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Awful weather


Two visits to Deer Hill this week no Twite on Tuesday, 4 Twite on Friday for 5 minutes and that was it . Weathers been awful all week not much doing at all.


Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme



Two visits to Deer Hill this week no Twite on Tuesday, 4 Twite on Friday for 5 minutes and that was it . Weathers been awful all week not much doing at all.


Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme


reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Fair Isle - Day 5 in the Puffinn Household

The intended lie-in this morning was somewhat curtailed by the 300 Greylag Geese that started to shelter behind the house at 2a.m. this morning. The 35mph NW wind meant that shelter was in short supply today, as were any new birds. Undetered, the Puffinn Household headed out into the blustery wind, some heading to watch the sea, but I decided to check the sheltered coves in the SE corner of the island. My first encounter was with a ringed dead Grey Heron. It had been ringed a few days earlier but had succumbed to the lack of goldfish in croft ponds. A female Scaup, which had obviously been roosting on some rocks by the shore moved quietly away, but spent the rest of the day around the cove. The best bird of the day though, was a Richard's Pipit that flew in off the sea, calling. It flew in over my head and spent a couple of minutes around Haa and then flew off towards Leough.

The rest of the day was spent checking the eastern Geos, which were quite empty, but some seawatching produced a few trip ticks.

The temperature plumeted this evening, so most off us were back at The Puffin well before dark. We've heard that it's quiz night at the obs tonight, so we might try and get ourselves down there.

It's looking like it may be a quiet weekend, with prodominently NW winds, but the forecast says SE winds from Monday. Here's hoping!



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The intended lie-in this morning was somewhat curtailed by the 300 Greylag Geese that started to shelter behind the house at 2a.m. this morning. The 35mph NW wind meant that shelter was in short supply today, as were any new birds. Undetered, the Puffinn Household headed out into the blustery wind, some heading to watch the sea, but I decided to check the sheltered coves in the SE corner of the island. My first encounter was with a ringed dead Grey Heron. It had been ringed a few days earlier but had succumbed to the lack of goldfish in croft ponds. A female Scaup, which had obviously been roosting on some rocks by the shore moved quietly away, but spent the rest of the day around the cove. The best bird of the day though, was a Richard's Pipit that flew in off the sea, calling. It flew in over my head and spent a couple of minutes around Haa and then flew off towards Leough.

The rest of the day was spent checking the eastern Geos, which were quite empty, but some seawatching produced a few trip ticks.

The temperature plumeted this evening, so most off us were back at The Puffin well before dark. We've heard that it's quiz night at the obs tonight, so we might try and get ourselves down there.

It's looking like it may be a quiet weekend, with prodominently NW winds, but the forecast says SE winds from Monday. Here's hoping!



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Day 4 in The Puffinn Household

It was a quieter day today, with no new vagrants found. Yesterdays White's Thrush(es?) and P-G Tips have cleared out with only a couple of Barred and Yellow-browed Warblers new in. A Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll, which was first found yesterday, showed well today (above) as well as Bluethroat and the ever dependable Little Bunting. The winds picked up in the afternoon and are forecasted to be 35 mph NW until Saturday, so maybe a well deserved lie-in maybe taken tomorrow morning and then some sea-watching, which produced a couple of Blue Fulmars this evening.

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It was a quieter day today, with no new vagrants found. Yesterdays White's Thrush(es?) and P-G Tips have cleared out with only a couple of Barred and Yellow-browed Warblers new in. A Hornemann's Arctic Redpoll, which was first found yesterday, showed well today (above) as well as Bluethroat and the ever dependable Little Bunting. The winds picked up in the afternoon and are forecasted to be 35 mph NW until Saturday, so maybe a well deserved lie-in maybe taken tomorrow morning and then some sea-watching, which produced a couple of Blue Fulmars this evening.

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Heineken don't do Birders Birthdays....

...but if they did, they'd probably be like today!

Day 3 in the Puffinn household and it's my birthday. The saying for today is "You can stick your Brown Flycatchers up your arse". Today was possibly the best days birding I've ever had. Best bird of the day, and a British tick, was White's Thrush which gave prolonged close flight views. Although it gave us all a run around to start with, it finally gave up and showed well, black and white underwing, scales and all.

Next on the list was a Pallas's Gropper, found by Paul Cook which gave views down to less than an arms length (see photos). Other birds that I found today were 2 Bluethroats and a Common Rosefinch. Little Bunting, 2 Pec Sands, 6 Whooper Swans and 2 Jack Snipe added to the tally.

And so ends a great day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring???



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...but if they did, they'd probably be like today!

