Snow, sleet, ice....... Summer's here!.. so are the migrants.

Now then... that’s a bit more like it!  A good day’s birding, frozen to the marrow, snow, heavy traffic and a plate of Yorkshire hotpot. Obvious why I go birding.

But enough of this euphoria.. the story starts here..

Tuesday 26^th April  Christine picks me up at 9.00am and at last we find the journey to Old Moor is no longer restricted to 50mph all the way to the M18. Broomhill Flash is the first stop, having to climb through the (official-) gap in the hedge to face the north winds and view the flash. Within minutes, my first Swift of the year (just love that bird) followed soon by a Common Sandpiper. 

The builders tell us that the new Garganey Trust  hide IS due to open next weekend (c7th May), which considering how often I have expressed my disappointment, it will be great to see the finished 2-tier building.

Next stop, RSPB Old Moor and we head straight for the Tree Sparrow farm. Good decision, because the first bird we see is a gorgeous male Yellow Hammer on the grass. 

We check all the other hides, and as we leave the Wader scrape hide, volunteer Amanda (who also volunteers at Carsington and helps with my bird walks) tells us the nearby spot to see a Lesser Whitethroat.  She adds “It helps if you know the call”, which she does and we don’t! However, we find the spot, hear an unusual call and stand still in the wind and sleet for 10 minutes to try and locate what would be a great addition for 2016. In due course, our patience is rewarded and the bird works its way up into the open, so that we can both see and hear the call of a Lesser Whitethroat, an excellent summer visitor.

A tasty Hotpot and a nice coop o tea, and we are ready to check out the reedbeds. Sadly to no avail, but the viewing screen is photographed as it gives me good ideas for our proposed additional hide/screen at Carsington.

4pm, and we are now on our way to Carsington for a 6pm walk to see some of the first Yellow Wagtail arrivals. Traffic is ****** and Chesterfield is ditto, but thanks to Chris we pull into the car park at 5.55pm. (Why arrive earlier? Except we did want a drink and snack first.)

10 hardy souls brave more sleet and the cold, but Jon Bradley from Carsington Bird Club knows where to look, and spots our first Yellow Wagtails on water sports island in the scrub. The first is a nice male, and a bit later a female is seen. Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, White Wagtail, and hirundines help make the evening what it was meant to be, a Yellow Wagtail walk. (7.30pm, the car park emptied with remarkable speed, and I was grateful for Chris putting on the under-seat heater on my side of the car!)

So it was a good day, 5 additions to my 2016 list taking me to 151. The proposed target of 160 was clearly a figment of my imagination!

...............or was it?   Saturday 30^th April, I manage to catch a couple of hours at Attenborough, with great success. Place seems to be full of photographers, but all the summer migrants should be in by now, so plenty to photo. 

Common Terns are in view before I get out of the car, and a leisurely stroll to and around the tower hide area adds a female Linnet (I’ve been after THAT bird all year), Reed Warbler (singing well and only one diving into the reeds enabled me to add it to the 2016 list), several Sedge Warblers, and 4 Whitethroats.

For some reason Blackcap eludes me still, despite being a warbler that now often spends Christmas in the UK. Patience David.

I’m told there is a Hoopoe at Branston Golf Club (near Burton on Trent) but that’s off my radar today.

I manage a brief view of a Whimbrel before it takes flight, so this short visit has added 6 to my list =157... aint all that far off the forecasted 160.      

Honour (mostly-) satisfied!

So, bald heads ARE attractive to birds!

Tues 19^th April... In anticipation of seeing a Ring Ouzel, Jill, Christine and I met up at Bardon Hill, the highest point in Leicestershire, where RO’s are known to stop en route to their breeding ground. 

Sadly, despite a remarkable view to the bottom of the quarry, our birding success was limited to multiple Willow Warblers, but made up for by the deep croaking call of a pair of Ravens. I find identification is helped by seeing what is described as a graduated tail, but I prefer to see it as coming to a point.

