The Deskbound Birder: Canada Goose

Showing posts with label Canada Goose. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Pennington Marshes - 30th November and 1st December

I spent a couple of lovely mornings at Pennington Marsh on 30th November and 1st December, the weather was superb with clear blue skies and not a breath of wind. The marshes were frozen and so the birds were gathered around areas of water free of ice. It was the usual range of species with high numbers of Brent Goose, Wigeon, Pintail and Teal. Six Ruff were scattered around the Efford Lagoon, Butts Lagoon and Jetty Lagoon area. Offshore numbers of duck appear to be very low with only six Red-breasted Merganser and 11 Eider recorded. Numbers of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwit seem particularly high at the site this winter with over 300 of the former and 120 of the latter - these numbers are approximately double the numbers usually recorded at the site. Conversely, numbers of Black-tailed Godwit are currently very low at the site with only 10 recorded on both days, normally there are several hundred birds here.

Brent Goose - Pennington Marsh

Lapwing - Pennington Marsh

Canada Goose - Pennington Marsh

Teal - Pennington Marsh

Pintail - Pennington Marsh

Canada Goose - Pennington Marsh

Teal, Wigeon and Pintail - Pennington Marsh

Turnstone - Pennington Marsh

Wigeon - Pennington Marsh

A short visit to Denny Wood on the 1st December produced large numbers of Redwing plus Raven and Marsh Tit but it was remarkably quiet in the frosty conditions.

New Forest Pony - Denny Wood

Bishop's Dyke

Wednesday, 31 August 2016

Pennington Marsh and New Forest - 29th and 30th August

It was a glorious Bank Holiday weekend and on Monday Sarah, Tobias and I went for a walk around Denny Wood. Much of our time was taken up with climbing trees and showing Tobias, Beech mast, Crab Apples, Sweet Chestnut 'conker's as well as hunting for Badger in various holes, the latter with little success. A few Marsh Tit were heard calling and Common Darter buzzed around the pools. I heard a call, 'Daddy, whats this' as Tobias pointed to the ground and there was a magnificent (if not pretty) Goat Moth caterpillar. This was a tick for Daddy and I am not sure who was the most excited Tobias or me. Anyway, after a bit of handling experience we placed the beast off the path and out of harms way. This is a scarce species in the UK, so named because the larvae is said to emit an aroma similar to that of a goat. The species is one of the longest lived moths in the UK living for around four years as a larvae feeding on wood of willow, birch and oak amongst others. Certain trees are traditionally used and it is thought that egg laying Goat Moth may be attracted back to the same tree by the aroma of the tree and its inhabitants. The sap runs caused by the boring larvae attract a diverse range of other invertebrates and such traditionally used trees are extremely important ecological features. A link to a Butterfly Conservation information leaflet can be found here.

Goat Moth larvae - Denny Wood, New Forest

Tuesday 30th August was a glorious day and I could not resist a trip down to Pennington Marsh. There were large numbers of hirundines present with an estimated 250 Swallow and smaller numbers of House Martin and Sand Martin. Fishtail lagoon is superb at the moment and I spent almost an hour here scanning from the bund to the east counting 11 Little Stint, at least nine Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, 12 Snipe, around 150 Dunlin, 30 or so Black-tailed Godwit, 15 Ringed Plover, a juvenile Pintail, three Wigeon and around 75 Teal. In addition, there were at least two Wheatear, 30 Yellow Wagtail plus a handful of Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler and Whitethroat plus singles of Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler.

Mediterranean Gull a moulting adult now in winter plumage - Efford Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

I then wandered along the south side of Butts and Jetty Lagoon before walking out onto the seawall. On Jetty Lagoon were around 250 Black-tailed Godwit, another Wood Sandpiper, 15 Snipe, around 125 Teal and eight Wigeon.

Black-tailed Godwit - Jetty Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Black-tailed Godwit, good numbers of juvenile with their scaly upper parts are now moving through the site - Jetty Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Canada Goose - Jetty Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

A scan to sea produced two cracking juvenile Little Gull, a patch tick for me, loitering offshore with the Black-headed Gull. Also present were around 25 Common Tern and 15 Sandwich Tern. Back at Fishtail Lagoon the same range of birds were present and I spent a short while enjoying the scene nice again before heading off to Keyhaven Lagoon. The water levels in Keyhaven Lagoon are looking good due to the current dry spell and there were 83 Grey Plover, 125 Redshank, 16 Little Egret, 75 Black-tailed Godwit and a handful of Dunlin. I searched hard for a Greater Sandplover but with no luck! Maybe next week....

Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Dunlin - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

Little Stint and Dunlin - Fishtail Lagoon, Pennington Marsh

A news alert flashed on my mobile, Roseate Tern at the jetty so a quick walk along the seawall produced a group of birders studying a tern perched on one of the posts. It was a little distant and in a heat haze and did have a dark bill but its overall darker grey tones showed it to be a Common Tern. The bird was either an adult winter or a 1st summer bird, a plumage that is a little less familiar in the UK as much of the body moult from summer to winter plumage and back again occurs further south. Postscribt - Here is a very similar bird from Portland on 6th August 2017. This was identified as 'most likely an immature (first- or second-summer)'.

Common Tern, a first summer or adult winter bird - The Jetty, Pennington Marsh

I then made a quick stop at Matley Corner near to Denny Wood. This is one of my favourite locations for Orthoptera and one that I try and get to every few years. In a very small area one can find Wood Cricket, Heath Grasshopper, Woodland Grasshopper, Large Marsh Grasshopper and Bog Bush-cricket as well as most of the commoner species. A short wander into the bog produced around 12 Large Marsh Grasshopper, a stunning species. It has a very distinctive stridulation a series of single clicks rather than a rapid sequence as with most other species. The sound is produced by the animal kicking a single leg rhythmically. Unusually, I found no Bog Bush-criket and I wondered whether the grazing pressure was a little heavy.

Large Marsh Grasshopper - Matley Bog, New Forest

Large Marsh Grasshopper in mid stridulation - Matley Bog, New Forest

Woodland Grasshopper, a very localised species in the UK but with a stronghold in the New Forest - Matley Corner, New Forest

Back on the woodland edge the Heath Grasshopper and Woodland Grasshopper were very active and unapproachable in the very warm conditions so the only picture I obtained was of a single Woodland Grasshopper which I later realised had lost a rear leg - probably why it was easier to approach. A stunning little creature nonetheless. There were many stridulating Wood Cricket but I didn't have time to hunt them down but a colony of Bee-wolf distracted me and I spent some time watching them furnishing their burrows with Honey-bee, there must have been at least 40 burrows in the colony and I bookmarked the colony for a return visit when conditions are a little cooler and the insects more approachable for some pictures.

Monday, 6 June 2016

Alaska - 6th June (Day 10)

Today was primarily a driving day and when we awoke to rain we were quite relieved that this was not the weather we had been provided with yesterday when we were looking for Smith's Longspur. We headed out of the Denali Highway Cabins at 05:30 driving the highway south from Paxton. We were quickly out of the mountains into a surprisingly flat landscape dominated by spruce forest, a brief stop produced a Red-tailed Hawk of the very dark form known as Gunlocks Hawk, and 25 Bohemian Waxwing. We birded Gulkana Airport where a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek is present but we had no luck with this. However, the birding around the lakes to the east of the airport was excellent and we had great views of a Slavonian Grebe on nest, Alder Flycatcher, Northern Waterthrush, Lesser Yellowlegs and, in terms of rarity, best of all two Rusty Blackbird, a species that is rapidly declining. We then drove on south to the Tolsona Wilderness Camp ground where a Great Grey Owl nest has previously been present but we had no luck and the birding here was dominated by thousands of mosquito but we did see Northern Flicker and Boreal Chickadee. A lunch stop at the Sheep Mountain Lodge where Boreal Owl is occasionally present in nest boxes was once again met with disappointment. On outwards towards Anchorage on persistent rain and strong winds we searched the spruce along the highway for Hawk Owl but with no luck. So, a three owl dip day and with the rain falling we headed to Anchorage, checked into the Motel 6 and went for dinner at the Rustic Goat before crashing at around mid-night after a few too many beers.

Slavonian Grebe - Gulkana Airport Pool

American Robin - Gulkana Airport Pool

Lesser Yellowlegs - Gulkana Airport Pool

RustyBlackbird - Gulkana Airport Pool

Rusty Blackbird - Gulkana Airport Pool

Alder Flycatcher - Gulkana Airport Pool

Northern Waterthrush - Gulkana Airport Pool

Boreal Chickadee - Tolsona Wilderness Camp

North American Red Squirrel - Tolsona Wilderness Camp

Canada Goose (of race occidentalis or Dusky Canada Goose) - Anchorage

Mew Gull (of race brachyrhynchus or Short-billed Gull) - Anchorage

Links to the other days of the trip (click to view)

Day 1 – Background, international flights and Anchorage

Day 2 (Part 1) – Anchorage

Day 2 (Part 2) – St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 3 - St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 4 - St. Paul, Pribolofs

Day 5 - St. Paul, Pribolofs then fly to Anchorage

Day 6 –Seward

Day 7 – Kenai Fjords cruise then drive to Denali

Day 8 – Denali National Park and Denali Highway

Day 9 – Paxton Area of Denali Highway

Day 11 – Nome

Day 12 – Nome

Day 13 – Nome

Day 14 – Nome and travel to Barrow

Day 15 (Part 1) – Barrow

Day 15 (Part 2) – Barrow

Day 16 – Barrow

Day 17 – Barrow then travel back to Anchorage and international fli

Saturday, 28 May 2016

Alaska - 28th May (Day 1)

