Zim Girl's 5th Big Year 2022

[Galana]

Well done on your Lifer 3. Patience gets rewarded.

Sometimes one senses the root of the insult 'Bird Brain' when you learn of predation like that Avocet chicks..

[xelas]

Little Egret is a difficult bird to photograph and yours is worthy of an accolade!

[Dave Williams]

Making good progress with the summer visitors! The North East coast is the best place for Eiders imo.A trip to the Farne islands is almost a guaranteed sighting and will give excellent photo opportunities of a few other species such as Puffins too!

 

[Zim Girl]

18 hours ago, Galana said:

Well done on your Lifer 3. Patience gets rewarded.

Sometimes one senses the root of the insult 'Bird Brain' when you learn of predation like that Avocet chicks..

Apparently there are over 20 more nests still to hatch but they are all among the BH gull's nests, so probably not looking good.

[Zim Girl]

17 hours ago, xelas said:

Little Egret is a difficult bird to photograph and yours is worthy of an accolade!

Thank you very much Alex!

[Zim Girl]

7 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

Making good progress with the summer visitors! The North East coast is the best place for Eiders imo.A trip to the Farne islands is almost a guaranteed sighting and will give excellent photo opportunities of a few other species such as Puffins too!

 

We are staying for a week in the Muir of Ord in the middle of June, so close to Moray Firth etc.  Not sure if near there is good for them?

[Dave Williams]

1 minute ago, Zim Girl said:

We are staying for a week in the Muir of Ord in the middle of June, so close to Moray Firth etc.  Not sure if near there is good for them?

 

You should find some there. I saw a fair number fly past at distance when watching for Dolphins at Fortrose.(Chanonry Point)which is a must if you are up there.

[TonyQ]

I would think you would have a decent chance of seeing Eider in that area. It is worth looking in harbour areas as well. We have seen them pretty close (but a bit further south) in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry Dundee) so worth checking any local ones. They are beautiful birds.

[Kitsafari]

congrats on seeing the eider. Hope I get to see it one day. it's a most unusual looking duck.

[Galana]

7 hours ago, TonyQ said:

It is worth looking in harbour areas as well.

Like Ramsey. Nothing finer than a nice Drake in spring colours.

[Galana]

14 hours ago, Galana said:

Like Ramsey. Nothing finer than a nice Drake in spring colours.

Building on that, this is a general offer to anyone interested.

There is a boat leaves Heysham Lancs at 02.15. (Fare is about £16 but a cabin will ensure you don't lose sleep.)

With notice I can meet the boat and whisk you around the hotspots, Eiders guaranteed others less so but not too hard. ( I have just added two ticks this morning that were 98% guaranteed, I was out less than an hour.)

Then after an active day I can drop you off on the evening boat that will get you back to Heysham at midnight.

There are boats from Liverpool too but the schedules don't work so well.

[Zim Girl]

We went down to Preston docks to see how the Common Tern colony were getting on with nesting this year.  Numbers seem to be fewer than in previous years and like last year they are using the furthest away nesting boxes, which is frustrating.  Although, after coming back from the riverside walk we luckily found one on it's own further along the dockside.

 

81.  Common Tern

 

This one does look like it is sat on the edge of a volcano but it is just the reflection of a nearby red building.

Preston Docks  -  11/05/22

 

[Zim Girl]

We found out for the first time last year about a pair of regular nesting Peregrine Falcons.  We went to see if we could find them again.  Well both adults were there and we actually saw a food pass just as we arrived.  After a while both adults perched and I could get some distant pictures.

 

82.  Peregrine Falcon

It's a bit windy up there!

Somewhere in Lancashire.

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Back at home our nesting Tree Sparrows seem to be doing very well.  It had been touch and go earlier in the year.  The sparrows had originally laid claim to the nest box but a few weeks later the Blue Tits attempted a take over bid. We watched them going in and out and even saw one pulling out the sparrow's nesting material!

But the sparrows fought back and successfully reclaimed their home.  The eggs have now hatched and the sparrows are making regular feeding trips.

 

No count.

 

 

Back garden  -  11/05/22

 

[Zim Girl]

I spotted an uncommon visitor to the garden hiding in a bush recently.  I already have it in BY but it is nice to see it in the garden.

 

No count.  Lesser Redpoll

Back garden  -  27/04/22

 

[Galana]

2 hours ago, Zim Girl said:

but it is nice to see it in the garden.

Indeed it must be.

Nice Terns too.

[Zim Girl]

Last one before we have a few days away in the Lakes.  This little fledgling has just appeared on the back patio.  I think it is a Robin as we have Robins nesting nearby.  The pictures were taken on full zoom so I didn't get too close to it.  I was a bit worried it was so out in the open but a short while later Adrian watched it hop back into the undergrowth.

 

No count.  

 

Back garden  -  15/05/22

 

[Galana]

Bad hair day for poor little Robin.

[michael-ibk]

That Robin photo made me laugh.

 

Great additions Angie!

[Zim Girl]

16 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

That Robin photo made me laugh.

 

Great additions Angie!

 

Thank you Michael.

[Zim Girl]

We spent a few days in the Lakes last week primarily for fell walking but we squeezed in a little bit of birding and came away with 12 birds inc 5 lifers, as well as better pictures of one of my must have birds of the year .

 

Cuckoos are heard everywhere in Cumbria but usually you don't stand much chance of finding them, so when we heard one on the fellside with only a small stand of trees in view, at least we knew where to look.  There it was sat in one of the trees.  It was a long way off but we hardly ever see them so we were very pleased.

 

83.  Common Cuckoo

Sale Fell, Wythop  -  16/05/22

 

 

[Zim Girl]

Pipits are everywhere across the fells and this one let me get quite close.  I am calling it Meadow as I have long given up trying to tell the difference.  If anyone disagrees please let me know.

 

84.  Meadow Pipit

Low Fell, Loweswater  -  17/05/22

[Zim Girl]

There is a beautiful wood on the western slopes of Loweswater that is supposed to be good for Pied Flycatcher and Redstarts.  We spent a very pleasant couple of hours walking around it, but it didn't take us long to find what we were looking for, and all in the same area of wood.  Pictures were a bit tricky because of the light but we were massively pleased.

 

85.  European Pied Flycatcher

Holme Wood, Loweswater  -  17/05/22

[Zim Girl]

This is such a lovely warbler.  We sat listening to it singing for ages. 

 

86.  Wood Warbler

 

Holme Wood, Loweswater  -  17/05/22

 

 

 

[Zim Girl]

And our third lifer of the day!

 

87.  Common Redstart

 

Holme Wood, Loweswater  -  17/05/22