Year Lists

2006 ;
LOCAL AREA BIRDS - 110 ( very poor. Could have done better but i was`nt trying & very few visits to Old Moor RSPB . Just enjoyed what species i found myself )

GARDEN BIRDS - 70 ( average. Quite a few species missed this year, Osprey, Red Kite, Peregrine, Curlew spring to mind ). Although 2 new species were added to the garden list during the year - Great Spotted Woodpecker & Redstart ).

MOTHS - 252 ( very poor. Although i missed quite a few common species i did have several lifers - Water Carpet, Blackneck, Dingy Footman, Oak Eggar, Heath Rustic & Juniper Carpet ).

2007 ;
I propose to add a couple more lists from tomorrow. Full agenda is ;
BIRDS - My Garden, Wombwell Garden, Cortonwood, Manvers & a combined species total of all my local haunts. ( be interesting to see the difference between Cortonwood & Manvers as they are exactly the same habitat, but Manvers is a much larger area )
MOTHS ( again a combined total of both Micro & Macro species seen anywhere )
BUTTERFLIES

RESOLUTIONS - to take my scope along with me more regularly & to incorporate more of the commoner bird species counts/numbers.

And last but by no means least, i`d like to wish all visitors ( regular & new ) to this blog a very Happy & wildlife filled New Year.
Best wishes
Dean.

Sunday ( am ) 31st Dec

Cloudy, Blustery S/SW
Had a walk up the canal from Brampton Bierlow to Hemingfield where the highlights were ;
Little Grebe 2, Kingfisher 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Bullfinch 4
I then cut across and made my way home along the Trans-Pennine Trail. Not much seen along this route, with the best of the birds being a single Willow Tit & 2 Bullfinch.
The various year lists all start again from tomorrow, but more of that later.

Saturday 30th Dec

Sunny becoming overcast with Rain, Blustery S/SW
An hour around Cortonwood this morning did`nt produce any different bird species, with the highlights being ;
Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 16, Pochard 5, Goosander 12, Sparrowhawk 1, Meadow Pipit 5, Bullfinch 5, Reed Bunting 1.
I`m really hoping that 2007 will bring something different here. Maybe a concerted effort with more visits will help.

More Seals

Todays awful weather kept me housebound, so here`s some more Seal pics from Boxing Day ;









" do not disturb "


Not so cute & cuddly when they reveal their gnashers


Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 28th Dec

Foggy, Overcast, Light SW
Been a bit too busy over the last 2 days do any kind of birding etc. However i did manage an hour at the Wombwell garden this morning. Pretty much the same about, with the highlights being ;
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Nuthatch 2, a single Fieldfare & few Redwing. I also disturbed a Wood Mouse which proved very elusive to photograph, but i did manage 1 record shot ;

Tuesday 26th Dec

Can`t think of a better way to spend Boxing Day than a day out, especially when it was a Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast. Never have i been anywhere, where you can get this close to wild Grey Seals. No need for mega long lenses here.
Now for some AHHH!! factor ;

















Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 24th Dec

Overcast, Misty, Light NE
CORTONWOOD - Cormorant 2 over, Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Canada Goose 25, Tufted Duck 3 ( quite a drop in numbers ), Pochard 3, Goosander 3, Sparrowhawk 1, Black-headed Gull 30, Common Gull 1, Kingfisher 1, Song Thrush 6, Tree Sparrow 10+, Bullfinch 1, Yellowhammer 5.

No pics today due the very murky conditions, and it is`nt forecast to improve over the coming week, Nice ( not ).

Saturday 23rd Dec

Foggy, Light SW

The only place i`ve seen anything today was at the Wentworth Estate and that was`nt a great deal, with the highlights being ;
Great Crested Grebe 10, Grey Heron 3, Mute Swan 2, Sparrowhawk 1, Red-legged Partridge 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Redwing circa 70, Fieldfare 20, Nuthatch 1.
Believe it or not but the Mute Swans were quite a significant record for here, i bet i can count on one hand the number of these i`ve seen at this site over the last 10 years.

