Zim Girl's 4th Big Year 2021

[Dave Williams]

It's getting worse....the envy syndrome!! Superb sightings and the list of my failed species is getting longer.If a Black-throated Diver is to appear I'll start crying I think!

Scottish Crossbill can be counted as a different species to Common. It was the one target I did manage to get at Loch Garten. The most common woodland bird we saw were Siskins which seemed to be everywhere across Scotland.

[TonyQ]

Great sightings and lovely photos.

We have yet to see a Ring Ouzel or Dotterel, so are jealous of those sightings. (But as we were too lazy/unfit to go up the mountain we didn’t deserve them)

[Towlersonsafari]

Wow @Zim Girlwe have never seen dotterel- what a lovely sighting- and the snow bunting in summer plumage!  so glad you got to see the ospreys- it seems a very safe location and you do get splendid views.We may well go to Scotland assuming our November south Africa trip gets postponed again!

[Peter Connan]

Fabulous stuff, and congratulations!

[xelas]

What an excellent record of bird sightings! Scotland delivered in spades. And congratulations on passing the #100!

Edited July 7, 2021 by xelas

[pedro maia]

Congrats for the ton!

[shazdwn]

Congratulations on your 💯. Great bird for it, almost (but not quite) as great as the puffins

[Kitsafari]

congrats on the 100th and what a great bird to mark the landmark with. 

 

those dotterels are stunning and the snow bunting is excellent!

 

perhaps it'll be easier to get to the UK than Africa at this point.....

[Zim Girl]

On 7/7/2021 at 2:13 PM, Dave Williams said:

It's getting worse....the envy syndrome!! Superb sightings and the list of my failed species is getting longer.If a Black-throated Diver is to appear I'll start crying I think!

Scottish Crossbill can be counted as a different species to Common. It was the one target I did manage to get at Loch Garten. The most common woodland bird we saw were Siskins which seemed to be everywhere across Scotland.

Don't worry, no Black-throated, we spent some time looking for Red-throated Diver but no luck.  We also saw lots of Siskins as well.

On 7/7/2021 at 3:40 PM, TonyQ said:

Great sightings and lovely photos.

We have yet to see a Ring Ouzel or Dotterel, so are jealous of those sightings. (But as we were too lazy/unfit to go up the mountain we didn’t deserve them)

You only have to drive up to the car park and hunt around the alpine garden and you should find Ring Ouzel, not much effort required.

On 7/7/2021 at 5:30 PM, Towlersonsafari said:

Wow @Zim Girlwe have never seen dotterel- what a lovely sighting- and the snow bunting in summer plumage!  so glad you got to see the ospreys- it seems a very safe location and you do get splendid views.We may well go to Scotland assuming our November south Africa trip gets postponed again!

Yes, we were really pleased with the Dotterel and Snow Bunting, and being so close to the Ospreys was wonderful.

 

Thanks @Peter Connan, @pedro maia, @xelas, @shazdwn, @Kitsafari

 

[PeterHG]

A wonderful set of Dotterel photos! You can certainly look back on a successful trip with 19 lifers. 

[michael-ibk]

Wow, what a fantastic trip! Congratulatioms on the century,well done. So many great sightings and photos, especially love the Puffins (not very original I know) and the Dotterels.

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @PeterHGand @michael-ibk

[Zim Girl]

When we got back from Scotland we visited the Common Tern colony at Preston docks as the chicks should have been hatching by now.  But unfortunately all the nests this year were in the boxes on the platforms that were on the far side of the dock basin and much further away for photos.  We could see some chicks through the binos but I couldn't get any useful pictures.  So instead I have a picture from earlier in the year at Conder Pool near Lancaster.  This apparently is their 8th successful year of breeding in this location.

 

115.  Common Tern

Conder Pool  -  15/05/21

 

[Zim Girl]

When we were in the Cairngorms, we met a couple who were also from Lancashire and they told us about a pair of Peregrine falcons that nest in a church in the county.  They had 2 chicks this year, one had fledged just as they left for Scotland and they said we should just be able to catch the other one if we go when we get back home.  We have never seen Peregrines before so we went to have a look.  The 2nd chick was still just about in the nest and the fledged chick was flying around close by.

 

116.  Peregrine Falcon

The fledged chick had just landed.

 

While this one was still in the nest.  While we were there it hopped out and moved to the other side of the concrete pillar.

 

Church in Lancashire  -  21/06/21

 

 

[Zim Girl]

RSPB Leighton Moss has had several Spoonbills at their estuary hides this summer and before we went away we saw them but they were at the furthest away point of the salt pools and all I could get were shots of some white blobs.  We went again a couple of weeks ago and this time they were much closer.

 

117.  Eurasian Spoonbill

 

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  26/06/21

 

[Zim Girl]

As we were walking to the hides, a barn owl flew across the path in front of us.  This is the 2nd time this year we have seen an owl in this spot and this time I managed to get a picture.

 

Duplicate.  Barn Owl

 

[TonyQ]

What a brilliant Barn Owl - well done

[PeterHG]

+1 on the Owl. Great sighting and photo!

[Galana]

Congratulations on the magic 100. A worthy entry to boot.

I was pleased to hear about the Oozels at the lower station mountain garden so my anger/disappointment at Balfour Beatty's disruptions have abated slightly..Well done on the Dotterell and Snowball. Always a joy. We did not climb up as the lower station was already in mist. Those Ospreys have three chicks and almost fully fledged now.(12th July)

Nice to see Great Northerns. The bird that got me birding, courtesy of Arthur Ransome.

Good to hear you got your SE Owl.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Galana

[Zim Girl]

Thank you @TonyQ, @PeterHGand @Galana.

 

@Galana, I hope you had a great time in Scotland!

[Galana]

1 hour ago, Zim Girl said:

@Galana, I hope you had a great time in Scotland!

Yes thanks. We did. BY to continue soonest.

[Zim Girl]

A few days ago we spotted a small bird wandering around our patio squawking it's head off.  Then it was joined by another one and then another.  They were baby wrens who looked like they had not long fledged.  Not sure where they actually came from, but they were now out in the very hot sun.  I took some quick pics and then gently herded them into some shade amongst the shrubs.  We left them alone so hopefully the adults would hear them calling and keep feeding them.  

 

118.  Wren

 

 

Back garden  -  23/07/21

[Kitsafari]

what wild hair/fur/down on their heads!! I hope the parents found them

[Zim Girl]

13 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

what wild hair/fur/down on their heads!! I hope the parents found them

I know, me too.  We went back out to look for them later, but couldn't hear them any more.

[Zim Girl]

Dropped into Leighton Moss early Saturday morning for a quick visit to see if we could find Snipe.  I missed out on this one last year, but recent sightings had been reported from the estuary hides.  

We spent a while checking the undergrowth next to the water but couldn't see anything.  Then an Avocet chased a Redshank that had been feeding below the hide window and I just saw some movement from something else.  Right underneath us were two Snipe hiding in the grass.  So thanks to the Avocet we got our bird!

 

119.  Common Snipe

 

RSPB Leighton Moss  -  31/07/21