Colins blog

internet connection at last

2010-06-24T19:55:00.003+01:00

Well I havnt died its just that we have recently moved into a house and it has been a nightmare getting connected to the internet at the moment I cannot upload photos as the conection is to slow ,so appologies for the lack of pictures.
Have quite a lot to report on recent birding tripsbut I would like to accompany with some of the pictures (record shots mainly) of what I have been seeing.
Among some of the recent birds I have ticked are
Turtle Dove
Temminck's stint
Pied Flycatcher
Stone Curlew
Bittern
Hobby
Bearded tit
lots of Marsh Harrier

Myself and Alan were at Lakenheath gazing into the poplar trees looking for a very loud Golden Oriel but we did not get to see it, whilst we were watching Bitterns were being very active behind us, flying low level and close, it was amazing.

Biggest news is the house move,I thought my moving days were over but my company were asked to take over the management of a quite succesfull pet shop that had fallen on hard times, So Jo is caretaker manager until we find a permanent person and I am to oversee the running of the shop whilst still running Natural World (one of the biggest pet stores in the country by the way lol) However this gorgeous farm house in the middle of nowhere comes with the Job (a dream for both Jo and I) so leaving my house in the charge of number 3 and number 4 son we are gradually moving our stuff over. I have started a new garden list which is as follows
Willow warbler
Chiff chaff
Yellow hammer
Tawny Owl (I need to get a closer view of this one)
Garden Warbler (possible)
Pheasant
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Chaffinch
Swallow (nesting in one of our stables)
song thrush
Magpie
Mistle thrush
Dunnock
Buzzard
Kestrel

and this is in one week whilst eating breakfast in the conservatory - I am so lucky
However stress has took its toll with all the house moving and job change for poor old Jo as she was taken to hospital on Saturday with pleurasy, she seems to be doing better now. At the new shop we intend to set up a pets corner so we are in the process of learning all about emu's ,alpacka's, pigs, chickens, lambs etc etc, so as I approach 50 when I thought my days were winding down all of a sudden they are thrown into a hurricane and once again a new project looms

Nags Head,Symonds Yat and Highnam

2010-05-10T22:00:00.003+01:00

Been looking forward to this one for some time.Alan and I had a trip down to Herefordshire. With the Sat Nav plugged in and an Ordnance Survey map resting on Alans lap who would of thought we could go wrong ..... Ill say no more.
First stop was cannop pond to try and get the Manderin, considering the pond is over a mile long we dropped on lucky as low and behold right in front of our eyes was not one but 5 Manderin

We then went on to the Nags Head nature reserve. We had a long trek, not knowing the best places but on our trek we came across Blackcap,Whitethroat,siskin,Chifchaff,GSw, and Garden Warbler

This is a picture of a GSW on the feeder at highnem

We also heard a wood warbler, I really wanted to get a pic of this one after last weeks fiasco but we stood listening to it for about 30 minutes but it would not show. It was soon forgot though as we stood and watched a pair of pied flycatchers, what a beautiful bird, shame i could not get any pictures.

Next it was Symonds Yat with some great views of a perergrine but the target bird was Goshawk but unfortunately no luck on this, we did however see a Saker Falcon, Nobody knows where it came from but it has been flying at Symonds for a few days now, no jesses or ring, so who knows.

We then went to highnem woods lots of birds but we did not see or hear our target bird, the Nightingale

wood warbler at the pool (now confirmed as a Willow )

2010-04-30T21:02:00.003+01:00

I decided to go upto seeswood on Monday as it is prety quiet up there at the moment with the fishermen having a one month break. I wanted to get a decent picture of a Great Crested Grebe after seeing some fantastic shots that were took by Kevin. The Grebe was well off but I managed to get a couple of shots , not as good as Kevs but the best I have managed of this bird. For some reason I just cannot get it right with these. After reading another blog which pointed me in the direction of micro focusing adjustment on the canon50D, i did the neccersary work and low and behold my focusing was out, anyways I put it right - I think

I had a bird count of 30 species which is the best I have had from up the pool but I did not get the Ring Ouzel which was showing on Sunday. I had got settled in a bit of a bush where I was watching Willow Warbler and 2 male reed buntings when I noticed a movement in the top of a nearby bush. I thought it was a Willow Warbler but somehow it was a bit different. It wasnt moving as much as the willow warblers and it had some quite distinctive yellow patches with a bright white chest, a quick look in my book told me to look for a dark mark behind the eye a bit like a hook and if so I had a wood warbler, I managed to get a few record shots and I sent them off to John H who later replied and said he thought it was a wood warbler but would get it confirmed. He later confirmed it - so Thanks John and here are a few of the record shots I got

PRO POST
Cannot believe the ammount of interest this has caused, I thought the bird was a little different from the willows I had been watching so I tried to get the id confirmed - which it was but then after everyone has saw it has been id as a willow warbler - new mission now , to get a wood warbler up the pool lol

Hooded Crow, Choughs 'n' Ravens

2010-04-20T20:11:00.002+01:00

Well What a week,I had a 10 hour journey upto a scotish town called Hopeman which is very close to Inverness.We were only there for a couple of days on a visit to see my sister and her family and WOW what a place, so quiet and tranquil, cant wait to get back up there. Chris her husband is a rock climber and hopefully we are going to share a cottage for a few days in the west of Scotland, where I can go spotting and Chris can go Climbing.Whilst I was up there we did a bit of sight seeing and I had 2 hours birding with my little nephew Reece. He did take a picture of a thrush but I think I have deleted it by mistake so if you are reading this Reece, Sorry we will get another next time I come up. Birds I seen included Eider, Crossbill, Red Grouse, Curlew, Shellduck along with the usual waders

A couple of pictures from our trip

On Sunday I joined the mini bus with Nuneaton bird club and we were off to Great Orme North Wales, another long slog but well worth it. The sea was very calm and a lot of seabirds on the surface, just as we were getting to a viewing point an almighty sound sent all the birds out off the coast,seconds later a group of jet skiers came roaring across the bay, we cant really moan as the sea is for all to enjoy.However I werent so keen on them when Alan and I saw two skis deliberatly chasing cormorants.Initial birds were Cormorant, Shag,Gannet, Guillamot, Razor bill. On the rocks we saw Kittywake, Herring gull, GBB Gull and Fulmar but best of the lot was a hooded crow that flew over the bay.

