All flights grounded due to Fog?

It was just like that this morning as I arrived at Priorslee lake, it was covered in a good layer of mist / fog, a lazy wind cutting to the bone extremely quickly.

The Gulls were enjoying a float in! as they waited out the poor visibility. There were of course the odd moment when they all lifted, as a people dragger! (dog with person attached) or two moved around the lake and got a bit to close to the flock.

On the first scan nothing was seen, but the second, as they changed position, produced the target for the day. Now how often do you find the bird you are looking for in the ideal position in a Flock? well this one conformed to the norm and was sat right in the middle, not only of the flock but the lake.

So that being the case the pictures were going to be difficult to get, but get they were. I make no apologies for the quality! but proof is got.

Take of.
Nice white primaries.

The bird was still on the water as I left, (having returned after a flight out, right after I had put the news out of it leaving) to investigate the situation at VP, at least I could get in out of the weather, a chance to warm and dry out a bit. A nice Bullfinch pair outside the main hide and a few tit flocks roaming around in the rain. No Pintail, in fact not a lot of anything else.

Needing to get the Whoopers and Golden plover on the sheet for the year and as it was really just down the road, of I goes. The Golden plover flock was split into two and an estimate of the group as a whole would be 400 to 500 birds.

The scene at Melverley was something else, the river was in flood and flowing very fast under and very near to the height of the bridge. The area around the Whooper site was now showing the extent of low lying ground, which at times had hidden the true numbers of swans feeding in the area. The maximum count today was of 6 Adults and one Juvenile, all of them feeding far of swimming the flooded fields, The Black swan was still there and still ostracised probably on account of it's strange accent!!

With some intrigue, after this mornings report of the Barn owl at Acton Burnell I took a look around, more to acquaint myself with the area, than find an Owl. But as per many others the location eluded me. The rain had persisted all the time I was out and now the time had been lost I did not make the Ellesmere roost for the reported Icelandic and Ring billed gull. So if your up there please drop it on the answer machine so i can get the information out as soon as possible.

That's it, a soggy and cold day but an interesting one at least.

hope you enjoy, and don't forget the guest book for your comments!!! clean or otherwise.

Paul

Glaucous got! loads to go

I did not make the early start planned for the day, damn chores and chaos for those returning to work. But not yours truly!

Arriving at around 09:30 the lake was quite with just a hand full of larger gulls on the water, and no butty van for hot coffee either, bugger! So rather than run around like a headless chicken I hung around in the wind and rain, 30 mins, 40 mins Yippee thar she blows. like a lot of the larger gulls it just dropped in from a great height and proceeded to splash about having a good clean. The camera was in the car, run? I could have beaten linford Christie!

All set ready steady blast whats wrong? the card was failing to register. But there was no need to panic the Glauc had lifted and was of to the Granville direction high and fast with the others.

After a few expletives! I decided to check the Flash, you know out of desperation more than anything else.

And like old mother hubbards,

it was bare. a nice groups of 28 Goosander (7males) and it rained again real rain as well! so I put a few in the bag and gave up for the day, after re-checking Priorslee, pf course. This time it was getting really full Know I do not know if this was the Lightmoor or Granville crew but there was loads and it was scanned very carefully 3 times just in case!!! but no so try again in the morning.

Flip
Flap
and a bad hair day!

Oh did I say it rained???

So lets see what tomorrow brings??

Paul

No Glaucous or White crowned Sparrow!!

Not having earned enough brownie points for a week end away, meant missing the Sparrow, another Mega missed this year already, Still it's only a Sparrow, curse curse.

and not a sniff of the Glauc. The mindset being as the tips were not working the gulls stayed there to roost??

It was a nice day so spent the morning at the Priorslee Balancing lake, not real productive but a couple of new ones for the year, 5 nice Bullfinch and a group of Siskin. The remainder consisted of Wigeon 2 of, Gadwall 5 of, and a very nice Grey wagtail.

As it was Sunday, I knew it would be busy at VP but I just had to go there as I needed the Pintail for the new year list, at first it was just not visible but a minute later it sailed out from behind the Sallows, a stonking Male.

So nailed it was after Brambling at the feeder station, stopping of on the way for a Redwing feeding in the meadow.

With the bright light it was much easier to get a reasonable shot in the feeding station area than normal, the first was the target Brambling.

As I was there and things were a poppin I dropped a few shots in to the bag for the stock / archives.


