Stuff

Guted.  A perfect gull roost tonight at Chasewater with Glaucous, Iceland, Caspian and Med Gull, superb.  I am sitting at home absolutely knackered and in shock.  Knackered as worked all day tree felling and in shock because Derby have managed to beat a lower division side to get into the fourth round for the first time in god knows how many years.

I am sure you will be shocked when I tell you that this time next year I will have passed a certain landmark regarding age, I will be celebrating my 22nd anniversary of being 18!!!!!!!!!  I really would like to go somewhere special and different during my year of that age, indeed one party I am having is at the Cambridge folk festival in the summer.  But one place I really would love to visit is Norway.  I have been told to cut my teeth in Lesbos my more experinced birders and although I respect their knowledge I think the heat would be my downfall.  Not here though.  Check out Gullfest 2013 I have been reading about.  Wow.

http://www.biotope.no/2013/01/gullfest-2013-introducing-arctic-bird.html

Dont worry though.  A)  there is no place for someone like me there, I would be way over my depth there and B) I can't afford to go there.  Dreams.
I wonder if there is any decent birding in Blackpool??????????

3-1-13

Same old same old really, started around the quarry entrance atabout 08.40 before heading out down the lanes.  Birds noted were Blue and Great Tit, Chaffinch, 67 Wigeon, 1 Grey Heron, 26 Mallard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Black Headed Gull, 3 Cormorant, 300+ Golden Plover, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Canada Geese, Dunnock, Wren, 9 Tufted Duck, Goldfinch and around 500 Lapwing.
Around the lanes I added 6 Tree Sparrow, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Long-tailed Tit, 1 Kestrel, 4 Reed Bunting, 30+ Yellowhammer (mostly around by the old pig field) 1 Little Owl, Pheasant, 1 Buzzard, Fieldfare, Redwing, Pied Wagtail, Starling, 6 Mute Swan, Green Woodpecker (heard only so cannot go on my personal year list), Mistle Thrush and 3 Stock Doves. 
You will be glad to know there will be no postings for a couple of days as Friday I am off to Rutland Water for the day and Saturday I am working so doubt I will be able to get down.  Sunday I will return before heading back to work.

2-1-13

After a decent nights kip I was in much better health and was keen to get out on site.  I was there by half past eight as it was a very dull start but it soon got light enough to do a bit of birding.  As usual it was the quarry entrance to begin with and birds noted around here were Wren, 51 Wigeon, 12 Teal, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, 12 Cormorant, several flocks of Lapwing roughly adding up to around 1500 plus birds, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Tit, Chaffinch, 16 Tufted Duck, Fieldfare, Greenfinch, Magpie, Goldfinch and Blue Tit.
Next it was on to the usual lanes and I added 3 Stock Dove, 1 Mistle Thrush, Moorhen, Greylag Geese, 12 Yellowhammer, 8 Tree Sparrow, 1 Little Owl, Robin, Linnet, 10 Mute Swan, 3 Buzzard, a few Pied Wagtails (in the old pig field), 20+ Meadow Pipits (in the old pig field), Starling, Redwing, 2 Reed Buntings, Long-tailed Tits and Woodpigeon.

1-1-13

With a very good night been had the night before although up before dawn I was not out till mid morning when I did a couple of sites first before heading to WH.  I was on foot as unfit to drive and started around the quarry entrance area before taking a slow walk around the lane s before heading back to Alrewas for some kip.  Birds noted today were Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Robin, Starling, Dunnock, Blackbird, 11 Tufted Duck, 13 Cormorant, 41 Wigeon, Blue Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Black Headed Gull, Stock Dove, Great Crested Grebe, Goldfinch, Wren, Buzzard, at least 1 Goldcrest, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellowhammer, Chaffinch, Magpie, Tree Sparrow, a flock of about 300 Golden Plover doing lots of flying around, Greenfinch, 1 Little Owl, Pied Wagtail, 2 Kestrel, 4 Skylark, Fieldfare, 1 Jay, several hundred Lapwing, Woodpigeon and a Song Thrush. Not a bad start to the new year but not as busy and it ha been leading up to Xmas. 

31-12-12

Well its my last visit of the year to good old WH and it all started at first light and it was blowing a gale.  As is the norm, I started at the quarry entrance area.  Birds noted were Magpie, Starling, Black Headed Gull, Blackbird, 9 Tufted Duck, at least a couple of Goldcrest, 75 Wigeon, a pair of Pintail, 1 Shoveler, many Lapwing, Wren, a single Coot, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greylag Geese, 2 Mute Swan with another 10 around the site, Robin and Great Tit. 
On to the lanes where it is a lot more open and felt twice as windy I added Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, 2 Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, 2 Cormorant, Pied Wagtail, Moorhen, a Herring Gull flew over flanked with two Great Black-backed Gulls, 1 Little Owl in the usual tree, 2 Buzzards, 5+ Stock Dove, many Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Redwing, Blue Tit, Canada Geese, Pheasant and Dunnock. 
Thats 2012 done. See you in 2013.

30-12-12.

After visiting nearby Croxall pits I popped into good old WH and there was avery strange thing in the sky.  Every now and again there was a harsh shower but this round thing was pretty persistant today!!!!!!  I did the usuall places and birds noted around the quarry entrance and small wood were Goldfinch, 81 Wigeon, Black Headed Gull, Magpie, Redwing, Blue Tit, 4 Tufted Duck, 150+ Lapwing, 300+ Golden Plover, Pied Wagtail, 8 Cormorant, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Tit, Robin, 10 Mute Swans (4 over and 6 more round the rest of the site), Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Pheasant, 5 Stock Doves, 1 Goldcrest Woodpigeon, Chaffinch and Dunnock.
On to the rest of the site and I added 2 Reed Bunting, 1 Little Owl, 4+ Mistle Thrush, 1 Buzzard, couple of hundred Starlings, many Fieldfare and Redwing in the old pig field, Jackdaw, Yellowhammer, a smart male Bullfinch, Meadow Pipit, a single Tree Sparrow, 250+ Linnets in the old pig field, several House Sparrow at Sittles farm, Sparrowhawk, Wren and Carrion Crow.

29-12-12.

After getting an early visit trip to Tesco before dawn and with no rain, as soon as it was light enough to go birding it was also raining enough to get wet very quickly and I couldnt be bothered with that.  It was not until around lunchtime that the rain eased off so I set off, in hope rather than expectation, and it wasn't long until it was raining again so I birded mainly by car.  Birds noted were Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Black Headed Gull, 61 Wigeon, 8 Mallard, 16 Tufted Duck, 2 Sparrowhawk, 400+ Lapwing either on the flooded field or roosting on the far side of the quarry pool, 40+ Pied Wagtail - there was the odd one around the pool but loads in the old pig field, Meadow Pipit, 9 Mute Swan, Moorhen, 1 Little Owl, Robin, Woodpigeon, 1 Jay, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare, Redwing, Starling, Canada Geese, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Buzzard and Chaffinch.
By now it was raining heavier so I decided to go home for a cup of tea however it did clear up later on so once again I popped down and had a final check over the pool and around the lanes and added 10 Redshank, Wren, 11 Teal, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Goldfinch, at least two Lesser Redpolls with the Goldfinch, and Blue and Great Tits.