Alan,Nick,Richard and I slogged our way upto the mid carpark where the rest of the group were waiting by the mini bus. As we got our snap out Alan told the rest of the group about Ring Ouzel that had been spotted at the top, so off they trogged up a very steep hill soon to be followed by us as soon as we had eaten. 5 minutes later a birder came to us and told us that we were in the best position to spot Ring Ouzel, Chough, and Wheatear and fair enough within 20 minutes or so we ticked all these birds along with Raven Meadow Pipit loads of jackdaw. I missed the sandwich tern and a perergrine but never mind plenty of time for me to get these.
A couple of record shots of the day

Draycote and Brandon

2010-04-12T22:12:00.002+01:00

I picked Alan up on Sunday and decided that we would stay local and visit Brandon and Draycote. We wanted to catch some of the recent migrants and Alan was trying to teach me different bird song. Well I think I have mastered Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler , Great Tit but wow what a mountain this is going to be.
We started off at Draycote and notched up 38 species including the Great Northern Diver, Black Cap, Willow Warbler and we were lucky enough to see a kestrel quite close

We also heard a green woodpecker (i think i will remember that one) and ChiffChaff but they remained elusive. Not many photo opportunities as most of the birds were too far but I did get a nice shot of a cormorant and a coot

As it approach dinner time Draycote was resembling Nuneaton Market on a Saturday and we were constantly looking over our shoulders to dodge the hordes of bikes that were charging round the reservoir. Time to head for Brandon.
Now then, trying to impress Alan and show that I didnt need a Sat Nav to get there, and I could find a quicker way round the backroads, the 5 miles or so that is the distance bhetween the 2 venues soon became 10 miles and we were close to setting the sat nav when we saw a sign - phewwww.
Although the birds were quiet we managed to increase a species total to 53 so not a bad tally for the day. When Alan showed me the iris colour of the little Ringed plover it convinced me that I needed a scope - so today I have been and invested in one - more back ache me thinks on these long treks we seem to get involved in.

some of the birds seen
great tit,blue tit, long tailed tit, yellow wagtail,pied wagtail,Redshank, Oyster Catcher, Little ringed plover,Golden Eye,Great Northern Diver,Black Cap,Willow Warbler,Chiff Chaff,Buzzard,Song thrush,lapwing,teal,tufted Duck,Mallard,Shovelar,Kestrel,Great Spotted Woodpecker,Gadwall,rook,c.crow

Gibralta Point

2010-03-30T21:39:00.002+01:00

I had a quick visit to Gibralta Point on Sunday and as I walked round There were one or two birds singing that I hadnt heard before, well I probably have but not noticed. One was a warbler which I thout was a Chiff Chaff which was later confirmed by John H as one of the eastern race thanks John

he was flitting about but I just couldnt get a shot without something in front of him.
I went onto the sand spit and there were lots of knot, dunlin, sanderling, curlew I sat there for about an hour just watching the waders. There were lots of skylarks about and I managed to snap one in flight

also there were a group of shellduck that took up

a couple of other pictures from the day

Great Yarmouth and Fritton

2010-03-26T19:46:00.002Z

Sunday 21st March I was with Nuneaton Bird Club on a trip to Breydon Water. Masses and masses of birds but I needed a scope to take full advantage. It is great with the club as all the members are happy to show birds through there scopes. I always learn a bit more each time I go. On Breydon water we saw all the usual gulls along with Oyster Catcher,Redshank,Golden plover,pintail, wigeon and the beautiful grey plover. We moved on to Yarmouth beach where we spotted the gorgeous mediteranian gull, as we looked out to Scroby Sands Cormorants and Gannets were to be seen. I was looking at something else when a Black throated Diver flew through.
We then moved on to Fritton on the hunt for a rough legged buzzard.As we looked over this non descript field we saw 3 Short ear owls, a couple of Marsh harriers,buzzard, egyption geese, kestrel,sparrow hawk and a chinese water deer. It wasnt long before someone shouted out ring tail, this bird settled on a post when the scopes settled on it and it was obvious that it was a light headed buzzard of some description. We were all waiting to see whether this buzzard had a ring tail to prove it was a rough legged.2 hours later the bird still did not move, we came away amongst much discusion and whether it was a new tick for a lot of those there.Luckily a couple of other birders were there and about 30 minutes into a journey coming home somebody had a text saying R.L.B. confirmed. What an end to a great day. Loads of birds but unfortunatly no pictures - they were to far off

finedon - fineshade whats the difference

2010-03-15T17:31:00.003Z

I have been looking forward to this Sunday for a couple of weeks now. It had been planned to pick Alan up 7 am Sunday morning and have a shortish trip into Northamptonshire - That was the plan.All was well at 7 am, at 7.05 am was when things started to go wrong. Leaving Alans house I headed towards the M6 to pick up the A14, as my Sat Nav suggested (it said we were 43 miles away from intended venue), but Alan in his wisdom, said that the way he had planned the trip ,we would be better off going along the A47 - fair enough I thought Al's an intelligent guy and has obviously done his homework, he is bound to know more than the 'world wide sattelite tracking navigation systems' (not sure how many billions have gone into developing the sat nav system) but I was sticking with Al. A trip around Hinkley and into Leicester was when problems set in. The A47 suddenly changed to the A46, and signs for Peterborough became none exsistent (not sure why we were following signs for Peterborough) I put the sat nav back on and it wanted us to go towards the motorway and back towards Hinkley (the sat nav says we were 44 miles away now) but no I still had my trust in Alan So we persevered for a bit taking in the marvelous sights of Leicester City Centre. In the end we succumbed and put the Sat nav back on. It sent us back to where we had come from,we joined the motorway and we were still 42 miles away. Along the A14 Alan kept pipe-ing on about the A43 and as I had lost a little bit of confidence in his directions, I said we will stick with the sat nav, it may know a short cut or something. It wasnt long before we pulled off the A14 and Jo (thats the name of my sat Nav - because it keeps nagging - hope Jo dont read this lol)said that we had arrived at our destination - It didnt look very birdy to me, the centre of Finedon, a nice place but not many birds. Alan obviously realising that I had put the wrong name in, said it was Fineshade we were going to not Finedon and he assumed that I was pronouncing Fineshade wrong-- No I wasnt. Luckily we were not far from the A43. Things started to get good
A few miles along the A43 we saw a red Kite - then another and another. We parked at Wakerly wood in the hope of our target bird, the Crossbill, no joy im afraid but it was a great stroll through the wood with quite a few tits, including coal tit which Alan pointed out there song, and I was hearing it all over the place.We went accross the road into fineshade and after a visit to the visitor centre we started on a trail, with Alan leading, it wasnt long before we were lost and on the outside of the wood, and that was where I managed to get this picture of a red Kite not brilliant but im glad i got it

