Through a hedge, quietly

27 Monday Nov 2017

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, Green woodpecker, Picus viridis, woodpecker

171127 Green woodpecker (1)

My usual view of the Green woodpecker (Picus viridis) is a flash of its bright red Mohawk, bright green body and bright yellow rump as it rockets rapidly away from me. They are notoriously nervous birds and, as they usually feed on wide open expanses of grass – all the better to spot the dreaded photographer trying to creep up on them, they easily spot my clumsy attempts at stalking, and fly off at the drop of an ant. So, the few photos I’d managed to get were with my long lens on full zoom, with, invariably, the bird partly obscured by branches, twigs or long grass.

171127 Green woodpecker (3)

Until last Friday that is…. I was enjoying a wander at Cosmeston, when, having already unsuccessfully stalked one bird, I spotted another in a different field. This time, this woodpecker was completely occupied with poking in the damp soil for ants, and I was on a footpath behind a hedge. I moved to the grassy verge, took care not to step on anything that might crack or rustle, and kept my head down. If the bird looked up, I froze until it got back to its digging. There weren’t many gaps in the hedge so I still couldn’t get very clear or very close shots but I am still ridiculously pleased to have got these couple.

171127 Green woodpecker (4) 171127 Green woodpecker (5)

Berries and birds

25 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature, plants

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

autumn berries, berries, berries and birds, berry eating birds, birding, birdwatching, Song thrush, thrush

In recent days, on my regular walks, whether in suburban streets or in the local parks and nature reserves, wherever I see berries there are birds, usually thrushes, gobbling down as many berries as they can find.

171125 Thrush and berries (1)

A Song thrush found its golden treasure trove in a tiny, but well-planted-for-wildlife garden amongst the apartments of Penarth Marina, and, below, this thrush, at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park, looked to have chosen a berry far too big for its beak but it persevered and, eventually, by applying a little pressure to squash the berry a fraction, down the hatch it went.

171125 Thrush and berries (2)

Birding at Dawlish Warren

19 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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birding, birdwatching, Brent geese, British birds, Dawlish Warren, Dunlin, Exe estuary, Grey plover, national nature reserve, Oystercatchers, Shelduck

Last Sunday I joined ten hardy souls from the Glamorgan Bird Club (and two of their equally hardy children) to brave the strong polar winds and occasional stinging rain showers to check out the birding delights of south Devon. After a brief stopover at Labrador Bay for the Cirl buntings (see yesterday’s post), we headed to the National Nature Reserve at Dawlish Warren, to check the beach, sand dunes, and mudflats of the Exe estuary.

We had immediate success sea-watching from the beach, with good views of two Red-throated and one Great northern diver – both new birds for me, as well as Great crested grebes, Cormorant and the always-impressive sight of a Gannet crashing headfirst into the waves to dive for fish.

171119 Dawlish Warren (5) 171119 Dawlish Warren (6) 171119 Dawlish Warren (7)

Though half of me got soaked during the walk out to the hide at the end of the sandspit (must invest in good, lined waterproof trousers!), the effort was worth it for the wealth of waders to be seen, feeding along the water’s edge and hunkering down on the sandy beach against the biting winds. As well as large numbers of Oystercatchers and Brent geese, there were also Dunlin and Ringed plover, Shelducks and Sanderlings, Turnstones, Bar- and Black-tailed godwits and a couple of Curlew, plus the ubiquitous gull species.

171119 River Exe (1) 171119 River Exe (4)

Later, we stopped further up the Exe for a quick look over the river, where I managed to snap three Grey plover amongst a flock of Dunlin flying past. It was a long but grand day’s birding and, with four lifers to add to my sightings’ list, I was well pleased.

171119 River Exe (3) 171119 River Exe (5)

You can find out more about the flora and fauna of Dawlish Warren here, and check this link for the latest bird sightings at Dawlish Warren.

171119 River Exe (2)

Cirl bunting

18 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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bird conservation, birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cirl bunting, Cirl Bunting Project, Emberiza cirlus, Glamorgan Bird Club, Labrador Bay

I find the constant reports of dwindling biodiversity, increasing numbers of creatures at risk of extinction, and the destruction of the environment to build yet another road quite depressing so it’s nice to be able to write about a conservation success story. Though the Cirl bunting was once a common bird throughout southern England and Wales, changes in farming practices meant that its population had plummeted to just 118 pairs in 1989. But, thanks to the RSPB and a small number of supportive organisations, plus environmentally aware farmers and The Countryside Stewardship Scheme (which compensates farmers for making small areas of their land more wildlife-friendly), the Cirl bunting population has increased to at least 862 pairs, and the birds have been reintroduced to an area in Cornwall where they had previously died out.

