Thursday 31st January 2008

Early rain clearing to sunshine & wintry showers, Strong Gusty W/NW
Apart from the heavy rain this morning, here in Barnsley we had a flash of lightning & a rumble of thunder. Anyway, the rain eased off by mid-morning and i was off to the Wombwell garden. I was`nt going to go, but i`m only too glad i did as i had my first Woodcock of the year ( flushed from beneath a stand of Rhododendrons ).
Not much else about, apart from a couple of pics ;

Blackbird


Nuthatch ( painted, so much better than the original photo`s )




Nothing new in at Cortonwood, with only the following noted : 13 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard & a drake Goosander.

The Woodcock takes my Dearne Valley year list to 82.

Wednesday 30th Jan 2008

Sunny, Breezy W/NW
Really suffering from a bout of cold, so it`s straight to the days highlights ;

Wombwell Garden : 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers ( drumming ), 2 Nuthatch, 1 Treecreeper & a single Pale Brindled Beauty of the melanic form f.monocharia ;








Pale Brindled Beauty ( f.monocharia )


Snowdrops

Cortonwood : 9 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard, 1 drake Goosander & 2 Skylark.


Black-headed Gull

My Garden - 2 Mistle Thrush, were the first of the year for the garden ( Garden Year List - 36 )

Tuesday 29th January 2008

Bright start, Clouding over, Breezy SW
Not much at Cortonwood today, although a Skylark flushed from the Pit-Top was my first of the year. The only other species to make into the notebook were : 13 Tufted Duck, 2 Pochard & 5 Song Thrush ( singing ).

Year Lists : CORTONWOOD - 59, DEARNE VALLEY - 81 & my GARDEN remains at 35.

After 2 very spring like days, it looks like winter is set to arrive again from Friday. Looks like mother nature has fooled us again.

AOS3 ( Doncaster - 27/01/08 )

Back in Business :-)

Monday 28th January 2008

Sunny, Light SW
Went up to the Wombwell garden this morning and had 2 drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers and several skeins of Pink-footed Geese ( totalling c800 birds ) over, heading W. These must have been part of a mass movement, as a total of 8000+ birds have been recorded over Yorkshire today.


Blackbird

+ a couple of Hoverfly species ;


Episyrphus balteatus ( Marmalade Fly )


Eristalis tenax ( Drone Fly )

I intended calling in at Cortonwood, but i just had to get home and re-hydrate myself after last nights AOS3 gig.
Not to worry, i`m sure Cortonwood will still be there tomorrow.

Guess the Pic ( The Answer )

Thanks to all who had a go at guessing what the above pic was. I actually did`nt think anyone would get it, until today that is. So, well done to Peter Mella. It is indeed the combs on a dabbling ducks beak. A female Gadwall to be exact. The combs are used for filtering insects/seeds from the water. Surprising what you can learn by looking at dead birds.
This particular bird was ( sadly ) found dead at the Wentworth Estate last Friday.



Again, well done Peter.
Will have to keep my eyes open for the next puzzler.

Saturday 26th January 2008

Cloudy, Strong Gusty W ( easing )
What a really all round shite day. Went to Old Moor this morning, but birding was that poor i was back at home for 09.00. So poor in fact, that the only notable sighting was of a pair of Coot, nest building.
Then a visit to Cortonwood, where the highlights were pretty much the same as previous visits : 12 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 2 Common Gull & a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

The only thing that`s kept me sane today, is the thought of going to see one of my all time favourite bands ( AOS3 ), tomorrow at the Leopard, Doncaster.
They formed in 1990, playing a fusion of Punk/Ska/Dub to the gathering masses of the Free Festival circuit, along with the likes of RDF ( Radical Dance Faction ), Tottenham AK47`s, Scum Of Toytown & Back to the Planet. But the Criminal Justice Bill put pay to this scene.
Now they`re back and in the words of their vocalist John " This is Skanking music "

Guess the pic

Not done one of these for a while. Answer on Monday.

Friday 25th January 2007

Sunny, Strong Gusty W
Todays Highlights ;

Wombwell Garden : singles of Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Nuthatch + 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker.



