I've been down to the patch a couple of times post. No photos though, it's just been too dull.
I had a nice dusk visit on 20th, it was nearly dark when I left at 16.15. Highlights were two ruff and eight dunlin on the Budge fields and flock of about 15 fieldfare flying over and into the bushes, quite often a species I have to wait until autumn for.
Standing at the Budge screen, I heard a water pipit calling, but I couldn't find it, I think it was overhead. There were also three drake pintail still present.
On Sunday, I took look one look at the number of people at the Budge screen and gave it a dodge. I had a quick look offshore, but it was very quiet other than a flock of about 40 scoters flying south which included five velvet scoters!
This morning was quite warm, but the strong southerly wind and overcast skies made it feel colder. And there very few people about - which is good.
There are still plenty geese about though. The majority, a flock of over 3000 pink-feet, were over by Low Chibburn somewhere - they lifted and settled gain after a light aircraft flew over. A smaller group of about 350 came down into the fields west of the Budge - there were at least five European white-fronts and five barnacles with them.
I saw three species I wouldn't normally expect in January:
Greenfinch - one on the feeders, a species I wouldn't normally expect until the big post-breeding flocks of finches arrive in late summer - the presence of feeders has dramatically increased the number of finches, tree sparrows and reed buntings overwintering at Druridge.
Shelduck - normally a February arrival (there were two on New Years Eve - not a species I would expect in December at all).
Stock Dove - Two on the Budge fields - again a February/March bird
My other year-tick today was little owl - thanks to Dave Elliott for the tip-off
From the Budge screen, I picked up a very large (must have been female) peregrine sat on a fencepost beyond the Haul Road way over towards Low Chibburn Farm. The drake scaup was still on the big pool.
My year list now stands at 86 species and 99 points for the Patchwork Challenge.
Showing posts with label stock dove. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stock dove. Show all posts
Monday, 25 January 2016
Saturday, 3 January 2015
Green-winger to start the year
Another year on the patch begineth.....
I tried to start my year-list yesterday but a heavy sleet shower had me heading for home and hot soup, I am still not re-acclimatized from Costa Rica.
I headed back out today and visited the far flung corners of the patch, hoping to turn up some winter goodies. I managed 24 species yesterday, the highlight was a fly-by turnstone - a tricky bird at Druridge. I was keen to add to my total.
I headed north into the dunes, finding grey partridge and reed buntings and then a mixed flock of 300 or more goldfinches and greenfinches, with a single linnet amongst them. Three whooper swans flew south over my head as set off off along the haul road. More reed buntings were found along the track, but their cousin the yellowhammer was nowhere to be seen.
At the Preceptory, a pair of kestrel were hanging about with the jackdaws.
Headed towards the farm, a stock dove flew over, which I was pleased about as these can be very tricky too. I then got a tweet from Jonathan Farooqi telling me there was a green-winged teal on the Budge fields. A good bird which I was glad to hear about, but I won't get the three 'finders points' on the PWC.
A fly-over great-spotted woodpecker was a bonus over the cottages on my way to the Budge screen. When I got there the Yankee teal was asleep in the grass.
A couple of bird-race teams popped by to see it whilst I was there, they were cagey about their scores, understandably. I was a bit envious of them, I used to really enjoy the winter bird race, but it clashes so often with the Toon playing, that I can't commit and therefore don't have a team (although after today's performance, I should maybe rethink my priorities).
No sign of New Years Eve's pintails sadly.
I had a look on the sea but it was quiet, with only red-throated divers of note.
So I started the year with a respectable 51 species and my first scarcity in green-winged teal.
I tried to start my year-list yesterday but a heavy sleet shower had me heading for home and hot soup, I am still not re-acclimatized from Costa Rica.
I headed back out today and visited the far flung corners of the patch, hoping to turn up some winter goodies. I managed 24 species yesterday, the highlight was a fly-by turnstone - a tricky bird at Druridge. I was keen to add to my total.
I headed north into the dunes, finding grey partridge and reed buntings and then a mixed flock of 300 or more goldfinches and greenfinches, with a single linnet amongst them. Three whooper swans flew south over my head as set off off along the haul road. More reed buntings were found along the track, but their cousin the yellowhammer was nowhere to be seen.
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| Male reed bunting in the dunes |
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| female-type reed bunting along the track |
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| Chibburn Preceptory - always worth checking |
A fly-over great-spotted woodpecker was a bonus over the cottages on my way to the Budge screen. When I got there the Yankee teal was asleep in the grass.
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| green-winged teal in the centre of the shot |
No sign of New Years Eve's pintails sadly.
I had a look on the sea but it was quiet, with only red-throated divers of note.
So I started the year with a respectable 51 species and my first scarcity in green-winged teal.
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
Early visit
I managed a quick pre-work visit to the patch this morning.
It was cold, quite bright though, but the westerly wind picked up before I left. I spent half-an-hour scouring the northern dunes, where the beast are, looking for wheatears, without success. I did see two white wagtails, my first of the spring, but no other migrants. A fly-through stock dove was a year-tick.
