Cheddar Gorge

The weather forecast says this evening snow will hit the UK. Certainly today more birds have come into the garden than for many weeks. I was chatting on the phone yesterday to a friend and between us he and I had about 20 species in both our gardens (He's in Gloucestershire) during out 20 minute chat. Song Thrush, Goldfinch, Blackcap to name three. Do these birds know cold weather is on the way?

I spent this afternoon at friends in Cheddar, home of cheese and the famous Gorge. They'd moved from a house set in 13 very steep acres on the edge of the Gorge to a bigger house but in a smaller garden in the village. What they have lost with 13 acres they've gained in a flat garden. A lot of work to do but their house had a lovely feel, almost Mediterranean with the courtyard and outbuildings. It used to be the bakery in Victorian times and they'd been given a fabulous photograph of their property in the 1880's complete with men and women in dark clothing.

While sipping tea, a Wellingtonia tree which can be viewed from the kitchen provided a few bird species, and apparently 40+ Jackdaw roost in here at night.

But after visiting my friends, I made my leave and drove home via the Gorge (above), spying a few of the Jacobs Sheep which were introduced a few years ago to help control invasive species on this absolutely fabulous limestone feature.

While watching these sheep, one of the resident Peregrine Falcons flew down the Gorge. A couple of years ago I sat one summer's day and watched the antics of these glorious birds of prey up and down the Gorge. Always a treat to see.

As it was about 4.30pm, I realised the days are lenghtening rapidly now. Depending on what calendar one uses today or tomorrow is the Pagan Festival of Imbolc, or the first day of spring. It always gladdens the heart to see the evenings lengthen rapidly at this time of year.

However although the days may lengthening, the weather tonight was distinctly cold. As can be seen by the above photo, taken at the top of Cheddar Gorge at 4.58pm it was minus 1 degrees. Further up the Mendips on the way home, it dropped to minus 3. And with the strong wind, it was absolutely freezing. It may be the first day of Spring, but we have a long way to go before feeling warmth on the skin.

Mind you this cold weather can bring the most stunning sunsets, such as this taken from Charterhouse on the Mendips, looking towards Wales at 5.05pm today.

The final piece of wildlife watching today was a Little Owl on a telegraph pole near home. I always look out for these birds, but this is the first time I've ever seen one there. Happy Imbolc to those of you reading this and celebrating the first day of Spring.

Urban Foxes

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, bit pushed at work and a little localised problem which needed tackling has taken over most of my time recently. All sorted now. But I've still been out and about.

On Saturday on a walk up Duncliffe Wood in Dorset, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was the highlight of a huge number of passerines in the wood. It could almost have been spring there were so many Great and Blue tits calling. Many many Buzzards floating about down here at the moment, and last weekend without having time to do this properly and submit to the RSPB Garden Watch, in the garden I was staying at about a dozen Rooks, half dozen Jackdaws and single Carrion Crow came to food scraps.

But the best piece of wildlife watching has been walking into work. Twice now I've startled an urban Fox, one of which was very tame and just stood looking at me before walking off. It's good to see them again, as although Bristol had a good urban Fox population they contracted mange a few years back which almost wiped out the population. I've got my camera with me now, so if I see them again, a piccy for the Blog.

More on Bristol Foxes can be found here - Mammal Research Unit

More from me at the weekend, but for now I'm in preparation mode for my first ever attendance at the Avon Wildlife Trust Board Meeting tonight... I'm agenda item 6a Welcome to Andrew, newly elected Trustee etc etc.. I hope they're ready for me (especially as I've now shaved my beard off) !!

Spring Comes Flooding in

Thought I'd do a bit of a photo-Blog for a change. This weekend began well, fell apart with a spectacular bang on Saturday evening and then picked itself up nicely yesterday.

After the storms had crossed over on Saturday evening, it looked wonderfully spring like out there. How wrong could I have been. Popping down to the Somerset Levels to do a spot of wildlife watching, it became evident that everywhere was flooded, many roads too. So I rang a friend and we met up for a walk along the North Dorset Trailway. Until recently I spent every weekend in North Dorset so this used to be a regular walk for me. But since August and splitting up with Thelma, I'd not been back. So very nice to revisit of an old stomping ground.

