Wetlands Wedge The Other Sites

2008-09-25T20:38:00.019Z

OARE MARSH AND SHEPPEY

Sunday, 21st September 2008.

We had been promised some good weather for today and, although it was a little misty when we set off it certainly looked promising. Our little party comprising Libby, John, Leon and myself were dressed for warm weather although we all carried warm / wet gear just in case. We met, as usual, at the Green Man and were soon on our way; Leon and I were particularly looking forward to this outing, as we had not been to Oare Marshes before.

ACROSS TO HARTY FERRY INN

Photo: Leon Rusk

By the time that we reached Oare the weather had really brightened up; there was not a cloud in the sky and there was no wind to speak of. I had always thought that this site was quite small but I was to be proved to be quite wrong!

IT IS A BIG PLACE!

Phto: Leon Rusk

Almost at once we started seeing (and hearing) many different birds in the variety of habitats that make up the area. A flock of Greylags flew in for breakfast and, as we watched them, a Cettis’ Warbler burst into song almost right next to us giving us quite a start!Libby had said that the bird she most wanted to see on this day was the Bearded Reedling; she would not have to wait too long as we very soon heard their distinctive ‘ping-ing’ as they moved along the reed beds towards us! Initially they seemed to stay very low in the reeds, surprising us as we thought that they might show well as the weather was warm and calm. We did not have to wait long though, as we walked along looking at the mudflats checking for waders, the little birds started to show themselves atop the reeds.

A GLORIOUS MORNING!

Photo: Leon Rusk

As it got warmer, so they got bolder; small flocks of them were making short flights along the beds all the while ‘ping-ing’ away to their hearts content! At one point we were lucky enough to have a male sit right on top of a dead branch on a bush that gave us a fantastic view, very close up!There was a group of about seven Grey Seals on the other side of the Swale, on Sheppey. Libby was the first to see them and pointed them out to the rest of us. Some idiots on a small hovercraft thought it funny to cross the mudflats to frighten both the seals and the large groups of gulls and waders. Just the noise of the thing was enough to give me the start of a headache.

MUD, MUD, GLORIOUS MUD!

Photo: Leon rusk

We moved into the hide by the Faversham Creek and settled to watch the waders that were left on this side of the Swale. A good number of them there were too, although not a great number of different species! There was an untold number of Redshanks; I had never seen so many in such close proximity! Blackwits were abundant as well, keeping company with gulls and smaller waders. All the while, Libby kept popping out of the hide to watch the ‘Beardies’ that were now showing almost constantly.
There were some small waders that we could not identify as we were looking directly into the still low sun and the glare was incredible!Moving on we met some friends of Johns’, his local RSPB group I understand. They were engrossed in the ‘Beardies’ as well, their ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ heralding each new appearance!

FAVERSHAM CREEK MEETS THE SWALE

Photo: Leon Rusk

As we moved up Faversham Creek someone (Leon I believe) caught sight of a Peregrine Falcon coming towards us. ‘Coming towards us’ is, probably, a bit of an understatement as the bird was in mid-stoop! It missed its’ intended victim, which was only a few yards from us, and then span around to go back to try again just feet above our heads! What a show! None of us had seen anything like it before and I do not think that we will forget that in a hurry! Although we were to see several raptors during the course of the day, nothing was to come close to comparing with the thrill we all got watching the Peregrine!

SPOILT FOR CHOICE!

Photo: Leon Rusk

At the hide in the centre of the reserve we were to meet more of Johns’ friends and spent a short while in their (very knowledgeable) company. A first for Leon and I, Spotted Redshank was picked out by one of the ladies. There was another bird on one of the islands that everybody was uncertain of. I spent the best part of forty minutes watching the bird, just to see its’ legs! When I did I told john that I thought the bird was a Pectoral Sandpiper and why I thought so. The legs, a pale yellow, had been the clincher but everything else fitted. After some discussion we all agreed upon its’ identity.

FAVERSHAM CREEK

Photo: Leon Rusk

Crossing the site we went to another hide where we watched for the Spotted Crake for a while. Not realising how much time had passed we ate our lunch in the hide. We did not see the Crake and very little else.
Our bags were then left back at Johns’ car and we walked along the sea wall to look again for the Crake. Nothing, not a sausage, but w did have some fine views of a Hobby quartering the area and giving a fine exhibition of its’ aerobatic skills. There was a chap only a few yards away from it at times and he missed most of the show!Elmley, on the Island of Sheppey, was our next destination; Leon and I had been there before and were looking forward to going there again. During the drive there we saw lots of Harley Davidson’s on what must have been a ‘ride-out’ for some club or other. There were also lots of other ‘bikers out and about, some in small groups and others solitary. Everyone seemed to be out taking advantage of, possibly, the last good weekend of the year!

SEALS ON THE DISTANT POINT (REALLY!)

Photo: Leon Rusk

Any body that has been to Elmley will know that there is quite a drive from the ‘front gate’ to the entrance. (!) As we made our way, slowly because of the surface, across the site John told us to watch the gate and fence posts, as you never know what might be perched on them. A split second later Leon spluttered: “There! On the gate! It’s enormous!” We inquired as to what it was to be informed that it was a … “bloody great owl!” I could not see through him so I climbed out to have a look through my ‘bins. “Funny looking owl” I ventured. “What do you think it is?” I asked. Quickly Leon said, “I think it’s a Short Eared ……”, “Cormorant!” interjected John. A Short Eared Cormorant, certainly a ‘lifer’ for me! The boy was crestfallen and very embarrassed. So I said that I would not mention it here! Yeah.

You nearly always get a good welcome at whatever ‘birding’ site you visit but Elmley went way over the top. As we drove along the entrance road they had obviously booked the Red Arrows to greet us as they flew, not very high, right over the car! A bit over the top perhaps, but, ‘thanks’ anyway!

LITTLE STINT ( IT'S THERE, HONEST!)

Photo: Leon Rusk

Disappointment was soon to follow. There had been an outbreak of the blue/green algae at the site and so there was very little to be seen according to the notice that was on display. No wonder they had over-compensated on the welcome!
Thinking it a little early to go to the Raptor Observation Point at Capel Fleet, John said that we could go and see some other places that we could come back to later in the year to view certain birds. We had a look at several places and even visited a small church (St Thomas’ at Harty) whilst still being able to carry on ‘birding’!The wind had got up quite a bit by now, the temperature had dropped a little and there was some evidence of clouds moving in from the east. It was still very pleasant though; a Marsh Harrier was having no trouble moving about, quartering the fields below it.

ST THOMAS', A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE CHURCH!

Photo: Leon Rusk

Having spent some time at each location, it seemed that we were soon on our way back to the Raptor Observation Point. Leons’ face lit up as soon as we left for it; John had told him that it was possible that we might see an owl of some type (!) a little later in the evening!Shortly after arriving, I had to put on my windproof coat as the temperature seemed to be dropping quite rapidly. John and Leon did the same. Several other people who all donned their coats soon after arriving soon joined us. The reason that we were feeling the cold is, of course, that being on top of the mound you get the full force of the elements! If you dropped down to the carpark you could soon warm up!

WATCHING MARSH HARRIERS!

Photo: Leon Rusk

Although we had to wait a while for the birds to show, we soon had a good number of Marsh Harriers occupying the fields around us. There were plenty of Kestrels as well; in fact, wherever you looked you were likely to see one! A Peregrine also put in an appearance although it did nothing so spectacular as the one that we had seen earlier!John had located an owl box that he thought might contain ‘the’ owl; I trained my ‘scope on it so that we could keep a close watch on it every now and then.

RAPTOR VIEW POINT

Photo: Leon Rusk

We had a marvellous view of the Peregrine a little later; it had come back and I was lucky enough to get on it as it started a ‘stoop’ that was to scatter an enormous flock of Starlings in the adjacent field. It missed but did come down to land in the field where it was quickly dive-bombed by the resident Lapwings.
There was movement at the owl box. There was also a Kestrel at the owl box! “ It has just come out of the box and is now perched on the roof”, John informed us. I thought that I caught the merest of quivers on my young chums’ bottom lip.We were now losing the light quickly and it was getting much colder, poor Libby was shaking a little. So, having had a cracking day, we decided that it was time to make tracks home. It took a little while to drag a certain ‘owl enthusiast’ from the observation mound but we were soon on our way!

NO OWLS (OR SHORT EARED CORMORANTS) HERE!

Photo: LEon Rusk

John dropped us off at the ‘Green Man’ where we had a couple of pints and enjoyed the day once more; once again we had seemed to pack so much in to one trip

BIRDS SEEN: Rook, Mallard, Collared Dove, Starling, Little Grebe, Wood Pigeon, Heron, Black Headed Gull, House Sparrow, Greylag Goose, Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Coot, Moorhen, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Common Sandpiper, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Gadwall, Teal, Great Black Backed Gull, Bearded Reedling, Cettis Warbler, Lapwing, Cormorant, Curlew, Linnet, Reed Warbler, Carrion Crow, Common Snipe, Peregrine Falcon, Ruff, Hobby, Kestrel, Shoveller, Greenshank, Golden Plover, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Little Egret, Oystercatcher, Pectoral Sandpiper, Swallow, Red Legged Partridge, Wren, Marsh Harrier, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Whinchat, Green Sandpiper, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Kingfisher.

2008-09-19T12:01:00.017Z

DUNGENESS, RYE AND LYDD.

Sunday, 14th September 2008.

Standing at the bus stop I thought about the weather forecast for the day. They had promised good weather and so I had only put on a vest and heavy shirt, although I did have lightweight waterproofs in my rucksack. It was now quite cloudy although I could see that it was only light cloud that would burn off relatively quickly once the sun started to come up. Having met Leon on the bus we arrived at the ’Green Man’ slightly before our meeting time, seven thirty, only to find that John was already there. In the car with John was Libby, a lady that I think that I recognised from the Wetland Centre.

THE MARTELLO TOWER, RYE HARBOUR

Photo: Reg Norman

The journey down to our first stop, Rye Harbour, was uneventful and the weather improved as we made our way. John had a birdsong CD on as we went along which I really enjoyed. When we got to the part where it featured the Barn Owl, Leon mentioned that he had yet to see one and John replied that if there was a chance later in the day we would try for one; the youngster was made up!By the time we reached Rye there was warm sunshine although the wind coming off the sea kept the temperature down somewhat. All around us birds were battling with the wind.

THE NATURE RESERVE, RYE

Photo: Reg Norman

Never having been to the place before, Leon and I suggested that John might like to set the itinery fro the day. This was to prove to be one of the best decisions of the day; John certainly knows his ‘birding’ spots!
We walked from the carpark and headed towards the harbour entrance. There were not as many birds about as John expected but we put it down to the time of year and the strong wind. As we walked along we scanned the nature reserve area and gradually we began to see more birds, especially Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails.When we reached the harbour entrance, atop a pebble beach, we found many Turnstones doing exactly what their name suggests. The longer we looked the more we saw.

THE BEACH AT RYE, WESTWARDS

Photo: Reg Norman

The wind had eased off slightly but we noticed gulls just hanging in the air and quite a few more making their way to the nature reserve. Several Sandwich Terns also passed by and headed inland.
After spending a little while ‘sea watching’ we made our way back to the café for something to eat. On the way back we saw any more small birds including a flock of Linnets, these were keeping company with Meadow Pipits, Wagtails and Starlings. I wasn’t going to have the breakfast, just something quick. I was glad that I changed my mind as it was delicious and I hadn’t realised just how hungry I was! There was a terrific picture of Barn Owl in the café and Leon mentioned that, as yet, he had not seen one!

RYE, FULHAM FC COLOURED HUT!

Photo: Reg Norman

We moved off and made our way to Dungeness RSPB, going through some charming little villages on the way. I had been there, many years ago, and it seemed not to have changed one little bit! Our first stop was at the ARC lake, hopefully to see the Common Cranes that had been in residence for a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately we were not to see them, we met the warden on arrival and she explained that we had missed them by about fifteen minutes! There were going to be a lot of disappointed people as there were cars arriving all the time and, I would guess, that most of them had come to see the Cranes!The helpful lady then said that we should go over to the viewing point nearby, as there were a flock of Black Terns in residence. Not only that, but, there was a White Winged Black tern among them! She joined us for a while and was kind enough to point the bird out to us and to describe the differences between them!

ARC LAKE, TERNS, NO CRANES!

Photo: Reg Norman

We next moved to the other side of the site where we visited several hides. I couldn’t believe the number and variety of species of birds! We saw several new ones (to Leon and I) and many ‘old friends’. With so many experienced ‘birders’ in the hides with us we couldn’t really miss anything because they would all call different birds as they saw them and give directions.John had a master plan! “Lets’ go down to the beach at Dungeness, do some seawatching and look around near the Bird Observatory, we can come back here later when, hopefully the Cranes will have come back to roost”. This seemed a good idea to us, so off we toddled!

DUNGENESS BEACH, NOT CROWDED!

Photo: Reg Norman

All around us, in that peculiarly Dungeness landscape, were small parties of ‘birders’; some singular and others in various sized groups. Each group with its’ own agenda and all thoroughly enjoying themselves! I wondered aloud what they had all come to see or all might like to see. “I’d like to see a Barn Owl” said a little voice not too far behind me! John led us to several different areas, each offering the chance of seeing different species and slightly different habitats. After having spoken to somebody who seemed to be very well informed we ended up watching a Little Owl that had made its’ home in a disused rabbit burrow; I’ll never forget its’ vivid green eyes. I was waiting for a little voice to ask if a certain other type of owl might reside in rabbit burrows!

DUNGENESS, HERE BE PORPOISES!

Photo: Reg Norman

The beach was our next stopping point, on the way to it John warned us not to go into the bird hides as the local fishermen use them as toilets! The beach didn’t bring up to many bird species, possibly because the wind had gotten a little stronger, but we did get an unexpected surprise! There were about four or five Harbour Porpoises not many yards from the shore! We stayed for a while but there seemed to be fewer birds as the wind increased and the tide receded; there weren’t even any birds around the outflow from the power station.

SEAWATCHING, DUNGENESS BEACH

Photo: Reg Norman

Moving back to Dungeness RSPB, we ate our lunch in the ARC carpark. Again I didn’t realise how hungry I was until I started eating; it must be the sea air! We checked and found that the Cranes had not yet returned and so we made our way to the main site. As usual at all RSPB sites we were greeted most warmly and were soon being given information about possible sightings. John, of course, knew the site and suggested our route which we all agreed upon. As we moved through the shop we came upon a book on owls; it had a you-know-what on the cover. “Hope I see one of those later!” said you-know-who.We had not long started going round this enormous site, only having visited a couple of the many hides, when John recognised some of his old ‘birding’ buddies. They reported that there really was not much to see further on along the site and that we might spend our time more profitably in another place. John mentioned that one of our party could possibly be interested in seeing a Barn Owl and asked if they, being local, could point us in the right direction. They gave him the directions and we resolved to try for a sighting a little later on as it was still too early for them to be out. In the meantime, we decided to go back to the ARC and spend some time in the ‘Viewpoint’ hide. Passing through the shop once more we noticed some lovely paintings, one of them was of the target bird for later on. John and I stood in front of it.

YOU NEED A 'SCOPE HERE!

Photo: Reg Norman

There were more small birds about when we got back to the ARC area. We saw quite a number of Yellow Wagtails moving about in a flock; what busy little birds they are!One of my best ‘birding’ moments was to follow. We noticed a large group of people studying a bush most intently and I asked one of them what they were looking for. “There are loads of Willow Warblers in there,” I was told “and, there is a Redstart with them!” I joined the waiting crowd and, sure enough, out popped a Redstart! What fabulous colours! One of the chaps, who was guiding this particular party, said that he had never seen a Redstart with such vivid colours; I quite believed him. Libby, John and Leon joined us and very shortly they had been treated to the sight of this beautiful bird as well!