it wasnt long before a buzzard came along

I turned round and sitting on some wires was a kestrel

turning back the kite and the buzzard were riding the same thermal

this was brilliant I was like a kid a christmas. Red Kites and buzzards were every where we saw 3 kites up at once and we also saw 3 buzzards up. Alan pointed out how to recognise at a distance, which made the skies even more interesting. I think we must of saw over 12 red kites over various venues in the county.
We then moved on to Blatherwyck lake in the hope of a Manderin but we had no joy but seen a lot of waterbirds. Next stop was auldwinkle (titmarsh) it was a flying visit a such as we wanted to get to some dissused airfield to spot a short eared owl - Alan had read about it on some roving doctors blogspot (wonder who that can be). we got to the airfield and I saw my first yellow hammers - what a great start. I was trying to picture where Kev in one of his posts had seen this owl but suddenly it appeard (absolute rubish photo but the best I could get)

it went over the back and sent up a flock of golden plovers. We stopped there for about an hour before it got to dark.
All in all a fantastic day and lots of ticks for me - we saw over 50 species on the day. the time just flew by. Alan went home with instructions to plan our next trip next month - I cant wait. Im off to Breydon water next week with Nuneaton Bird club - another trip to look forward to. Im hoping to pop in at Brandon soon to as there seems to be quite a bit going on there

Im still here

2010-03-08T17:35:00.003Z

I have managed to get out birding each week but struggled to get on top of my blog. Hopefully I can get it back on track now that I have a bit more time on my hands as the web site is about done.
I have been out with Nuneaton Bird Club a few times this year including Frampton Marsh, Friestone Shore, Titchwell, Sculthorpe Moor. I really enjoy these outings, They are a great bunch who make you feel really welcome and I am learning each and every time I go out with them.I dont get to use the camera much on these occasions so most of my bird photos are now done at Brandon.
Bit of a dissapointment at Frampton /Friestone in January as I thought I had got a nice linnet but as soon as the more experienced guys came the yellow bill confirmed it was a Twite. Other birds that day included snow bunting, Blacknecked Grebe, Woodcock,White fronted goose,Pink footed goose and some wonderful Barn Owl action
The following month found us at Titchwell and Sculthorpe I think it was a count of 82 birds seen on the day by the members so not bad at all. My highlitghts were watching 3 hen harriers prefoming 1 marsh harrier, Avocet, Bar tailed Godwit.
I have also been getting out to Brandon where I have been enjoying snipe, shellduck , siskin, lesser redpoll, goldcrest but alas no Bittern. Here are a few recent pics

And a couple of fish

freezing cold at Brandon

2010-01-05T20:14:00.002Z

Well the holiday period is over so I can get back to normal at last. Work has been very hectic but cant complain it keeps the boss off me.I managed a trip to Brandon on Monday only to find a tiny strip of water with about 100 birds squabling to get on to it. It was early morning and some fantastic light so off came the long lens and on came the short lens. Got quite a few landscape pictures but no birds im afraid. There was not much about at all or so it seemed and then I met Kevin Grewcock (the birding medic) in the carlton hide, I have been following his blog for ages so it was great to meet him. As we sat in the hide he picked out numerous birds singing, a Jay flying and he had spotted quite a few birds in the woods. Just shows how much skill and experience counts in this game - One day Kev I will get there, but I am enjoying the journey. Im really looking forward to the year ahead particularly after seeing the venues Nuneaton bird club have lined up. Anyway no birds but a couple of landscape pics

A couple from last year

out at last

2009-11-11T20:28:00.002Z

Well it has been quite a few hectic weeks at work along with some rubbish weather has kept me in, but I have managed a trip down to seeswood and a trip over to Brandon.It was drizzling on sunday and couldnt make my mind up whether to go out or not, in the end I decided to drop in a Brandon. I was hoping to see some snipe and cettis warbler well that was the plan. I think I needed to listen for the Cettis but not knowing what to listen for I think I was on a bit of a no hoper. The light was absolute rubish so an ISO of 800 on a hand held 400mm was not going to give me any decent Photos. I walked past Grebe Pool taking my time and listening intently, but I aint much good at spotting these smaller birds and for my trouble I watched a dunnock for a few minutes along with several Blackbirds ,Great tits and long tailed tits also a Jay flew over which was a first for me, nobody was about and the peace and quiet was most welcome. I then moved to the John Baldwin hide where there were several cormorants,Teal,Shoveler,Pochard,Mallard,Lapwings and 1 L.B.B gull along with other unidentified gulls and black headed gull

I then moved onto the Teal hide where all I seen was a moorhen and a couple of Teal, I sat in there for about 30 mins and nothing arrived except a grunt well I dont think I even got a grunt off this one when I quietly said hello, he soon went and sombody else came in and they actualy said good morning, I nearly grunted at them thinking this was the thing to do when you are in a hide but I returned the greeting and this guy was a nice bloke. I went into East Marsh and there was nothing different to be seen than what I had seen in the Jon Baldwin hide. I was really enjoying my morning out so thought I would just have a quick wander down to Carlton. Glad I did as I saw the kingfisher along with a tree creeper (a 1st ) bullfinch

heron and a group of mixed tits. The tree creeper was thanks to a guy next to me who was taking pics and he pointed the tree creeper out, twas a shame I was too slow on the button.
I dropped in at seeswood on my way back and there was little to be seen but I did get a nice foto of a B.H.Gull

Nuneaton Bird Club

2009-10-19T07:26:00.003+01:00

I went down to Nuneaton bird club on Thursday night and was suprised to find out that they had 80 members and was probably the oldest bird club in the country (1950). The people were great and there was a slide presentation about a couple Alan And Sylvia Williams had retired and bought 11 acres of land to which they added 5000 trees this was in 2002 (i think) and it was a history to present day. I must say not only was I a little green I was amazed at what they had achieved, one particular thing was they had a clutch of barn owls and a clutch of Kestrels in the same nest box at the same time and both sets of birds fledged.
On Sunday I was picked up by the club bus and we went to Donna Nook where I saw sky larks, Meadow Pipits, Shell duck, Curlew, a group of 10 Little egrets,Grey plover,Brent Goose,Sparrow hawk, Redshank and hundreds of starling, We then decided to trudge through the marsh to see the grey seals and wow what a sight, There were 100's of seals and you could get so close to them it was amazin, I dont think you could see wildlife any closer than this.Think I will take Jo over in November when they will be pupping.
We then went over to the RSPB reserve of Frampton and what a day we had a Cock Hen harrier,scaup,I watched a barn owl for at least 1/2 hour,pin tail.