And finally, a very merry christmas & a blog-filled new year to you all :)

Rebel Truce

If anyone out there ever liked The Clash, then these guys do a mean rendition of the Clash songs. If they`re ever in your town then go & see em, i promise, you won`t be disappointed.

Rebel Truce at Sheffield Boardwalk - 21st Dec 06














Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 21st Dec

Frost, Sunny, Light SW













WOMBWELL GARDEN - Tawny Owl 2 calling ( against each other ), Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Nuthatch 2, Jay 2, Bullfinch 1



Other notable sightings from today - 7 Song Thrush singing along Trans-Pennine Trail ( Brampton Bierlow > Hemingfield ) this morning.
8 Blackbird flew into roost along the back hedge of my garden at 15.40.

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 20th Dec

Harsh Frost, Sunny, Light W/NW

Took my scope along to the Wombwell garden in the hope of getting some better pics of the Nuthatch`s. What a waste of time, the birds were there, again feeding from the peanut feeder & the visibilty was excellent but, the problem was that it was just too damn bloody cold. The lenses on the scope were permanently steamed up and the only shot i got was of this Woodpigeon, taken at first light before the condensation set in ;



Again, the best of the other birds here were a single Great Spotted Woodpecker & 2 Jay.
Other highlights from today were from along the Trans-Pennine Trail, with 4 Song Thrush ( singing ) & 3 Bullfinch.

Tuesday 19th Dec

Bright, Foggy, Light NW
WOMBWELL GARDEN - Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Song Thrush 1 singing, Nuthatch 2, Jay 1, Bullfinch 1 calling
I did`nt take my scope along this morning with it being very foggy when i left the house. I only wish i had, it was lovely & bright here and to cap it all off, the Nuthatch`s were showing really well as they were feeding from a peanut feeder that i put up last week. So it was a case of digi-binning ( camera x binoculars ) them. Much harder than digiscoping, having to hold the binoculars in one hand & holding the camera to the right eyepiece with the other. The scope`s definately coming with me tomorrow ;







Called in at Cortonwood on my home. Complete waste of time, the visibility was shocking ;




Cortonwood lake - you can just about see the island

Monday 18th Dec

Overcast, Fog/Mist, Light SE

Finally got the colder conditions i was hoping for but i don`t remember asking for Fog/Mist. Anyway, the only notable sightings were - 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker chasing each other around the Wombwell garden during the morning. The only sighting to speak of in the afternoon was a flock of 48 Herring Gull heading N ( presumably to roost ) over my garden at 15.00.

Sunday 17th Dec

Sunny, Light W
MANVERS LAKE - A change of venue this morning, but pretty much the same species as Cortonwood ( when will i find something different ? ) ;
Great Crested Grebe 3, Cormorant 3, Mute Swan 7, Tufted Duck 21, Pochard 14, Ruddy Duck 4, Lapwing 40, Green Woodpecker 1, Meadow Pipit 8, Song Thrush 1, Bullfinch 1, Reed Bunting 1.

Again not a lot from my garden, but it was nice to see a female Chaffinch at my feeding station ( things are looking up : )


Corsican Hellebore


Stinking Hellebore ( the one i bought from Morrisons earlier in the year, and looking at this specimen it was well worth the money )

Saturday 16th Dec

Sunny, Light W
After 2 days of doing absolutely nothing, it was good to get out this morning. An hour around Cortonwood produced, well, much of the same as previous visits ;
Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 21, Pochard 7, Goosander 16, Sparrowhawk 1 , Black-headed Gull 35, Common Gull 1, Grey Wagtail 1, Bullfinch 1 calling
Winter Moth 1 found in bus shelter by the Pit Lane ;







Back at home, nothing of interest recorded flying over the garden, also not a lot seen feeding. Apart from the Collared Doves & Starlings, there were 2 Wren and 2 Greenfinch, 1 of which was bearing an alloy ring on its right leg.
Hopefully the colder conditions will bring 1 or 2 more birds in.

