Bird list 2010

I dont normally do this but this year as I have seen so many birds I thought I would list them.

1. Blue Tit
2. WillowTit
3. Great Tit
4. Marsh Tit
5. Bearded Tit
6. Coal Tit
7. Long Tailed Tit
8. Crested Tit
9. Blackbird
10. Thrush-Song
11. Thrush-Mistle
12. Fieldfare
13. Redwing
14. Wheatear
15. Lark-Sky
16. Lark-Shore (lifetime first)
17. Pipit-Meadow
18. Pipit-Tree
19. Pipit-Rock
20. Bullfinch
21. Goldfinch
22. Hawfinch
23. Chaffinch
24. Greenfinch
25. Sparrow-House
26. Sparrow-Tree
27. Dunnock
28. Wren
29. Robin
30. Warbler-Willow
31. Warbler Wood
32. Warbler-Garden
33. Warbler-Grasshopper
34. Warbler-Cetti's
35. Warbler-Reed
36. Warbler-Sedge
37. Warbler-Mamora's (lifetime first)
38. Blackcap
39. Chiffchaff
40. Bunting-Reed
41. Bunting-Snow
42. Siskin
43. Brambling
44. Yellowhammer
45. Goldcrest
46. Treecreeper
47. Nuthatch
48. Woodpecker-Great Spotted
49. Woodpecker-Lesser
50. Woodpecker-Green
51. Redpoll-Lesser
52. Flycatcher-Pied
53. Flycatcher-Spotted
54. Redstart-Common
55. Moorhen
56. Coot
57. Water Rail
58. Bittern
59. Heron
60. Egret-Little
61. Egret-Great White
62. Spoonbill
63. Kestrel
64. Sparrowhawk
65. Buzzard
66. Red Kite
67. Marsh Harrier
68. Osprey
69. Peregrine Falcon
70. Owl-Little
71. Redshank
72. Spotted Redshank
73. Greenshank
74. Sandpiper-Common
75. Sandpiper-Green
76. Sandpiper-Curlew
77. Little Stint (lifetime first)
78. Ruff
79. Curlew
80. Oystercatcher
81. Turnstone
82. Snipe-Common
83. Snipe-Jack (lifetime first)
84. Lapwing
85. Plover-Golden
86. Plover-Grey (lifetime first)
87. Plover-Ringed
88. Plover-Little ringed
89. Godwit-Black Tailed
90. Godwit-Bar Tailed
91. Kingfisher
92. Dipper
93. Duck-Mallard
94. Duck-Tufted
95. Duck-Shoveler
96. Duck-Pintail
97. Duck-Mandarin
98. Duck-Eider (lifetime first)(wild)
99. Duck-Ruddy
100. Teal
101. Wigeon
102. Shelduck
103. Golden Eye
104. Goosander
105. Gadwall
106. Pochard
107. Grebe-Little
108. Grebe-Great Crested
109. Grebe-Black Necked
110. Cormorant
111. Red Grouse
112. Partridge-Grey
113. Partridge-Red Legged
114. Pheasant
115. Jay
116. Magpie
117. Chough
118. Crow-Carrion
119. Crow-Hooded
120. Rook
121. Raven
122. Starling
123. Waxwing
124. Dove-Collared
125. Dove-Stock
126. Dove-Rock
127. Woodpigeon
128. Diver-Great Northern (lifetime first)
129. Gannet
130. Guillemot
131. Kittewake
132. Razorbill
133. Puffin
134. Fulmar
135. Tern-Common
136. Tern-Sandwich
137. Tern-Black (lifetime first)
138. Skua-Great (lifetime first)
139. Gull-Herring
140. Gull-Common
141. Gull-Lesser Black Backed
142. Gull-Great Black Backed
143. Gull-Black Headed
144. Gull- Glaucous
145. Gull-Mediteranean
146. Goose-Greylag
147. Goose-Canada
148. Goose-Barnacle
149. Goose-Brent
150. Goose Egyptian
151. Goose-Snow
152. Goose-Ross's
153. Swan-Mute
154. Swan-Bewick
155. Swan-Whooper
156. Whitethroat-Lesser
157. Whitethroat-Common
158. Stonechat
159. Whinchat
160. Wagtail-Pied
161. Wagtail-Grey
162. Wagtail-Yellow
163. Avocet
164. Crossbill-Common
165. Swallow
166. Swift
167. House Martin
168. Sand Martin
169. Linnet
170. Cuckoo (Confirmed lifetime first)