We then went on to the Sence Valley Park near Ibstock, for a pleasant stroll but nothing significant to report.

I wonder if you caught the story about the bald Postman in Exeter who was attacked by an escaped Eagle Owl, who said he thought the bird was after his rat-like moustache. It brought to mind another of the WoW stories that I have referred to and one that I had published in the local paper. This story came from a Mr KC of Surrey, and goes as follows:-

“In 1985 a friend and I had access to a part of Kempton Park Racecourse on which there was a thriving heronry and one winter we built a hide 80 feet up a chestnut tree to get some pictures of the herons on their tree-top nests in an adjacent oak.

One day in spring, as I entered the hide via the trapdoor in the floor, I heard the sound of a biggish bird exiting the hide and discovered a nest on the floor. I abandoned my photo plans in order not to disturb the mystery nester and returned a few days later in order to photograph the bird. On entering the hide, the bird again flew out and I set up my flash-guns and settled down to await the return of the mystery bird.

After about 10 minutes, I heard the bird return to the hide behind me. I couldn’t turn round for fear of disturbing it and it stayed perched behind me for about 5 minutes until it hopped on and nestled down on my head! It sat there quite comfortably for about 10 minutes and I still had no idea what it was. I had an incipient bald patch and I could feel the bird wriggling as though it was incubating my bald spot. Eventually, after what seemed a life-time, the bird dropped down onto its nest and I got my first picture of what was for me my first – a stock dove!”

Thursday 21^st April.. Had a pleasant stroll round Markeaton Park in the afternoon, the usual suspects on display, and the only nice surprise were the 3 Mandarin Ducks (a pair and a single male) on the duck pond, A single Swallow on the tele-wag wires was an encouraging sign that they may be back to breed again in the beams of the craft village.

My previous reference to maximising my lifetime NI contributions with the NHS has sadly increased, and I am heading towards some treatment which will NOT be the subject of this blog! But in my recent hospital visits,I often find the kindly nurses wanting to make conversation and relax me, by asking “What would you be doing if you were not here?”!!!   Nice opener!

So as a PR man for birding at Carsington (it seems), this week the conversations have gone thus:

• 1.       Whilst being wired up for the treadmill, the nurse tells me she goes regularly to Cley, a birding haven in Norfolk. (Cue verbal debate as to the most successful birder!!)

• 2.      A CT Scan technician tells me she loves Attenborough gravel pits.

• 3.      Friday, under escort to be anesthetised, by a charming little (!!) oriental nurse “What you do today?”,brings the answer, birding at Carsington, followed by a short lecture to the anaesthetist about Swifts and their life on high. Quote “I’ve learnt something to-day.”

If all else fails, one can always talk about our Avian friends.

The Ospreys are coming? They've arrived!

Monday April 11th   First of all, an apology to Mary for giving misleading information in my last blog.

When I stated that “Leo and I chatted about birds while his Grandma was giving him a necessary bath after playing in his football team”, it was of course Leo playing in the football team, and not Mary.

I digress......You will gather that I am stretching my standard 550 words because it’s been a No News week – again.

But what I can report is the Osprey season has started well.

Friday 1^st April   Reported on the Bird Guide website was one Osprey passing through and surprisingly heading South West. Logically at this date, the bird would be en route back to its place of birth in Scotland or the Lake District; South West is normally the route to Senegal. So without any id features such as a ring, Bird Number 1 will be a mystery.

Tuesday 12^th April, again a single bird, at 11.35 am, which was seen fishing and then left NE over Hall Wood. Mystery Bird No 2.

Another bit of late news was that on the Osprey bonus walk on the 10^th, BOD was some nice viewable Redpolls on Stones Island. And they could also be seen through a scope on Horseshoe Island on Sunday 17^th, the latter being alongside Goldfinches (they both like the same food) so an instant comparison was useful.

Sunday 17^th April, I was at a meeting at Carsington to see if we can erect an additional hide, or even a screen, as the volunteers’ project for the year 2017, the 25^th Anniversary of the year when H M Queen opened Carsington. I gather my daughter and her husband had a walk round Carsington to celebrate their WA, drinking a celebratory “Gin and Prosecco” at Sheepwash car park. (And they say romance is dead!) 

