A Sunny Sunday Outing

Although the title of this post sounds good it doesn’t quite tell the entire story, let me explain…..Last Saturday I received an email from Keith inviting me to join him on Sunday for our first big outing of the year to the RSPB  Frampton Marsh reserve in Lincolnshire and, of course, I didn’t need asking twice!   A check on the weather forecast on Saturday evening didn’t make for good reading.. it was predicting frost and freezing fog for most of the day on Sunday!!
As is usual with our outings we always like to make an early start….so it was up at 4.30am (all bright eyed and bushy tailed!!) a quick check out of the window confirmed that the weather guessers had got it right again….thick fog and, for the short distance that I could see, everything covered in a liberal coating of white icing….lovely?
So, with warm clothes, hat, cloves  and camera gear checked and sorted…and the car de-iced!!  I set off for the frosty/foggy 30min. drive to Keith’s.  After a quick chat and the transfer of all my stuff over to Keith’s car it was just after 6am when we began our journey…into the unknown..fog!   As is usual Keith did a splendid job of getting us safely to our destination and amazingly, after a two hour drive in varying levels of fog and ice, just as we arrived the fog disappeared and the sun started to rise into what would turn out to be, for most of the day, a clear blue sky!  Although the sun was shining it stayed frosty all day, with a high of only 4°.


Keith watching the birds while topping up his tan!!

Unfortunately most of the birds were concentrated in the distant unfrozen areas of water and so remaining too far away for any decent photographs. However, I did manage a few flight shots…


Mute Swans making an early morning flight.


Dark-bellied Brent Goose..there were hundreds of these on the reserve with large skeins constantly flying overhead.


Curlew…lots of these about too, feeding on the wet grassland.


In total we spent 5+ hours exploring the reserve in the sunshine (and cold!) and saw around 50 different species of birds including large flocks of Wigeon, Golden Plover and Lapwing.

And the strange thing?…about three miles down the road on the return trip home, the sun disappeared and it became dark and dingy as we were once again enveloped (all the way home!) by….FOG!!

All in all an enjoyable (sunny) Sunday outing.

A DAY OUT WITH THE BOYS

Wednesday 13th. November 2013

Another early start on what was going to be a very enjoyable day of idle banter and relaxed bird watching in the company of two like minded friends.
It was dark and cold, with a clear sky and a touch of  frost, when I arrived at Keith’s at just past 5am.  We soon packed all the gear into his car and set off on our two hour journey to meet up with Adrian at the RSPB’s Freiston Shore reserve near Boston in Lincolnshire, where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from…so the sign said!! Adrian was already there to meet us when we arrived at just past 7am. After a cup of tea and a chinwag while watching the sun rise, over the bird filled lagoon, into a cloudless blue sky we were ready to go and explore the reserve.



A Mute Swan, bathed in the early morning sunshine, takes it’s first flight of the day.



Unfortunately as we walked around the side of the lagoon to the hide the majority of the birds decided that the best place to be was over on the side that was furthest away from us! There were large flocks of Dark-Bellied Brent Geese noisily flying overhead on their way to feed out in the meadows and on the salt marsh. There was also very large flocks of Golden Plover that frequently took to the air and gave a golden shimmering display as they whirled around in the sunshine, sometimes completely obscuring the view.



We were soon up onto the sea bank and the start of our 3 mile circular walk around the ‘wetland trail’ with an excursion (a good mile round trip!) to the Cut End bird hide.

Adrian was all trussed up and loaded down with Bertha while Keith was contemplating a visit to the local supermarket to do his weekly shop!!



This was the first outing for Keith’s (shopping)trolley but he took all the ribbing and less than flattering remarks in good faith and we were more than grateful for it in the end, well up to a point!…more later.

Not many mountains around here!



Greylag Geese practicing their formation flying.



They tried to drag us in, but we managed to keep our freedom…just!



Eventually our destination is in sight…Cut End Hide.



Adrian decided to use the ungainly method of entry…we just used the gate!



Now this is where Keith’s trolley came into it’s own as he started to unpack coffee, soup and cheese rolls. It was a good idea after all….well maybe?…more later!

As we sat for a well earned rest and refreshment we took in the (flat!) view over The Wash.



Whilst sitting and taking in the pleasant sunshine I suddenly heard a melancholy sort of wailing sound, my first thought when I looked up and saw the long flowing locks was…mermaid!…but no! it was only Keith, who had been exploring and was just cursing the fact that he had stepped into some rather deep and smelly mud!

Mermaid?



Alf kept a keen eye out for any rarities that might have put in an appearance.



With well over half the distance of our walk completed it was now that Keith’s trolley, or it could just have been Keith, had a bit of a poor showing!
“Would anyone like an apple?” was the question, as we sat on a bench for another short rest…after much rummaging, muttering and a partial unloading of the said trolley the next refrain to greet our ears was  “o f*** it, I’ve left them in the car”….It was a good job that both me and Adrian had turned down the offer of an apple….we weren’t too disappointed!

There were a lot of ‘watchers’ along the route.



I wonder if I could get a fringe like that?

As I mentioned earlier there were a lot of Dark-Bellied Brent Geese around but uncannily they seemed always to be on the furthest side of the reserve to us…apart from this one, who we called Billy no mates!



Our trek was now coming to and end and we were soon back at the car park where Adrian again did the honours with the tea and coffee. As luck would have it amongst the Mallard the Wigeon and the sheep that were feeding on the grass in front of the lagoon there was a good number of Redshank and Black-Tailed Godwits, with possibly a few Bar-Tailed Godwits mixed in!

Black-Tailed Godwit







Grey Plover.