Wentworth Estate : 2 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 3 Mute Swan, 1 Tufted Duck, 5 Red-legged Partridge, 1 Common Buzzard.

Both the Partridge & Buzzard were my firsts of the year, but they don`t make it on to any of my year lists. Will no doubt encounter both species within the Dearne Valley.

" ang-ank "

Just had 2+ very audible skeins of Pink-footed Geese heading W over the garden at 19.30. First time i`ve recorded these moving during the hours of darkness.

Garden Year List - 35

Thursday 24th January 2008

Hail/Rain Showers turning Sunny, Blustery W
Seem to have hit a bit of a lull, with the most notable species from Cortonwood, being : 12 Tufted Duck, 6 Pochard, 1 drk Goosander & the usual 20 or so Tree Sparrows.


Carrion Crow

The Song Thrush turned up in my garden again, but still refused to have its picture taken.

Wish i could add to this post, but i can`t. Never mind, see what tomorrow brings.

Wednesday 23rd January 2008

Cloudy, Light W/SW
Not as much as yesterday at Cortonwood. Quite poor really, with the only highlights being : 12 Tufted Duck, 7 Pochard & 4 Song Thrush.
Does my patch have its own waterfall ?, no, it`s just the outflow from the lake ;



Not a lot from home either, with the only notables being : 19 Golden Plover over, a single Song Thrush & a small movement of Lesser Black-backed Gulls SW. I wanted to get a shot of the Songy, but everytime it came to feed a male Blackbird chased it off.

The birds don`t get any old crap when they feed in my garden. Take these Starlings for instance, tucking into a jumbo Chocolate Sponge Roll ;




Lesser Black-backed Gull

Ooooh!!, the weather forecaster as just said it`ll be sunny tomorrow. Probably got it wrong!!!

Tuesday 22nd January 2008

Cloudy, Bright Spells, Light NW
No rain whatsoever today. So it was off to Cortonwood this morning, where the first notable birds were a year tick, with 24 Pink-footed Geese over, heading W. The other highlights were the usual suspects : 12 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 6 Goosander, 4 Song Thrush ( singing ) & a singing Coal Tit.


Pinkies - 10 of.


Goosander

Spent the rest of the day at home, where i added Siskin ( 1 heading SW ) to the garden year list. The best of the rest were : Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk ( carrying prey ), & quite a few large Gulls heading NW.

Bird year lists ;
DEARNE VALLEY - 80
CORTONWOOD - 58
GARDEN - 34

Monday 21st January 2008

Rain, Light > Breezy W
What a crappy day. From last night to this dinnertime we`ve had to endure almost 19 hours of constant rain, and then it`s been on & off since. Resulting in me venturing no further than the garden pond.
The only notable birds from the garden were : a drake Goosander NE, a small group of 9 Long-tailed Tits at the bottom of the garden & a flock of around 30 Goldfinch blogging about prior to dusk.

My apologies for this pic, but it`s a result of my boredom of being housebound ;



PS - it`s just started pissin down, again !!!!!!

Sunday 20th January 2008

Cloudy, Light W
My visit to Cortonwood this morning was cut short, due to the number of unleashed dogs running riot around the lake area. The only notables from a quick scan of the lake were, 12 Tufted Duck & 3 Pochard. The only highlights from the rest of the patch were a single Sparrowhawk & 5 Song Thrush ( 3 singing birds ).
The Matalan store`s exterior lights again produced another Pale Brindled Beauty ;



Spent the rest of the day at home, where the garden produced a single Song Thrush, 2 Long-tailed Tit & a Great Tit, that was sussing out a nest box.

If tomorrows weather forecast for persistant rain is correct, i think i`ll be watching the garden all day.

Saturday 19th January 2008

Sunny, Patchy Cloud, Light W
Pretty rubbish at the Old Moor this morning, so much so that i was back at home for 09.30. The only highlights were : 3 Goldeneye ( 1 drk ) & c50 Fieldfare ( DV year tick ).

