Friday 30th November 2007

Sunny am, Cloudy pm, Breezy SW
A few more bird highlights than yesterday, all of which were from the Wombwell garden ;
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail, Jay 2+, Fieldfare c40 W, Redwing c30 W, Siskin 11 S.
Plus, about a dozen of these friendly fellows around the garden ;









Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 29th November 2007

Sunny, Breezy W
A glorious day weatherwise, pity the same can`t be said about my sightings.
CORTONWOOD : ( Yep!!, you`ve guessed ) Goosander 5, Pochard 4 & a single Willow Tit.



Going to shut myself in a darkened room now, and sulk till Spring.

Wednesday 28th November 2007

Cloudy, Breezy SW
A visit to the Wombwell garden this morning produced a couple of moth species, with single males of both Winter Moth & Mottled Umber. Interestingly, the females of these have vestigal wings and therefore flightless, enabling them to put all their energy into egg laying.



Winter Moth


Mottled Umber




Quite a few winter thrushes were moving over here this morning, with c100 Redwing & c250 Fieldfare, heading W.
On the plant front, a splash of colour was provided by this very early Forsythia. Which as you all probably know, should`nt be flowering till late March`ish ;



No change at Cortonwood, with the only notables being : 1 drk Goosander, 4 Pochard, 2 Meadow Pipit & an adult Common Gull.
Back at home, the usual couple of hundred Starlings & the only noteworthy flyovers were 3 Fieldfare heading NW.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 27th November 2007

Low Cloud, Light SW
Another day of very few sightings. Cortonwood was slightly ( emphasis on the slightly ) better than yesterday, with only the following of note : Goosander 1 drk, Pochard 4, Meadow Pipit 2, Cormorant 2 W, Herring Gull 8 S + a small mixed flock of Siskin, Redpoll & Goldfinch were blogging about.


Robin

A cracking male Sparrowhawk glided low through my garden this afternoon, but nothing else apart from the usual Starlings.
SW winds are set to carry on for the rest of the week. It might be mild as a result, but they`re no good for bringing the birds in, especially at this time of year.
Ah well!!, only 5 weeks to 2008. A new year, a new start. Talking of which, i must try better at keeping a year list. This years has gone out of the window. Never mind, at least i`ve kept this blog going.

Monday 26th November 2007

Overcast, Light SW
Just one word to sum up today, CRAP!!!
The only highlights were from Cortonwood : 10 Goosander, 4 Pochard & several Collared Earthstars ;



Seasonal Adjustment Disorder ( or whatever it`s called ) as well & truly set in NOW!!!

Sunday 25th November 2007

Cloudy, Bright Spells, Blustery NW
Not a great deal of sightings today. The first highlight was of 7 Goosander over the garden heading W as i was leaving for Cortonwood.
Cortonwood did`nt produce much ( again ), with the best being, 1 Coal Tit ( surprisingly, only my 3rd record from here ), 15 Goosander, 4 Pochard, c20 Tree Sparrow & 1 Cormorant E.
Back at home, i could`nt do any better than 2 sightings of Sparrowhawk.

For anyone`s that interested, regards last nights Pony Club Presentation. My 2 daughters did`nt come away empty handed. Rudi got Gold for Tack & Turnout, overall 2nd for Gymkhana & a certificate for passing her Efficieny test. Storm got Silver for Tack & Turnout, overall 4th for jumping + they both got a team rosette for representing the club at team events.
Next year should be very interesting, Rudi`s moving up to the 10 & unders, which means she`ll be competing against Storm. Now that will be something else!!!!

Saturday 24th November 2007

Cloudy, Rain, Blustery SW



The day started off with a cracking sunrise, but it quickly went downhill. Spent an hour freezing my gonads off at the Old Moor, and for what. NOTHING. The 2 Firecrests were showing just outside the reserve, on the Rotherham side of the Knollbeck. Which was some consolation.
Spent the rest of the day at home, watching the garden, where the highlights were : Herring Gull 28 SSW, Cormorant 1 S, Golden Plover 13 W, Starling c200, House Sparrow 7+, Chaffinch 1 female ;


House Spuggy

Right, better get ready for tonights Wentworth & District Pony Club Annual Presentation. Not sure if my 2 ( Storm & Rudi ) are in line for anything, but it will be nice if they are.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 23rd November 2007

Sunny, Breezy N
A very finger numbing visit to Cortonwood this morning did`nt produce anything new, the highlights being : 9 Goosander, 2 Pochard & 3 Meadow Pipit.
Back at home, the bird of the day, was a Common Buzzard that was circling overhead for about 5 mins, before it drifted of N.
While watching the Starlings at my garden feeders, i noticed that 1 bird has already attained its yellow bill colour ( a tad early, i must say )
Disturbed an over-wintering Peacock while looking for something in the garden shed, pleased to say that it soon settled back down ;



Starling ( not the one with the yellow bill )






Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 22nd November 2007

Cloudy, Light NW
Todays highlights ;
WOMBWELL GARDEN : Scarce Umber 1, also singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Sparrowhawk & Kestrel ;


Scarce Umber


Fungi sp

CORTONWOOD : Goosander 7 & Pochard 4 ;


Carrion Crow

MY GARDEN : Goosander 11 E & Cormorant 2 E.

