Sunday 24 April 2016

Lek on the Moors - Black Grouse

Travelling back from Kirby Stephen on Saturday we came across several Black Grouse and also a small Lek, good to see this at close quarters from the car. Otherwise the weekend was very quiet apart from a small number of summer migrants making it to our area.
 





 
A nice Blackcap also visited our garden on Saturday.
 
 A Goldcrest on our travels.
 

Monday 18 April 2016

Spring Blog.

Going to try any keep the blog up to date, its easy to 'not bother', see how it goes........
The last week has been quite strange with our son's wedding and trying to fit some birding
into our tight schedule and still feeling depressed after our return from the Scottish Highlands. Anyway here we go with our birding diary.
 
Greenfinch - in our garden
Dipper - near Osmotherly
 Grey Wagtail - Scaling Dam
 Little Gull - Scaling Dam
 Little Ringed Plover -Scaling Dam
 Meadow Pipit
 Red Grouse
 Sanderling
Stonechat - South Gare
 Common Sandpiper - Nosterfield
 Dunlin - South Gare
 Willow Tit - North York Moors
 Pied Flycatcher - North York Moors
 Common Redstart - North York Moors
 Ring Ouzel - North York Moors
 Ruff - Nosterfield
Wheatear - North York Moors
 Corn Bunting - Thirsk
Yellow Wagtail - Nosterfield (one of 10 in the Quarry car park).
Not a bad week for birds - just need something a bit out of the ordinary next - although its great to see all our summer visitors coming- long may it continue.


Thursday 7 April 2016

Another visit to the Cairngorms.
We managed to go up the Mountain on a clear day.
 
 
The only photo we could manage of a Mountain Hare without walking up.
So love the Snow Buntings.
 Sheltering in a blizzard.


 EJ and Odin made a return at Loch Garten.
 
 Woodpeckers put on a good show there.

 Found a better site to see the Crested Tits.

 Could not believe it when we came across a tree full of Crossbills (Scottish?) bathing in a stream below near Carrbridge.




 Hoodie at Nairn.
 Eating and keeping dry at the same time.

 Tree Badger and Marten thanks to Speyside Wildlife.


 Very distant views of two of seven Slavs at Loch Ruthven.
 Black Throated Diver with a Brown Trout. Stunning birds.

 Fieldfares at Dorbach enjoying evening sunshine.
 Fight on.

 Looved this Oystercatcher taking a bath in Lochindorb.
We even managed to see three separate groups of Black Grouse.  This one on the way from Carrbridge to Lochindorb.
The bridge at Carrbridge.