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| This Barred Warbler was one of three sylvia warblers in an elder at the entrance to Druridge Pools this morning... |
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| As well as this Garden Warbler and a female Blackcap. |
Showing posts with label Garden Warbler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Garden Warbler. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 October 2017
Barred....
Sunday, 9 October 2016
A great day on Holy Island...
Saturday proved to be one of those classic days on Holy Island with loads of common birds and a few more interesting species. We arrived before the sun had risen so waited in the car for a while before looking around the village. As soon as it got light the large numbers of Goldcrests and Robins on the island were impressive, and we soon heard our first Yellow-browed Warbler and Brambling of the day. On reaching the Vicar's Garden another Yellow-browed Warbler was showing and a late Sand Martin flew over.
After this we walked down the Straight Lonnen, seeing an extremely smart Great Grey Shrike and 2 Black-tailed Godwits just to the east. My dad also found a mobile Red-breasted Flycatcher in one of the elders beside the path. We kept on walking and another Red-breasted Flycatcher was in the willows at the north end of the Straight Lonnen, with this bird being much more obliging, showing down to just a couple of metres and calling a lot. A Short-eared Owl also flew over.
We had a thorough search of the dunes around the Quarry and Excavations but were unable to find yesterday's Little Bunting. However another Yellow-browed Warbler was feeding in some tiny hawthorns, 2 Redstarts were around Chare Ends and a Goldcrest landed on my tripod leg! We then heard news of a Pallas's Warbler in the Vicar's Garden so headed there next.
On arrival the garden was a hive of activity with numerous Goldcrests, several Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler. It took a while, but eventually the Pallas's Warbler was relocated and we got some brief but good views of this stunning bird. We waited another hour to see if the bird reappeared with little success but two Yellow-browed Warblers appeared alongside each other. We headed back to the car but decided to stop at the Snook on our way out.
This proved to be a great decision as on reaching the Snook House Plantation my dad got a brief view of a wing-barred phyllosc which he assumed was a Yellow-browed. However, I soon got onto the bird and noticed a very distinct central crown stripe. I told my dad that I thought it was another Pallas's Warbler, who quickly realised I wasn't joking when it flitted upwards revealing a striking bright yellow rump! A great bird to add to our self found lists!! Another Yellow-browed Warbler joined the Pallas's, with a further 2 YBWs on other parts of the Snook, along with a Redstart, Short-eared Owl and Merlin. Here's our final migrant totals...
2 Pallas's Warbler - hadn't had a decent view of one before today so nice to see two well in a day, and even find one!
2 Red-breasted Flycatcher
1 Great Grey Shrike
7 Yellow-browed Warbler
165+ Goldcrest
125+ Redwing
45+ Blackbird
50+ Song Thrush
2 Fieldfare
70+ Robin
1 Barn Owl
2 Short-eared Owl
15+ Chiffchaff
6 Blackcap
4 Brambling
1 Sand Martin
2 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Black-tailed Godwit
3 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Merlin
c.1000 Brent Goose
50+ Barnacle Goose
2 Little Egret
After this we walked down the Straight Lonnen, seeing an extremely smart Great Grey Shrike and 2 Black-tailed Godwits just to the east. My dad also found a mobile Red-breasted Flycatcher in one of the elders beside the path. We kept on walking and another Red-breasted Flycatcher was in the willows at the north end of the Straight Lonnen, with this bird being much more obliging, showing down to just a couple of metres and calling a lot. A Short-eared Owl also flew over.
We had a thorough search of the dunes around the Quarry and Excavations but were unable to find yesterday's Little Bunting. However another Yellow-browed Warbler was feeding in some tiny hawthorns, 2 Redstarts were around Chare Ends and a Goldcrest landed on my tripod leg! We then heard news of a Pallas's Warbler in the Vicar's Garden so headed there next.
On arrival the garden was a hive of activity with numerous Goldcrests, several Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler. It took a while, but eventually the Pallas's Warbler was relocated and we got some brief but good views of this stunning bird. We waited another hour to see if the bird reappeared with little success but two Yellow-browed Warblers appeared alongside each other. We headed back to the car but decided to stop at the Snook on our way out.
This proved to be a great decision as on reaching the Snook House Plantation my dad got a brief view of a wing-barred phyllosc which he assumed was a Yellow-browed. However, I soon got onto the bird and noticed a very distinct central crown stripe. I told my dad that I thought it was another Pallas's Warbler, who quickly realised I wasn't joking when it flitted upwards revealing a striking bright yellow rump! A great bird to add to our self found lists!! Another Yellow-browed Warbler joined the Pallas's, with a further 2 YBWs on other parts of the Snook, along with a Redstart, Short-eared Owl and Merlin. Here's our final migrant totals...
