[James Thomas]

Originally Posted by metcow333

sorry but really? the pollen has stuck to its bill during migration??? despite all the strong winds and airflows and such, its really more likely that the pollen has stuck than its found the odd flower somewhere nearby?
and im not sure i can see pollen. Dont think there's any real way to tell if its a migrant or not, other than a ringed bird

Probably is no way of telling unless it's a ringed bird, never said it was definitely so and I couldn't give a monkeys if it's been in Cornwall - it's not been on my patch.

Early migrants often turn up with pollen stuck to the feathers above the bill, caught whilst sticking their heads in flowers, not rubbing up against pussy willows. In the field the bird clearly had a small amount of matting of these feathers so a distant shot overules field observation? There's an extreme example at the end of the video here;
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBaldI...28/XsCyuHfYdSY

[James Thomas]

Originally Posted by metcow333

sorry but really? the pollen has stuck to its bill during migration???

Perhaps you should scroll half way down this page as well?

http://www.zoo.ox.ac.uk/egi/people/p.../matt_wood.htm

or this?

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/1...166.x/abstract

[metcow333]

apologies for the grumpy post jim, its been a long day, hope no offence was caused. didn't realise about this pollen carrying, good to know.

purely for the enlightenment of my ignorance, rather than challenging your statement, is there evidence for migrants often feeding on flowers and arriving with pollen, just that it would seem likely that chiffy's would be feeding in flowering willows as more insects?

Thanks Ollie

(also in my defence, and the only crappy bit of defence i'll extend, your post did imply you had seen the pollen on the photo, which im not sure i can see, certainly not going to challenge the superiority of field views over a one-off photo, im with you all the way on that.)

[metcow333]

also, has that paper by martin been published (i.e. can i read it anywhere) or is it proposed/ still in progress?

[Lawts]

Whilst it seems as though the sun will never shine again - it hasn't much since I got the camera, I thought I'd try and cheer everyone up as I've just seen Spring - it's only one hour fifty minutes away.

I visited my daughter in Porto, and she has a friend who owns a massive farm near Viana in the north. I had licence to wander round the farm at will.

It was our Spring only a few weeks earlier - the Sheep all had lambs. Several swallows had just arrived chasing each other round before settling down to roost. Serin were in song everywhere. Blackcap were in song, and these were taking advantage of pollen in early flowers. A Brimstone was on the wing, plus several what I assumed were Large Whites. All these years of birding and it was the first time I'd heard Black Redstart sing - for those who haven't heard it, it's odd - there's a bit at the end where it sounds like someone is crunching up a paper bag.

It was a fresh Spring-like warmth. When the sun came out at timers you'd have been happy with the weather as English summer weather. However, there were also spells when it was freezing - sitting in the stand watching FC Porto being one of them - but generally just like our Spring.

Going back to the farm in May so looking forward to that.

[Lawts]

From Porto itself.

[James Thomas]

No problem.

The evidence is;
1. that the birds are arriving in the UK hence work done at Portland Bill
2. the pollen can and is being analysed to identify the plant species. Some of these are specific to particular regions and this will indicate migratory route.

I don't know if this has been published, it was a quick google search the produced the link. Beauty of the internet, I only read up on this in the last couple of years but it's obviously been observed for some time. Here is a link to New Scientist article from 1961

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=p...0birds&f=false

[Martin Standley]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

Normally don't go in for the 'nice pics' type posting but I must say Martin that is a damn good picture of the Iceland gull.

Thanks for your comment Keith

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by Lawts

Whilst it seems as though the sun will never shine again - it hasn't much since I got the camera, I thought I'd try and cheer everyone up as I've just seen Spring - it's only one hour fifty minutes away.

I visited my daughter in Porto, and she has a friend who owns a massive farm near Viana in the north. I had licence to wander round the farm at will.

It was our Spring only a few weeks earlier - the Sheep all had lambs. Several swallows had just arrived chasing each other round before settling down to roost. Serin were in song everywhere. Blackcap were in song, and these were taking advantage of pollen in early flowers. A Brimstone was on the wing, plus several what I assumed were Large Whites. All these years of birding and it was the first time I'd heard Black Redstart sing - for those who haven't heard it, it's odd - there's a bit at the end where it sounds like someone is crunching up a paper bag.