POWERSTATION, FROM RSPB

Photo: Reg Norman

As we moved to the hide we were aware of the Wagtails moving about, seemingly trying to cover every square inch of the site! Some of the Black Terns that had moved off earlier in the day had now started returning but the White Winged bird never came back. By all accounts this was the highest number of Black Terns ever recorded in one day here!From he hide we noticed that, although not in the same numbers as earlier in the day, there were still many birds to be seen. In particular there were many Cormorants with more arriving by the minute. Every so often nearly all of the birds other than the Cormorants would take flight; there were many raptors about, not surprising really, considering the amount of prey about! Libby tended to be the one who spotted these; she really has a great knack for it.

LIBBY AND JOHN, A DUNGENESS HIDE

Photo: Reg Norman

We spent quite a long time at the hide; it would be pointless trying for Tyto alba until later in the evening. The Cranes never came back whilst we were there, but, with the prospect of trying out yet another location our disappointment was not too bad!Apart from one minor wrong turn John took us to our destination deep in the country. All of the things hat we were told to look out for, a deserted farmhouse, a particular pub on the way and even a partially hidden stile were all exactly where they were supposed to be! One of our party was getting very excited!

WAITING FOR CRANES!

Photo: Reg Norman

We crossed the stile and started to make our way to where we thought the best vantage point would be. As we went along we became aware of a large flock of mixed birds moving about in the bushes and shrubs along our track. We had not seen many Tits and such during the day, so this offered us a chance to add a few more species to our total. My favourites, Long Tailed Tits, were much in evidence to my delight. One, then another showed itself and then vanished. John pointed and said, “Long Tailed Tit” at a bird that seemed apart from the hubbub. I looked and knew straight away that it wasn’t. The mask gave it away. “No it ISN’T!” cried John, “ It’s a … it’s a Red Backed Shrike!” It was, it vanished, we never saw it again however hard we tried to relocate it! Leon smiled, but Red Backed Shrikes seem not to impress like a certain other bird might do.

RYE, EAST TO THE WINDFARM. UGH!

Photo: Reg Norman

A couple of ‘birders’ passed us; we knew they were ‘birders’. They ignored us even though they must have witnessed our excitement a little earlier. Like ships in the night they were. We moved off in the direction that they had taken and soon caught up with them. They were to one side of the raised track on a sort of a, supposedly, ‘natural’ viewing platform. John approached and asked if they had seen anything and was curtly told that they had only just arrived. They must have known that we knew that they had just arrived. We had been told that we might see Tree Sparrows in the area but, when asked about this, we again got a curt reply to the negative, “Not round here!” They were also ‘not looking for anything in particular’! Good, because they wouldn’t see the Shrike either!Barn Owls were a different thing though. “You want to go right back there, where you came from. That’s’ the best place to be, sometimes two!” They couldn’t get us away quick enough! I wondered what they were there for in a place they obviously knew well.

RYE, EAST TO THE POWER STATION

Photo; Reg Norman

We did move away from them, not as far as they would have liked because we moved out into a field atop an enormous heap of stones from the field clearance. The heap was about twenty feet high and gave us the perfect view of the place indicated for the ‘target bird’. We could see for miles; including everything that our new ‘friends’ could see and more!
It was still not quite dusk and so we settled down to a regime of systematically covering all sides from our viewpoint. It was such a good spot we may have seen all sorts of stuff. The friendly couple seemed to be getting agitated; could the main event be about to start? It was. Libby, with the knack for birds of prey, spotted the first one. A Marsh Harrier was slowly drifting in from some distant hunting ground. He was soon followed by another … and another …and another! In the end there were Harriers everywhere! There were up to six in one field alone! Not only that, but there were also Buzzards sat on the field fences and even eating in another field! “Nothing” eh?Well, not Barn Owls! This perfect place for Barn Owls had yielded exactly … none!

NO OWLS HERE THEN!

Photo: Reg Norman

It having gotten dark, all of a suddenly, we decided to make our way home. We had had a fabulous day out, not really covering the area but getting a ‘taste’ of it. We will definitely be going back again, many times, I hope. We would have many things to talk about for along time to come and the prospect of a pint to start with was most appealing!

BIRDS SEEN: Herring Gull, Feral Pigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Magpie, Starling, Carrion Crow, Curlew, Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Black Headed Gull, Ringed Plover, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Yellow Wagtail, Hobby, Wheatear, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Swallow, Turnstone, Sandwich Tern, Linnet, Lapwing, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Mute Swan, House Sparrow, Coot, Rook, Black Tern, White Winged Black Tern, Mallard, Shoveller, Wigeon, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Moorhen, Heron, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Teal, Golden Plover, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Greenshank, Common Gull, Little Egret, Green Woodpecker, Little Owl, Gannet, Common Tern, Brent Goose, Merlin, Redstart, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Marsh Harrier, Jackdaw, Blue Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Red Backed Shrike, Chiffchaff, Pheasant, Osprey, Ruff.

2008-08-24T17:13:00.007Z

Saturday, 16th August, 2008.

THE BIRDFAIR, RUTLAND WATER AND EYEBROOK RESERVOIR.

Leon and I had both been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. Neither of us had been to a Bird Fair previously and so we did not really know what to expect, but we were to be pleasantly surprised!
Since our last ‘Other Sites’ entry we have been to quite a few places but because of the loss of my younger brother I never felt like maintaining the blog. We usually meet at ‘The Green Man’ on Putney Heath, which is a readily accessible place for our small party. This is where we were to meet today; John and Leon are already there when I arrive. John is another of our friends that we made acquaintance with at the London Wetland Centre, Barnes. We have done several trips with him and he is a very knowledgeable ‘birder’. I stuffed my gear into the boot of Johns’ car and, just after seven, we set off. I could have gone to sleep straight away! Like a child, I had not slept much last night in anticipation of what was to come!
We were expecting the weather to be a little inclement but were pleasantly surprised to find that it was quite a bright, but not sunny, day. The journey should take us about two and a half hours, which would give us plenty of time to have a nag on the way up.We stopped for breakfast at a Happy Eater about six miles from the Bird Fair site. The service was brilliant and our food arrived in record time! Most unusual for a Happy Eater! It had only taken us just over two hours to get this far and that was without going mad; the traffic was just as you would want it, free flowing and not much of it. Whilst here, Leon started to ‘phone Terry, our friend who now lives in Yorkshire, as we were going to meet him, his wife and some friends, once we reached the site. He couldn’t make contact straight away so tried every ten minutes or so, without having any luck.

FIRST SIGHT OF RUTLAND WATER

Photo: Leon Rusk

The Bird fair site is big, very big, and having arrived we had a good fifteen minutes walk from the car park to the actual venue. Leon had still not been able to make contact Terry so we hoped to either bump into the other group or hope that Terry ‘phoned us. We decided that the best way to ‘work’ was to just go round the site and take things as they came. We did this because none of us had any specific ‘targets’ for the day.
Leon and I were surprised at the amount of stands just dedicated to ‘birding’ holidays there were. You could go to almost any country in the world with all arrangements and ‘birding’ itinery supplied. The company that Leon, Terry and Liz would be going with to the Scillies later in the year had a stand there; Leon would introduce himself a little later in the day. Whilst in Marquee 4. we saw Simon King signing autographs for people in a very long queue. We tried the Zeiss binoculars at their stand and were knocked out by the quality. Until you have actually looked through a pair of these amazing glasses you just cannot even dream of how good they are! A pair of these was added to each of Leon and my wish lists straight away; John already has a pair!We bumped into another of our friends Gill, who wee knew from Barnes WWT, in the next Marquee; she was working on Simon Kings’ stand. We informed her that Terry and Liz were about and promised to point them in her direction the next time that we saw them.

GLIMPSES THROUGH THE VEGETATION

Photo: Leon Rusk

In the next marquee John was having a word with a chap about his ‘palm held’ when Leon spotted Terry and his merry band a little further on. Clearly delighted, he skipped off to meet them. I stayed with John to hear about the equipment. John has one and I was amazed at the amount of information that can be kept, ready for use in the field, on such a small item. One of these was added to my personal wish list.
Terry joined us, hardly able to stop himself from laughing; Leon, the master of all things technical, had been trying reach him on his home ‘phone number!We all made acquaintance with one another, had a quick chat, and departed in our own directions, arranging to meet up again later. It was good to see Liz and Mark again; we had been to see Hawfinches in the New Forest with them last year as well as visiting their home patch, Titchfield Haven. Terry was going on about a bag that he had seen that was going quite cheaply (unlike the monstrosity that we saw for £120 just because it had ‘National Geographic’ on it!); it could take quite a bit of gear for a day out and was quite compact. We convinced Liz that maybe he should have it as it was very modestly priced!

CLEARING WEATHER?

Photo: Leon Rusk

Well, we covered just about all of the site with Leon eventually introducing himself to the people running the trip to the Scillies with Terry, Mark and the two Liz’s (in no particular order!). There were lots of places to eat and all seemed to be fairly reasonable. You could get just about anything to do with ‘birding’ at the Fair and I hope to be able to go again soon.
We met with the other party again to say our goodbyes. Terry had actually bought the small bag and both Leon and I thought that it looked very sweet.
John, Leon and I were now leaving the Fair and were moving on to Lyndon Nature Reserve that is managed by the Leicester and Rutland Wildlife Trust. We had one particular target that we wanted to see …. the Ospreys!
John, of course, knew the way and it was not long before we arrived at the Reserve. On the way we caught glimpses of Rutland Water through gaps in the roadside vegetation. Leon and I knew it was big but didn’t really get the full impact until now! The chap in reception knew his stuff and John, who knew the site well, had soon wheedled the information we needed from him.The various hides are situated so that you can view a variety of different habitats: we all agreed as to how well this had been done and the quality of the views. We had only been there for a few moments before we got our first view of the Ospreys ……..

THE BIRD WE CAME TO SEE!

Photo: Leon Rusk and Terry Burton

absolutely magnificent! We spent quite some time totally enraptured with birds; Leon tried to take some photos and was rewarded with at least one fairly good shot. There were some chaps in the hide who thought that they could see a Little Stint further along the reservoir so we decided that we would soon move on and try to locate it.
Terry had ‘phoned and asked for directions to the site. We waited until their party turned up so that we might share some time with them once again. I must say that Terrys’ bag looked lovely! Really. I wish that I had got one for myself.
After a while we moved along to the ‘Shallow Water’ hide; this was the area that the chaps had thought they had seen the Little Stint. We spent quite a long time here and, although there was a good selection and number of birds, we were not to see it. Time was getting on so we all took a slow walk back to the Visitor Centre where several of the group quenched their thirst with ice lollies.as the day had become quite warm. It was here that we said goodbye to Terrys’ group after having various arrangements for meeting up in the future.

MR BURTON DIGISCOPING

Photo: Leon Rusk

John had earlier suggested that we might pay a quick visit to Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home as we might see some more waders; a good plan so why waste it! It did not take long to get there as John had been there before and knew the way. Again, it was a lovely place that John had chosen but the now worsening weather seemed to have put the birds off. There were many Canada Geese on the reservoir but, apart from a solitary Common Sandpiper, very little else. John pointed out a small bird on top of a mid-water post that turned out to be a Common Tern, how very small it looked! We drove to the other side of the reservoir ‘just in case’ and to look for a Little Owl that John seemed to remember from a previous visit. We had no luck with this but did get some great views of some Common Buzzards. We were guided to them by their cries. There was a youngster in a tree on one side of a field and what would appear to be one of its’ parents on the other side. The older bird seemed to be trying to encourage the younger to fly across the field by calling it. The youngsters’ replies seemed very mournful. We stayed for some time watching them but as we felt some rather large raindrops, the first of the day, we decided to make our way home.It had been a fabulous day, spent with old friends and new, that would live long in the memory. We had only a few drops of rain all day which came as quite a surprise as it was forecast to mainly wet!

SOFT RUTLAND COUNTRYSIDE

Photo: Leon Rusk

BIRDS SEEN: Coot, Moorhen, Swan, Mallard, Crow, Rook, Little Egret, Swallow, Sand Martin, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Common Tern, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Curlew, Black Tailed Godwit, Common Sandpiper, Buzzard, Osprey, Ruff, Shoveller, Teal, Dunnock, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Greenshank, Tufted Duck, Kestrel, Dunlin, Wood pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Starling, Magpie.

2008-08-07T21:57:00.002Z

GOOD TO BE BACK

Well, it has been over a year since my last post here. Unfortunately, family situations and work related problems have dictated that I have not had the time or the opportunity to post here. This all culminated with the death of my lovely little brother, Dave, and so it has been a very, very difficult and sad time for the family.

Leon and I have started to go 'birding' again with some friends (thanks guys!) and we hope to start posting here on a regular basis once again.

Terry and Liz have moved back up to Yorkshire, in the middle of some beautiful 'birding' country, and we have been lucky enough to visit them. We hope to go again (if they'll have us!) and of course we will post here of our exploits!

All the very best,

Reg and Leon.

2007-05-02T19:14:00.000Z

29th APRIL 2007.

AN UNEXPECTED TREAT!

We returned to the Lonsdale Road Local Nature Reserve with a specific goal; we wanted to see what, if any, progress had been made by the Sparrowhawks who were setting up home together. We arrived at the site just after seven o’clock having left in good time to catch the ‘bus. The weather forecast was for a good day and it certainly looked to be shaping up that way. Although a little windy and slightly cool, the sky was fairly clear of cloud and a lovely blue.

HAWTHORN BLOSSOM

Photo: Leon Rusk

Standing at the eastern end of the reservoir we could see that there were many more flowers in bloom …. in only a few days! The yellow Flag Iris was beginning to open in several places and we could see Ragged Robin, Tree Mallows and Hawthorn bursting out in many places too!
We walked around the northern side of the site so that the sun would be well behind us as it rose later on in our journey. There was plenty of birdsong, although seeing the birds was another thing; with all the new growth it was becoming more difficult as the days passed.
We were discussing this when I said to Leon that there were supposed to be Tawny Owls nesting here but a fat lot of chance we had of seeing them. “There’s one! Just there!” he said. How does he do it!!!!! Neither of us has seen a Tawny Owl for years! We used to have them nesting just around the corner from where I lived some years ago. I can still see the place from where I live now, but no owls!

STOCK DOVE, DESPERATE TO APPEAR IN BLOG!

Photo: Leon Rusk

Leon began trying to show me exactly where the Owl was. “Follow this big tree up to the third branch on the right hand side, Bob’s yer uncle!” Bob wasn’t my uncle, and, no owl. “Look!” he said, Up there, third branch, can’t miss it!” I missed it.
“Right!” I said, “Up this tree, third branch on the right, the bird is in this tree, right?” “No, the one behind!” he said. “You have to look OVER the third branch!”
I saw the owl, it was exactly where he hadn’t said it was! We were both very excited by the sighting of this bird, we watched for quite some time and Leon tried to take a picture. It was a shame Terry or Mike were not here with their ‘scopes and cameras; they would have got some lovely shots.

TOWARDS THE THAMES, 'OWL WOOD'

Photo: Reg Norman

We moved on noting that there were more small birds about now and we could see many of them flitting about in the cover. As we reached the tree containing the Sparrowhawks, we were surprised to see a Kestrel flash past, diving down into the reservoir area. We passed the tree so that we might get a better view of the nest area. Again we were surprised; the Kestrel had returned and was on a branch about ten feet below that on which the Sparrowhawks were building their nest! They took absolutely no notice whatsoever. Whilst watching the Kestrel feeding on its’ small rodent prey, we noticed that the branch was quite heavily covered in droppings. Could this mean that the kestrel used this place as a regular feeding station? We will certainly keep our eyes peeled for more evidence of this.

