Big Waters 5 Feb 17

Out for a wander on Sunday with Ian D around Big Waters, we were joined later on  by Keith B and Graeme B and we did the Big Walk.  It started off quite cold but became a little warmer and brighter later on.

A couple of early morning scenic shots

 I heard a Crossbill and was trying to find it in the Conifers when an Oystercatcher dropped in.

Also seen around the Public end were a Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Goldcrests

 The duck on the pond were notable by their absence although there were still a few around.  Widgeon moving around, a few Tufted, some Mallard, a couple of Gadwall, not many Teal, plenty of Swans (still beating each other up), lots of Gulls and a Shoveller although no Goldeneye were seen

 A Heron in its usual early morning haunt until the dog walkers move it off

 Jackday looking for scraps

 A Robin on one of its usual perches

 Nice clouds over the South West field

 The island a bit bare of birds and vegetation

 One of 3 Yellowhammers that were in the Feeding Station

 A couple of pictures of one of the 3 ringed Willow Tits, this one with White Tail

 A pair of Bullfinches flying around the Feeding Station which was quite full of

foraging birds

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Big Waters - The Last 2 Sundays

A few pictures from the last 2 Sunday Walks around Big Waters.  On 22 Jan it was very overcast and freezing so didn't take my gloves off much hence not many photographs.

The second earliest ever Oystercatcher seen at Big Waters 

A Jack Snipe flying low and quite a distance away

  A nearly dry Cormorant

 A bit of early hanky panky could lead to breeding ??

 Although looking very sedate the Swan Battles have become quite

violent and lots of  what looks like "attempted drownings" are seen

after violent struggles

Last Sunday was very different, it started off cold but got quite warm (but not in the hides) 

with some amazing Sunshine but it was getting a bit duller by the time we left.

I mainly took Landscape shots as the Lake was completely frozen over but was

showing patches of water by the time I left at 13.30.

 A Grey Wagtail near the Farm Track

 One of my favourite views

 Robin in a different position than normal

(Little Bugger wouldn't turn around)

 A Juvenile having a rest from battling through the ice

 Another favourite view

Plenty of Lapwing, Redwing, Golden Plover, Starlings and the odd few Fieldfare around

 A Pile of Old Shite 

 A Reed Bunting (for some reason it reminds me of Hulk Hogan!!)

Well thats it for this week although next week we should see plenty of birds as Alan J is away doing other things so that means Ian, Keith and I will be able to concentrate on Birding instead of listening to Alan (wink, wink)

ps. I believe this is the best January for quite a while (if not ever) with 86 Species for the month and that is with only 1 sighting of a Pheasant !!


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Great grey shrike at Big Waters

The Sunday walk around Big Waters on New Years Day brought as a great start to the year in the form of a Great grey shrike.  It was at a bit of a distance but managed a few shots before it flew off in the direction of Prestwick Carr.  I only managed 3 shots whilst it was on the tree then 3 as it departed

We were joined by Susan, Graeme and Tony B on our wander round today so there were many eyes watching and quite a few birds were spotted but I had to leave at 1 so we only had made it about three quaters the way round when I shot off to attend to other things then go away for a few days to Liverpool so dont know if we did better than the 63 which was our previous record for New Years Day

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Little Egret at Big Waters 11 December 2016

We met as normal but Keith was away watching big silver birds (so we were expecting something different) and of we went in anticipation (Alan J, Ian D and Graeme B).  Weather was a bit dull but warm until you got into the wind then it was extremely cold.  During the week there had been very large counts of ducks on the pond and geese around but as usual a lot of them had stayed in the warmth for the weekend although we did spot quite a few geese at places not usually frequented and also a flock of approaching 200 Lapwings and a smaller one of 50ish.  Not a great lot of small birds but quite a few Thrushes flying around and a solitary Grey Wagtail.  On the pond Alan said the numbers were very small compared to record counts during the week although these had happened when the ice had formed and the wildfowl seemed to amalgamate on it so no doubt they are in there somewhere.  A total of 31 Mute Swans were also on the pond.  We also came across a flock of 70+ Common Gulls and a solitary Curlew in one of the South Fields.  As we were getting towards the end of the walk Graeme said he had just seen a possible Little Egret drop into one of fields about 300m North of our position so we headed down to its possible location and after checking a stream the Little Egret came flying out but only flew around (unfortunately away from us) but then returned and landed in a field about 100m from the stream.  It was still a fair distance from us but after a couple of minutes it then flew back to its original position so off we went.  Unfortunately I had a domestic chore to attend to so never made it to the hide and probably missed the Brambling that has been there a few days this week. So here is a short video and a few pics of the walk around

Some lucky sods returning from the miserable weather on the continent to the bonny Toon

 Teazel in the wild seems to do much better than in my garden

 Noticed a Juvenile and an Adult feeding and flying around together with

the Juvenile seeming to lead, unusual for this time of year ?

We are off for a couple of short holidays (relaxing coach trips with a bunch of other wrinklies to Yorkshire and Lancashire with plenty of joviality and drinking) so dont know when the next blog will be out so have a Happy Christmas and New Year to my thousands odd reader or two

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Big Waters - Last Couple of Visits

Just a few shots from the last couple of visits to Big Waters on the 27th November and 4th December. I hardly took my camera out on the first one and on the second I couldn't be bothered to take it out as I was just enjoying the dry but cold weather, the wildlife and the chatter.

 This was taken on the 27th November but if you had been there 3 days earlier  when the

 heavy rain happened you wouldn't have seen the island or got into the hides at all

This one was taken about 8.30am when a lot of the pond was still frozen

and all the ducks had retreated into the weeds

Lots of Swans around trying to land and take off with the ice causing them problems.

I think there was around 30 there although no doubt Alan J will correct me

It was quite dark as we walked around although occasionally the

sun did get through a few holes in the thick clouder layer

Right at the end of the walk the sun came out although still with

strange levels of dark and light

Onto 4 December and a quick stop off at Little Waters where ZAT and ZAS seem to be spending their nights (the pair that have raised two families in the last two breeding seasons) probably for a bit of peace and quiet from the myriad of Swans that seem to be passing through on the main pond although I did see them leave and head through the tunnel towards the main pond

A few of the several hundred Greylags that are around Big Waters atm.  I remember Alan J saying that there was more than 500 counted a couple of days ago

Once again my favourite view on the walk round although I did take the pictures using the Bracketing Function then combined the pictures together to make a basic HDR image

A Grey Heron just passing the time of day

"WHAT IS IT ??"

Can't go without putting up a video but this one is in the form of a question

(for those of you who don't like watching videos I have put up 2 pictures 

first taken with my box brownie so if you stop it after 14 seconds you will

not see those evil moving pictures which capture your heart and soul and 

rip it out of your body - wonder if any of these people watch Richard

Attenborough's Planet series?)

"WHAT IS IT ??"

Finally a note for all of  those brainless dog walkers who leave their dog's doings in plastic bags hanging from tress, gates, bushes or just dumped

"DON'T, YOU MORONS

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