When I was going through the birds I'd photographed and seen this year, from my main list, there were some that I had forgotten to add to my list for this year, Shelduck, Wren, Wigeon, Little Owl. Fieldfare, Little ringed Plover, Greenshank and Oystercatcher.

It is funny but with the exception of the Little ringed Plover they are birds that are so common to me that I must not have recorded the first sightings of them this year. The Little Owls, for instance. I see little Owls every year at Symonds Yat and Eastbach, and this year I spent a great time with Chris Grady watching whilst he photographed them in Herefordshire, yet I had not recorded them on this years list. When compiling my list I always cross reference the birds I see with my main list that I started in 2007 when I got back into birdwatching and when I first met Chris and Andy. That list amounts to 209 birds, which I know is not a huge number but it is a number that I am pleased with as I am, as previously stated, in no way a twitcher or serious lister. I have nothing against those people, whatever rocks your boat, but I could not chase around the country after rarities just to say I saw them.

I am really pleased to have added some cracking birds this year, Shorelark, Jack Snipe, Mamora's Warbler, Great Skua, Little Stint, Black Tern, Grey Plover, Eider Duck, Sandwich Tern and Great Northern Diver. There's one more bird which I saw up close and personal this year and despite it being a bird that I've known of all my life and possibly seen in the past without really knowing, this year I can say that I definately saw one and had Chris Grady with me to confirm it. The Cuckoo, Hergest Ridge, Herefordshire May 4th. What a cracking moment that was, and what a pleasure to share it with a bloke who has become a very good friend to me over the last four years.

There are birds that I would have hoped to get this year that I didn't, although there's still time for one or two more, Pink Footed Geese, Barn Owl, Hobby, Merlin, Black Redstart and even Tawny Owls have evaded me this year, but thats part of the beauty of wildlife watching and photography, you never know whats around the corner.

Two days of Glorious sunshine.

The last two days have been glorious haven't they? I spent the first (mon) trying to get Redwings, which aren't up here in any large numbers yet. I found a spot on Sunday where small groups of 5-6 were coming visiting the thorn bushes for the berries. I returned on Monday and got myself in a position where I could grab a few shots if the birds appeared.

Well thats what I hoped, didn't quite turn out that way though. Only a few birds showed and those that did, didn't hesitate on the outer edges of the bushes as I'd hoped. So time wasted. I walked to another spot that they had been reported at but again with no joy.

Today (tues) I decided to visit a spot which I've come to like immensely in my time here, Anglers Country Park. Its about ten miles away and is a complex of lakes which hold a large number of ducks, geese and other water birds. A few birds have visited recently which added a bit of excitement, Great Northern Diver and Red Breasted Merganser. In addition to these Goldeneye and Goosander often frequent the lakes too, so I was hoping for some fun.

Golden Eye and Goosander were seen, but too far away to get even record shots. I did get Pochard and Wigeon though.



and some lovely close ups of  Mute Swans.

The Merganser had disappeared earlier in the morning but the G.N Diver was there to be photographed, albeit at a distance.

Great Northern Diver.

I would have loved it to come closer, but it wasnt to be. Still I'm not disappointed as yet again a great day was spent at the country park. A move to a different lake gave me views of distant Goldeneye and Goosander but the star of that lake was a Great Crested Grebe.

