Winter Birding.

A few images of species seen during my winter birding forays.

A reflective pair of Mute Swans on a very cold January day at Frensham Little Pond on the only ice free patch of water.

On the same January day a rare inland Surrey sighting was this juvenile Long-tailed Duck that spent some weeks at Frensham Great and Little Pond.

A Kestrel just taking off. A resident and regular sighting on my local patch.

On a sunnier day in January a record shot of a Dartford Warbler, a resident breeder on Thursley Common. This species appears to have fared well this winter.

A Kingfisher seen at Tices Meadows in February seeking food from a very small stream when most of the main water areas were frozen.

A trip to Staines Reservoir in early March produced this record image of a long staying male Scaup (top left) in the company of Tufted Ducks .....

... and during the same visit several Black-necked Grebes in various plumage's.

Finally, my favourite winter goose, the Dark-bellied Brent. Just one of a few thousand seen around Langstone Harbour earlier this month.

Linking to:
Wild Bird Wednesday
Saturday's Critters
I'D-Rather-B-Birdin' 

Stroll Alongside the River Mole.

Last week having picked up reports that both Goosander and Little Egret had been seen on the River Mole at Leatherhead I decided to take a stroll and see what was still around. Soon after leaving the car a Kestrel zipped past me and disappeared into the woodland and it took a while before I heard the sounds of any other avian species.

Very occasionally the sun broke through the cloudy sky and the riverside vegetation took on a warmer looking hue but I was glad to be well wrapped up against the cold north-westerly breeze. At Thorneycroft Bridge I finally logged Canada Geese in a nearby field, Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits plus Robin, Wren and Chaffinch but no sign of any Kingfishers.

A little further downstream couple of Mute Swan cygnets drifted over to check out the interloper. While high overhead there was the constant twittering from a small flock of Goldfinches hunting for the odd seed or newly emerged bud amongst the bare branches.

 

A Grey Wagtail perched briefly before continuing its journey upstream. After passing over Town Bridge and then under the railway bridges my route took me onto Common Meadow where my boots slowly got heavier and heavier from the accumulation of mud. Black-head Gulls twisted and turned overhead while the piercing screams from the local Rose-ringed Parakeets interrupted the silence but no sightings of any Goosanders anywhere on the river. I did however eventually get views of a distant Little Egret feeding but it decided to move on across private land before I could get close enough for any photos.

These two fellows provided an excuse to rest a while before I commenced my return journey and added Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Jay, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Starling and Grey Heron to my day list.

When I arrived back at Thorneycroft Bridge the unmistakable short, sharp whistled 'zii' call of a Kingfisher got me searching every likely perching location .....
 

.... and I finally managed to focus on this very colourful fisherman as it patiently sat, partially hidden, amongst the Alders on the far side of the water. One day it will provide with an uninterrupted closer view .... until then this (heavily cropped) shot will have to do.

Have a good wildlife watching week .....  FAB.

Alongside the River Mole.

Yesterday I took a very leisurely midday stroll alongside the River Mole on the outskirts of Leatherhead and eventually found a spot overlooking the water and fields to sit and soak up the peace and quiet.

A Grey Heron flew out across the meadow and a pair of Common Buzzards playfully flew overhead but too distant for a shot. On two separate occasions I heard the distinctive short sharp whistle call of a Kingfisher and then a blur of dazzling blue flashed by. I have seen Kingfishers along the R.Mole many times but never close enough for a really decent perched shot (they usually fly away while I'm trying to focus!) so I didn't have any expectation that one might stop by ... but you never know. So I sat patiently while other wildlife flitted around me including a Brown Hawker that also failed to rest during its continuous territorial circuits.

 A very tatty White butterfly was taking a sip from the damp pathway.

 A Grasshopper (not hopping for once) kept me close company for a while.

A Gatekeeper rested on the neaby ferns ... soaking up the sunshine.

A Hobby took me totally by surprise as it dashed down river and headed somewhere to hunt for its lunch and then while watching a Moorhen in the shows of the overhanging vegetation on the far side of the river I noticed a blob of colour amongst the branches ..... the Kingfisher was resting briefly in between its sorties.

I crept a little closer and managed a couple of record shots (both cropped) as the Kingfisher watched for any movement in the water before disappearing once again downstream.

When the cows trundled down into the water and disturbed the peace and quiet I knew it was time to head home with just the sounds of Jackdaw, Green and Great Spotted Woodies to keep me company.  FAB.

Raining along the Mole.

Yesterday I just had to get out so I made a return visit to the River Mole. It was raining and underfoot was mushy slippery ice so I wonder 'I am mad to even contemplate getting any decent sightings or photos in these conditions?' Undaunted I tread carefully and commence my stroll downstream. At the Vinnery the only sound is from a Grey Wagtail calling as it flies over. Well that's another species for the 2010 list and my my spirits are lifted further as I stand and watch a flock of Tits (Long-tails, Blue & Great) plus Blackbird, Redwing, Wren and Chaffinch busily feeding as they move around the shrubbery but the camera stays under the coat protected from the rain.

