Joan's Birdwatching Diary

15:59:25 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy
Hearing Last.fm

    Titchwell, Norfolk with two Egyptian Geese.              

Hi, feeling very guilty that it is so long since I did an entry into my Birdwatching Diary its not that I have not been doing any birding I do watch all the time. Last week we had a lovely day out to Fife Ness that's the most easterly point in Scotland. It was a east coast day complete with the haar off the North Sea but we were with an old friend and we had a great day even with my having left the picnic at home.
This week we were at the coast again on Monday and after our look around the shops in St Andrews we paid a visit to Kingsbarns a little village with a lovely beech. Took some lovely pictures but still have not fathomed out how to get more than one picture in at a time. Will get there eventually no doubt.
While on holiday in Norfolk earlier this Spring we had a great fortnight birding with some great birds with close views. We spent many of our days at Titchwell and also paid a visit to a new reserve at Lakenheath where the RSPB are trying to replace the fenland as it once was. In the new visitors centre they have laid a tiled floor, now this area is a good size maybe 60ft long x 25ft deep  it has been tiled  cream with the exception of one tile that represents the amount of fenland left now in comparison with what there was in day gone by the rest has been drained for farming it was alarming to see this.
The reserve just opened this spring and as you may have seen on the news a pair of Cranes have been discovered to be breeding there already great news. No we were not lucky enough to see them as it we heavy rain the day we visited and we did not stand about too long in the wet.
Well I think that's about it just now but as they say I'll  be back.  Love
                                  Joan.

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16:27:01 o'clock GMT
Feeling Happy

                                           

Here we are the start of a new year for my bird watching journal.  I started last year on the 1st of January and took you right through the year with us. I really enjoy writing this journal and it is very handy for me personally if I want to check something out.
As we always do on the 1st day of a New Year if it is at all possible we take a trip out. Yesterday was no exception. We were up and away by 10am for a trip to Birnie Loch. This as you know is a favourite of ours in any season. When we arrived yesterday it was very busy and we thought we had little chance of seeing very much but we were in dire need of some exercise and fresh air so we set of for the walk around the two lochs.  Gaddon is first usual common ducks on the water, free from ice most unusual at this time of year. The wind that had caused havoc on Hogmanay had abated to  a very cold westerly. At the high point on this loch it was freezing and I had to cover my head something I hate to do (ruins my hair). After Gaddon Loch you drop down to Birnie Loch a much more shelter loch surrounded by trees. Kind walkers supply nuts and suet balls at certain points along the footpath and the little birds just love this. We noticed yesterday that Long Tailed Tits have managed to get the hang of these feeding stations along with the Blue Great and Coal Tits. Again on this loch were the usual ducks Tufted Goldeneye Mallard Gooseander. When we were just about back to the car we saw a flock of about 50-60 Siskins feeding on the beechmast by the side of the path it was a great sight. Just as we started off again about 10 yards along we stopped to look at a Redpoll and somemore Siskins. Suddenly there was great excitement Stuart spotted a Water Rail feeding just in front of us about 10 yards away we stood and watched it for about 10 minutes. This is a very timid bird and usually stays hidden in the waterside weed and rushes.  During this time an elderly gentleman joined us but he had not seen this bird until Stu pointed it out to him.  He was absolutely over the moon he said he had no seen one since he was a boy and today had been the perfect start to his year as it was ours. A great start has been made and I hope it can continue. Total for this year or today 40 not bad at all.
                                        Regards
                       Joan.

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18:35:01 o'clock GMT
Feeling Happy

                                               

Being the end of the year I would like to round up our year of birdwatching. We have not done as much as we would have liked this year with one thing and another. Holiday wise we did well on all of them getting most things we wanted to see with the exception of the Purple Heron at Titchwell in May which stayed all of the two weeks were there and did not put in an appearance for us at all.  In September we managed to catch up with a Lesser Yellow Legs at last which was something new for us to see. Later in November we had the opportunity to see a beautiful Barrow's Goldeneye which we have decided to make our bird of the year and will be on the cover of our yearly report. So tomorrow we start all over again from zero its a long way back and takes a lot of time and effort but well worth it we think. Until we meet again which will be soon as we always start the year early I will close.    Best wishes for the New Year.

                                      Joan.

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13:13:43 o'clock GMT
Feeling Happy

            

On Monday night we had word that there was a very rare duck near us, well I say near us it was about 40 miles away at a place called Callander.  The weather on Monday night was dreadful heavy rain and wind so we did not really think we would be going on Tuesday.  When we got up on Tuesday morning it was a lovely sunny morning so we decided to make the trip.  We made good time the roads were quiet, and the sun was still shining when we arrived which gave us very good light.  There were a few other birders about when we arrived but the duck had moved  . The place where the duck had settled was a river that had flooded fields.  We had a walk down the road a bit in the direction the bird had flown and set up our equiptment to see if we could find him.  I say him because we had been told it was a  drake. After a few minutes I picked the bird up in my binoculars just a short way off .  The picture I have put at the top is of one male Barrow's Goldeneye and one Goldeneye.  Goldeneye winter with us every year but a Barrow's is very rare and much saught after. The Barrows is the one with the larger white patches on his face. Also in the picture are three females.  The Barrows Goldeneye was very much fancied by the ladies and always had one or two with him all the time we were there. This sighting was great for us as we have been looking for one of these ducks for many years. Every time we see Goldeneye we always check them all out to see if there is a Barrow's with them.  He is a bit off course just now he should be in Canada for the winter.  After lunch we had lovely run home round Loch Earn on the quietest roads I have ever seen in that area.  All in all a super day out.
Bye for now.                    


                                     Joan.

