Erewash Valley Wildlife

[The photo
to the left is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License and kindly taken from Notts Birders site http://www.nottsbirders.net/welbeck.php.]

Bank Holiday Monday, and three of us locals (that’s Jim, Dave and I) decided to take a trip out and about to find us some decent birds. With the weather looking good then we decided to try Welbeck Raptor Watchpoint. Jim is a bit of a raptor nut and Dave has bags of experience too so I was hoping to pick a few tips on how to ID these fantastic birds at a distance. Honey Buzzard was very much the target species, but with very few records coming from the area, and the time of year, then we acknowledged it might be a tall order.

I was driving, and being the only one who hadn’t visited the “watchpoint” before, was warned that I might drive straight past it without realising – so eyes peeled I was ready for anything – but still drove straight past it. For those who haven’t been it’s little more than a piece of grass where you can park the car at the side of the road. I’ve taken the above picture from the Notts Birders site, because I forgot to take one, but it shows the vista as seen from the “lay-by” (and I’m being kind describing it that).

We immediately upped scopes and started scanning for birds, but in the drive up the weather had gone from a light wind and bright sunshine to strong winds and cloud. Not as good as we hoped. For a while the birding was frustrating, and a GS Woodpecker calling, a kestrel on the wire and a Yellowhammer or two were the only birds we saw. However, slowly, the birds started to show.

To start with just a Common Buzzard (or Radio Bird as Jim calls them – from C.B.) or two were climbing in the distant trees, but they gave us something to check and were positive signs. Then a Hobby went left to right in front, and proceeded to hawk among the Hirundines gathering to our left, often soaring alongside them. Later a second bird showed itself, soaring across the lake in front of us from right to left. After that it was like the floodgates opened and, joined by a sheffield lad, we watched the woodpigeons that had often fooled us with their playing in the wind in the distance give way to at least four more “Radio Birds”. Over the period we probably had 6 birds, while not a great number at least it was a bit of decent birding. Add to that the flock of 10 waders that came across the top of us (South to North) in silhouette against the sky and we were in good spirits suddenly. Frustratingly the waders gave very little away about themselves, 2 large birds and 8 little ones, Jim being fairly confident the larger ones may be Ruffs but the best guess we had for the smaller birds were Redshank.

Chatting to the bloke from Sheffield it seemed that we might struggle with “pencil birds” (another Jim-ism for Honey Buzzard. Think about it…) at this site, and so we moved on to see what was available elsewhere. We drove further south and walked through the forest, getting a lovely pair of Linnet on the way, setting ourselves up in a clearing that offered a bit of potential. It would be difficult here, as it didn’t have the panorama but looked like there may be some decent birds fly through if we were lucky.

From this vantage point it proved harder, as expected, and aside from a few “radio birds”, a sprawk and a kestrel nothing much offered itself. Whether a too brief sighting of a *very* interesting looking raptor over the forest top was something we should have got excited about deserved it, we’ll never know, but we did get excited – certainly it was to prove to be the most exciting sighting of the day (if only to prove just how fast three not-so-young birders can move when they get a whiff of a decent bird disappearing behind trees!).

After a couple of hours back we went, stopping briefly to watch a mixed flock of passerines, including treecreeper, willow warber, mixed tits and a family party of Spotted Flycatcher. Cracking birds.

Our last stop was to be “Budby Pond” – near the Pumping Station. Dave has really pushed us to go, Jim and I had never heard of the site, but I’m glad he did as what a mixed bag it threw up. Very quickly we’d got all three common wagtails in the same view, five Chiff-chaff, c50 Sand Martins, a hunting Kingfisher, Shelduck as well as a variety of wildfowl and other birds. A decent end to the day that really upped our “daylist” from paltry to okay, ending up with a few less than 40 species in the day.

The news that “pencil birds” were on the move when we got back home was a little annoying, with one sighted over Loscoe Dam on its way to Erewash Meadows a tantalising glimpse of what we might have seen had we stayed local, the third bird in three weeks. And of course not to mention the Citrine Wagtail at Ogston (though that sounded elusive).

All in all an enjoyable days birding.

This weekend was my long anticipated trip to Norfolk, I’d been looking forward to this for months, as usual I’d be on a family holiday (this time including the mother-in-law) but still it might give me a rare chance to get out and about and see some new birds.