But as you can see from the following photos, and video, it was a bit wet !!

On the drive to the Trailway the River Stour had burst it's banks at King's Mill

Ahhahh it's good to be back in Dorset.... even if my sartorial elegance isn't obvious. This is a repeat of a photo last June in warmer weather - see here.

Just because it was an arty shot.

In drier times, one can walk to this style and along the riverbank, a haven for Otter, Kingfisher and Banded Damoiselle

Where this tree is, is the bank. In the summer the river is usually 10 feet below here

We took a detour off the Trailway and walked to Fiddleford Mill. I'm so glad we did, otherwise we'd not have spied these snowdrops, They were a bit battered after the flood, but a welcome sign of the coming spring

Water pounding through the mill race

Another arty shot, an old door. Taken because of the colours

I was surprised there were so few birds about taking advantage of the flooding. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Buzzard were common, as were Fieldfare and Redwing. smattering of Great, blue and Long-Tailed Tit, and a couple of lovely male Bullfinches at Fiddleford. Dunnock, Robin and Blackbird but no waders, and apart from this Kestrel on a post in the floodwater, nothing else of note.

But the sun began to set and time to go home. The fence is where the riverbank normally is, and where the Kestrel was, on the bend.

Finally a video taken from the sluice gates at Fiddleford Mill on my camera of the flooding. Where these people are walking is the higher river bank. about a 20 foot drop to the river below. hopefully they knew what they were doing.

Finally on the way home, just to revisit old haunts, we popped up to Bulbarrow Hill. It was good to be back there, made all the more so by the 4 Ravens seen tumbling and playing the wind. I'm going to have to move down there, much too good a place to avoid. No wonder Thomas Hardy wrote such descriptive novels.... now then Tess, is that job still going as Mayor of Casterbridge?

A skylark sang as the credit crunch came

Saturday morning saw me at Sand Bay. Those of you with long memories will remember that over the winter of 2007/08 I had a bit of mad project to regularly stand for an hour on a windswept beach and record the birds seen over that hour. It was a good thing to do, as Sand Bay is one of those places whereby a walk produces a couple of birds, but a prolonged stand brings it's rewards, especially at High Tide. But before that....

I was partaking of the breakfast trough this morning when from the conservatory a Grey Heron was about its business on a neighbours roof. Anyone got fish near me? Maybe not for much longer !! It was there for a good 5 minutes before heading off over the farmland.

So with high tide at about 10.30am, and a cancelled bit of fencing for a neighbour, I hot footed it down to Sand Bay.

That's my shadow in case you're wondering who that slim Jim is. This is looking towards Sand Point and I took the photo really as a record and to show the readers of this blog where I stand and stare. Where the marsh ends and the sea begins is a haven for waders. Difficult to photo at that distance but the photo below is a x24 image of the same view at the same time, where through the scope I could spy Curlew and Shelduck.

During the hour, a flock of 20 Linnet, a Rock Pipit, a couple of Stonechats, couple of Grey Plover, Knot, about 500 Dunlin in split flocks (below), 20 to 30 Shelduck and Curlew, a flying quartet of Redshank, a couple of calling Oystercatcher and a smattering of mixed gulls. Sadly no Merlin, not seen this year at all.

Apart from the wading birds this area regularly has Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Great and Blue Tit on the shrubs and as with today's excitement, skylarks. Being stationery means I can listen and yes, there it was a Skylark rising up from the Marsh and singing to itself. Spring is a long way off, but that little birds song warmed the heart wonderfully.

One thing I find is being stationery for that long people come and chat while walking dogs, children, small horses and grandmothers. Today was no exception, a man with a Jack Russell type dog who liked to chase a rubber doll, the dog that is not the man; another guy who having given up a Rock n Roll career now lives in a Gypsy caravan behind the Bay and walking his Alsatian. Finally a guy with a very obedient Border Collie who looked bored to tears as we chatted about birds. The dog was very knowledgeable apparently. This latter guy had watched Sand Bay for 40 years and it was great to hear of the changes, as he said as the Marsh expands more into the Bay each year a fine mixed habitat is becoming available.