I really enjoyed my day and met some fantastic people who offerd me loads of advice. I think the highlight was the barn owl hunting along with the hen Harrier (what a big bird)but to see the starlings flock was fantastic - not a good day for photos but still very enjoyable

just a couple of my favorite pics

2009-10-13T20:11:00.002+01:00

Every so often as I potter about I come accross this drawing
what my Dad did when he was a youth not long after the war finished

Just to lighten things up

Draycote again

2009-10-12T20:25:00.002+01:00

Well I have really been looking forward to getting to Draycote after reading so much about it, I wasnt disapointed time flew by and as I had a mother to get back and see at 11.30 at 12 noon I thought I might be a bit late - never mind. I was really excited to see a pair of tufted ducks at seeswood well here there are hundreds of them

This was the first of many as I made my way to a bird hide I had read about.As I walked down the bank my attention was off the water and looking at a group of about 30 Goldfinches all flitting about It was really good to watch. In amongst them was a Meadow Pipit a first for me

The sun was out and the sky was blue giving some great light although there was a bit of nip in the air.I reached the hide and I must of stayed in there for over an hour, there were plenty of Lapwings, a couple of Teal (a first) Pochard another first but it was a small group of young moorhens that provided the entertainment as they wanted to go where a LBB gull was and he wasnt going to let them, in the end they found there own space.

There were a few tits flitting around the feeding station unfortunatly their wasnt any food in them I also spotted this bird I am not sure what it is I think it maybe a hen Chaffinch

Then this little fellow came along not 1005 sure but I think this is a Dunnock

I came out of the hide and reluctantly made my way back. I met a guy on the way back who knew a hell of a lot more than me lol he had the same lens as me and a canon camera 40D I think, so at least I made a choice that somebody else has done although I think I would probably go for the zoom now instead of the prime. He was a real nice chap and he was telling me about all the birds that had been seen over the past week, he asked if I had spotted the Scaup to which the answer was no, I wished I had studied it harder now as I wasnt sure if I had or hadnt, but he says that it may over winter there so I will get it one day.

a list of birds that I saw today
Teal,Little Grebe,G.C.Grebe,Meadow Pipit,Mallard,Tufted Duck,Cormorant,Carrion Crow, Goldfinch, B.H. Gull, LBB Gull, Moorhen, coot, Lapwing, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Blackbird, Heron, Pochard, Great Tit, Blue Tit and Canada Goose

Had to get back as I had a fish delivery, 4 boxes from singapore, not my normal African Cichlids but 48 species of community fish which I quaranteen for the shop. But here is a couple of new aquisitions of malawi's

Labeotropheus fuelleborni female from chipoka

A zebra from Minos Reef

Draycote

2009-10-06T06:41:00.002+01:00

Sunday morning saw me at seeswood yet again. Their was not much happening on the bird front as their was a fishing contest on, still I made myself comfortable at the back of the pool and just had 40 minutes or so sat on a tree stump.I was watching a group of longtailed tits and there were also robin, dunnock, blue tit,coal tit and great tit also their was a group of young blackbirds foraging about, the pair of tufted duck are still on the water although I think they had had an argument as they were on different sides of the lake. A little dissapointed as their was nothing to be seen so on Monday had an hour spare so took Jo and went and had a quick look at Draycote - Love it - We only walked a little way round (clockwise from the center) to a place called the overflow (not sure if it was bird ethical to walk along so I didnt)and as I had Jo I didnt spend too much time their but I saw a couple of firsts for me, a little grebe and wheatear. It was nice watching the coots do what they do along with quite a few tufted duck, cant wait now to go and have a proper look.

Monday 28th september

2009-09-29T20:00:00.002+01:00

I was hoping to go to Draycote this week but unfortunatly something cropped up so I went off down to the pool. Its been about 3 weeks since I was last there and It is difficult to believe the change over such a small time. My favorite oak tree is shedding its leaves as if they were going out of fashion, most of the reeds have died down and the swallows and most of the warblers have gone.I am not sure where the Canada geese went but when I was under some trees I did hear them although I couldnt see them. One welcome return was a pair of tufted ducks which I had not seen for quite a few weeks.I was really looking forward to getting out today as I have not had much chance to use my new camera but the light was very dull so I took my tripod so I could use a slower speed, but it was not to be there were very few photo opportunities or is it that I am getting a lot more picky now particularly after gauking at Dave Duttons superb photo's.At the back of the pool there is a small copse and I know little owl and spotted flycatchers have been seen there and I have spotted quite a lot of finches so I set the tripod up put a 2 times converter on and buried my self in a tree and I waited and I waited and I waited a bit longer, thinking to myself I will get a decent shot even if it is a blue tit so I waited longer. I scanned about a bit with my binoculars and right to my left I watched a young whitethroat (or a scruffy one) pruning its self, unfortunately it was in a position that I could not photograph.Getting a bit late for my appointment I packed up my camera. Zipping up the bag, right at the place I had focussed a small bird started to flutter, I had my bins straight onto it and although it was the first time I had saw one I knew straight away that it was a goldcrest, it made my day, just wished that I had waited a bit longer. As I walked back I sat and watched a group of Long tailed tits flitting about, I had a great show that lasted a good 10 minutes.When I gets home there is a picture of a portable bird hide, I looks , Jo starts to laugh, I put magazine down and went into my fish room. Even though I did not get any photos I really enjoyed my few hours down the pool I have such a lot to learn, but thats great at 49 a new challenge. Think I am going to go down to Nuneaton bird club at the end of next month - you never know.

