest and ensuring that a next generation of the same was at least on their minds as their mating antics were recorded on the RSPB TV cameras.

After that great start it was off to Tulloch Moor for views of yet another male bird, this time a black grouse, also quite close by and viewed through apertures in a long screen.

Goosander and dipper were seen from a long wooden bridge over the Spey and then it was up into a large conifer forest behind a quarry to look for crossbills. Now can you count as proper parrots, or even certain Scottish the crossbills on view here? A close by male gave great views as it stood on the highest twig but it didn’t call and anyway, we hadn’t got any sound recording equipment to get a sonogram.

A superb breakfast at The Merry Kettle café in Huntley, in fact excellent fettle at The Kettle with such lovely staff and a long drive to the RSPB reserve at Loch of Strathbeg. Greater yellowlegs the target bird and soon seen well after it decided that hiding amongst the sedges wasn’t going to more than a twenty minute distraction.

Yet another osprey flew over and a few barnacle geese were with a number of pink foots and greylags. Into the reserve centre for hot chocolate and tree sparrows and then off to the Ythan Estuary.

Sunny but with a cold wind, a full tide had pushed all the eider onto the opposite sand dunes, where they slept waiting for the tide to fall. The resident king eider was soon found by super speedy Olly Clam and although quite distant all features could be ascertained; yet another lifer for some of the group. Double tick days!

Sandwich terns and many grey Atlantic seals, some of them coming very close indeed to give us a curious stare, red-breasted mergansers and a single razorbill were also seen.

The final bird of the day was supposed to be the white-billed diver at but in heavy rain it had drifted off somewhere and we had to make do with a small flock of four long-tailed ducks to finish the day.

 

Happy Clams!!!!!

 
　

Jammy Clams - yellow-browed and Treecreepers

THE JAMMY CLAMS.

The Clams decided to head south again for days birding, year ticking and
life ticking for some mentioning no names! Only three clams today - Oily /
Chatty / Bearded. Our missing Clam - Captain Campervan Clam is on soup
kitchen duties in Wolverhampton feeding the homeless, think we should change
his name to Charitable Clam!

We had decided to go for the adult Rose Coloured Starling at was at Hordle
in Hampshire, I hadn't seen one for about 20 odd years and had only ever
seen juveniles' so the chance to see an adult male gave me the incentive to
get up at 0245 in the morning.

We got to Hordle a small village within the New Forest, there were no other
birders present so we starting walking around the housing estate were the
bird had been yesterday, scanning the starlings on the roof tops and oak
trees, no joy so we walked around by the War memorial where it was last
seen. Then right in front of us on the floor, there it was!! BANG, the bird
was about 20 ft away from us feeding on a worm. It then flew up on top of a
gutter about ten foot away so I tried took take some photos off my phone,
got a couple of pictures but I'm definitely not David Bailey!!

Right that was easy and it was now only 07.20am, so feeling liberated we set
off for Eastleigh Country Park for the Hawfinches that were there.

We arrived at Eastleigh at 8.15, no other birders about just a few dog
walkers and fishermen on the pools, looks like we will have to relocate
these as well.

We searched the woods to the left of the pools, no joy! Three Great Spotted
Woody's, 1 Green Woody, Greenfinches but no Hawfinches! We decided to walk
around the perimeter of the pools scanning the trees, we then came across
another birder who said that the birds had been seen in a small copse of
trees just to the left of us, so we gathered around, then a pinging call was
heard... Hawfinches!!! We rushed in between the trees into a small clearing
and there they were, flying between the trees, and one decided to be a show
off and sat in the top of a tree, WHAT A CRACKER!! . We saw a total of 4
birds UTB so where next?? Green Winged Teal.

The Clams decided to head for Faringhton Marshes for the Green Winged teal ,
we arrived at the marshes at about 12 noon after we had stuffed our gobs
with a massive Morrison's Breckie, There were a party of "Bird Spotters" on
the bank surrounding the marsh, we asked if the Teal had been seen, but the
group leader said that nit hadn't so we set up our scopes and scanned the
pools in front of us, Large numbers of Redshank was surprising and Black &
Barr Tailed Godwit's , Dunlin, shellduck, and Teal, but no Green winged !
There were also large numbers of Brent Geese so we scanned through them
hoping for maybe a RB Goose or a Black Brant, but no joy!

Now earlier in the day a Yellow Browed Warbler had been reported in
Worcester, and as two of the Clams NEEDED IT, I said that we can start
heading home and drop into Warnden for the Warbler.

We were nearly at the car when I checked the pager, MEGA ALERT! SHORT TOED
TREECREEPER - Dover!! LET'S GO!!

Punched the postcode in the Satnav - 200 miles!! Off we set, two hours later
and no nails left on our fingers we arrived at the site, we walked down 3oo
yards from the visitor centre too group of 8 birders, it hadn't been seen
for an hour! Scanning across the railway line into a small scrubby area at
the base of the cliffs, we then heard it call, similar to a Dunnocks call,
then one of the birders shouted " I'VE GOT IT ! " we ran to him and got onto
, SEEN IT BANG!! The birds call was the main I.D. Feature but we could also
pick up the browner flanks which emphasised its white throat and breast, we
had views totalling 45 seconds! But with the bird calling it gave us the ID,
so in the BAG!