It was a fresh Spring-like warmth. When the sun came out at timers you'd have been happy with the weather as English summer weather. However, there were also spells when it was freezing - sitting in the stand watching FC Porto being one of them - but generally just like our Spring.

Going back to the farm in May so looking forward to that.

I looked at the photos before I read the text. A Serin in Yorkshire is pretty exciting but Iberian Wall Lizards would be off the scale!

[Lawts]

Originally Posted by skink1978

I looked at the photos before I read the text. A Serin in Yorkshire is pretty exciting but Iberian Wall Lizards would be off the scale!

Mike I knew you'd know - are these not Common Lizard then? One seemed much greener than the other, so not sure if same species

[Trystan]

Just back in from the East coast. Puffins have arrived in force at Bempton.

Saw 4 species of bunting with yellowhammer, reed bunting, an impressive singing corn bunting and an even more impressive and very obliging lapland bunting.

[skink1978]

Originally Posted by Lawts

Mike I knew you'd know - are these not Common Lizard then? One seemed much greener than the other, so not sure if same species

No, they are Podarcis Wall Lizards for sure. I'm pretty sure they are P. hispanica (Iberian) but they may be P. bocagei or P. carbonelli depending on exactly where you saw them.

PM vipersgarden as he will give you a 100% identification.

[Keith Dickinson]

I twitched the slav grebe at Swillington Ings this afternoon, slightly disappointed to find that it wasn't frequenting Astley Lake but rather Bowers Lake which is just about as far away from the car park as you can get without leaving the area. So I set off on the long walk to the other end of St Aidan's, lots of gulls and waterfowl seen on the way but very little in the way of passerines. A couple of long tailed tits, blue tits etc and I heard a couple of chaffinches but otherwise very little around. I met people on the way back from seeing the grebe who gave me the gen on where to be looking.
I arrived at the slipway and set up the scope to scan Bowers Lake which is the furthest patch of water from you at this point. Nothing visible other than a couple of coot and a black headed gull. I'd settled down for a long wait when I noticed 2 blokes walking along the edge of the Lake, with a springer spaniel bounding along in front of them. I almost gave up at that point, as I was sure the dog would spook the bird. However as they passed along the edge of the Lake in front of me and then away to the left I had one last scan of the Lake with my bins. Way off to the right I saw a small black and white bird on the water, I got the scope onto it and confirmed it's id as the Slavonian grebe. I was able to watch the bird out on open water for almost 15 minutes before it moved back to the right hand side of the Lake and the shielding of the bank. So thanks to 2 trespassers who shouldn't have been there I got to see the bird quite easily.

[John Bullfinch]

Just back from a cycle around Pugneys and Calder Wetlands. Found my first Chiffchaffs of the year 1 very confiding bird at the back of Pugneys along the boardwalk. Also 1 singing by the river over at Calder Wetlands. Also 46 Goosanders on Calder Wetlands plus a pink footed goose with the Canada geese by Calder Wetlands on a pond near the petrol station. Brief sighting of a kingfisher on the river as well, and a long tailed tit with a beak full of nesting material - spring is in the air!!

At Calder Wetlands there is what I can only assume to be fencing activity going on - lots of posts placed in the ground - if this is the case it will hopefully stop some of the ignorant idiot dogwalkers who constantly disturb everything and may give breeding birds a chance as well. If anyone knows exactly what they (I assume the council) are doing please post on here - cheers.

[Chris-Leeds]

I went for the slav last Saturday. Couldn't see it better than a little blob that dived a lot. Viewed from Caroline Bridge the wind didn't help at all, could have done with a bigger magnification than 48x though.
Having read your earlier post on Lotherton Hall Keith, I gave the new bike a run out there yesterday. Didn't go to the bird garden, just had a quick look for anything in the outlying fields. (Don't like carrying bins when there are kids around) I didn't stay too long but had a pair of little owls and buzzards. The owls were at the knackered tree on the other side of the fence to where the car park booth is.
No sign of early migrants.

[Martin Standley]

Had an hour at Welton waters today.
Red breasted merganser on the angling complex along with singing chiff-chaff.