Back from Norfolk

2009-09-19T06:57:00.004+01:00

Well what a fantastic holiday and chill out. The weather has been absolutley fantastic and our little cottage that looked out onto the river was perfect. Out of my window I saw kingfishers daily along with a Barn owl,Heron, cormorant and a whole host of water birds It was also an ideal spot for fishing. On my birthday I dropped my camera and kept getting an error message when ever I tried to take a picture - I was gutted. But Jo being Jo persuaded (hehe) me to pop into jessops in Lowestoft and buy a new one.It just happend that they had a Canon 50D in stock and as it was a little under the budget I was allowed I also picked up a pair of Bushnell binoculars. We went upto Hunstanton and I managed to get an hour at Titchwell and Cley gonna have to spend a day or two at these Reserves. They are doing work at Titchwell as the sea is reclaiming the marshes I think it is only going to be a matter of time.Whilst there I saw a Black tailed Godwit and a Curlew amongst others

These were caught with my old camera, I have not managed to get out with my new camera as such.Same day a bit further down the coast I went into Cley Where again There were some great birds to be seen, Inc Egret, shell duck, Marsh Harrier and Dunlin

I think this is a shell duck if anyone can confirm

I also got a nice shot of this Green Sandpiper

I must say there are some right Grumpy old sods that frequent these bird hides and Cley was full of them. I went to quite a lot of reserves and Broads near where I was staying inc Hickling, Barton, How Hill, Ranworth, Horsey Mere. It was at Hickling where I spotted a Hobby and best of all a Red Kite. I was walking down a public footpath over a farmers feildWhen I disturbed the Kite, It was as if it flew in slow motion and I was looking down at it most of the time until he went into some nearbu woods. I dont think I will forget Norfolk for a long time

Friday 28 august

2009-08-29T07:26:00.002+01:00

Beautifull day down the pool today and I saw a lot of birds - not sure if there are more birds or if I am getting better at spotting them. It was nice to see that the geese are still there over 120 with one greylag amongest them. There was also loads of housemartins which I spent an hour trying to photograph - what a waste of time that was.But I did manage to grab a few pics - short commentry this week as Jo is moaning that she wants to leave - we are off to norfolk for a couple of weeks

Monday 17th august

2009-08-19T19:48:00.002+01:00

I was really looking forward to going down the pool this week after reading a report by Alan Ramsell (I am sure he is one of my mates of old, maybe I will meet up with him one day)and he had spotted a little owl and a spotted flycatcher at the back of the pool, so I spent Sunday night trying to put to memmory the song of the flycatcher by playing it over and over again (how sad am I)I imagined it to the sound of a high pitched squeaking gate opening. I spent 2 hours at the back of the pool I am sure I heard it (or was I imagining it lol)but I did not see it nor did I spot a little owl but I was quite happy as I sat watching a group of long tail tits I think there was about 15 to 16 of them

I also caught a quick glimpse of this bird I am not 100% sure what it is (where's Kev)sorry about the picture but it was a long way away, not sure if it might be a whitethroat or blackcap

I started to make my way back to the front of the pool and I saw a couple of Reed Buntings in two different bushes shouting at each other, it was nice to see these as I had not seen them for a few weeks. They were a bit scruffy as I suppose that they are going through a moult. These are one of my favorite birds, probably as it was one of the first birds I saw down the pool.

Actually on the pond I counted 116 Canada geese so this flock has doubled in size to last week and it brought a smile to my face when I saw the lone grey lag amongst them. also i saw a couple of lesser black backed gulls but I did not see the tufted ducks I think these may have gone now. What I did see though were a couple of escapees from god knows where, I could not id them but I have had them ID as Chiloe Wigeon, I was quite chuffed when Dave Hutton told me it was a first for the pool

Rubbish picture as I had to put on the x2 converter and then blow it up big just to try and get the colour

Monday 10th august

2009-08-12T21:37:00.004+01:00

Up at 5.30 had a cuppa and I was down the pool for 6am. It was very overcast and there was a little rain in the air. I heard a bird sing and thought to myself that it was a reed bunting,I could not believe it when I spotted this reed bunting singing although I can not think how the song was now. It started to rain so I found a comfortable log in a bush and sat it out. I am glad nobody seen me as I think they would of got the terrorism squad out, I was sitting there in my waterproof camoflage suit and my eyes fixed to my binoculars with a great big bulge sticking through my coat in the form of my 400mm lens. As I sat in the bush a robin paid a visit as did a small group of baby chiffchaffs ( I know they were chiffchaff and not willow warblers as there tails were frequently bobbing down -hehehe I am begining to distinguish some of these birds without the book). As I came out of the bush I looked at one of my favorite trees, its funny how you get a favorite tree or bush, and perched on the top branch was a Coal tit

There was still a slight bit of rain in the air as I squished around the back of the lake. The farmer was ploughing up a field that had been full of wild flowers and scrub it was a bit of a shame as it was a haven for butterflies but I did see a cock pheasant get flushed. I passed a couple of bivvies and the fishermen I spoke to yesterday had still not caught any fish but they had spotted a red eared terrapin (I wished people would take there pets seriously) I spotted the Heron on a stump so there I was on my hands and knees and I managed to get a decent pic of the 18 stone Heron

Still on my knees I could not believe it when a pair of pink wellies came round the corner followed by an old bedraggled and wet border collie who looked like he wasnt going to make it to the other side of the lake, looking up there was an even older bedragled and wet old lady who was definatly not going to make it to the other side, when she asked whether I had lost anything for some reason I said "yes my lens cap " I dont know why I said that lol. Anyway the secretive heron got wind and flew off.
It stopped raining and there was loads of swallows and housemartins over the water, after b20 minutes of trying to get a picture of one, I thought sod it and laid on my back Hoping one would fly over the lens - I dont know what I would of said to the old lady had she had come back round and seen me coverd in mud lying on my back in the long grass. It started to rain quite heavily now so I made my way back to the van, when I got to the road I had a little walk to the waterfall
and saw a trio of grey wagtails

Sunday 9th August

2009-08-11T07:09:00.003+01:00

Jo had to go to work so I had about an hour with the van before I had to get it back. I spent the hour at Seeswood where I bumped into this chap with a boxer and a pair of binoculars. It was not long before I realised that this guy really knew what he was on about, as we stood there he pointed out various bird songs that was going on around us, these included a kingfisher, reed warbler, lesser spotted woodpecker, buzzard ... Had I have had more time I would of spent the whole day trying to spot the woodpecker and kingfisher. The guy turned out to be Dave Hutton who has been birding for 30 odd years, he was a pleasure to talk to and he pointed out various areas and the time of year to spot various birds - He is also the guy whose blog I read when I was trying to find some info on Seeswood Pool for a fishing permit and ended up buying birding equipment instead of a permit, so it is his fault why I am going down the route I am going ... Thanks Dave lol. It was a lovely morning with mist coming off the pool, you could smell the fish, it was great, unfortunatly I had to go but I did have Monday to look forward too.