Bad weather predicted now for a few days so come back soon and see what else I've been up to.

Is this the best I can get?

A decision to shoot over to Sheffield this morning would have possibly been so much more rewarding had I not stayed in bed for fifteen minutes after the alarm had gone off.

Had I arrived at Sheffield 15 minutes earlier I would have seen no less than two dozen Waxwings, but instead there were a lot less and unfortunately for me they became very camera shy and shot off into the distance about ten minutes after I arrived.

I did manage to get two slightly different shots of the same bird, but they are merely record shots.

and,

I spent a further hour driving around other locations that they have been seen in Sheffield with no luck.
Just before I left the original site I saw and captured this female Bullfinch, very sweet.

 I was disappointed, but the Waxwings I saw bring my yearly total of different birds seen to 160, so far. My best ever year, and despite what Mr Grady and Mr Smith might say I am not a ticker, or lister. I have not shot over to Manchester for the Grebe, or to Hatfield Moor for the Rough legged Buzzard, or to any other nearby sightings such as the Great Grey Shrike. I merely record what I see. Travelling to Sheffield was a lot less than a trip to Slimbridge from Ross on Wye when I lived there, I merely wanted photographs of these beautiful birds.

I still have a couple of more targets but unless I'm very lucky they will probably remain just that, targets. (Barn Owl and Pink footed Geese).

I cannot believe how many Waxwings are being seen across the country, I am hopeful that they will call in somewhere in Barnsley, My sister saw at least 3 from our back door in the garden a fortnight ago, and tomorrow I am going to walk along a public footpath near Old Moor RSPB reserve that has a number of Rowan trees along its length. Wish me luck.

Norfolk.

I returned yesterday from a three night break in Norfolk. I went with two very nice gentlemen (Chris Grady and Michael Smith) who, despite the odd bit of bullying (told you I'd put it in my blog), made the trip very enjoyable.

Those of you who aren't aware of Norfolk as a birding mecca must have been living on a different planet for a long while, it has tens of thousands of people flocking there from all over the country and it never fails to deliver something for everyone.

Weather wise it was pants this trip, save for the odd sunny spell the first two days and a rather prolonged spell of an hour or two on Wednesday. However did it still produce some excellent stuff? It sure did. Four lifetime firsts for me, Grey Plover, Shorelark, Eider Duck (in the wild), and Jack Snipe. It also added to my yearly total with Turnstone, Red Breasted Merganser, Brent goose, Egyptian Goose, Bar tailed Godwit, and Glaucous Gull.

Grey Plover.

The above picture was taken in the evening light on Titchwell RSPB reserve. It was the second location that we'd seen Grey Plover, the first time we'd seen one was during a heavy rain squall so I could not photograph it. Seeing this one and photographing him was a real bonus for me.

Photographically the weather gave me the opportunity to improve my skills, It was a case of upping ISO levels and trying different aperture settings. At Cley Marshes NWT reserve the Snipe were coming very close, but the light was absolutely appalling but I persevered and managed to get one or two shots which I was very pleased with, this shot is one such example.

Common Snipe.

The Jack Snipe I mentioned seeing was a real treat, I had obviously never seen one before other than in books, I knew it was smaller and had a shorter beak from what I'd read, but Chris and Mike assured me that once I'd seen one I would immediately know it, well they were completely right. It is so different, and if someone ever asked me now how I knew what I saw was a Jack Snipe and not a Common Snipe I would merely say it Jis, (it just is). It is one of those birds that couldn't be anything else, it couldn't be a common snipe, it is so different. Smaller, Shorter beak, more pronounced stripes on the back, constantly bobbing up and down, and it looks so different. We saw one twice on the same day, briefly and fleetingly in amongst reeds and watercress type plants I only managed a partial shot of it, but I think you can see the difference in beak size from this shot.

Jack Snipe.

A truly cracking little bird.