[Keith Dickinson]

Originally Posted by Chris-Leeds

I went for the slav last Saturday. Couldn't see it better than a little blob that dived a lot. Viewed from Caroline Bridge the wind didn't help at all, could have done with a bigger magnification than 48x though.
Having read your earlier post on Lotherton Hall Keith, I gave the new bike a run out there yesterday. Didn't go to the bird garden, just had a quick look for anything in the outlying fields. (Don't like carrying bins when there are kids around) I didn't stay too long but had a pair of little owls and buzzards. The owls were at the knackered tree on the other side of the fence to where the car park booth is.
No sign of early migrants.

Chris I can only get 40x mag on my scope but with the light today you could see the bird very well. I could even make it out (just) with 8x bins.

[zing]

A couple of hours at the GS hide fantastic display in good light by 60-70 whoopers they looked great against the setting sun, Barn owl also very active coming within 25yds of the hide,Buzzards soaring in the distance.

Good collection of lapwings,widgeon,teal shovelor,curlew,oyster cathers,mutes, black swan,Golden plovers came in late on 50+,coots and moorehen noisy as ever then barn owl flushed out two snipe as he was hunting,reed buntings on the feeders as well as long tailed tits,greats and blues, black necked grebe visible in distance from GS hide but best viewed from the other hide.

all in all a good couple of hours.

[Lawts]

Plenty of Red Kites at Harewood over the weekend as usual - a lot seemed to be pairing up and flying together - hard to tell if duplicating with birds circling back, but probably 10-20 seen. Also, kesterl, 2 Sparrowhawks, and Buzzard at Collingham on the way home.

The one at rest landed just above my head, but unfortunately shocking light and lots of branches in the way. The light was better this afty for the one in flight. This bird was tagged and appeared to have a "10" on its right wing.

[Chris-Leeds]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

Chris I can only get 40x mag on my scope but with the light today you could see the bird very well. I could even make it out (just) with 8x bins.

I have to say the light was poor on that day so that had to have had a detrimental effect on things. The wind rushing along the river didn't help, having said that the curlews around Bower's lake were easier to see than the birds on it.

[WACCOE]

Had a walk round Smeaton crags and Brockadale this morning still a few Fieldfare knocking about also had a couple of Nuthatches and a singing Chiffchaff.

[loiner]

Originally Posted by Keith Dickinson

I twitched the slav grebe at Swillington Ings this afternoon, slightly disappointed to find that it wasn't frequenting Astley Lake but rather Bowers Lake which is just about as far away from the car park as you can get without leaving the area. So I set off on the long walk to the other end of St Aidan's, lots of gulls and waterfowl seen on the way but very little in the way of passerines. A couple of long tailed tits, blue tits etc and I heard a couple of chaffinches but otherwise very little around. I met people on the way back from seeing the grebe who gave me the gen on where to be looking.
I arrived at the slipway and set up the scope to scan Bowers Lake which is the furthest patch of water from you at this point. Nothing visible other than a couple of coot and a black headed gull. I'd settled down for a long wait when I noticed 2 blokes walking along the edge of the Lake, with a springer spaniel bounding along in front of them. I almost gave up at that point, as I was sure the dog would spook the bird. However as they passed along the edge of the Lake in front of me and then away to the left I had one last scan of the Lake with my bins. Way off to the right I saw a small black and white bird on the water, I got the scope onto it and confirmed it's id as the Slavonian grebe. I was able to watch the bird out on open water for almost 15 minutes before it moved back to the right hand side of the Lake and the shielding of the bank. So thanks to 2 trespassers who shouldn't have been there I got to see the bird quite easily.

Trespassers are generally a nuisance on this site, but several years ago I was in the hide when two dogwalkers walked down the east side of Astley Lake. They flushed a greeny-yellow bird off the banking, which I assumed would be a Green Woodpecker, but when I got bins on realised it was the first (and so far only) Golden Oriole for the site.

[Keith Dickinson]

Stroll on that's a great record to have Paul, I've yet to see an oriole anywhere. Heard one on the Balearics but couldn't find the beggar.

[BirdFlower]

Student got a great pic of a Little Owl the other day - photo on the blog

[DOC REED]

As Steve has said, they are coming! Italian Alps, skiing holiday...sand martins and barn swallows heading through. At Po delta had same and yellow wags , stonechats(sure migrants). Po delta is fantastic site, will post a trip report..include one pic that ties in to what I have missed!