Monday 3rd August

2009-08-03T20:07:00.003+01:00

Had a wander down seeswood today, it was very quiet with just one fisherman on the lake. I decided to look the otherway today, over the fields instead of over the lake. I positioned my self inside a willow bush and kept silent for a bit. Glad nobody was about I must of looked a right wally in my newly aquired waterproof camoflage gear (thanks Jo - she bought me these as a suprise and I am sure she had a snigger when she gave them me) sitting inside a willow tree in the middle of no where. However they must of done the trick as I spotted some new birds along with a host of others. The most notable was a Whitethroat, I wasnt sure what it was but I did get a poor picture of it which I was able to ID as soon as I got home. I also saw a willow warbler which is a first for me. Well I think it is a willow warbler due to its light legs but if anyone knows different please tell me. Just found out it is a Sedge Warbler - Thanks Kev

Sedge Warbler

There was also a chiffchaff ,wren and a few blue tits all come to visit the bush. When I came out the bush, I looked over the field and saw a buzzard in a distant tree. Not a brilliant picture but it was a whole field away

On the same field there was also approximatly 50 Canada goose, not sure where they come from or where they are going too, on my way back they were on the lake and what made me smile was among this huge flock of Canadas was one solitary Greylag goose. Also as I was at the back of the lake I was watching 2 black headed gulls when this huge gull came and took there place on the log that they were sitting on. I thought it was a herring gull but the main feature was the bright yellow legs which I think I have identified rightly as a yellow legged gull

It was a great morning with me spotting over 24 species. Had to get back home as I needed to do 50 water changes in the fish house. Thought I would swap my 400mm lens for a macro and took a picture Of my estherae digging a spawning sight

Visit to Brandon Marsh - Coventry

2009-07-29T07:50:00.002+01:00

Had a few days holiday this week, I was supposed to be going sea fishing but the skipper called it off due to bad weather.So Tuesday saw me at Brandon Marsh. Not sure what to expect I just started to follow my way along the footpaths, which led to various bird hides. These hides were located on the sides of various lakes and I was amazed at the amount of birds that were there. I found a hide at the back of the reserve and made myself comfortable.One bird that has been difficult to photo in the past has been the moorhen and I was well chuffed when one decided to play infront of me

A moorhen sitting right in front of the camera

It was nice n quiet in the hide with one or two people popping in to take pictures or just to sit and watch the birds. One guy and his grandson came in and after we got chatting a little I told him that I was from Nuneaton and he said he thought so !!!! not sure what he was saying , perhaps he thinks we are all inbred (at one time they called us the ' Woolly backs from Treacle Town ' in Coventry) but all was revealed when he said he was from their and he seemed to have recognised me. It is quite amazing how many birds you notice once you have been sat down for some time. I was sitting watching a cormorant when this big fella landed in front of me

Grey Heron

I took quite a lot of foto's of this heron and I also watched as he disturbed a redshank and it seemed as if he was following him. Among the birds I saw was a Green Sandpiper, Buzzard, Redshank amongst many others. I think I was to preoccupied with the hides and I forgot about all of the woodland birds that are there, I have got to find the technique to spot these small birds in the bushes never mind photograph them. There was also a lot of butterflies about but with a 400mm lens on I could not get any photos.

A redshank - I think the way it blends in is amazin

rain stops play 20/07/09

2009-07-21T20:54:00.003+01:00

With the rain and real muddy conditions I did not really get out on Sunday, but I did manage a couple of hours Monday morning.I t was still down cast and not brilliant light for taking pictures but still managed to get a couple off. The first is the picture of the swan and his family. This guy must know me by now as every week he manages to get me moving off the path as he is a right stubborn old goat and insists on hissing at me flapping his wings until I shift out of his way.

The Nutter and his Family

Not long after the swan I glanced over the field and high in the bush was a baby Robin, I think this is a great picture which shows off the quality of my new lens I must of been at least 30 meters away when I took this.

Baby Robin

As I walked past some willows a movement caught my eyes so tucking my self into the bush I sat watching a couple of chiffchaffs, these are really hard to distinguish from willow warblers but there is a rhyme that goes 'riffraff have dirty legs' and as the birds legs were very dark I came to the conclusion that they were chiffchaff,in the same bush a great tit kept making an appearence.
There were also quite a few gatekeeper butterflys showing

The Gatekeeper butterfly was quite numerous this morning

18 stone heron,reed warbler and me

2009-07-15T19:06:00.003+01:00

MONDAY MORNING - After seeing the heron last night I thought he should still be on the pool today. They are a bird of stealth so I needed to have my wits about me. It was a bit dull when I started out but it was a fine morning. As I walked past a group of bushes I saw a greylag goose leave the lake, I never saw this on the water last night so he must of just dropped in. A few minutes later I was well chuffed when I counted 10 more Greylag geese I dont know when they arrived but they were not there 10 hours ago.I must be getting a bit better with the lens as I am managing to get sharper shots

Part of the flock of Greylags

I was approaching the back of the pool. It is quite eerie around here, The bushes get quite thick and it is very dark and boggy, as the bushes end the bog carries on and I thought that if the heron is anywhere it will be down here. I emerged out of the bushes stooping very low and keeping extra quiet - Stealth was needed If I was going to find this heron.I was moving at a pace of one meter per minute when I spotted a possible reed warbler dive into some bushes - now this is a hard bird to photograph - you can never get any where near them. Now is my chance. All thoughts of the heron have gone as I concentrate on trying to find the little warbler. I approached the bush I saw him going into, it was in the dark boggy part a stream running through the bushes. Putting the camera up to my face, I held my breath as I tried to move the next meter or so. It was difficult as the new lens is quite long and heavy, but I slowy ,gradually, breathing at a rate of one breath a minute, it was so quiet i heard a spider spinning his web, no way was this warbler going to hear me coming. I got into the bush. SMASH BANG WALLOP CRASH bloody hell I about c*****d myself, I had only virtually stood on the bloody heron. I did not realise that they are 18 stone with a 16 yard wingspan and have you seen the length of there beak !!! the quiet gone as this brontosaurus of a bird tried to fly out of a 2' gap. There was an out break of noise as pigeons got spooked out of there nests, ducks panacking and quacking at the top of there voices a million frogs jumping and croaking. My cover was broke, dejected wet, wet , muddy and shaking like a leaf I bummbled and tumbled my way out of the quagmire.
All was not bad though as I got a shot of the now departing Greylags

the greylags departing the pool after the terrifying noises emerging from the bog

I think I must of frightened everything away as I walked down the other side of the pool. I was scanning to see if I could see the tufted ducks but I could not see them anywhere. I came to the willows where I normally see a reed bunting, I could hear them but not see them. I noticed a movement in the corner of my eye so I leaned slowly into the willows and to my amazement there was a reed warbler posing nicely for the camera - well it would of been had I had the camera ready. Slowly I got the camera in place but he had moved away , although I did get a glancing shot

This is what I think is a reed warbler or somthing very similar

I left the pool that morning with mixed feelings but happy that I had got a couple of nice shots. I got to the van and it was earlier than I thought so I went up to Anchor hill in the hope to get a pic of some finches. I did not get any finches but I did get these

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This is a baby long tailed tit that was amongst a group of others

All in all I had had a fantastic morning and it is only 9am, I still have the whole day ahead of me as I start back home.