2 Pallas's Warbler - hadn't had a decent view of one before today so nice to see two well in a day, and even find one!
2 Red-breasted Flycatcher
1 Great Grey Shrike
7 Yellow-browed Warbler
165+ Goldcrest
125+ Redwing
45+ Blackbird
50+ Song Thrush
2 Fieldfare
70+ Robin
1 Barn Owl
2 Short-eared Owl
15+ Chiffchaff
6 Blackcap
4 Brambling
1 Sand Martin
2 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Black-tailed Godwit
3 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Merlin
c.1000 Brent Goose
50+ Barnacle Goose
2 Little Egret
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| Self found Pallas's Warbler at Snook House |
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| Pallas's Warbler in the Vicar's Garden |
Red-breasted Flycatcher in willows at north end of Straight Lonnen
Great Grey Shrike
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| Yellow-browed Warbler |
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
What a day!!
An arrival of migrants on Sunday afternoon meant we were keen to get back up to Holy Island on Monday. Thankfully it did not disappoint!
After an early start, we arrived on the island at half seven. The sun was out and without any wind it was feeling pretty warm already. We started at Chare Ends and our very first bird of the day was a brilliant Wood Warbler in the sycamores, the first time I'd seen one on passage. We had a good feeling about the day at that point!
The rest of the bushes there held good numbers of common migrants. When we reached the willow in between Chare Ends and The Excavations my dad whistled me around to his side of the tree. He'd found an Icterine Warbler! The bird showed well as it made the most of the morning heat. It also shared the willow with 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher, a Garden Warbler and some Willow Warblers.
In a willow near the Excavations I managed my third self-found Wryneck in five days. It was interesting to see it being mobbed by a Willow Warbler. Shortly after my dad found a different Wryneck at Chare Ends. Both birds were quite flighty and failed to provide a good photo opportunity. There was no scarcities at the Straight Lonnen or in the village, but more common migrants kept our spirits up.
By now the number of tourists had built, so we decided to head down to the Snook. At the plantation I got a very brief view of a bird that I was sure was a Barred Warbler. After another hour it didn't show again, but was confirmed later by other observers. There was also 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 4 Garden Warblers in here.
In the Snook House garden I spotted another Icterine Warbler in the sycamores. A few brief views only of this bird. Just to the west the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was showing. After some fieldcraft and a coating of Pirri-Pirri Birs I got a photo of the Shrike which I'm quite pleased with.
Also on the Snook we missed yet another Icterine Warbler and Wryneck which had been seen by others. 5 Whinchats were perched on a dune slack here. When we came back to the plantation to try and get another view of the Barred Warbler, three birders told us about a Greenish Warbler that they'd found at the Excavations, and showed us a good photo of it. Having only seen about a second of a Greenish Warbler before I successfully persuaded my dad to drive us back into the village.
Once we had legged it through the dunes and reached the Excavations we started searching. Forty minutes later we could only find a single Reed and Willow Warbler, so started to head back to the car. On the way back we noticed a movement in the last willow in the Excavations. Then out popped the Greenish Warbler! This brilliant little bird gave us some great views as it actively moved about in the bushes, and I enjoyed hearing it call once. It took a while to get a photo of it in the open as it never stayed still for very long. By the time I managed the light was starting to fade.
After 11 hours we were completely exhausted but very happy with our day on Holy Island. Here's the full migrant counts...
1 Greenish Warbler
2 Icterine Warbler
1 Barred Warbler
2 Wryneck
1 Red-backed Shrike
1 Wood Warbler
20 Garden Warbler
20 Pied Flycatcher
8 Spotted Flycatcher
4 Redstart
10 Whinchat
39 Willow Warbler
12 Chiffchaff
1 Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
2 Reed Warbler
After an early start, we arrived on the island at half seven. The sun was out and without any wind it was feeling pretty warm already. We started at Chare Ends and our very first bird of the day was a brilliant Wood Warbler in the sycamores, the first time I'd seen one on passage. We had a good feeling about the day at that point!
The rest of the bushes there held good numbers of common migrants. When we reached the willow in between Chare Ends and The Excavations my dad whistled me around to his side of the tree. He'd found an Icterine Warbler! The bird showed well as it made the most of the morning heat. It also shared the willow with 2 Spotted Flycatchers, a Pied Flycatcher, a Garden Warbler and some Willow Warblers.
In a willow near the Excavations I managed my third self-found Wryneck in five days. It was interesting to see it being mobbed by a Willow Warbler. Shortly after my dad found a different Wryneck at Chare Ends. Both birds were quite flighty and failed to provide a good photo opportunity. There was no scarcities at the Straight Lonnen or in the village, but more common migrants kept our spirits up.
