Bird Ringing - From the Beginning

Since May 2012 I have taken part in bird ringing and I one of the best things that I have ever done, since I have started I have had great opportunities like; Canon netting in March 2013, Swallow roost in August 2013 and raptor and owl boxes. Since I have started I have ringed 5 Wigeon, 2 Stock Doves, 1 Little Owl chick, 2 Kestrel Chicks and 2 Jackdaw chicks.

Me with my 1st ever ringed bird a Wigeon

Me and a Lesser Redpoll

Me with a Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Birding in Norfolk

On the 14th September my dad and I went out to Norfolk with some other members from LROS (Leicestershire and Rutland Ornithological Society), which each month do an outing to various reserves across the country and this months outing was to the North Norfolk Coast to Holme Dunes and RSPB's best reserve I think in Norfolk, Titchwell Marsh.

So on Saturday it was a early morning, up at 5:30am (which isn't that early compared to bird ringing in the summer). We arrived at Holme Dunes at 9am in the rain but we had all ready got a few good ticks for the day e.g. At Hunstanton school fields there was Grey Plover, Curlew and Lapwing. When everyone had arrived we headed straight for the beach to wait for passing seabirds on their migration south and we ended up with some amazing birds e.g. an Arctic Skua being mobbed by 6 Sandwich Terns, a Great Skua which had been blown by the freezing cold winds, it flew right over our heads, it was just amazing. Then when just before we were about to look at the freshwater pools someone shouts " Gannets" and there were 3 Gannets, two immature and one lovely adult flying over the sea at a distance.

2 Curlew Sandpipers

Little Stint

Later on we headed to Titchwell Marsh hoping for some new species. So as soon as we got in the car park we got Blue tit and Great tit which was ticks for the list today, then we headed straight for the freshwater lagoon after seeing the board with some great species at the lagoon i.e 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 2  Little Stint , 4 Curlew Sandpiper and  1 Greenshank. When we got to the lagoon we had amazing views of the Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stint and the PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, with a bonus of an adult winter Mediterranean Gull. Then moving to the Saltwater Marsh a few more ticks were added; Spotted Redshank, Cetti's Warbler,  Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailed Godwit which was good for comparison. Then moving to the sea, hoping for some other species and we got 3 Eider flying past then an adult Eider on the sea. Also we got a lovely Kittwake fly past which I really loved. Then on the way back to the car park we looked at the feeders and we saw Chaffinch and Greenfinch. In the car park a flock of Long-tailed Tits with about 5 Chiffchaffs and one Willow Warbler. So the end of a fantastic day with a total of 65 species with 4 new species Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Pectoral Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper.

Pectoral Sandpiper in the middle with Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin

Black Stork at Rutland Water

I went with a friend to Rutland Water in August. I was hoping to see a Black-necked Grebe which had been sighted in the last few days.When we looked at the sighting board it listed Garganey 1, Juv little gull and a Common Scoter, sadly we did not see any of these birds but I did get my second sighting this year of a  Ringed Plover (as I had been busy with Ringing and jobs at home) which was nice. Also we saw what we think was a Juvenile Black Tern . Then moving to my favourite hide at Rutland Water, Shoveler hide, we saw Ruff, 20+ Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit and a Male Sparrowhawk, which set everything of in the air, it was like watching a Knot spectacle on a estuary. Then when things started to calm down there were two birds flying towards me, on the left was the common Grey Heron but on the right was what at first we thought was a  Common Crane, so there is me shouting out 'Common Crane!' And two people just about to walk out of the hide and look at me as if "really a common crane in the East Midlands yer right" and then walked out. But after taking some photos, it showed a white underside on the belly and a straight red bill and looking in a field guide we decided it was a Black Stork. It was to be the 2nd ever County Record. Going back to the main center we spoke to Tim Apellton who had also seen it, but I was the 1st to see it, because it had been reported a further 15 mins after we had seen it, but no one else had photographed it meaning I was the only person to do so. But the Black Stork sighting in Bosworth a further 22 years before hadn't been photographed so I was the only person ever to photograph a Black Stork in Leicestershire and Rutland.  

Black Stork at Rutland Water

Hello everyone, this is my blog devoted to wildlife. I'll be posting my sightings, thoughts along with some of my photographs.

Here is my favourite photograph of a Kittiwake at Scarborough harbour in 2011.