Couple of piccys

After a morning at the hospital for a routine check-up, i managed to escape to Marsh Lane for a couple of hours to see what was there to catch up with - Nothing!!

Mr Squirrel was in the mood for posing though

And also managed a half decent shot of a Goldfinch

Finally a new Tick

The obligatory stroll around Marsh Lane every Sunday has been tick free for the last few weeks, with only the usual culprits checking in for the register. Today though a Wood Sandpiper dropped in and finally broke the deadlock, not the best piccy in the world but he was quite a long way off.

Wood Sandpiper

Not a lot happening otherwise, with not an awful lot to point the camera at, did spot Mum & Dad Blue Tit feeding the kids though -

Blue Tits

Coot

Moorhen

Reed Bunting

Ok, its not a bird but i'm forever seeing these going into the nearby Birmingham Airport, so i decided to snap it -

Boeing 777



The count -

1. Lesser Black-backed Gull
2. Jackdaw
3. Coot
4. Greylag
5. Lapwing
6. Tufted Duck
7. Wood Pigeon
8. Mallard
9. Cormorant
10. Black-headed Gull
11. Mute Swan
12. Oyster Catcher
13. Goldfinch
14. Little Grebe
15. Moorhen
16. Canada Goose
17. Swift
18. Reed Bunting
19. Little Ringed Plover
20. Starling
21. Black Swan
22. Common Tern
23. Pheasant
24. Great Crested Grebe
25. Buzzard
26. Magpie
27. Carrion Crow
28. Grey Heron
29. Pochard
30. Reed Warbler
31. Pied Wagtail
32. Wood Sandpiper NEW
33. Redshank
     
 
 

Not a lot happening at Marsh Lane

Rain in the air and blowing a gale, but i went regardless thinking i might be rewarded with something unusual. No such chance!!

All run of the mill stuff im afraid, in fact if anything, its very quiet.

1. Coot
2. Tufted Duck
3. Lapwing
4. Oyster Catcher
5. Jackdaw
6. Cormorant
7. Black-headed Gull
8. Greylag
9. Common Tern
10. Sand Martin
11. Mallard
12. Great Crested Grebe
13. Pochard
14. Little Ringed Plover
15. Shelduck
16. Swift
17. Lesser Black-backed Gull
18. Redshank
19. Wood Pigeon
20. Crow
21. Gadwell
22. Goldfinch
23. Reed Bunting
24. Canada Goose
25. Mute Swan
26. Chiffchaff
27. Little Grebe
28. Moorhen
29. Jay
30. Pied wagtail
31. Black Swan
32. Blue Tit
33. Grey Heron
34. Magpie
35. Starling
36. Tree Sparrow

Blue Tit

Grey Heron

Reed Bunting

Oyster Catcher with its young

Marsh Lane & a mission to Shustoke Reservoir

Run of the mill stuff at Marsh Lane although we did cut the visit shorter than usual in order to go to Shustoke Reservoir.

Still a reasonable count though -

1. Magpie
2. Pied Wagtail
3. Greylag
4. Oystercatcher
5. Coot
6. Tufted Duck
7. Grey Heron
8. Swift
9. Mute Swan
10. Cormorant
11. Lapwing
12. Mallard
13. Jackdaw
14. Pheasant
15. Pochard
16. Wood Pigeon
17. Black-headed Gull
18. Ringed Plover
19. Dunlin
20. Canada Goose
21. Lesser Black-backed Gull
22. Gadwell
23. Starling
24. Little Grebe
25. Redshank
26. Little Ringed Plover
27. Sand Martin
28. Common Tern
29. Swallow
30. Goldfinch
31. Crow
32. Moorhen
33. Dunnock
34. Black Swan
35. Shelduck
36. Great Crested Grebe
37. Buzzard
38. Blue Tit
39. Sedge Warbler

Oystercatcher

Off to Shustoke Reservoir then with the mission to find the Black Throated Diver, with a good chance to practice some flight shots with the Gulls zipping about on the way -

Gull

And couldn't resist the little Goslings

But no sign of the Diver, even with now 3 of us on the prowl for it, although in truth, healthy conversation had put our observations on the back seat, only when a fourth birder joined our little group and pointed the Diver out to us did we spot him. Right under our noses!!!
Managed to get a few decent shots off and now cant decide which one is best, so here's a shortlist for you to decide!

2 Hours at Marsh Lane

Flying visit en-route to a friends for dinner so only a quick 2hour stay. Alot of the usual culprits were there, and many that wasn't, although i did gain a brand new tick for the day with this -

Whitethroat

Not a brilliant shot i'll grant you, but my first so he gets some internet stardom!

Infact i didnt do very good at all for decent shots, I haven't a clue where i'm going wrong apart from maybe trying to shoot from to greater distance?