An hour spent at Cortonwood did`nt produce much either, with the highlights being : 17 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, 7 Goosander + singles of Willow Tit & Bullfinch. Also ;

Geomotrid Moth sp ( larva )




Coltsfoot


DEARNE VALLEY - Bird year list now at 79.

Thought we were doing well with our first dry day for over a week, but i`ve spoken too soon. It`s just started raining for a change!!!!.

Friday 18th January 2008

Rain, Light > Breezy W
Todays Highlights ;

Wombwell Garden : 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker ( 1 drumming )



Hemingfield ( Canal ) : 1 Little Grebe ( DV year tick )
Cortonwood : 14 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, 2 Goosander & 1 Kingfisher ( CW year tick ).
Wentworth Estate : 7 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Cormorant & 1 Pochard.


Mallard speculum ( dead bird )

West Melton : 1 Oystercatcher N ( DV year tick )

Year Lists - latest ;
DEARNE VALLEY - 78
CORTONWOOD - 57

The Oystercatcher was right on cue. Birds are usually encountered at this time of year as they make their way to ( inland ) breeding sites.

Thursday 17th January 2008

Rain, Light > Breezy SW
Did`nt think i was going to get anything to blog about today, but the rain finally ceased mid-afternoon. So i had my first visit of the year to Manvers Lake.
I know it`s rained a lot over the last week, but i did`nt expect this site to be affected too much ;



The only bird highlights from here were 10 Great Crested Grebe ( inc a displaying pair ) & a single Kingfisher, but hey!!! they were both year ticks.


Tuftie

I`ve noticed this sign on a few occasions but never thought anything about it, until today. Can`t think what was going through the heads of the local council, when they decided to put it up ;


Amphibious Wheelchairs!!! " whatever next "

Back at home, the last hour of daylight provided the following counts : 52 Lapwing S, c1500 Woodpigeon S & a pre-roost gathering of c40 Goldfinch.

DEARNE VALLEY ( year list ) - 76

Wednesday 16th January 2008

Cloudy, Patchy Light Rain, Light NW
Whenever i go to the Wombwell garden, i usually set off along the Trans-Pennine Trail at Cortonwood, then via the canal at Hemingfield. This morning, for some unknown reason when i got to the Retail Park ( Cortonwood ) i veered off and walked up the central reservation of the Dearne Valley Parkway. This proved to be a wise move on my part, because half way along the dual carriageway, i was treated to the sight of a BARN OWL hunting over a field to my left. Not only was it a year tick, but my first visual one for quite a few years. ( bird of the year so far ).

Nothing different at the Wombwell garden, just the usual Greater Pecker, Nuthatch, Jay etc. The only pics from here, were of this unidentified Spider ;





Just the 1 patch year tick from Cortonwood, a single Stock Dove. As always, the only other notables were : 11 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard, 2 Goosander & 3 Bullfinch.

And finally, in answer to a request from Toffeeapple, here`s yesterdays Frog pic with nothing done to it ;



Year Lists update ;
DEARNE VALLEY - 74
CORTONWOOD - 56

Tuesday 15th January 2008

Persistant Rain easing early afternoon, Light W/NW
Another shite day, weatherwise. The rain finally eased just after mid-day, so i had an hour at Cortonwood. Slightly better than yesterdays visit, with 3 firsts of the year for this site : Sparrowhawk, Linnet & 9 Grey Partridge ( a year tick for the Dearne Valley, as well ). Other highlights were : 15 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard & a drake Goosander.
Also a couple more Fungi ;


?


Yellow Brain Fungus

A single Cormorant W over the garden was the best of the birds at home. The frog numbers don`t seem to have increased from the original 5 ;



Bird Year Lists, are now ;
CORTONWOOD - 55
DEARNE VALLEY - 73
GARDEN - remains at 33

Monday 14th January 2008

Rain easing to Showers, Breezy S/SW
Did`nt manage to add to the number of Frogs in my pond this morning, with still 5 being present.



Cortonwood was absolutely dire for birds this morning, with the only notables being : 15 Tufted Duck & a single female Pochard. Where have all the Fieldfare & Redwings gone ?
However, i did manage to get my Moth year list started. A single Pale Brindled Beauty was found resting on the exterior of the Matalan store.



