Long-tailed Duck

There have been quite a few trips out since the last blog but picture opportunities have been limited and on a couple of occasions so have the birds. A trip to Dungeness proved to be particularly disappointing. We had distant views of Smew and Slavonian Grebe but the Black-throated Diver we were hoping to see failed to make an appearance. Picture-wise all we managed were the Tree Sparrows at Boulderwall Farm.

Fortunately views of distant White-fronted Geese at Pett Level and then a Short-eared Owl in the half light at Horse Eye Level proved to be some compensation.

Similarly a trip up to Stapleash Farm didn't deliver on the Hawfinches or Little Owl but we did at least get to see Dartford Warblers on the commons. The only picture of the day was this Marsh Tit but even that proved hard to get as it scurried through the branches searching for food.

The Tit flocks seem to be dispersing as breeding season approaches and it was unusual to see this lone Long-tailed Tit feeding on the ground.

I also trekked through the mud on the footpath from Pagham to Honer reservoir. It was great to see the long staying Long-tailed Duck but I really should have worn the wellies.

The year ticks are gradually edging up but I am somewhat behind schedule as compared with previous years. The birds, particularly the Geese and the Owls,  just don't seem to be around in the same numbers. Just have to make do with Hawfinches.

Twite

Sunday 8th March

Early Sunday morning and we headed over the hills towards the Moray and Nairn coast to look for Divers and Sea Ducks. We spotted a few Red Grouse on the way but with the sun barely up it was not worth stopping. There were plenty of the ducks just off the coast but the divers were in short supply. I think we must have been a couple of weeks late as we only managed to see one Red-throated Diver all day.

Starting at Nairn Pier we found Oystercatchers, Knot , Curlew, Turnstones and then crossing the river roosting Redshank and a Grey Wagtail.

Redshank

Moving east, the tide was out when we got to Findhorn Bay. There were a good number of waders out on the mud but the real find was a mixed flock of Linnets and Twite close to the village. I know the difference between the two but spotting individual birds in a mobile and fast moving flock was hard work. Once I was sure that I had a yellow billed  Twite safely in the camera I resorted to photographing anything that offered a good picture opportunity with the intention of sorting them all out later.

First the Linnets, throat streaked, grey bill, greyish head with pale patches above and below the eye, strong white edges to tail, male with red just starting to show on its breast.

The Twite are more of a buff colour with no grey on the head, bills are yellow outside the breeding season, there is no streaking on the throat, and the male has pink on the rump.

Twite foraging along the tide line

Head and body same uniform buff colour

No streaking on throat

No pale patches above and below eye

Lacking strong white edges to tail

Male Twite showing pink on the rump

We checked out the harbours along the coast hoping that the high winds would drive some of the ducks into shelter but we could not find any. The closest views were found at Burgh Head where Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Eider, Long-tailed Ducks, and Gannet were all present as well as a Rock Pipet and Hooded Crow. Burgh Head also had the advantage of being sheltered from the bitterly cold wind.

Long-tailed Ducks

Eider

After a brew we moved on to Lossiemouth. There was nothing to look at in the harbour but the East Beach and estuary area had a few birds and we were able to sit in the car and observe them in comfort. It looked like the usual gulls, Redshank and Widgeon with a few Bar-tailed Godwits, until Dave spotted a small flock of Snowbuntings on the opposite beach.

A great find but it meant that we had to walk round to the beach. The wind was still strong and bitterly cold, the sand was being blasted across the beach and to top it all we got caught in a rain squall just as we reached the birds. Still once it cleared we had great views of the Snow Buntings and were able to get a few pictures.

Even the Snow Bunting were trying to shelter from the wind

With the day drawing to a close we called in at a hide on Loch Spynie. It was in a great spot sheltered from the wind with good views out over the loch and lots of feeders around it to attract the small birds and Red Squirrels.

On the drive back along the coast we finally managed to connect with a small flock of Pink-footed Geese. It was a bit of a relief as we had been searching for them all day. Of course once you spot one they all come along and we had two more small flocks before we got home and flocks of thousands by the end of the holiday.

2014 and a New Birding List

2014 is with us and for those of us that keep year lists it brings a fresh start. The need to hunt down those last few birds that you know you should have seen in 2013 has disappeared. You start again with a clean sheet and every bird counts.

We had planned to get the year off to a good start by being out birding on New Years Day but, given the poor weather, we had to defer it to the Thursday. We were after quality not quantity and had a list of target birds that we wanted to pick up early in the year before they disappeared. Top of that list was the Lesser Yellowlegs at Lepe Country Park, so we started our day there and worked our way back along the coast.

Lesser Yellowlegs in early morning light

Redshank and Lesser Yelowlegs

Although not chasing numbers we did still manage to see over sixty different birds on the day. It seems odd having to look out for the more common birds such as Tits, Robins, and Sparrows but this time of the year they all count and are all greeted enthusiastically. Although, having missed one earlier in the day and fearing that he had fallen behind, Dave's cry of joy at finding a Mute Swan was perhaps a bit over the top.

Long-tailed Duck was on our list with a possible stop off at the Hayling Island Oyster Beds on the way back. However, we were lucky enough to find one in the entrance to the Beaulieu River and it gave much closer views than you normally get with the Hayling bird.

Long-tailed Duck

With crab for lunch

The only real disappointment on the day came when we stopped off at Stokes Bay but could not locate the long staying Yellow-legged Gull. However, we had better luck with another long stayer at Walpole park in Gosport where the Ring-billed Gull "Waldo" has returned for what must now be its eleventh or twelfth year.

Waldo

There is always a bit of initial confusion in picking the Ring-billed out from the Common Gulls at the same location. The clincher is the yellow eye and slightly more aggressive look.

Common Gull

We spent the afternoon at Pagham North Wall ticking off some of the usual waders. There were thousands of birds there although with the tide high in the harbour and with the fields north of the wall flooded the birds were often distant. We were just starting to think of going home when we were tipped off to a pair of Whooper Swans on Ivy Lake Chichester. This is a bird that I missed completely last year so it was worth the quick diversion on the way home. We got there just in time to get a record shot before the light faded completely.

Whooper Swans and Canada Goose

After a couple of weeks away from birding due to the weather and Christmas commitments it was great to get out again. There is so much I want to see before the end of the month - I just need it to stop raining.





 

Long-tailed Duck

After a week of wind and rain the forecast for today looked good so I set off to do some birding around Hayling Island. I wanted to explore a few of the birding locations that I had not visited before, but the real objective of the day was to visit the Oyster Beds to see the Long-tailed Duck. Which was just as well, because I didn't get to see much else.

Or, more accurately, I didn't see much else close up. The weather may have been good but the tides were against me and with high tide at about 1700 the birds were way out on the mudflats for most of the day. Any that did venture close to the shore were soon seen off by the hoards of dog walkers enjoying the late summer sun and by various group of wind surfers.

Female Long-tailed Duck

Well, it may be called a Long-tailed Duck, but you won't see one here. This is a female and it is only the males that carry the long tail. It's also a diving duck and as this one was actively feeding lots of my pictures looked like this.

Probably the sharpest picture I took all day

It's not an easy bird to photograph. There are no crisp lines to focus on and even when you get it right the bird has a general smudgy look with the black, brown, and white colours all fading and blurring together.

Still, a good bird to see and some reasonable record shots for the file.