LIMPING BIRDER DOES SOME LOCAL BIRDING.

Having at long last solved a settings problem with my new camera (not getting any active focus points when focus has been achieved when doing flight shots) I was keen to get out there and have a go.So after lunch on Saturday I went across to Marsh Lane.

Although I stayed for a couple of hours there were hardly any birds flying around so I had no chance to test out how good the new settings were.However all was not lost because I did find a few birds to keep me busy.

At the North causeway hide the Water Rails were pretty active and at one time I saw three.One was a juvenile which I'd not seen since it was a small fluffy black chick.Trouble was it shot off and the only shot I got was out of focus.

I bet that this spot is the one that you can get closest to Water Rails in the whole country.This can be a bit of a problem if you are using a telephoto lens the Rails are just too close.Neither of these two shots are cropped.

 

Took one of my best shots of a Water Rail that day trouble was a part of the bird was missing.

The Shellduck chicks have very quickly grown up to full size.God knows what they are finding to eat out there.

There were 3 possibly 4 Common Sandpipers on the RW pool.

Whilst in the Oak hide a Sparrowhawk swooped down onto one of the islands but I was so slow that I only got a shot when it was flying off and then the settings were wrong.

Also from the Oak hide a Little Egret was showing a while before flying off.

Back to the CP hide a couple of Green Sandpipers were on one of the islands.First I'd seen for a while now.

LIMPING BIRDER GOES ON A TWITCH.

Whilst at Marsh Lane on Tuesday morning where I saw 4 Common Sandpipers on the CP pool and 2 Little Egrets on the RW pool I bumped into Glen Giles in the river hide.It was whilst chatting to Glen in the hide about the long staying Red Footed Falcon in Staffordshire that persuaded me to set aside my hatred of the M6 and go up and see it.

At 6.00 AM this morning I set off and headed for the M6 a road I'd grown to hate it in the 80's and 90's when I used to travel along it up to Liverpool and Manchester etc where we had several major projects over the years.We sometimes had to get up there twice a week and travelling with a couple of architects and a civil engineer each time made the journey even worse.Mind you in those days I was a third lane racer.Now I am first lane slow coach.

Got to J 16 in pretty decent time although the M6 was very busy even at that time in the morning.As I dropped down onto the A500 in reached for the route map I'd downloaded and it wasn't there.I'd left it at home.What a clown ! !

Having to rely on my memory I very soon got hopelessly lost and it was only with a bit of luck when I stumbled onto the A527 that I found my way to the right place.It was 7.30 AM when I parked up next to the only birder there.It was a bit gloomy and surprisingly cold.I was dressed for a warm summer day of course.

I was very lucky because my new best friend was a veteran of watching this bird and knew all of it's favourite spots.It wasn't too long before he spotted it (on the colliery fencing) and I got some shots before it flew off and of course I got a life tick.  

What a cracking looking bird.I stayed till just after 10.00 AM and during that time it showed very well but  with quite long periods when it was perched out of site.Here are some shots of it perched on it's favourite bush.

It would suddenly drop down from it's perch onto the ground where it had spotted some food.

Another of it's favourite perches was on the back of a tree that was on the fence line of the road you parked on so it was very close.The trouble was you could only get a view of part of the bird and it was gloomy in the tree.

Managed a few flight shots of this stunning bird.

Did see the Black Redstart that was near the colliery main gate but not only would it not come close it was in a pretty tatty state.

I somehow managed to get back onto the M6 by 10.30 AM and headed home.The journey was OK till I got near J10 where there was a huge jam and it took me ages to get past J8.This brought back more bad memories of always picking the wrong lane when the traffic was in a jam.The other lanes always moved faster than mine.Also when the traffic finally speeds up you can never see what caused the jam.Glad I went though.

THE MARSH LANE LIMPING BIRDER.

The Marsh Lane Limping birder is me.No surprise there then. I went to Marsh Lane a couple of times last week which were my first outings with the camera since I strained the ligaments in my right knee leaping into the car to avoid a shower there 10 days ago.

It still aches all the time but at least I am able to get around but stairs remain a problem.I also had a problem finding birds to point the camera at as I limped round on both mornings.Things were very quiet as you'd expect at this time of year and I hardly saw another birder on each visit.

The Shellduck chicks are now pretty well grown up know which is amazing considering how small they were not long ago.

The Common Terns will soon leave and head towards South Africa so I thought I'd better get a few shots before they leave.

Two Little Ringed Plover chicks (or are they Ringed Plover chicks ??) showed from the Oak hide for a while.

The only real success I had was from the North Causeway hide when A Reed Warbler flitted around in the reeds pretty close but very briefly.A Water Rail showed twice but was in skulking mode so all shots were crappographs.

THE BIRDING DOLDRUMS.

With the exception of the long staying superbird the Melodious Warbler locally birding has been very difficult lately .Mind you we are in the middle of the mid summer birding doldrums.

At Marsh Lane I was puzzled by the behaviour of 4 Oystercatchers one morning when they lined up four abreast started calling very loudly and then walked into the water in formation. This went on for quite a while. 

The Shellduck chicks have grown up very quickly.

The only Warbler I got any shots of was a Sedge Warbler from the oak hide.

The Common Terns seemed to have had a good breeding time with loads of chicks on the RW pool islands.Some have grown up quickly which is a good job as soon they've got to fly off to South Africa.

On Monday with loads of Sand Martins whizzing about on the CP pool I had a go at getting some flight shots.What a game that is.Amongst the masses of crappographs  I did manage a few decent ones.

Disaster struck as I left the car park on Monday morning.As I unlocked the gate a heavy shower sprung up suddenly and as I dived into the car I managed to strain the ligaments in my right knee.The swearing that followed as pain racked through me might capture the world swearing record back for England.I am now hobbling around trapped indoors.Wonderful ! !

UPTON HOUSE GARDENS AND MARSH LANE.

On Tuesday morning I went to Upton House which is near Banbury to have a walk round the gardens to see if any Spotted Flycatchers were there again.I found 2 pairs last year.

Went to an area near the horse paddocks were I found some last year but drew a blank but when I started to walk through the orchard what did I see about 100m away ? 

Yes a Spotted Flycatcher ! ! I soon saw that there were a pair of them catching insects but they were covering a lot of ground and the orchard is pretty big.It didn't take me long in the heat that to try and follow them was a waste of time so I plonked myself down in the shade of an apple tree and waited till they came close.

I stayed in that spot for a couple of hours eating and drinking and best of all watching these pair whizzing round catching insects.Sometimes they came very close but soon shot off so no decent pics but great just being a birder for once.

I gave up after lunch because it was so hot.It was 29.5 C according to my car as I drove off.I did see at least two others so there could well be at least four on site.

This morning I went over to Marsh lane to try and get some decent shots this time of the Med Gull.To beat the heat I got there at 7.30 AM but even then it was 23 C

The Med Gull was not found but I did get some decent shots of a Green Woodpecker.Whilst in the Oak hide I heard one calling at the back so I opened one of the rear flaps a bit and saw this young one sitting on the gate.Fingers crossed it didn't fly as I fully opened the flap  it didn't.Fingers crossed again it didn't fly as I raised the camera  it didn't.Then another panic the opening was covered with a mass of cobwebs.Luckily it didn't fly as I cleaned them away and I got some decent shots.I'm sure it was waiting for mom to bring some food because it didn't stop calling.