At the first bridge I catch a glimpse of lightening blue as a Kingfisher dashes by.

As the sign indicates, they nest in the river banks so maybe I might catch up with one perched somewhere later on, I can always hope!

The water level is fairly high and a fair torrent tumbles over this small weir as I follow a twittering band of Goldfinches high overhead using the bins.

 

A brief respite in the rain allows me a quick shot of a stationery Grey Heron with a pair of Mallard hiding nearby as two Moorhen, aware of my presence, promptly scurry away. Magpie, Carrion Crow, Starling and a single Song Thrush are also noted nearby.

Crossing over the river via this bridge I scan the waters for signs of the Goosanders but nothing yet.

Out onto the open field the view looks fairly bleak, but specks of greyish-white in the water gets the heart rate pumping. Maybe I'm in luck...but it's still raining and the light is dismal. Over the half next hour or so I stalk these shapes, constantly diving and moving away from me.

On a number of occasions I get set up for a shot only to be interrupted by dogs and their attendants with obviously no idea why I'm croached down in the soggy snow concentrating on something in the water.

The Goosanders are eventually spooked and fly away up river towards the town so I eat my packed lunch before heading in the same direction. After a hundred yards I relocate two Goosander and fire off a few more frames for luck.

If there is one lesson I learnt it was don't expect too much when the conditions are this dismal and I also need to practise using manual focus. I promise myself to try harder in future.

The final stretch, with more rain...through the gate..along the path back to the car and then home again.

I had two more sightings of a Kingfisher flying up and down river but never perched so I thought I would share a shot taken late last year along the River Mole.

Have a good weekend, whatever the weather.   FAB

Farlington Marshes - A windy walk.

Set the alarm and then overslept but still managed the 2 hour drive to arrive at Farlington Marshes at 10 a.m. ahead of the high tide. Below is a view over the main pool, beginning to fill up with waders (Redshank, Black-tailed Godwits, Knot and a few Dunlin but no sign of any Curlew Sandpipers).

With little to see out on the mudflats apart from Herring & Black-headed Gulls, distant Curlews and Godwits I headed down towards the stream and while checking out the bushes for Blackcap, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Green Woodpecker and Woodpigeon I also spotted this Migrant Hawker taking a rest.

On the stream were Greenshanks (10+), Black-tailed Godwits, Redshank, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall, Shoveller, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck & Little Grebes. Lapwings over the reed beds and very distant Stonechats perched on fence posts. Returning back up onto the seawall path, with the tide now well up there were just a few dry spots for Oystercatchers and Grey Plover to rest.
After re-scanning the main pool and adding Shelduck, Mute Swan plus a fly-over Little Egret I was ready to continue my anti-clockwise walk to search for the Osprey that another birder said was out in the harbour when I spotted this perched Kingfisher. (Unfortunately not close enough for the camera to get a really good shot).

Heading out to the 'point' I added Cormorant before settling down to scan the very distant shingle islands. Well I found a large 'blob' but couldn't honestly say it was the Osprey. While I was delving in my rucksack for lunch a Peregrine Falcon invaded a small group of waders (Dunlin and Ringed-Plover) on a rocky outcrop in the water some 50 yards away. The action was so quick that I only had time for a couple of shots (without even time to check what setting the camera was on!) as it flew away low following the seawall.

If you look carefully you can just make out the head & tail of the Dunlin firmly grasped in its claws that would very soon become lunch.

Moving on towards 'The Deeps' where at least 12 Little Egrets plus a few Grey Herons sheltering in a gully, the wind got much stronger and my cap was torn off my head and ended up in the sea some 12 feet below me and totally out of reach. After this annoying distraction of watching the cap slowly sinking I turned to scan over the rough pasture and located a pair of Wheatear and a single Meadow Pipit.

Out on the sea were at least 15 Great Crested Grebes and a single Common Tern flew low over the water. Continuing my circuit a number of Swallows headed westwards into the strengthening wind and over the salt-marshes a large flock of Starlings erupted into the air.

Heading towards the Information Hut I met another birder who had just seen a Whinchat but had failed to get a photo. We started chatting and I discerned a hint of an 'Aussie' accent. (He had just returned from spending 10 years in Australia and was re-visiting places he birded before leaving the UK so I was able to bring him up to date with local sighting news.) We walked back up along the stream together without seeing anything new apart from a Whitethroat but talking as if we were old friends. Thanks for the company Kevin, hopefully we may bump into each other in the future.

Well the star bird of the day was a choice between the Peregrine and the Kingfisher and I did manage to get some closer shots of the Kingfisher using my digi-scoping set up so you can appreciate those beautiful colours.

With autumn migration underway I will have to return over the coming months. FAB