Back at home, i had my first Cormorant of the year from the garden, with a single bird over, heading S. This however, was over-shadowed by a massive total of 3000+ Woodpigeons moving SW ( presumably to roost ) prior to dusk.

Year Lists updates ;
GARDEN - 33
MOTHS - 1

Signs of Spring ?

A combination of tonights mild & wet weather has brought the first Frogs of the year back to my garden pond. 5 individuals were counted about an hour ago, and with it still raining, i suspect this number will have increased by morning.
So there is some benefits to this unseasonal weather, after all.

NB - Incredibly, these are exactly 1 month earlier than last year.

Sunday 13th January 2008

Cloudy, Patchy Light Rain, Breezy S
Had a walk along the canal from Brampton > Smithy Bridge at Hemingfield. The most notables from here were, at least a dozen Teal in a flooded field ( Hemingfield ) & 6 Goosander at the Brampton end.





Then onto Cortonwood, where i had my first site Green Woodpecker of the year. The only other highlights were : 16 Tufted Duck, 3 Pochard, 12 Goosander, a single Jay + a couple of Fungi sp ;


Jews Ear


Sulphur Tuft

CORTONWOOD - 52

More miserable weather forecast for the coming week. Marvellous!!!

Saturday 12th January 2008

Frost, Sunny, Light W
What a difference a day makes. Glorious weather, a couple of year ticks & a few more photographic opportunites.

WOMBWELL GARDEN : both Stock Dove & Nuthatch singing ( i would`nt say that Stock Dove is anything of a singer, more like a deep moaning Huu Huu Huu Huu) Sounds more like the sound track from a porn film. Also 2 male Great Spotted Woodpeckers battling over territory.

Robin




Blackbird


CORTONWOOD : Tufted Duck 14, Pochard 3, Goosander 5, Common Gull 1, Reed Bunting 1 ( first of the year for CW & DV ), Siskin c80, Jay 1, Coal Tit 1 ( first of the year for CW ).


Common Gull


Carrion Crow


Magpie

MY GARDEN : c2000 Woodpigeons W prior to dusk was an impressive sight.

Year Lists latest ;
CORTONWOOD - 51
DEARNE VALLEY - 72

As much as i enjoy pottering around my patch ( Cortonwood ), i yearn for a day away from land-locked Barnsley. I don`t/can`t drive, so i to have rely on the goodwill of offers from other people. Hopefully, when the wildflower ( ing ) season starts, either Mike & or John will be in touch.

Friday 11th January 2008

Frost, Misty/Murky, Rain, Light NE
Todays Highlights ;

WOMBWELL GARDEN : Green Woodpecker 1, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2, Stock Dove ( singing ), Nuthatch 2 & Jay 2.

Robin


CORTONWOOD : Cormorant 1 N ( site year tick ), Bullfinch 2, Goosander 2, Tufted Duck 14, Pochard 5, Jay 3 ( site year tick ).

MY GARDEN : Woodpigeon 8 feeding, Long-tailed Tit 10+

Year Lists - latest ;
CORTONWOOD - 49
GARDEN - 32

Thursday 10th January 2008

Cloudy, Rain, Blustery S/SW
Not a lot of blog fodder today. Went to Old Moor this morning and had the reserve to myself for the hour i was there. Not many birds about, although i did have my first Ruddy Duck of the year. The one & only other highlight was 7 Dunlin.
Back at home, all the usual suspects were seen feeding and i managed to get my first garden Linnet of the year.

Year Lists ;
DEARNE VALLEY - 71
GARDEN - 31

Unfortunately no pics, due to the absence of both light & subjects.

Wednesday 9th January 2008

Sunny, Blustery SW
Tawny Owls are known to breed anytime between January > April. So it was off to the Wombwell garden for me, to get the nest box ready. The first job was to remove the bucket that i blocked the entrance with ( got to keep the squirrels out somehow ). Then all i had to do was put a mixture of dry compost & wood shavings in the bottom of the box and fingers crossed, a pair will move in.