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 21st November 2007

Cloudy, Bright Spells, Light S
It was murky for most of this mornings visit to Cortonwood, but then the clouds broke and with it came a steady stream of 200+ large Gulls ( Herring, Lesser Black-backed & Great Black-backed ) heading S.
The other highlights were : 12 Goosander, 4 Pochard & 2 Willow Tit ;


Looking SE from pit-top




Hawthorn Shieldbug

Back at home, plenty of Starlings around, but no sign of yesterdays leucistic bird. The only other notables were a single Sparrowhawk & c500 Woodpigeon passed over, heading W prior to dusk ;





Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 20th November 2007

Murky, Light E
Another visit to Cortonwood failed to produce anything new, with the best being : 4 Goosander, 3 Pochard, 4 Meadow Pipit & a single Great Black-backed Gull N.


Carrion Crow

Over the last few days i`ve been hoping & praying that the decent sized Starling flock ( that`s been blogging around my garden ), would produce a somewhat different bird. Today my prayers were answered, when this colourful ( Leucistic ) specimen was found feeding amongst them. Not the best shots due to the low light levels, but it certainly lifted my spirits on this gloomy day ;





Looking forward to a brighter day ( weatherwise ), and that this bird returns so i can get some better pics.

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 19th November 2007

Early Rain clearing, Murky, Light E
The rain finally ceased mid-morning, so i went to see if it had dumped owt at Cortonwood. No such luck, with pretty much the same : 11 Goosander, 4 Pochard, 1 Kingfisher, 11 Grey Partridge, 2 Herring Gull S, 1 Cormorant W.
Nothing to report from my garden & no pics. It just never seemed to get light. God!! i hate winter.

Sunday 18th November 2007

Rain, Blustery S/SE
What a nightmare of a day. The furthest i`ve been was to top up the garden bird feeders and that was too far. The driving rain and wind chill had me soon running back for cover. So, nothing to report, although i did manage a digi-scoped pic of a group of Starlings on a neighbouring tv ariel ;



Finally managed to sort my Cortonwood bird list out, but i just can`t be arsed to type out 95 species.
95 " is that all " i hear you say. Well!!, i don`t know of any other birders who watch Cortonwood, plus i`ve only been watching this site for 2 years and only recently with any regularity. It`s not that bad though, considering the ( small ) lake is right on the doorstep of an housing estate, plus the whole site surrounds both a retail park & several commercial business`s.
I`m pretty sure if i keep up with the regular visits i can add several more species. Wonder if i can make it 100 by the end of 2008.

Saturday 17th November 2007

Cloudy ( am ), Sunny ( pm ), Light SW
Went down to Old Moor early this morning, but the place was almost lifeless ( well not exactly, but nothing different to previous visits ). The one saving grace was the 2 Firecrests, that were showing well, but always mobile, along Green Lane.

Oh no!! not another silhouette of a Blackbird ;



Nothing doing at home, so a mid-afternoon visit to Cortonwood. Pretty much the same as the last few visits, with the best being 17 Goosander.







Rain forecast for most of tomorrow, so it looks like i might the Cortonwood bird list up & running.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 16th November 2007

Cloudy, Light SW
Bit of a poor day. A morning visit to Cortonwood did`nt produce a great deal, with the highlights being : 12 Goosander, 1 Pochard & 11 Grey Partridge.


Blackbird

Bugger all from my garden during the rest of the day, but things picked up slightly when i went for an evening walk through the Wentworth Estate. I went especially to do a Tawny Owl count, but only 2 birds were heard calling. However, these were over-shadowed by an unexpected Barn Owl, that was seen & heard hissing from a tree on one of the estate farms. Can`t believe this was my first of the year.

Thursday 15th November 2007

Patchy Frost, Sunny, Light SW
Highlights ;
MY GARDEN ( am ) : Goosander 9 SW at 07.00, Redwing 19 N.
CORTONWOOD : Goosander 24 ( equal highest count. Nov 2006 ), Pochard 4, Mute Swan 4 ( 1 ad ), Grey Wagtail 1, Willow Tit 1, Reed Bunting 1, Bullfinch 2, Common Darter 1 ;

Mallard


Pochard






Blackbird


MY GARDEN ( pm ) : Mute Swan 1 S.

It`s been just over a week since i added anything new to the Cortonwood list. Really hope the forecasted unsettled weekend brings something different in.

Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 14th November 2007

Patchy Cloud, Light N/NW
Highlights ;
MY GARDEN ( am ) : Goosander 9 W at 07.03
CORTONWOOD : Goosander 3 ( 2 drk ), Willow Tit 2, Grey Partridge 11, Fieldfare 5, Common Gull 1, Cormorant 1 N, Common Darter 1.


Robin


Rook

MY GARDEN ( pm ) : Great Black-backed Gull 5 W, Sparrowhawk 1. No sign of any Goosanders this afternoon.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 13th November 2007

Cloudy, Bright Spells, Blustery NW
Highlights ;
MY GARDEN ( am ) : Goosander 10 W 07.02 > 07.08, Song Thrush 1.



CORTONWOOD : Goosander 22 ( 9 drk ), Pochard 5, Mute Swan 5, Sparrowhawk 1, Willow Tit 1, Siskin 2.


Gorse

MY GARDEN ( pm ) : Cormorant 1 S, Goosander 13 E at 15.30, Starling c200.



I`ve now come to the conclusion that the Goosanders are roosting at the Old Moor RSPB, feeding at Cortonwood and passing over my garden en-route ( both ways ). Gonna try and get a flight shot ( fingers crossed ). Too dark at 7ish, so i`ll have to be ready when they are returning in the afternoon.

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 12th November 2007

Sunny, Light W/NW
Todays highlights ;
MY GARDEN ( am ) : Goosander 12 W at 07.05, Cormorant 11 W, Woodpigeon c1000 N.


Robin

CORTONWOOD : Goosander 20 ( 8 drk ), Pochard 5 ( 1 drk ), Grey Wagtail 1.


Canada Goose


Moorhens

MY GARDEN ( pm ) : Sparrowhawk 1, Red Admiral 1 ;



Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 11th November 2007

Cloudy, Blustery N
Was at Cortonwood for 07.15 this morning, but nothing different : Goosander 11, Pochard 5, Blackbird 22, Grey Wagtail 1, Song Thrush 1, Woodpigeon c300 N/NW.
Back at home, the highlights were : Fieldfare 1 W, Common Gull 3 W, Cormorant 1 E, Great Black-backed Gull 2 W, Lapwing 11 E & 9 W.
The only photographic opportunity was this digiscoped Woodpig from the garden ;

Friday 9th November 2007

Sunny, Breezy N/NW
Nothing new in at Cortonwood this morning. The 11 Goosanders were still present, as were the 4 Pochard. The best of the rest : Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Kingfisher, 4 Meadow Pipit & a single Common Darter ;



Also a dead Bank Vole. I photographed it to show the main identification features, which are reddish/brown upperparts and a white belly. The quite similar Field Vole is greyish-brown above and has a greyish belly ;



Not a lot at home, with the best from the garden being : 1 Sparrowhawk N, C700 Woodpigeon N, a flock of 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls S & c200 Starlings blogging around.

Copyright Dean Stables

Thursday 8th November 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Showery, Mod>Strong Gusty W/NW
Went up to the Wombwell garden this morning. Nothing there apart from ;


Red-green Carpet


Blewit sp

Then i did a full circuit of Cortonwood. No new species to add to the site list today, with the only highlights being : Pochard 4 ( 1 drk ), Goosander 11 ( 4 drk ), Cormorant 3 W.
Back at home, not a lot moving in the strong winds this afternoon : Fieldfare 1 W, Grey Heron 1 E, Sparrowhawk 1 NE, Kestrel 1 E. Still plenty of Starlings about ;





Copyright Dean Stables

Wednesday 7th November 2007

Cloudy, Sunny Spells, Moderate Gusty W/NW
Cortonwood does it YET again :
Had a couple of hours around my local patch this morning and managed another site first. To be honest, i did`nt expect adding Woodcock to the site list, but a single bird was flushed from the edge of the Post Office Pond. Whatever next!!!. Don`t suppose i can be lucky enough to make it 3 new birds in 3 days, tomorrow. Well, with strong winds forecast over the next few days, there`s every chance of something new dropping in.
Other highlights were : Common Gull 1 ad, Goosander 7 ( 1 drk ), Pochard 4 ( 1 drk ) +


Blackbird


Greater Periwinkle


Fungi sp

Not much from my garden during the rest of the day, with the best being : 8 Cormorant W, 2 Fieldfare S, 5 Lapwing N & a Robin sporting a leg ring.