Our cottage was at Stiffkey (pronounced Stookey by the locals) on the north Norfolk coast. The village is very small with one pub but it backs onto the salt marshes and beach, an important site for Brent Geese in winter – when they come over from the Russian Tundra when its frozen. Approximately 2000-3000 of them winter in the Blakeney area and they won’t leave til mid May. I was also hoping to maybe catch up with a rare migrant, and so signed up to Bird Guides to prepare (I’ve not been able to justify the cost in the past).

The first evening, Friday, we took a walk over the back of the cottage and to the Salt Marsh, on the way I got my first ever view of a Stoat, a fleeting glimpse as it dashed across our path. Marvellous. Down at the Marsh there were Redshank and several Brent Geese, also a few LBB’s that I couldn’t identify. We didn’t stay too long as it was tea time for the boy, so I had to make do with that to whet my appetite.

The next day we were off on the light railway from Wells to Walsingham, a brilliant narrow gauge railway that really suits kids. From the train we had cracking views of Partridge, Red-legged and Grey, as it went slowly (and I mean slowly) through the fields. Some birds were really close and gave me some of my best views of these lovely birds – I bet we saw about 20 partridge on that 30 min trip. At Walsingham we visited the Abbey ruins, this is set in a wonderfully large woodland, and we had a really nice walk, not too much about but really pleasant. The highlight was all the ladybirds coming out of hibernation, literally hundreds of them everywhere, all clinging together on posts in little colonies – my son was fascinated.

That night, when George was in bed and Mother in Law was tucked up in front of the box, we set out on an owl hunt. We could hear Tawny Owl from the cottage as we left, at least three different birds calling, and so we set out over the route we’d taken the previous evening to see if we could see any owls on the wing, we’d spotted a couple of Barn Owl boxes and so hoped something would be about.

A bat flew down the main road as we walked down and we were soon onto the fields, no sign of any bird activity but the view of the moon and Venus was beautiful in the dimming light and I stopped to take a few photographs with the tripod. I’m quite pleased with the results.

As we moved round it got darker and darker, but still no owls. We stopped again to take photographs of the starscape, the darkness, with us being in the middle of nowhere, was much better for viewing the stars and we stood and watched several “shooting stars”. Unfortunately we returned without seeing our owls (my wifes owl curse continues) but having seen such a lovely star scene we weren’t disappointed too much.

The next morning I was off on my own for a few hours, up at 6am, and down to the marshes behind the cottage. Again I was keener on the photography of such a beautiful scene than the perhaps I should have been. Some of my shots were again very pleasing and so I neglected the birds for a while.

After satisfying my creative urges then it was back to birding. First job, get a decent photo of Brent Geese. Crawling through the mud I approached their feeding ground, it proved a great lesson in field craft and I got very close ( within 4 metres) before they flew off to join some other geese that flew over. Later I found they are much happier being approached when they are on the water and so I got the shot earlier in the blog without getting my knees muddy. Its better than my “sneaking” shot as the sea makes a nice contrast.

I made my way across a series of wooden bridges to the beach area, the tide was out and so I got right down to the beach. Several Pipits were in the area and I need to check my photos to see if I can id them after the event, pipits aren’t my speciality. As I reached the beach I saw several Oystercatchers and a large flock of what I think were Knots, among them was a Grey Plover. There was also a single Dunlin and a couple of Redshank (lots of these further up the beach. At that point I noticed the tide turning and so, knowing how easy it is to get cut off I made my way back to the shore. I’m glad I did because by the time I got back, a good fifteen minute walk, the water was literally gushing up the channels and the landscape had altered, even in the sort time I’d been down there.

That day we went to Holkham Hall, not far up the coast, and no sooner had I parked the car than I spotted a Treecreeper on an oak nearby. Over I went with my camera and proceeded to snap away while it visited its nest on several occasions. George had fallen asleep on the way so I volunteered to “car sit” while the wife and mother in law went into the bygone museum (aren’t I good). So I got a good half an hour or more photographing the Treecreeper as it visited and got my best ever photographs of what’s been a frustratingly un-photogenic species for me.

As I stood there I got talking to a local couple who told me about a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker they’d seen in the nearby woods, so I hoped to go try and spot it later in the day. First things first though, George had woken up, and so we went to meet Mummy. On the way, on the grass near the lake, we caught up with a Yellow Wagtail and a couple of Pied Wagtail – the Yellow was my first of the year.

