Rare Visitor From the North

Ross's Gull are usually found up in the high Arctic and are a rare visitor to the UK shores. I am not usually one for chasing after rare birds but an adult bird was being reported about an hour's drive north in Lytham St Annes which was close enough to go and check out. I travelled up with my friend Steve and our timing was perfect in terms of the tide. The bird was relatively easy to find by the group of bird watchers and photographers gathered close by.

The bird was quite unconcerned by the crowd and continued feeding on tiny flies around the shore.I must admit that I did not notice the slight pink tinge to its breast feathers until I got the photos back on the computer at home. Probably one of the most attractive gulls I have seen on my travels.

First Light Birding

It was a struggle to drag myself out of bed this morning for an early start, especially as the light outside was not looking too good. I headed up to a local small reedbed on the coast at Red Rocks which is quite a good spot for migrants passing through. I spent a short while there without much success. So decided to explore a new area further down the Dee estuary. Shortly after arriving I received a text alert on my mobile that a Black Redstart had been spotted from where I had just left and so headed back.

I couldn't find the Black Redstart but did find a Chiffchaff which is either chiffing or chaffing in this photo.

While photographing the chiffchaff which was taking a regular route around a number of bushes, I noticed a wren kept popping up onto a nearby post and bursting into song. This is a species of which, for some reason despite them being very common, I do not seem to have many photographs. So I settled by the post and waited for the bird to appear which it eventually did and ran off a lot of shots of which these are a very small selection.and a close up of the head to finish this post.I did spot the Black Redstart on the way back to the car but there was no opportunity to get in close enough for a photograph. It was good to see one all the same, as the last I saw was in Austria a couple of years ago.

Ninja Pheasants

I came across a couple of cock pheasants battling it out the other day in the middle of a quiet road. Unfortunately I only just caught the end of the dispute but managed to get a few snaps before they disappeared and continued their disagreement in the undergrowth.

Most of the fight consisted of the birds face to face and bobbing up and down waiting for the other show a weak moment for attack.

Then one bird would jump up for the attack.

Before they returned to the orignal squared up positions and the process was repeated.This last shot was the beginning of the final leap before they disappeared into the adjoing undergrowth.

Back on Home Turf

I enjoyed the trip to Cornwall but its always good to be back on home turf. I headed out at the weekend and decided to try a new local site I have had my eye on for a while. It was a fairly brief session but the area looks promising. I managed to find a chiffchaff during this recce visit.

There were also a number of the very similar looking Willow warbler present which gave me a hard time trying to get a clear shot as they hopped around in dense vegetation.

Up on the coastal strip at the north end of the Wirral I found a male wheatear which was fairly accomodating. Here using a mole hill as a look out post.

Also along the fence line a perched Skylark at the moment before lift off for that ascending song flight.

The main rush of spring migrants still does not seem to have occured which may be due to the cold weather and northerly winds we have been experiencing. Certainly the local vegetation is a lot less advanced than it was last year, although April 2007 was unusually warm.

Temporary Feeding Station

I decided I would take a feeder, some sun flower hearts and fatballs on my trip to Cornwall just in case there was some possibilities to set-up a mini feeding station in the garden. On arrival I noticed an existing nut feeder located outside the kitchen window by the front door. So I added a couple of fallen branches out of the garden to attach my offerings next to it, as the birds were already coming into this area. This allowed me to then take photos through the front door while sitting in the house which was probably just as well as we experienced all four seasons of weather during the week's stay. In hindsight my only regret was that I did not spend more time wandering around the garden or setting up another feeder elsewhere and on the last day realised I had missed out on a chance of getting some Marsh tit and Siskin photos. I did not spend a great deal of time photographing the birds, as that was not really the purpose of the holiday, and it was usually either a short session in the morning or after a day out exploring North Cornwall. I have posted a small selection of shots from the temporary feeding station.

Blue tits

and in some April snowFemale and Male Greenfinch

Female House sparrowMale Chaffinch

Goldfinchand Nuthatch

Wandering around the garden I also just about managed a photo of this willow warbler which refused to allow me a completely clear shot as it moved through some low branches.

and one of the resident wrens

They always amaze me that such a small bird can produce such a loud song.

Cornish Birds

The lack of posts to the blog over the last week has been due to my being away on holiday in North Cornwall. We rented a house known as South Forda House near Kirkhampton which has a mature two acre garden with three ponds and a stream and provides a good variety of bird habitat which was reflected in the 31 species I spotted during my stay. I setup a mini feeding station in the garden which I will discuss in my next post but will for this one just show some of the birds I found in front of my camera during my travels around North Cornwall. So this post will be a rather random collection of species.

We took a walk around the Upper Tamar lake one day which was close to the house but rather devoid of birds except for the occasional Chif Chaf. Just before leaving I spotted a pair of pied wagtail in the car park.

We took a day trip to Padstow and after wondering round the town, headed back out with the camera after lunch and found this bathing Turnstone.

The coastal bushes had numerous dunnocks singing.Together with those inquisitive jackdaws and an unusually friendly rook. Its not until you get really close to a rook that you appreciate the hints of dark blues and purple hues in that 'black' plumage.

I encountered numerous recently arrived chiffchaff on my travels but as usual getting a clear photo of one at a low level proved difficult.

On the way back from Padstow, we called in a Port Isaac which is a typical Cornish fishing village set within a cove surrounded by high cliffs. Numerous Herring gull were present on the cliffs

I was also pleased to find one of my favourite sea birds and master's of flight, the fulmar, skirting along the cliff tops providing some opportunity for flight shots. This is my favourite image of those taken.

Stonechats Re-visited

As the last visits to look for some stonechats was cut short, I thought I would give them a further look. The female typically posed on top of some coastal gorse.

Sometimes a simple stick will do as a suitable look-out post.
The male always close-by

and alert from his raised perch

Hares Again

I have been back after the hares trying to get the 'boxing shot'. Unfortunately so far I have not succeeded but as I always say its only a matter of time. May be I am just getting the timing in the day wrong, and the only definite fact you can say about hares is they can be very unpredictable. In the next few weeks I will become increasingly drawn away from the hares by the increase in bird activity with migrants arriving. In my attempts to get the action shots I have still end up with a good selection of hare portraits in different lighting conditions.

This has included some very close encounters which have been a privilege.

I have been out there in the rain and the glorious late afternoon spring sunbut no boxing just runningand just for a change of light direction, a hare rim lit from the back light