But there was one bird that failed to be ID. Out to sea was a huge seabird, barrel chested like a cigar on white wings. Overall impression was completely white with just the faintest hint of light grey on the back. Black wing tips, but no obvious mirrors, all white underneath, no black underwing. Flight was slow and laborious, maintained at wave height. No gliding, no change in direction, so riding the waves, just a powerful direct slow wing beat flight. Given this bird was easily visible at half a mile with the naked eye, it was big, and I'm stumped. So a call to you gull watchers out there any ideas?

And finally I've noticed the last two times I've been at Sand Bay, people are now collecting drift wood in vast quantities. I asked one guy today who had his whole family out there collecting, and he said with the cost of fuel, they're now burning driftwood to keep warm.

A sign of the times, sadly this picture reminds me of the dark dark days of the Miner's strike in the 1980's and people beachcombing in the North East for coal, driftwood and anything of value just to survive. Something I'd hoped never to see in the UK again.

The Dark Side of Birding

Out and about before dawn today. I mentioned in a previous posting that listening to birds is as enjoyable as watching them. So this morning after getting up early, it being mild, I thought pop down to Sand Bay before dawn and see (or should that be hear) what was down there. And a bit of exercise of course before another day of excitement in the office.

If you feel comfortable being out on a mudflat in the dark, I'd recommend it as when the dawn begins, all one can hear is the wind, the waves and the plaintiff cries of invisible birds out there. It started though in the car park, blackbirds "chink" chink" in the shrubs. Down on the marsh Curlew were the loudest with their wonderfully bubbling call, Redshank as ever shouting out their alarm call, even the Dunlin were calling as they raced along the wave line. As the light advanced, dark shapes flew against the dark sky, only when calling could I confirm Carrion Crow. Another joy was seeing a Ringed Plover feeding. Actually I didn't really see what it was, just a silhouette run stop peck, run stop peck along a strand line.