Does`nt look much, but to a Tawny Owl it`s definately a 5* abode. The next time i look in here i hope to find a bird sitting tight and hopefully not a squirrel.

The bird highlights from here this morning, were : Treecreeper, Sparrowhawk, singing Nuthatch & 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, including my first drumming bird of the year ;





Called in at Cortonwood, where i had 2 firsts of the year : Greylag Goose 5 W & Feral Pigeon 3. Apart from these, pretty much the same as yesterday : Tufted Duck 14, Pochard 5 & Yellowhammer 3.


Blackie ( my garden )

Also saw my first Grey Wagtail of the year, when i went to meet my daughters from school.

Year Lists ;
CORTONWOOD - 47
DEARNE VALLEY - 70

Regards : Feral Pigeon, forgot to add this when i did my overall Cortonwood patch list, so that now stands at 98. My target of reaching the 100 mark ( this year ) is positively looking good.

Tuesday 8th January 2008

Overcast, Patchy Light Rain, Light S
Managed 3 local year ticks at the Wombwell garden this morning. The first of which was a single Brambling overhead, heading S. The unmistakeable "Tchep" call, nailed its identity. The others were 2 Jay & a single Treecreeper.
The best of the rest were - 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Stock Dove & 3 Nuthatch.



An afternoon visit to Cortonwood produced my first patch Pheasant of the year & my first local Yellowhammers ( 2 ) of the year. Not a lot else though, with 14 Tufted Duck & 6 Pochard being the most notables.

Oyster Mushrooms ( past their best )




CORTONWOOD - 45
DEARNE VALLEY - 67
Nothing new from my garden, so that remains at 30.

Just like to add a link to Dubaibilly. Someone with a keen interest in macrophotography, but unlike me, he lives in a more exotic clime.

Monday 7th January 2008

Early rain clearing to sunshine & showers, Strong Gusty W
Went to the Wombwell garden this morning, with 2 Nuthatch being the best on offer.


Not a Nuthatch

Then onto Cortonwood, where i added 2 more species to the patch year list. A single Snipe was flushed from the lake edge & 2 Herring Gulls went over, heading E.
The best of the rest were : 4 Goosander, 4 Pochard, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull + plus singles of Willow Tit & Bullfinch.


Cramp Balls

Back at home, i added Stock Dove to the year list, with 3 birds S. The only other highlight was c1600 Woodpigeons moving S to roost prior to dusk.



GARDEN - 30
CORTONWOOD - 43
DEARNE VALLEY - 63

Sunday 6th January 2008

Sunny, Light W/SW
Cortonwood produced just 1 patch year tick this morning, with a single Common Gull. Other highlights : 2 Song Thrush, an impressive 2000+ Woodpigeon moving N/NE ( presumably to their feeding grounds ), 5 Goosander, 4 Pochard, 16 Tufted Duck, 27 Lapwing N, + singles of both Bullfinch & Willow Tit.



Spent the rest of the day at home, where i added another 5 species to the garden year list : Wren, Blue Tit ( at last ), Great Black-backed Gull 2 N, Sparrowhawk 1 & Lapwing 12 E. The only other notable sighting was of 3 Goosander over, heading W prior to dusk.



Year Lists ;
GARDEN - 29
CORTONWOOD - 41
DEARNE VALLEY - 62

Stumbled on another interesting online diary, checkout Pete`s site for more wildlife sightings from the South Yorkshire area.

Saturday 5th January 2008

Cloudy start, turning Sunny, Blustery SW
Nothing out of the ordinary at the Old Moor this morning, but i did add 11 species to my local ( Dearne Valley ) year list : Cormorant, Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pheasant, 7 Dunlin, Linnet, 1 female Goldeneye, Sparrowhawk, 12 Golden Plover & a single Redshank.
The most interesting obs made here, were a pair of Wigeon copulating ( a bit early, unless they were just strengthening their bond in time for their return to northern Europe ). Also a bit early was the sight of a Black-headed Gull sporting a full brown hood.

Wigeon


Shoveler


Black-headed Gull




Gorse


Can`t believe we`re into the 5th day of the year and i still have`nt seen a Blue Tit in my garden, but i did have my first garden Golden Plovers of the year with 18 birds over heading S.

