Bird of the day!

[Deer Stalker]

Went for walk in the New Forest today & heard Crossbills & Hawfinch singing again. Also heard the first Woodlark & Firecrest singing this year.

So Iv'e got 4 birds of the day
The rest are in the Diary section.

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by GuyF

Today mine would probably be 7 Spoonbill at Arne, although I also saw 2 GN Divers, 1 Black-Necked Grebe, a few Avocets and Pintails and a displaying male Goldeneye. However, I once again failed to see the Long-Tailed Ducks that are there, one day I will see them!
By the way, Aeshna, what is a WeBS count, because I have heard of them before and they seem to be a kind of species and numbers count but I've never known.
Thanks
Guy

Guy- WeBS is acronym for Wetland Bird Survey which gives us an index of waterbird populations- including waders, gulls as well as the more obvious water birds. c2000 people up + down the country count these birds on a given Sunday each month, mostly September- March, though some carry on through the summer, on most of the important waterbodies. This survey gives trends on numbers of birds, quite a few of which winter in UK in internationally important numbers.

One of my patches is Thames on the boat race route-Putney- Barnes Bridges which is surprisingly productive. For instance today on here I counted pr Gt. crested Grebe,31 Cormorant, Black + 5 Mute Swan, 286 Mallard, 328 Teal, 63 Gadwall, pr Pintail, 60 Tufted Duck, 3000+ gulls of 5 species + few other species. Shows how the river has recovered + is extremely biologically productive!

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by John

There is a possibilty that you may have crossed paths with Boddie, Fourwings and Oscar2006 as they were there today also.

Was the Woodcock by the side of the path between the car park and the visitors centre as there has been one there for the last two years around this time of year.

John

John the Woodcock was where you mentioned- I'd seen it there a couple of years back- makes a change from seeing a flushed or roding bird- so near + an amazing looking bird.

Shame I didn't realise the other WAB guys were there, but they'd have probably wanted to avoid me as I was part of a large RSPB group!

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

John the Woodcock was where you mentioned- I'd seen it there a couple of years back- makes a change from seeing a flushed or roding bird- so near + an amazing looking bird.

Shame I didn't realise the other WAB guys were there, but they'd have probably wanted to avoid me as I was part of a large RSPB group!

Not at all, it would have been nice to have met. We stopped and watched a barn own hunting too, soon after having left Titchwell. A fantastic sight to finish off a great day out.

I won't mention the WAB BADGE

[nightshade]

I knew you wouldn't mention the mythical WAB BADGE

[GuyF]

Thanks for that Aeshna, sounds like an interesting and useful thing to do.

Today the highlight was a drake Goldeneye, close in to the shore in Poole Harbour with four females. He really was looking spectacular. Also Mergansers, GN Divers and a distant Kingfisher.
Giu

[glsammy]

I'd been out this morning on a thankless task to try and see an American Wigeon, supposedly seen at a local gravel pit. The weather was dull and foggy, so I wasn't too bothered when I never managed to spot it. We did see a group of 5 Whooper Swans in a nearby field, so that made the trip worthwhile.
This afternoon the sun came out again, but too late to go anywhere, so I was looking out of our rear upstairs window, when I spotted this bird sitting on a fence..




My first ever sighting of a Sparrowhawk, and it's from my bedroom window!

Correction: It's not my first sighting.. I got a shot at the National Water Sports centre a few weeks ago...

[nightshade]

Serendipity or what,nice shot

[mrs fish]

That is a superb photo G, he/she is resting, I can see the talon up
I disturbed a sparrowhawk feeding to-day, I went and checked what it had been eating and saw a headless collared dove.

I cleaned out my nest box to-day, there was a dead great tit in there, the whole of the nest was made up from my pets hair and a bit of moss.

The bird of the day for me was the dunnock (again) there are a pair who seem very interested in the passion flower which is grown over my cotoneaster and looks a good place for a nest

[John]

That is an incredible, well detailed shot Graham. I missed my chance of something equally as good myself when I decided to not bother going to the hide at Whitacre Heath. Instead I waited to see if I could get any more images of the LSW. After about an hour a mate of mine came from the direction of the hide and as we got talking he casually dropped into the conversation that a Sparrowhawk had dropped in by the hide, only a few feet away, and stayed there for ages (about an hour I think). You should have seen the images he has got. grrrrrr.

Having said that, he would be hard pushed to get a better shot than yours Graham. Quality.

John

[Oscar2006]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Shame I didn't realise the other WAB guys were there, but they'd have probably wanted to avoid me as I was part of a large RSPB group!

Maybe we did avoid you!
We certainly noticed the large group, "it" was wandering back towards the centre as we were heading out to see the sea and seawatch you see.
Were you the ugly one in the blue hat or the skinny one with green wellies?
Hope you had as much of a great day as we did.
Boddie and Fourwings took some great images to remember some of the more interesting moments by.
Just did not manage to get an image of "the triangle's" speciality! - a no show for us again!

[matt_xyz]

I had 3 birds of the day today. I went to a nearby spot where Short-Eared Owls had been reported, although I didn't get there until after 4:00pm. Unfortunately I completely forgot to take my tripod, I thought it was in the boot Anyway, after a few minutes I spotted the SE Owl flying low over a field and managed one or two shots from distance:



The bird then disappeared over some trees. There were a few other birders there and they had by now spotted a Tawny Owl (it is a Tawny isn't it?) perched on a post. The light was terrible so I needed ISO 1600 for this one (and it was handheld ):



Amazingly, there were also 2 Little Owls nearby in a tree. I managed to spot them but no chance of an image, too dark and they were obscured by branches.