Day 3 in the Puffinn household and it's my birthday. The saying for today is "You can stick your Brown Flycatchers up your arse". Today was possibly the best days birding I've ever had. Best bird of the day, and a British tick, was White's Thrush which gave prolonged close flight views. Although it gave us all a run around to start with, it finally gave up and showed well, black and white underwing, scales and all.

Next on the list was a Pallas's Gropper, found by Paul Cook which gave views down to less than an arms length (see photos). Other birds that I found today were 2 Bluethroats and a Common Rosefinch. Little Bunting, 2 Pec Sands, 6 Whooper Swans and 2 Jack Snipe added to the tally.

And so ends a great day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring???



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Fair Isle - Day 2 in the Puffinn Household

Although we were delayed, we finally made it over to Fair Isle on Monday morning. Myself, Mark Golley, Paul Cook, Dave Foster and Brian Unwin spent two days on mainland Shetland, taking in Western Bonelli's Warbler, Wryneck and numerous Yellow-browed Warblers, before flying over from Tingwall. As the bird observatory was full, we're staying in The Puffinn, a cheap and chearfull self-catering cottage in the south of the island near the lighthouse.

OK, so we've arrived a week later than we had wished, having missed the Brown Flycatcher, Sibe Thrush, P-G Tips and multiple Lanceys that were here last week, but there are a fews birds around to keep us busy, and of course this is Fair Isle, where anything can, and does, happen.

Little Bunting is the rarest bird left around, along with 2 juvenile Peck Sands (above), but there are probably about 10 Yellow-browed Warblers left on the island, as well as Lapland Bunting (above) and lots of common migrants such as Lesser Whitethroat and Whinchat, as shown above.

Anyway, hopefully there will be some easterlies on the cards soon and we can get out and start seeming some good stuff.

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Although we were delayed, we finally made it over to Fair Isle on Monday morning. Myself, Mark Golley, Paul Cook, Dave Foster and Brian Unwin spent two days on mainland Shetland, taking in Western Bonelli's Warbler, Wryneck and numerous Yellow-browed Warblers, before flying over from Tingwall. As the bird observatory was full, we're staying in The Puffinn, a cheap and chearfull self-catering cottage in the south of the island near the lighthouse.

OK, so we've arrived a week later than we had wished, having missed the Brown Flycatcher, Sibe Thrush, P-G Tips and multiple Lanceys that were here last week, but there are a fews birds around to keep us busy, and of course this is Fair Isle, where anything can, and does, happen.

Little Bunting is the rarest bird left around, along with 2 juvenile Peck Sands (above), but there are probably about 10 Yellow-browed Warblers left on the island, as well as Lapland Bunting (above) and lots of common migrants such as Lesser Whitethroat and Whinchat, as shown above.

Anyway, hopefully there will be some easterlies on the cards soon and we can get out and start seeming some good stuff.

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Ringstone edge reservoir


Most of the week was spent at Ringstone edge reservoir, with 66 Goldfinch ringed, 33 Meadow Pipits 10 Greenfinches 2 Dunnocks and a Male Stonechat.


Most of the week was spent at Ringstone edge reservoir, with 66 Goldfinch ringed, 33 Meadow Pipits 10 Greenfinches 2 Dunnocks and a Male Stonechat.

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Pipits keep coming





Another busy week with over a Hundred birds rings in Calderdale,



Meadow Pipits


Blackbirds


Blue Tits


Gt Tits


Wren


Dunnocks


Wheatear


Stonechat


Robin


Goldfinches


Greenfinches


House Sparrow


Twite



Willow Warbler



Chiff Chaff




Andy was out at Kex Gill on Saturday and Colour Ringed 153 more Meadow Pipits









Twite at Deer Hill

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme



The Numbers of birds coming into feed have dramatically dropped with only 10 seen on Tuesday. On Wednesday 8 seen on wires none coming to seed, a flock of 60 Goldfinch now coming to seed. 8 ringed.





Another busy week with over a Hundred birds rings in Calderdale,



Meadow Pipits


Blackbirds


Blue Tits


Gt Tits


Wren


Dunnocks


Wheatear


Stonechat


Robin


Goldfinches


Greenfinches


House Sparrow


Twite



Willow Warbler



Chiff Chaff




Andy was out at Kex Gill on Saturday and Colour Ringed 153 more Meadow Pipits









Twite at Deer Hill

Supported by the Kirklees Environment Grant Scheme



The Numbers of birds coming into feed have dramatically dropped with only 10 seen on Tuesday. On Wednesday 8 seen on wires none coming to seed, a flock of 60 Goldfinch now coming to seed. 8 ringed.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad