Addictive Birthday Patching

I am now home after the weekend and early part of this week down in Norfolk for my birthday. This of course meant patching, and as it was my 18th birthday on Monday I was hoping the patch would produce a present or two. It did, once again producing unexpected and much enjoyed birds.

We’ll start with an update on the resident birds. The resident Mute Swan pair are continuing to raise their two young, which have developed considerably since I saw them a month ago or so, although one is slightly more well developed than the other. Over 3 months old now, they are approaching proper ‘cygnetdom’. They have grown much larger, gained the typical much duskier plumage and are gradually losing their ‘cuteness’. It will be interesting to see how they’re getting on when I’m back down in October.

Also of interest was the progress of the 2 juvenile Kestrels hatched from the resident pair this year, which are increasingly gaining independence after fledging quite recently, hunting seperately from their parents. The immature male below was hunting along Fishermen’s Trail on Tuesday; a well developed individual, only lacking in adult appearance facially. Yet another major positive was the information from the landlady that the Egyptian Geese are winter visitors, returning in Sept-Oct. I’d presumed that they’d been driven off the patch after their young had reportedly been eaten. I am glad that this was a misconception rather than a reality; I’m looking forward to seeing them again.

Mute Swan cygnets along Fishermen’s Trail (28/8/12)

juvenile male Kestrel along Fishermen’s Trail (28/8/12)

As well as the breeding birds, there’s the departures of summer visitors. Reed Bunting numbers had dropped considerably, sitting at a maxiumum of two along Drayton Meadows, and the few Common Terns that hunted the Wensum had gone. Almost all warblers have left the patch now, save a couple of Whitethroats and the usual 6 or so Chiffchaffs. I was however lucky enough to catch up with a local movement of a couple of Acros. As I walked along Mill Lane through the reed encompassed end of Mill Lane as it approaches Drayton Meadows on Sunday (26th), I connected with two Reed Warblers. I’d imagined seeing them in the reeds on the patch, so it was quite exciting to have that thought realised. I’m convinced these were passage birds. I’d have bumped into them if they had summered, and both of them had gone the following day.

The hirundines are hanging on, with the Swallows having bred in numbers. 20 were seen daily throughout the patch, with up to 10 House Martins accompanying them at points. Notably in amongst these on Monday (27th) was a Swift passing over the cottage. Other noteworthy but not unusual birds noted between Saturday and Tuesday were 2 Collared Doves along Fishermen’s Trail on Saturday (25th) – my second record of this species – 8 Mallards south over Mill Meadow on Monday, a Buzzard and the female Sparrowhawk south over Fishermen’s Field on Tuesday (28th) and a Great-spotted Woodpecker along Fishermen’s Trail throughout. More interesting on the arboreal Aves front was a Nuthatch in the trees around the cottage, seen on Monday and Saturday, my second record of this species on the patch, and a welcome patch tick was a Grey Wagtail by the sluice overlooking Mill Field on Saturday.

What of the owls? Well, the good news is that all three species are still around. I didn’t see the Barn Owls together this time, but the usual bird put on a great show as it hunted Drayton Meadows on Monday. The Tawny Owls were pretty vocal; I managed views of one along Drayton Woods at nightfall on Sunday, and their evocative screeching was heard most nights. As the spectral shrieks of the Tawnies sounded on Sunday night the Little Owls cackled to each other out the back of the cottage, adding to an already eerie cacophony of nocturnal noises. Frankly, I hadn’t expected them to still be there. It was more of a hope than an expectation, so I was delighted to clarify that the they were still using the barn. I definitely didn’t expect there to be not two but three birds present that night, each seen flying from the dead tree at the back of the paddocks into the oak. I am still puzzling over where the third bird has come from as there were only two before, but it certainly thrilled me. One put on a good show on Monday night, coming within 10ft of the cottage window. I managed to get the digibinned pic below. Fantastic birds and undoubtedly a patch highlight at the moment; it will be a sad moment when they leave.

Little Owl on fence at the paddocks out the back of the cottage (27/8/12)

I am glad to say that Sunday and (fittingly) my birthday were the most productive days on the patch. As well as the owls and the Reed Warblers on Sunday evening, I was thrilled by two GREEN SANDPIPERS flying over Fishermen’s Field; patch mega!! First picked up on call, my excitement was intense as I connected with these corking birds heading rapidly high south. The joy was short lived though as they were soon lost to view. My suspicion was that these birds were heading towards Costessey Pits, the nearest large area of water. These Green Sands constitute to the 4th species of wader on the patch and the second passage wader after the Greenshanks in May. Definitely one of the highlights of my patching.