Introduction
Alaska has been high on my list of must visit birding areas for a long time so when Ian and Martin mentioned they were planning a trip during our recent trip to India for the Lesser Florican I jumped at the chance. This American state is about spectacular birds in spectacular scenery - its not a trip that will produce hundreds of species and a bulging bag of ticks. But with species such as Spectacled Eider, Steller's Eider, Bristle-thighed Curlew, Aleutian Tern, Tufted Puffin and Crested Auklet and with a supporting cast of breeding seabirds, waders and skuas a memorable trip is certain.

Logistics
This was a self planned trip with Ian Merrill and Martin Kennewell working on the itinerary and myself booking most of the accommodation and car hire with the exception of the St. Paul leg which Ian booked through St. Paul Island Tours (website here, email Scott Schuette sschuette@stpaultour.com). Scott arranged guides/drivers, vehicle, accommodation and food for the entire three day trip at a cost of $2,800 per person, all inclusive, expensive? Yes. Worthwhile? Definitely, we would not have wanted to miss the spectacle of the auk cliffs.

I booked the accommodation in October/November 2015 and even then many of our chosen hotels were booked so I did a great deal of phoning around to find places to stay. Accommodation was particularly hard to come by in Denali, Nome and Barrow at this time with, it seemed, much of the accommodation booked by tour companies. In Cantwell (for Denali National Park), the only accommodation we could find that was available was through Alaska Travel (website here), I found this out by speaking to various hotels. The following accommodation was booked, all was of a good standard and we generally went for lower to mid-range accommodation:

Anchorage - Motel 6 but lots of options available;
Seward - Harbour View Inn, website here;
Denali - Denali Cabins, website here;
Paxson - Denali Highway Cabins, website here;
Nome - We booked the Polaris Hotel but on arrival were advised not to stay there. The hotel of choice is the Aurora Inn which was fully booked when I called in October/November. However, we also hired a car from the hotel and when we went to the hotel to collect the car we enquired about availability and three rooms had become available. I would advise to book the Aurora Hotel early, the website can be found here;
Barrow - Generally the hotel recommended is the King Eider Hotel but when i called in October/November this was fully booked. We stayed in the Airport Inn which was great, even this though was fully booked when I called and could only accommodate three of us but they were very accommodating and offered us rollaway beds for the two without beds. When we arrived a further room had become available and so we did not need the rollaways in the end. Their website can be found here.

Our car hire in the Anchorage area was booked via Avis and in Barrow through UIC (website here), I believe UIC is the only company in Barrow for car hire. In Nome car hire is available through the Stampede Car Rentals at the Aurora Inn, website here. As there were five of us, in all sites we hired a larger 4x4 and in Barrow had a 4x4 van. While 4x4 is not essential it is certainly useful for the rougher roads although none we drove would be impassable using a normal car.

Finally, for the Kenai Fjords we chartered a boat through Jim Barkley at Alaska Saltwater Lodge (website here). Jim knows the birds and mammals well and we would definitely recommend him. There are larger tourist boats that can be joined but these do not necessarily target the birds and species such as Kittlitz's Murrelet, while seen from these boats, are of lesser interest to the average punter who joins them for views of cetaceans and the glaciers and thus as a birder your views may be fleeting (or stringy!!). We paid $1,298 (divided between the five of us) for the trip which lasted from 06:00-14:00 but the timing can be tailored to suit your needs. Jim is also able to offer accommodation at the Saltwater Lodge but again when I booked in October/November his rooms were all taken.

Itinerary
This is an outline of our day to day itinerary:

28th May (Day 1) – International flight London Heathrow to Anchorage via Seatle (09:45-16:00). Birding Potter Marsh and Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage 16:30-20:30.
29th May (Day 2) – Birded Hillside Park, Anchorage 06:00-09:00 then flight to St. Paul (Pribilof Islands) 12:15-15:10 via Dillingham. Afternoon spent birding St. Paul.
30th May (Day 3) – All day birding St. Paul.
31st May (Day 4) – All day birding St. Paul.
1st June (Day 5) – Morning birding on St.Paul then PM flight back to Anchorage (16:30-19:30 with 30 minute stop over on St. George Island).
2nd June (Day 6) - Drive from Anchorage to Seward (125 miles), birding en-route and in Seward.
3rd June (Day 7) - Kenai Fjords boat trip (06:00-14:00) then drive to Cantwell PM (335 miles).
4th June (Day 8) - Denali National Park then drive along Denali Highway birding en-route to Paxson (135 miles).
5th June (Day 9) - Birding Denali Highway from Paxson.
6th June (Day 10) - Drive from Paxson to Anchorage birding en-route.
7th June (Day 11) - Fly Anchorage to Nome (07:25-08:45) then birding along Council Road to Mile 48.
8th June (Day 12) - Birding Nome area including Coffee Dome and Council Road.
9th June (Day 13) - Birding Nome area mainly along Council Road to Mile Post 53.
10th June (Day 14) - Seawatching at Cape Nome then fly Nome to Anchorage (12:05-13:30) then Anchorage to Barrow (17:15-19:05). PM Birding Barrow along Gas Pipe Road
11th June (Day 15) - Barrow birding all day.
12th June (Day 16) - Barrow birding all day.
13th June (Day 17) - Birding Barrow Point early AM then fly Barrow to Anchorage (11:30-14:45). The a couple of hours birding at Westchester Lagoon, Anchorage.
14th June (Day 18) - International flight departing Anchorage at 11:10 via Seattle and landing at London Heathrow at 12:30 on 15th June, journey time of around 15 hours.

Weather
The weather during our trip was remarkable being generally dry and sunny with some cloud and light overcast. On 6th June it rained for much of the day but this was a driving day and so did not cause any significant impacts to our birding. In the afternoon of 12th June we experienced some heavy rain for 2-3 hours. On 15th June it was a remarkable 21C in Barrow which is within the Arctic Circle!

28th May - Day 1
I was up at 04:00 and after randomly dashing around the house completing various household duties, downing coffee and throwing some additional, probably unwanted items into my bag, I was off. It was a murky May morning on a Bank Holiday weekend and there was little traffic on the road this early. I was at Heathrow T5 by 06:15 and the atmosphere changed from one of tranquillity to one of stressed out drivers and blaring horns in a multi-storey car park. I parked car, was in lift, checked in, through security and in Club Lounge with a coffee and a bacon sandwich and my new copy of Sibley’s Western Birds studying pictures of Spectacled Eider and Alcid’s and looking forward to vast landscapes and birds. I picked a seat with a view over security and the airport concourse and watched the throngs below – it truly is a mad world of dashing and micro-technology. Time passed, as did a couple of glasses of Champagne and my gate was called, I entered the throngs below, and made my way to gate B46. The flight was 15 minutes late and I boarded the 09:45 flight to Seattle at 10:00, we took off at 10:15.

Our flight took us just to the north of the Hebrides and skirting the south-west of Iceland and then over the centre of Greenland to the north of Isortoq over Tasiilaq. Through the centre of Baffin Island and onwards over the northern areas of Canada including Fort McMurray, Calgary and to Seattle a total flight time of 8 hours 45 minutes. I had a two hour wait at Seattle and then was off again at around 13:00 landing in Anchorage to a warm sunny day at 16:00.

Martin Kennewell collected me from the airport at 16:30 and we headed out through Anchorage to Potter's Marsh where we birded from the board walk seeing our first Bald Eagle, Downy Woodpecker, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Canada Goose and Savanna Sparrow. It was hot and sunny and I felt distinctly overdressed in a long sleeved shirt and jeans – not how I expected Alaska to be. The site was dominated by Alder woodland with an extensive area of open marsh and watercourses.

Bald Eagle - A pair was nesting at Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

American Wigeon - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Green-winged Teal - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Musk Rat - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Tree Swallow - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Common Redpoll (race flammea) - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Orange-crowned Warbler - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Canada Goose (of race occidentalis or Dusky Canada Goose) - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Savanna Sparrow (of race sandwichensis) - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Green-winged Teal - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

American Wigeon - Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

Potter's Marsh, Anchorage

After a few hours birding we headed to the airport and collected Barry Wright, Andy Bunting and Ian Merrill we then headed to Westchester Lagoon where we birded the lake and foreshore from 20:00 until 21:00 seeing American Wigeon (4), Lesser Yellowlegs (3), Short-billed Dowitcher (3), Hudsonian Godwit (20), Greater Scaup (50+), Lesser Scaup (4), Red-necked Grebe (20), Goldeneye (1) and Arctic Tern (30). On the mudflats of the Knik Arm was my first tick of the trip, Sandhill Crane (7), albeit a little distant. They were clearly enjoying the spring and were in full dancing mood dashing and jumping around the mudflats. Otherwise the mudflats were a little devoid of bird life with only Bonaparte's Gull (5), Mew Gull (30) and Pectoral Sandpiper (8) present. It was getting late so we headed into town for dinner and found the Rustic Goat a bar and restaurant where we enjoyed pizza and beer before heading to the Hotel 6 for around 22:30 and crashed at around midnight.