TREE MALLOW

Photo: Reg Norman

We watched both the Sparrowhawks and the kestrel for some time and then moved on to have a look on the Thames bank. The river was flooding quickly and we were a little disappointed to see no birds on the foreshore. A few gulls drifted lazily up and down and a few Cormorants flew past in the direction of the Wetland Centre. Returning to the reserve we made our way round to the southern side.
Once at the southern side we began to see more small birds; there were certainly still lots of Wrens about judging by the amount of their song that we could hear. From this southern side we could also get some more brilliant views of the nest site. Also, form this side we could get some quite close views of the Herons, their nests and their chicks. Leon and I were to ask some more expert ‘birders’ about this raft-nesting phenomenon later in the day. The general consensus is that it probably only happens here!

HERONS NEST ON RAFT

Photo: Reg Norman

We finished our traverse of the site, both still grinning like idiots, and made our way to the London Wetland Centre. We know that lots of people see owls all of the time, but, it had been a long time since we had!

BIRDS SEEN: Chaffinch, Wren, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Great Tit, Coot, Cormorant, Robin, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Heron, Tawny Owl, Ring Necked Parakeet, Coal Tit, Blackcap, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Egyptian Goose, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Jay, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Long Tailed Tit, House Sparrow, Reed Warbler, Starling, Sedge Warbler.

2007-04-28T16:30:00.000Z

27th APRIL 2007.

MORE GREAT VIEWS OF SPARROWHAWK.

The weather was a little disappointing as we had been promised blazing sunshine and record April temperatures. It was, however, overcast and just a little chilly as we waited for the ‘bus. Our visit to the Leg O’Mutton today was specifically for the chance too see the Sparrowhawk nest again before the foliage grows too thick to see it anymore. We would be going on to the WWT Barnes centre afterwards where we were booked in for a Reptile Walk.

RECYCLING NATURE

Photo: Reg Norman

The wind had risen a little by the time we arrived and it continued to get cooler. It was much quieter than when we were here last week; there was still affair bit of birdsong but the birds seemed to be keeping out of sight. There were also fewer joggers but the dog walkers were much in evidence; the dogs around here seem to be, generally, well behaved.
All around us the fresh green foliage was bright and cheery even though the sun was not out. It was very pleasant just walking around early in the morning. We stood still in some places; letting the birds get used to us and allowing them to go on about their business. People, too, were going about their business; some stopping to say ‘hello’ and others to offer little gems of information about the reserve itself.
We arrived at the point where we watched the Sparrowhawk last week and were a little worried to find no activity in the nest area. There was no need to worry; one of the birds soon showed up carrying yet more nest material. We thought that we could only see the one bird and wondered where the other might be. On the nest and out of sight? We watched for a good fifteen minutes before moving on.

EGYPTIAN GOOSE IN TREE

Photo; Reg Norman

The Thames was very low although it was flooding very quickly; no gulls or waders were visible on the far bank though which was a disappointment.
Resuming our walk around the reservoir, around the ‘thin’ end, we stopped to look into the clearing in the wooded area that bounds the water. There was certainly a lot of activity although identifying the myriad small birds was a little difficult in the gloom. There was one Wren that kept up its’ ‘Tick, tick, tick’ warning all the time that we were there.
We came to another vantage point where we might see the Sparrowhawk nest once again. This time we were able to see one of the birds firmly settled deep in the nest itself. We would not have been able to see the bird from where we were earlier. We thought of Terry and how he might get some fabulous ‘digiscope’ pictures from this point. We were planning to come back on Sunday and hoped that he might join us.
The Heron nests, on the rafts on the water, were interesting in the fact that they were all at different stages of development. Some had a couple of very large chicks; others were clearly still at the ‘sitting’ stage. Some really good shots would be available to ‘digiscopers’.

RECYCLED FENCING

Photo: Reg Norman

The weather had turned really quite chilly and just before we left the site I was forced to put my fleece on to keep warm! Weather forecasts? Huh!

BIRDS SEEN: Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin, Wren, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Egyptian Goose, Coot, Ring Necked Parakeet, Cormorant, Heron, Moorhen, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Stock Dove, Pochard, Mallard, Starling, Sparrowhawk, Jackdaw, Tufted Duck, Ruddy Duck.

2007-04-24T21:06:00.000Z

22nd April 2007.

LEG O’ MUTTON, THE SPARROWHAWK.

What a fabulous start to the morning; clear blue skies and quite warm! We had decided to start our day with a trip to the Lonsdale Road Local Nature Reserve, a place we knew fairly well and usually in the wet! We had not been here for several months and didn’t know quite what to expect.

LEONS' FIRST SWEEP OF THE SITE

Photo: Reg Norman

We just missed a ’bus and made a mental note to leave at ten-to the hour next time as we used to do. We walked down Roehampton Lane to wait for the next ‘bus at Barnes Railway station; you get more choice from there. We did not have to wait for long and were soon on our way. I thought that we had been joined by a super-hero, all lycra and a flowing red cape. Leon said that there were a bunch of fools RUNNING FOR FUN at a marathon in London somewhere! Tchh! The things people do! “It’ll be on the telly later” ventured my companion, “No it won’t!” thought I.
Most of the trees in the reserve were, by now, covered in there first light green leaves. This would make seeing the smaller birds a little harder but who cares; it was such a lovely day.
The joggers were starting to come out as were the dog-walkers; all very pleasant with lots of friendly greetings.
We did not see that many birds but we could hear them all about us. There must have been more Wrens per square foot than anywhere else in Britain; their song really dominated the air. Apart from the parakeets of course.

SWANS NEST FROM ATOP THE BANK

Photo: Reg Norman

Leon, as usual, was the first to see a raptor; a Sparrowhawk sitting in a tree. I saw it just in time to see it ‘stoop’ into the trees on the other side of the reservoir. It had obviously missed whatever it had gone for as it soon returned to its’ perch. It was then that Leon spotted the nest; although out in the open it was fairly well concealed! We watched the bird for quite some time as it continued to ‘stoop’ every now and then; although it never returned to the nest with anything. Except once when it brought back a twig to replace one that it had dislodged. We carried on walking around the reservoir, stopping to have a quick look at the Thames which was so high we saw nothing of note, until w e came upon some Heron nests. The birds were actually nesting on the small rafts provided by the people who run the site. Both Leon and I were not a little surprised as we thought that Herons only nested in trees; obviously not the case! It was good to see so many birds nesting; we had had some lovely views of a Swans’ nest from the bank a little earlier on.

FINAL LOOK BACK ALONG THE RESERVOIR

Photo: Reg Norman

We made up our minds to come back again very shortly to see the progress made by the different birds; next week most probably!
We left the site to make our way to the London Wetland Centre for the second part of our day!

BIRDS SEEN: Goldfinch, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, Ring Necked Parakeet, Blackbird, Wren, Carrion Crow, Starling, Coot, Moorhen, Mallard, Canada Goose, Heron, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Swift, Robin, Sparrowhawk, Coal Tit, Jay, Tufted Duck.

2007-04-23T20:36:00.000Z

14th APRIL 2007.

OUR THIRD VISIT TO THE PARK.

The weather forecast was for a lovely warm and sunny day. What an understatement! It was absolutely beautiful as we met up at 07:00 outside of our blocks of flats. The birds wee singing as if in celebration of such a wonderful day. Even the walk to the park was full of promise as many small birds were to be seen flitting back and forth.

ROEHAMPTON GATE

Photo: Reg Norman

We had decided to cover an area that neither of us had been to for some time; this would take us from Roehampton Gate to Richmond Gate following the boundary wall for nearly the entire journey. As we entered the first thing to strike me was the number of people already here! There were literally dozens of joggers, dog walkers and even horse riders! I wondered what time they had to get up to get ready and tack-up. As we passed the different people we were nearly always greeted with a cheery “hello!”

VERY EARLY RIDERS!

Photo: Reg Norman

All around us the sounds of birds filled the air; the birds themselves flashing across our field of view in ever increasing numbers. I would not like to guess how many Blue and Great Tits we saw in those couple of hours. The only thing that spoiled it for me was the raucous call of the Ring Necked Parakeets. They were everywhere, there beady little eyes on us even from holes in the trees.
We strolled along, taking our time, just enjoying being out and about. Every now and then we would spot a different type of bird and would watch it until it decided to move on. Leon ventured that he would love to see a Treecreeper and, blow me down, one appeared! Immediately! We watched for a few minutes until he, too, vanished from sight. Say you would really love to see a Ring Ouzel I said to Leon. He did so and, blow me down, nothing! Useless bugger!
We were soon near to the end of our walk; we reached the pond just before Richmond Gate and were both a little sorry to be there. There was a Heron at the pond and he seemed to be very busy hunting whatever. A sign of the time times was the beer can that was floating alongside of him.

ALCHOHOLIC HERON?

Photo; Reg Norman

We enjoyed this particular walk immensely, I am sure that we will do it again. I hope hat it will not be long before we do so. We were now going on to the WWT at Barnes and the first part of the journey there was the walk along the top of Richmond Hill, past the Royal Home and overlooking the Thames. This must be one of the best views in London. Shame the ‘Roebuck’ wasn’t open for breakfast!

VIEW FROM RICHMOND HILL

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Cormorant, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Magpie, Chaffinch, Starling, Ring Necked parakeet, Blue Tit, Wood pigeon, Carrion Crow, Goldfinch, Wren, Great Tit, Blackbird, Mute Swan, Coal Tit, Jackdaw, Egyptian Goose, Mallard Tufted Duck, Coot, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Robin, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove, Long Tailed Tit, Skylark, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Heron.

2007-04-23T18:51:00.000Z

8th APRIL 2007.

GLORIOUS DAY AT PAGHAM HARBOUR.

The weather forecast looked like it was to be correct for both Leons and my first visit to Pagham Harbour. We had often heard about the site but nothing can prepare you for the natural splendour of the place. Both Terry and Liz had been on two occasions before so were ready for it but we were both knocked out the minute that we arrived!

CHURCH NORTON SPIT

Photo: Reg Norman.

We set off just after seven so as to make the most of the day. Just before we arrived we stopped at a ‘Little Chef’ for breakfast; this set us up nicely for the day.
Our first stop was at Church Norton on the south-west side of the harbour. The woods bordering the path from the car park were alive with birdsong; some of which I had not heard before, driving home the need for me to study harder to improve my chances of spotting even more birds!

SEAWARD EDGE OF THE WOODLAND

Photo; Leon Rusk.

Reaching the harbour itself the first thing you notice is the sheer size of the place; then, slowly it dawns on you just how beautiful it is as well. Within moments we were all looking all over the place; everywhere that I looked I could see birds moving around and feeding on the mud. The first bird to be seen was a Curlew; unusual for us but in great numbers here. There were also plenty of Redshanks but these are not at all unfamiliar to us as we see them regularly a WWT London.

HARBOUR MUDLATS, SIDLESHAM

Photo: Leon Rusk

After having a quick look around on the harbour mudflats we moved up onto the great shingle bank (Church Norton Spit) to look at the sea and its’ shore. Large areas at the top of the bank have been set aside for nesting bids but we were obviously too early in the season for there to be any action of that sort!

TOWARDS THE HARBOUR ENTRANCE, DRAINED

Photo: Leon Rusk.

I was soon to see one bird for the first time in small flocks; Turnstones, I am sure that I have seen them in the past but not since I have been ‘birding’ in earnest! They are probably one of the most aptly named of birds for that is exactly what they were doing as they marched up and down the beach!
Liz, who was to have a brilliant day spotting birds before the rest of us, soon spied some Mergansers not too far off the beach; I had scanned the area and missed them! I think the sun was in my eyes!

TURNSTONE

Photo; Leon Rusk / Terry Burton

Having looked at the beach area we moved back down from the shingle bank and moved towards the meadow area. There were some good views of many small birds in woods on the far side and also of some Redshank in the shallows of the mudflats below us. Leon and terry decided to try to get some shots of the birds, digiscoping with Terrys’ ‘scope and Leons’ camera.

REDSHANK

Photo: Leon Rusk / Terry Burton

A Common Buzzard was spotted over the woodlands and we were able to watch him for quite some time. This was to be quite a common occurrence throughout the day!
The Ferry Pool, at the north-west side of the harbour was our next stopping place. We had decided, on Terry and Lizs’ advice, to try some other spots and return to Church Norton later in the day when the tide had come in. Hopefully there would be more birds to see, driven in by the rising tide.
We popped into the visitor centre for a quick look around before moving to the hide that overlooks the pool where we were to spend a little time. Liz came up with yet another great spot, a Kestrel sitting on a power cable with trees behind it! I had just scanned that area and missed it. The sun must have been in my eyes!

SIDLESHAM QUAYSIDE

Photo: Reg Norman

We started to follow the path along the north-western side of the harbour towards the village called Sidlesham. This path has wooded and bushy areas on one side and the salt marsh on the other. All around was the sound of birds and there flitting shapes could be seen as we walked along. Yet again Liz spotted a long distance bird. There was a Green Woodpecker in a tree a very long way off. How she saw it I do not know, even when pointed out to me I found it difficult to spot. Must have been something to do with the sun!
We all thought that we might fancy either a cup of coffee or a swift pint so, as we headed for the village, all eyes were searching for the first sign of a pub. Liz saw it first and the pace picked up noticeably as we closed in on it! Calamity! It was closed for refurbishment!

ORNITHOLOGICAL DISATER, PUB CLOSED!

Photo: Reg Norman

We made our way back towards the Visitor Centre by the shorter of the two routes back. Not that we were in any particular hurry; just to cover as much ground as possible. On the way back we came across some Oystercatchers who were vying for the attentions of one of their females. There was lots of their ‘parading’ courtship dance and some pretty violent fighting with feathers flying. This accompanied all the while with their incredibly loud piercing shrieks.
In the distance, above Church Norton, we could see several Common Buzzards wheeling in the clear blue sky.
We then came upon a dead rat. Leon dutifully took a photo for his new collection; he had seen one at the London WWT the week before and was therefore on a roll!

ANOTHER FOR THE COLLECTION!

Photo: Leon Rusk.

Having made our way back to Terrys’ car we set off to Selsey Bill. The weather was now very warm indeed; even more so now that we were away from the cooling sea-breeze. We were all grateful for the air conditioning system! We stopped briefly to quench our thirsts at a nice little pub called ‘The Nelson’, taking seats in the neat garden. The beer was good and we have noted its’ whereabouts for our next visit!
We were hoping to see some sea ducks once at the beach but there was very little about apart from some gulls and some Cormorants perched on the poles above the groynes. Terry and Leon had a go at digiscoping the latter with quite good results! Leaving Selsey, we made our way back to Church Norton

CORMORANT SILHOUETTE

Photo: Leon Rusk / Terry Burton

What a difference! The tide had indeed come in and gave the place a whole new look! Where there had been beds of grass and runnels in the mud, there was now an enormous lake dotted with several islands. The Mergansers were now inside the harbour and there were many more gulls, all apparently asleep! We spent quite some time looking out across the harbour, thankful for Terrys’ ‘scope! We were able to add Dunlin and Greenshank to our list as we scanned the whole area.

TOWARDS THE HARBOUR ENTRANCE, FLOODED

Photo: Reg Norman.

The shingle bank was by now very crowded with people enjoying the beautiful weather so we decided not to bother going back up onto it. Instead we watched the meadows where many small birds flitted amongst the trees and bushes. Above them wheeled the Buzzards, vanishing every now and then.
All good things, sadly, must come to an end and so we made our way back to Terrys’ car to start the journey home. We stopped by the mound of the old Norman keep to watch some small birds amongst the bushes there. Liz and Leon had walked on ahead a little way but Leon soon came back saying,”Blackcap!” Terry and I joined them quickly and soon had the bird in our glasses. It was flitting about like a mad thing but presenting well all the time. Terry decided to try to get a photo of it but as soon as he had his ‘scope and Leons’ camera set up, the bird vanished in to the bushes only to reappear every time that Terry stopped trying snap it!

CAN YOU SPOT THE BLACKCAP?

Photo: Leon Rusk.

