Wading In

A visit to Connah’s Quay on Wednesday was yet another step into winter. As is its want when the wind blows from the north-west, the west hide was absolutely freezing.

The last eight or nine months have been the perfect illustration that us human beings may have over-extended ourselves when we went north of Andalucia – give me Flamenco, Fino, Seville Women, and the Coto Donana any day of the week over the Dee Estuary in June!!

I don’t mean it – or maybe I do.

Still, there where some good birds abound today, including an adult and a juvenile Common Sandpiper and best of all a young Little Ringed Plover – my first for the reserve. Muy Bien.

The heron family were well represented too, with around ten Grey Herons scattered around the reserve, plus twenty or so Little Egrets.

In football manager argot, the Legrets appear to have good ‘bouncebackabilty’, for after the last two winters decimated numbers on the estuary they appear to be legion again. Like us homo sapiens, they must be wondering why they bothered to venture north of the toasty Mediterranean lagoons.

And speaking of things Mediterranean, still no gull of the same name for me in Flintshire this year. They seem to be popping-up all over North Wales, Lancashire, and even the Wirral side of the Dee, but I cannot buy one at CQNR or the POA.

Finally, some wag on the NWBF responding to my suggestion (or maybe plea!) that the Point of Ayr be taken over by RSPB Starbucks at Conwy, mentioned that they may build a climbing frame and slide instead if that were the case.

Pretty much sums up where the RSPB are at the moment: a children’s play area is more important than a bird hide.

To be hones, I don’t care if they build an exact replica of the Taj Mahal from gravy, providing they build a hide, or even to use RSPB doublespeak – a ‘viewing structure.’

Until later.

Dodgy Birds

I did the rounds late this morning – Connah’s Quay and Shotton Pools – and this pukka  Common Spotted Orchid growing on landfill at the steelworks was unquestionably the highlight of a dreech couple of hours.

In fairness, CQNR was a little improved on recent weeks. Although still suffering from a rash of Black-headed Gulls and Shelducks, there has definitely been a post-breeding influx of Lesser Black-backeds and Little Egrets.

On the subject of Egrets, a Great White Egret was reported yesterday from this reserve, but despite a good deal of searching from a number of people following the original sighting it has sadly not been relocated.

I have to confess to being a little sceptical of many GWE records on the Dee Estuary; many seem to be single observer sightings and invariably the bird is never relocated.

I can only speak of my experience of these Egrets in India, but if that is anything to go by, the Great Whites are not too keen on brackish and salt water, much preferring fresh.

This, of course, probably means why they don’t hang around the Dee for too long…?

I must admit to being immensely pleased today too see that for the second year in succession, the pair of Oystercatchers breeding on the stone island near the field centre have successfully bred.

There has been at least one other pair on the reserve too – on the Ash Pool – and although they hatched at least two chicks, I’m not sure if either made it, unlike the aforementioned duo on the pools who have one new addition to the ranks.

Also on the reserve today was one of the two ‘Ruddy’ Shelducks recently logged. I didn’t get a great view, but I imagine that they are the same sketchy brace that have been knocking about for a few years now.

What with the ‘Bonapartes’ Gull, ‘GW’ Egret, and now ‘Ruddy’ Shelduck, Connah’s Quay NR seems to have more hooky birds in its book than Del Boy!!

Anyway, Shotton Pools. One Little Ringed Plover. Nothing Else. Security bloke had a go at me for blowing my horn when I was waiting at the gate. I hadn’t.

Until later.

RSPB to ankle-tag Twitchers

The Royal Society for the Psychology of Birders has released details of a proposal to place electronic tracking devices on a number of twitchers.

Some twitchers are rumoured to undertake incredible journeys each year, with many individuals believed to clock up in excess of 50,000 miles.

Despite being locally common when a rarity appears, very little is known about where they go when they complete the return migration home.

Thor Undrath from the RSPB who is leading the study added:

“Many people regard them as a pest - especially the subspecies photographus – but to me they are a much misunderstood species.”

“By learning more about their movements, we can seek to protect their habitat and ensure their future survival.”

Thor plans to catch the Twitchers when the next major rarity – known in Twitching polari as a “MEGA” – appears in Scotland.

“Myself and a colleague will simultaneously place mist nets across the M6 and the A1. Any twitchers caught will then be weighed and measured before having an electronic tracking device attached to their person.”

“Hopefully people will be able to follow their movements on the Internet.”

Until later.

A good little spot...

An early start this morning for one of my favourite ‘Upland Lite’ walks around the foothills of the Scouse Alps at Cilcain – a good spot if you are not man enough for the open moors.

Whilst it is unlikely that you will be treading on Golden Plover nests or getting dive bombed by a Merlin, it is still a good area for a variety of birds.

The areas of gorse and heather around Cilcain are excellent for Yellowhammer, with a trio present today, whilst are always plenty of Whitethroats is the same habitat too, a handful of Stonechats, plus today there was the added bonus of a pair of Whinchats feeding young.

It must also be one of the top spots for Cuckoo, and early doors there were no fewer than three calling males – one with an incredibly hoarse call! Yet more evidence that Cuckoo numbers are up this year.