By now the number of tourists had built, so we decided to head down to the Snook. At the plantation I got a very brief view of a bird that I was sure was a Barred Warbler. After another hour it didn't show again, but was confirmed later by other observers. There was also 3 Pied Flycatchers, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 4 Garden Warblers in here.
In the Snook House garden I spotted another Icterine Warbler in the sycamores. A few brief views only of this bird. Just to the west the juvenile Red-backed Shrike was showing. After some fieldcraft and a coating of Pirri-Pirri Birs I got a photo of the Shrike which I'm quite pleased with.
Also on the Snook we missed yet another Icterine Warbler and Wryneck which had been seen by others. 5 Whinchats were perched on a dune slack here. When we came back to the plantation to try and get another view of the Barred Warbler, three birders told us about a Greenish Warbler that they'd found at the Excavations, and showed us a good photo of it. Having only seen about a second of a Greenish Warbler before I successfully persuaded my dad to drive us back into the village.
Once we had legged it through the dunes and reached the Excavations we started searching. Forty minutes later we could only find a single Reed and Willow Warbler, so started to head back to the car. On the way back we noticed a movement in the last willow in the Excavations. Then out popped the Greenish Warbler! This brilliant little bird gave us some great views as it actively moved about in the bushes, and I enjoyed hearing it call once. It took a while to get a photo of it in the open as it never stayed still for very long. By the time I managed the light was starting to fade.
After 11 hours we were completely exhausted but very happy with our day on Holy Island. Here's the full migrant counts...
1 Greenish Warbler
2 Icterine Warbler
1 Barred Warbler
2 Wryneck
1 Red-backed Shrike
1 Wood Warbler
20 Garden Warbler
20 Pied Flycatcher
8 Spotted Flycatcher
4 Redstart
10 Whinchat
39 Willow Warbler
12 Chiffchaff
1 Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
2 Reed Warbler
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| Greenish Warbler |
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| Red-backed Shrike |
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Icterine Warbler and Willow Warbler in the willow between Chare Ends and the Excavations.
Icterine Warbler in the garden at Snook House.
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| Wood Warbler |
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| Spot the Wryneck! |
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| Pied Flycatchers |
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| Redstart |
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| Garden Warbler |
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| Whinchats |
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| Willow Warbler |
Thursday, 20 August 2015
Wryneck & Icky...
Despite spending five hours on Holy Island we never left the Snook. When we arrived we settled into our usual routine of one of us walking around the back of the bushes while the other waits on the opposite side to wait if anything pops out. Straight away my dad got a brief view of an Icterine Warbler in the plantation just east of Snook House.
An hour later there was no further sign of the Warbler, so I decided to walk around the back of the plantation again. It was then I noticed a shape on a dead branch. A quick look through the bins confirmed my suspicion; a Wryneck! I managed to raise the camera and fire off a few shots before it flew off the branch, and we couldn't find it again.
The highlight of a search around the Half Moon Slack and nearby pines was a brief male Redstart. Back at the plantation a small group of birders had appeared hoping to see the Wryneck. The Icterine Warbler showed briefly once on a branch and twice in flight before disappearing again. At least I managed to see it this time!
The totals were:
1 Wryneck
1 Icterine Warbler
1 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
1 Yellow Wagtail - flew over.
1 Merlin
2 Chiffchaff
3+ Willow Warbler
An hour later there was no further sign of the Warbler, so I decided to walk around the back of the plantation again. It was then I noticed a shape on a dead branch. A quick look through the bins confirmed my suspicion; a Wryneck! I managed to raise the camera and fire off a few shots before it flew off the branch, and we couldn't find it again.
The highlight of a search around the Half Moon Slack and nearby pines was a brief male Redstart. Back at the plantation a small group of birders had appeared hoping to see the Wryneck. The Icterine Warbler showed briefly once on a branch and twice in flight before disappearing again. At least I managed to see it this time!
The totals were:
1 Wryneck
1 Icterine Warbler
1 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
1 Yellow Wagtail - flew over.
1 Merlin
2 Chiffchaff
3+ Willow Warbler
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| Wryneck - the intricate plumage details on the Wryneck makes it one of my favourite birds. |
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Spring Migration...
The recent weekend proved to be quite a successful couple of days birding..!
Some easterlies, rain and a high pressure over the continent on Friday night was enough to tempt us to Holy Island for most of Saturday. Despite not getting the scarcity we were after, there was still a variety of common migrants on the island. The highlight had to be the Redstarts, with 13 altogether including 3 stunning males.
13 Redstart
1 Tree Pipit
1 Spotted Flycatcher
2 Ring Ouzel
3 Garden Warbler
4 Blackcap
6 Wheatear
11 Willow Warbler
5 Chiffchaff
2 Whitethroat
A Greenshank was also calling near the Rocket Fields and 44 Grey Plovers were from the causeway, with a couple more in the harbour.
