Golden Spring

The other morning, we had a very good frost and then when the sun shone down it started to evaporate, here are some of the pics.

Today it was beautiful, clear skies and very warm about 18 degrees.

I went in search for a pair of Lapwing which could probably nest nearby, and found a flock of about c100 Golden Plover. This is a very rare bird on my patch, and especially as I've only had fleeting glimpses of them, this was amazing to see, also saw 200+ Woodpigeons, 2 Chiffchaff and about 20 Fieldfare

Hare

Golden Plover 

Chaffich

Even my Dog joined in!

A fraction of the Plovers

Birds from Afghanistan

A friend of mine in my village is a solider in Afghanistan, and sent me some pictures that he had taken from their.
I'm not the best so could you help me out!

OSME got back to me and hear are what they thought; Spotted Flycatcher, Laughing Dove, Common Myna x2, (v scruffy) Tree Sparrow, Common Myna, shrike spp, prob Lesser Grey (date?)

Anwser to Quiz Week 8 and plus Quiz Week 9 Bird ID

Well done to everyone who tired this weeks quiz, well done to the following people who got it right; Ellis Lucas and Rob Stokes, the bird was in fact a Yellow Wagtail on my patch, they breed each year.

Here is this week mystery bird, you can comment on the blog or DM at Twitter @TobyWarbler

Its Singing Spring

Even though this weekend has been horrible in terms of the weather, this didn't stop me going out.

In the morning I went with my Dad to walk the dog and as soon as we got out of the village 3 Meadow Pipits were feeding right in front of us.

2 of the 3 Meadow Pipits

Then after hearing Yellowhammer and seeing a buzzard being mobbed my 2 Rooks, I found a Moorhen in between the hedgerow, this is quite a rare bird on my patch. Then a Long-tailed Tit collects nest material.

Long-tailed Tit

Later, I managed to find my first definite Chiffchaff, not one but two singing males!!!!!! , a new bird for the year a lovely adult Willow Tit. , also we saw plenty of Chaffinches and Hares.

Hare's

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Chiffchaff

Anwser to Quiz Week 7 and plus Quiz Week 8 Bird ID

Last weeks bird was in fact a Grey Partridge, well done to Rob Stokes and Erik Ansell. Unlucky to those who got it wrong, here is next weeks bird.
Comment on the blog or DM at Twitter on @TobyWarbler

The mystery bird 

Anwser to Quiz Week 6 and plus Quiz Week 7 Bird ID

Last weeks bird were a bit of a challenge, thank you to those who had a go.
Bird 1: The People who got the 1st Bird right were Ellis Lucas and Rob Stokes
Bird 2: Everybody got this one right so well done to them.
A very big well done to Ellis Lucas and Rob Stokes who got both right.

Mystery Bird

Good look to everyone you can comment on my blog or either DM me on twitter @TobyWarbler

Sence Valley Birding

This morning woke up to a lovely 15 degrees, also seeing my first Brimstone's of the year, also seeing Pied Wagtail and Blue Tit checking out my Poppa's roof space.

Blue Tit

Pied Wagtail

First Brimstone this year, plus it was in the Garden

Today I went out in the afternoon to the National Forest in North West Leicestershire, to go to Sence Valley CP, I had never been their before and it was a pleasant surprise.

We arrived in the Car Park with a even hotter temperature of 18 degrees, and straight the way House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Reed-Bunting and Great Tit were in the bag. A steady walk down a hill brought us Goldfinch and our of many Black-headed Gulls. At the bottom it was beautiful, not to many people but lots of birds.

The View

  Then I went to the waters edge were a little girl and a lady had been feeding the gulls on a platform and here are some of my favourite pics.

Black-headed Gull

Great-crested Grebe stretching

Black-headed Gull

My fav pic of a Black-headed Gull

After I decided to take another photo opportunity on some Mute Swans.

Mute Swan

Mute Swan

Mute Swan 

Mute Swan

Mute Swan

Then heading home to brilliant ticks were included a long awaited Bullfinch and Lesser Redpoll.

Lesser Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

Bullfinch

 

Albert's Gullfest plus the Speed King

Today my Dad had to go to Stoke-on Trent to service his camera. After that we decided to go to Albert Village lake and Swithland Res.

So after having come back from Stoke-on Trent, we headed to Albert Village lake, this is one of the best places in Leicestershire and Rutland for Glaucous gulls and Iceland Gulls, as it is right next to a landfill site and a quarry. When we arrived a pair of Blue Tits started displaying to one another, then a lovely female Kestrel flew over, then it hit us how many gulls there were, it was like Leicestershire's own Gullfest, the common 4 gulls we saw, Lesser-black Backed, Great-black Backed, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, and a possible Yellow-legged Gull. And the records went like this 1000+ Black-headed Gull, 200+Lesser-black Backed, 2 Great-black Backed and a few Herring Gull.

Gull 1

Gull 2

Gull 3

Gull 4

Then later on Coot and Little Grebe gave amazing photo opportunities here are a few pics

Coot 1 

Coot 2

Coot 3

Little Grebe 1

Little Grebe 2

After spending about 3 hours around Albert's Gullfest, we headed for Swithland Res on the way home, as the night before a Great-white Egret had been seen flying in that direction. When we got their their were Great-crested Grebes, Black-headed Gulls and 5 Scaup which had spent most of the winter there. And then as I was about to get in the car a Buzzard flew over with what at first I thought was another Buzzard but was a male Peregrine, its one of the only places were they breed, and it flew right over.

Peregrine and Buzzard 

Peregrine and Buzzard