Staying on the subject of Cuckoos, I was quite surprised to learn that despite well over fifty thousands of these birds being ringed in the UK, there has only ever been one recovery from sub Saharan Africa - yet more evidence on the pointlessness of a great deal of bird clamping.

Cilcain 18.06.2011

3 Cuckoo
3 Stonechat
2 Whinchat
3 Yellowhammer
2 Kestrel
2 Raven
1 Lesser Redpoll

Until later.

Magpies to fund research into songbird decline

The Black Grouse can exclusively reveal that a group of influential Magpies tired of being used as a scapegoat for the precipitous decline in many British Songbirds are to fund a study into the impact of human beings on our farmland and woodland passerines.

The spearhead of the campaign, Maggie Picker, commented:

“Human beings have increased dramatically since the 1960s and they seem oblivious to inimical impact that their population has had on the ecosystem.”

“If the current rate of environmental degradation continues, then I’m afraid we are going to have to call for a cull.”

Ms Picker also lamented the recent absence of a “good war” in keeping the human population in check.

“Previously the mass of humanity was much less peaceable and would senselessly slaughter each other in endless fatuous conflicts – this simply doesn’t happen anymore.”

The research could however prove controversial within the wider avian community. Larid Grayson – a spokesperson from “Gulls for Garbage” chipped-in with:

“We are delighted with the expansion of the human population and their profligate and unsustainable lifestyles.”

“Years ago, we used to feed on crabs and other bits and bobs – now we have fetid morsels from all corners of the globe all within one huge landfill site – we couldn’t be happier.”

Gil Scott Heron, from charity du jour “Help for Herons” also has reservations.

“Where there are humans, there are ponds. And where there are ponds, there are fish.”

“.....and by the way, although it is completely off the point, thebiggestheron, has a space left on his tour to the Sunderbans this Sunday. Email Goliath@yahoo.coot

Until later.

Kate Humble Sunbathes in the Buff

The thousands of twitchers that flocked to Cleveland to see a White-breasted Robin, have finally come clean and admitted that what they were actually watching was the BBC Springwatch presenter Kate Humble sunbathing topless.

The cloak of secrecy was removed after one birder, Steve Lister, confessed that the White-throated Robin story was a red herring designed to mask the real truth.

“You don’t think that this many people would turn up for a real bird would you? I mean, Kate Humble is a well known celebrity and we didn’t just want any Peeping Tom, Dick or Harry rocking-up did we?”

Despite only fleeting glimpses of the White-breasted Humble, most punters left satisfied, albeit with a slightly empty feeling.

“To be honest, I don’t know where I go from hear”, said one dejected observer.

As you can guess, not much to report from Connah’s Quay this morning…

Until later.

Cold Comfort Migneint

Mark Twain once quipped: “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

Well travelled he may have been, but he clearly never visited the Migneint in June.

Fortunately the walk a friend Rob and I undertook was mainly on the leeward side of the mountain, thus sparing us from the icy winds that greeted our arrival on the summit.

As is with this area, birds – apart from the ubiquitous Meadow Pipits – are few and far between.

Highlights on the way up were a pair of Whinchat and a female Ring Ouzel. The mountain thrush was occupying a classic area of habitat – a boulder strewn upland ravine with a couple of dead trees, although this represents the first year that I have seen this territory occupied.

Ring Ouzels – and Cuckoos for that matter – seem to be around in good numbers this year, perhaps reflecting a general upturn recently of a number of classic Welsh summer migrants.

And that was going to be pretty much that. I found no Golden Plovers on an old favoured section of the moor and I had not seen one single raptor.

Then, a couple of hundred yards away from the car a female Merlin absolutely bombed past us back up the mountain.

Superb.

Until later.



The Summer Funk is here...

Not much doing this weekend, despite several hours in the field.

Connah’s Quay has surrendered to the monochrome tyranny of Shelduck and Black-headed Gulls and Shotton Pools and Deeside Industrial Estate fared little better.

If I had to pick a winner, it would be the cycle path behind the Industrial Estate, with plenty of Small Skipper, Common Blue and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on the wing.

The Poppies were out too – in vast numbers; enough in fact to keep the average Afghan Warlord and his clan in Kaftans for years.

On a slightly positive note, there are still plenty of Common Terns on the inner estuary with a few birds still hanging around the steelworks. Only six this afternoon, but at least two birds had rather juicy looking fish…

A singing Reed Warbler got me a little interested when it started to go all John Coltrane, but I still couldn’t turn it into a Marsh Warbler…

Until later.

The Late Evening News...

A truly excellent and memorable evening’s birding was had by me, Mark Murphy and Tony in the Gwydir Forest at sunset yesterday.

The undoubted stars were a hat-trick of Nightjars, but the supporting cast made up of a trio of Cuckoos and Tree Pipits, plus a pair of Redstarts was hardly bad.

None of the birds were shy either, with a pair of Cuckoos particularly keen to strut their stuff showing at one point down to about thirty yards.

The Nightjars were hardly backward in coming forward with three birds heard churring around a quarter to ten and thereafter in flight intermittently for the next forty five minutes with one male flying very close indeed.

The white handkerchief trick was employed on a few occasions, but this seemed to make little difference and was perhaps more a sign of surrender to the armies of midges and mossies more than anything else!

Until later.