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12:53:06 o'clock GMT
Feeling Happy
Hearing Rod Stewart.

Good Afternoon, I missed a big event in our garden this morning as it was a cold and wet morning I walked round for the daily paper as I like walking in the rain.  While I was out a Sparrowhawk came and landed on our fence at the bottom of the garden.  Stuart was in the kitchen taking his medication and saw all this happening.  He said it came up from behind the fence sat for about a minute had a good look round and was off at the blink of an eye and I missed it. Teach me to be nice and  go for a paper. We had a Tawny Owl last year and we both missed that just got report from next door.  I think our little birds on the table had better watch out with a Sparrowhawk about.  We have a very big nasty Robin this year too that will not let any of the birds feed they have to wait till he goes elsewhere before they can feed.
Was reading the last report from Loch Garten this morning and the  Ospreys have been very good this year they raised 3 chicks which is excellent well above the norm.  They left for there winter holidays on 4th September so they will now hopefully be sunning themselves in Africa.  It will be 3 years before these chicks will return to breed so we wish them well. That's it for just now all is very quiet up here just now but we did see a lovely Kingfisher the other week just to keep us interested.
Total for the year is now 181.

                                                     Bye for now,

                              Joan.

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15:28:58 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy

Good Afternoon, as I mentioned in my last entry we have been waiting for the return of the wild geese. Yesterday were at St Andrews and we saw one or two skeins coming in off the sea. Today we have been out in the garden Stuart cutting the grass and I was getting the bulbs in the pots out from their resting place and tiding them up. During the time we were out which was not all that long as the rain started up we saw a few hundred geese arriving flying in their v formations  and  honking all the way. So now I can say Autumn is definitely here. Its lovely to see them again it seems a long time since they left for there breeding grounds.  I love to watch them when I am in the garden or just hanging out my washing on a fair day. We are so close to one of their main wintering grounds we see them most days.  If the weather is foggy and they are flying low they are barely above the roof of the house.  We still have  Swallows here which is really late but alas they will be gone any day now.  Will have to go out to the Loch soon to get a good look at the beautiful geese.   Bye now,  Love

                                                   Joan.

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12:01:29 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy

I thought I would post this picture of the Lesser Yellowlegs as it shows the colour of its legs much better that the one below. They are both pictures of the same bird just different light and cameras.  Thank you to Jim Duncan for making such a splendid job of this picture it is not easy as I have found out.
                                  Bye for now Joan.

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10:51:21 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy

As you know we have just returned from a birdwatching break on the Moray Coast. We were blessed with good weather and good light which is equally important to us.  We saw 80 different species with one life record. It was the pictured bird which is a Lesser Yellowlegs an American visitor. I did not take this picture the ones I took were too far away to let you see it properly. In this picture the legs of the bird appear to be orange I can assure you they are yellow just like is says in the name.  It was a very approachable little bird and let us get really close. This bird has been a thorn in our sides for the last 18 months.  It is very rare for one to be on this side of the pond but there was one on Stiffkey Fen in Norfolk in 2005 that stayed for about 3 months in early spring.  We were hoping to see it when we went down in at the beginning of May that year but the little devil flew off on the Thursday two day before we arrived. When we heard this bird was in just before we left we thought no not again, it had moved to another location but had only moved about 20 miles down the coast so this time we did not dip out (that's a birding term meaning missed the bird). We had a great week all told with good views of many seabirds and were able to sit in the sun and watch instead of braving a gale or rain.  We will certainly go back to this area in the future as you can get so close to the sea with the car and therefor makes life easy for us.  Looking forward to the arrival of the geese now but they are very late this year must have had a good summer in Greenland and the North.
Total for the year is now 180.
                                                    Take care
                                                          Love 
                                                          Joan.

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11:25:35 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy
Hearing Driving Rock

We have had a faraway visitor to The Tay Estuary this week. Yes a White Pelican very strange.  To start with it was said to be an escapee and was going to be caught but later in the week it was decided that it was not ringed and did not have clipped wings, therefore must be a wild bird. We have had a busy week with hospital appointments and therefore had to wait till Wednesday to go and have a look for ourselves as we had never seen a White Pelecan before.We have however seen Dalmation Pelican when we have been abroad.  So Wednesday morning bright and early we set off to Monifieth beach where the bird had settled. As we parked the car you could see the pelican with the naked eye it is so big. We walked along to get a better and closer look and got a great view. I was really inpressed to think anything this size could fly if you can imagine it is about one and half time the size of a swan.  While we were having the usual coffee in the car a small flock of Golden Plovers landed in front of us they looked really golden yesterday against the sand and rocks.  So at the moment it is on my year and life list and will stay there till I find out differently.  Thats about it for today off to the North East next week and hoping for a great week.  Love   

                                             Joan.

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12:46:15 o'clock BST
Feeling Happy

          I know you will all think that there is nothing unusual about a Robin this is really just to mark the date for my personal record. I heard my first Robin of the autumn singing  yesterday 8th September.  I was hanging out the washing and he/she was singing loud and clear.  You may wonder why they sing so loud at this time of the year and will go on singing for some time, they are marking out the winter territories and woe betide any other robin that crosses into his/her patch. You will notice that I say his/her that because Robins  can't tell if the intruder is a  guy or gall so what chance have I got. Will have to be getting the  bird table ready for the winter soon but there is still plenty of natural food for them as yet. We still have Swallows, House Martin and Sand Martins about at the time of writing hope to see them for a while yet.  Still miss seeing our Swifts they have been gone since the first week in August up here. Looking forward to our holiday the week after next hoping to get some good birds then. 
                                                Love
                                                             Joan.
                                                                             

 

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