wolfbirder
Well-known member
As a birder of 8 years, I have to admit that gull watching leaves me cold. I have been to my local res, Chasewater on many cold occasions hoping for a white winged gull. All to no avail. Amazingly I still need both Glauc & Iceland Gulls.
On New years day I set off early to Huthwaite Tip, Sutton In Ashfield, Notts where Glaucous & Iceland had been reported regularly over previous few days. I got there on a sunny cold morning, realised I had forgotten my wellies - but hey we are birders so I trudged around the tips perimeter fence in search of rare gulls. Unfortunately - and I hadnt thought of this - it being new years day, the rubbish wasnt being turned over by diggers so the gulls were not really attracted. Some gulls were around but no white wings. And my shoes were covered in gunky scummy mud, and my nostrils filled with the putrid stench of domestic waste. A typically unsatisfying start, although i did get some very strange looks from people with bleary eyes, opening the curtains of adjacent houses.
Myself and two other birders who had equally sad lives (bearing in mind we should have been enjoying New Years day doing something a little more special such as nursing a hangover), moved on to a patch of land behind a new factory where a lot of gulls were concentrated. Just as we approached on foot, a kid on his new mini-scooter passed us, and the little s*d must have flushed the gulls away, as there was nothing there when we got to the dip! Failure number two! I wondered if this was an indication of what 2006 was going to bring.
So I decided I must get to Ogston Reservoir, about 15 miles away and just across the Notts/Derbys border. I checked my road atlas and realised I had one page missing - I think birders will know we get through road atlases far quicker than anyone else, chucking them aside etc. But I could not believe my bad luck - P50 missing! Just the one I needed. So I nipped into a garage to buy one thinking the £6 I had left would suffice. They were about £11 !! So I had to have a quick scan & memorise directions to Ogston.
I came to Clay Cross, and headed down towards Ogston, which was viewable from the road. Unfortunately there are no directions to it at all, but I did through luck navigate my way down to it eventually.
Arriving at about 1pm, I got talking to a local birder (Ogston bird club) who let me into their wonderful hide ( there is a padlocked access gate). What a nice bunch they are. Not a great deal on the reservoir itself, some ducks, a Little Egret, and a feeder that attracts the usual finches & tits, and rats! They deserve immense credit for the scrape they have created in front of the hide that allows great views of perched Cormorants. Great for photos. I would recommedn membership to locals, only £7 PA and they have thereown website I believe.
I left the hide before the roost as more paid up members were arriving and room was restricted - it only seemed fair!
Nearby, birders gather on the country lane by a wall that overlooks the reservoir, for the usual winter gull roost. Upto 60 birders gathered at about 2.30pm on this day, far busier than normal I should imagine, and I have to say these Derbyshire/Notts birders were really helpful to me. Ogston is superb for gull watching, if there is no fog (a common problem apparently)! Today was fine, visibility very good with the sun angle ideal, and the reservoir is not too wide so that birds coming in are ever too far to scope. Furthermore, they seem to swirl in from the same angle - as though they have been instructed to land using a single runway direction. Between 3-4 pm hundreds of gulls arrived, and eventually the shout went up of "adult Glauc" - a great shout as we could all get onto it quickly, and it continued to show well on the water too. It is impossible however to monitor all 'landings', but these experienced birders also put me onto a 1st winter Iceland gull, and an adult Caspian Gull. Three lifers for me in a day, possibly the last time this will ever happen in the UK.
Sorry to go on, but I really enjoyed this gull watch, the birds all showed well in good light for a change too. Maybe I will not be so dismissive of gulls in future! Even though I ruined my shoes and my clothes stunk of s**t (courtesy of Huthwaite Tip) I still drove back to Wolverhampton a happy birder, where once home I was quickly ridiculed and scoffed at by my drunken relatives who had gathered for a New Years Day party. I just thought to myself, "get a life you saddoes!!". Is it me or is it them?
On New years day I set off early to Huthwaite Tip, Sutton In Ashfield, Notts where Glaucous & Iceland had been reported regularly over previous few days. I got there on a sunny cold morning, realised I had forgotten my wellies - but hey we are birders so I trudged around the tips perimeter fence in search of rare gulls. Unfortunately - and I hadnt thought of this - it being new years day, the rubbish wasnt being turned over by diggers so the gulls were not really attracted. Some gulls were around but no white wings. And my shoes were covered in gunky scummy mud, and my nostrils filled with the putrid stench of domestic waste. A typically unsatisfying start, although i did get some very strange looks from people with bleary eyes, opening the curtains of adjacent houses.
Myself and two other birders who had equally sad lives (bearing in mind we should have been enjoying New Years day doing something a little more special such as nursing a hangover), moved on to a patch of land behind a new factory where a lot of gulls were concentrated. Just as we approached on foot, a kid on his new mini-scooter passed us, and the little s*d must have flushed the gulls away, as there was nothing there when we got to the dip! Failure number two! I wondered if this was an indication of what 2006 was going to bring.
So I decided I must get to Ogston Reservoir, about 15 miles away and just across the Notts/Derbys border. I checked my road atlas and realised I had one page missing - I think birders will know we get through road atlases far quicker than anyone else, chucking them aside etc. But I could not believe my bad luck - P50 missing! Just the one I needed. So I nipped into a garage to buy one thinking the £6 I had left would suffice. They were about £11 !! So I had to have a quick scan & memorise directions to Ogston.
I came to Clay Cross, and headed down towards Ogston, which was viewable from the road. Unfortunately there are no directions to it at all, but I did through luck navigate my way down to it eventually.
Arriving at about 1pm, I got talking to a local birder (Ogston bird club) who let me into their wonderful hide ( there is a padlocked access gate). What a nice bunch they are. Not a great deal on the reservoir itself, some ducks, a Little Egret, and a feeder that attracts the usual finches & tits, and rats! They deserve immense credit for the scrape they have created in front of the hide that allows great views of perched Cormorants. Great for photos. I would recommedn membership to locals, only £7 PA and they have thereown website I believe.
I left the hide before the roost as more paid up members were arriving and room was restricted - it only seemed fair!
Nearby, birders gather on the country lane by a wall that overlooks the reservoir, for the usual winter gull roost. Upto 60 birders gathered at about 2.30pm on this day, far busier than normal I should imagine, and I have to say these Derbyshire/Notts birders were really helpful to me. Ogston is superb for gull watching, if there is no fog (a common problem apparently)! Today was fine, visibility very good with the sun angle ideal, and the reservoir is not too wide so that birds coming in are ever too far to scope. Furthermore, they seem to swirl in from the same angle - as though they have been instructed to land using a single runway direction. Between 3-4 pm hundreds of gulls arrived, and eventually the shout went up of "adult Glauc" - a great shout as we could all get onto it quickly, and it continued to show well on the water too. It is impossible however to monitor all 'landings', but these experienced birders also put me onto a 1st winter Iceland gull, and an adult Caspian Gull. Three lifers for me in a day, possibly the last time this will ever happen in the UK.
Sorry to go on, but I really enjoyed this gull watch, the birds all showed well in good light for a change too. Maybe I will not be so dismissive of gulls in future! Even though I ruined my shoes and my clothes stunk of s**t (courtesy of Huthwaite Tip) I still drove back to Wolverhampton a happy birder, where once home I was quickly ridiculed and scoffed at by my drunken relatives who had gathered for a New Years Day party. I just thought to myself, "get a life you saddoes!!". Is it me or is it them?