For some reason I had previously eschewed the prospect of a trip to Altrincham Sewage Works - one of my local birding haunts. I suspect it must have something to do with the name.
However, two recent trips have delivered a pair of wood sandpipers and a single green sandpiper, with virtually no scent of rotting human excrement. Good news all round.
It is also a site well known for yellow wagtails and grasshopper warblers - both needed for my list, but so far I have not had the pleasure.
Heavy gauge metal fencing does interfere with the view somewhat, and I do have a vague sense that an aggravated mugging may be just around the corner, but hey - a tick's a tick.
I will be making more trips to the shot pot / pit in due course.
Anyone fancy an early Sunday morning trip to Carr Vale, after a quiet night in Chez Vegas next weekend?
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Friday, 10 June 2011
Night of the Jar
In response to Twitchell's success in Cornwall I was inspired to go Nightjar hunting on Monday night. Clear skies, warm(ish) and not much wind, so ideal for the hunt. Arrived at the woods (where local RSPB walks go each year) at 8.15 to try and work out where the best spot was for the one or two pairs that are there. Saw a few things and kept hearing a distant cuckoo. By 9.30 I had worked out the heathland area to steak out and this was confirmed when a dog walker said 'you looking for nightjars as well'. He directed me to Peter - fellow twitcher at the other side of the heath. Bins and torches at the ready and an instant roding woodcock flew above the trees as the light started to fade. Peter put the mockers on things a bit by asking where I'd parked and then proceeded to confirm this was where the 'men' hang out late at night - his phrase was slightly homophobic to say the least. Anyway, the churring began by 9.45..........half an hour later we were hearing and not seeing even though he'd seen them flying catching moths before at this spot.
I lost patience and yomped to the noise and was rewarded when 2 nightjars flew off their perch within 10 yards of me and all was well. 'Wow', I recall saying. Saw one of them again at close quarters as I walked back to the spotting zone and said goodnight to Peter at 10.40.
Torch out down darked path back to the car and heard a number of voices as a number of cars had joined mine in the George Michael zone. I stayed focussed and as a bloke said at work, avoided seeing another woodcock. Home for 11.05 after a bizzare evening.
Evans Lee
I lost patience and yomped to the noise and was rewarded when 2 nightjars flew off their perch within 10 yards of me and all was well. 'Wow', I recall saying. Saw one of them again at close quarters as I walked back to the spotting zone and said goodnight to Peter at 10.40.
Torch out down darked path back to the car and heard a number of voices as a number of cars had joined mine in the George Michael zone. I stayed focussed and as a bloke said at work, avoided seeing another woodcock. Home for 11.05 after a bizzare evening.
Evans Lee
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Manc nets Manx
Idyllic week spent in Cornwall, in cliff-top house looking out across Whitesands Bay. Regular views of buzzards hovering in gale-force winds, with the odd kestrel joined on my last day by a celebratory fly-past of 11 red kites.
Surrounded at all times by more whitethroats than you could shake a stick at, with the odd stonechat as well. I was convinced I saw a whinchat, but with hindsight realised it could have been Mrs Stonechat, so I have left it off the list.
One birding walk almost took me to Nanquidno Downs, but I got lost and settled for a few warblers close to the house.
My second trip out was more successful - to the extent that I actually found Marazion Marsh RSPB, but with only 50 minutes free time, my speed-birding did not reveal anything new. The RSPB station at Lands End tipped me off about passing Manx Shearwaters, and told me where I should have gone earlier in the week, but didn't actually add to my list.
On Friday, I rose at 7am, took the South West Coastal Path from my front door and headed North. Despite not being where I thought I was, I was blessed by gannets, fulmars, a range of gulls and 4 passing auks, as well as several distant but clear Shearwaters - finally repaying part of the cost of my scope. I then headed inland, past a spotted flycatcher and spent 10 minutes staring at a bush making a sound like a golden oriole. I was already late, so moved on. I discovered last night that a golden oriole was seen nearby on Friday - that could have been the year's super-twitch.
I had both pied and white wagtails around the house - Collins treats the two as the same species, but I note that Sharpe doesn't. I have therefore added White (wagtail) to my list.
I also saw just under a million rock pipits along the shore.
On the way home, we had a time-pressured stop at Slimbridge. I only had time for 2 hides, and spent most of that staring out of the Kingfisher hide at a bank and holes perfect for a nesting kingfisher. Already late, I made a dash for the exit, but stopped to read the "Kingfisher News" on the noticeboard - apparently since the cold winter 2010/11, no kingfishers have been seen on the site this year.
That's 20 minutes of my life I will never get back.
Surrounded at all times by more whitethroats than you could shake a stick at, with the odd stonechat as well. I was convinced I saw a whinchat, but with hindsight realised it could have been Mrs Stonechat, so I have left it off the list.
One birding walk almost took me to Nanquidno Downs, but I got lost and settled for a few warblers close to the house.
My second trip out was more successful - to the extent that I actually found Marazion Marsh RSPB, but with only 50 minutes free time, my speed-birding did not reveal anything new. The RSPB station at Lands End tipped me off about passing Manx Shearwaters, and told me where I should have gone earlier in the week, but didn't actually add to my list.
On Friday, I rose at 7am, took the South West Coastal Path from my front door and headed North. Despite not being where I thought I was, I was blessed by gannets, fulmars, a range of gulls and 4 passing auks, as well as several distant but clear Shearwaters - finally repaying part of the cost of my scope. I then headed inland, past a spotted flycatcher and spent 10 minutes staring at a bush making a sound like a golden oriole. I was already late, so moved on. I discovered last night that a golden oriole was seen nearby on Friday - that could have been the year's super-twitch.
I had both pied and white wagtails around the house - Collins treats the two as the same species, but I note that Sharpe doesn't. I have therefore added White (wagtail) to my list.
I also saw just under a million rock pipits along the shore.
On the way home, we had a time-pressured stop at Slimbridge. I only had time for 2 hides, and spent most of that staring out of the Kingfisher hide at a bank and holes perfect for a nesting kingfisher. Already late, I made a dash for the exit, but stopped to read the "Kingfisher News" on the noticeboard - apparently since the cold winter 2010/11, no kingfishers have been seen on the site this year.
That's 20 minutes of my life I will never get back.
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