A month is a long time in birding...

Well it all seems to have been happening whilst I was away on my jollies.

Unsavoury shenanigans at Shotton NR, rumours of some work actually being carried out at Inner Marsh Holiday Camp and last but by no means least, evidence that the RSPB has not forgotten about the Point of Ayr as they have actually erected a sign pointing to the bird hide.

Naturally, there is no evidence of the 'Cuddfa', but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Not much else doing at the POA, but a couple of Common Sandpipers milling around the small area of marsh behind the colliery site was good, plus there were plenty of Little Egrets bozzing about between the various channels.

Connahs Quay was a little better with the same number of Common Sands, plus the first late summer flush of returning waders: Greenshank, plus good numbers of Redshank and Dunlin were present to augment the over-summering Blackwits.

Until later.

Sierra Nevada

Hola,

Sorry for being a little thin on the ground with posts recently, but after my protracted house move I have been indulging in some serious rest and relaxation in Andalucia, Spain.

Despite being accompanied by the Leicas this time, it has only been over the last couple of days that I have had chance to do some birding - in the sublime and thankfully cool Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada.

At a shade under 3000 metres there is still large areas of snow on the tops, despite temperatures in the cities being ´hace mucho calor.´

Birding is fairly hard going at this altitude with only a handful of species recorded. By far the most common bird was Northern Wheatear, followed closely by a sizable population of Chough.

More interesting birds included a couple of Black Redstart, an Olive-backed Pipit and most notably excellent views of an Alpine Accentor feeding amongst some large boulders.

It was butterflies that stole the show though. I must have logged at least twenty different species including Sierra Nevada Blue, Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady, plus varities of Argus´, Frittilaries and a superb Spanish Marbled White.

Hasta Luego...

Moss Side

You wouldn't have thought it would take up to four people the best part of three weeks to clear a semi-detached house and then clean it from top to bottom, but I hadn't ventured for the fact that 95% of all the goods that China has produced over the last ten years to be crammed into every cupboard, nook and cranny.

It was good therefore to be able to take the opportunity to restore my sanity with a trip to Fenn's Moss.

It was hardly peaceful with the RAF training helicopters pratting about, but fortunately they were unable to drown out a calling Cuckoo, nor deter a hunting Hobby whose mastery of the air made the 'copters attempts at manoeuvrability look comical.

Before I had even reached the moss proper, I had bagged my first Ringlet of the year - a lone flyer amongst the ranks of Large Skipper and Meadow Brown.

Dragonflies, as expected were everywhere: the vast majority were Four-spotted Chasers, with a few Broad-bodied thrown in for good measure. The specialty - White-faced Darter was thankfully not hard to find - a male even had the temerity to land on my knee whilst I was sat next to one of the ditches!

A singing Garden Warbler nearby completed a superb morning - it wont be long before I'm back for more..

Until later.

Eye-eye Skipper

I’ve not had much time for birding recently as I seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time clearing my old house out in Chester.

Nonetheless, I have made a few much needed sorties to the nearby River Gowges in order to stop going stir crazy and to give my neglected hound a little bit of exercise.

Birding is very quiet at the moment, so it has been an excellent opportunity to watch a few of the smaller critters. Having said that it was still a bird – a humble House Sparrow – that created the most interest this morning.

Crashing through the reeds – I’m sure to the amusement of the local and more dextrous Reed Buntings – I was completely unsure as to what the bird was trying to achieve.

After a few minutes all was revealed as the male passerine emerged from the undergrowth with a Banded Demoiselle. The lure of protein to feed its chicks was obviously enough to compel the Sparrow into making him look like a cumbersome fool!

The spell of hot and sunny weather has been excellent for the local butterflies, so it is no surprise that the last few days has yielded my first Large Skipper and Meadow Brown of the year.

Small Tortoiseshell have been absolutely everywhere and I have had to employ some pretty nifty footwork to avoid stepping on individuals sunbathing on footpaths.

Dragonflies have been less conspicuous with a lone riding male Migrant Hawker having the run of the river near Stamford Bridge.

Until later.

No.

Ian McKerchar very kindly contacted me by email yesterday evening to inform me that my Goshawk sighting at Pennington Flash last year had not passed the scrutiny of the relevant committee. Here is his correspondence:

Re: Goshawk, Pennington Flash, 10.11.09

Dear Paul,

firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time and effort to submit the above sighting to the Greater Manchester Rarities Committee for which we are very grateful.

Unfortunately, on this occasion the committee found the identification of the bird to be not proven. Of course, it is important to point out that we do not necessarily consider that any mis-identification was made only that in this instance the submission failed to meet our criteria for acceptance.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of your submission or indeed our decision please do not hesitate to contact me.Best wishes,

Ian

It was no great surprise really, but disappointing nonetheless. I assume it was dismissed as a juvenile female Sparrowhawk, but considering I am a pretty experienced birder and that I saw the Goshawk down to twenty yards I do find the decision a little puzzling…

I suppose it reinforces the idea that if you don’t belong to the right clique or crowd then you are unlikely to be believed…

Until later.