What a perfect day we had had! The weather was lovely, there were lots of birds seen, the scenery was beautiful and the company perfect! We did not have much trouble getting home and Terry kindly dropped us off at ‘The Angel’ where we could discuss the days’ events. We had a couple of pints as well.

BIRDS SEEN: Long Tailed Tit, Rook, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Mute Swan, Robin, Pheasant, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Cormorant, Blue Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Chiffchaff, Wren, Greenfinch, Stonechat, Little Egret, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Lapwing, Starling, Turnstone, Red Breasted Merganser, Magpie, Goldfinch, Common Sandpiper, Coot, Mallard, Moorhen, Common Buzzard, Ringed Plover, Green Woodpecker, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Teal, Kestrel, Heron, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Great Black Backed Gull, Dunlin, Greenshank, Blackcap, Meadow Pipit.

2007-04-23T17:10:00.000Z

18th MARCH 2007.

LEONS FIRST HP / KG AND NO OWLS.

We had heard on the grapevine that there was a family of Tawny Owls to be seen at Kensington Gardens and so Leon joined me for an early start to see them. It was a fairly grey start to the day although we were expecting the weather to improve as the day went along. We were going along to WWT London as soon as we got back from HPKG.

ROTTEN ROW

Photo: Leon Rusk.

We arrived at Hyde Park at about twenty to eight, it had got a little colder and the wind had picked up quite a fair bit. So much for the weather forecast! Entering the park by the Albert Gate we made our way to the North side of the Serpentine and into the teeth of a full-scale gale! I had never seen such waves on this stretch of water and most birds seem to have thought the better of venturing out. Pulling our coats about us to keep out the wind we made our way westwards towards Kensington Gardens. There were much fewer joggers about as well, obviously not as (fool) hardy as us! There were quite a few geese and ducks on the leeward side of the island; it was certainly less of a job for them to fight the wind and waves. There were also few seagulls about although the ones that were seemed to be actually enjoying themselves.

THE LIDO AREA

Photo: Leon Rusk.

When we reached the wooded area just before the bridge we saw quite a few smaller birds, mostly Finches and Tits, but they were keeping to the lower parts of the vegetation and out of the wind. The sun had started to show itself every now and then but it had no effect on the temperature; in fact we were sure that it was getting colder!
At the Italian Garden the sun shone through the fountain spray forming rainbows; Leon tried to capture the effect with his camera. Unusually there were no birds at the fountains apart from one solitary Tufted Duck!

THE ITALIAN GARDEN

Photo: Leon Rusk.

We made our way eastwards to the place where we were expecting to see the owls but could find no trace of them. We found out later that I had misinterpreted the directions and had missed them by a gnats’ whisker!
There were quite a few birds along the bank this side; tucked in close to avoid the wind. Again, those in the bushes and trees were low down in the vegetation and out of the worst of the weather.

PRIMROSES ON BANK BY BRIDGE

Photo; Leon Rusk.

Deciding to give the whole thing best, we made our way fairly quickly back towards the exit, stopping only to investigate some possible sighting or to take the odd photo. However bad the weather is, it is still a beautiful place.

LEON, A SELF PORTRAIT!

Photo: Leon Rusk.

BIRDS SEEN: Mallard, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Great Tit, Carrion Crow, Moorhen, Magpie, Canada Goose, Coot, Mute Swan, Ring Necked Parakeet, Greylag Goose, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Starling, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Wren, Robin, Cormorant, Herring Gull, Ruddy Duck, Heron, Green Woodpecker, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Jackdaw.

2007-03-12T21:40:00.000Z

11th MARCH 2007.

RSPB RAINHAM MARSHES, VISIT ONE.

Only opened to the public fairly recently (although accessible to a few lucky people) this was a site that I personally was itching to get to see. The others in our little party were, I think, just as keen!
Terry and Liz turned up a little early for our 08:00 meet and waited patiently for Leon and myself to appear. They didn’t have long to wait! We had arranged to leave at this time so that there might be a chance of breakfast somewhere along the way as the reserve doesn’t open until 09:30. We were to be in luck as we arrived in good time and there is a splendid café, ‘Rosinas’ Café’ just before you get to the main gate. This café is open seven days a week from 06:00 to 16:00! The food was good and reasonably priced; we filled up and were set for the day!

THE NEW RSPB CENTRE, RAINHAM

Photo: Reg Norman

Having arrived at the site and parked up, we made our way into the new Environment and Education Centre. This is an unusual building of modern design; we couldn’t decide whether or not we liked it, though none disliked it! It does not only look modern, it has been designed to be environmentally ‘friendly’ with its energy-saving technology. The staff here were brilliant, almost falling over themselves in their attempts to be helpful! We asked for a site map and were immediately shown areas where we might see different things and what to look out for as we went around the different areas.

AT THE WOODLAND FEEDER

Photo: Terry Burton

Leaving the new Centre we made our way, anti-clockwise around the site, towards the ‘Woodland Discovery Zone’. This area, like many others, is nowhere near complete yet but you can get a good idea of how it will appear in years to come. There were quite a few woodland birds in the area; we saw many and heard a lot more! The paths and wooden walkways were impressive; there is great access for able-bodied as well as less able people. Following the ‘Woodland Walk’ path we eventually came to a feeder area which was well thought-out and generously supplied with different types of food. There didn’t seem to be many birds about but we sat on the bench provided and waited. We didn’t have to wait long! As soon as we had stopped moving about the birds started to show themselves, hiding again as people passed by. We stayed here for almost twenty minutes before moving on towards the ’Aveley Hide’.

LOOKING BACK TO THE 'WOODLAND'

Photo: Reg Norman

The woodlands were left behind us and reedbeds and small pools dotted with Willow was the predominant landscape; the bends and turns in the paths opening up new vistas as we moved along. We were scanning these reedbeds quite thoroughly as we had heard there was a chance of seeing a Penduline Tit. The people at the Centre said that it had not been seen for about a week but now that the wind had eased they might still be seen! As we moved along flocks of both Teal and Lapwing suddenly took off sparking hopes of a raptor sighting. Nothing was seen however even though there must have been fifty pairs of eyes scanning he sky! Leon, the ‘Raptor King’, was soon to change our luck though; as usual he spotted a bird long before anybody else. He had seen a Sparrowhawk sat in on old (dead?) tree; how he saw it I do not know. The birds’ camouflage was good; even where the shade of the branch above him, where it cut across the bird, added to the difficulty of seeing him. People, as is usual, were drawn to the bird by the fact of us focussing on it. We were all treated to a lengthy view of this beautiful bid before it suddenly flew off, just below reed height, towards the feeder. He must not have been seen until the very last minute and a small cloud of birds dispersed in all directions as he arrived, We did not see if he was successful or not.

OLD NUMBERED BUTTS

Photo: Reg Norman

The ‘Aveley Hide’ seems to have been made out of a container of the type used on lorries. I must say that they have wonderful seating and the shelves are generous, plenty big enough for all sorts of kit. We spent quite some time in the hide, getting some very good views of many birds across the ‘Aveley Flash’. As with all birding crowds that I have come across so far, the mob inside the hide were both friendly and helpful.
Moving on we were scanning the larger reedbeds that ran between the pathway and the railway. We never saw a single rain all day even though it was marked ‘Channel Tunnel Rail Link’! Again we were not to see the Penduline Tit but we were drawn to a crowd of ‘birders’ watching an industrial yard containing some heavy plant. It was kindly pointed out to us that there was a Black Redstart showing intermittently. We stayed for a short time and were rewarded with some short, but quite good sightings. Terry had whipped his ‘scope out and had set it up to cover the area where the bird appeared most often and had zoomed in on it. His usual generous self he offered Leon and I a chance to view it. Leon had a fabulous time watching the bird for a while and then relinquished the ‘scope to me with a dismissive,”It’s gone now!” Cheers, mate!

WATER PIPIT SEEN ON FENCE HERE

Photo: Reg Norman

We gave up on seeing the Penduline Tit and made our way to the area overlooking the ‘Target pools’. This is a very expansive area and a ‘scope would be recommended to see the most distant birds. It was here that we saw our first Heron of the day; we had been quite surprised earlier that we had not seen one all day.
The Skylarks in this area were putting on a wonderful display; the air was full of their song and it was very easy to se them as the slowly ascended into the clear blue sky. It was truly a lovely day, cloudless sky, warm although with a slight wind coming from the river. I am sure that the birds were singing for the pure joy of it!
We were to get a ‘first’ as we walked along the old rifle ranges towards ‘Reedbed Discovery Zone’; another area unfinished but taking shape. You could certainly see what has been envisaged and I hope sincerely that it all works out the way it has been planned. Liz was the first to spot the bird and quickly pointed it out to the rest of us. At first I thought that it was a Meadow Pipit but soon realised that it was not. After much discussion we all agreed that we had seen our first Water Pipit! Having settled on its’ type we set to watching it. Typical! It flew a way in the direction of the river and vanished! Next time I will watch the new bird until it leaves; you live and learn!

REGULAR SIZED FROGS

Photo: Reg Norman

The next area that we moved to, yet again unfinished, was called the ‘Marshland Discovery Zone’. These ‘Zones’ really are large projects and, once again, I can only wish them the very best of luck in there efforts; the finished articles should be resources to be proud of. As we walked along in this area we noticed a great number of frogs ‘getting to know each other’ in the shallows on either side of the walkway. They all appeared to be (apart from the previous activity!) basking in the sunshine which by now had reached about 17c! We next came upon an enormous creature; I was sure it was a very large toad but now that I have seen Terrys’ wonderful close up photograph I am not so sure! All I know is that it was about five or six inches long, maybe more!

A VERY, VERY LARGE FROG

Photo: Terry Burton

As we walked along the path back to the Centre itself, we could see the herd of cows helping to maintain the landscape with their grazing. Liz spotted a small bird and let us know straight away. Leon quickly homed in on it and pronounced it to be a Reed Bunting. This is why he is known as the ‘Raptor King’! It was a Stonechat!
We stopped for some refreshments at the Centre and then moved on to the seawall where we were told we might see some waders and sea birds. We were unlucky as there were no waders and very few others apart from a few gulls in the distance and a lone Cormorant! It was a nice walk though and on another day who knows what you might see!
On the way back to the car we stopped for some more coffee and then made our way home. Terry kindly dropped us at ’the office’ where we had lots to talk about!

ALONG THE SEA WALL

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Goldfinch, Coot, Moorhen, Shoveller, Black Headed Gull, Mallard, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Wigeon, Teal, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Skylark, Reed Bunting, Feral Pigeon, Lapwing, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Wren, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Dunnock, Sparrowhawk, Shelduck, Pintail, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Common Snipe, Little Egret, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Black Redstart, Water Pipit, Heron, Stonechat, Cormorant, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Collared Dove, Starling, Robin.

2007-02-26T21:36:00.000Z

18th FEBRUARY 2007.

ELMLEY MARSHES, A CRACKING FIRST VISIT.

It’s hard to know where to begin with this report. I had trouble sleeping last night as I was so looking forward to today’s’ trip! Leon and I had been toying with the idea of going to Elmley for some time and had decided that this was the day for it. We had spoken to our friends, Terry and Liz, about the planned day out and the germ of an idea, that we could go as a small group, was born. We had kept in touch throughout the week and plans and decisions made. And so, we found ourselves outside the flats waiting for Terry and Liz for nine o’clock. We were chattering away, about nothing in particular, willing the time to pass!
We didn’t have to wait long and after we had loaded our gear into Terrys’ car and had said our ‘hello’s’, the trip began. We had discounted using the A3 and made our way through south and southeast London with the aid of Terrys’ ‘TomTom’. We made good time and stopped just before we reached the Isle of Sheppey turn off for coffee.
We were going to attend a free walk but as that did not start until two o’clock we had plenty of time to have a look around; we planned our itenary over our coffees. Capel Fleet raptor observation point and Harty Ferry were obvious choices for people who had not been to the island before hoping to do some ‘birding’.

THE SHEPPEY BRIDGE FROM THE CAR PARK

Photo: Reg Norman

Crossing onto the island we made our way towards Capel Fleet but missed the turning and ended up at Leysdown. The sign for Capel Fleet/Harty Ferry was quite indistinct so t was not surprising that we missed it! It did not take long to retrace our steps and we soon arrived at the Raptor Point. On the way to it we started to fill out our note books eagerly looking in all directions! As we drove along we passed many cars parked by the roadside; there seemed to be many people out with the same idea as ourselves.
Arriving at the Raptor Point all four of us were eagerly kitting-up whilst trying to take in all that was happening around us. It seemed that wherever you looked you could see Marsh Harriers quartering the sky, just above hedgerows and reedbanks. There is a raised area, built especially for ‘birders’, we made our way towards it but it was painfully slow progress as one or other of our small group pointed out something new to see! We could see the birds quite clearly just using binoculars and with Terrys’ ‘scope set up as well we were treated to some spectacular views. All around us, in the distance, there were huge flocks of birds flying around. They were so far away that we, as novices, could not tell what they were even with Terrys’ ‘scope! We were lucky that some of the groups did eventually come close enough (some even flying directly over us) to enable identification. From this point we could also see good numbers of water birds and ducks. We were surprised that we saw very few small birds but soon had the reason worked out; there were very few trees or other cover for the birds. We did, however, see a single Goldfinch; he was probably the bravest (or most stupid!) Goldfinch in the world as he sat in full view of any raptors that may have been passing and sang his heart out. Perhaps he was just very hard!

ACROSS THE MARSH, VIEW 1

Photo: Reg Norman

Time was passing rapidly so we decided to move on to Harty Ferry to see some waders perhaps and maybe have some food. We were a little disappointed when we arrived as there was a shooting match going on and there were no birds to be seen at all! We repaired to the Harty Ferry Inn to have some lunch. It was here that Leon led me astray and I had a pint of beer. I never was one to mix solids with food! We did not stay long as we had to make our way back to Elmley Marshes for the walk.
Once again we missed the turning due to not so clear sign posting. We ended up crossing and re-crossing the bridge on to the island to get to our destination. We noticed that the signposting was better on the way in than coming from the island itself!
We arrived with about five minutes to spare. Just enough time for some of us to see our first Little Owl in a tree by the RSPB centre! There was a Kestrel in the same tree; this was going to be a doddle! The owl flew off but the Kestrel actually moved closer and began to pose for the cameras, or so it appeared! We were then invited by the warden to drive down to the next car park to save time. We had a few moments trepidation when Terrys’ wheels started to slide about but we reasoned that we would be alright as the warden had a large 4x4 truck that could be used to pull us free if the worse came to the worst!

ACROSS THE MARSH, VIEW 2

Photo: Reg Norman

We were given a small talk about the birds that we might be able to see and then we divided into smaller groups and went to separate hides. If you have not been to Elmley before it is hard to describe just how big it is. On its’ seaward side it is miles long with great distances between hides. The hides themselves are well thought out and constructed. Those on the seaward side can be used to look out over the water or there were windows to look back over the marsh itself. We stopped at the first of these seaward hides hoping to see a great Northern Diver. On the way there we were treated to the wonderful sight of a Merlin scattering Lapwing and a flock of Starlings as it streaked across the sky. We were not to see him and the chaps from the site told us that the one that had been seen there had probably gone own with the tide that had not long changed. Terry managed to pull of an amazing feat of bird recognition; amongst hundreds of other like-sized birds he picked out two Slavonian Grebes! It must be admitted that we did not know for sure what they were but one of our ‘guides’ confirmed their identity for us. We stayed for some time at the hide watching different birds and picking up some ‘firsts’. After a while we realised that we had been left behind and so made our way back to one of the ‘inshore’ hides where we knew that the warden had headed. We arrived just as the rest of the group were leaving to go back to the car park area. We said that we would have a quick ‘shuftie’ from the hide and then join them. “You’ve just missed a Merlin!” we were informed by one smug git!
Inside the hide we quickly made ourselves comfortable; as we did a young lady, already seated, said “Look, a Merlin!” Sure enough, there was a Merlin … it had just landed right outside the hide, on a post! It really could not have been any closer and when it did move, it only moved a very short distance away! We could see, in minute detail, the patterns of its’ feathers.