Year Lists latest ;
GARDEN - 24
DEARNE VALLEY ( local area ) - 61

Not been to Cortonwood for 2 days, so that`ll be my port of call tomorrow.

Friday 4th January 2008

Overcast, Light S
Again no sound of the Tawny Owl at Cortonwood this morning ( pre-light ), but i did count 11 singing Robins & a single Song Thrush along the Trans-Pennine Trail.
Not a great deal from the Wombwell garden, although i did see my first Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year. The only other highlights from here, were 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Nuthatch & a couple of floral pics ;


Wood Spurge


Chanterelle type fungi

The only highlight from my garden was a Lesser Black-backed Gull over, moving S with 9 Herring Gulls.

GARDEN - 23
LOCAL AREA - 49

Thursday 3rd January 2008

Overcast, Snow Showers ( not amounting to much ), Light E
Was at Cortonwood for 07.00 hoping to hear the Tawny Owl that was present recently. No luck this morning, but i did get this species on my local area list, with a single bird calling at Hemingfield.
Then on to the Wombwell garden where i added a couple more species to the aforementioned list : Chaffinch, Nuthatch 1 & Coal Tit. The only other highlight from here was a single Green Woodpecker.
Back to Cortonwood for some daylight birding, where i added a few more species to 2 of my lists : Mute Swan 1, Meadow Pipit 1, Chaffinch & Greenfinch. The best of the rest were : 13 Tufted Duck, 5 Pochard, 2 Bullfinch & c20 Siskin ;


Tufted Duck


Siskin ( it is, honestly )


Trans-Pennine Trail

At home for the rest of the day. Not much from the garden apart from a couple of year ticks : Pied Wagtail 1, Chaffinch 1 male & a hovering Kestrel.


Woodpig

Site Year Lists ;
GARDEN - 22
CORTONWOOD - 40
LOCAL AREA - 48

It`s not all about listing. Taking the time to appreciate the wonderful sights & sounds of all these species is still my primary goal.

Wednesday 2nd January 2008

Cloudy, Rain, Bright Spells, Light SE
Birding was put on the back-burner today, as i was press-ganged into going to watch my 2 show jumping at Port Royal EEC at Holme on Spalding Moor, East Yorkshire. God, was it cold. The wind was`nt that strong, but by eck it cut straight though you.
Rudi only went in one class and ended up missing out on a clear round, by just 4 faults. Storm rode like a bag of shite in her first class and got eliminated. However, for her second class she got her act together and went clear, then managed 4th place in the timed jump off.

Rudi & Merrylegs




Storm & Saffie








Managed a couple of wildlife sightings. 2 Goosanders flew over the garden, heading W as we were leaving this morning. Then, en-route home, we were treated to 3 Common Buzzards along the A614, 4 Roe Deer in fields by the M62 and a further 4 Roe Deer by the M18. Excellent stuff :)

The Goosanders take my garden year list to 19.

Tuesday 1st January 2008

Overcast, Light Rain, Light SW
Another year and another attempt at sticking to keeping a couple of year lists.
My plan was to visit Cortonwood before light for the Tawny Owl, but the plan did`nt materialise. Jakki had to go and let the ponies out, and with the kids still in bed, i was left at home, childminding!!!!.
Right, back to listing, which was from the garden to start with. The first hour saw me clocking up : Robin, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Dunnock, Collared Dove & Black-headed Gull.
Then it was off to Cortonwood to start that particular patch list. Very dark & damp, but still managed a respectable 36 species in just over an hour. Full list in order of appearance ;
Collared Dove, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Starling, Blue Tit, Magpie, Robin, Black-headed Gull, Blackbird, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Rook, Lapwing 40 N, Pied Wagtail, Mistle Thrush, Siskin c40, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck 8, Pochard 7, Grey Heron, Wren, Tree Sparrow, Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 S, Kestrel 1, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Willow Tit 2, Song Thrush 2, Redwing, Goldcrest, Bullfinch 1 female.
Plus my first Flora of the year ;