171118 Cirl bunting (1)

On a Glamorgan Bird Club trip to England’s south coast last weekend, our group called in at the RSPB’s Labrador Bay reserve, which was created especially for these gorgeous little birds and, despite the freezing cold, strong winds blowing over this stunning coastal site, we were privileged to see three Cirl buntings dotting about in the hedgerows.

You can read more about the Cirl Bunting Project on the RSPB website. Oh and, in case you’re wondering, Cirl is pronounced Sirl, and the word comes from the bird’s Latin name Emberiza cirlus, which, apparently, comes from the Italian zirlare, meaning to chirp. Let’s hope these little birds keep on chirping, and increasing, in the years ahead.

171118 Cirl bunting (4)

As the Herring gull said to the Lesser Black-backed …

16 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, gull conversation, gulls, Herring gull, Lesser black-backed gull

171116 gull chat (1)

Herb: “Don’t look now but there’s a human over there with one of those black pointy thingies covering one eye, looking in our direction.”
Alby: “Do you think it’s going to hurt us, Herb? What should we do?”
Herb: “Those things don’t usually hurt. Maybe if we just keep perfectly still, it’ll go away.”

171116 gull chat (2)

Alby: “I think it’s still there. Can you take a look, Herb?”

171116 gull chat (3)

Herb: “Yep, still there. It’s making a clicking noise.”
Alby: “What should we do?”
Herb: “Let’s do something really weird. That might scare it off.”

171116 gull chat (4)

Gulls are tricksy

11 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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Tags

birding, birdwatching, British birds, gulls, Larus michahellis, Yellow-legged gull

Gulls were doing my head in earlier this week. A Yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) had been reported by local birdwatchers and, as I’d never seen one and the location was on a lovely walking route along the River Taff, I thought I’d go for a look-see. “It was the only large gull on the river so that might help”, said one who had spotted it the previous day. Well, wouldn’t you know it – when I arrived at the site, there were two large gulls there and, to my gull-uneducated eye, they looked very alike.

171111 Yellow-legged gull (2)

The grey back of the Yellow-legged gull is supposed to be somewhere between that of a Herring gull and a Lesser black-backed gull but, when you have neither of those gulls sitting right next to yours to do a comparison and when one of my possibilities was standing in deep shade and the other in full sun, it was almost impossible to see any difference. So, I followed the other advice I’d been given: “Take lots of photos and hope the experts can help you out.” Thanks to those experts, in the South Wales Birding group on Facebook, I can here present to you my first-ever Yellow-legged gull … and I wish you the very best of luck if you’re ever trying to ID one of these for yourself.

171111 Yellow-legged gull (1)

’Tis the time of the thrushes

09 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in autumn, birds, nature

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

berries and birds, berry eating birds, birding, birdwatching, Mistle thrush, Redwing, Song thrush, thrush, Turdus iliacus, Turdus philomelos, Turdus viscivorus

Officially, in Britain, the resident true thrushes are the Ring ouzel, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Song thrush, Mistle thrush and Redwing, while other thrush species are occasional, sometimes rare visitors.

171109 Redwing (2)

The thrushes I’ve been noticing most in recent weeks have been the Song thrush, Mistle thrush and Redwing, partly due to their seasonal migration southwards to our ever so slightly milder south Wales climate and partly due to this being prime berry-eating time.

Song thrushes (Turdus philomelos) are resident here all year round, though there is some movement through Britain from Scandinavian birds heading south for the winter.

171109 Mistle thrush (1)

It can sometimes be difficult to distinguish Song from Mistle thrushes (Turdus viscivorus), though the Mistles have a tendency to perch high in the tree tops (or, I discovered, on TV aerials, in urban areas!) and to stand with heads held high when foraging on the ground, and their football-rattle song is unmistakeable. I saw my first Mistle thrushes of the season on 9 October and there are now quite large numbers in local parks and reserves.

171109 Redwing (1)

Redwings (Turdus iliacus) were reported locally in early October but it was the 30th before I caught up with a small flock at Cathays Cemetery in Cardiff, and I’ve since spent several hours following them around the berry trees at Cosmeston, trying to get close enough for photos. They’re easily spooked though so my shots so far have not been that great – I’ll keep trying, and I’ll need to try to find Ring ouzels and Fieldfare as well.

