Playing it Koi

An indecently early trip down to Inner Marsh Farm this morning produced a good crop of waders, plus a few raptors.

Immediately obvious on arrival were the large numbers of Lapwing roosting on the causeway; less conspicuous was a small group of waders feeding at the back of number one pool that included a handful each of Dunlin, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and a single Spotted Redshank.

Not too long until the breeding season now, but unlike many of the Black-headed Gulls replete with new brown caps, none of the shorebirds showed any sign of moulting.

A ringtail Hen Harrier was next of the agenda, and after quartering the edge of number two pool for ten minutes it obligingly flew right in front of the hide, whilst on the wet meadow a male Peregrine perched on a clod of earth cast ran the rule over potential prey items.

No sign of the Bittern this morning, although as I write this I notice much to my chagrin that it was reported just after lunchtime! Like the over-wintering Marsh Harrier, this bird seems intent on giving me the run around this winter!

Lots of activity near the mere on the new reserve today, with quite a few blokes involved in netting the remaining fish from the drained pool. With good sized carp fetching a king’s ransom, it is hardly surprising that they are keen to retrieve every single one.

I also understand that our Polish friend’s penchant for eating carp has led to many of the fish being poached nationwide. I can’t think why – as somebody recently told me, there is only one way to prepare carp: cook between two pieces of wood, then remove the carp, throw it away and eat the wood.

Inner Marsh Farm 28.02.10

2,500 Lapwing
6 Ruff
1 Spotted Redshank
1 Hen Harrier (ringtail)
1 Peregrine (male)
1 Sparrowhawk

Until later.

A Hiding To Nothing

Sitting in the hurt locker that is the west hide at Connah’s Quay NR, I often muse on what makes the perfect hide.

Probably the two most important factors are location and ergonomics; as a birder I want to be close to the birds and comfortable.

There are not many hides that are in poor locations (unless anybody knows differently!), with only the Sandgrounders hide at Marshside – way too low by my reckoning – and the Foresty Commission Hide at Foel Frech in Cloclaenog - that presumably was intended to overlook a Black Grouse lek, but now only allows close inspection of young conifer trees – the only ones immediately springing to mind.

Maybe the Centenary hide at the north of Lake Vyrnwy falls into this category by virtue of the fact that I suspect the viewing facility is so named because the last time anybody saw a bird from there was one hundred years ago! However, since you have the opportunity to see some fabulous birds as you walk to it, then I have excluded it.

Readers of this blog from last year will also remember that I am not very impressed when potentially good locations for hides are taken up by catering facilities!

Examples of hides in excellent locations are thankfully many. By far and away my favourite hide is the elevated Marain Mawr at Ynys-Hir overlooking the beautiful Dyfi Estuary and surrounding area, although this is run a very close second by the farthest of the two raised hides at the Dolydd Hafren reserve in Montgomeryshire that provides a wonderful panoramic over a natural floodplain in the River Severn.

Where most hides tend to fail is through poor design and examples of uncomfortable experiences are legion.

Possibly the greatest offender is the west hide at Connah’s Quay, that despite its superb position suffers from the narrowest viewing windows built in Wales since the archers’ slits were cut into Conwy Castle.

The pair of adjacent hides at the end of the path at Morfa Madryn are also badly designed with the low and high seats and windows seemingly suitable only for dwarfs and basketball players.

Equally annoying are the hides at Moore NR. Whilst robustly built and generally well situated, the shelf of wood underneath the window is invariably too thick to attach my hide clamp too.

What is so frustrating about poor design is that it is so unnecessary. The hide at Inner Marsh Farm – whether by accident or design – seems to be nearly faultless. The windows are large, the bench is the correct height and everybody from photographer to causal birder with binoculars seems content. Perhaps the only drawback is its size – with the reserve becoming much more popular in recent years, it can be a squeeze sometimes!

Until later.

Withering Heights

Plans to search for a possible Rough-legged Buzzard on the Wirral were soon shelved this morning when I was drafted in for a spot of dog walking – upland style.

