Best Birding Moments 2012/Books/DVDs/Film Clips
Hi Adam,
Listening to the calls of Curlew, Lapwing, Raven and Cuckoo at Goldsitch Moss and watching Crossbill and hunting Kestral from Gib Tor have been good birding moments for me in the spring of this year.
Other best birding moments have been watching the behaviour of and counting Lapwing numbers at 10 locations in The Staffordshire Moorlands with four of these locations being of particular interest to me. One field in particular I enjoyed watching Lapwing, Golden Plover and Snipe all at the same time. Might try for a few photos next year.
I've enjoyed watching Golden Plover at three locations along Morridge and enjoyed listening to their calls on the higher moors.
Watching a single Merlin hunting and perching on a post at Swallow Moss on 07/10/2012 I thoroughly enjoyed.
There is a tree stump on a stretch of moor that I always watch with patience from some distance through my scope and this stump is sometimes used for perching and eating prey. Sometimes I get lucky:-O other times I see nothing:-O
Seeing both male Hen harrier and ringtail together on Middle Hills on 22/09/2012 was a particularly special moment and I have to say that seeing not one but two Snow bunting along the track by Blakemere (Mermaid pool) on 23/11/2012 was a moment I will not forget in a hurry. Meeting Steve Seal again and meeting Nick Smith for the first time at the Snow bunting site has to get a mention.
Of course I have to say that seeing the White rumped sandpiper at Drayton Basset Pits was an important Staffordshire birding moment this year and having cracking views of the Great Grey Shrike on the Clearfell at Cannock Chase completed a good day following seeing the Sandpiper.
My two top moments have been listening to the call of Long eared Owl at night (yes me birding in the dark!) and watching this species in flight (in daylight) at an undisclosed location on the moors.
I know an old derelict barn on the moors where a Little owl is known to frequent so having prolonged views of this bird here and perching in a tree opposite the barn was another one of those good birding moments. I've also had numerous sightings of Short eared owl on the moors this year and never tire of seeing this species.
Watching Redstart repeatedly taking food to a nest site in a fairly remote moorland location was another special moment.
My local Tawny Owl that perches in the tree at the top of my garden also has to get a mention along with its calls. There have been a larger number of House martins this year where I live which is always a welcome sight.
.......and finally seeing 7 Wheatear perched in a line close together along a drystone wall near Flash made me smile.
My favourite bird books this year have been:
Owls of The World-A Photographic Guide by Heimo Mikkola
Multimedia Identification Guide to North Atlantic Seabirds Storm Petrels and Bulwers Petrel by Bob Flood and Ashley Fisher
Avian Survivors-The History and Biogeography of Palearctic Birds by Clive Finlayson
On the DVD front I finally managed to get my hands on two of my favourites
'Wild Wales' and
'Secret Life of Birds' with Lolo Williams presenting. Both are thoroughly enjoyable.
You Tube is a great place to find bird film clips and here are tree of my favourites I found this year. I find John Aitchison's wildlife film camera work and narration an inspiration and he is featured in the third of the above film clips. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ufkcx-UqljM&list=PLYiyWZ7MUTmXWoFYWvzf4w9AmaT0zH9K7&index=11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ENNzjy8QjU&list=PLYiyWZ7MUTmXWoFYWvzf4w9AmaT0zH9K7&index=17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAjEOXV0Ahc&list=PLYiyWZ7MUTmXWoFYWvzf4w9AmaT0zH9K7&index=28
As for 2013 I'm looking forward to the spring and to watching and listening to Staffordshire's moorland birds and I may just cross the moorland border on foot into the moors and hills of Cheshire again. It would be really nice if Twite could make a return to Staffordshire's moors! I know its a long shot but I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Dean:t: