A Frosty Morning and Another Patch Hawfinch

What a stunningly beautiful morning, with the temperature gauge showing -4 when I stepped out the front door pre-sunrise. I've been feeling left out with all the snow photos coming in from north and east of us, but this morning helped quash some of this jealousy...

I saw quite a few bits and bobs too, including this Mink. This species always makes me feel a bit odd when I see it. I don't see many, but when I do I feel like I should be excited, but then remember the havoc they cause...

On the bird front, just by where the Mink was a flighty Water Pipit proved a bit of a surprise, as they have become a real scarce winter visitor here in most of the recent years. On the Estuary, four Shoveler were resting with Mallards...

There were plenty of Redwing and a few Fieldfare scattered about all over the place, along with a few more Skylark than usual. At Stafford Cross a brief look showed at least ten Brambling, but the main prize came during my journey back through Colyton.

Driving along Burnards Field Road (our Hawfinch hotspot) I caught a glimpse of the unique shape of a flying Hawfinch, heading low south parallel with the road. Thankfully it did the right thing and pitch down in a Field Maple (I think), which it fed in for the next ten minutes before I had to leave...

Hopefully this one will stick around!?

Gotcha!

Mid last week the Abbotsbury Swannery boys came over again, hoping to catch the male Mute Swan that slipped the net a few weeks ago.  It wasn't as easy as our first attempt as the female clearly remembered us and remained a little nervous, which rubbed off on him. Despite this though within a few minutes thanks to some superb tiger-esk stalking from Steve G, he was in our hands...

As you can see from Steve's expression in the lower of the three photos he was a heavy boy, weighing 3kg more than the female at 13.5kg.  And he can now be known as DJO.

Swanning About

I'm writing this post sat outside in the back garden with a well deserved mug of tea, listening to Redwings and a few Fieldfare flying over in the dark.

On Wednesday, Steve the Deputy Swanherd from Abbotsbury Swannery (see his blog: http://stevesswannerysightings.blogspot.co.uk/) came over with a small team to help me catch a pair of Mute Swans, so we could ring and colour-ring them. They've got some important bits of kit that I haven't, plus the necessary catching skills!  

We managed to complete 50% of the task and catch and colour-ring one of the birds, a female that weighed a whopping 10.4kg!!

Steve and the lucky lady.

Fitting the colour-ring.

Weighing her.

And here is DJN!

Many thanks chaps, hopefully see you again soon for round two!

Pec At Last

After going out every day for the last month or so thinking 'we've got to get a Pec today', finally yesterday was the day!  It was found by Sue Smith just before I went to work, so I didn't get chance to see it until early afternoon today.  During a very heavy downpour... 

And the worst photo of the year away goes to....me!

It is actually a very well marked and stunning bird.  For some proper photos of it, look here on Sue Smith's blog.  

You will also notice on Sue's blog the Spotted Crake, which amazingly reappeared yesterday after not being seen for pretty much an entire month! Now that is what you call elusive.

Well what else have I been up to today, well Beer Head was very enticing this morning.  It was also very wet!  Especially as numpty here had forgotten his wellies and coat!  It wasn't really raining until the end of my wander, but it was that foggy mizzle stuff that just gets you drenched without you noticing! 
  

It may have been wet, but it looked 'rare'

Although there wasn't much at all - it did 'feel' really good.  I suppose knowing a Red-throated Pipit had just turned up less than 14 miles away, with a Richard's Pipit yesterday even closer, helped my inspiration.

Hirundines and Meadow Pipits were the only species in any number, with the best bird of the visit being a corking male Redstart in the gorse hedge.  But save for a Wheatear, four Blackcap and two Chiffchaff grounded migrants were at a premium.

So two wet feet, wet clothes and wet everything else for a Redstart. Pants.

I haven't really done any birding at all before today and since my last blog post - although I have seen a few birds.

Friday evening I thought Jess would enjoy a nice walk around Seaton Marshes.  We all know this is a fantastic place to go for a nice romantic stroll...right!? Anyway, there was a surprise flock of Siskins on show. Not just one or two, but a splendid flock of 40, feeding in alders around the Borrow Pit and showing really well - a real surprise.  Apparently there was no sign of them the next morning, so I presume they were just passing through until the rain prompted them to stop off.   

Saturday was another non-birding day, but still produced a good bird.  We had spent the day at Yarak bird of prey centre, where I treated Jess to a half day of raptor flying and handling.  It was great fun, and how fitting that we should finish the day off with a (wild) rare raptor!  At 5pm just as we were turning onto the A3052 from the Honiton road, there was a stunning Red Kite flying low over the field beside the road.  Even from our view (naked eye and from a moving car) it was clearly a bright bird with a very red upper tail - far more so than than usual (presumed) first-summers I see down here in spring. 