ACROSS THE MARSH, VIEW 3

Photo: Reg Norman

We could not stay long at the hide and so soon moved off to join our fellow group members. As we moved towards them we noticed hat they were watching a distant object. It turned out to be another Merlin, not only coming directly towards us but just above head height. It did, indeed, fly right over us extremely low; it must have been hunting something on the other side of the sea wall as it approached it just below the level of the top surface, skimmed the surface at about three inches above ground and vanished over the top! Incredible!
Gaining the group we were asked if we saw the bird. I was sorely tempted to give them its’ ring number! We swapped stories about the birds we had seen on our visit. I had great pleasure in relating the story of the views we had of the Merlin at the hide where we had ‘just missed one’. Smug git!
We thanked our hosts and said our goodbyes; it had been a memorable day out. We made our way back to the RSPB centre, having easily extracted Terrys’ car from the mud, to have another quick look for the Little Owl and to ‘make ourselves comfortable’ for the journey home.
TomTom suggested a different way home which, we took. We were a trifle unlucky in that we were caught for a short time in a small traffic jam; nothing too serious and it did not delay us for too long. Thereafter we made very good time and were soon back to Roehampton. We asked Terry if he would mind dropping us at the village as Leon wanted to get some Chinese take-away food; he had been thinking about it for most of the journey home and was doing his impersonation of one of Pavlovs’ dogs! Terry obliged and we said our farewells. As we walked towards the ‘Ginger and Garlic’ we both suddenly remembered that they do not open on Sunday nights anymore! Leon stopped wagging his tail and only perked up a bit when I offered to buy him a beer at the ‘Angel’!

FALLNG TIDE, ACROSS THE SWALE

Photo; Reg Norman

What a fabulous day! We could not stop talking about it, the birds we had seen and the company of our new friends, Terry and Liz. As usual, when we are presented with fabulous photo opportunities we never seem to take enough! All of those that I took are presented here; Leon never took any at all! If you get a chance, visit this site!

BIRDS SEEN: Shelduck, Mute Swan, Red Legged Partridge, Rook, Greylag Goose, Coot, Cormorant, Carrion Crow, Mallard, Oystercatcher, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Lapwing, Goldfinch, Stonechat, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Marsh Harrier, Wood Pigeon, Little Owl, Kestrel, Merlin, Great Crested Grebe, Pintail, Slavonian Grebe, Red Breasted Merganser, Ringed Plover, Common Scoter, Grey Plover, Starling, Little Grebe, Robin, Peregrine, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveller, Pochard, Gadwall.

2007-02-26T19:45:00.000Z

4th FEBRUARY 2007.

BUSHY PARK, SECOND VISIT.

Another beautiful start to a day out ‘birding’! The sky was clear and although chilly had the promise of another lovely day. Leon and I met at 07:30 and walked to Roehampton Village where we were to catch the number 85 bus to Kingston. We did not have to wait long, the bus arriving soon after we did. There was no traffic on the roads and the journey seemed to finish in record time!

QUITE A COLD START!

Photo; RegNorman

Upon entering the Park we were surprised to see just how much frost there was still about; the sun was climbing steadily in the sky although it was still a little cold.
We had decided that we would follow the same general route that we had taken on our last visit as we had enjoyed ourselves so much. Next time, however, we would reverse our general direction to take in some new areas of the park.
On our way to the Leg of Mutton pond we had some excellent views of Skylarks, Reed Buntings and Stonechats. Although a little misty the birds were close enough to see quite clearly. At the pond we were to find that most of its surface was covered with ice; there were a couple of Mute Swans in the free water at the eastern end of the pond but nothing else in the way of birdlife. A few Mallard were sleep under a Willow tree but nothing else stirred.
We moved along the waterway and other ponds towards the car park hoping that the larger stretches of water would still be open. There was a good sized herd of Red Deer as we left the LOM pond. We were totally unprepared for the rather large stag that started to bellow as if in the ‘rut’ still! We were to hear him many times during the rest of the morning.

A FINE STAG

Photo: Reg Norman

The other open areas of water were still fairly clear of ice although all contained some to a certain degree. Leon found great pleasure in throwing bread onto the ice and watching the ducks trying to ‘icebreaker’ their way through to it! A Coot had the right idea … he just walked across the ice to the bread even though he did fall through a couple of times. The circling gulls went hungry, for some reason they would not actually land on the ice.
Once again we found there to be many people in the park at a very early hour, although there were no anglers this time. There were lots of photographers about; perhaps there was a competition in progress.
From the car park we left the people that had gathered to ‘feed the ducks’ and headed for the Diana Fountain. Here we found a good number of both Canada and Greylag Geese. There was also a good number of duck about and even a Cormorant sunning itself on the bank. We did not stay long but moved off towards the Queens’ Water, following it towards the Woodland Garden and The Pheasantry.

QUEENS WATER

Photo; Reg Norman

We went into the Woodland Garden and started to move around in a clockwise direction for no other reason than the first opportunity for choice was that way! We could hear many birds although seeing them was a little difficult as they tended to stay in the thickest part of the rhododendrons. I cannot say that I blame them as the temperature seemed to have dropped somewhat and it appeared to be getting slightly misty again! We came upon an Egyptian Goose that was asleep on one of the bridges that we needed to cross. He opened his eyes but did not move as we passed him, even allowing us to get fairly close enough to take some pictures!

EGYPTIAN GOOSE

Photo: Leon Rusk

Not long after this Leons’ day was made. As we walked along we noticed a bird coming towards us. It was a large cock Pheasant and was obviously used to people as it came straight up to us. Leon soon had him eating out of his hand. I don’t know who was happier, Leon or the bird!

LEONS' LITTLE FREIND

Photo: Leon Rusk

It had started to get rather dull among the trees although visibility was still quite good. We could still hear the birds moving all around us although they remained awkward to see. The sad part was seeing all of the mature trees that had been toppled in the recent storms and winds.
Finishing our circumnavigation of the Woodland Garden w crossed the clearing and entered The Pheasantry. We saw no Pheasants here! The gardeners were obviously very busy finishing the remodelling of the garden. All around was the evidence of tree and shrub clearance, new areas that had been created by these actions had been marked out with canes and spray marker for the new planting scheme?
This whole area is the domain of the dreaded Ring Necked Parakeet. This pest is almost the only thing that you can hear in the garden, they almost completely drown out all other birdsong. We were able to see and hear other small birds but it a very difficult and frustrating; I, for one, was very glad to leave the area.
Leaving the garden by a northern gate we made our way towards Teddington station where we caught a train to Barnes and then a bus on to the WWT.

STORM DAMAGE

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Pied Wagtail, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Starling, Song Thrush, Jackdaw, Robin, Wren, Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, Skylark, Reed Bunting. Ring Necked Parakeet, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Coot, Mallard, Black Headed Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stonechat, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Moorhen, Gadwall, Red Crested Pochard, Greylag Goose, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant, Pochard, Heron, Mistle Thrush, Green Woodpecker, Long Tailed Tit, Jay, Pheasant, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Herring Gull, Shoveller.

2007-02-24T16:39:00.000Z

28th JANUARY 2007.

UNUSUAL DAY AT THE PARK.

Leon and I had decided that we would visit the park today and travel about in a different direction to the last time that we were here. The reason for this was that we were hoping to cover some different areas of ground, some of those that we had missed on our last visit. With this in mind we had caught the ‘bus at about seven o’clock and entered the park by the Robin Hood gate.
The day started very warm for the time of the year and an early light mist had cleared by the time we had walked up through the woods to the south of Test Hill. There were already many joggers and cyclists about taking full advantage of the beautiful day.
There were many birds in the trees about us, many singing away at the top of their voices. Their names were entering the list as fast as I could write! We had not gone that far when Leon spotted a Kestrel, about ten feet off the ground, flying up the hill between the banks of trees. The smaller birds had stopped singing but soon resumed their song when the raptor had passed by. At the top of the hill we took a few moments to enjoy the view back down the hill and away to Wimbledon Common.

EAST TO ROBIN HOOD GATE

Photo; Reg Norman

We then made our way towards Isabella Plantation, always a favourite with the two of us. As soon as we entered we were aware of much more birdsong; the place seemed alive with birds. The feeder area was particularly busy with Tits but, although we could hear them, we saw no Finches.
At the pond Leon proceeded to feed the ducks. This is a worrying development in his behaviour; I think that he is trying to relive his childhood! He caused yet another ‘feeding frenzy’ (See Wetandswedge The Other Sites – previous post) and I thought that some of the ducks might get injured in the melee!
All around us we noticed that many of the flowering shrubs were coming into bloom. Witch Hazel, Camellia and Rhododendron were all starting to show. There were many Heathers (or Ling?) in flower as well. I made a mental note to tell some of the ladies at work about this as I know that some of them are very interested in the plantation and its’ plants.

APPROACHING ISABELLA PLANTATION

Photo: Reg Norm

Pen Ponds were our next destination and we were in for a surprise as we made our way there. We saw a Sparrowhawk streaking across the sky, about twenty feet up, in the direction of the plantation and leaving an awful commotion behind him. We thought that we could see some Egyptian Geese in the distance and it certainly sounded like them. We moved in their general direction hoping to see what all the fuss was about. We noticed at this point that there were an increasing number of people about and that most of them were carrying either binoculars or ‘scopes. Was there something about that we were unaware of? The Vulture returned or something similar?

WITCH HAZEL, ISABELLA PLANTATION

Photo: Reg Norman

Soon, we came upon the Egyptian Geese. They had stopped flying around and making a racket and were perched in an old, dead, oak tree. We were somewhat surprised by this and it wasn’t until later that we found out that these birds do nest in trees! We watched and photographed the birds for a while before moving on to the ponds.

EGYPTIAN GEESE IN A TREE!

Photo; Reg Norman

The pond area was literally crawling with people! Apart from the usual joggers and dog-walkers, there were even more people about – all with binoculars or ‘scopes. What could be going on? I posed this question to the duck-feeder who immediately responded that it was …”the RSPB day of birdwatching, everyone has to send in their sightings!” Bloody birdwatchers, no wonder there weren’t many Finches about!
After noting the different species of birds on the water we started to make our way to the area north of the ponds, an area I had not visited for about thirty years! On the way we stopped on the bank between the two areas of water. Leon wanted to feed the ducks again! I thought that there must be something in this odd behaviour and so begged a few slices so that I might gain some insight. The best bit of the experience was watching the ‘ducks best friend’ throwing the bread with all his might, in the general direction of the birds, into the wind. The bread then rose, he watched it sail over his head, and then threw some more. He was throwing the bread forwards and feeding the crafty gulls behind him! You just had to be there!
Moving northwards up the hill, away from the ponds; I suggested that we looked for a small pond off to the left that I had not visited for many years. We soon found it and, although it seemed to be much smaller than memory allowed, it had not changed at all. Memories came flooding back of small boys hunting for tadpoles and newts. I wondered if these creatures still bred there. We did not stay long as there were no ducks for Leon to feed! At the top of the hill we stopped and looked back, as we had done before this day, at the view.

SOUTH OVER THE PEN PONDS

Photo: Reg Norman

It was at this point that our friend, Tim,’ phoned. He had come to the park to walk ‘Becks’ his Spaniel pup and suggested meeting-up at the Pen Ponds. We made our way back down the hill to meet the two of them.
Our plans changed and we walked following a different route than was planned. We did, however, still manage to cover lots of ground that we had missed on our last visit. We passed the eastern end of the ponds and it was here that we witnessed some of the worst damage of the storms a few weeks earlier. There were piles of neatly cut timber stacked and left (quite rightly) to rot. Some of the large trees were remembered from my childhood and I had quite a strange feeling of ‘something changed forever’; it made me feel quite strange for a while. I was snapped out of it by Leon explaining to Tim about how to cause a ‘feeding frenzy’ among the Coots. We then duly followed him to ‘his’ feeding station where he proceeded to FEED THE DUCKS! I was going to take a picture but found myself engrossed in the look on the dogs face; I don’t think that he could believe what he was watching!

STORM DAMAGED TREES

Photo: Reg Norman

We then took a circuitous route, via Spankers Hill wood back to the Car Park where Tim had left his car. He had kindly offered us a lift from the park to WWT Barnes which we gratefully accepted. For this minor service we popped into ‘the office’ to buy him a beer (forcing ourselves to have one!) before he made his way home and we went to the Centre.

BIRDS SEEN: Song Thrush, Blackbird, Ring Necked Parakeet, Jackdaw, Great Tit, Kestrel, Jay, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Starling, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Robin, Long Tailed Tit, Mallard, Mandarin Duck, Wren, Moorhen, Chaffinch, Coot, Gadwall, Feral Pigeon, Egyptian Goose, Sparrowhawk, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Shoveller, Ruddy Duck, Little Grebe, heron, Cormorant, Mute Swan, Magpie.

2007-01-24T12:48:00.000Z

21st JANUARY 2007.

MUD, MUD AND MORE MUD! (BEDDINGTON 2)

As promised, the day started as clear and bright as you could possibly expect for this time of the year. We had dreaded the possibility that it might rain as much as it did the last time that we were here!
We were at Barnes station by 07:50 having learned last time not to leave too early and have to stand around for an hour or so with nothing to do at Hackbridge! Once again our journey was to be broken only to continue on a ‘special’ bus. This time, however, we did not have to travel half-way around the county to get to our destination!
We arrived in good time, just as some of the others who were to join us started arriving as well. The sky had clouded over by now and there was a light rain falling. It was so light that I didn’t bother putting my waterproof jacket on and my new heavy fleece kept me warm enough.

BRIGHTER AFTER INITIAL LIGHT RAIN

Photo: Leon Rusk

Our guide for the morning, Mr Derek Coleman, turned up a little before we were due to set off and introduced himself and the site to those that did not know him. We waited for the next ‘special’ bus and then made our way towards the site.
Our group was to cover the opposite end of the site to the one we covered on our last visit, stopping first at the hide by the main lake. Here we were able to see the Tree Sparrows close-up at the feeder. We then headed south along the top of the ‘bund’ to have a look at some other lakes on the west side of the site. We had seen them on our last visit but it was lashing down with rain then, so much so that visibility was almost impossible. Today some of us were lucky enough to snatch a quick glimpse of a Water Rail. He popped back into the vegetation and was then only available to those with ‘scopes and the luck to see him move! Whilst we were straining to see the Rail we were joined, close to, by a Skylark who watched us as intently as we watched both him and the other bird!

FOLLOWING THE TRACKS OF A HEAVY PLANT!

Photo: Leon Rusk

We moved on to cross the site and it was now that Dereks’ warning about wearing wellingtons or other stout boots gained credence. The mud was getting quite thick and deep as we crossed a stream. Some people had made a very hard job of this passage and I was a little concerned for some, who only had fairly light shoes, as I knew it would probably get a lot worse! And it would!
As we moved around the site our tally of birds seen was growing steadily. One sight that I will always remember was that of a large group of Herons (about twenty or so?) taking off and circling. I realised that I had forgotten my camera but was pleased to see that Leon was snapping away. I asked him to take more photos for this entry on the blog, as you can see, he did!

MASSED HERONS

Photo: Leon Rusk

We came to an area where the heavy plant of the site had churned the pathways into rivers of mud, some quite deep. It was alright if you had wellies on but almost impassable for those without. A way was found for everyone to continue although there were a few instances of people losing their balance and falling base-over-apex!
Most people were looking for the Water Pipits that had been seen on the site and a few did manage to get a glimpse of one. I was with a group that was scanning another area, a group that spotted a Green Sandpiper which is somewhat of a ‘Beddington Bird’!

GREEN SANPIPERS SEEN HERE!

