Wild 'Goosander' Chase

Went to try and photograph the goosander at Lakeside, despite the weather being grim and the bird doing it's best to get away form me I managed a few shots:

3 Ticks and 4 dips..could be better..or could it?

I was away from Uni in Southampton for the weekend spending some time in Beds some in Notts some in Leics and some in Rutland!!

Arrived home on Thursday and after spending 7 seconds dumping my washing in the house I headed off to see the RBFly near Luton.

Weather wasn't great and after a while of waiting with no sign I decided to go looking in the woods. After lots of tits and finches making me skip a heart beat I got very brief (rubbish) views of the flycatcher silhouetted against the sun (or 'orible cloud that it was behind) and did not see it again after that but a great lifer!

After the rubbish views on thursday I couldnt help but go back on Friday and the fact that Eddie Taylor was going aswell meant I couldn't resist...so off I went again. With better weather I hoped for a better chance to get a nice photo. Nother amazing but nice stuff:

On the way back we stopped at clophill and enjoyed distant but nice views of 4 bean geese, another lifer for us!

But it all went down hill from there..

Waking up after a 21st birthday was not as painful as I had thought and any hint of a hangover was shaken off when reports of the penduline tit reapearing at Attenborough NR 6 miles from where we were in central Nottingham!!

Ed and I headed there after dropping a mate at the, (frustratingly hard to find), train station.

It hadn't been seen since flying high off north so we decided to have a quick look and head on to see the lesser scaup at Holme Pierrpoint (Dip1). After searching for some time we could not locate it for definate, Possible female scaup, and was very small but we were not sure if it was a drake or female leser scaup there as this could have been it..? (dip2)

Next we headed to rutland waters to try and see the GNDiver, which we didn't, but instead saw a lovely smew which was great. Another lifer for me! Also where here we saw a water rail swim by, I managed a few quick shots but nothing good:

I thought the blur on the last one was quite 'interesting'.

This brightened things up abit!

Until we couldn't find the GNDiver (dip3).

Going on how the twitches had gone so far we threw in the towel and decided not to go and try for the iceland gull and eyebrook!

4th Dip was the waxwings at the lodge with them being seen lots up untill I came home- typical!!

Still was a great weekend and a RBFly in beds, it doesn't get much better than that!!

Portland Bill

We left Southampton around midday and, armed with a food stock to rival those on deadliest catch and a epic playlist for the short journey, made our way to Portland bird obs.

The obs with choppy sea behind and the paddocks in forground:

Thinking it would be worth going for the plastic/real hooded merganser at Radipole we stopd there on the way, allowing our traditional McDonalds aswell! But no bloody sign of it with lovely afternoon light..oh well payed for an hours parking may aswell have a look about. Few nice things: chettis warb being the best but managed a few nice shot of some of the common birds there...

Robin:
Blue tit:

When we got to the obs weather was lovely and it looked like it was going to be a good evening to see the short eared owl that has been there for a while, adding another lifer to Robbies 'slowly' growing list!!

Well after a short search we found the owl and enjoyed lovely views of it in the evening light. Also a few photos of one of the local Kestrels:

Mobbing a common buzzard:

Looking proud on its post after the 'mobbage':

and the SEO:

Nice end to the first day and great time at the pulpit inn with the home made pies and Ales!! getting to bed slightly later than planned we wondered if we would make it up in the morning, but luckly we did..

The day started slowly but after going to a new place for us (pennsylvania castle) we connected with two firecrests in with a flock of lotties. 4 each of both goldcrest chiffchaff there too.

There was a mini-fall of goldcrest with lots seen and photographed at culverwell:

Another firecrest was seen in the hand later after it was rung by Peter the head ringer there. Lovely little birds and I will never get bored of them!!

A black Redstart then gave us the run around between the beach huts but we finally got prolonged views of it when it dropped into the nearby quarry. I managed one distant shot of it:

Lifer for Sam and Robbie and only my second, first being in Beds!

Now I need a lifer but with the sea producing nothing but a few gannet and lots of gulls it wasn't looking good, nevermind still lots of other goodies about to keep me entertained.

Rock Pipit:

Great Black-backed Gull:

Stonechat:

Despite a few cheeky cows it was a great time at the Obs, just think we will go in either May or September next time and hope for some more rareties!

Cheeky Cow:

On the way back we gave radipole one last shot, and in the rapidly failing light finally got sight of it. A potentially great lifer but not proven to be wild. But it turned up in a storm drain at dates corresponding with other hooded mergansers turning up in the Azores, it can fly and it is not ringed..looks like a winner to me, we'l have to wait and see though!

Either way a nice bird and a good end to the trip!

Lakeside

Few photos from Lakeside Eastleigh

Nothing special but good fun!

Black-headed gull:

Mute Swan:

Coot:

Great Crested Grebe:

Off to Portland at the weekend, so hopefully see some nice things there...

Blashford Lakes

Target bird was the wintering great white egret but we did not connect with it.

Also a lesser yellow legs was reported but we could not find that either along with a lot of people, perhaps a myth..?

Lots of great views of common woodland birds with nuthatch being the highlight, presenting great photo opportunities...there are quite a few I wanted to put up so bare with me and I wont post another photo of a nuthatch for a while...

Other birds of note was a chiffchaff and another marsh tit. Thats marsh tit two days in a row at two different locations! Lucky stuff! Kingfisher was also seen VERY briefly.

Couple more photos of the woodland birds:

Blue tit:

Coal tit:

and finally a canada goose:

Autumn Colours

Had a 2 hour walk around Rhinefield in the New Forest this afternoon hoping to photograph hawfinch. Colours of the leaves on some trees were gorgeous.

No luck with the photos but saw at least 4, wil have to come back further into winter when there are more about!

Other birds of note were 2 raven that flew over croaking as we were leaving.

Goldcrest seemed to be everwhere.

Also present were 2 marsh tit.

Got another nice photo of a 'lotty' and one of a robbin in a strange confontational stance!..

Off to Blashford lakes tomorrow so hopefully have a few nice photo to put up from there..

Few I forgot...

Few pics from Farlington Marshes that I forgot to put in. Anyone can get a photo of a rabbit I know..but I like this one :-).I am very pleased with the kestrel ones as when I first view them on the camera I thought they were D.O.Ss(delete on sites), just shows that you have to wait till you have viewed them on a computer first. Of course this works the other way round like with my wryneck photos which I was really pleased with untill I got them onto the computer...oh well!!