All in all an enjoyable hour out there just listening to nature, alone on the marsh. Many older writers such as BB write poetically about wildfowling on the marshes. Their atmospheric descriptions of their experiences waiting for Geese to fly in are well worth reading. And if I'd not been out there, I'd not have seen a dark shape flying over me as I walked back to the car..... a Tawny Owl heading back to it's roost, bringing a tremendous end to being outdoors before anyone else and before dawn. Just myself and nature as one.

~~~~~~~~

And so to the light Side of Birding :-)

A Couple of days ago, Theo Webb a recent Zoology graduate and budding wildlife cameraman sent me a note, which included snippets from Christmas and a line "seeing a very festive half amelanistic 'blackbird'. I was excitedly taking photos when an onlooker approached and told me he saw it everyday - there went my National Newspaper fame and glory hopes!!"

We had a bit of an e-mail discussion Leucistic Vs Amelanistic, as I'm not a good enough field biologist to identify this condition in the field. But following this he kindly sent me a photograph for me to post on the blog for all to see. Thanks Theo. A handsome bird.

Like selling sweeties from the bairns...

An impulse buy - Quite Shocking!!

Yesterday I went out to the local garden centre to buy some more bird food (mealworms to be precise). As often happens I had a bit of an amble about looking at the other stuff available to buy. I know, I'm sad, but always like wandering about garden centres. First off the block was a purchase of some Felco secateurs. I've been after a pair for years but the near £50 price tag has always put me off... usual thing, they may be good but can I justify the cost. Well yesterday, with the VAT reduction, I succumbed.... Thank you Mr Brown for producing the Credit Crunch. These secateurs were therefore a......... SNIP! (Drum roll please)

So in they went into my basket. Followed very quickly by a tub of mealworms. Then Andrew spied a very attractive looking stand, advertising wildlife camera kits. Everything from pond cams, to nest cams to this, a basic camera kit available in Black and White or Colour. After chatting to the knowledgeable (and erhumm quite attractive) lady assistant I discovered something which still confuses me. The above camera was £70. The nest cam kit, £199. The £129 difference? Seems just to be a wooden nest box as it's the same camera kit in the nest cam kit. Quite a nice FSC Nestbox, I grant you, but I bet you're now thinking exactly what I thought!!

So unsure why, but I had to have one. Even if I need further kit to record direct onto the Laptop, which is easy to install, this was much too much an exciting purchase to miss out on. And completely unplanned, hence the posting title (by the way bairns is Geordie for Children). So into the shopping basket that went. Onward to the tills and away home. Happy, but financially a lot lighter than an hour before. Why save money these days I say!!

This is the camera next to a £2 coin for size comparison. It's tiny and I have to say it's very good (actually it's a standard security camera and as such just a live feed optical device, but the clarity is brilliant). I pushed it out the window last night after dark and spied on the cul-de-sac outside. I have to say absolutely nothing happens outside my house on a Saturday night. Where is everyone? My current plan is to install it looking at a feeder, but we'll see, and once able to record I'll see what I can post on the blog. Boys and toys eh....... !!

That excitement was yesterday, but as I write this on Sunday evening, the wildlife programme Swarm is on BBC 1, starling flocking at the moment described by Neil Tennant as "a quicksilver of Starlings". Fame at last, ha ha.

Today was a much warmer day down here 8 degrees by mid afternoon. As such my drive to a friend allowed me to notice huge gull and corvid numbers talking advantage of the increasing wind and warmer weather. In particular Carrion Crows were wheeling in the air, with mixed species flocks of Jackdaw, Rook and Carrion Crow sharing melting pools of water to bathe, something they'll have struggled to do for weeks. Sadly every time I stopped the car to take a photo, they flew off. So this rubbish Rookie photo above is just a record shot to remind me of the day.

However 2 separate Ravens also hoved into view. The first flew off from a field to my left and tried to climb as it flew in front of and across the path of the car. However strong headwinds slowed it's ascent and gave me cracking views from only a few feet away, just showing how big these birds really are. In flight they are remarkably agile, this one in particular flipped it's wings to roll once it was high enough. The second Raven of the day was flying high about 5 miles further on into my journey.

These were in fact the third Raven I'd seen this weekend. Yesterday afternoon at Sand Bay I had scanned through about 50 Redshank, when there in front of me was a Spotted Redshank. Nice find, but while viewing this through the scope a tell tale Kruaak Krauaak alerted me to a bird behind me. Spotted Redshank scope-voyeurism was instantly abandoned and I watched the Raven through the bins as flew right overhead. Absolutely brilliant and I can never ever tire of these huge and brilliantly entertaining members of the Crow family. Always a thrill to see one, but three in one weekend is just "a Kind of Magic" as Queen sang.

Must do better......

Today is a day for sitting in the house and looking out of the window. This was the conservatory at 8am today, minus 1 inside, -5 outside, and the windows were frosted up. Serves me right for closing it up this week to save heating it. But at least I managed to get some wildlife in the shot (blackbird, seen through door).

As the day progressed the usual suspects came into the garden, more Blackbirds, Robin, House Sparrows and Chaffinches a plenty, a Blackcap and half an hour ago 7 Long Tail Tit, which are now becoming regular visitors in this cold spell. I'll miss this weather when the wet and windy forecast for later in the weekend arrives.

So after breakfast, did a tally of the bird species seen in 2008. Which took a lot longer than planned as I'm absolutely rubbish at keeping lists, so had to re-count a few times. But the total for 2008 is 163 UK species sightings. Not very good really considering I'm out and about a lot, but in the summer I do tend to stop birdwatching completely between June and October.

I know a lot of people like year lists to look back upon, but I don't think I'll keep a year list anymore, sort of lost interest in it mid year, seemed bit too much like hard work, making notes in the field then having to come home and write it all up properly from the field notes. This year too I want to look at other wildlife, and go back to my first love Mustelids, as I didn't see an Otter all year.

If any of you have any good Mustelid (Otter, Badger, Stoat, Weasel etc) hot spots in the South West, I'd like to know. And I've never ever seen a Pine Marten..... so this is my Number 1 must see animal this year, so expect to see a tubby bearded bloke puffing up a hill in Scotland soon with a jar of fruit conserve, peanut butter and pheromone spray, and no I don't mean Bill Oddie.