Had a message later to say that when they reached the Wildlife Centre, they encountered a very happy volunteer team who had just seen a Whimbrel come into roost, presumably one of the 5 that Roger Carrington saw very early on Monday morning. Quite a thrill for my daughter to use the VR scope, and see a bird she had not seen before. 

Well I’m sorry the maximising of my passed contributions to the NHS has limited my blog this week, and even Boots welcome me on Christian name terms, but I have greater plans for the coming week.

 Because Osprey sightings have started well this month, this appropriate picture is the first landing of an identifiable Osprey on one of the newly erected Osprey nests, on the 5^th May 2011. 

We were able to read the white ring on the left leg and the letters “KR”, and found out that this male Osprey was ringed (=borne – almost!) on the 28^th June 2009 (as a nestling), and was heading to its place of birth near Dingwall.

Did I see it? Nope. I was stuck in a Polling Station handing out voting papers to the great British public, and not allowed to have my mobile on, so I just got all the recordings "have you heard.....etc"

Ring details really make bird watching come alive

A Painful black backed experience

Tuesday 5^th April or for those who care (now) the last date to make your plans for your 2015/16 ISA allowance. Being one who didn’t care, and couldn’t get excited about getting 1.25% interest on my £2,000, I persuaded friend Chris to have a day at Carsington and we would hopefully tick off some birds we had not seen, and also some summer arrivals.

Stones Island has been a popular bird watching point in recent weeks as a good place to see the Great Northern Divers, and when we walked there last week with my bird walk, 5-6 people with scopes were scanning the water. In April, as well as the Divers it is a good spot to see any Ospreys passing through and by the time I write this, I know that one has been spotted (more news next week).

So Chris and I meandered round Stones and spotted Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows (too early for the Swifts).  Chiffchaffs were well in attendance, and a single Willow Warbler with a very soft song, was spotted.   Despite the crowds in the restaurant, we managed to get a snack quickly in the courtyard tea room, and then went to see how the Volunteers were doing in the Wildlife Centre. Word was that a Jack Snipe had been seen in Shiningford Creek, but despite grabbing a scope and a walk closer up the path, we missed out.

A visit to Paul Stanley hide was abortive, but the Sheepwash hide did produce a Little Ringed Plover. We had a considerable debate about 2 small golden fronted and streaked birds, probing away at seed amongst the reeds. Without a field guide, various ideas were put forward, all of which were dashed when an expert with high power optics came in and pronounced them as juvenile Chaffinches. Reluctantly we agreed, with some muttering and chuntering.

Wed 6^th...nothing

Thurs 7^th...Doc..in agony with a bad back

Fri 8^th   ...Doc still with back agony, rash and bright red

Sat 9^th.....Visit to NHS walk in centre. My Markeaton led bird walk – delegated to someone more ablebodied

Sunday 10^th  Bonus bird walk for beginners, lead by Keith and aided by Amanda. I’m pain-killer drugged up looking at the sunshine.

What an exciting week.

Anyway, it was nice that my 9 year old Grandson Leo dropped in on Saturday, and we had a chat about birds while his Grandma was giving him a necessary bath after playing in his football team. HE knew about the Derby Peregrines having 3 eggs.

This is what he was like at 3 years old, and I just hope I can maintain his enthusiasm.... football and computers do tend to dominate.   I’ve often think if computers, i-pads, mobile phones etc are so important to teenagers (and younger!!), what can we do with bird watching to make it fit the IT image. Leo is doing the 72 English football grounds with his Dad, and we keep details on my laptop. He likes the spreadsheet where the data can be sorted in anything from the highest gate, to the highest score.  Maybe I can do something similar birdwise. Reminiscent of the days when I collected train numbers, but all I did was tick them off in an Ian Allan book. (Step forward those who remember them!)

Right – move on – now for something better.