Sunday 12 july 7pm

2009-07-13T19:56:00.002+01:00

Well I was a bit down as I did not get to use my new lens this morning so instead of going and listening to a band down my local I picked up the camera and headed off down the pool. It was a beautiful evening and I had the pool to myself, the sun was on its way down, there was a shoal of big bream rolling in he middle of the lake, the small roach were taking insects off the surface,the dragon flies and butterflies were still active and the birds were singing, not sure how to describe the smell probably similar to after a thunder storm, all in all it was perfect. Eager to take a picture I spotted a few birds sitting on a log on the other side of the pool, setting the camera up and I snapped off my first shot.

As I scanned the lake with my binoculars I saw a heron standing on a stump, again he was on the other side of the lake but I just had to get a shot of this stunning bird.It was a good job I did as soon as I got the shot he flew off.

He went to the back off the lake and I made a mental note to try and find him in the morning. I was really enjoying walking round the lake, taking in the sounds ,sights and smells. I was just getting a common tern in my viewfinder when I heard a very loud MOO, I looked behind me and there is a field of bullocks and they are literally charging straight at me. Being a bit of a coward when it comes to 3 ton mammals running at 36 MPH straight at you with only a thin bit of electric fence between me and them I gatherd my stuff and started to walk quickly , very quickly in fact I ran, thank god know one else was on the pool, must of been a great sight, 49 year old guy with both shoulders and both hands full of equipment, looking over his shoulder trying to avoid a stampede, running as fast as he can and trying to avoid cow pats at the same time.They chased me all the way to the end of their field, I made a mental note - must have a rump steak when I get home.Exhausted I sat on a stump and looked out to the lake.I have not seen the tufted ducks today which was one picture I was looking forward to getting, but the trusty old tern showed up and gave me a bit of a display

Sunday 12 July 5.30 am

2009-07-13T19:05:00.004+01:00

After a frantic search on Friday I managed to get my new lens (canon 400mm prime f5.6)deliverd on Saturday - Full marks to Amazon who managed to get it sent out for me even though the payment was not cleared until 9pm Friday night. First Direct in there wisdom kept declining the card as it was an unusual amount to be going out of my bank and they thought it may be fraudulant.
Anyways I was like a kid on christmas eve waiting to go out the next morning. Sunday mornong arrives and it is chucking it down, undettered I got in the van and sat watching the lake until it stopped. As I walked round I got absolutley soaked in the long grass and I managed to take no foto's thats right non, zilch, zero. I went back home and told Jo about my non bird adventure and she told me all about the bird adventure she had, had. We have a senegal parrot called percy. A lot of people know percy because it lives on Jo's shoulder whether she is at work or at home. He is not a normal bird (non of Jo's pets are normal) in fact he is far from normal. He is always getting into mischief and when he is not doing that, he is attacking Eric our staffie cross dog and when he is at work he attacks Lisa or any other human that happens to be within 10 yards. What happend this morning was his come-uppance ha ha ha. Jo put the washing in the machine, shut the door and switched it on. She heard a tapping on the glass looked down and there is Percy on the wrong side of the glass and absolutly soaked lol. She quickly turned off the machine and then had to wait 2 minutes before she could open the door and all this time she is saying sorry to him thrrough the glass. We have since changed his name from Percy to Persil.

2009-07-11T19:48:00.001+01:00

Monday 6th July

2009-07-08T20:11:00.003+01:00

This morning I thought I would venture to another part of Nuneaton, some woods at the top of Anchor Hill but I was drawn back to Seeswood Pool with the hope to watch the Terns again. It was poor light with occasional spots of rain.I saw a greenfinch which I watched for about 5 minutes flitting about cannot believe that I am getting excited over a green finch. I saw a magpie over the other side of the field so I put my camera onto a high speed to try and cut out the blur but it is so difficult to focus with the converter on my lens, so unfortunately my images are still blurred (frantically saving now to get a new lens)

This magpie was quite some way off but still very noisy

I saw a couple of reed buntings in a bush so creeping up I was amazed that I did not spook them.I sat about 10 feet away from them. I must of sat there for over 20 minutes trying to get a good shot, but struggled

The cock Reed Bunting he wasnt singing just tweeting

The female Reed Bunting along with a mouthfull of grubs

It started to rain so I headed for the cover of some nearby trees. I was scouring the lake but there was no Terns. I did see some Tufted Duck and Mallard. The weather broke and I walked to the back of the lake, where I sat and watched a goldfinch feeding. I thought I would head back as the weather looked as if it was going to start to rain again.

The first list of birds I have seen in the last 2 weeks

Tufted Duck
Reed Bunting
Reed warbler
Wren
Mallard
Magpie
Common Tern
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Grey Wagtail

These birds have given me so much pleasure over the last few weeks and I cant wait to get down there again. I was reading somewhere that a total of 128 bird species have been spotted down at the pool so I have a long way to go yet.

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Thanks for reading

Sunday 5th July

2009-07-05T09:25:00.012+01:00

Again I was up early and at 5.30 I was just fitting a x2 converter which I got off ebay onto my zoom lens. Little worried about this as I am not sure how it will work. It will supposidly double the focal length of my 300ml zoom. 10 minutes later I was down the pool, it was nice and warm and a slight mist coming off the water. The birds were singing ,ducks quacking and a couple of magpies were making some horrible noise in the bush. There was a Great Crested Grebe having an argument with himself which gave me my first shot with the converter on

Not a brilliant picture but without the converter on I would of got no where near enough to take this picture. I needed a much faster speed to stop the blur, something I need to work on.

