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

Ufton Fields & Marsh Lane

Still struggling with gout we had a flying visit to Ufton Fields before heading off to the main event of Marsh Lane.

My 1st visit to Ufton, and to be fair it was fairly uneventful, athough i did get my 1st House Martin. Still, a pretty place and worthy of further reconnaissance.




Nice little Blackbird


Onwards to Marsh Lane, and still hampered by the extremely painful gout, only a fraction of the usual tour was attempted, still managing to get my 1st Reed Warbler though, even if he was a tad camera shy -



Reed Warbler



Reed Warbler

 Not the best shots in the world, but better than nout!

The count -

1. Lapwing
2. Carrion Crow
3. Reed Warbler - NEW
4. Moorhen
5. Coot
6. Mute Swan
7. Little Grebe
8. Gadwell
9. Shoveler
10. Greylag
11. Redshank
12. Teal
13. Mallard
14. Great Crested Grebe
15. Canada Goose
16. Black-headed Gull
17. Pheasant
18. Black Swan
19. Jackdaw
20. Sand Martin
21. Shelduck
22. Common Tern
23. Reed Bunting
24. Chaffinch
25. Greenfinch
26. Great Tit
27. Tree Sparrow
28. Tufted Duck
29. Wood Pigeon
30. Yellow Wagtail
31. Common Sandpiper - NEW
32. Kestrel
33. Little Ringed Plover
34. Oyster Catcher
35. Heron
36. Lesser Black-backed Gull
37. Buzzard
38. Pochard
39. Cormorant
40. Jay
41. Starling
42. Ringed Plover
43. Swallow
44. Pied Wagtail

Titchwell

1st trip here, and in all honesty a little bit overwhelming for the novice birder.
11 new ticks for the Life & Year lists and although the overall count for the day seems a bit low there were actually more birds than you could shake a stick at.
The low count in my opinion was down to a couple of things -

1, The usual not enough time factor.
2, Simply overwhelmed by bird numbers and rather impressive Air Traffic Control style 5* hides
3, A rather painful ankle that sent agony messages to the brain with every step!

Anyway some piccys first for a change -

Avocet

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Chaffinch

Garganeys

Goslings

Grey Plover

Linnet

Robin

The count -

1. Robin
2. Blackbird
3. Blackcap
4. Dunnock
5. Pheasant
6. Grey Heron
7. Blue Tit
8. Great Tit
9. Avocet - NEW
10. Chaffinch
11. Wood Pigeon
12. Grey Plover - NEW
13. Coot
14. Moorhen
15. Linnet
16. Garganey - NEW
17. Black Tailed Godwit - NEW
18. Mallard
19. Teal
20. Common Redshank
21. Spotted Redshank - NEW
22. Ruff - NEW
23. Shelduck
24. Shoveler
25. Snipe
26. Greylag
27. Black-headed Gull
28. Reed Bunting
29. Sedge Warbler - NEW
30. Whimbrel - NEW - Got a shot of this but its quite poor (might upload it later anyway)
31. Skylark - NEW - As with this
32. House Sparrow - NEW
33. Lapwing
34. Little Ringed Plover
35. Oyster Catcher
36. Canada Goose
37. Mute Swan
38. Black Tern - NEW
39. Little Grebe 
40. Widgeon
41. Collared Dove

Marsh Lane

x2 new ticks for the Life & Year lists, but failed miserably in getting any shots of them at all :-(
Still, seen them i did so the tick gets added making the count for the day 43..

1. Canada Goose
2. Comorant
3. Coot
4. Redshank
5. Tufted Duck
6. Pintail
7. Shoveler
8. Jackdaw
9. Lapwing
10. Pied Wagtail
11. Lesser Black-backed Gull
12. Black-headed Gull
13. Pochard
14. Gadwell
15. Grey Heron
16. Mallard
17. Mute Swan
18. Wood Pigeon
19. Crow
20. Little Grebe
21. Moorhen
22. Oystercatcher
23. Magpie
24. Wheatear - NEW
25. Pheasant
26. Dunnock
27. Chaffinch
28. Blackcap - NEW
29. Common Tern
30. Black Swan
31. Tree Sparrow
32. Reed Bunting
33. Great Crested Grebe
34. Ringed plover
35. Greylag
36. Buzzard
37. Blue Tit
38. Great Tit
39. Blackbird
40. Little Ringed Plover
41. Chiffchaff
42. Robin
43. Geenfinch

A few piccys -

Brandon Marsh

1st trip to Brandon Marsh for me, not a very exciting one but nonetheless worth the effort.

Hit list was as follows;

1. Robin
2. Pied Wagtail
3. Buzzard
4. Magpie
5. Canada Goose
6. Oystercatcher
7. Greylag
8. Tufted Duck
9. Coot
10. Moorhen
11. Mallard
12. Crow
13. Teal
14. Pheasant
15. Little Grebe
16. Comorant
17. Wood Pigeon
18. Grey Heron
19. Great Tit
20. Reed Bunting
21. Swallow

A few piccys-