On the way home we stopped at Druridge Pools, where a great selection of birds were on the Budge Fields. A heat haze hampered most photo opportunities.
2 Wood Sandpiper
1 Garganey - drake.
1 Scaup - drake showed well.
2 Ruff - stunning full summer plumage!
14 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Whimbrel
1 Yellow Wagtail
1 Pintail
PWC 15
Species: 138
Points: 177
We expected Sunday to be a rather bird-less day, and so it proved until news of a Red-throated Pipit turning up at Seaton Common on Teesside came in the afternoon. After feeling pretty jealous of the recent Derbyshire bird, I was keen to see this one.
It didn't take long to get onto the brilliant summer plumage Red-throated Pipit once we arrived. At first it was a bit distant, but eventually moved closer allowing some great scope views, but it was too windy for decent photos. A single Yellow Wagtail flew over while we were there.
With the DSLR...
Digiscoped...
Some easterlies, rain and a high pressure over the continent on Friday night was enough to tempt us to Holy Island for most of Saturday. Despite not getting the scarcity we were after, there was still a variety of common migrants on the island. The highlight had to be the Redstarts, with 13 altogether including 3 stunning males.
13 Redstart
1 Tree Pipit
1 Spotted Flycatcher
2 Ring Ouzel
3 Garden Warbler
4 Blackcap
6 Wheatear
11 Willow Warbler
5 Chiffchaff
2 Whitethroat
A Greenshank was also calling near the Rocket Fields and 44 Grey Plovers were from the causeway, with a couple more in the harbour.
On the way home we stopped at Druridge Pools, where a great selection of birds were on the Budge Fields. A heat haze hampered most photo opportunities.
2 Wood Sandpiper
1 Garganey - drake.
1 Scaup - drake showed well.
2 Ruff - stunning full summer plumage!
14 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Whimbrel
1 Yellow Wagtail
1 Pintail
PWC 15
Species: 138
Points: 177
We expected Sunday to be a rather bird-less day, and so it proved until news of a Red-throated Pipit turning up at Seaton Common on Teesside came in the afternoon. After feeling pretty jealous of the recent Derbyshire bird, I was keen to see this one.
It didn't take long to get onto the brilliant summer plumage Red-throated Pipit once we arrived. At first it was a bit distant, but eventually moved closer allowing some great scope views, but it was too windy for decent photos. A single Yellow Wagtail flew over while we were there.
With the DSLR...
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| Red-throated Pipit along with it's habitat and twitch. |
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| Wood Sandpiper record shot. |
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| Garganey record shot. |
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| Scaup |
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| Garden Warbler |
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| Redstart |
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Spring Migrants!
I had one of my best days birding ever today. We went to only two sites: Holy Island and East Chevington. Immediately after arriving at Holy Island at 8 o'clock, my Dad did well to find a male Red-backed Shrike in the fog at Chare Ends. Walking around the dunes north of the straight Lonnen we could find no more than a Pied Flycatcher and a few Lesser Whitethroats. While walking down the Straight Lonnen we received news of a probable Lesser Grey Shrike in the main car park. Soon after reaching the car park we were watching the brilliant male Lesser Grey Shrike along the edges of some fields. After seeing the Shrike we decided to have a look in the Vicar's Garden, where we found a Icterine Warbler. At least one Pied Flycatcher and a Spotted Flycatcher were also in the garden. More news of the Rustic Bunting prompted us to go to the Snook, though after thoroughly searching the area it had last been seen we could find no more than a Tree Pipit. On the way back to the car I walked over a dune to find a male and female Red-backed Shrike sitting next to each other in the same bush! A nice addition to my self found list. Some of the migrant totals at Holy Island were:
3 Red-backed Shrike
1 Lesser Grey Shrike
1 Icterine Warbler
2+ Tree Pipit
8+ Lesser Whitethroat
3 Pied Flycatcher
2 Spotted Flycatcher
2 Redstart
4 Garden Warbler
4 Whitethroat
On the way back we had a look for the Great Reed Warbler at Chevington. We heard it singing several times and glimpsed it a few times.
3 Red-backed Shrike
1 Lesser Grey Shrike
1 Icterine Warbler
2+ Tree Pipit
8+ Lesser Whitethroat
3 Pied Flycatcher
2 Spotted Flycatcher
2 Redstart
4 Garden Warbler
4 Whitethroat
On the way back we had a look for the Great Reed Warbler at Chevington. We heard it singing several times and glimpsed it a few times.
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| Red-backed Shrikes |
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| Lesser Grey Shrike |
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| Icterine Warbler |
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| Pied Flycatchers |
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