My birthday was even better. No sooner had I made it to Mill Meadow that morning did a LITTLE EGRET flew east over the meadow. I excitedly bolted back down the lane in an attempt to to get it over the house. It obliged, flying right over the cottage and overhead towards Mill Field, though not landing. This was my second record after one in April. As I headed happily along Fishermen’s Trail, I was stopped in my tracks by a beautiful Kingfisher sitting inert on a branch within 15ft of me, eyes intently on the river. What ensued was the best views I’ve ever had of this species, as I watched at this range on the same branch for 10 minutes in great weather, occasionally diving in from the river and plucking out a small fish. I really regretted not having my camera on me at the moment; the pics would have shown you what a treat it was to see it at that range.

Those two birds were good enough presents for me, but there was more to come that evening. We were about to leave Drayton Meadows, having enjoyed great views of the Barn Owl, when a dark, sickle-like raptor surfaced from the woods nearby and proceeded to hawk for insects. The red undertail coverts were immediately obvious; it was a HOBBY. This was the ideal birthday treat; one of my favourite birds at the patch. After five minutes it was joined by another one. I reveled in these two adult Hobbies as they hawked in tandem with one another for half an hour, making occasionally dramatic swoops at insects and endlessly displaying their aerial prowess. I couldn’t have asked for much more patch wise on my birthday.  The following day one was seen distantly in flight over Drayton Woods with a passing Buzzard. I hope this will not be the last I see of this species on passage at the patch.

Hobby over Drayton Meadows, Costessey House Private Estate (27/8/12). Excuse the poor quality digibinned pic.

rainbow over Drayton Meadows

sunset over Drayton Meadows

Costessey House Private Estate once again had provided addictive patching. It’s kicked above its weight, as shown by the diverse array of good quality birds and wildife its produced since July and even the beginning of the year, both passage and resident. As I write from home in Aberdeen, I can feel its allure. Bring on October.

Thanks for reading,

Joseph

Local Catch Up

I’ve done a lot of local birding since arriving home from my three weeks away, so finding a solution to cover everything all in one post has been tricky. However I have found one, albeit an unconventional one that does not involve day by day accounts. The past month was mostly focused around passage waders, so I will do a species by species review of most wader species I’ve seen recently, before focusing on other birds of note seen in this period. Wader passage was underway here in the last week of July, and ever since I have been checking the Ythan and Strathbeg (as well as other sites) regularly, which have produced good numbers of the commoner species as well as some more interesting stuff.

WADERS:

Golden Plover – In late July GPs started to appear on both the Ythan Estuary and Loch of Strathbeg, though numbers were low at this point with only 20 at Strathbeg and 10 at the Ythan. In archetypal fashion, large post breeding flocks formed as August progressed. By 9th August a flock of 250+ was by Waterside Bridge at the Ythan, which provided a fantastic aerial spectacle as they flew over my head on several occasions, the shuffling noise of the wingbeats audible as they passed over. This had increased to 300+ by 11th, and by last Saturday (18th) peaked at 350+ ; a flock that will no doubt continue to grow as autumn prevails. Numbers have been pretty small at Strathbeg recently, but a healthy flock of 130+ were not far away at Rattray on 18th. 6 headed east over Girdle Ness on 6th.

Lapwing – Numbers of these beauties have varied on the Ythan and Strathbeg in the last month, but have been quite high at points. 200+ were on the Ythan on 29th July, but this had dropped to 80+ by 1st August but then rose again to 150+ on 9th. Recently numbers have varied between the two aforementioned totals at this site. Strathbeg saw the largest arrival of this species on 11th August with 500+ gracing the pools in front of Starnafin.

Knot – Trends in Knot numbers have been akin to Golden Plovers insofar as flocks are continuing to increase. The Ythan has played host to the largest groups, which stood at just 15 on 27th July. At points in early August there were none or very little around on the Ythan, but by this Saturday (19th) numbers were at an optimum with a flock of 120 by Inches Point. 2 were at Strathbeg that day and another 4 were at Annachie Lagoon. Many of the birds still have remnants of their vibrant summer plumage, so its been lovely to see them recently.

Sanderling – Personally, numbers have been pretty low at the Ythan and other parts of the north coast in the last month or so, though other locals have had more success (the beach at Rattray held triple figures in late July).  2 were amongst Dunlins at Cairnbulg on 27th July, and the only others were 8 at Nigg Bay, Girdle Ness on 15th August and 2 at the Ythan on 18th. I haven’t been to better sites such as Blackdog that much, which has held decent sized groups recently.