After picking up a pair of willing Springers in Mold it was off to do a lap of Llyn Brenig. Whereas signs of spring are everywhere in lowland Cheshire, Mynydd Hiraethog is still firmly in the icy grip of winter, with large sections of the lake frozen and a good carpeting of snow on the moorland areas.

A cracking drake Goldeneye diving near the visitor centre was a good start to the day, but encounters with birds were few and far between today and the only things of note on the eastern section of the water were two singing Goldcrests and a trio of Mistle Thrush.

The north section of the reservoir near the hide tends to be the most productive for birds and so it was this afternoon too with a lovely pair of Goosander loafing on the shoreline and four more Goldeneye on the open water.

The large block of heather here is a reserve of the North Wales Wildlife Trust called Gors Maen Llwyd and over recent years has been the only reliable area I know in North Wales for Red Grouse. No sightings today though; indeed the only bird I found was a single Meadow Pipit!

When the sun finally broke through, it seemed to encourage the larger inhabitants of the area to take to the air as the last hour back to the visitor centre was punctuated with numerous flyover Ravens, three Buzzards and a solitary Kestrel that appeared to be displaying over one of the conifer blocks.

Until later.

Let's Dine

Wildfowl were the order of the day at Connah’s Quay this afternoon with good numbers of Shelduck, Teal, Mallard and Wigeon on the bunded pools.

The Wigeon – numbering around six hundred – were incredibly nervous and alert and when not being spooked by fearsome predators such as a Spotted Redshank, Carrion Crow and a Kestrel, the flock grazed in a peculiarly manic and purposeful fashion – they must have had quite an appetite for some reason.

It is only speculation, but maybe after such a harsh winter many of the ducks are in poor shape and now it is a race against time for many to build up fat reserves before undertaking a punishing migration.

Other birds on the reserve included my first Stonechat of the year in Flintshire, feeding on the small strip of rough grassland at the back of the larger sheep field. It is only over the last three or four days that these little passerines have started to reappear at their traditional sites after being absent during the winter – perhaps they have just started to fan out and establish breeding territories.

The area around the west hide was quiet with the waders spread thinly across the mudflats – the notable exception being the Blackwits that were huddled together Penguin fashion at the river’s edge.

A scan across the marsh revealed an adult female Marsh Harrier – presumably the same bird seen at IMF yesterday – using the strong easterly wind to hover over the White Sands area – clearly in Wales and number 113 for my Flintshire list!

Connah’s Quay 23.02.10

600 Wigeon
65 Teal
40 Mallard
150 Shelduck
600 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Greenshank
1 Marsh Harrier (adult female)
1 Bullfinch
1 Stonechat

Until later.

Eventually

A day of pottering around comprised an afternoon visit to Inner Marsh Farm suspended between dawn and dusk visits to a couple of local patches with my dog

For her morning constitutional, I took Becks to Hockenall Platts near Stapleford. Bathed in sunshine, the trees and hedgerows up towards the farm were the platform for a handful of singing Chaffinch, but these were far eclipsed by an encounter with my first singing Yellowhammer of the spring.

The arable fields were bustling with hundreds of Redwing and Fieldfare, but loud ‘kronking’ prompted me to scan the skies for Raven and to my amazement there were two pairs drifting over, with one pair appearing to be displaying to each other.

Inner Marsh Farm had had yet another visit from Jack Frost with only the margins of number one and two pools unfrozen. These sections were occupied by a couple of hundred or so of both Teal and Wigeon, but soon a raptor soon flew into view from above the hide, flushed the ducks, and then headed for the trees.

At first I though it was a Buzzard, but when it banked left revealing little under-wing colouration and a nice cream-capped bonce, I realised I had eventually managed to catch up with the wintering adult female Marsh Harrier.

As is the case with many of the Marsh Harriers that visit this reserve, it seemed to ignore the reeds and wet meadow area and make a beeline straight for the wood?

The Pinks are still in residence with at least five hundred birds today, but there could well have been more out of view. Unfortunately, some diddy had decided to walk along the metalled track that passes in front of the barn and then incredulously into the wet meadow area. Not surprisingly this flushed most of the Pinkies and disappointingly the woman appeared to be carrying binoculars.