To compete this post, just a couple more photos.  A crap one showing one of two Jays that were in the field besides the Farm Gate yesterday...

I just had to include a Jay photo seeing as we are currently experiencing a pretty incredible influx

And a better one of a Mute Swan swimming up the Axe late on Sunday...

Very tranquil

I think I'll spend a bit more time looking at the Swan photo above, as not finding a Yellow-browed on patch is starting to stress me out!  There's got to be one here somewhere...

More Wigeon Fun!

This morning, I wanted to give the marshes and other Ibis-friendly sites a good look over. Lower Bruckland Ponds, the Estuary, Bridge Marsh, Black Hole Marsh, Colyford Common, Colyford Marsh and Seaton Marshes were all visited in the first couple of hours of today. No Ibis!

The Cetti's Warbler was still at Lower Bruckland Ponds, calling and singing early this morning. On Bridge Marsh, eight Ruff were amongst the Lapwings (there were nine here yesterday).

Black Hole Marsh was rather quiet, but overhead a few Mipits and a Skylark flew over, making me wonder whether they were genuine migrants? It really did feel spring-like out there today.

My last stop was Seaton Marshes, I really should come here more often - it was crammed with duck! My best estimates being 450 Wigeon, 100 Teal, 14 Shoveler and a cracking drake Pintail on the lagoon...

What a stunner!

After enjoying this beastie, I turned my attention back to the Wigeon flock, and soon turned up the pale female (see HERE and HERE).

It is very striking bird, and is always very easy to pick out...

The upper left bird in the top photo, and middle bird in bottom photo

And by total fluke, I managed to get an underwing photo as the flock took flight...

The top right bird (about to fly out of shot!!). Looks nice and white doesn't it :-)

I have to say though, when I cropped this photo and zoomed in a little more, it shows it to be a bit less white and a tad more grey...

Hmmmmmm....

It was all looking good for it being an American Wigeon despite these 'not quite white' underwings. Well it was until Gav got an upperwing shot, which flushed the fuss right down the toilet. Now it seems this bird is just one of those odd pale female Eurasian Wigeons..... bums!

So, what an exciting day of ups, downs, and learning. I think I need to sit back and chill for a bit before I go to work! Oh, I know, gazing at this for a while may help....

Yeah, that helps....

Pleasant But Quiet

I woke up to, as forecasted, a very hard frost and ice. Just what winter should be like!

After a brief and unsuccessful sea watch, I headed up to Beer Head. The only birds that could possibly be described as being grounded migrants were a couple of Song Thrushes and a Goldcrest. I was surprised by the eastward trickle of Finches along the cliff edge; it was mostly Linnets with smaller numbers of Chaffinches and Goldfinches, with two Siskins and a Redpoll adding variety.

Two adult Med Gulls were on the Estuary mid afternoon, with the wintering Common Sandpiper - but that's all I've seen of note today.

To end this post, here's a few wintry snaps that I took this morning...

A frosty Axe Valley from Beer Head

The pools opposite Axmouth FC (of Dowitcher fame) frozen over

Axmouth FC pitch

I've heard of 'water off a duck's back' - but not 'ice off a swan's back!!!'

Wonderful Wildfowl

The only patch birding I've done today was a mid afternoon gander at Black Hole Marsh. I could only see two Curlew Sands amongst the Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, eight Blackwits were roosting on one of the islands. Overhead, three female-type Pintail continually flew up and down the valley looking lost...

Locally these are quite scarce - so very welcome. They are identifiable in this photo if you enlarge it!

This morning, I had an off patch jaunt for a spot of ringing. Radipole Lake was my destination....

Both the species I ringed were new for me; three Mute Swans, and best of all....two Tufted Ducks!! Here's a few pics with captions...

The proper way to overpower and ring a Mute Swan...they are bloody strong!

And this is the Swan between my legs in the top picture, now back with Mum and Dad

Me with my top treat... an adult drake Tuftie :-)

Just look at that eye.... phwoar!!!

I promise the last photo of him!

This is the adult female Tuftie I ringed - as you can see it is in VERY heavy wing moult!

Whilst over this way, I popped in to Ferrybridge with high hopes of either re-finding that stonking stint from last week, or finding a Kentish Plover. Neither became reality, but I did see singles of Little Stint (juv), Sanderling (juv) and Turnstone. Also a few Wheatear around the car park.