Answer to Quiz Week 12 and plus Quiz Week 13 Bird ID

Last weeks bird was quite easy it was a Woodpigeon digiscoped from my garden, well done to the following people who got it right  Rob Stokes, Ellis Lucas, Ben Moyes, Findlay Wilde and Erik Ansell .

Here is this weeks mystery bird, comment on the blog or DM me on Twitter @TobyWarbler

Mystery Bird

Answer to Quiz Week 11 and plus Quiz Week 12 Bird ID

Last weeks bird was in fact a Yellow Wagtail from my patch this year well done to Ellis Lucas, Ben Moyes, Rob Stokes, Harley and Findlay Wilde. Unlucky those who got it wrong.

Here is this weeks quiz, it's an easy one. You can comment on the blog or DM me on twitter @TobyWarbler

Young Conservationist Workshop - 50th Blog!!!!!!

On the 16th April I was invited to go to the BTO Headquarters in Thetford to a Young Conservation conference was going to be held and I was invited to do a 10 minute talk on birding within Leicestershire and Rutland.

The BTO Headquarters

I got woken up at 5:00am and left for Thetford at 6:00am, we got stuck in traffic all along the A14! Finally arrived at the Nunnery Lakes at 8:45am and the weather was perfect sunny but hardly any wind.

When I got into the building I got greeted by Ieuan Evans, Lucy Mcrobert and Rob Lambert as soon as we arrived. After a while a few more familiar faces appeared including Ben Moyes, Ellis Lucas and his Dad and Josie Hewitt and finally the Wilde Family; Heather, Nigel, Findlay and Harley.

Parts of the BTO team introduced themselves and a bit about them selves, this included listening to Andy Clements, Ieuan Evans, Kate Risley, Justin Walker, Andy Musgrove, Nick Moran and Jez Blackburn.

Then after deciding what workshops we would choose, I choose Bird Ringing with Jez Blackburn and Kate Risley, Nest Recording with Dave Leech and Carl Barrimore and Bird Surveys.

In the Nest Recording they caught 1 Blackbird, 1 Great Tit, 1 Drake Mallard and 2 Goldfinches, the nest recording we saw was Chaffinch nest and a Blackbird nest, this has now inspired me to find more nests and the other day I found a Chiffchaff nest my 1st one ever thanks to Dave Leech and Carl Barrimore, and the surveys we looked at the BBS and how to get more training is it a good idea to do more online training or more one-to-one mentoring?

Then after lunch it was the reason why I was their to do my presentation, I was to go third after Findlay Wilde and Abbey Miller. For all of the 10 minutes it went very quick and my heart was pumping very hard but I enjoyed every minute of it. I will never forget a single moment of it.

Me giving my Presentation 

After all of the 7 presentations were finished, Lucy Mcrobert presented all 7 of us with a certificate also including Ellis Lucas and Harley Wilde. 

From the left Harley Wilde (who sadly you can't see), Ellis Lucas, Findlay Wilde, Me, Myra-Rose Craig, Josie Hewitt, Abby Miller and Ben Moyes.

Then at the end everyone thanked the BTO and AFON for putting together a brilliant day and then Lucy announced that Swarovski was sponsoring them and have loaned out a pair of CL 10x30 Bins and I got presented with them and now I get to enjoy them for a month before one of the other Young conservationist gets the pair, then after trying them out I found out that Findlay had another pair that Swarovski had loaned out.

Here is a pic with me and the bins.

So it ended up with a brilliant day and I thoroughly enjoyed, hopefully they will be a another conference like this soon. 

Thank you very much to the BTO and AFON 

Here are some of the blogs you should look at: Findlay Wilde - http://wildeaboutbirds.blogspot.com,

Ben Moyes: http://moysiesbirdtrips.blogspot.com, Ellis Lucas - http://elliswildlife.blogspot.co.uk, Josie Hewitt - http://josiehewittphotography.co.uk.

Also AFON have put a page together of contacts;  http://www.afocusonnature.org/members/workshops/young-ornithologists-workshop/stay-contact/

Answer to Quiz Week 10 and plus Quiz Week 11 Bird ID

Last weeks bird tail was in fact a Yellowhammer, well done to the following; Zac Hinchcliffe, Rob Stokes and Gary Carter as it was a hard one.
This weeks bird I think is quite easy, have as many guesses as you want. Comment on the post or DM me @Tobywarbler

Mystery Bird

MEGA at Rutland Water

On Thursday 10th I went with my Mum, Sister and Dog to Rutland Water Sailing club to try and find a PIED-BILLED GREBE which had been sighted the day before, this is the first for Leicestershire and Rutland.  This is my second MEGA bird! The other was the Western Sandpiper at Cley Marsh.

We arrived at 11:30am and left at 2:00pm, and within that time we got brilliant views of it here are some of my favorite pictures taken through my camera. Also saw House Martin, Willow Warbler and Curlew all new birds for the year.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic3

Pic 4

Pictures Digiscoped from iPad 2 turned out quite good

Pied Billed Grebe Digiscoped

Pied Billed Grebe Digiscoped

Pied Billed Grebe Digiscoped

Also on Friday afternoon around 5:00pm a WHITE STORK flew over heading NW! I've now seen both species of Stork recorded in the county. 

Easter Birding Part 1

As now I have broken up for Easter, I'm making the most of it to go Birding.

On Monday, thier is a local walking club so I joined in and found my first Yellow Wagtail of the year on my patch, possibly the earliest one ever for me. Also Skylark and Meadow Pipits are starting to pair up together and Chiffchaff are now singing.

Chiichaff

Skylark

Bunting Mad

On Saturday, my dad and I went ringing for the first time in about 6 weeks!Our aim was to ring a Reed bunting and Yellowhammer flock.

We arrived at the site about 5:45am, and put out 3, 40ft nets in front of some hedgerows, and baited the wild flower meadow with wheat. Also nearby was the river Wreake, and a small tributary was not far by, so I had about 4 go's of trying to catch a Moorhen, all of them failed LOL.

Within 2 rounds we had caught 11 Yellowhammers, 6 Reed Buntings and 3 Tree Sparrows, it was quite slow at first but with the river nearby, we watched birds passing by the river, some of those species where; 1 Little Egret, 1 Grey Heron, 13 Mute Swans, 2 Moorhens, 5 Canada Geese, 2 Cormorants and a Green Woodpecker.

By the end of the session we had ringed around 45 birds, which isn't too big neither too small, so we were able to enjoy the birds more the totals were 20 Yellowhammer, 6 Tree Sparrow, 9 Reed Buntings, 1 Goldfinch and 2 Chaffinch.

Tree Sparrow

Yellowhammer

Anwser to Quiz Week 9 and plus Quiz Week 10 Bird ID

Last week's bird was a bit of a challenge I will admit, it was in fact a Little Stint I saw at the Birdfair about 3 years ago, this weeks bird is a bit different, as many of you might know I also  go Bird Ringing, so I thought that it could be a good brain teaser.

Well done to the following people who got it right; Rob Stokes and Ben Moyes

Tail Feathers

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