Photo: Leon Rusk

We had come nearly full circle and mounted the ‘bund’ again to finish off the walk at the hide once more. Just before mounting the ‘bund’ we were presented with a flock of Linnets that flew around in formation for a few minutes.

LOOKING THE WRONG WAY AS USUAL!

Photo: Leon Rusk

As we approached the hide most of the people with ‘scopes concentrated on the small island and the foliage on its’ banks. They were looking for a Jack Snipe that had been present for some time. At the hide we looked once more at the Tree Sparrows and some looked again for the Jack Snipe although they were to be disappointed once more.
We made our way home via the Half Moon in Putney where we stopped for a few swift halves and then some more. I think that Leon will invest in some wellies before we go to Beddington again. He didn’t get very muddy but having them is a must as it allows you the freedom to go nearly anywhere on site with ease.

BIRDS SEEN: Magpie, Collared Dove, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Tree Sparrow, Blackbird, Mute Swan, Carrion Crow, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Teal, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Little Grebe, Great Tit, Gadwall, Pied Wagtail, Mallard, Common Snipe, Starling, Sparrowhawk, Shelduck, Heron, Canada Goose, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Water Rail, Moorhen, Ring Necked Parakeet, Long Tailed Tit, Cormorant, Green Sandpiper, Linnet, Shoveller, Little Egret, Blue Tit, Robin, Feral Pigeon.

2007-01-23T21:16:00.000Z

14th JANUARY 2007.

LEG OF MUTTON NATURE RESERVE, THIRD VISIT.

A nice early start again today as we wanted to visit the Leg of Mutton Nature Reserve once again. Although it was fairly chilly the forecast for a bright day was proving to be correct. The sun was coming up bright and clear as we reached the Reserve. The birds were up and about and their songs and calls were a joy to listen to. I wonder if the nice weather was an encouragement for them to sing so well?

SUNRISE AT LEG OF MUTTON

Photo: Reg Norman

We decided to walk around the North side of the site, nearest to the river, as the sun would be higher when we were coming back on the South side and would aid in any photography we might attempt! It did not turn out quite as we expected and we would probably go round the other way in the future, having first thought about the sun position for each season!

LOOKING NORTH TO THE THAMES

Photo: Reg Norman

The river was quite high and this was reflected in the number of gulls present. The woodland areas were full of small birds busily going about their business. These were nearly all members of the Tit family and there were plenty of them!
Leon had brought some stale bread with him as he wanted to feed the ducks! The minute that he opened the bag there were birds coming from all directions! There was an almighty feeding frenzy and lots of skirmishes amongst the birds were started!
We had a quick look at the river although there were only a few Mallard in evidence along with the odd Black Headed Gull and then continued our walk around the site. It was here that we came upon a small group of Goldcrests. Up until a few weeks ago both Leon and I had never seen these birds and lord knows we tried! Now we see them everywhere and in groups! Perhaps we have just learned to see them. We can both recognise them by their calls now.

PRE-FRENZY ARRIVALS!

Photo: Reg Norman

It turned out that Leon had brought two lots of stale bread and was eager to feed the ducks again! The same thing happened when he opened the bag, birds flocked in from everywhere! This time though, he had selected an area where the birds could leave the water and he was able to hand feed Swans and Canada Geese! Gulls would suddenly drop in and snatch the odd morsel from both ‘birdman’ and their avian friends. The feeding frenzy here was so great that even Leon was having the odd mouthful!

FEEDING THE DUCKS

Photo; Reg Norman

Concluding our short stay we made our way out of the Reserve and headed off towards the wetland Centre. We will be going to the Reserve again soon; it really is a pleasant way to start the day!

WHO STARTED THE FEEDING FRENZY?

Photo; Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Great Tit, Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Coot, Robin, Magpie, Heron, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Green Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Starling, Carrion Crow, Wren, Ring Necked Parakeet, Moorhen, Goldcrest, Tufted Duck, Black Headed Gull, Jay, Mallard, Gadwall, Cormorant, Kestrel, Collard Dove, Long Tailed Tit, Teal.

2007-01-23T20:00:00.000Z

13th JANUARY 2007.

FIRST PUTNEY HEATH / WIMBLEDON COMMON VISIT.

I had been looking forward to todays’ visit for some time as I had not been to the Common for about thirty years. Shameful really as it is a wonderful, local resource. It is actually not quite true to say that I have I have not used the Common for thirty years, I have crossed it many times in the dark on the way home from Wimbledon before we had night buses!
Having entered the ‘LondonBirders’ Patchlist competition I needed to start gathering bird info as soon as possible. Unfortunately I have not had the time to go to the common so far this year, today I had to go to Wimbledon so I thought that I would walk all the way and start my Patchlist at the same time!
Although not cold, the weather was very grey and overcast with the occasional patch of that awful, fine, misty rain. The wind was light and a little blustery, becoming stronger as the day went on.

BIRCH FUNGUS!

Photo: Reg Norman

I started at Holy Trinity church, moving south through the woodland between Roehampton Lane and the ‘Frying Pan’. I was quite surprised by the number of birds all around me and the woods were full of their sounds. Within minutes I had seen a Kestrel, good sized flocks of Tits and a small group of Fieldfares. These small woods were just as nice (and overgrown) as I remembered them as a youngster when I was last there. I eventually came to Scio Pond; it used to be overgrown and difficult to approach but now has a landscaped feel to it and is easily accessible. I am not sure if I like the new layout. I had only covered a small part of Putney Heath and promised myself to come back to cover more of it as soon as will be convenient. I crossed the A3 using the underpass near to Gravel Pit Cottage and onto Wimbledon Common.
I was immediately aware of the great change in my surroundings. The tracks on this side of the A3 seemed to me to be much wider, no doubt helped by the fact that the trees seemed to be quite a way distant. I could not hear much in the way of sounds from birds although there seemed to plenty of sound from dogs! I took the main track towards the Windmill and was mightily disappointed in the number of birds that I saw or heard. I put this down to the fact that, wherever one looked, there were joggers and people walking their dogs. Do not get me wrong, I am pleased to see the Common being used so well. It’s just that all of this activity, especially that of the dogs running all over the place, is hardly conducive to the well-being of the birds. I made my way to the Rangers Office to introduce myself, to buy copies of the ‘Bird Report’ and perhaps a copy of the map that I have seen posted about the place.

THE FAMOUS WIMBLEDON COMMON WINDMILL

Photo: Reg Norman

I spent quite a good time talking to Assistant Ranger and Wildlife Liaison Officer, Dave Haldane. I explained about the ‘Patchlist Competition’ and that, although I was a novice, I would be pleased to send him a list of anything that I saw while filling up my list. He in turn told me about the measures that were being undertaken to improve the habitats about the Common itself.
Leaving the Rangers Office I made my way eastwards towards Wimbledon Village where I had some business to conduct. The main path in this direction was again a very wide tract of land between two woodland areas. I was not to see too many birds as they were either too distant or there were people around with dogs.

THE WIMBLEDON TO WINDMILL PATH

Photo: Reg Norman

Having concluded my business I decided to walk back to the Windmill going via the woodland areas rather than using the path. This improved the number of birds that I was able to see although the wind was now picking up quite strongly and most birds seemed to be taking shelter! It was just going to be one of those days!

THE POND AT WIMBLEDON / PARKSIDE

Photo; Reg Norman

Queensmere was my next stop; I thought that there was bound to be some action down by the water! I had not been there since doing a surveying exercise whilst at school and was pleasantly surprised to see that it had not altered at all! This was to be the only place on the Commons that I could say this about all day. Although there was not a lot of variety, there were a good number of birds and gulls to be seen. I had my coffee and sandwiches whilst seated at the pond and watched both the birds, and, what appeared to be a rather large Cross Country event taking place. As I opened my sandwiches a large group of crows landed, as if by magic, appearing from nowhere! Their antics in chasing small pieces of pork pie crust were quite amusing, although it was not so good for the individual crows. If one was lucky enough to get a piece of piecrust the others immediately pounced on him and pecked him until he relinquished his food and another grabbed and swallowed it!
There were also lots of dogs about, apparently they like pie as well! They also knock coffee over and squeal when kicked! I couldn’t believe the owners standing by whilst I was trying to save my lunch and keep my coffee upright, just standing there saying nothing!

QUEENSMERE LOOKING SOUTH-EAST

Photo; Reg Norman

Finishing what was left of my lunch I made my way to the Kingsmere, where possible making use of the woodland. Although there were generally more birds about, hey kept well into cover as the wind was getting stronger (and colder!) by the minute! When I arrived at the pond I must say that I was not a little disappointed. The last time that I was here I remember seeing a larger variety of birds. Perhaps they were all off sheltering somewhere! The area around the pond had changed somewhat as well; it was now wooded right up to the edge of the pond in places whereas it was always very open. I do not remember the island being there either. On the whole, I prefer the new layout.

HOLY TRINITY, MY START AND FINISH POINT

Photo: Reg Norman

Leaving Kingsmere, I made my way back to the underpass and then back on to the Heath. I had a mooch about for a short while but unfortunately there had been a major accident on the A3. The HEMS helicopter was in attendance and was circling around very low in the sky. This had the effect of keeping most birds deep in cover.

A TREE THAT I USED TO CLIMB YEARS AGO!

Photo; Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Wood Pigeon, Long Tailed Tit, Kestrel, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Magpie, Robin, Starling, Great Tit, Fieldfare, Treecreeper, Ring Necked Parakeet, Wren, Song Thrush, Coal Tit, Dunnock, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Black Headed Gull, Mute Swan, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Canada Goose, Jackdaw.

2007-01-10T21:41:00.000Z

6th JANUARY 2007.

PULBOROUGH BROOKS FIRST VISIT.

Photo: Reg Norman

Leon and I had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. We had been in touch with a local group from ‘BirdForum’ for a while and were keen to meet up with them on one of their ‘events’. Leon had even contacted the group via the forum, a first for this naturally shy lad!
The weather forecast, unfortunately, did not promise much in the way of comfort. We thought that it could not be as bad as predicted as all weather reports were rubbish. This one, of course, was absolutely spot on! Although the day started fairly nicely, the Ring Necked Parakeets in the Yews outside the flat were at it early, it was to deteriorate rapidly and in direct proportion to the approach to Pulborough!

Photo: Reg Norman

We left Barnes station at 06:40, the train being about ten minutes late, on what was to be a nightmare journey. Our connection at Clapham Junction was caught just in time, but we had the news, via tannoy, that there were works going on and we would be required to travel by coach from Redbridge. At Redbridge there was, indeed, a coach. There were also about three hundred passengers with more arriving with each train. We decided to go by local bus. This was very scenic, took in most of East Sussex and the journey lasted about one and a half hours. We arrived at Three Bridges station (one stop on from Redbridge!) and continued our journey by train. We still think that this saved us some time! We ‘phoned the group to tell them to go on without us and that we would catch up with them at the site, linking up by ‘phone. Our train journey was not unpleasant and we admired the surrounding countryside, noting that it was getting very dark outside this early in the day. Surely the shortest day had been and gone! Then it started raining.
Arriving at Pulborough, we called for a cab straight away and it arrived in short order. Whilst waiting we saw several other people getting into cars, these were to be some of our fellow ‘birders’ a little later on. The cab driver was a very pleasant man. He was also a very pleasant extortionist! If cab drivers in London charged fares like that they would be strung up!

Photo: Reg Norman

At the site we were pleased to note that the group had not moved off, although just about to do so. We were made most welcome and the whole group seemed to be very amiable. After paying our entrance fees and the introductions were over we moved off. There was a slight delay as I had to hire some ‘glasses as I thought that I had left mine at home!
A very nice man called Pete, an RSPB warden, started to lead the tour around the site. He asked us to put as many questions as we wanted to about the site and was quick to answer even the most trivial of enquiry. Fortunately Leon only had the one! Different habitats and the work in progress on them was all pointed out and explained, as were the different types of bird that he saw. The weather was deteriorating steadily and we were pleased for a little respite when we reached one of the hides. It was from this first hide that Leon and I saw our first White Fronted Geese.
Visiting this site made me realise that although we had many species in common, different areas had different levels of birds. We saw Bullfinches in numbers, something we never see a home and Pintail outnumbered Mallard by at least five to one! Some of our expectations were to be dashed, however, due to the severe weather; some of the raptors and owls would not be putting in an appearance.

A WET LEON

Photo: Reg Norman

In a break in the rain we went to some of the viewpoints where there was no shelter. I would imagine that in fair to good weather the views from these places would be phenomenal!
As we moved around the site we got to now some of our new friends better. I had spoken to most of them via the forum and found that they were even more agreeable in real life. One lovely young lady, who obviously new all about journalism and was possessed with impeccable taste, said hat she had read our blog and had enjoyed it!
We spent most of the day moving from hide to hide or viewing-point. For some reason one of our young ladies kept falling, suddenly, to the floor. Was this some kind of Sussex tradition? Perhaps I had missed something! Perhaps it was just the mud!
We all met up in the tea rooms to agree our final list for the BirdForum ‘birdrace’, this was after all what had prompted the day out in the first place. Whilst waiting to go in I saw my first Hen Harrier and was glad that many others saw it too. Unfortunately Leon missed it.

Photo: Reg Norman

Mark, one of the chaps on the trip, very kindly offered us a lift back to the station which we accepted gratefully. Some of the others had decided to go on to a pub for a ‘few’ but we decided that we should make a move homewards in case the trains were still murder. It was one of the hardest decisions we have had to make in our short ‘birding’ history!
Of course, the train journey back was uneventful and swift. You could have put money on it! It would have been possible to stay for a few hours (did they mean a ‘few’ hours or a ‘few’ beers I wonder) to get to know our new friends a little better! By way of compensation I allowed Leon to think that he talked me into going for a beer in the Half Moon!
It was a lovely end to a lovely day. We shall be going back to Pulborough again (although we shall wait for the ‘bus not the taxi) as I was a lovely site, spoiled only a little by the weather.
We also hope to be meeting up with our new friends again fairly soon as they are thinking of organising a day out to Cuckmere Haven and, maybe, a weekend to Norfolk!

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Redwing, Song Thrush, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Green Woodpecker, Little Grebe, Canada Goose, Lapwing, Pintail, Teal, White Fronted Goose, Rook, Shelduck, Common Snipe, Jackdaw, Dunlin, Wigeon, Jay, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Herring Gull, Shoveller, Stock Dove, Greylag Goose, Peregrine, Common Buzzard, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Mute Swan, Common Gull, Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Long Tailed Tit, Coot, Moorhen, Cormorant, Kestrel, Mallard, Starling, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Stonechat, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Hen Harrier, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Carrion Crow, (+ Pied Blackbird!).

BIRDS SEEN (on way): Pheasant, Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw (100+), Little Egret, Starling, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Great Black Backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black Headed Gull.

NB. This is not the complete list of birds seen on the day, only those that Leon and I saw.

2006-12-04T21:12:00.000Z

3rd DECEMBER 2006.

HYDE PARK / KENSINGTON GARDENS 2.

I made the journey up to HP/KG for one specific reason. I had been on a ‘Gull I.D.’ walk and talk at the London WWT yesterday and was determined to see the Yellow Legged Gull that has most of the London ‘birders’ talking about its’ markings. Having learned yesterday that the markings will soon start to disappear as the gull moves into his ‘summer’ dress, I wanted to see the marks for myself. The streaking about the head, to my untrained and inexperienced eyes did still look to be unusual and so I shall follow the continuing story about this gulls’ ancestry with interest. I looked in the most obvious place for him to start off with, which are the posts where he would normally be ‘loafing’.

THE SERPENTINE, DECEMBER 3rd 2006

Photo; Reg Norman

No luck, so I searched the whole of the Long Water and Serpentine. I found him, almost at the extreme end of the Serpentine, in company with two other large gulls feeding on what I took to be a largish fish. Once found he was unmistakeable, the streaking about his head was quite pronounced and extensive. I had about three or four minutes to watch him and then he flew off, back towards his usual haunt! At one point he had turned towards me and opened his mouth as if yawning. I didn’t realise just how big a gulls' gape was!