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 13th Dec

Overcast, Showers, Blustery SW

WOMBWELL GARDEN

Not an impressive sunrise this morning

Not a lot from here this morning, but, a Grey Wagtail feeding on the ground in a woodland setting was most unusual. The only bird of the regular species to be seen was Nuthatch.
A couple more unseasonal plants were found to be flowering ;


Solanum jasminoides


Greater Periwinkle

A brief sunny spell around lunchtime provided the only highlight from my garden, when a Small Tortoiseshell was seen flying around the back of the house. 19 Lapwing over during the afternoon were the best of the bird species. My feeding station continues to be slow with the only visitors being - Collared Dove 3, Dunnock 1, Robin 1 & 30+ Starling.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 12th Dec

Cloudy, Sunny Spells, Showers, Blustery SW

Set off for the Wombwell garden via the Trans-Pennine Trial from Brampton Bierlow > Hemingfield, where i recorded an amazing 10 singing Song Thrush`s, 8 of which were along the Cortonwood stretch of the trail. Other birds encountered along the way were - Grey Heron 3 & a single Bullfinch calling.

WOMBWELL GARDEN




The highlights from here were - Sparrowhawk 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1+, Nuthatch 1, Bullfinch 1 calling.


Robin

Called in at Cortonwood on the way home, everything was exactly the same as my last visit on Sunday, apart from the addition of 2 Reed Bunting.

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 10th Dec

Overcast, Patchy Light Rain, Blustery SW

CORTONWOOD - Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2 ( in partial courtship display ), Tufted Duck 19, Pochard 7, Goosander 4, Grey Wagtail 1, Skylark 1, Meadow Pipit 2, Blackbird 40+


Tufted Duck

MY GARDEN - Sparrowhawk 1, Fieldfare 5 S, Song Thrush 1 singing.
With another mild week forecast, it looks like my feeding station`s set to remain quiet :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 9th Dec

Patchy Frost, Sunny, Lght W/NW





OLD MOOR - I had a couple of hours across at the local RSPB reserve this morning, where lots of common birds were on offer. My ( personal ) best sightings of the visit were Common Buzzard, Peregrine, Green Sandpiper & Green Woodpecker. The Peregrine in particular gave a good display as it singled out a Lapwing, and despite several attempts to snatch it in mid-air, the falcon left emptied handed.
Excellent light conditions provided me with the chance of brushing up on my digiscoping skills, some of the results can be seen below ( a mix of photo`s & paint conversions ) ;

Lapwing






Gadwall






Wigeon








WENTWORTH ESTATE - The afternoon saw me at this site, where the highlights were : Great Crested Grebe 10, Cormorant 2, Grey Heron 2, Tufted Duck 8, Common Buzzard 3, Woodpigeon circa 3000.

All in all a good day all round. I know i did`nt see anything mega but i really enjoyed my digiscoping session this morning.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 8th Dec

Sunny, Light W

WOMBWELL GARDEN - Tawny Owl 1 calling, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2 over, Nuthatch 1+
CORTONWOOD - Sadly no Leach`s Petrel blown in ( who was i kidding anyway, apart from myself ) and nothing else different blown in. Just the same old to be relied upon birds : Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 17, Pochard 7, Goosander 1, Kestrel 1, Song thrush 4 singing ( am ), Meadow Pipit 2, Goldfinch circa 30 ;


Goosander ( Redhead ) - digiscoped

My Garden - Grey Heron 2 E, Lapwing circa 40 S, Song Thrush 1 singing

Nice to know that the Tawnies ( well at least 1 ) are still around at the Wombwell garden + to finally get a goosander pic under the belt.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 7th Dec

Sunshine & Showers, Strong Gusty SW
Once again another poor day for birds, with a single Great Spotted Woodpecker being the best on offer at the Wombwell garden. However i did manage a few pics of some other stuff ;

Woodpigeon




Common Wasp ( Queen ) - photographed then painted




Smooth Hawksbeard ( i think )


Song Thrush - 6 birds singing along the Trans-Pennine Trail at Cortonwood, also 1 singing in my garden ( again ) at first light.
Hoping to get a couple of hours in at Cortonwood tomorrow afternoon. I`ve not been for the last 4 days, so who knows what`s been blown in on these strong winds. Maybe a Leach`s Petrel, can`t see why not as quite a few have been blown inland over the last 2 days. Fingers crossed :)

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 6th Dec

Cloudy, Heavy Showers, Light W



What an horrible day weather wise, not much better with the birds. The main highlight was 5 Song Thrush singing this morning along the Trans-Pennine Trail at Cortonwood. Also had a single bird of this species singing in my garden at both ends of the day. A very brief visit ( due to the inclement weather ) to the Wombwell garden did`nt produce anything more interesting than a Nuthatch.

