The Deskbound Birder: Barnacle Goose

Showing posts with label Barnacle Goose. Show all posts

Tuesday, 6 October 2020

Shetland - 4th and 5th October

It was my final full day on Shetland and I awoke to a dreary day with rain and a north-east wind. After a brief scan too sea at Scord I headed to Sumburgh Head and birded the farm area. Numbers of migrants had dropped off considerably from yesterday with a substantial fall in Blackcap, Goldcrest and Robin numbers. Barnacle Goose flocks were heading south and a large flock of around 175 birds roamed the Fitfull Head and Sumburgh area, a single albino amongst their ranks. The Little Bunting from yesterday was still around the farm but was rather flighty. The Great Grey Shrike was still in the boulder field at Grutness and showed a little better than yesterday's rather fleeting view. My eBird lists can be viewed here and here.

Barnacle Goose flock over Fitfull Head - Sumburgh, Mainland Shetland

Great Grey Shrike - Grutness, Sumburgh, Mainland Shetland

I then headed a short way north to Toab where a 1st winter Bluethroat showed occasionally but a little distantly in a potato field near to the post office. Also in this field were four Brambling and a Siskin. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Bluethroat - Toab, Sumburgh, Mainland Shetland

I then headed a short way north again to North Town close to Exnaboe. Here a lovely Red-breasted Flycatcher showed well in a garden, calling frequently and occasionally being chased by Robin's. My eBird checklist can be videwed here.

Red-backed Shrike - North Town, Exnaboe, Mainland Shetland

With little else being in the south of the mainland I headed up to Asta, just to the west of Lerwick for an Olive-backed Pipit that had been showing well in the Sycamore's around the village. This is a superb area that I had not visited before but am sure to head back to. After a little searching I located the pipit feeding in the leaf litter below the Sycamore's and spent a ten minutes with the bird before it flew, seemingly a short way south, and could not be relocated. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Olive-backed Pipit - Asta, Mainland Shetland

I then headed back south with the intention of doing some general birding but decided to call in on the Red-backed Shrike at Boddam which eventually showed fairly well as the rain began to fall. I wandered to the derelict cottage at the summit of the hill north of Boddam and in the garden here were a Blue Tit (scarce on Shetland), Yellow-browed Warbler and an Olive-backed Pipit. My eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Red-backed Shrike - Boddam, Mainland Shetland

I then birded Leebitten and Sandwick but saw relatively little, the highlights being two Red-throated Diver and six Swallow at Sandwick. My eBird checklists can be viewed here and here.

On my final day I only had an hour or so before needing to get my 10:10 flight back to London. I birded Grutness and saw relatively little, the Great Grey Shrike was still present and I had good views of a lovely male Siskin. And that was it, time to head back to Hampshire after a fantastic trip to Shetland. My final eBird checklist can be viewed here.

Siskin- Grutness, Sumburgh, Mainland Shetland

Monday, 23 December 2019

Slimbridge WWT - 23rd December

On a beautiful sunny day I spent a couple of hours at Slimbridge WWT between my Christmas chores. I spent my time along the east side of the reserve. From the Rushy Hide there were nine Snipe, 12 Bewick's Swan and good numbers of Pochard and Tufted Duck. Out on the marsh there were large numbers of Lapwing, Golden Plover, 53 Bewick's Swan, 22 Ruff, two Common Crane and large numbers of Wigeon, Pintail and Teal. I then visited the rather stunning new Estuary Tower Hide when on the estuary were eight Pink-footed Goose and 56 Barnacle Goose. It was soon time to head off for my Christmas shopping duties.

My ebird checklist can be viewed here.

Bewick Swan - Slimbridge WWT

Eurasian Teal - Slimbridge WWT

Northern Lapwing - Slimbridge WWT

Shelduck - Slimbridge WWT

Lapwing, Golden Plover and Bewisk's Swan - Slimbridge WWT

Golden Plover - Slimbridge WWT

Common Crane - Slimbridge WWT

Tufted Duck - Slimbridge WWT

Barnacle Goose - Slimbridge WWT

Blue Tit - Slimbridge WWT

Thursday, 4 June 2015

Fair Isle - 29th May

After a much needed sleep I went through the 05:45 alarm and woke at 06:30, the sun was already shining and the wind was a light south-westerly, not ideal weather for a mega but this was Fair Isle. I started the day with a walk over Buness seeing a distant summer plumaged Great-northern Diver and enjoying the Arctic Tern colony which were just in the process of building their nest scrapes. I had some very good views of Bonxie which seemed particularly confiding. After breakfast I headed south down the island, I headed out to Pund and down the Gilly Burn and spent some time sitting on the cliff and staring into Hjukni Geo where birds often gather amongst the flotsam and jetsam on the beach. There was a single Chiffchaff and a couple of Wheatear. I went onto the north and south Raeva’s but there was little here, news broke of a female Bluethroat at Bulls Park so I cut north-east diagonally across the island seeing three Barnacle Geese on the way. When I arrived there was no sign of the bird so I began hunting for it along the walls running along the north and the south of Bulls Park, eventually there it was feeding along the foot of the wall to the north of Bulls Park. I spent around 1.5 hours with the bird, it mainly fed along the foot of the wall and around puddles at the foot of the wall but on one occasion it headed further out into the field and fed amongst the grassland and within the ploughed field of the Bull Park.

After lunch I headed back to the south of the island mainly walking down the road. I spent much of the afternoon around the south of the island photographing Purple Sandpiper (3), Dunlin (2) and Turnstone (6) in the western area of South Harbour. I also paid a visit to the Oysterplant that occur on the beach at Muckle Uri Geo which were just about in flower. I then wandered back up north seeing very little new on the way, a bird that I flushed at the Chalet flew towards Pund I could not initially identify it, so chased it up and it proved to be a Tree Pipit which showed fairly well feeding in the mire to the east of Pund. A short diversion to look for the Bluethroat at Bull Park produced a blank.