THE LONG WATER

Photo: Reg Norman

I had already walked the length of the waterway twice and was in no mood to do so again. I had enjoyed myself in the two hours that I was there and again promised myself an ‘all-day’ trip.
I had remembered to stay on the south side of the waterway, which was good, because it was a very bright day (after the terrible gales and storm of the night before) and the glare from the water would have been terrible on the north side.
Although I had been mainly watching the water for signs of the gull, I had still seen various other birds especially in the little waterside ‘gardens’ that were closed to the public. I especially enjoyed watching a Mistle Thrush in ‘The Dell’ jumping up from the ground to grab Yew berries from the bush. I have often seen the thrush but not for such a long time or as close.

THE ITALIAN GARDEN

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Feral Pigeon, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Coot, Moorhen, Long Tailed Tit, Mute Swan, Black Swan, Carrion Crow, Herring Gull, Great Black Backed Gull, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Mallard, Common Gull, Heron, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Magpie, Ring Necked Parakeet, Shoveller, Wood Pigeon, Robin, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Wren, Yellow Legged Gull, Jay, Starling, Mistle Thrush.
HYBRID: Greylag Goose / Canada Goose.

2006-11-27T22:10:00.000Z

26th NOVEMBER 2006.

LEG OF MUTTON WASHOUT.

Today will certainly be one that will be remembered for a long time! Leon and I had met at about seven o’clock to go to the Leg of Mutton (Lonsdale Road) Nature Reserve and were looking forward to our visit. The sky was perfectly clear although the sun had still not put in an appearance. It was much warmer than I had anticipated and was beginning to wish hat I had not put my ‘longjohns’ on!The ‘bus soon arrived and we were quickly taken to our destination. In the short ten minutes that it had taken us to travel from Roehampton Lane to Washington Road (‘bus stop) the sky in the west had become pitch-black!

THE SKY TURNED BLACK

Photo; Leon Rusk
Leon looked a little apprehensively at the clouds and voiced his fears, using words like. “..’kinell”, “saturated” and, I thought I heard “boat”! I tested the wind, Boy Scout style, with my finger and pronounced that the wind was carrying the clouds northwards and so therefore away from us and our destination! A few minutes later it started to get much darker (“...the wind has veered a little, we will still be alright!”) and, as the sun was starting to come up, the whole scene started to take on a very eerie light.
We got to the reserve just as it started raining. “See, it’s only light rain and I can see a break in the clouds!” It was then that Leon vanished! I have never seen such torrential rain! It was so dense hat I could barely see him, although the frequent lightning flashes did help a little! The ground literally shook with the sound of thunder! We sheltered under a tree, from which the leaves that were affording us a little shelter were being steadily stripped!

STRANGE PRE-STORM LIGHT

Photo: Leon Rusk

Leon seemed to be having a little trouble with his coat and I asked him what was up? “I’ve only stuck the bloody hood on backwards!” he said. He then removed the coat and reattached the hood. He still seemed to be having problems and so I asked what was up now? “I’ve stuck it on backwards again!” came the reply. “Walk backwards,” I said, “That should keep your head dry!” His reply was lost in the hurricane that had now arrived! I fixed his hood for him and asked if he would like me to tie some string on his gloves. The rain stopped. Birds started to sing and it seemed to brighten up a bit. “See, I told you! It is getting brighter on the horizon …. should be a good day now!” I ventured. We had about ten minutes of ‘birding’ in which time we saw a good few birds. There was still a very eerie light all around us and we tried to take some ‘photos to capture the ‘feel’ of the place.
Most of the leaves had fallen from the trees since we were here a few weeks ago. This opened up our lines of sight and enabled us to see just how big a site this really is. The people who run and manage this site have done a great job of creating different habitats and we are both looking forward to visiting many time s throughout the changing seasons.

EERIE LIGHT BETWEEN DOWNPOURS

Photo: Reg Norman

It rained again. Rain is probably not the right word; I was almost like there was a solid lump of water coming down continuously! It got everywhere, even between layers of waterproofs! What made it worse was that, once the rain had come down, it bounced and came back up again!
Brave soldiers that we were, we continued our journey around the site. There was, after all, nowhere to shelter apart from under a few Holly trees. Whilst standing under one, a jogger came by. We eyed each other, both thinking the same thing. “What a ‘dick head!”.
We finished our circuit of the site and made our (soggy) way towards WWT. Of course, we now had access to shelter and so it stopped raining! This site really is lovely and we shall be back again soon. Next time we shall take more notice of the weather forecast.

SOUTH WEST ALONG 'LEG O' MUTTON'

Photo: Leon Rusk

BIRDS SEEN: Egyptian Goose, Canada Goose, Magpie, Great Tit, Blackbird, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Wood Pigeon, Shoveller, Pochard, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Cormorant, Chaffinch, Black Headed Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Sparrowhawk, Feral Pigeon, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Greenfinch, Carrion Crow, Ring Necked Parakeet, Starling, Little Grebe.

2006-11-24T00:04:00.000Z

THE SUN CAME UP ......THE TREE TURNED GOLD!!!

Photo; Reg Norman

2006-11-23T23:13:00.000Z

19th NOVEMBER 2006.

FIRST BUSHEY PARK TRIP

At a half past six in the morning, under a lightening clear blue sky, Leon and I walked up Roehampton Lane towards the number 85 ‘bus stop. It was bitterly cold but we had been promised a lovely sunny day. Leon could not remember the last time that he had been in the park and I had not been there since 1977! I can remember the date, the 3rd November, as I used to work at the National Physical Laboratory and left on that day to start my present employment! We arrived at Roehampton Village and Leon said that he was just popping in to the shop for a minute. Of course, while he was in the shop, a ‘bus came. And went. We waited for the next ‘bus, which fortunately was not too long in coming, to take us to Kingston. From Kingston bus station to the park itself is only a short walk, probably no more than about ten minutes.

RISING SUN THROUGH TREES

Photo: Reg Norman

We entered the park via the Hampton Wick gate.
It was soon clear that the sun had not risen high enough to burn off the fog that seemed much heavier in the park itself. This enabled us to take some quite ‘atmospheric’ photographs. We had not walked far when I realised that I had misplaced Sues’ camera case and so we had to retrace our steps somewhat in order to find it. Fortunately, one of the park employees had found it and returned it to us without having to go too far!

EARLY MORNING FOG AND FROST

Photo: Reg Norman

We made our way towards the ‘Leg of Mutton’ pond and we were quite surprised to see that there were several fishermen dotted around the lake with their shelters erected. Here, we got some photos of a Heron perched in a tree. We had just put our cameras away (to protect them from the cold) when a flight of geese came winging in from the fog. They must have been just above the level of the fog because they were beautifully lit with a wan yellowish sun. We missed the picture of course, all the more annoying because they were Egyptian Geese.

THE HERON POND

Photo: Reg Norman

We moved along to the Heron Pond, keeping the sun to our backs, where we could see lots of waterfowl including some Red Crested Pochards.
Moving on to the Model Boating pond, we were surprised at the number of people that were out and about. It was still very early but there were all sorts of dog-walkers and joggers about. There was a good number of Jackdaws about, apart from the Ring Necked Parakeets they were certainly the most numerous species of birds to be seen. They, and the ducks that were awake, were making the most of the scraps that people were throwing down for them.
The waterway which we had followed was nicely looked after and there was a good selection of different pond and water plants to be seen, it must look lovely in the summer.

HERON IN TREE, LEG of MUTTON POND

Photo; Reg Norman

Passing the car park we moved to the Diana Fountain where we could see even more types of waterfowl and quite a large flock of Canada Geese. From here we could get our bearings to cross the open ground towards the Taxodium Walk and the entrance to the Pheasantry Woodland Gardens. These gardens were in the process of being developed but were still a thriving haven for birdlife. On the way there we saw Redpoll, Fieldfares and Meadow Pipits, the latter in good numbers.
There were many birds to see (and hear) in the woodland garden. Once again, a more experienced ‘birder’ would have got a longer list of birds, being new to ‘birding’ we still miss quite a lot!
Having walked all round the garden we made our way out and on to Teddington Station to get the train to Barnes and thence to WWT London.

BUMPER MISTLETOE CROP

Photo: Reg Norman

BIRDS SEEN: Redwing, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Ring Necked Parakeet, Jay, Common Redpoll, Mute Swan, Heron, Coot, Black Headed Gull, Green Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, Mallard, Magpie, Egyptian Goose, Moorhen, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Blue Tit, Red Crested Pochard, Jackdaw, Pied Wagtail, Robin, Canada Goose, Greylag Goose, Common Gull, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Fieldfare, Meadow Pipit, Great Tit, Wren, Long Tailed Tit, Blackbird, Goldfinch, Mistle Thrush, Coal Tit, Kingfisher.

2006-11-13T21:27:00.000Z

WATERFALL, ISABELLA PLANTATION,

Photo: Leon Rusk

2006-11-13T21:23:00.000Z

12th NOVEMBER 2006.

LEG O’MUTTON NATURE RESERVE, BARNES.

Not so cold as it has been but still pretty nippy, the day had started a lot brighter than we thought that it might. We waited for the bus outside our flats thoroughly looking forward to the visit. I could not remember the last time I had been to the Leg O’Mutton, probably a good forty years and Leon had not been there for twenty at least. I had asked for information about the site on ‘LondonBirders’ and had received a reply from somebody that uses the site on a regular basis. He was complimentary about the site but, as it turned out, he sold the place short.
The site, in Lonsdale Road, Barnes, is not far from Hammersmith Bridge on the south side of the river. We travelled by bus , it being only two stops further for us than when travelling to the WWT London, and then a short walk. We had wrapped up warm and the mild exertion of walking with all the extra layers of clothes and the rucsac soon had me starting to perspire!
The site does not look much from Lonsdale Road but when you enter the gate that early perception is soon knocked to one side. The Reserve is based on an old reservoir. There are good wooded areas all around the ‘lake’ as well as small open areas and managed reedbeds. Upon the lake surface are several rafts and floating bird loafing spots. The whole area is well laid out, apart from some managed viewing points you can never see very far in front of you. This means that you can never be sure of what you might come across as you round each bend! When we arrived it was not very busy but as the morning went on more birds kept arriving.
A bonus to this site is that it adjoins the Thames towpath at several points. The chap that had sent us advice on the site had mentioned this fact and that, depending on the tide, it might be better to look across the river at low tide for waterfowl and gulls! Between the reserve and the towpath is a wooded area, in effect increasing the size of the reserve dramatically.
Both Leon and I kept popping out of the various gates to look at either the river (tide too high) or to have a quick look at the woodland area. By the time that we were about two thirds of the way round the site we needed a rest and a cup of coffee from our flasks. We sat and watched the different waterfowl and gulls whose numbers had swelled greatly since we had first arrived. It was then that we saw an unusual sight. There were two Pigeons/Doves circling high above the lake in what can only be described synchronized flying! The birds twisted and turned, very slowly, never more than about two feet from each other in perfect time and flight pattern. Sometimes they appeared to brush gently against one another, first one leading, then the other! It was both extraordinary and beautiful to watch! We made plans to come back to this patch again as we had had both enjoyed ourselves immensely.
As we made our way to leave the site and head off towards the WWT centre up the road, we noticed that the stream of joggers and dog-walkers was beginning to increase dramatically. Not really a problem but having to keep sidestepping into the undergrowth became a bit of a bind!
All in all we thought this was a good site and would recommend it to anybody, we will certainly be visiting here more often. Our informant from ‘LondonBirders’ mentioned that the best times for this site are in the spring and the autumn.
BIRDS SEEN: Pied wagtail, Robin, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Mute Swan, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Coots, Mallard, Long Tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Heron, Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, Wren, Canada Goose, Ring Necked Parakeet, Little Grebe, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeon, Egyptian Goose, Cormorant, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greenfinch.

N.B: A ‘birder’ of more experience would have seen a lot more! We saw and heard several birds that were unfamiliar to us, and were thus not recorded! Most of these were woodland ‘LBJ’ type birds although we saw some flashes of colour!

2006-11-11T22:09:00.000Z

BEEFSTEAK (?) FUNGHI Photo:Leon Rusk

2006-11-11T22:03:00.000Z

5th NOVEMBER 2006.

FIRST VISIT TO RICHMOND PARK.