Tuesday 5th Dec

Cloudy, Showers, Sunny Spells, Blustery SW
WOMBWELL GARDEN :



Kestrel 1, Herring Gull 14 S, Lesser Black-backed Gull 7 S, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Nuthatch 2


Robin - digiscoped & painted


Fungi sp

Also saw 3 Song Thrush ( singing ) along the Trans-Pennine Trail at Cortonwood this morning.
( Straight to the point, as always :)

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Monday 4th Dec

Cloudy, Sunny, Light>Moderate W/SW
WOMBWELL GARDEN :



Sparrowhawk 1, Woodpigeon circa 3000 NW, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2+, Fieldfare 2 SW, Nuthatch 1, Jay 2





I made my way to the Wombwell garden via the Trans-Pennine Trail, and along a 300 metre stretch at the Cortonwood end, i had 4 Song Thrush ( singing ) & a single Grey Wagtail S.

NETHER HAUGH GARDEN - Not as much as usual to report from here. The wind was a lot stronger here than it was at Wombwell, however i did record a couple of bird sightings ;
Golden Plover 4 S, Red-legged Partridge 7 ( in adjacent horse paddock ), but Collared Dove was the only species photographed ;

Sunday 3rd Dec

Sunny, Strong S
CORTONWOOD - Grey Heron 1, Mute Swan 2, Tufted Duck 19, Pochard 7, Goosander 5, Sparrowhawk 1, Skylark 6 S, Meadow Pipit 2, Song Thrush 1, Tree Sparrow 15+, Bullfinch 1 male.
MY GARDEN - Cormorant 2 E, Goosander 1 W, Golden Plover c50 S, Lapwing 30 E, Song Thrush 1 singing at first light.

Saturday 2nd Dec

Cloudy, Sunny, Light SW
WENTWORTH ESTATE - Great Crested Grebe 19, Grey Heron 3, Tufted Duck 6, Common Buzzard 1, Sparrowhawk 1, Kestrel 2, Stock Dove 3, Little Owl 1 calling, Grey Wagtail 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Redwing 40+, Song Thrush 3 singing, Willow Tit 1, Nuthatch 1, Jay 4.
Not the best conditions for digiscoping this morning but i still had a go ;

Kestrel


Red Deer






MY GARDEN - Goosander 2 S, Sparrowhawk 1 W, Kestrel 1 S, Herring Gull 20+ S, Grey Wagtail 1 S, Song Thrush 1 singing at first light, Starling circa 300.


Looking S at dusk



Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Friday 1st Dec ( update )

Results from a 3 hour moth trapping session in my garden last night were - Light Brown Apple Moth 6 and surprisingly my latest ever record of the migrant species, Silver Y. Although, i strongly suspect that this indvidual was a result of this years breeding success ;


Light Brown Apple Moth


Silver Y

Copyright Dean Stables
Olympus C5000Z

Friday 1st Dec

Cloudy, Light S/SW
WOMBWELL GARDEN - just the same birds with a single Great Spotted Woodpecker & 2 Nuthatch being the highlights.


Pale Tussock - cocoon


Lesser Celandine


Fungi sp

CORTONWOOD RETAIL PARK - While doing the weekly shopping this afternoon 4 Mute Swan flew low over Morrisons car park heading towards Cortonwood Lake & a Kingfisher was seen flying over the access road there.

MY GARDEN - Cormorant 1 W, Song Thrush 1 singing prior to dusk. Switched my moth trap on for a couple of hours but up until now i`ve attracted the grand total of 1 Light Brown Apple Moth.