We stayed for another 45 mins hoping for more views but as the sun was
starting to go down the bird didn't show again!!

What a great day!! CLAM ON!!

Plastic Duck? A Trip to Kent. Saturday 3rd March 2010

We love to go a-wandering ……..

Saturday, March 3^rd

An early morning drive down the motorways 6, 1 and 25; over the Dartford Bridge and into Kent.

Arrived at the village of  Whetstead  with it still dark and as it got light on a dry, misty, windless morning we – The Clams – made our way down the bridleway towards the gravel pits.

Having eventually found them, difficult though that was as the land was flat and paths led off in all directions, three Clams scanned the first pit but no bird.

Last Clam, arriving late due to having taken wrong path, scanned same pit. A phone call to Oily Clam – do you want to see a Hooded merganser?

Message to Birdguides :-

Hooded merganser     Whetstead  Gravel Pits, Kent, 7.15am

Now the merits of this bird will no doubt be discussed by the venerable gents of the BBRC but for insurance we saw it. A female with, through bins, a halo effect of a hood, seen to be as far away from people as possible, almost against the far bank. At least no bread required for this bird. On the list? We’ll wait and see. No 3 red exclamation marks. No escaped leg logo.

Nice to see though and one to compare with the Radipole bird. Now wasn’t that thought to be ‘real’ when it arrived?

Off to Dungeness to seawatch but few birds on the sea. 3 red-throated divers swimming east into the glare being the best. Otherwise a few great-crested grebes, guillemot, kittiwakes and gannets. The ‘boil’ was only sparsely attended by a few gulls.

To the RSPB reserve as the drizzle became rain. How quickly the sun from the seawatch changed to such damp, miserable weather.

At least the centre had friendly staff, coffee and comfort.

A walk around the reserve as the rain receded. Marsh harriers, including a superb close male and at least 6 others, seen well and enjoyed by all. Also seen was the female long-tailed duck – good one for the year list. Tree sparrows too.

Oily Clam, Captain Clam, Talkative Clam and Bearded Clam

Off to Emley, yet another RSPB reserve and by now the sun was back but with a strong wind to accompany it. More marsh harriers, a peregrine, kestrels and a young rough-legged buzzard not too far away sitting on a fence post. It occasionally flew down to the ground to pick up a morsel before landing back on the same post.

Sun going down so homeward bound with lively conversation on the way about the merits of a certain duck……..

Clam on!!!

A Wet Day in Wales - Never!! Yellowthroat UTB for 5 Clams

We were the first car to arrive at Rhiwderin and the first to attempt to negotiate the muddy access to the field adjacent to where the bird had been seen. Four Clams [Clear Lunacy and Madness Society] members, with another Clam in his own car, were in South Wales to look of the reported Mega, a common Yellowthroat.

Still dark, we made our way down the hill to an amphitheatre valley with well grown hedgerows and scrubby margins to await the call of ‘over here’, ‘got it’ or even just ‘oi’!

Other birders arrived in numbers and soon there were two long lines with scopes and bins scouring the bushes, bracken, long grass and bramble patches. Away from the chatting lines, individuals searched away from this area and walked the edges, all hoping to be the one to find the bird. A group gathered by a dung heap. Others by a wet ditch and as time went by and still no bird the search extended to nearby fields and hedges.

Cloudy from the start, with drizzle occasionally, rain started to fall around 10 o’ clock and the Clams decided that breakfast was in order. Brave lads we!

Soon monched up, we headed off for the nearby drake lesser scaup on offer at Cosmeston Lakes. An easy bird to find once the slippery broadwalk and wet mud had been negotiated in the rain. Yet the rain stopped as soon as we saw the drake amongst a group of 40 odd tufties. “Here’s the bird boys. I’ll just turn the tap off.”

Now one of the Clams {Stand up Oilly – Scabby Clam – Jason Oliver} had been one of the young schoolboys who had found the first ever lesser scaup for the Western Palearctic, when he and Alex Barter [The Bear] pointed out a strange duck to two local birders at Chasewater, Staffordshire way back when. A major twitch then ensued and yet now it’s a bird that, whilst still rare, is regularly seen.

Pager alert! Yellowthroat found. I texted a friend, Dave Walker one of the Upton Warren birders, who was still on site. He, more brave than we, had stayed on in the heavy rain and soon texted back to say he’d scored; the bird was on his list.

