Hi guys,
I went down to long rock pool yesterday and had a great time adding a new bird to my list...
We arrived with no birds at all but as the day progressed more and more birds arrived. The first 3 being cormorants. The next being three male teals and a female with a very dark prominent eyebrow maybe just a juvenile. Then a splash and Little grebe looking thing landed. But soon after arriving it had dived down. A few seconds after it bobbed up to the surface at first I thought it was just a little grebe but had a prominent whitethroat. It was either a black necked grebe or a female smew.
I had a copper head white throat and dark brown quite small any suggestions?
Regards, Alexander
Smew Black-necked grebe
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Kenidjack again... 22/12/13
Hi guys,
I decided to try my luck again down in kenidjack valley. I was a very slow start with hardly a bird in sight with only a few wrens chatting away. So we arrived at the sewerage works with that a annoying elusive chiffchaff that just didn't fit the description. My granny said to carry on so I followed.
There was barely anything probably sheltering from the windy weather. On,y a few gulls in the opposing fields and blackbirds. We carried on further down the valley and saw a few great tits and chaffinches in the blackthorn. But this wasn't enough so my granny journeyed back home however we thought to get down to the beach.
When we arrived there was a lot of activity with a few rock pipits feeding by the rock pools and then suddenly, a wagtail arrived from the back of a rock. Was it the black headed, NO. It was just a bog standard grey wagtail :(. We then spotted a bird with a nip right red chest i quickly focused my binoculars on it and what a beautiful stonechat in total there were three jumping around the beach. I'm still trying to distinguish the difference between a common and a Siberian also a Caspian. so overall still a nice walk .
Regards, Alexander
Stonechat
I decided to try my luck again down in kenidjack valley. I was a very slow start with hardly a bird in sight with only a few wrens chatting away. So we arrived at the sewerage works with that a annoying elusive chiffchaff that just didn't fit the description. My granny said to carry on so I followed.
There was barely anything probably sheltering from the windy weather. On,y a few gulls in the opposing fields and blackbirds. We carried on further down the valley and saw a few great tits and chaffinches in the blackthorn. But this wasn't enough so my granny journeyed back home however we thought to get down to the beach.
When we arrived there was a lot of activity with a few rock pipits feeding by the rock pools and then suddenly, a wagtail arrived from the back of a rock. Was it the black headed, NO. It was just a bog standard grey wagtail :(. We then spotted a bird with a nip right red chest i quickly focused my binoculars on it and what a beautiful stonechat in total there were three jumping around the beach. I'm still trying to distinguish the difference between a common and a Siberian also a Caspian. so overall still a nice walk .
Regards, Alexander
Stonechat
Monday, 23 December 2013
Questions:
Hi guys if there's any questions you want to ask feel free to, I'll try and come back to all of them!
Kenidjack 21/12/13
Hi this is my first post and a rather exciting one. I started off by walking from St. Just down through the fields towards the sewerage works. there was nothing of note just a few blackbirds and magpies pecking into the ground.
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:Iberian_Chiffchaff.jpg
I was thinking of the possibilities of what the bird could be. An Iberian chiffchaff, maybe? Anyway there were a few more goldfinches flying aroundwhen travelling down the valley so looked very promising for an unusual bird! I first saw a few goldcrests and chaffinches going around through the shrubs. I finally reached the end of the valley and apsaw a few stonechats on the gorse. Then suddenly unusually a wagtail flew from the rocks It then landed further on by the sea. I noticed though that it had a darker head so it made me think of a black headed. Just a mother one of those controversial birds that you need a good look at to identify. I labeled it as a possibility.
I then walked back a very happy boy with a possible new bird to add to the list. When I arrived back home I told my Grandad about my discoveries he was very jealous about his favourite bird the Bullfinch .
Regards Alexanderhttp://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:Iberian_Chiffchaff.jpg
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:Iberian_Chiffchaff.jpg
I arrived at the works walking between the two sides. The first bird I saw was a nice wren singing away then a few goldfinches that flew towards the coast. I then turned the corner and as usual found one of those little old world warbler critters. It looked like a normal chiffchaff however I thought had a stronger yellow tinge than normal. i first thought it looked like a willow warbler but remembered that they don't live here at this time of year. Another fellow birder had a chat with me and also said that he had seen a very yellow chiffchaff in the winter maybe he saw the same one and while we were chatting i spotted a very nice pair of bull finches (the other birds that were found: pied wagtails, robins, blackbird and a woodpigeon. After half an hour of mingling with the bird I carried on down the valley.
I was thinking of the possibilities of what the bird could be. An Iberian chiffchaff, maybe? Anyway there were a few more goldfinches flying aroundwhen travelling down the valley so looked very promising for an unusual bird! I first saw a few goldcrests and chaffinches going around through the shrubs. I finally reached the end of the valley and apsaw a few stonechats on the gorse. Then suddenly unusually a wagtail flew from the rocks It then landed further on by the sea. I noticed though that it had a darker head so it made me think of a black headed. Just a mother one of those controversial birds that you need a good look at to identify. I labeled it as a possibility.
I then walked back a very happy boy with a possible new bird to add to the list. When I arrived back home I told my Grandad about my discoveries he was very jealous about his favourite bird the Bullfinch .
Regards Alexanderhttp://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:Iberian_Chiffchaff.jpg
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