The bream were rolling as were the several fishermen on the lake, they were rolling in there sleeping bags inside there bivvies. So much going on, lots of fish jumping, birds singing and fishermen snoring, so much with getting in touch with nature. I have nothing against fishing in fact, it has been a massive part of my life (going at least once a week for 30 years, a couple of years ago). My youth was spent coming down this pool winter and summer trying to fool the roach, looking for minute Tench bubbles in the summer, stalking big pike in the winter. There were no carp in the lake then, now they have been introduced along with an army of guys trying to trap them over a few days with 5 or 6 rods with bite alarms, tucked up inside there bivvies, not sure if this is what I would call fishing.But they were enjoying it, I could tell as there was at least 24 empty lager cans outside one of them, gotto be better than goin down the pub.

Looking back out to where the grebe had been, I noticed why he had been getting excited - he had got himself a nice Perch dinner. Now thats what you call fishing.

As I walked down the bank towards the willows I could hear what I think were Reed Warblers, can you believe I have been listening to tapes of how different birds sing. I saw a black headed gull and then I was lucky enough to spot 2 common terns which I think were arguing over a landing post. I wished I had managed to figure out how to stop the blur on these following pictures. I think I was so lucky to witness this

Just wished I had had my camera on a nice steadying tripod.

Time to get back now I have had a very enjoyable couple of hours and breakfast is calling. Making my way back there were a couple of swifts flitting about along with some house martins. I also spotted a Reed Bunting and I think it was a Reed Warbler.

The swift being one of the fastest birds in the world, I was quite chuffed to get a picture of it, again this would of been impossible with out the converter, but still a bit blurry, think I need to save for a new lens and a new camera.

A PICTURE OF A VERY FAST SWIFT - NOT QUITE IT WAS ACTUALLY THE TERN I COULDNT GET ANY WHERE NEAR THE SWIFT.

6.30 am Monday 29th June

2009-06-29T15:22:00.005+01:00

Well I quite enjoyed my 2 hours down the pool yesterday so decided that I would have another trip down there today. Grabbing the bino's and camera I am down at the pool at 6.30am. It is a much brighter day this morning so hopefully I will get some better photo's. Despite the time their is quite a lot of traffic on the road so it is nice to replace it with the sound of the ducks and other birds. It was quite close and humid and I thought that we may get a bit of a storm but luckily it did not materialise. The first thing I saw today was a Great Tit followed by a bird which I could not identify. The birds were not as noisy as they were yesterday but there was quite a few butterflys about

Speckled Wood Butterfly

I just had to take some pictures of these, afterall there was not any birds to take pictures of

The Ringlet Butterfly

Once I got towards the back of the pool it was quite quiet and tranquil and would of been perfect had it not been for all the flying insects about. It must of rained in the night as it did seem a bit wetter underfoot. I was looking not only in the bushes today but in the fields and along the fenceline. I noticed these two Rabbits with not a care in the world.

At the back of the pool I again watched the Wren darting to and fro.

Again I saw the Tufted Ducks which were to far away to photograph (im gonna have to get a bigger lens but I am also after the new canon eos50D) Not much in the way of birds this morning but I did encounter A Cob and Penn with a group of cygnetts. They were standing on the narrow path way hissing and showing their wings. I needed to be on the otherside of them but they wanted me, off the pond all together. I didnt fancy arguing with them so decide to take my chance and jump over the electric fence where there was a field of very inquisitive bullocks.Still I dont think that they would of created as much damage as this over protective daddy swan.

I finally reach the area of where I saw the corn bunting yesterday and I couldnt believe my eyes when I saw him back on his perch singing away.

Back to work now for another week so I dont think I will be spotting many birds there, roll on next week.

Sunday 5.30am 28th June 2009

2009-06-29T13:37:00.000+01:00

After reading a blog on seeswood pool in Nuneaton I was amazed at the amount of bird species that were to be seen down there and, not in the mood to carry and set up all of my fishing tackle I decided to grab my binoculars, a 300ml zoom lens for my Canon eos 300 and go and do a bit of bird spotting. So down to seeswood I went. I soon discoverd a bright blue top is not the ideal clothing as the birds seen me coming before I even saw them. I could hear birds all around me but could not see any. I think there is a bit more to this bird watching than what I think. As I slowly made my way around the pool the ground and foliage was laden with dew, as were my jeans. I was quite impressed with The angling club that own rights to the water as they have put a series of duck boards around the areas which are quite boggy, however I still manage to go ankle deep in some of the black gunge which created a curse followed by a flutter in the bush and off went the first bird of the morning I had seen. As i got to the back of the pool in an area that is surrounded by shrubs and bull rushes, I disturbed a flock of small birds, I managed to get a brief look of what I think was a Reed Warbler. Not to be outdone, I thought that maybe if I stay still for a while they may come back. It was quite a misty morning and as I leaned back against a tree I thought that I best see if there was enough light for my camera. The area I was in was quite dark with bushes on one side and a mass of bull rushes on the other, I could not see the pool although I could hear the ducks. Their was also a lot of moo-ing noise from the other side of the bushes. I needed to increase the iso settings on my camera which makes the images a bit grainy but does allow me to take fast photo's in low light. No birds came back and I stayed there until I felt a nudging on my leg. I am not sure what noise came out of my mouth, but it did spook some more of the very secretive, cute clever birds. Looking down their was a great big fluffy German Shepard having a good smell of me followed by a voice in the distance shouting that the dog would'nt hurt me. Moving on now to the back of the pool and more marsh I spotted my first proper bird and it was a Wren flitting to its well concealed nest. I watched it for quite a while but was unable to get a picture of it. As I walked down the otherside of the pool I saw quite a few coots along with a duck that had bright orange eyes and a bit of a scruffy haircut. Not sure what this duck was so I had a look in my book and it turned out to be a Tufted duck. My 300mm zoom lens was no where near big enough to get a decent picture of them. As I neared the road I came across a group of willows which had quite a few birds flitting about in, I thought that if I got a picture I could then Identify them when I got home, No suprise I got the camera to my eyes and all the birds have dissapeared - Gutted. I did hear another chirping and scanning my camera up I caught sight of this sparrow like bird. I quickly Got a picture of it, but it was a long way off. I sat and watched him calling for quite some time and felt quite elated that I had managed to ' spot a bird ' I later discoverd the bird was a Corn Bunting but as my camera was set on a high ISO I couldnt blow the picture up to a decent size, so the picture at the start of this blog is the bird in question.

Grey Wagtail

I climbed over the carpark gate and walked along the road back to my van. As I walked over the sluice I spotted this grey wagtail who kindly stayed still long enogh for me to photograph