Lovely weather there if a tad on the cold side but when we arrived at Langdon Common it was Bloody Freezing and there was mist swirling round all over the place. The Lekking was still going on when we arrived with 12 Male and 1 Female Black Grouse, the Female perched on top of a hide so the photographer couldn't get any pics:
The Lek went on for a good hour and when eventually it came to an end the female just flew away so I dont know if the photographers inside (could see at least 2 lenses poking through) got any pics of her. We then went for a slow drive along the Common, the first birds we saw were 2 Woodcocks just wandering around and at one stage we could see 3 although they were a bit spread out.
There was a definite pair though which came together on occassions but kept dissappearing in the mist and in the tall grass but unlike the ones I have seen in Northumberland, which normally composed of an "arse end" vanishing at a fast rate of knots, I did see a couple of them fly and then return to the same spot where they had taken off from.
Next was our first viewing of a Whimbrel, very distinctive with the white V on the back and the eye stripe. Once again there were a pair together and then we saw a single on flying around on at least 3 occassions. Unfortunately no pics due to the weather and the crap photographer. There were plenty of other species to see including Lapwings (the most viewed bird of the day), lots of Meadow Pippits which seemed to pose for you at the drop of a hat:
Then there were the Skylarks, they were everywhere although a bit harder to photograph except when a pair decided to have a three-rounder right above us as they spiralled down from about 100ft:
This is when one of them hit the other and it went to ground then came screeming out like a banshee straight at the other one then a quick twirl around and up they went into the wild blue grey yonder.
Also saw quite a few Golden Plover but no matter what setting I adjusted on the camera the photos always turned out as though half the pixels are missing, the same happened last week also in completely different weather !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - never mind I will get very lucky my techniques and setting sorted soon:
We then started coming across individual Black Grouse which were a bit closer and looked a bit better as the sun rose (but the bloody cold didn't go away) but still no decent pics. We then moved onto Cow Green where we found amongst others Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Mistle Thrush, Wheatear, Pied Wagtail etc and of course a few more Lapwings
We then headed to Derwent Reservoir where we spent an extremely pleasant couple of hours seeing amongst others, 3 pairs of Great Crested Grebes, Willow Tit, Wigeon, Goosander and GSWoodpecker.
Then off home but not before we called into Wittle Dene but on the way there I spotted something fluttering on a fence by a farm, on closer inspection we saw it was a mole caught on some barbed wire. Extremely puzzled we started off again discussing this phenomenon and about 20m further on there was a barbed wire fence with about 40 moles in various forms of decay displayed like a badge of courage. Now I know that Moles can cause a bit of damage but so do foxes, deer, birds, elephants but you dont kill them en masse then display them or am I being stupid and there is something I dont know why this is done (though personally I doubt it). Anyway got to Whittle Dene then the accident happened. Watching the Common Terns wheeling around I got out of the car with camera in one hand still watching the Terns and shut the door with my free hand. Somehow I had forgotten to take my hand out of the door and my thumbs ability to cover a certain amount of area suddenly doubled (held onto the camera though). Being extremely hard not a word passed my lips as I checked the camera and opened the car door a well known wimp I uttered a few obscenities and felt the tears well into my eyes. John rushed to my assistance saying I knew something serious had happened by the screams!!. Eventually sorted myself out (ps. its still throbbing now and is very difficult to touch type). Never mind heres a couple more pics for you all to laugh at/ignore.
Well at the end of the day we had accumulated a total of 52 Species with at least 2 Lifers for both of us.
PS. Forgot to mention that at Derwent Reservoir we both heard on separate occasions a Cuckoo call
7 comments:
I hope nobody reads both accounts and spot the discrepancies.
Those pics of the Skylarks are brill, as i thought they would be. How could i forget the Whimbrel we saw???????????
Trouble is of course, i don't have a list!!
Cracking day John..........cheers.
In fact i'll give it a thumbs up...........will you?
John
John, first class skylark pics. I've always understood the practice of hanging the moles is the way in which the catcher proves to the farmer how much he owes. But maybe its an old wives tale.
Dick
John,
I thought I was the OAP with the memory problems but consulting my list/notes 4th bird of the day was a pair of Whimbrels which you were not sure about so listed them with a ?, then about 30mins later we got some distant views of one again and you got the IPOD and looked it up for characteristics and the call. Then when we were standing near those guys from Doncaster one flew overhead and you said definitely Whimbrel look at the White V on the back so then entered against the question mark a tick and Vonback. Then when I spoke to the guys from Doncaster they also said they had seen it and had other viewings also. Now, does that ring a bell or should I bring my "Remembering Pills" next time. LMAO
John
Dick, I googled it (which I should have done in the first place) and came up with http://www.lep.co.uk/news/mole_killer_s_grisly_display_of_victims_1_88816
John
What i meant John was ....how on earth could i have forgotten that i had seen Whimbrel and not mentioned it on my blog. Also that having a list means that you actually remember what you saw so you don'r forget. Of course something like a Cuckoo calling can easily be overlooked!!!!!!!, list or not. I got info from the guild of master molecatchers or whatever its called. The thing that stands out in days gone by was that they sold the moleskins and that was part of their income and no mention of displaying them.
John
Thanks John, I misunderstood, I thought you were saying you hadn't seen a whimbrel. Your right, I had forgot about the cuckoo and entered it as an afterthought at the bottom of the days listings. I dont know how I forgot about it as it was the first thing I told the beloved about when I got home.
John
Just read John's report and follwed directions here. I'll do a job lot and say two great reports with equally great photos. Let me also say ouch on your behalf!
It's a great area down there, and I had my best ever sighting of Black Grouse when circa 20 flew across the road in fron of me at Langdon Beck.
Last time I saw dead moles lined up along the wall was also in Durham. Cheers. Brian.
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