A dash back to the car, past a tame (countable for the year list?) whooper swan and a quick drive back to soggy fields. A sedate leisurely walk down the hill. Who are you kidding? A mad run down the hill, skidding to a halt in order to join the throng and the bird was soon seen by all Clams, except one who’d had to go back home to get to work. {He returned the next day and saw it.}

2.00pm – over seven hours since we’d arrived and at last the bird was secured, UTB and seen well as it emerged from brambles into a small dryish ditch to give brief views again and again. Like Monty Python’s brontosaurus sketch, this wonderful American warbler was bright yellow at one end, fatter and duller in the middle and bright yellow again at the other end. Birders almost broke out into spontaneous applause when the bird popped up facing everyone on a bramble bridge. Its bandit’s mask and pale pinkish feet standing out, small bill above the bright yellow throat. Happy faces and smiles, even laughter all round as the bird disappeared into the undergrowth, appearing again to jump up and catch a fly.

Off again to try for a Bonaparte’s gull in Cardiff but despite searching through the railings of the perimeter fence to the inaccessible water works and hundreds of black heads no bird was seen.

Down to the path adjacent to the muddy waters of the Severn Estuary – Bristol Channel with more gulls to scour. With the sun going down on our chances of yet another Yankie, three in a day was to be too much and we headed back home with two.

The Clams Head South Again!

Paddyfield Warbler

And we're off again - Scabby JAson Oliver]/Chatty [Tom Cattell] and Bearded [Anthony Barter] yet no Campervan as he was on work party duties at Upton Warren.

After a 3.30am start and a cautious drive down through the snow, we arrived at Pagham Harbour. It was minus 3 degrees, with a wind chill making it more like minus 10! There were about 30 birders gathered [flocked together for warmth] on the North wall of this fantastic tidal reserve. Later we found out that the RSPB has taken over management duties as from the 3rd of February. [Brilliant - I hope it counts as another RSPB reserve - Biking Birder 2010 aka Campervan Clam]

There had been no sign of the paddyfield warbler yet this morning so everyone gathered around the small reedbed where it had last been day the previous day. We dug our heals in and prepared ourselves for a long wait. Luckily the reedbed habitat gave us bearded tit performing for our pleasure right in front of us, with 100s of brent geese wheeling overhead and large numbers of wildfowl, [wigeon, teal, pintain and shelduck] and waders feeding right behind us. Great close views of bar-tailed godwits, dunlin, redshank, ringed and grey plovers.

A shout from someone 100 yards to our right. Someone had the bird. 'Scopes carried we ran to the spot but as we approached the bird flew up from a nearby hedge over to a small reedbed and Chatty and I [Scabby] had no views. Bearded only saw it in flight. At least we all knew it was here and time would give us the prize.

Time - well two hours went by and our hands were dropping off from the cold. [Memories of the American Bittern dip at Marton Mere so many years ago]. Another shout! 200 yards off in the other direction and another mad rush to get there. Greeted by Garry Bagnell who was on the bird, we settled down to watch it ourselves. UTB!

The warbler performed for us down to 20 fett for about 5 minutes. Excellent views and all salient features duly noted.

Breakie and plans for the rest of the day. Faces stuffed and off to Black Down for the possible parrot crossbill. There hadn't been any news of the bird on the pager and we soon found out why. As we tried to get up the Downs the roads were getting more and more treacherous with snow and driving up Scotland lane we had to turn around as the Clam-mobile couldn't get through. So we decided to head on for the cattle egret at Warblington as we  all needed it for the year [Do You NEEEEEEED it?]

We arrived at Warblington at around 13.00 with no other birders present and no reports of the bird either, so we checked out the fields surrounding the church. Just black-headed gulls with a few cows. Behind the church another unchecked field and there it was. Cattle egret on the list.

Just a short ride away was Hayling Island and shore lark and snow buntings on offer. We arrived there and was greeted by the RSPB warden who was looking at the lark. Smashing looking bird, one we hadn't seen for years and 12 black-necked grebes just off shore. Another cracking clamtastic place with turnstone, curlew, dunlin and oystercatchers feeding along the shoreline.

Low cloud and low light, Bearded Clam was desperate to try for a water pipit, his bogey bird lacking from his life list. There had been some reported at Test marches so off we headed for Southampton.

40 minutes later we arrived there and a local birder told us that the bird[s] would be pretty impossible due to the bad weather. Instead we dashed down to Southampton Docks for the reported glaucous gull. Dodging the traffic we arrived at Royal Dock and started looking through the large gull flock. Another birder picked up a superb black-throated diver so yet another year tick for us all. 10 more minutes and there it was, glaucous gull - BANG!

Another clamtastic day for The Birding Clams!

Lonely Clam!

Campervan Clam here. I didn't get to go with the mega hungry clams this Sunday. They clammed their way to see a host of avian goodies; paddyfield, cattle egret, shore larks etc.
I was at Upton Warren with the dedicated few, bemoaning the new Flashes hide come shed. Now these lads and possibly myself deserve praise and a decent hide for being out in 4" s of snow carrying out a work party. Clearing some overhanging branches from the pathway before unfortunately finding 2 large holes in the fox proof fencing around the Flashes. Mind you compared to the awful fencing placed by our new hide.....
Clam on lads!