Is this a Barwit or a Blackwit?




It was soon time to make tracks for home and after a brief reflection on how good the day had been we said farewell to Adrian and wished him all the best until the next we meet up, most probably, in the new year.

It was a great day with good company…we put the world to rights, had a few laughs, a nice walk in pleasant weather and plenty of birds to see. What better way to spend a day?

Before we left we gave this fella instructions to keep an eye on things until our next visit!

A MEGA DAY OUT - PART ONE

Last Wednesday myself and Keith went on a trip to RSPB Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire and then onto RSPB Titchwell Marsh in Norfolk.

It's about a two hour drive from Keith's house to Frampton and an early start was called for...so, up at silly o'clock, a 30 minute drive later and I was knocking on Keith's door at just before 6am.

With heavy overnight rain and a reasonably mild temperature the journey started out being rather damp but as we traveled further northwards the sky started to clear and the temperature began to fall, the forecast was for a cold sunny day!  We arrived just before 8am as the sun was beginning to rise and the temperature had settled for 2°C

Which way to go? The sun rises over the sea wall

First things first and it was time for a coffee as we donned boots and coats and made ready for a walk around the reserve. Almost immediately we were treated to a wonderful sight as a large flock of Pink-footed Geese flew directly overhead followed by varying sized flocks of Dark-bellied Brent Geese all making their way from their overnight roosting spots to graze on the arable fields further inland.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese

From where we'd parked the car we could see Reed Buntings flitting through the bushes and out on the wet meadow and marshes, Curlew, Redshank, Little Egrets together with the usual gathering of the more common water fowl. 

A Redshank flies by!

 

There were also very large flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover that every so often would take to the air and fill the sky with a spectacular whirling display.

Just a few! of the Lapwings and Golden Plovers taking to the air.

 

 

Sunrise over the reserve, looking back from the sea wall.

Next up it was a visit to the hides to see what else we could find and within  a couple of minutes of getting settled in the first hide eagle eyed Keith had found six Common Snipe just showing through the vegetation on one of the small islands. 

Unfortunately one problem  encountered  at Frampton is that from the main hide at this time of year you look directly into the rising sun so viewing and photography are rather hampered, hence no decent photographs! However we did manage to spot a single Ruff  and a pair of Pintail in amongst the usual overwintering ducks. And on the way back to the car three Skylarks foraging in the grass beside the pathway.

The visitor centre and a newly established Reedbed

After more coffee and a bite to eat whilst watching the Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Tree Sparrows on the feeders by the visitor centre it was time to make the one hour trip around the bottom of the Wash to Titchwell.  With a total count of thirty seven different species could the day get any better?...it certainly could!!  More in part two.

 

A VISIT TO WILSTONE RESERVOIR

Last Friday  (27-01-12) I went on a visit to Wilstone Reservoir, part of the Tring Reservoirs in Hertfordshire.  The sun was shining in a bright blue sky unfortunately there was a strong, bitterly cold, NW wind blowing.

A quick scan across the water revealed all the usual suspects, Mallard, Coot, G C Grebe and Pochard all in varying amounts, accompanied by small groups of Teal and Wigeon and of course the ever present Black-Headed Gulls!

Over the last few weeks there have been two long staying 'celebrities' a Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a Water Pipit. After a short walk, to its regularly reported favourite spot, I soon caught a rather fleeting glimpse of the Water Pipit, just enough time to grab a couple of quick record shots before it was gone!

 

Pied Wagtails were constantly flitting along the shore line accompanied by a single Grey Wagtail and, by the Reed beds in the far corner, a flock of around thirty Linnets.

Grey Wagtail

Linnet (female)

 

I then spotted  the other Wilstone 'celebrity'  the Dark-bellied Brent Goose just as it took off from the water to make a series of close fly by's before landing in its normal grazing field, soon to be joined by Canada and Greylag Geese.

 

Then there was a quick visit by two Red Kites who made a few lazy circles overhead before being 'seen off' by a group of Jackdaws that had until then been noisily minding their own business in the nearby tree tops.

There were also quite a few Redwing and Fieldfare busily looking for food in surrounding meadows and also searching the hedgerows for any remaining berries.

Redwing

Fieldfare (he thinks I can't see him!)

And finally I spent some time watching the Teal and Wigeon 'dabbling' in the shallows.

Wigeon (male)

 The video...

A Day of Firsts

Over the last  few days there have been reported sightings of three species of birds  in my local area that were all potential lifers for me. So today I decided to make the effort and brave the elements to see what I  could find.

I arrived at Startop's End Reservoir  on the Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire border to find a small group of birders, braving a bitterly cold South Westerly wind, watching a stunning  first winter male Snow Bunting.  

 

Next it was a short drive to Wilstone reservoir in Hertfordshire, where the wind seemed to be getting even colder, and a quick word with another  birder who was just leaving and I was directed to my second lifer of the day a juvenile Dark-Bellied Brent Goose grazing in an adjacent field with some Greylag Geese.

 

The third lifer of the day I have seen before in captivity but never  in the wild consisted of a family group of four Bewick's Swans who were  unfortunately too distant for a decent photograph! 

 

So, that's three firsts for the day... and now the next first is... the very first time that I have posted a video on my blog!  Yes - after much deliberation I've purchased a video camera and have been trying to get to grips with it for the last few weeks!!

So here are my two very shaky  (well it was windy!!) first videos...hopefully the quality will improve for future posts!!

 

So  I had a very successful, if very cold, day of  firsts, and the final first is that for the first time I've managed to post photographs (and videos!) on the same day as I took them...that's a lot of firsts for one day...phew!!