Turnstone – Numbers have been quite low of this characterful species at the Ythan and Strathbeg. Girdle Ness typically is the place for them at the moment, with many favouring the rocks around Greyhope Bay. 50 were here on 6th August, and this had increased to 60+ by 15th August.

Dunlin – Whilst large numbers are now forming, Dunlin numbers have been personally lower than expected. No more than 15 have been seen on visits to the Ythan and Strathbeg in recent weeks (45 being the highest at the Ythan on 1st August) whilst a few have been at other sites such as Girdle Ness. Numbers peaked on 27th July, with a stimulating flock of 90+ at the Ythan, 25 at Strathbeg and 20 at Cairnbulg.

Little Stint – When I arrived at Strathbeg on Saturday (18th) I was surprised to hear that there was unreleased news of 10 spread out across the reserve on 16th. We quickly made our way to Tower Pool Hide, and located a flock of 6 juveniles amongst the waders here. We delighted in these little gems for a good while; the definite highlight of the last month or so. It is not the first time that I’ve had Little Stint flocks here, having found a flock of 9 on 10th September 2011. It’s clear that Strathbeg has potential to bring in this species in big numbers.

Wood Sandpiper – It was nice to find a single Wood Sand at Strathbeg on 11th amongst the Lawpings on the pools at Starnafin. It spent quite a while roosting, but eventually showed quite well. Hopefully this will be the first of a few this autumn. Below is a poor digiscoped pic:

Wood Sandpiper amongst Lapwings, Loch of Strathbeg (11/8/12)

Green Sandpiper – As with Wood Sand, a single was seen at Strathbeg, concerning a bird calling in flight above the Low Ground before landing in a concealed channel on 27th July.

Common Sandpiper – Numbers have been low but consistent at several sites in the last month. The Ythan held the largest numbers on 27th July with 5 by Logie Buchan Bridge and one at Strathbeg lagoon on the same day. 2 were on the Ythan on 1st + 9th August and also at Annachie Lagoon on Saturday (18th).

Redshank – Numbers have been healthy on the Ythan since late July, with 130+ kicking things off on 27th. Only 80 were present on 29th July, but this has since recovered itself with numbers consistently in triple figures. A conservative estimate of 200+ have been on the estuary in recent weeks. Smaller groups have been seen regularly away from this site.

Spotted Redshank – 2 were accompanying the Redshanks from the Snub at the Ythan on Saturday (18th). The birds were moulting into winter plumage, but looked far less dingy than most I’ve seen in this transitional phase, with quite a bit of their black summer plumage still intact; always lovely to see.

Greenshank – This species has been recorded on every visit to the Ythan and Strathbeg since late July, but numbers have never exceeded 10. The highest total was 9 at Strathbeg on Saturday (19th), but otherwise numbers at these two sites have ranged between 5-8. Singles were also at Annachie Lagoon on Saturday (18th) and heading west over Meikle Loch on 1st August.

Black-tailed Godwit – These beauties have been less frequent than Greenshank, but numbers have exceeded 10, with 12 on Saturday at Strathbeg. 8 were at the Ythan on 27th July, whilst 3 were here and 4 at Strathbeg  on 11th. Earlier in the month, a flock of 300+ spent the day at Strathbeg, but not seen by me.

Bar-tailed Godwit – The Ythan has produced good numbers, with a peak of 7 on Saturday (18th). Numbers otherwise here have consistently sat at 2-3. Away from here, a single was at Annachie Lagoon also on Saturday.

Curlew – Several hundred have consistently been on the Low Ground at Strathbeg, whilst numbers on the Ythan have been similar. Away from these traditional sites, 76 were at Rigifa Pool on 6th August.

Whimbrel – A few have been seen on the Ythan for the last month, with numbers peaking at 6 on 1st August. A flock of 20 at Cairnbulg on 27th July were lovely to see and the largest flock of the passage I’ve seen so far, whilst 2 were at Rattray on Saturday.

Snipe – There have only been two records thus far, concerning 9 at Strathbeg on 11th August and 5 at Inches Point, the Ythan on Saturday.

Ruff – Ruff have been consistently at Strathbeg, peaking at 15 on Saturday, whilst 9 were here on 11th and 6 on previous dates. The first of the year on the Ythan arrived on Saturday, with 6 around the Snub. 2 did however head east over the nearby Meikle Loch on 1st August.

***

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

Surf Scoter – A pop into Blackdog on 21st July produced a female Surfie amongst the main scoter flock. This was the first female I’d seen, so it  was watched for a while. It was originally picked out whilst roosting due to the two pale patches on the side of its head and pale nape patch; it soon stopped roosting and revealed its ridiculous bill. An educational bird that was much enjoyed.

