Red-vent horizon

A profitable four hours was spent at Connah’s Quay late morning and early afternoon, with a fly-through Hobby, a Grey Wagtail and a single Golden Plover the more unusual birds.

As is typical at this time of year, the best birding to be had though was the magnificent spectacle of thousands of wading birds trying to outwit the incoming tide.

Oystercatchers and Black-tailed Godwits were legion, with fewer numbers of Knot and Redshank.

Unfortunately most of the action took place a good way from the West Hide over towards Flint, precluding close scrutiny of the waders.

More amenable were the ‘shanks on the Bunded Pools – amongst the hundreds of Redshanks Mark Murphy and I managed to extract at least five Spotted Redshanks and about ten Greenshanks.

The local Peregrines put on a good turn too, hunting in tandem; the female did the spooking whilst the male was tasked with the actual hunting – something it summarily failed to bring to a successful conclusion.

Until later.

When was year dot?

It was with no surprise that I read an article in the Daily Telegraph detailing the decline in pan-European numbers of farmland birds.

We all know the reasons: intensification of agriculture, pesticides, yadda, yadda, but what we are never told is what the conservation bodies deem to be a minimum acceptable population.

Declines are measured against an arbitrary year in the past, probably, one imagines, the one that produces the sharpest decrease in numbers.

What it is worth mentioning is that many – if not all – of these species have benefited from the fact that many of their ‘traditional’ areas were once pristine, native forest that was cleared by human beings.

Maybe, the numbers we see now are perhaps true reflections of the populations of these species say 1,000 or 2,000 years ago and the real losers are woodland birds.

It all depends really on where you set the starting point…

It would be extremely interesting to see the BTO or the RSPB produce a document with the desired minimum populations of all species of birds breeding in the United – Kingdom - at least then there would be a target to aim for.

I imagine the line from both these organisations would be that we want as many as possible, but I’m afraid in today’s world that simply isn’t realistic.

With established figures, work could then begin on establishing enough habitats for the birds to breed in.

Not been out much recently – at least to proper birding locations – due to the lack of a vehicle. Cars are just getting too bloody expensive, so a switch to two wheels as oppose to four is one the cards.

It will be interesting to see how difficult it will be to carry kit around without my motor – especially all the paraphernalia that goes with a seawatch!

Until later.

Carnedd Dafydd

I have felt the lure of the mountains this week and after a quick appetiser of the Scouse Alps from Penycloddiau on Tuesday, it was on to the main course today – a slog up Carnedd Dafydd.

With time about to be called on the upland breeding season birds were few and far between at both locations.

Perhaps the highlight was a lone female Peregrine bombing around the summit today – a very welcome site after the slim pickings on the ascent that amounted to a couple of Wheatears and a couple of Mipits.

The Clwydians were similarly quiet, although it was heartening to see a good numbers of Stonechats after the pummelling they received during the last two winters.

A yaffling Green Woodpecker was good too, although I couldn’t locate the bird on the deck.

Until later.

Same, same, but different.

Frodsham Marsh is not everybody’s cup of tea, but I like it. One of the things I have missed since leaving Chester is my relatively frequent trips down to this site to enjoy its wildlife and ragbag of dog-walkers, fly-tippers, rapscallions and birders.

It was therefore time – after an absence of about a year and a half – for another trip and after Mark Murphy had picked me up early doors we were on the fringes of number six tank before eight.

As you only notice that people age after prolonged periods of not seeing them, the marshes were essentially the same but subtlety different.

Number six tank is more vegetated that a couple of years ago and also sports a new bank in its north-western corner.

The birdlife has changed too; now two Schedule 1 breeding wading birds nest on the site as opposed to just one – I’ll leave those for you to work out…not too difficult though.

Five nests of each this spring, but sadly three nests were ruined by cretinous retards on quad bikes.

The Ruddy Ducks have gone too – at six-hundred nicker a pop apparently – so the wildfowl mainly comprised a handful of Pochard amongst the commoner species.

A few raptors were on the wing and included a small number of Buzzards and a pair of Kestrel over number three.

The Weaver Bend was a little more productive, but still relatively quiet. Passage wader migration was evident - although modest - comprising just a juvenile Dunlin, a single Common Sandpiper and a brace of Little Ringed Plovers.

And that was a wrap.

Until later.

You all love the NWBF, don't lie...

I know you all adore the North Wales Happy Snapping Forum (copyright The Dee Birder - please don't sue), so I have written a lovely user guide for you all to read before concocting your next birding vignette accompanied by a series of stunning and original images.

The North Wales Birding Forum: a user’s guide. Version 2.011.