After lunch – which we spent watching some baby Mallards on the lake, with Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Swallows and Mute Swans in attendance – I went to try to find the LSW in the wood north of the lake. Unfortunately I didn’t have too much luck, but did follow a fascinating nature trail with loads of interesting facts about the Trees and wildlife, and got some nice views of Nuthatch in the wood. There are few decent sites for LSW in Derbyshire and so I should check those soon before the leaves appear on trees so I can finally nail this species.

Monday, our last day, was spent on a Seal Trip to Blakeney Point. The sea was very choppy as we got out of the harbour but we did see a seal or two in the sea – normally there’d be hundreds on the beach but apparently low fish stocks mean there having to spend much longer hunting recently. On the Point there were Oystercatchers, a Ringed Plover (perhaps a LRP – didn’t get great views), a few different Gull species and Sandwich Tern.

With that done, thankfully as George didn’t enjoy the boat too much, we set off back to Notts vowing to return in August and visit Titchwell and Snettisham. Can’t wait.

Spent a week with the family (wife and son – 18 months) near Settle in Yorkshire. Its a fantastic birding area with a range of habitats and, while we weren’t on a birding holiday, we managed to rack up a count of 72 species in the week.

Monday 22nd March – Bolton Abbey and Strid Wood

After seeing a Greater Spotted Woodpecker in the tree opposite the cottage I had high hopes of a good weeks birding, and hoped to tick off a few year ticks.

Monday was spent at Bolton Abbey past Skipton, a ruined abbey (part is still functional) dominates the valley but the Strid woodland leads up the river and several miles of paths wind along the river and through the surrounding woodland. The “strid”, a thin gorge where the water thunders through up to 30m deep, is the main tourist attraction – enjoyed by up to 40,000 victorians in a single day, and still attracts thousands each year. All the paths were pushchair accessible and so George sat and enjoyed the view while Daddy pushed around quite steep paths in places.

The woodland was alive with Tits but we had to wait a while for our first non-”common” bird, a pair of Nuthatch at eye level in a tree not too far away. The light wasn’t great for a photo but they looked beautiful as they moved around the tree – cracking birds. In the distance on the water I picked out two Goosander (male and female), which we picked up later as we got back down to water level. We had brief views of in-flight Greater Spotted Woodpecker, several mallard and a Greenfinch.

As we reached the viaduct we came back down the near side, we were scanning all the woodland trees for roosting Tawny Owl but those familiar with my blog will know that my wife and Owls just don’t mix – she always wants to see them but for some reason we never can when she’s around. Further round we stopped for a packed lunch, where we heard Greater Spotted Woodpecker drumming, and had good views of two Treecreeper and some more Nuthatch (later we saw one head into it’s nest).

More Goosander were on the water and we were buoyed by a Kingfisher flashing past, but it wasn’t til late on we got my target bird – Dipper. Regular in Derbyshire as they are I hadn’t made the journey this year, so I was pleased to see a pair on the water, feeding for a while and then sitting on rocks. Later we saw another one near the Abbey.

Curlew (year tick) flew overhead at several stages, and we had several more views of GS Woodpecker, but apart from a Pied Wagtail and three Fieldfare that was to be our lot. Not a bad day all round – and although George might disagree better than the Animal Park we had planned – until we found it was closed until Easter.

That evening I headed out for a quick walk round the cottage, no Owls but did see several Curlew including two sparring individuals – they appeared to be bashing each other with their bills. Not sure if they were loving or fighting. Apart from that I had several Gull (LBB, GBB, BH, Common and Herring), a few rabbits and pheasant, several pied wagtail and loads of chaffinch (really common up here – much more noticable than at home – or maybe its the time of year).

Tuesday 23rd March – Malham Cove and Gisburn Forest/Stocks Reservoir

Malham Cove is a natural cove which until the 1700′s had a waterfall higher than Niagra Falls, its a massive natural geological beauty spot and lots of birds use it as a nesting area. Last year when we visited we heard they had RSPB volenteers with a scope trained on a Peregrine nest – unfortunately we were too early for that but that meant it was quieter which wasn’t a bad thing.

It isn’t a difficult walk, I had George in a back pack thing, and its an amazing place. Like Cresswell Crags it brings home that thats just how its been for thosands of years, and you can imagine Neanderthal walking looking at exactly the same view with Crows cawing in the same way.

Birdwise, we had Pied Wagtail hunting on the water, Tits in the trees (inc Willow Tit on the way up), a Wren showing really well along the waterside, a nice early Wheatear in the fields above (I’d said literally two seconds previous that this would be perfect place for my first of the year), Meadow Pipit in the same area and Jackdaw too.