Copyright Dean Stables

Tuesday 6th November 2007

Sunny, Light NW
Cortonwood strikes again :)
I woke up this morning with all the symptons of an oncoming cold and was`nt going to venture out, but after 2 hours of watching from the garden and with only c800 Woodpigeons NE to show for it, i decided to visit my local patch. It really was a glorious day in more ways than just the weather.
The main highlight came in the form of a patch tick with 2 RED KITES over at 11.15 heading SSE.
I was scanning the lake at the time, when i noticed a Grey Heron on the island, with head tilted & looking skyward. My immediate thought was, what had it seen that i had`nt. So i looked up and behind me, there they were. Typical jizz of these birds, sharp angle to the carpal joints ( elbow ), giving them that flexed wing appearance, deeply forked tail and the pale bases to the primaries. Fantastic stuff, what a tonic!!!
Other highlights : Meadow Pipit 5, Pochard 4 ( 1 drk ), Goosander 1 redhead. Surprisingly, also a few inverts around : several Common Darters & these ;

Red Admiral




Comma


Speckled Wood


Myathropa florea ( Morrisons Car Park )


Back at home, nothing apart from c150 Starling & a Dunnock pic ;



Will have to try and get round to doing a full Cortonwood list, what i`ve seen and a what could possibly turn up next list. Something for a rainy day.

Copyright Dean Stables

Monday 5th November 2007

Cloudy am, Sunshine & Showers pm, Light W/NW
Had a walk to Elsecar Reservoir this morning. On the way i called into the Wombwell garden. Nothing to report from here apart from a clump of Ivory Waxcaps ;



Then a walk along the canal from Hemingfield > Elsecar produced the following highlights : 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Mute Swan & 3 Teal.
Not much on the resr at Elsecar, with the best being : 3 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Wigeon, 4 Shoveler and several specimens of the bracket fungi, Fomes fomentarius, in the adjacent wood ;



Back at home, the only bird of note was a Cormorant over, heading E. A hedgehog feeding under the bird table prior to dusk was a nice surprise. Managed to get one pic before it scuttled off back to the hog house ;




" well it is the 5th of November "

Copyright Dean Stables

Sunday 4th November 2007

Sunny, Light S
Managed to pull myself vertical after last nights **drinking/Rebel Truce gig and paid a pretty much wasted visit to Cortonwood, with only 2 Pochard & several calling Grey Partridge to show for it.
The rest of the day was spent recovering at home, where a few glances out of the door produced the following highlights : Kestrel 1, Sparrowhawk 1 Common Gull 2, Grey Wagtail 1 on house roof, Coal Tit 1.


Starlings " bath time "


House Sparrow

**It was another great Rebel Truce gig last night. Did`nt manage any pics due to the venue having a stupid dry ice machine. The flash could`nt cut through all the crap floating about. Think i`ll take a cork and plug the b****** thing up next time i go.

Copyright Dean Stables

Saturday 3rd November 2007

Cloudy start, Sunny, Light W/NW
The first hour of daylight did`nt produce a lot from the garden, with the best being : 12 Fieldfare S & c170 Woodpigeon S.
Had a couple of hours at the Old Moor, where the Firecrest was still present but rather elusive today. Other highlights : Dunlin 7, Golden Plover c2000, Black-tailed Godwit 1, Goosander 1.


Redshank

Back at home, the only highlights from the rest of the daylight hours were : Kestrel 1, Coal Tit 1, Cormorant 1 N, Common Gull 4 W.


Starling

I might have a visit to Cortonwood sometime tomorrow. All depends on how much falling down water i consume tonight at the Rebel Truce gig.

Copyright Dean Stables

Friday 2nd November 2007

Sunny, Light W/NW
A visit to the Wombwell garden this morning produced 2 significant sightings. The best of which was my first Brambling of the year. The other, was not so welcome, with at least 12 Harlequin Ladybirds scuttling about on the trunk of a Beech tree. Hope the powers that be, come up with a solution to this unwanted pest before it`s too late.
Other highlights from here were : Nuthatch 1, Fieldfare 9 S, Red Admiral 1 & Feathered Thorn 1 ;


Feathered Thorn

Back at home, not a lot from my garden with the best being ; a flock of 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls W, prior to dusk. Also, Common Darter & an unidentified clump of shrooms ;







Just 24 hours till the Rebel Truce gig at Rotherham. Be great to see & hear the lads again.

Thursday 1st November 2007

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Blustery W
Another day of not seeing much. Went up to the Wombwell garden, where the best of the birds were 3 Siskin over, heading W.


( Arty ) Fly Agaric

The walk home along the western edge of Cortonwood, could`nt produce anything better than a Red Admiral and these unidentified Earthballs ;



Back at home, the highlights from the garden were : Siskin 1 S, Grey Heron 1 E, Golden Plover 9 W, Common Gull 1 W. Plenty of Starlings about and what sounded like a decent number of House Sparrows chattering away, along the back hedge. Wish they`d come to the feeders.

Copyright Dean Stables