Gyr Falcon, North Uist, Outer Hebrides - 30th-31st March 2016

Fabulous bird, in a fabulous place...

  Gyr Falcon, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

A stonking, first-winter, white morph (Greenland) Gyr Falcon. Not much else to say about it really. My photos aren't great (there are loads of better ones in the usual places on the internet), but they can do the talking.

 

Stretching her wings...

On the ground...

She (presumably a female based on size, although I'm not sure of the amount of sexual dimorphism, if any, with this species) spent most of the time I was there (several hours over 30th-31st March) sat on various fence posts. We kept a respectful distance, hoping she'd come down to feed on the dead Mute Swan that had collided with telegraph wires. When she did we were in Lochmaddy sorting out accommodation, or up nearby Cleitreabhal A Deas watching Hen Harriers and Golden Eagles (when she was flushed off the swan after a couple of minutes my North Uist's only jogger...).

 Sketches from my notebook

We had plenty of time to sit and admire her, as she watched over the dead swan, ignored the mobbing gulls, and went for the occasional walk. Some video here:

I travelled up from Yorkshire with Joel and Chris, though some sloppy satnav programming on my part nearly scuppered the whole trip. We weren't booked on the ferry, and hadn't secured any accommodation either, but everything worked out fine ;-)

A Great White Egret was also at Balranald, along with a couple of Glaucous Gulls.

  Glaucous Gull, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

  Great White Egret, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

A few Great Northern Divers and Red-breasted Mergansers were offshore, and there were healthy populations of Twite and Corn Bunting on the reserve.

  Corn Bunting, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

  Corn Bunting, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

  Corn Bunting, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

What most of my Corn Bunting photos look like...

  Whooper Swan, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

Traigh Bhan, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

Dead Pilot Whale on Traigh nam Faoghailean, attracting large gulls

  Sanderling and Oystercatchers, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

Traigh an Iar, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

Traigh nam Faoghailean, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

  Great Northern Diver, Balranald, North Uist, Scotland - Thursday 31st March 2016

Away from Balranald the birding was equally fantastic, with Joel in particular picking out loads of good stuff. We had the raptors Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harriers, Common Buzzards, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk; huge Barnacle Goose flocks; masses of breeding waders; Great Northern Divers, Black-throated Divers, Eiders and Black Guillemots on the sea; large white-winged gulls, including an Iceland Gull in Lochmaddy harbour; and all set in the most stunning scenery.

  Golden Eagle (2nd winter?), Lochportain, North Uist, Scotland - Thursday 31st March 2016

The view south while heading up Cleitreabhal A Dea

Sheep on Cleitreabhal A Dea

  Iceland Gull, Lochmaddy, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

  Twite, Solas, North Uist, Scotland - Wednesday 30th March 2016

Patchwork Challenge: Rodley - March

A quick update on my progress - or lack of it - on my Rodley Patchwork Challenge list during March 2016. Nine new birds added for the year during March, including a patch-lifer on the reserve for me: Meadow Pipit. I've seen Mipits near to Rodley Nature Reserve before, but never on it or from it, so this was the highlight of the month. My Rodley Nature Reserve life list (for the reserve only, not the Patchwork area) is now 96.

Meadow Pipit, Rodley NR - Monday 28th March 2016

A Pink-footed Goose on the farmer's field on the 19th was welcome Rodley year-list addition. I'd spent very little time on the reserve in early March, thus missing any fly-over goose passage.

