Colour ringed Grey Heron Alkborough Flats

Hard to see but it was nearly dark! plus another Common Crane roosted at Alkborough last night.

http://youtu.be/nW33ycu4_Fk

Whooper Swan, Alkborough Flats

A lingering Whooper Swan - will it stay the summer?

Video here http://youtu.be/wjPVG3R3R_E

A good day at Alkborough Flats

Fabulous day at Alkborough starting with 2 Common Cranes that flew in from Blacktoft Sands at 06.10 showed well for half an hour before having a fly around giving their evocative bugle calls and eventually flying east along the Humber.  Supporting cast included a fine adult male Hen Harrier, a Greenshank, Wheatear and a cracking male Redstart.  Also still present was yesterday’s Whooper Swan and Common Scoter.

http://youtu.be/3eQjDadFCOU

Elbow - One Day Like This

Went to see Elbow last night at Leeds Arena, fantastic concert culminating in this and they played The Birds!

Elbow, One Day Like This, Leeds Arena 11/4/2014

hhttp://youtu.be/wSkYUexDn00

Malta massacre

Click link below and pass on to all and sundry!

http://www.chrispackham.co.uk/

Arctic Redpoll, Waters Edge

Another good find by Graham - shame it was such a grey day and a little too close for digiscoping.

Video here http://youtu.be/L3LPwXBTNiU

First spring migrants

First Swallow last night at Alkborough in the cold and the fog/pollution I bet it had wished it hadn't bothered! Two Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap in the park this morning with a couple of Nuthatches making a din and the flipping ducks are back in the paddock at the end of the garden just waiting to sneak in and decimate our pond which is absolutely full of life - teaming with displaying
Newts, Backswimmers, Whirlygigs and 3 impressive Great Diving Beetles.  Still looking for a way to keep ducks out of a pond without having to resort to a net so if anyone has any bright ideas......

A little trip to St Lucia 17/3 - 27/3/14

After 14 months of sciatica it was time to test the back on a 9 hour flight with a little bit of birding thrown in - we booked a flight and hotel through the British Airways website and prebooked a car through a local company.  With relatively very  few birds on the island the goal was to see the 5 endemics and anything else would be a bonus - by the 6th day we had seen virtually every species on the island plus an unexpected extra in a Masked Booby while lazing on Cas En Bas beach. We didn’t use any guides but if you are a nervous driver and cannot use a map we would advise a guide, note there are next to no road signs in St Lucia !

So here was where we started and picked up first endemics which were St Lucia Oriole, St Lucia Black Finch and St Lucia Parrot

Only 3 species of Hummingbird on the Island this Crested one being the smallest

Lesser Antillean Bullfinches were probably the most common birds on the Island

and Grey Trembler being on of the most characterful.

Scaly Breasted Thrasher were common and no photo but the White Breasted Thrasher which is on the endangered list we found at three different sites. 

Lesser Antillean Flycatcher

Luckily we took this video on arrival in the car park at Des Cartier Forest reserve, it was the only St Lucia Parrot we found perched but several flying in the reserve. 

Another Grey Trembler

The St Lucia Oriole seemed fairly common and we found several on most forested trails.

The road to Grand Anse beach was horrendous but had to be done for good views of Red-Billed Tropic birds and House Wren.  We didnt find the Rufous Nightjar here but did locate 3 on Ravine La Chaloupe.

The iconic Pitons at Soufriere.

Cocktail time but bins at the ready!

So here is the rental car we used a 4 x 4 Suzuki Jimney and these were the rules we were given;

Always overtake on a hill especially when going round a bend, Don’t dip headlights at any cost you might avoid blinding someone, If you are turning left indicate to turn right, Drive as fast as you can in all weather conditions, Pull out onto a main road without bothering to look right or left just go for it and cross your fingers, Keep as close to the car in front of you as possible and when driving at night  don’t forget to have your lights on glare, Finally most important of all Friday night is fun night so put on your indicators, hazards and headlights on full beam, foot hard on accelerator and drive like a maniac!

The roads were incredibly steep and in places very bumpy and some unpassable without 4 x 4 especially track down to Grand Anse and yes everyone seems to follow the above rules!

So a pleasant 10 days with no back problems - a nice place to go if you like the heat with a few good birds!

Little Bunting, Lea Park, Gainsborough, Lincs

Well we nearly didn’t go for this Little Bunting for some strange reason but pleased we did after already having had a really good morning watching the Great Grey Shrike at Butterwick quite a good day in North Lincs to say the least.

Snowdrop time

Yes lots of Snowdrops out today both in Normanby Park and all the surrounding woodlands - also of note seen in the area today; 2 displaying Common Buzzards, 1ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 G S Woodpeckers, 13 Siskins, 3 Nuthatch and a  Peregrine.

Birds singing and a motorway tick

Yesterday was a unique day in many ways, firstly no wind which meant an early morning walk in the park was alive with bird song and territory setting; Nuthatch, G S Woodpecker and Jackdaws were all at prospective nest sites with Goldcrests, Treecreepers, Songthrush, Robins and Wrens in full song and a lovely flock of 13 Siskins newly in. Snowdrops and Acconites are also in full bloom now so definitely worth a visit to  the park if you’re in the area.  So to the highlight of the day, later in the morning whilst travelling as a passenger (I hasten to add) I spotted a Great Grey Shrike perched up on the edge of the M18/180 junction so a quick text to Graham and …………

…digiscoped with Iphone.

Two-Barred Crossbill

These images were taken by Neil Drinkall on Sunday .. An extremely rare bird in Lincolnshire possibly only the second ever record the first being in 1889.