Nov 112017
 
Local Common Birds Take Two.

I paid another visit to the superb woodlands at Calke Park, South Derbyshire. The Red Deer are now in Rut and there was one very obliging Stag posing well during the morning. Bird wise not a great deal at Staunton Harold Reservoir of note, but in Calke Park, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit and 2 Marsh Tit. Blue Tit – above 2 images – Calke Park, Derbyshire – November 2017 – Tony Davison© Coal Tit – Calke Park, Derbyshire – November 2017 – Tony Davison© Goldfinch – above 3 images […]

Nov 062017
 
A "Red-breasted Snipe" in Lincolnshire

“Red-breasted Snipe” is an old name for the North American Dowitcher, split into two species, the Long-billed Dowitcher and the Short-billed Dowitcher. The Long-billed Dowitcher is a more regular visitor to Britain and one of these smart waders has been frequenting the tidal creek and small coastal pool at Saltfleet Haven in Lincolnshire. I managed to see these birds, in full summer plumage, on their breeding grounds in Alaska last year. I can well understand why victorian ornithologists called them the Red-breasted Snipe. However, as you will see, in their winter plumage, they certainly look a lot different. My year […]

Nov 062017
 
A Disney Film Springs to Mind

On Thursday 2nd November 2017 a Cory’s Shearwater was found at Rutland Water, Leicestershire. Unfortunately I didn’t discover the report on my pager until well into the afternoon, too late to get to see it that day. So I went on Friday 3rd November, thoroughly expecting to Dip on the bird. Sure enough, despite spending all day there and searching all the open water, there was no sign of the bird. An exceptional find of what is a pelagic bird that should now be on it’s wintering grounds in the southern hemisphere. A day birding at Rutland Water is always […]

Oct 282017
 
A Morning with Marsh Tit

I am quite fortunate to have Calke Park on my doorstep, a National Trust Park that holds some excellent ancient woodland and is a good stronghold for Marsh Tit. Personally I think it is probably one of the best places in Derbyshire to view this species. Marsh Tit is described in the “Birds of Derbyshire” as a common breeding bird but in my experience it seems to be fast becoming far from common in the county. The highest densities occur in the ancient woodlands in south Derbyshire and the Ash woodlands of the Derbyshire Dales. I recently spent a morning photographing […]

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