Goosander – The moulting flock at Girdle Ness arrived in late July and has since grown to around 50 birds, with 49 noted on 6th August.

Sooty Shearwater (+seawatch) – I went to Girdle Ness on 6th August with the hope of some Sooty action, and was rewarded. 9 (7N, 2S) headed through on a two hour stint from 15:50-18:00. With the sea being calm and a NW breeze these charismatic birds showed well and at close quarters; always a joy to see. On the same quite productive seawatch 3 Manx Shearwaters, 2 Bonxies, 2 Puffins and 11 Common Scoters headed north, whilst hundreds of Gannets and Kittiwakes were feeding offshore and a briefly surfacing Minke Whale was a major highlight.

Merlin – A juvenile caused brief excitement as it flew over the B&B garden at Rattray on Saturday before heading south; my first of the autumn.

Little Gull – The 4 birds (3 1s, 1 sub ad) round the Ythan and Meikle Loch provided regular entertainment on visits to these sites, but seem to have finally cleared out as of Saturday.

Redstart – A male briefly gave a tantalizing flash of its red tail from the roadside willows at Collieston on Saturday but unfortunately did not grace itself afterwards.

Wheatear – Dispering early birds have been juveniles at Strathbeg on 11th and 1st August at Meikle Loch.

Willow Warbler (ssp. acredula) – Two very pale, greyish individuals were in the garden at Rattray on Saturday. The lack of uniform olive upperparts and yellow underparts indicated that these birds were of the northern acredula race.

***

It has been a month largely dominated by waders, but also with other decent birds to keep things rolling such as Surf Scoter and Sooty Shearwaters. Last Saturday was arguably the best day of the monthly period accounted here; surely a sign of better birding to come. I am going to be down in Norfolk for my 18th this coming weekend, and then in a couple of weeks I’m off to Shetland for 5 days; stay tuned for accounts of those upcoming trips.

Thanks for reading,

Joseph

Flooded Patch (Summer Patching, Part 2)

As I awoke on 16th July and opened the curtains, I was excited to see a flooded Mill Field . This was the first time I’d seen the patch in this state, and I soon discovered that Fishermen’s Field was also flooded. The Wensum had burst its banks, and this proved to be productive from a patching point of view for the ensuing few days.

flooded Mill Field

flooded Fishermen’s Field

flooded Fishermen’s Field and Fishermen’s Trail, as viewed from the Marriot’s Way railway bridge

With the flooding came the birds. During those few days I watched the two flooded fields pretty intensely, as this was where all the action was.  Many of the resident birds congregated here, including the Grey Herons, Mallards, Mute Swans and Common Terns (three of the latter were at Fishermen’s Field on 18th), thus leaving the rest of the patch comparatively quiet.  Black-headed Gulls had arrived in the biggest numbers. Numbers peaked on the first day of the floods (16th), concerning 120+ birds all together, with a particularly large congregation on Fishermen’s Field. By 17th numbers had dropped to around 60, which in itself smashes all previous record totals. It was wonderful to see them around in such numbers.

Large congregations of hirundines also formed, mostly consisting of Swifts. On 16th at least 80 Swifts were hawking virtually everywhere throughout the patch. In tow were at least 15 Swallows and 5 House Martins. This had decreased by 18th though, with no more than 20 about (again still many more than usual). With the density of Swifts and Black-headed Gulls, the patch felt alive with birds, more than it had ever done before, and I indulged in that. Not only that, but these two species acted as ‘carriers’ to an array of other locally interesting birds.

I was hoping for a few waders to become attracted to the floods on Mill Field, as I’d had Greenshank here when the field had been very slightly flooded in May. It wasn’t as productive as I’d expected it to be, but did still hold a common wader or two. In the morning on 16th an Oystercatcher was feeding amongst the Black-headed Gulls on Mill Field, only my second record after a couple of Fishermen’s Field in May. This was trumped by my first Lapwing that evening where the Oystercatcher had been, which I enjoyed watching for a while. Another Lawping was also present here on 18th.

One of the things I love about patch birding is how the very common can bring you great joy when they are locally uncommon, and as all waders are basically uncommon at Costessey House Private Estate I reveled in the two Lapwings and the Oystercatcher. The same applies to geese and ducks. With this in mind, imagine my excitement when I latched onto these on 16th:

Greylag Geese on Mill Field (16/7/12)

I have had 4 species of wader on the patch now, but Greylag Goose was only my second goose species on the patch after the previously resident Egyptian Geese. Greylag Geese had never given me the same buzz as they did at the moment. When I see my second duck species (Mallard is the only one so far) on the patch I’m sure I’ll be equally exhilarated. This group remained until 18th, and by then had increased to 10 birds. At least 6 Mallards accompanied the Greylags over those few days, presumably including ‘fresh in’ and resident birds.