Assuming no-one tells me that the above aren't a Tawny and a SE Owl then, in the space of 30 mins and in 2 neighbouring fields, I spotted 3 birds that I had never seen before. I don't know what was in those fields that owls liked so much!

Matt

[GuyF]

Sorry to ruin it for you Matt but the owl on the post is a Short-Eared Owl. But, that is still 2 great birds in one day!
Guy

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by GuyF

Sorry to ruin it for you Matt but the owl on the post is a Short-Eared Owl. But, that is still 2 great birds in one day!
Guy

Do you know, that is what I thought. But there seemed to be a couple of more experienced birders there who were insistent that it was a Tawny. Actually, in some ways I'm even more chuffed that I got a close-up of an SEO (well, relatively close up). Thanks for the clarification Guy.

Matt

[glsammy]

Originally Posted by John

That is an incredible, well detailed shot Graham. I missed my chance of something equally as good myself when I decided to not bother going to the hide at Whitacre Heath. Instead I waited to see if I could get any more images of the LSW. After about an hour a mate of mine came from the direction of the hide and as we got talking he casually dropped into the conversation that a Sparrowhawk had dropped in by the hide, only a few feet away, and stayed there for ages (about an hour I think). You should have seen the images he has got. grrrrrr.

Having said that, he would be hard pushed to get a better shot than yours Graham. Quality.

John

Thanks John.. A very obliging bird, It allowed me to go down stairs to get my camera, open the windows and get the shot. It was a fair distance away, but was perfectly lit which helped a lot.
Your situation is usually what happens to me! Although I can't complain this past few weeks, I've had some of my best sightings ever.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

Do you know, that is what I thought. But there seemed to be a couple of more experienced birders there who were insistent that it was a Tawny. Actually, in some ways I'm even more chuffed that I got a close-up of an SEO (well, relatively close up). Thanks for the clarification Guy.

Matt

There's an awful lot of bluffing in birding Clearly a SEO and yes you should be very excited at the shot I have easily seen ten times (if not more) as many tawnies as short ears.

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

There's an awful lot of bluffing in birding

I'll bear that in mind Gill in the future. I have very little experience of IDing owls so had little confidence in my own ID, but something told me it wasn't a Tawny.

Matt

[aeshna5]

Originally Posted by Oscar2006

Maybe we did avoid you!
We certainly noticed the large group, "it" was wandering back towards the centre as we were heading out to see the sea and seawatch you see.
Were you the ugly one in the blue hat or the skinny one with green wellies?
Hope you had as much of a great day as we did.
Boddie and Fourwings took some great images to remember some of the more interesting moments by.
Just did not manage to get an image of "the triangle's" speciality! - a no show for us again!

No hat or green wellies, but yes a good day, though fresher on the beach than I was expecting- no skinnydipping! Sea was a bit disappointing-just handful of Goldeneye + R.b Merganser with 1 Eider in flight, but great to see the numbers of birds on the reserve- thousands of Golden Plover + Lapwing wheeling around. Guess I'll have to get a WAB badge.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I'll bear that in mind Gill in the future. I have very little experience of IDing owls so had little confidence in my own ID, but something told me it wasn't a Tawny.

Matt

There's also quite a few birders who do a good line in incredulity - for example that you didn't know that they only get black tailed godwits at that side of the cove not bar-tailed.....

Or how could you possibly /not know that some swallows over-winter in Spain / have missed the peregrine that whizzed accross the horizon / not see the tiny jack snipe in the reeds perfectly still and perfectly camoflaged .... etc... etc..

They might be a minority but they are the reason I rarely hang out with serious groups of birders!!!

[vinnychameleon]

It might be an LSW as i heard one calling and drumming and then saw a small bird hop up a branch. It flew off before i could tell whether it was an LSW or not . Anyway i definetely heard one calling and drumming today so that is my bird of the day. Followed second by a treecreeper.

[GuyF]

Today mine is a Stock Dove. One flew in over the garden but then decided not to land. I used to have a pair that were regular visitors to the feeders so hopefully they will rediscover the garden and start visiting again. If they do I should get some photos to show you.
Guy

[Garden Carpet]

I have had a good bird day.. this morning a Little Egret on the back road. A mixed flock of Oystercatcher, Curlew and one I couldnt make out as we passed on the river bank. This afternoon my possible first sighting of a Goldcrest... only saw it flash across in front of the car but it certainly had a bright yellow flash on the head. Took my friend back to her place, pulled up at her gates and infront of us in the trees was a female SparrowHawk!! One my way home I saw something on the road and it was a grey squirrel who moved off and sat by the tree.. about five feet from me...we watched each other for about three minutes before I wound down the window and he decided that was enough. I bet you know what I am going to say next. No Camera!!! I will carry it for weeks on end and not see anything.. but each time I leave it behind I have sightings galore!
Happy day
jaki

[colincurry]

I was biking back from the shops today when I saw a raptor overhead. I tuned into my road and stopped to get a better look. I followed it along the road when it flew close to a large ash tree on my right. It spooked a collared dove roosting in the tree and in the space of 50 yards had overhauled the dove and took it to ground behind a 20 foot fir hedge. I identified the raptor as a female sparrowhawk by its stature and demeanour. Is it a universal fact that females are larger and more aggressive than males?

Colin