As I said or should have done, nothing spectacular today for the county but I am sure tomorrow the mega will arrive, when it will be a lot quieter all over the place, yahoo!

A parting shot !!

Not to much but hope you enjoy?

Paul

1, 2, 3 Targets ------- 1, 2, 3 Ticks +1

With the promise of snow in the county and temperatures below freezing, I was out as soon as possible for the three Birds I wanted for the new year . And having an interest in the Gulls that might / have been reported around the area, if you can call Chasewater local?

On arrival the temperature gauge was showing just above zero, but the wind was, as is usual whipping across the water bringing the open skin temp down to around - 8 not as Brrr! as expected. But I soon warmed up, with the Great Northern diver appearing very close to the bank in Fly Bay (Sailing club) I was set up and ready in a few minutes, but I was not prepared for the second Diver to surface less than six feet away from the point I had chosen to set up.

A frantic one or two shots!!! it was nailed, now to concentrate on the other diver but not wanting the normal static pose I was please to get a nice wing stretch.But as is the norm a standard pose was in order for the plumage info!

As this was going I was keeping an eye open for the Male Smew that had been reported the previous day as being in the same bay as the Divers.

The clue eventually came as a group of Coot scattered as the bird emerged directly amongst them on the far edge, the whiteness and clear lines immediately said Male Smew, boy was I chuffed, well that did not last long as it disappeared back where it had come from, the tree strewn inlet at the corner of the bay.

The greatest challenge for me here was not just to get the shot but get the whites exposed correctly and with some back lighting it was going to prove to be a real bugger.

Well I think I got it just about right, was a bit like shooting an Arctic hare in a blizzard!

Two down one to go, trouble is I had no idea where I was going to find the third target of the day. I knew by now it was not on the sailing club side so it stood to reason!!! it must be on the other, a quick run around (not literally) to the Steam rail park. Powerboat bay? NO, Middle of the water anywhere? NO, was it along the causeway toward Jeffery's swag NO, bugger must have missed it. never mind a nice Grey wagtail and male Brambling on the way back.

I stopped at the jetties by the power boat bay for a final look and got Little grebe, when suddenly practically in my face a beautiful Slavonian grebe, bobbing about with no care of me what so ever. So not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I blasted a few hundred of over the next few minutes. the confidence of this little bird was well good to say the least.

The bleeding eye!
The better side.
and the what you doing pose.

Am I going to show you what else was got today? NO, it just takes to long to go through them all tonight so maybe watch the Gallery.

As per usual if you have comment and or gripes why not drop them into the Guestbook.

Thanks for reading

Paul

OH! the +1! was unusually for the time of year and temperature one target I was not expecting
tucked away behind my left knee was a very nice little Tick, how did i know it was there easy, it was a what the F is that in the shower moment, a bit of vasaline and of it went gradually.

PAK

118 118? Shropshirebirds!

Was not happy with the other picture so added this for your delectation! what do you think?

Day one, eyes open, look out of window, close eyes, wish it was April!

then reluctantly, like a scene from Wallace and Grommet, the wrong trousers, I made my way out for the first flog of the county in 2008.

My first landing place was Whixall moss floods, Stonechat, Raven, Snipe were nice ones amongst the lack of other things. Onward to Colemere, hopeing to get the Scaup and others providing they had not moved on. Thankfully there they were, and with no sailing, sitting in the middle of the water but nice views anyway. Also Peregrine, Goldeneye, Pochard and the normal Grebes.

The Lesser spotted woodpecker was shouting in its normal tree but way high. Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Long tailed tits and Goldcrests.

Woodlane was the next rush, with so little about it was difficult to contain my excitement! Mind you a nice period of Water rail watching was a nice release

The initial thought was to do the roost on Ellsemere, but having seen the number of cars parked along the mere it was postponed in favour of a look at the Severn by English Bridge for Goosander and a surprise Dipper on what is left of the island, sadly with very poor light it was a final mad rush to VP for a nice pair of Gadwall in fact two pairs.

Oh! I forgot to mention the Cape Shelduck is still present at Woodlane as is the Black swan at Colemere

The tally for the day was a disappointing 65, never mind maybe the impending cold weather will drag loads of flocks together. Or may be we will see something else drop into the county . So here is hoping for some real coldness and plenty of Brrr! even if it is an excuse for some nice Cognac and coffee.

Second thoughts hold the Coffee!

Paul