On a grey Bay day

04 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature, walks

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

birding, birds, birdwatching, black-headed gulls, British birds, Canada geese, Cardiff Bay, Coot, Cormorant, fog, Great Crested Grebe, little grebe, long-tailed tit, Moorhen, Mute swan, Pied wagtail, starling, walk around Cardiff Bay

171104 1 Cardiff Bay fog

Thick fog hung over Cardiff Bay as I set out on a round-the-bay circuit yesterday morning and, though the fog thinned as the day went on, the day remained grey. Still, never let it be said that grey is boring. Birds there were aplenty (and wildflowers, too … but that’s for tomorrow’s post).

This cormorant was enjoying a successful spot of fishing in the old Penarth dock area, though it was slim pickings for the three Little grebes around the corner in the River Ely.

All around the Bay, on almost every man-made structure and clump of rocks near the water, Pied wagtails bobbed, wagged and ‘chisicked’.

Coots were even more numerous, and an occasional Moorhen prospected along the shoreline.

171104 5 Cormorant 171104 5 Flock of Canada geese

As I was watching this Cormorant drying its wings, our peace and tranquillity was interrupted by the loud honking of a large skein of Canada Geese flying in from the west.

Where concrete and buildings dominate the shoreline and there’s a notable absence of trees, the birds have adapted and perch on tree-like things.

I saw perhaps half a dozen Great crested grebes around the Bay: I always admire how long they can stay underwater when fishing. Mute swans were more numerous. They are birds of such contrasts, looking anything but decorous when flaunting their glorious white bottoms as they feed, yet the picture of elegance when preening.

171104 8 Black-headed gull (3)

The most abundant came at the end of my walk. It was standing room only for the Black-headed gulls on the Barrage.

Wild words: jizz

01 Wednesday Nov 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, nature

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#WildWords, birding, birding lingo, birding words, birdwatching, jizz, words in nature

There’s a whole new lingo to learn when you move more seriously into birdwatching. There’s dipping (missing out on seeing a particular bird), confiding (used to describe a bird that allows good views), twitching (chasing rare sightings, a pursuit that can get obsessive), LBJs (Little brown jobs, describing small brown birds that can be indistinguishable one from the other; interestingly, also applied to fungi), as well as the shortened names for the birds themselves (Blackwit for Black-tailed godwit; Mipit for Meadow pipit but Rockit not Ripit for Rock pipit).

171101 sparrowhawk

The word I like best, though it provides the biggest challenge – indeed, this will be a rest-of-my-lifetime challenge, is jizz, ‘the characteristic impression given by a particular species of animal or plant’. Let me give you an example: I see a bird flying overhead and, though the bird is distant and its exact features difficult to see, I can recognise which bird it is from its silhouette and the way it is flying. I had a moment of great jubilation just this week when I was able to identify a Sparrowhawk flying over a local field, from its outline and its distinctive flap-flap-glide flying pattern.

October on the Ely embankment

31 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by sconzani in birds, coastal fauna, nature, walks

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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Cardiff Bay, Ely embankment, Great Crested Grebe, Linnet, little grebe, Pied wagtail, Redshank, River Ely, Rock pipit, Turnstone, Wheatear

At least once a week I take a turn along the embankment where the River Ely flows out into Cardiff Bay as it makes a nice circular walk from my home on the cliff-top above in Penarth. (It’s good exercise too, as what goes down there must walk back up!) I always record what I see – usually birds – so thought I would share my sightings in an end-of-monthly post.

A variety of birds make their home in this stretch of water, which they share with a yachting marina and associated water traffic coming and going. There are almost always Turnstones in varying quantities (from one to nine), Mallards, Mute swans, one or two Great Crested Grebes (including their progeny this year), a proliferation of Coots, the occasional Cormorant fishing, usually a couple of Grey wagtails and a couple of Pieds. Gulls fly overhead and there are plenty of hirundines, in the season.

2 October: A Wheatear, an unusual visitor, almost certainly on a migration stopover, was dotting about on the embankment stones; a Pied wagtail was doing its morning stretches, and a Rock pipit was browsing for titbits.

171031f Little grebe

16 October: This was the day before ex-hurricane Ophelia made her presence felt, the day of the jaundiced yellow sky and the rusty red sun, which you can see reflected in my photo of the four Little grebes that were sheltering from the incoming weather. A juvenile Grey wagtail was dotting along the embankment, calling incessantly for its parent; and a Great crested grebe was enjoying a very successful fishing session, coming up with fish in two successive dives.

171031h Linnet

22 October: The day after Storm Brian I walked the embankment to see if any unusual birds had been blown in. The usual suspects were present, except that, most unusually, there wasn’t a single Turnstone. A solitary Linnet flitted back and forth from pavement to stones, and three rather exhausted-looking Redshanks dozed warily along the water line. One of these was colour-ringed and might possibly be the bird I saw back in March but I couldn’t see its rings well enough to be sure.

171031i Redshank