We spent a short period of time on the Tuesday morning sea watching. It's something I've never bothered with before as I didn't realise just how much can be seen. It never occurred to me that stuff moves around our coastline all the time. But I am truly hooked now and would happily spend a few hours doing so at any given opportunity.

We saw, Ducks, Geese, Waders, Auks, and Gulls all within a short space of time. I saw wild Eider Duck swiming past, I saw Gannets fly past and when they were pointed out to me saw Red Breasted Merganser which I recognised. But there were also a lot of birds which I had no chance of identifying. Thanks though to Chris, Mike and a couple of other chaps who stood with us for a short period of time I saw quite a lot of other stuff, mostly Scoters and auks and a Bonx (skua). Now I am happy to add the Eider, and the Merganser to my yearly list because I could recognise them, however when it comes to the other stuff I could not honestly say I would recognise it if i saw it again, because I didn't see it for long enough or close enough. However I hope that one day I might become confident enough to do sea watching justice.

It was a very blustery day and one of our group decided a few pictures of the huge crashing waves might be nice so he walked down the beach to do just that, I don't want to dwell on it or cause him any embarassment but suffice to say, it pays to watch whats going on around you when you are stood next to an incoming tide. Unfortunately he didn't. Nuff said.

I am a simple man, I have no desire to acheive things in my life, other than to see my kids grow up as decent, well balanced human beings. I find great pleasure in the most simple things and kneeling on the beach at Titchwell, in the company of two very good friends, in the evening light, photographing some amazing birds gave me immense pleasure. I think I said outloud that if I died there and then I would have died extremely happy. It was just beautiful, words can't really do it justice, the golden light, the fresh salty smell of the sea, the high pitched calls of the Oystercatchers and Curlews, and the little birds and their scurrying around getting the bits of food from amongst the shells and pools were just overwhelming.

I know that Mike struggled with the walking, and chris was disappointed with the lack of light, but the occasion, for me was made all the better for their being there. Last year when I had my motorhome and I travelled and saw some great stuff, the thing I missed the most was not having people there to share the moments with me. I don't mean in a soppy lovey dovey way, just being able to have someone with whom you can share the moment makes it so much more enjoyable. Thanks Mike and Chris.

Curlew.

Oystercatcher.

Bar tailed Godwit.

Dunlin.

Turnstone.

Hope you enjoy, as always click for bigger versions. More to follow in the next post.

And now for something completely different....!

A change of subject this week, I know I'm allegedly a wildlife photographer but it doesn't mean I don't want to try other things.

This week I had the ideal opportunity, a trip to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United against Wolverhampton Wanderers. I knew that I'd be sitting pitch side, 2 rows back to be exact so I knew I'd get the opportunity.

I took my 1D mk3, my 70x200mm lens and a flash. Off  I went and hoped it wouldn't be that hard.

Well it was, I couldn't get the settings right, I couldn't hold the damn thing still and I couldn't remember anything that a friend, who shall remain nameless, had told me last time I was doing any flash photography. Did I get any shots? Yes. I hope you like them.

Wes Brown.

The Boss, Alex Ferguson with his number two Mick Phelan.

The star Player, Hernandez (Chicarito).

The Legend that is, Gary Neville.

The Mascot.

The opposing manager, Mick McCarthy.

United player, Park, Ji Sung.

The young defender, Rafael,

and finally, a young goalie making only his second appearance for United, Ben Amos.

Unfortunately there were none of the big names, like Rooney, Giggs, Nani, Berbatov, Scholes, or Fletcher playing so I missed out a bit there.

A great evening though, made all the more enjoyable by having the company of my son's future father in law, Stuart, and his other daughter, Chloe, with us. It was Chloe's first ever football match and she hopefully enjoyed it, she seemed to.

I would have liked to have been able to rest the camera on a beanbag or similar as I really do suffer with the shakes these days, must be an age thing, that or the fact that I was beaten as a child.

As always, click on pics for bigger versions, all pics are, as always, copyrighted.