Pink-footed Goose, Rodley NR - Saturday 19th March 2016

Most of the other birds came from the "greater patch" - the area around the reserve which includes a wood, pasture, houses and much more canal and river than the reserve itself has. Rodley NR is only about 0.25km2, but the Patchwork Challenge rules allow 3km2, so this surrounding area allows me a few more birding options. The new birds (which, apart from Grey Wagtail) are scarce on the reserve, were: Nuthatch (Bramley Falls Park), House Sparrow (Newlaithes Rd), Dipper and Grey Wagtail (river by Pollard Lane),

Dipper, Newley - Saturday 26th March 2016

Grey Wagtail, Newley - Sunday 28th March 2016

 26th March is when Spring arrived, with 5+ Sand Martin over the reserve, and a pair of displaying Great Crested Grebes on the lagoon. A first-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull low over the willow path was a welcome species too. The first Swallow of the year was reported on the 28th, but I missed it while I was admiring my lovely Meadow Pipit.

The list of the birds reported at Rodley this year that I've so far failed to connect with, or missed due to absence or the reserve being closed to the public (which is most of the time), or dipped due to bad luck or sheer ineptitude is (not including summer migrants):

• Lesser Redpoll (not common at Rodley, just sporadic records)
• Water Rail (ever-present, but more difficult since the flooding destroyed the hides and restricted viewing)
• Cetti's Warbler (has my hearing got so bad I can't hear this, when everyone else can?)
• Merlin (I live in hope)
• Tree Sparrow (previously regular; now just one sighting in three months)
• Common Scoter (a one-day patch mega... while I was at work)
• Stonechat (my Rodley bogie bird)
• Black-tailed Godwit (a one-day patch mega... while the reserve was shut)
• Bittern (don't get me started on this)

Still, there's always something good to see...

Common Snipe, Rodley NR - Saturday 26th March 2016

Common Buzzard, Rodley NR - Saturday 26th March 2016

 

Little Owl (in its usual roosting spot), Rodley NR - Saturday 26th March 2016

Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire - February 2016

A few photos from a pleasant four days in Robin Hood's Bay on the North Yorkshire coast during half-term last week.

Robin Hood's Bay - Saturday 13th February 2016

Amongst the birding highlights was a second-winter Little Gull in bay on Saturday morning, 13th February. There was a colony of maybe 30+ Tree Sparrows at Stoupe Brow Cottage Farm, we noticed during a walk along the cliffs south towards Ravenscar.

I didn't managed a usable shot of either, on a walk along the cliffs to Whitby with the kids, I managed a few decent photos of a fantastic male Common Stonechat.

Common Stonechat, Whitby, North Yorkshire - Sunday 14th February 2016

I didn't see a single Turnstone over the four days in the bay, which was a total surprise. I didn't exactly scour the place for them (we spent most of our time looking - pretty successfully - for fossils), but to see none here in February was unusual. Plenty of Oystercatchers though - absolutely loads of them - plus a few Curlew and Redshank.

 Oystercatcher, Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire - Monday 15th February 2016

The cliffs along this coast are great for Fulmar all year round, and walks along the cliff tops can get you get views of them in flight and on tucked in on cliff ledges.

 Fulmar, Whitby, North Yorkshire - Sunday 14th February 2016

The Mediterranean Gulls at Holbeck car park in Scarbough put in a good show when we called in on the way home on Tuesday. At least five birds present with the Black-headed Gulls. Two of the Med Gulls were ringed (PNN5: right leg, red ring, white lettering; ?LAN: right leg, white ring, black lettering). I'll update this post with details when I get some back from Euring.

 Mediterranean Gulls, Scarborough, North Yorkshire - Tuesday 16th February 2016 

 Herring Gulls, Whitby, North Yorkshire - Monday 14th February 2016

I tried some seawatching on a couple of mornings, while the tide was in. But the weather on every day was far worse first thing than later in the day, and I was beaten by the conditions. Great Black-backed Gull and Herring Gulls, Fulmars and Shags were the only birds in view.

Not great visibility for sea-watching...

As with all family holidays, it wasn't all about the birds. We had a successful time fossil hunting, finding belemnites, amonites, bivalves and others among the landslips.

 Bivalve fossil, Robin Hood's Bay - February 2016

Landslips, Robin Hood's Bay - February 2016

 

Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire - February 2016