Next I tried viz-migging from the big dune, the cold wind made my eyes water, not much fun. I did scan the Budge fields from there for garganey, again, no luck. Yesterday's gypo goose was on the fields to the north of the big pool, I let Tom C know so that he could twitch it, which he did.
Before Tom arrived, I had a look through the dunes for nests, none found, but stonechats, linnets and reed bunting all looking promising. As I walked back to the big dune to catch up with Tom, a swallow flew north overhead.
104 stock dove
PWC Score 128
It was cold, quite bright though, but the westerly wind picked up before I left. I spent half-an-hour scouring the northern dunes, where the beast are, looking for wheatears, without success. I did see two white wagtails, my first of the spring, but no other migrants. A fly-through stock dove was a year-tick.
Next I tried viz-migging from the big dune, the cold wind made my eyes water, not much fun. I did scan the Budge fields from there for garganey, again, no luck. Yesterday's gypo goose was on the fields to the north of the big pool, I let Tom C know so that he could twitch it, which he did.
Before Tom arrived, I had a look through the dunes for nests, none found, but stonechats, linnets and reed bunting all looking promising. As I walked back to the big dune to catch up with Tom, a swallow flew north overhead.
104 stock dove
PWC Score 128
Sunday, 31 March 2013
End of March
So, March is over.
It still feels more like January and spring migration hasn't really started.
I had a quick wander about the patch this evening, now that the clocks have changed this will be a more regular occurrence. I started with a look on the sea, actually it was more of glance, the south-easterly wind was cold enough to freeze your eyelids shut, so I beat a hasty retreat to the shelter of the dunes.
The Budge fields still hold plenty of wildfowl and smattering of lapwing, redshank and snipe. The fields look really good for when the garganeys arrive. Two stock doves pottered about the western edge.
I wandered towards the edge of the big pool and clocked a stunning male marsh harrier, hunting along the northern edge of the pool. The local crows were giving it some stick and it moved off west and then south. A second marsh harrier (female?) was towards East Chevington.
The Haul Road Flash (as I have now christened it) held seven dunlin, redshank and a couple of shelducks.
So for the Patchwork Challenge, I finish March on a pretty disappointing 88 species and 101 points. I will again be miles behind my local rivals.
88 marsh harrier
Sunday, 5 August 2012
Depressing
No blog activity this week. I've been internet free for a week at the famous (amongst ringers at least) Icklesham site in East Sussex. It's been rather nice having not having to deal with email for a week.
Back on the patch this morning before the rain set in. It was depressing. Highlights were a new brood of little grebe (three) and a year-tick stock dove.
It depresses me even more to hear of the new scrapes at Newton coming up trumps with a Stilt Sandpiper. It's brilliant for the Stringer, he has put a lot of work in there and deserves some good birds. Druridge could and should be pulling in birds like stilt sandpiper. It won't attract any passage waders this autumn and won't again until the Budge fields are properly grazed. The frustrating thing for me is that I can't do anything about the situation....
Here are some photos from today.
Back on the patch this morning before the rain set in. It was depressing. Highlights were a new brood of little grebe (three) and a year-tick stock dove.
It depresses me even more to hear of the new scrapes at Newton coming up trumps with a Stilt Sandpiper. It's brilliant for the Stringer, he has put a lot of work in there and deserves some good birds. Druridge could and should be pulling in birds like stilt sandpiper. It won't attract any passage waders this autumn and won't again until the Budge fields are properly grazed. The frustrating thing for me is that I can't do anything about the situation....
Here are some photos from today.
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| Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus |
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| Hoverfly Helophilus trivittatus |
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| Green-veined white 'on the job' |
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| small skipper on knapweed |
Sunday, 13 February 2011
I wish it was March
WeBS count day today, yesterday evening's beautiful spring-like sunshine now gone, a cold SE wind with freezing rain at Druridge.......Joy!
Seeing the National Trust with volunteers coppicing trees lightened my heart, good to see this vital work getting done, I hope to do some myself next weekend...the Big Society in action!
Less wildfowl on the Budge fields than of late, but still reasonable numbers of wigeon (226) and teal (118). A pair of pintail still remain, the male looking very resplendent with his long tail feather sticking into the air, ten shoveler and two whooper swans were also notable.
36 curlew and 35 lapwing were on the adjacent fields, six stock doves were in among the curlew which were nice to see.
I wasn't brave enough to check out the sea, I was freezing so headed home for a bacon butty.
Seeing the National Trust with volunteers coppicing trees lightened my heart, good to see this vital work getting done, I hope to do some myself next weekend...the Big Society in action!
Less wildfowl on the Budge fields than of late, but still reasonable numbers of wigeon (226) and teal (118). A pair of pintail still remain, the male looking very resplendent with his long tail feather sticking into the air, ten shoveler and two whooper swans were also notable.
36 curlew and 35 lapwing were on the adjacent fields, six stock doves were in among the curlew which were nice to see.