With Becks successfully lobbying for walk number two, I popped down to the Gowy Meadows late in the evening. Predictably it was fairly quiet, but it was a delight to find two pairs of Stonechats near the river. It seems almost miraculous that these small insectivores have survived such a harsh winter – hats off, I say!

Until later.

Note: I have just realised that I had selected the 'Registered Users Only' criteria for the 'Post A Comment' icon, making it difficult to make a posting. I have changed this now, so from the drop-down box, choose 'Anonymous' and then anybody can post a comment.

Moss Bros

With all the hysteria over Tiger Woods’ ‘apology’ and Amy Williams gold medal for going down a chute on a dinner tray, I was reminded of a line from Joseph Heller’s glorious Catch 22 “Like Olympic medals and golf trophies, all they signified was that the owner had done something of no benefit to anyone more capably than everyone else."

Still, it is easy to escape the media overkill and there is no better place to flee to than the quiet and austere terrain of Fenn’s and Whixall Moss. The English Nature managed site is not a reserve of great numbers of birds, more a reserve of great birds and this morning I set off with the hope of connecting with one of its most sought after visitors - the Great Grey Shrike.

Heading off from the car park I was encouraged by the news that a GGS had been clocked near the old peat factory at the north-east corner of the moss. Today must have been about attempt number six or seven for an over-wintering Shrike here, but despite bumping into another satisfied birder, I failed miserably yet again despite walking over what seemed every hectare.

That’s two misses in one week now, but at least when I looked last Tuesday I was treated to a Marsh Tit and a Green Woodpecker. Still, a Treecreeper, a Goldcrest, a lovely pair of Bullfinch, plus a single Raven is not a terrible return for three hours work.

It was after last week’s visit that I stumbled on a webpage detailing the birds, butterflies and dragonflies of the moss. It’s quite interesting as Mr Fry might say - the list of butterflies is particularly impressive.

Link: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/whixallweb/species.htm

Until later.

Cold Comfort Farm

Frequent spells of snowfall kept me confined to the hide at Inner Marsh Farm late this afternoon, where during brief periods of visibility good numbers wildfowl were to be enjoyed.

Tomorrow signalling the end of the wildfowling season, I am sure the ducks and geese will be enjoying a collective sigh of relief as they begin to prepare for their spring migrations.

Very few waders on the reserve today, so it was perhaps lucky that one happened to be a cracking Spotted Redshank, with the remainder of the handful made up from a few Dunlin, a couple of Redshank and a single Snipe.

Raptors were represented in the form of a young female Sparrowhawk and a rather dejected looking Buzzard that loped around the fringes of number one pool.

The skein of Pinkies continue to mooch around the field behind the wet meadow and appear to be growing in numbers by the day, with up to seven hundred present recently – excellent numbers for Dee. With such a large flock it seems increasingly likely that it may harbour the odd goody in the form of a White-front or a Bean Goose – the latter hopefully as I am yet to see one!

Five Golden Plovers over the path back to the car park was a good record and the first birds of this species I have seen this year. When the mercury really plummeted at he start of January they all seemed to vamoose and despite thousands of Lapwing on the estuary this year, the quintet this evening are a year tick. Sadly they were firmly in English airspace, so no addition to my Flintshire list – ho hum.

With the continuing freezing temperatures it seems barely conceivable that in three weeks the first Wheatears will be crossing the channel on their passage from Africa. If the present cold spell continues then they might me in for a rude shock when they hit landfall in Blighty – a two week pit stop on the Riviera should do the trick!

Until later.

Whiteout

Comfortably numb probably best describes how I felt in the west hide at Connah’s Quay this afternoon. For a change the wind was not blasting through the shutters, but the pervasive fog and cold cloaking the estuary gradually permeated through my clothing chilling me to the bones.

No matter, as there was a good turnout today of both birds and birders, with regulars Keith and Bob amongst a good crowd on the reserve over high tide.

Waders were again the star attraction with perhaps ten thousand roosting on Oakenholt Marsh - the lion’s share made up from Lapwing, Knot, Dunlin and building numbers of Black-tailed Godwit.