This didn't come out to bad though -

Common Tern

Mr Pochard is still resident, obviously likes his surroundings as he's the only one there -


Pochard

Pochard

And i'm including this as its the first time ive ever seen one out of the water -


Great Crested Grebe

Dozens of these fella's about -

Black-headed Gull

As with these -

Lapwing

The weather was pretty cool compared to recently, and the wind was very strong, so strong infact that there was nothing on the feeders at all which i found quite odd?

The Count -

1. Green Woodpecker
2. Pochard
3. Lapwing
4. Cormorant
5. Mute Swan
6. Tufted duck
7. Greylag
8. Oyster Catcher
9. Black-headed Gull
10. Coot
11. Canada
12. Teal
13. Mallard
14. Crow
15. Pheasant
16. Common Tern
17. Lesser Black-backed Gull
18. Sedge Warbler
19. Great Crested Grebe
20. Jackdaw
21. Linnet
22. Redshank
23. Magpie
24. Moorhen
25. Ringed Plover
26. Swallow
27. Whitethroat - NEW
28. Starling
29. Wood Pigeon
30. Pied Wagtail
31. Greenfinch

Marsh Lane & Whitacre Heath

Early start at Marsh Lane today, arriving a little before 8am this morning to a very bright and sunny start, although a very strong North Easterly wind blew the cobwebs away along with any feelings of warmth.

Not a fantastic day count wise, although i did manage to get x2 new ticks for the life & year lists, as well as some shots of a Sedge Warbler, not fantastic shots mind you as he was quite a distance away, but im gonna post them anyway because thats all i managed to get (no pointing and laughing now!)

Like i said, far from good shots, but all i could muster, so my little Sedge Warbling friend gets some internet fame..

The count -

1. Shelduck
2. Coot
3. Greylag
4. Mute Swan
5. Canada
6. Lapwing
7. Black-headed Gull
8. Gadwell
9. Cormorant
10. Pochard
11. Tufted Duck
12. Carrion Crow
13. Magpie
14. Pheasant
15. Sedge Warbler
16. Grey Heron
17. Reed Bunting
18. Blackbird
19. Swift - NEW
20. Wood Pigeon
21. Redshank
22. Little Grebe
23. Dunlin
24. Common Tern
25. Teal
26. Ringed Plover
27. Blackcap
28. Great Tit
29. Lesser Black-backed Gull
30. Blue Tit
31. Buzzard
32. Swallow
33. Little Ringed Plover
34. Kingfisher - NEW
35. Mallard
36. Moorhen
37. Chaffinch
38. Common Sandpiper
39. Great Crested Grebe
40. Starling

We then sent off to have a quick shufty at Whitacre Heath, just to see if the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was around posing for piccys. But would'nt you know it, he was still in the dressing room somewhere powdering his bill, bugger!!

Still, did manage a snap of this chap who was dozing in the tree though -

Little Egret



Peak District National Park

Had a ride out around the Peaks today for no particular reason other than we could.

Not really a full on birding day, but we took in what we could in amongst fighting with the traffic and negotiating hoards of cyclists, not to mention being heckled by a local woman! More on that later..

Anyway, deep breath here comes the count -

1. Blackbird
2. Carrion Crow
3. Robin
4. House Martin
5. Jackdaw
6. Mallard
7. Wood Pigeon
8. Goldfinch
9. Rook
10. Chaffich
11. Swallow
12. House Sparrow
13. Magpie
14. Curlew
15. Skylark
16. Grey Heron
17. Great Crested Grebe
18. Tufted Duck
19. Blue Tit
20. Pied Wagtail
21. Pheasant
22. Buzzard
23. Redstart - NEW
24. Canada Goose
25. Greylag Goose
26. Shelduck
27. Coot
28. Lapwing
29. Linnet
30. Meadow Pipit - NEW
31. Mistle Thrush - NEW
32. Black-headed Gull
33. Grey Partidge - NEW

Managed to get a couple of half decent shots off, 1st of a Grey Heron knee deep in water feeding his belly.

Grey Heron

And 2nd, this panicked shot of a Curlew that took off from the back of a field we had stopped near -

Curlew

And finally the heckling!

Driving down a rural road we spied a couple of lama's sat in a field, as they're not the "usual" thing to be seen, i decided to stop and rattle off a couple of shots, only to hear a woman stood near them shouting at me "Bloody Cheek, Clear off"!!!
I have absolutely no idea what it was i was doing that was such a bloody cheek?
Maybe it was standing in a public place taking piccys of something that was in public view, anyway to the lady in question heres the piccy.
They're not the best looking animal in the world, in fact in this pose they look rather like someting the late Rod Hull should have his arm stuck up, so please accept this piccy with a Churchill Salute accompanied by a rather loud raspberry sound..

Lama's