I wasn't brave enough to check out the sea, I was freezing so headed home for a bacon butty.
Monday, 3 January 2011
A New Year, same old patch...
Back on the patch today for the first time this year.
Birding on new years days is never really an option for me and with the Toon away to Wigan yesterday today was my first chance to get out.
I did promise a short report of 2010, I ran out of time on NYE, too busy preparing tapas and making my 'Captain Chaos' outfit. It might still happen.... Amazingly last years bird species total was exactly the same as 2009 - 157! One short of 158 in 2008 and well short of my best ever total of 168. Two new species were added to the patch list, great-white egret back in April and red-legged partridge on Christmas Day.
Hopefully 2011 will bring a few more patch ticks, there are still some commoner species I still need such as bluethroat, pallas's warbler, icterine warbler, wood warbler and tree pipit.
Today, the 2011 list got of to a fair start given the very cold weather we have been experiencing. It was still cold at Druridge with a biting NW wind, the ponds and fields still frozen. I walked up to the Preceptory and down to High Chibburn and back via the hamlet.
A quick look on he sea produced five nice drake red-breasted mergansers in full summer garb and a single red-throated diver. Passerines were thin on the ground, with the winter thrushes present last week apparently retreated back inland, robin, dunnock and wren also notable by their absence.
My first raptor of the year was a buzzard, out from the back of the big pool, I caught up with Bob Biggs and he picked up a distant peregrine on the patch boundary - nice one Bob!
Other good patch birds to get the list rolling were stock dove, woodcock (still plenty about), long-tailed tit, yellowhammer (still good numbers on the roof of the farm) and collared dove, once a rare bird at Druridge, have now taken up residence at the farm.
Rabbit and hare were the only mammals of the day.
here's the list:
1 shag
2 red-breasted mersander
3 cormorant
4 guilliemot
5 sanderling
6 carrion crow
7 herring gull
8 great black-backed gull
9 common gull
10 black-headed gull
11 teal
12 wigeon
13 red-throated diver
14 curlew
15 redshank
16 starling
17 skemmie pigeon
18 mallard
19 grey partridge
20 greylag goose
21 stock dove
22 long-tailed tit
23 common buzzard
24 lapwing
25 rook
26 pheasant
27 blackbird
28 magpie
29 chaffinch
30 yellowhammer
31 coal tit
32 collared dove
33 blue tit
34 house sparrow
35 moorhen
36 mistle thrush
37 pied wagtail
38 oystercathcer
39 woodpigeon
40 tree sparrow
41 great tit
42 dunlin
43 woodcock
44 peregrine
45 pink-footed goose
Birding on new years days is never really an option for me and with the Toon away to Wigan yesterday today was my first chance to get out.
I did promise a short report of 2010, I ran out of time on NYE, too busy preparing tapas and making my 'Captain Chaos' outfit. It might still happen.... Amazingly last years bird species total was exactly the same as 2009 - 157! One short of 158 in 2008 and well short of my best ever total of 168. Two new species were added to the patch list, great-white egret back in April and red-legged partridge on Christmas Day.
Hopefully 2011 will bring a few more patch ticks, there are still some commoner species I still need such as bluethroat, pallas's warbler, icterine warbler, wood warbler and tree pipit.
Today, the 2011 list got of to a fair start given the very cold weather we have been experiencing. It was still cold at Druridge with a biting NW wind, the ponds and fields still frozen. I walked up to the Preceptory and down to High Chibburn and back via the hamlet.
A quick look on he sea produced five nice drake red-breasted mergansers in full summer garb and a single red-throated diver. Passerines were thin on the ground, with the winter thrushes present last week apparently retreated back inland, robin, dunnock and wren also notable by their absence.
My first raptor of the year was a buzzard, out from the back of the big pool, I caught up with Bob Biggs and he picked up a distant peregrine on the patch boundary - nice one Bob!
Other good patch birds to get the list rolling were stock dove, woodcock (still plenty about), long-tailed tit, yellowhammer (still good numbers on the roof of the farm) and collared dove, once a rare bird at Druridge, have now taken up residence at the farm.
Rabbit and hare were the only mammals of the day.
here's the list:
1 shag
2 red-breasted mersander
3 cormorant
4 guilliemot
5 sanderling
6 carrion crow
7 herring gull
8 great black-backed gull
9 common gull
10 black-headed gull
11 teal
12 wigeon
13 red-throated diver
14 curlew
15 redshank
16 starling
17 skemmie pigeon
18 mallard
19 grey partridge
20 greylag goose
21 stock dove
22 long-tailed tit
23 common buzzard
24 lapwing
25 rook
26 pheasant
27 blackbird
28 magpie
29 chaffinch
30 yellowhammer
31 coal tit
32 collared dove
33 blue tit
34 house sparrow
35 moorhen
36 mistle thrush
37 pied wagtail
38 oystercathcer
39 woodpigeon
40 tree sparrow
41 great tit
42 dunlin
43 woodcock
44 peregrine
45 pink-footed goose
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