Later we went to Gisburn Forest, part of the Forest of Bowland. They have amazing feeders – attracting lots of Tits (inc Coal Tit), Reed Bunting and GS Woodpecker (are these getting ridiculously common now or is it me?). Also on our walk we had Red-Breasted Merganser, Goldeneye, Grey Heron and Oystercatcher all on Stocks Reservoir, Nuthatch in the forest and another Dipper in the beck.

Wednesday 24th March – Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve

A day I’d been looking forward to for a long time, I had had some reservations about the “serious” birders not being too happy with their hides being invaded by a toddler, but I was reassured on a forum that they’re well used to school trips and so not too worry. As it was George was really good, and, while at times he was at times noisy, he loved the birds and pointed them out continually as we walked round.

As we arrived we’d been told that the day before the Marsh Harriers had arrived back from their Winter in Africa; at least one, maybe two, females had returned. Also three Snow Geese were showing further up towards Morcambe Bay – not far from the reserve. The former I’ve seen before, but the latter would be a lifer.

So off we went to the hides, first stop Lillian hide – with its extra large picture window. Lots of wildfowl could be seen through the drizzle, Teal, Widgeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Pintail (year tick), Pochard, Goldeneye and Tufted Duck. Also lots of Black-headed Gulls and Lapwing.

Walking down towards the Causeway and reedbeds, we saw many finches and tits (including Marsh Tit), and a warbler – a Chiffchaff (year tick). Was it a Marsh Harrier that flew over the reeds, I fancy it probably wasn’t – over Erewash Meadows at that distance I’d have easily called it a pale Buzzard – but the thought of Marsh Harriers had my mind wandering to better things. Walking all the way to the furthest hides we saw a Common Frog disappear under the hide, but not too many other birds (Shelduck and Shoveler added to list). Similarly on the way back we had another “buzzard” in the distance, and it wasn’t until back at Lillian hide we picked out the Marsh Harrier (with some help) a blob in the distance perched in a tree – not really happy at the tick but still its a sighting, I’d have loved better views.

We decided we had time, after a lunch in an otherwise empty hide, to walk to the other hides, and on the way encountered Smooth Newt and Common Frog on the paths.

In the hides, we caught up with lots of Little Egrets – at least seven – along with lots more wildfowl. Alas I hadn’t caught up with Bearded Tit though, but I knew it was a long shot. Next month in Norfolk may hold more hope….

We decided to head for the Snow Geese, and caught up with them at a railway level crossing not far from Leighton Moss. They had been showing close to the road, but we only managed to see them in the far side of the field. I managed a few record shots with the camera, they were good looking birds. We decided to try the hides at Morcambe Bay – a sister site to Leighton Moss run by the RSPB. Two hides and similar habitat but being on the bay then it attracts a few more waders.

Visiting proved to be a good idea, as I got a few year ticks – Avocet (one of my wife’s favourite birds), Black Tailed Godwit and also, to my surprise, a lady with a scope pointed out a Spotted Redshank – a lifer for me. I’d never have picked it out without her help as my scope broke a few weeks ago (it was very cheap so no great loss).

So all in all the day produced nearly 40 species, very pleasing considering we didn’t have long for scanning the water what with George needing entertaining. We ended the day with Fish and Chips ate in a lay-by and watched a Buzzard settle down to roost in a nearby tree.

Thursday 25th March – Moors

While checking out the moors for Hen Harrier from the car we got lucky and found a Merlin, male, perched not far from the car on a stone wall. I drove into a small ditch trying to get safely off the road to get a photo – it would have been a good one, but as usually happens in those situations it flew off as I got focussed. It zipped away and although we also saw it Friday in the same place it never posed for a photo in the same way – though I did spend nearly an hour sat waiting. I did see a Hare though which came quite close to the car. The car did get out the ditch, despite some horrible grinding on the alloys as I revved it to get traction.

Other birds today were Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Oystercatcher and Sparrowhawk. Never did see Hen Harrier which is a great disappointment, as they are in the area, but never quite managed to catch up with them.

Saturday 27th March – Old Moor RSPB Reserve

30 species today after a quick visit on the trip home. A brief view of Water Rail in the reeds, Tree Sparrow flying across near the feeders and Sand Martin (year tick) were all new birds for the holiday. Lots of Wildfowl about, as well as a Kestrel perched not far away on a fence post from one hide.