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It occurred to me that I had not commented on
the McDonalds Tastes of America promotion, with 4 awesome burgers, on sale over
an 8-week period.
In the time-honoured words, “I’ve started so
I’ll finish”, I sampled the first of the 4, the New York Stack, at Skegness,
and I urgently need to try the South Carolina Stack which has only 4 days left
of its 2-week promotion. This will be
followed by the Louisiana Stack going on sale from 31st May and then
the Tennessee Stack for the last 2 weeks to the 27th June.
As residents of Lynmouth would need to drive
to Vulcan Rd, Minehead (TA24 6DG) to savour the flavour, this information is
probably of no interest whatsoever.
Tuesday 22nd May, and I had
planned to visit Old Moor to try and see the Glossy Ibis and a Red Necked
Phalarope. More bad planning. The
Glossy Ibis vacated the site on Sunday, and the Phalarope had gone by the time
I got there on Tuesday.
The greeter and
source of all Old Moor birds on a Tuesday was absent in Sussex, so the answer
seemed to be that I would have to do some work myself and hope to see the
Bittern. Apparently, there were 3 bittern nests, so the chances were good.
The Bittern hide was quite full, until
someone called “Bitterns flying”, and 3 minutes later I was the only person in
the hide…and I was the one that missed it!!.
Med Gull got on the list before lunch and,
being suitably replete I decided to head back to the Bittern Hide for another
attempt. Everything comes to he who
waits, and it did!! 4 of us in the hide
and the call went up “Bittern Flying”, and this time it was
on my list as it headed west for Hoyland. Last time I saw a Bittern was in May
2015, at Attenborough, so it was nice to get re-acquainted!!
Thursday 24th May, found me
arriving at Clumber Park at 6.50pm for an evening walk, as in 2017, to see
Nightjar and Woodcock. John Parlby from
Ogston Bird Club was again leading this OBC/DOS joint walk, with 7 members from
Ogston Bird Club and 1 from the DOS…Me!!
Security checked our credentials, pulses,
temperature, car registration, and allowed us to stay on the security side of
the park gate, security sadly being at a high level due to recent
vandalism. We all passed the medical
OK.
Good early start was near a weir (don’t ask
me where in Clumber…I get lost), when a silent
Cuckoo flew to a
nearby tree affording all of us great views. We then drove to the previously tested
Nightjar location, and at c9.45 had 3 Woodcock sightings followed by a close view at 10.15 of a Nightjar. If you don’t know the bird, at
dusk the female looks like this,
John was satisfied that this was a Female, so
“let the record show”.
Sunday 27th May, I’m writing
this on Saturday 26th, as to-morrow 6 of the regulars on my
Carsington BwB walks are enjoying our first away day (as opposed to the away
half-day held each year at Attenborough in January), and we are hoping to bag a nice collection of sightings.
Frampton Marsh is a good destination in May, so I’ll leave space to pop
in the notable birds before Beddy Byes tomorrow.
(Ed: What,
will you have a whole day without some ZZZs?)
Stayed awake….. and despite hanging on to
optics in the strong wind, we all saw the Glossy Ibis some
distance from the centre at Marsh farm Reservoir. Yellow Wagtail followed shortly
after, but once again, as in 2017, we all dipped on the Turtle Dove… another
day.
All agreed 1) it was a good and worthwhile trip, 2) Ibis was BOD; 3) Let’s have
another away day, (so I will see what can be done for Sunday 28th
October,) and 4) Old Moor and other nearby sites as the suggested venue.
(A bit more info next week.)
(A bit more info next week.)
A very mixed week, but I move to 171 (or
85.5% which sounds better) and look forward to Carsington BwB on Sunday 3rd
June.
Happy Birding
As a LYNTON resident I don't think I will bother pursuing the McDonalds Taste of America all the way to Minehead although I have heard they are now including some food with their chemical additives....
ReplyDeleteGlossy Ibis I've seen in Kenya but Woodcock and Nightjar are still on my 'hit' list. Liked your photos of Nightjar - very droll.
I have good memories of being among the 'First of the Few' to see the Red-necked Phalarope at Slimbridge.
As I write this I can hear a warbler nearby - 'scratchy' song - a Whitethroat maybe but I can't see it!
Sitting here, atop a rock strewn edge of a ravine, 900 metres above sea level and overlooking the sundrenched coastline of Portugal, eighteen miles to the south.
ReplyDeleteThoughts go back to my introduction to birding and the hours, and probably weeks, that David and I spent together, both in the UK and here in the Iberian peninsular. A very special thanks to my good friend for all his patience and expert instruction. It has certainly started to pay off.
I have, over the past few months taken an in depth interest in Raptors, and what better place to do so than here,especially during the Autumn migrations, with so many species en route to their wintering in Sub Sahara Senegal and The Gambia, over 400 km away to the South West.
I am scribbling down these notes as I await the first movements of the day from a small colony of Griffon Vultures; this magnificent BOP that carries with it for many, such an unjust and misplaced reputation. More of that later.
It is now early May and I suspect these birds may be late arrivals from across the Straits of Gibralter, especially if they had to wait for favourable weather conditions. It is just before ten o'clock and it looks like they are stirring, directly opposite from where I am crouching and hidden behind a small rocky outcrop. They are about 300 metres to the other side of a steep sided ravine. One is shifting slowly to the edge of a ledge he shares with three other birds.
Weighing up to 11kg it takes a lot of their energy to hoist themselves into the air,but by now the sun is strong enough to reflect heat off large areas of bare rock creating warm air thermals....wait! One is about to launch itself into the air. Yes... it's off, and with just a few heavy flaps of those incredible eight foot spanning wings it has instantly caught a thermal and is away! Oh, what a sight! It's rising fast now,into a clear blue cloudless skyand in ever increasing circles, thousands of feet above me already. Off goes another, and another, launching themselves up and into the heavens,soaring and riding the warm air currents. Two bank towards me and into the sun, the whole of their honey brown wing coverts gleaming as if white with the reflection of the sun, their wing tips turned slightly up and appearing dark and deeply fingered.They bank again, showing broad square wings and bands of light and dark to their underwings.They are, witout doubt, my favourite soarers; they are magnificent!
It is so sad to learn of the numbers lost to the likes of power lines and wind farms; (although at last there are efforts to make these safer where possible). Human persecution and poisoning still exists and now a new or newish EU regulation has required landowners to remove carcarses from their land because of the threat of BSE and other disease, thus denying the Vulture of its major source of food.
The vulture is not a hunter; his prey is more likely to be faster. They are scavengers. The irony is that they are well placed to control the spread of diseases by means of their ability to devour their prey by virtue of special acidity within their stomachs.
One of them is coming down! His circular movements are tightening and I can see small adjustments to his wings as he closes in on something well below me. He's nearly reached the ground now but suddenly turns a full 360 degrees before landing. Is that to view any possible danger? And how did he do that with wings nearly closed up. What has he found and what happens next? Space does not allow me to continue this week; but as always in birding... there is always tomorrow. Cor, my legs are stiff!