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CactusD's List 2010 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter CactusD
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CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
An excellent day's birding today saw me start at Farmoor, and thanks to the kind gentleman for pointing me in the right direction for the Water Pipit on my arrival at 8am. I then moved on to Port Meadow, where I first located the adult Ruff, then had a wander around Burgess Field (Reed Bunting, Green Woodpecker), then back on the meadow - having slightly lost my temper with an ignorant (and rude) dog-walker who allowed her animal to career through the floods: not clever, esp. with the young bullocks loose on the meadow as well :C
Anyway, after this, the crowd of other birders on the water's edge signalled the Lesser Yellowlegs, which I must have walked past on my way up with the Ruff.
Again, really good close views of this, which has by now become rather approachable. Then on to Otmoor in the afternoon, where there wasn't too much to report, though nice to meet up with some other birders for company.
A selection of shots from today: my best ever of all three species!
Of course, the Water Pipit is another tick for the list. B
145. Water Pipit
Anyway, after this, the crowd of other birders on the water's edge signalled the Lesser Yellowlegs, which I must have walked past on my way up with the Ruff.
Again, really good close views of this, which has by now become rather approachable. Then on to Otmoor in the afternoon, where there wasn't too much to report, though nice to meet up with some other birders for company.
A selection of shots from today: my best ever of all three species!
Of course, the Water Pipit is another tick for the list. B
145. Water Pipit
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CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
Another day at Slimbridge today: figured I might be able to pick up a few more for the list with the arrival of some more winter swans and geese.
An excellent count (for me!) of 58 species for the day, including 2 lifers, 2 uk firsts, and 6 new birds for the year list:
146. BEWICK SWAN
147. Whooper Swan
148. Water Rail (first one for ages! :-O A very lucky shot, though camera was on all the wrong settings at the time...)
149. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
150. Spotted Redshank (1st for UK)
151. Little Stint (1st for UK)
I've now broken 150 for the year, which I'm delighted with, given my work and parenting responsibilities, and that I haven't been overseas; having a car has improved things significantly (not that I've gone mad or anything :-O)
Some pics from today (mostly record shots given distances/light conditions; one or two more to follow):
An excellent count (for me!) of 58 species for the day, including 2 lifers, 2 uk firsts, and 6 new birds for the year list:
146. BEWICK SWAN
147. Whooper Swan
148. Water Rail (first one for ages! :-O A very lucky shot, though camera was on all the wrong settings at the time...)
149. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
150. Spotted Redshank (1st for UK)
151. Little Stint (1st for UK)
I've now broken 150 for the year, which I'm delighted with, given my work and parenting responsibilities, and that I haven't been overseas; having a car has improved things significantly (not that I've gone mad or anything :-O)
Some pics from today (mostly record shots given distances/light conditions; one or two more to follow):
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CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
Although no new species for the year to report today, a quick write-up of the day is in order. We decided to venture out for some birds today, and I hopefully anticipated that at least at Aston Rowant, i.e. on top of the nearest Oxfordshire comes to having a hill (!), I might be able to escape the abysmal weather for some photos. Well, the weather at Aston Rowant was, if anything, worse than at home when we left :-O
No Red Kite photos, then. Did manage one shot of a Wren, though. Having a D3S at hand helps, of course, but even then things were far from ideal.
We then moved on to Otmoor, where I spent some pleasurable minutes at the feeders taking shots of whatever appeared. This included a lovely Brambling, which I managed only the one reasonable frame of before the 'call' of the baby had us heading back for the car and home!
Some souvenirs of the day below:
No Red Kite photos, then. Did manage one shot of a Wren, though. Having a D3S at hand helps, of course, but even then things were far from ideal.
We then moved on to Otmoor, where I spent some pleasurable minutes at the feeders taking shots of whatever appeared. This included a lovely Brambling, which I managed only the one reasonable frame of before the 'call' of the baby had us heading back for the car and home!
Some souvenirs of the day below:
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CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
Very little in the way of birding done lately - too much work, too much bad weather :eek!: Tried to go to Otmoor last week, but got there in thick fog and decided to turn round and go back again :-C
Anyway, did manage one or two shots recently, and hopefully Derbyshire Christmas will produce some more goodies. So far, a nice Slav Grebe at Carsington, posing badly for a phone-scoped pic
152. Slavonian Grebe (1st for UK)
Anyway, did manage one or two shots recently, and hopefully Derbyshire Christmas will produce some more goodies. So far, a nice Slav Grebe at Carsington, posing badly for a phone-scoped pic
152. Slavonian Grebe (1st for UK)
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CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
A very cold, foggy, icy, and snowy Derbyshire at Christmas produced little in the way of new birding goodies unfortunately, but as Maenad has already posted on her list, we did see five Mandarins at the bridge in Bakewell. Record shots of those, and a Carsington Great Northern Diver (resting in the small portions of the reservoir not covered by snow and ice :eek! to follow...
153. Mandarin Duck
to follow...153. Mandarin Duck
CactusD
ἀρχός οἰω
Happy New Year, and thanks for reading the list!
So, that was the year that was. 153 + one or two heards wasn't too bad in the end for a year with a new baby, some busy work, no overseas trips, and only my third year list. Below I list my highlights, inc. some pics, and some misses.
Highlights:
Bittern, Long-eared Owl, first uk Ring Ouzel, Auks at Bempton, Avocet, Spoonbill, and of course the Port Meadow Lesser Yellowlegs.
Dips: Barn Owl, Little Owl, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Dartford Warbler, very unlucky not to see a Waxwing! Hopefully 2011 will be rather more productive...
So, that was the year that was. 153 + one or two heards wasn't too bad in the end for a year with a new baby, some busy work, no overseas trips, and only my third year list. Below I list my highlights, inc. some pics, and some misses.
Highlights:
Bittern, Long-eared Owl, first uk Ring Ouzel, Auks at Bempton, Avocet, Spoonbill, and of course the Port Meadow Lesser Yellowlegs.
Dips: Barn Owl, Little Owl, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Dartford Warbler, very unlucky not to see a Waxwing! Hopefully 2011 will be rather more productive...