1.

Under no circumstances use your actual name. An ‘avatar’ is the preferred nomenclature - especially one containing a reference to birds. Examples include ‘Tomkite’, ‘Drizzlygoose’ and a gobshite called ‘The White Ptarmigan’, or something like that.

2.

Users must include a couple of lines at the bottom of their posts containing a few words of wisdom. This makes you look intelligent and educated and not at all a cod-philosophical clown.

3.

The exclamation mark must be used copiously. This grammatical tool will of course be preceded by a series of yellow faces displaying a variety of expressions!!!!!!!!!!

This is mandatory for Scousers as clearly they are all naturally hilarious and you simply could not read a single sentence without falling about laughing.

4.

Alan Davies is to be treated like ‘Big Brother’. Like Winston Smith in 1984 you must eventually learn to love Big Brother. For those struggling to fall under his spell, indoctrination is available through ‘thebiggestbrother’ bird tours. Email: O’Brian@theministryoftruth

5.

No matter how piss-poor or hackneyed your image of a bird maybe, everybody else on the forum is absolutely dying to see it and to tell you how clever you are.

6.

If you find a Schedule 1 breeding species on territory and singing, then in no circumstances keep it discreet. Blazon it all over birding websites and watch the circus unfold!! Correction......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7.

Every comment - however puerile or banal - is welcome. Other readers love to know that you too occasionally have the odd bird in your back garden.

8.

Do not disrespect RSPB Starbucks. It is an excellent reserve with year-round interest and in no shape or form a Cafe and Shop with pond attached.

9.

Posts from outside the forum are encouraged – especially from Inner Temple Farm. For those who do not know, some of the reserve is actually in Wales (Note : Colin Wells does not enter this part of the reserve – Ed.)

Members are specifically interested in reports from those who claim to have seen the latest ‘MEGA’ as great sport can be had watching them being grilled by ‘The Grand Inquisitor’ himself – Ajax1973-75.

10.

And finally, an exemplar of what your post should look like.

Went to RSPB Conwy today and spotted a Pallas’s Gull. I know that it wasn’t a Black-headed Gull as it was bigger.

I have never seen one before, but it definitely was one as I checked in the book.

Not bad for my first visit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing else there.

Shut 'em down...

I recently had a post deleted from the North Wales Birding Form that went along the lines of ‘…..I have visited the Point of Ayr and Oakenholt Marsh in excess of four hundred times combined and have never seen Colin Wells -- the site manager for the Dee Estuary - at either in location in the last five years…’

Apparently this constituted a personal attack – a statement of fact.

You would expect this sort of thing to happen in China or Syria, but on a birding website?

I can appreciate that administrating a website can be a difficult task and that you are never going to please all of the people all of the time, but was this really necessary?

Perhaps the best thing about the NWBF over the last six months has been the threads that have broken out into rancour, dispute and hot debate. A few insults flew around, but are people really so thin-skinned and sensitive?

I think the NWBF is now very sterile, and the most offensive aspect of the forum is the banal drivel that now constitutes ninety-five percent of its content – the other five percent is taken up by Alan Davies PLC.

Until later.

Common and Garden

I did the rounds on Saturday and whilst the cast at Shotton Pools was pretty much unchanged, Connah’s Quay is starting to produce some interesting birds.

Close scrutiny of the Wagtails on the Ash Pool produced a couple of juvenile Yellows amongst the throngs of Pied and a single juvenile Wheatear dropped in too for a few minutes before mysteriously vanishing.

There seems to be plenty more vegetation on the reserve this autumn, with the stately Teasel legion – much to the delight of the local Greenfinches and Bumblebees.

Plenty of Ragwort too, with tens of Gatekeepers filling their boots; in fact many flutterbuys were on the wing including Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Small Heath and Red Admiral.

Oakenholt Marsh was dominated by the increasing Canada Geese and the hundreds of Black-headed Gulls are still holding sway on the mudflats although wader numbers are building.

Notable shorebirds included a couple of Common Sandpipers and a brace of Spotted Redshanks, but Greenshanks were conspicuous by their absence – just one on the Bunded Pools, although a punter earlier in the week had recorded twenty-four!

More migratory waders in the shape of a pair of Green Sandpipers were on the reservoir at Shotton Pools that also contained a rather bedraggled looking Kingfisher.

Quite a few Warblers were skulking around the fruiting shrubs and bushes, but all kept discreetly from view with the exception of a Garden Warbler.

Ace Cetti-hunter Denzil had one of the aforementioned here a couple of weeks ago too, but if it was still on the manor it effortlessly gave me the slip.

Until later.