H-owls of Delight!!

Sunday 21st Feb.  Living in the middle of England, it’s perhaps not surprising that I enjoy going to the coast and of course there are different species to be found in estuaries, offshore and on cliffs.  This Sunday I booked on a 2-hour boat trip round Christchurch (Dorset) harbour organised by the local RSPB. The Hengistbury Head ferry was chartered for the trip, and 17 of us happily waved goodbye to the distant high waves for the calmer waters of the harbour. Hengitsbury gets a large variety of species, both offshore and on the headland, and I have seen Dartford Warbler on the Head in prior years.

Nothing particularly startling in the 33 species seen, although the leader said that a Redwing was an unusual sighting, but it was in trees alongside the River Avon so not too much of a surprise. I spotted Turnstones near Mudeford Quay which was a good list addition.

Monday 22^nd Feb,  ...and another unusual location – a pair of Ring Necked Parakeets at Leatherhead cemetery! I have mentioned these parrot like birds before, but as a rarity to Midlanders they are good to see.

Thursday 25 Feb had an afternoon visit to Loscoe Dam, a small reserve near Heanor, in the hope of seeing Skylark and Green Woodpecker, but to no avail. Chatting to the Loscoe bird recorder he mentioned the Short Eared Owls that had been at Shipley Park since last December, so being only 10 minutes away I popped over on the way home. Success!!.... within 3 minutes of the centre, a hot drink in hand, and diminishing light I was thrilled to be watching a pair of these large birds quartering a rough field.

Friday 26 Feb, and I set off to try and end February on a high. Only 45 minutes from home, and I was at Rufford Park (again!) this time hoping to see Marsh Tit, and at a spot near the ice house where I had been successful in the  past. Armed with a good quantity of bird food, I tempted out plenty of Coal Tits and a few Nuthatches, but despite patiently waiting for an hour, I dipped again.

Never mind, 10 minutes away is a small piece of wet land at a village called Eakring, and last year I saw a Garganey there. Although the word was that he (it was a male!) commuted between Eakring and Rufford, on this occasion I duly found him, cohorting with a female Mallard. Very useful, because it enabled me to see and appreciate what a small duck a Garganey is.

Spent the rest of the day at Colwick Park near Nottingham, hoping to see Smew or Red Crested Pochard....dipped again!!

Just to end on a bit of a sad note.  Just over 10 years ago I started my Birdwatching for Beginners walk at Carsington, and on the first walk on 8^th January 2006, I had 14 people on the walk, and one was a lady Janet Ede. Since then she has been on my walk 33 times, and I was told this morning that she passed away just before Xmas. Many of my regulars will know her and at 79, what an enthusiastic birder she was. She loved birding, would help anyone using her guide book and was a regular at Carsington other than for my walks. She will be sadly missed.

Some Birding "craft" to boost your bird count

Sorry about the delay in posting the news from last week, but the traffic was awful on the M1. (??!)

Sunday 14^th Feb.  Not a major setback, but you should know that for a bird to count it has to be seen. Some people record an “H” for heard, but not me. So when I am in Putney, and hear a Ringnecked Parakeet fly over, and don’t see it, it don’t count. My time will come.

Not much on the birding front this week mainly due to a lot of rain, although I did pop over to Church Broughton, a small village west of Derby, to get excellent sightings of a Black Redstart actively feeding on a pile of steaming chicken “poo”. The extremes we birders go to..remember the rubbish tip in Aviemore for the Iceland gull.

So, some tips about how to improve your bird sighting results.

David Lindo, an urban ornithological journalist always advocates constantly looking up and watching the skies. How right he is as downward looking can easily miss Swifts, Kestrels, Buzzards, Martins and Gulls to name but a few.

On my beginners walks, I also advise people new to birding, to give a flock of birds a good scan. A flock of Canada Geese can easily include a Greylag, or a Pink Foot or even something special like a Red-fronted Goose. On my most recent such walk, I mentioned that Lapwings flying high may include Golden Plovers (when we saw a flock, it didn’t), and if flying fairly low, especially when panicking up from the ground, a flock could include Starlings...it did!!!

Strange the way some species stay well apart, and some mix. I recall the time the Sanctuary nature reserve in Derby had a very rare (for Derby) Dartford Warbler on 17^th June 2004 which (in the words of Rod Key of the DOS), co-habited with a Stonechat and each time the Dartford appeared so did the Chat.

But just watching what birds are doing can pay dividends. I remember seeing a Mallard in Markeaton Park, appearing to act like a blackbird homing in on a worm with one eye peering at the grass. In fact, that Mallard was more concerned about what the other eye could see, as it was watching a buzzard drifting round overhead. If I’d not watched the Mallard, I’d have missed the Buzzard!!

I have written articles about what I call the “wow” experiences, so let me recount one of the favourite stories I was told. I’ll call it No.1), because others will follow in due course!

A couple of guys out birding one day, were standing still in a wooded area just waiting for some bird life, when a Woodpigeon flew straight between them at chest height. As they looked at each other and about to say “did you see that” a sparrowhawk did exactly the same thing, just a second behind. See what I mean about “Wow”.. you would have to have been there to fully appreciate the moment.

My next blog will be after trying a new experience, a 2 hour birding trip round Christchurch harbour in Hants. Weather permitting of course!!!!!