Good day out but boy was it hot!! (1 Viewer)

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 23, 2011

• #1

Well, had a pretty good day today! A friend and I went out for a drive to some good places this morning and we spent a fair part of the day walking around watching the birds and then sitting in a hide to recover from the heat and sun. We heard a lot of Nightingales but didn't manage to see one (although we thought one bird that flew over the path might have been one), we joined the group of twitchers watching a juvenile Night Heron in the trees by a pool, a bird we'd been hoping would still be there as it's been seen in that area for a week or two.

We heard Cetti's Warblers and Reed Warblers at the reedbeds and heard (and later saw flying away) a Cuckoo. There were Whitethroats everywhere, Chiffchaffs, Mallards, Moorhens, Pheasants, Woodpigeons, Green Woodpeckers, Great Tits, Wrens, Robins, Dunnocks, Linnets, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Magpies, Carrion Crows, Canada Geese, Starlings, Kestrels, Stonechats, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Skylarks, Black-headed Gulls, Redshanks, Curlews, Oystercatchers, Avocets and Common Terns.

There may have been Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits and some others but it's all a bit of a blur at the moment as I'm feeling pretty tired and worn out by the walking and the heat! I took my new scope and it was brilliant, really great for the Night Heron and superb for watching the birds from the hide. The Black-headed Gulls and Avocets were getting rather fruity, lots of courtship and mating going on!

Photos to follow hopefully, haven't got them onto the computer yet to see if any have come out ok...

 

Last edited: Apr 24, 2011

palval147

Well-known member

• Apr 23, 2011

• #2

A very good days birding, Fozzy. Was the Night Heron a life tick?
I have never seen one of those.

 

Last edited: Apr 24, 2011

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 23, 2011

• #3

Not seen a Night Heron before and had seen mentions of it for a couple of weeks at this location so was good to see it. Also saw lots of Orange Tips, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Red Admiral and billions of St Marks Fly - they were near plague proportions in some of the bushes!

Pics:

1. Night Heron (juvenile I think)
2. Kestrel
3. Skylark
4. Whitethroat

 

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Last edited: Apr 24, 2011

palval147

Well-known member

• Apr 24, 2011

• #4

Super photo's, Fozzy.

 

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 24, 2011

• #5

Thanks a lot Val. The heat made concentrating on photography more difficult - had a lot of trouble with the flight shots but got lucky with the Kestrel and the Skylark.

Have attached some more pics of spring 'activity'.

1. Avocets courting, the male splashing the female as she stretches out stock still
2. Avocets mating
3. post mating behaviour, the male running away before settling down to a preen or a feed
4. inexperienced Black-headed Gulls attempting mating but not getting it right

 

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Last edited: Apr 24, 2011

Kits

Picture Picker

Social Media Editor

• Apr 25, 2011

• #6

Super, Paul. Really interesting photos and a good day out too. Thanks for sharing.

 

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 25, 2011

• #7

Thanks Kits. Really good to see so much activity and lovely to see the Avocets mating again - much closer than when I saw that at Cley!

 

palval147

Well-known member

• Apr 25, 2011

• #8

I love the Avocet photo's, Fozzy. They are super birds.

 

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 25, 2011

• #9

They're a real firm fave Val, fantastic whenever I see them.

 

pstraughan

Well-known member

• Apr 26, 2011

• #10

Lovely photos Paul. Thanks for sharing.

Pat

 

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 27, 2011

• #11

Thanks Pat. The scope proved to be invaluable, both to allow a good view of the birds out on the lagoon and to enable me to fit in with the group of twitchers lining the sea wall to see the Night Heron.

Not sure what the collective noun for twitchers is (possibles for consideration: a flock, a swarm, a huddle, a nest, an ambush, a lamentation or perhaps most appropriate, a quiver) but it's the first time I've been in one... a proper one with lines of scopes pointed at one bird. Quite a bizarre experience really, totally at odds with my usual style of birdwatching.

 

PeterK

Well-known member

• Apr 28, 2011

• #12

Hi Paul Great set of pics, but it is the Night Heron that interests me, like Val Ive never seen one at all. I see your based in Chelmsford we are looking after our sons house in August by Bishop Stortford, I wondered if you could pass on some possible sites were we might see one.

Good Birding Peter

 

Fozzybear

Ich bin ein Vogelbeobachter

• Apr 28, 2011

• #13

The only one I know of is the one that I saw which is on the east side of Two Tree Island at Leigh-on-Sea (on the Thames estuary). It's been around for a few weeks but I don't know if it's settled for the duration or will disappear soon. The sightings of it have been documented on the local RSPB group sightings page, which you can find here:

http://www.southendrspb.co.uk/sightings.htm

I'd keep an eye on that to see if it is still around when you head down this way. Good luck!

Looks like there's one at Lesbury in Cumbria at the moment too, an adult - I just did a google for night heron uk...

 

Last edited: Apr 28, 2011

PeterK

Well-known member

• Apr 29, 2011

• #14

Thanks Paul, contacted Cummbria Brding Group, no sign of a Night Heron, but good list of incoming migrants for March 2011 :-

Sand Martin, Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Swallow, Sandwich Tern, Williow Warbler, Ring Ouzel, House Martin and a Blackcap.

Not to far from here so must make an effort.

Peter

 

Last edited: Apr 29, 2011