Soon after the birds had settled a male Peregrine attacked the roost and sent all the waders into the air. The pulsating groups of birds seem to make all manner of shapes as they twisted and turned and today they appeared to be running through the various illustrations of human internal organs, including passable attempts at Kidney, Heart, Lung and Liver!

On the bunded pools, a good count of Wigeon and Teal was to be had, but the area was strangely devoid of any of the rarer ‘shanks and the faint call of a Spot Red was the only evidence today that any were about.

However, it is very seldom that Connah’s Quay fails to produce at least one thing unusual and on the way back to the car the four of us was treated to decent views of an adult female Hen Harrier drifting over the embankment behind the pools.

Until later.

Nelson

The varying fortunes of two geese were very much the focus of attention this afternoon at a fog drenched Inner Marsh Farm.

A carcass of a dead Canada Goose was the subject of contested ownership and it was the local Fox that eventually claimed the spoils with the next place in the pecking order being taken by a pair of Ravens.

The Fox could not decide what the best strategy was; either to eat as much as physically possible or to carry the remains away to another location. In the end it must have reasoned that the more it consumed the easier it would be to carry, so a policy of scoff and drag was duly adopted!

The other goose of note was an Egyptian one picked up feeding on the wet meadow area near the boating lake. Being firmly in Flintshire it represented another unexpected addition to my year list, taking me to the cricketers’ bogey number - the dreaded 111!

It is probably nothing more than coincidental, but looking through my dusty old tome, the last time I recorded this species was almost exactly to the same date three years previously at the same location – Inner Marsh Farm – and that bird was a single too.

On that occasion though, it didn’t have the company of the fabulous flock of Pinkies that are still feeding on the small arable field behind the wet meadow. Also notable today were two Ruff, good numbers of Lapwing and Teal, plus superb views of a hunting adult female Hen Harrier.

Just before it was time to draw the stumps, I had a quick scan of Burton Marsh from Denhall Lane. The visibility was dreadful, but I was fairly sure that I had a Marsh Harrier hunting over towards the Dee channel, but attempts to relocate the bird with the scope failed miserably and with a ringtail Hen Harrier in the same area doubts crept in. Stuck on 111 then - I’ll just have to keep standing on one leg a la David Shepherd…

Until later.

Water Feature

Yet another excellent morning at Connah’s Quay before high tide - the star bird being a very showy Water Pipit feeding with a flock of five Rock Pipits on the edge of the stream in front of the west hide.

It is by no means easy separating these two species - especially when the Scandinavian race of Rock Pipit comes into the equation. Fortunately, the elevation of the hide afforded good views of the bird’s tail and with all other features matching up, the clear white edges running down the feathers clinched the identity.

The pipits fed for a good ten minutes before they were spooked by a handful of alarmed Teal – alarmed because clumsy me had been as subtle as a bull in a china chop when trying to open another shutter!

Other highlights included spectacular views of fifteen hundred Black-tailed Godwits towering over hundreds of Dunlin and Knot busily weaving around their long legs, whilst the bunded pools played host to a couple of Spotted Redshanks, three Greenshanks and the resident Kingfisher.

A trip around the fringes of Burton Marsh with Stan in the afternoon paid dividends too as we enjoyed some extremely close views of hunting Short-eared Owls. Clearly the owls have to look to the perimeters of the marsh for food following the big tides as I have heard reports of birds quartering the paddocks behind the old baths at Parkgate, whilst Stan had noted two birds in the field at Denhall Lane.

As the rain steadily became more organised (to use the BBC weather term!), we were then treated to a classic end to a winter’s afternoon – a big flock of Pinkies flying directly over our heads and if my counting was up to scratch yesterday then there were four hundred and fifty nine of them!

Connah’s Quay NR 15.02.10

1,500 Black-tailed Godwit
800 Dunlin
400 Knot
400 Oystercatcher
3 Greenshank
2 Spotted Redshank
1 Kingfisher
1 Water Pipit
5 Rock Pipit

Until later.

Marsh Chicanery

A lovely bright and calm morning down at White Sands early doors for my WeBS count, with a few Skylarks interpreting the late winter sunshine as an invitation to sing. It didn’t last long sadly, as low cloud quickly spilled over the estuary and the birds were soon silenced.