Birds on the floods aside, more owl action included the usual Barn every day and a Tawny calling on 18th. To my delight, I had the Little Owl every night around the paddocks at dusk after first seeing it on 14th. On 17th I was further enthused as it was joined by a second bird. I spent a long time that night watching the two of them as they followed each other about, getting some blurry record shots. What gave me the most joy was the discovery that they were using the barn by the house! I originally thought that only one was in the area and roosting away from the patch, so it was fantastic to discover that there were actually two birds using the barn. The next day I asked the neighbour how long they’d been there, and he told me that they weren’t there before I arrived, so no breeding unfortunately; a hope for the future I suppose, I’ll look forward to seeing if there still there when I’m next down.

Little Owl on edge of barn by the house, Costessey House Private Estate (17/7/12)

on the ground within 15ft of the window. Awful quality and flash on, but visibilty was minimal.

the paddocks and one of the owls

the barn that the Little Owls were using

On 18th there was an arrival of 25 Lesser Black Backed Gulls on Mill Field; a record tally for this daily patch species. That evening it was chucking it with rain, so it took iron will to give these birds a look under the shelter of a tree as the exterior of the scope and myself got absolutely soaked. I worked the group methodically, noting a few 3cy individuals with their well developed bills and worn brown wing coverts, as well as couple of 2cys. As the rain became torrential, I alighted on a roosting gull at the end the group and was immediately interested. Face on the bird was yellow-legged, but the mantle and upperparts were a dark grey, intermediate between the black upperparts of the aforementioned species and the lighter grey of Herring Gull, the latter of which was also amongst the group in small numbers and provided a good comparison in this respect.

I knew I was on a YELLOW-LEGGED GULL. As I enjoy studying laros, I took the time to get a few shots of the bird, examine it further and take rough notes on my phone. The torrential rain at first made digiscoped images and viewing very difficult, but I kept on it as it stopped roosting and had a walk around. This was a classic YLG. The following were noted in addition to the outstanding abovementioned diagnostics:

• As it stopped roosting for the first time a red orbital ring was apparent; on Herrings this is yellow.

• The mantle shade was paler than the upperparts, with a blueish tinge

• Bill was heavy and long with noticeable bulging at the gony’s and a well marked gony’s spot

• Head was flattish and square in profile

• From a side view of the bird sitting, a fullish chest contrasted with a long primary projection. Surrounding Herrings did not show this defined contrast, primary projection was comparatively shorter.

• Primaries were largely black, but with a full white tip to P10. P5 band apparent whilst bird was washing.

This Yellow-legged Gull was largely doing its own thing and didn’t spend much time with the Lesser Black Backeds. It wandered off on its own accord and enjoyed a 15 minute session of getting dry as the sun came out again. I managed to get the following pics, some taken whilst the heavens were still open:

adult Yellow-legged Gull on flooded Mill Field, Costessey House Private Estate (18/7/12). Despite very poor quality shot (taken in pouring rain), note the yellow legs,  darker upperparts than Herring but lighter than accompanying LBB Gull, and the lighter mantle shade in comparison to rest of the upperparts.

squarish head, contrast between fullish chest and long primary projection, and extensive black on primaries with the full white tip to P10 are apparent here.

primary projection noticeably long in this pic

bathing as the sun came out, sporting an all white tip on P10 but otherwise much black on outer primaries. Long bill also noticeable here.

great extent of black on outer primaries noticeable again here. Also showing is what seems to be the black P5 band on the right wing, but in an odd position

wallowing; note heavy bill with bulging at gony’s

After half an hour it took flight on its own, not to return. I left Mill Field delighted; more than anything I was elated that this inland patch of mine had lived up to its potential of producing actual scarcities/rarities and produced its first scarcer species. And a fitting species to fulfil it, what with July being prime time for seeing post breeding YLGs that have dispersed from the Med. To round things off shortly after the YLG, a Kingfisher was flushed oddly enough from a bush along Mill Lane and bolted up the river along Fishermen’s Trail.

This was the perfect end to an immensely enjoyable and eventful week’s patching. Along with other things such as the Little Owls using the barn, the Barn Owls, the Black-headed Gull and Swift numbers, it’s fair to say this was the best patching that Costessey House Private Estate had ever offered. I now have great confidence that its a properly good place for birds and wildlife.

Thanks for reading,

Joseph