Tuesday 8 March 2011

WEEKEND WANDERINGS...

Oh I wonder where the Podster went this weekend...NOT!! just could not resist the lure of a really good 'gull' are you having me on dear chap or what?...no honest this one is what it says on the tin a cracking, showing well full monty...BONAPARTE'S GULL and not a bloody tip or bunch of  Bagnallers to be seen anywhere...nice!
The first one I've seen in 15 years (my fourth in the UK and 2nd in the North West) a good value year tick thats apparently in its 3rd returning year. Lets hope it does a New Brighton Iceland Gull.

Now theres a tester for a photo ID competition what.
Well seeing as I was so close to the Big Rock otherwise known as South Stack it would have been rude not to have paid a visit. At the T junction where you turn right and go up the hill to the 'Stack' (land of Black Larks etc) in the field to the right a pair of Chough doing what corvids do...


and in the field to the left one now resident so it seems Hoodie Crow plus a Stonechat for good measure.

At the end of the world or Worlds End cos after you've driven there it does'nt half feel like that, a wee southern esk skulking Sylvia warbler has taken up residence. With Black and Red Grouse plus Great Grey Shrike and flocks of Crossbill on show this part of North Wales was certainly pulling in the crowds.
Got some s**t piccys of the 'Dartford' Warbler, one of which really had me scratching my balding pate some what...see what you think??
Is it me or are those big white moustache's...don't get me wrong I'm not dissing the Dartford but my it does have a look of Subalpine about it what? ps piccy not photoshoped in anyway just enlarged a bit.

Today (Tuesday) I was out on the Lancs mosses doing a bit of survey work and watched the sun rise...








Down on the farmland this immature Kestrel was just waking up and allowed a close approach (no big lenses for me).
On Downholland Moss I found a huge flock of Chaffinch (200+) rummaging about the stubble. Associated with this mini Quela like mass were 20+ Corn Buntings, that getting rare to see farmland specialist.

thats all for now folks so chin up my fellow Reds fans all is not lost, keep the faith and we shall prevail...19 is on the cards and what price another treble...

Darty was actually a North West Region ( the old Birdline - North Wales, Cheshire, Lancs, Cumbria...Northwest area) tick...no.316 (I think it needs a bit of a Spring clean)

ttfn

2 comments:

Mr Payne said...

you can only have half a year tick for that hybrid crow.

Podster said...

yeah I know, well I do now...funny how the pager keeps putting Hoodie out for South Stack when theres apparently none there now just hybrids...
offski it comes...