As at the Point of Ayr yesterday, wader and wildfowl numbers were fairly modest, although I think eighty six Curlews represents a record count for the species for me on this section of marsh.

It is often the case with birds that the most noteworthy news is the absence of one or more particular species and today was one such day. In two and a half hours I didn’t see one single raptor, one wild swan or one heron.

The swans are elsewhere, but the non appearance of any birds of prey is puzzling – perhaps the high tides have decimated the small mammal population. As far as the herons are concerned, Little Egret numbers did drop dramatically during the hard weather, but they seem to have picked up recently – so too the Grey Herons.

On a positive note, four Rock Pipits – two of which showed wonderfully in a hawthorn bush – and no fewer than eighteen Reed Buntings were counted at various points along the embankment.

My final task of the day was to count the swans around Shotwick area. Thirteen Mutes were feeding adjacent to the boating lake, but the highlight of the day was counting my way through the 459 Pinkies munching their way through the same field – a marvellous spectacle.

The ‘wild’ swans were at their prefered location near the Deeside Industrial Estate and as per usual they were not playing ball on WeBS day. Many were fast asleep and some were feeding with the bills buried deep in the grass.

Bill shape, the amount of black on the beak, the length of the neck and the size of the bird are all key features to look for when trying to separate the Whooper from the Bewick Swans, but I defy anybody to say this is straightforward – experienced birder or not.

Many of the key identifiers above are variable and when – like today – they are grazing or resting it can be nye on impossible! Eventually I settled for the tried and tested method of determining the total numbers of swans – eighty nine – before rescanning the flock for the species in the minority – the Whoopers – and just counting them – thirty four – and all you need then is a simple bit of subtraction and Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt!

White Sands 14.02.10

Mute Swan 1
Canada Goose 5
Shelduck 76
Wigeon 156
Teal 23
Mallard 7
Curlew 86
Redshank 58
Oystercatcher 17
Black-tailed Godwit 21
Dunlin 3

Shotwick Fields/Boating Lake 14.02.10

Pink-footed Goose 459
Bewicks Swan 55
Whooper Swan 34
Mute Swan 13

Until later.

Silent Witness

No, not an advert for the perils of eating too many salty snacks full of saturated fats, but the rather macabre remains of a Red-throated Diver found on the spit at the Point of Ayr this morning. Birds must perish all the time – especially those subject to harsh conditions out at sea – but this was a sad spectacle as it appears to have lost its left leg.

It is only speculation but I suspect the leg may have been torn off after being caught in fishing nets. This would have severely hampered the diver’s ability to fish and not being able to feed it would have quickly succumbed to starvation.

I was down on the beach for another stint of wardening - this time with local birder Pete Milner. Like many birders I feel duty bound to try and put something back when at all possible. Whether it be doing some survey work, protecting a wader roost or just enthusing people about wildlife – every little helps!

A herd of circa 600 Curlew was the most significant piece of bird news today; these large waders are early nesters so it will not be too long before some return to their breeding grounds.

Otherwise the spit was quiet. Even the Oystercatcher numbers have dropped off with only approximately a thousand today, whilst the remainder of the cast where made up from small numbers of Shelduck, Pintail, Teal, Redshank, Sanderling and Grey Plover.

The resident female Merlin seems to have done a bunk too, although the remains of yet another bird nearby – a dead Skylark – hinted at a recent visit from the diminutive falcon.

Until later.

A New Site To Lek On!

Welcome to my new blog ‘The Black Grouse.’ Following in the footsteps of ‘chesterbirder’ this blog will be dedicated to reporting sightings, musings and ramblings on all things avian and beyond.

The blog will be roughly focused on the former area of Clwyd – although not exclusively – as practically all my birding will be on the welsh side of the Dee Estuary and in magnificent upland areas such as the Berwyn Mountains, Ruabon Moor and Mynydd Hiraethog.

As before, I would greatly appreciate any comments, sightings or thoughts anybody may have on the wildlife of this region.

Hare Krishna.

Paul Shenton 12.02.10