This was to be my first visit to Richmond Park for about seven years. The last time that I was here I was with my, then, girlfriend and her two children for a picnic! It was blistering hot then – how different it was today!
Leon and I arrived at the park just before seven o’clock having left home at about a quarter to. It was about zero degrees as we met and was still quite misty. During the walk to the Park, we were able to hear many birds around us, especially in the college grounds, although it was almost impossible to see them! We were planning on reaching the ‘Pen Ponds’ a short time after the mist had dispersed.
We entered the Park via Roehampton Gate and made our way to the bridge across Beverley Brook. Once across the bridge we turned left and headed across the Polo lawns and the small stream then moving uphill towards the White Lodge. I think that this area is called ‘Bone Copse’. All around us we could hear the odd Red Deer stag bellowing, the rut in its’ final stages. As we moved uphill the mist was thinning and we started to get glimpses of groups of deer around us. One of the larger stags sent a much younger (pricket?) running when he approached too closely, a timely warning to us! Whilst watching the deer we were aware of a flock of Canada Geese approaching, their calls giving their position away. Looking in the direction of the calls we found that we could see for quite some distance along the side of the hill and could clearly see the approaching flock. About twenty of them, in chevron formation, flew directly over us at the height of about fifteen feet! We were both pig-sick that we had not had our cameras ready because that sort of picture opportunity does not come along every day!
We continued on up the hill through rapidly thinning mist, the sun starting to peep through in places and creating some fantastic lighting effects in the sky. Leon was quick to use his camera as moved along. As we reached the top of the hill, just by the Lodge, we came across a couple of Fallow Deer bucks amongst the bracken. They took very little notice of us and moved on about their business. Again, Leon was very busy with his camera.
The mist was very ‘patchy’ now and as we walked past the Lodge on our way down to the ‘Pen Ponds’ we were allowed some lovely views. All around us we could now see many different birds including some Redwings ‘mobbing a Carrion Crow!
Suddenly, all hell broke loose in the bracken off to our left. The two Fallow bucks that we had seen shortly before had come across several others of their kind and one of them was now fighting with one of the new group. Leon took some ‘photos as the animals fought amongst the patchy mist in the bracken. I do hope that his pictures are as good as I believe that they might be – if so I will post some here.
Turning back towards the ‘Pen Ponds’ Leon pointed out a sign asking people to keep out of an area as it was the breeding site for Skylarks. How he knew that the sign was there beats me. He had to pull back lots of bracken to see it! I remember that when I was much younger, we would not take any notice of Skylarks whilst in the Park as they were all over the place, most common! I was, however, pleased to get a glimpse of one today.
Leon had been busy taking pictures of the sun coming through the tree canopy and as we stood there a loud honking, that could only be geese, came to us through the trees. Neither of us could recognise the sound though and we strained to see the birds. They flew past some distance away, right in front of the pale sun and so we could not get a good view of them. As thy moved away, I noticed a shape among the trees. It was a fallow buck, some distance away, perfectly framed by the trunks and ‘browse-line’ of some trees. It was another picture opportunity that would hardly be likely to present itself again. Which was unfortunate because neither of our cameras was powerful enough to take the shot the shot anyway! We moved on down to the ponds.
The views across the ponds were stunning. The mist had nearly cleared away entirely, just a few wisps here and there. We could also see many waterfowl were already hard at work feeding and squabbling. We had arrived at the lower pond and as we stood there taking in the beauty of the place the unknown geese from earlier on flew over us and landed on the upper pond. We would be able to see them a little later on.
There were also a few more people about, either jogging or walking their dogs. We also saw a Parks Warden (for they have got rid of the old Parks Police) whom we would see on several occasions as we moved about the Park. I was quite surprised by the sheer number of birds on show, I could not remember there being this many or as much variety from my younger days! We kept to the south of the ponds as the sun was so low in the sky that we would have only been able to see a glare from the water on the northern side.
We moved on to the upper pond to be surprised, yet again, by the numbers of birds in residence! Apart from the multitude of Coots the very first bird that we saw was a Red Crested Pochard, a first for us both. The two geese that we had seen and heard earlier turned out to be Egyptian Geese; they had lost no time in getting stuck in to the food that was being proffered to a host of Canada Geese and a large supporting cast of ducks Coots and the odd dog!
We met up with the Warden who was most helpful with his knowledge of the best times and places to see different birds. He seemed only too pleased to help out a couple of novices; mind you we do find this nearly everywhere that we go! We stopped and had some coffee which went a little way in warming us up, the temperature was still very low. We watched the birds and some deer that were among the rhododendrons bordering the wildlife sanctuary at the western end of the pond. We also took some pictures, some of which you will see on this blog.
Having had such a good time at the ponds we were a little reluctant to move on, but we realised that to get everything done that we wanted to get done we would have to force ourselves to move!
We moved to the Isabella Plantation, taking quite a few pictures on the way. The autumn colours were very vivid, if a little late, and we were able to get some good shots. There were even some Rhododendron ‘ponticum’ in flower at the edge of the Pen Ponds wildlife sanctuary! We could see and hear many birds around us and at one time about sixty Wood Pigeons flew above us heading towards the west.
Entering the plantation, memories of a spring day many year ago came flooding back. I had not been here since 1965! I was shocked to see just how beautiful the place was, everywhere we looked there were stunning vistas and Leons’ camera must have been getting hot! A great deal of care and hard work must have gone in to producing such a beautiful place, I was sorry that Sue was not with me as she would have been able o take so many wonderful pictures. There were many birds too; it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by a myriad of Tits and Finches of several sorts. There seemed to be very few people about, which surprised us, even though it was still very early. The air was filled with the sound of small birds and water cascading over hidden obstacles amongst the ornate and colourful shrubs and trees around us. Here was one problem though and that was the Ring Necked Parakeets. They kept up their incessant screeching for long periods at a time and were he only blight on an otherwise perfectly idyllic scene.
We were joined again, briefly, by the Warden that we had met earlier at the pen Ponds. Again he was a mine of information concerning the birds, habitat and other general information concerning the plantation. He expressed some concern that the Parakeets were displacing some of the hole-nesting birds that used to b a little more common than is he case now. He also told us where to look for Woodcock at the right time of day!
Moving around the plantation we came across a bird feeder which was being attended by numerous members of the Tit family. We saw our first Willow Tit here.
People were starting to arrive (some with their dogs, which I thought were not allowed into the plantation) and the place was getting quite busy very quickly. We decided to leave and to start making our way towards Robin Hood gate.
From the exit of the plantation we made our way southwards towards the perimeter wall that backed on to the house at the bottom of Kingston Hill. Instead of walking down the main footpath we kept close to the wall itself. It was quieter here and we were rewarded with the sight of many small birds. There was a great gathering of Tits, many of the Long Tailed variety among them, which we stopped and watched for a short time. They always seem to be having such a whale of a time! A little further down the hill we saw the first Nuthatch that either of us had seen for a long time. Once again a large flock of Parakeets flew amongst the trees banishing all thoughts of peacefulness.
Just before we were about to leave the Park we came across a tree that seemed to have a spotlight shining on it as the sun came through the tree canopy. The shaft of sunlight was shining directly on to a huge fungus which we both thought to be a ‘Beefsteak’ (?) type.
We left the Park and made our way to the bus stop. From here we would go to the WWT at Barnes.
BIRDS SEEN: Carrion Crow, jay, Wood Pigeon, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Jackdaw, Black Headed Gull, Meadow Pipit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, grey Wagtail, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Wigeon, Canada Goose, Red Crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Ring Necked Parakeet, Starling, Mistle Thrush, Shoveller, Pochard, Egyptian Goose, Cormorant, Green Woodpecker, Magpie, Robin, Coal Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Blackbird, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Nuthatch, Willow Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch.

2006-11-11T21:57:00.000Z

SUNRISE, RICHMOND PARK, 5th NOV 2006 Photo; Leon Rusk

2006-11-11T21:51:00.001Z

29th OCTOBER 2006.

STAINES RESERVOIRS 2

Leon and I met at about twenty to seven and walked down Roehampton Lane to Barnes station to catch the first train towards Windsor and Eton. Luckily, we had both remembered to put our clocks and watches back by one hour and so managed to avoid any delays. Or so we thought! The train was late due to signal failures and it was only about ten minutes. Whilst we were waiting we were entertained by some very vocal and acrobatic Long Tailed Tits and their friends in the trees that grow alongside the station. Over the last month or so I have seen countless of these beautiful little birds on many occasions ad I never seem to tire of them. To think that only a few months ago I hadn’t seen one before!
The weather was absolutely lovely, perfect sunshine with just a little chill in the air. I had hoped that it might be slightly overcast early on as you cannot look back over the ‘South’ reservoir as the early morning sun glares off of the water! Still, we were not complaining. I had told Leon about the ‘huge’ flocks of Ring Necked Parakeets that we were likely to see. Three. Just three. The last time I was here, a few weeks back, there were so many that I thought it had got dark early! We were treated to views of several different birds on the walk up to the reservoir.
Once up on the causeway across the reservoirs, it got very windy and the temperature dropped considerably. We were rapped warmly enough though and the only real sign of the wind was that our eyes kept running with tears!
Leon was keen to see the Black Necked Grebes and soon found out how similar they are to the adolescent Great Crested variety, making the same mistake that I had previously! He soon spotted this and picked out the correct bird in future.
The wind seemed to be picking up and getting stronger by the minute although the sun stayed out and we could feel the warmth of it on our ‘leeward’ sides! Along the length of the causeway there are, very occasionally, some small bushes which, although very sparse, do offer a minimum of respite from the wind. Behind one of these bushes we came across a young man with a telescope. He kindly pointed out some Pintail and let the both of us have a quick look. We find this quite often, people who know a fair bit about the hobby who are only too pleased to help out with ‘newbies’. We moved along a bit to let the chap have some privacy and to have a cup of coffee from the new flasks that I had got for the two of us. Sue had spotted them in ‘Wilkinsons’ and they were perfect for a ‘one-cup’ flask being compact and efficient in what they were designed for.
It was while we were having our coffee that we noticed a small bird struggling with the wind, being forced to land on the fence. Neither Leon nor I had the faintest idea as to what it might be other than we both thought it to be a bunting of some kind. We had not seen one of these before and looked at it for as long as we could to keep as many details in our mind as possible. We would look it up in ‘Collins’ at the ‘office’ later. When the bird finally flew away it went over the chap that we had seen earlier and another bloke who had joined him. I went over to ask if they had seen the bird as it flew over them but neither of them had. We spent about another half hour or so mooching about, seeing some Meadow Pipits and a single Rock Pipit amongst several other species.
We decided to make a move back to WWT Barnes to continue our ‘birding’ there. We had obviously misread the train timetable as we had to wait ages for a train! (Note to self: take more notice next time!).
BIRDS SEEN: Long Tailed Tit, Carrion Crow, Ring Necked Parakeet, Robin, Wren, Magpie, Goldfinch, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Cormorant, Lapwing, Coot, Gadwall, teal, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black Necked Grebe, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Pintail, Heron, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Shoveller, Wood Pigeon, Lapland Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Green Woodpecker, Feral Pigeon, Black Headed Gull,

Postscript: Later that evening I looked at ‘BirdGuide’ and noted that a Lapland Bunting had been seen at Staines Moor. Both Leon and I recognised the bird we had seen earlier as this bird in ‘Collins’.

2006-11-11T21:45:00.000Z

RICHMOND PARK.....EARLY FROST! Photo: Leon Rusk

2006-11-11T21:38:00.000Z

22nd OCTOBER 2006.

BEDDINGTON S.F.

We left Arton Wilson House at 07:40 and walked to Barnes station. The train arrived quite quickly and we were soon at Clapham Junction where we caught the train to Hackbridge. We arrived about an hour early for the guided tour of the farm, hoping to be able to get something to eat. We were unlucky as there was nowhere open apart from some Asian supermarkets and neither of us fancied cold pies and Coke! We went for a walk around Hackbridge; it seemed like quite a nice place but closed! It also appeared to be a great place to live if you were a birdwatcher, having lots of green, open spaces and wooded areas.
Arriving back at the meeting place, the station forecourt, we met up with Terry and Liz who we knew from ‘BirdForum’ and WWT Barnes. They too had hoped to get something to eat but had been disappointed.
The first group of people who had gathered tuned out not to be our group at all but rather a separate RSPB outing. They soon moved off and for a short time we thought that Leon had joined them as he had gone to the shop and took his time coming back! Our group was, by now, assembling. One of the regulars informed us that this was the largest group that he had seen for one of the walks. Our guide soon appeared and we set off for the farm.
We were quite surprised at the size of the place; it was MUCH bigger than we had anticipated! Our guide slowly walked us around the site, pointing out the various different habitats and highlights as well as filling us in with odd facts about many different aspects of the farm. He worked very hard to try to show us everything that he could, including venturing into the undergrowth trying to flush some of the birds! This was successful in the case of the Jack Snipe that managed to set into flight although I missed it properly because I was scanning some Oak trees for Little Owls!
We had a good three hours of constant birdwatching interspersed with short walks between each area and most of us were getting pretty worn out as the terrain was more suited to tanks and four-wheel drive vehicles! Our guide probably covered about twice the distance that we did in his exertions to show us as much as he could in the ‘short’ time allotted to us. Such is the size of the place and the number of different habitats that you would need many days and sessions to see everything properly.
After thanking our guide and saying ‘goodbye’ to Terry and Liz, we stalked off to have a few ‘relaxers’ in the local pub. It turned out not to be a pub but a motel and they were expecting a wedding party. No beer there! This was a shame as we needed to take off our wet things; we soaked through from the very bad weather at the tail end of the walk even though we were wearing waterproofs!
We went back to the station and caught the train back to Barnes and then caught a bus to the ‘Red Lion’ or ‘office’ as it is affectionately known. We had a few ‘relaxers’, warmed up and then made our way home.
We’d had a lovely day and had been surprised that the farm hardly smelled at all!
Birds seen: Mallard, Carrion Crow, Tree Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Magpie, Great Tit, Starling, Coot, Moorhen, Shoveller, Heron, Black Headed Gull, Lapwing, Herring Gull, Pochard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Teal, Little Grebe, Stonechat, Pintail, Robin, Wood Pigeon, Goldfinch, Green Sandpiper, Song Thrush, Reed Bunting, Dunnock, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Ring Necked Parakeet, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Green Woodpecker, Common Snipe, Jay, Jack Snipe, Chaffinch, Wren, Jackdaw, Jack Snipe, Kestrel, Feral Pigeon, Long Tailed Tit, Meadow Pipit.

2006-11-11T21:34:00.000Z

REG AND LEON Photo: Sue Blair

2006-11-11T21:28:00.000Z

19th OCTOBER 2006.

HYDE PARK / KENSINGTON GARDENS

Before meeting Leon for our day at WWT Barnes, I made a short trip to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The sole purpose of this trip was to ‘recce’ the place for a future day-visit by Leon and myself. I had been reading some reports about the place on the ‘London Birders’ website and thought that it might be a good place for the two of us. A chap called Des McKenzie had posted several reports so I emailed him and received a smashing reply suggesting places to go and what I might expect to see. Just what we novices need! Anyway, I had a lovely time thanks mostly to the help I had been sent. I arrived at 06:30 ……..it was still dark! I entered the park by the ‘Albert’ gate and was resting my bag on a mounting block when two youngish coppers said “Alright sir?” they had been standing just feet from me and I had not seen them! “Er… yes” I said, “I am just doing a bit of birdwatching!” whilst taking my binoculars from my bag. ”What you looking for, Owls?” said one of them! I couldn’t stop laughing and carried on my way. By the time I reached the Serpentine, about ten minutes, it was getting lighter and I could see the birds on the lake well enough.
After about two and a half hours and not covering half of what I had intended I made my way towards Barnes. The best memory of the day was a flock of Tits, mostly Long Tailed, that were busy in the trees around me near the Peter Pan. We see these birds quite regularly Barnes but never quite so close, they seemed totally absorbed in what they were doing.
BIRDS SEEN: Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Coot, Mallard, Mute Swan, Shoveller, Tufted Duck, Greylag Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Canada Goose, Robin, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Great tit, Little Grebe, Cormorant, Wren, Long Tailed Tit, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Headed Gull, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Mandarin Duck, heron, Starling,

2006-11-11T21:18:00.000Z

SIR PETER SCOTT Photo: Sue Blair

2006-11-10T21:59:00.000Z

8th OCTOBER 2006.

STAINES RESERVOIR.

I was to be on my own today as Leon had gone to Cornwall with his brother, Terry, to do some site seeing and to visit the Eden Project. Later I would go to WWT Barnes but first I was going to ’recce’ Staines Reservoir.
I travelled to the site from Barnes railway station to Ashford. From the station I walked up to the A30 and followed it until I could turn right onto the A3044 and thence to the causeway between the Reservoirs. It was not too cold but I would guess that this place could be bitterly cold if there was a wind whipping across the water in the winter. It would probably be true to say that in the summer you would have to be careful about covering up from the sun and to make sure that you had plenty to drink with you!
Another reason that I had come to this site was that there were some Black Necked Grebes in residence. I saw them but not until I had learned that, to a beginner like myself, juvenile Great Crested Grebes have a strong resemblance to the Black Necked at this time of the year! I thought that there seemed to be something wrong so (luckily) I checked my ‘Collins’.
Although only staying for a short while it was evident that one could see quite a variety of different birds at this site and looked forwards to coming here later in the month with Leon.
I asked a couple of chaps who were walking along the causeway if there was a way out at the other end as it appeared to be much nearer to Ashford station. Of course there was, I could have save at least a miles’ walk! Never mind, that was the reason for the visit, to ‘recce’ the place!
Getting back to Ashford station I JUST missed a train which meant that I had to wait for another hour before he next one! Lesson number two: check the timetable next time!
Leon ‘phoned me while I was waiting. We had not seen Pied Wagtails at WWT Barnes for some time and he was ‘phoning to say that he had just seen one on Bodmin Moor. I told him where I was (he didn’t know that I was going) and that I had seen ‘hundreds’! I spent the rest of the hour waiting for the train reading up on grebes in my ‘Collins’.
BIRDS SEEN: Coot, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Black Necked Grebe, Herring Gull, Cormorant, Pied wagtail, Greenfinch, Mute Swan, Sparrowhawk, Ruddy Duck, Ring Necked Parakeet, Carrion Crow, Teal, Wigeon, Common Golden Eye, Black Headed Gull, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Starling, Gadwall, Tree Sparrow, Dunnock, Robin, Moorhen.

2006-11-10T21:33:00.000Z

MY MATE LEON

This is my mate Leon. We work together and started going to the WWT London to see the Voles that they had released in a bid to reintroduce them. We started to get more interested in the birds that we saw whilst we were there and eventually we took out memberships and now go to the centre about twice a week, sometimes more. There are many events at the centre including walks and talks. One of our favourites is the batwalks, a talk followed by an hour or so walking around the site armed with a bat detector! We also enjoy the many nature walks, particularly the 'Recognising birds by ther songs' events. After attending one of these walks the number of birds that we saw on each of our visits rose dramatically!

Leon has a good pair of eyes, he usually spots raptors long before I or anybody else sees them. I can think of many times when I would have missed something had he not already seen something along way off.

He also has a brilliant sense of humour,seeing something humourous in most situations. I fact not many days pass when he doesn't have me in fits of laughter!