Dapper Drakes!

-

Dapper Drakes!


After a 4 hour drive, we arrived at RSPB Vane Farm at around 9:00am, spotting a Fox when we were stopping for petrol at our local ASDA along the way! We were with Kristian and Carl and our target bird was a rare Bufflehead. We made our way along the Loch Leven Heritage Trail until we arrived at a sandy beach with a fence. We met some other birders, including Brook, who pointed out the Bufflehead, which was quite distant, but clearly distinguishable amongst the Goldeneye which it was with. It continued to dive while we were there, making it hard to get a record shot, but it was a great bird to see in the UK. Satisfied with our views, we made our way back to the visitor centre to look for the resident Red Squirrels.


Once we had arrived at the visitor centre, we saw that a Red Squirrel was on a feeder that was being filmed by a live camera. We asked a warden for directions to the feeder, and immediately set off. As soon as we arrived at the feeder, we spotted the Red Squirrel eating a peanut. We watched as it just sat there, completely unfazed by us. We then went round to try and get better views.


On my way round, I spotted a vibrant male Siskin as it perched right in front of me, followed by a female.


I then spotted the Red Squirrel again and it was much closer. This time I could see its white belly as it was now side-on. Pleased with our sightings, we made our way to Burleigh Sands to try and find a Long-tailed Duck. Once we had arrived at Burleigh Sands, we scanned Loch Leven and managed to find least two very distant Scaup, including one drake which stood out as being much bigger than the Tufted Ducks, with a silvery back and no tuft. However, we were unable to find the Long-tailed Duck that was reported here yesterday. On our way back to the car, we also spotted another Red Squirrel. We then made our way to RSPB Baron's Haugh in hopes of spotting another dapper drake. 


We arrived at RSPB Baron Haugh's at around 1:00pm and immediately started walking to Marsh Hide. Once we had arrived at Marsh Hide, we did a quick scan and easily spotted our target bird. The drake Ring-necked Duck was towards the back of the pool from the hide. It kept diving, making it hard to photograph. This was my first drake Ring-necked Duck and it did not disappoint. I had seen two females previously, including one earlier this year in my home county. Delighted with our sighting, we made our way to RSPB Geltsdale in hopes of seeing some moorland birds to end the day. 


We arrived at RSPB Geltsdale at around 3:00pm and immediately followed one of the many footpaths to try and find Black Grouse. While we were walking, I spotted a small thrush with a white patch around its neck fly over. Carl confirmed this bird by its call as a Ring Ouzel. We then continued walking, finding a field full of breeding Lapwing, as well as getting a few brief glimpses of Curlew in flight. We then followed the trail that went alongside Howgill Beck, spotting a singing male Dipper, a few times along the way. As it was turning dark, we decided to head back to the car, when suddenly Carl spotted four Black Grouse fly straight past him and land in the valley. He called us over and directed us to the trees where the Black Grouse were roosting, and I managed to get a horrible record shot of them. We also spotted two Barn Owls. We then made it to the car and decided to call it a day.

Overall a great day with one lifer (Bufflehead) and many exciting birds and mammals!



Location: 5MJ6+FX Kinross, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cumbria Crack!

-
Image
Cumbria Crack! We arrived at Sizergh Castle at first light in hopes of seeing Hawfinches. We parked on the left side of the car park, and walked over to the veranda. There were a number of birders lined up. We approached them and met Joe and Steve, who kindly pointed out two showy male Hawfinches  less than 40m away. We also saw a female Hawfinch. I managed to get a record shot of both of them, before heading over to the River Kent for Dipper.  Image from @RobsBirding, not same bird We arrived at the River Kent at 8:00am.  As soon as we arrived, we set up the scope along the bank of the river, since the bridge was shut, and on the first scan, I managed to the see the Dipper  bathing, however I wasn't quick enough for a photo. We stayed for an hour, seeing the Dipper  a few more times, however I wasn't quick enough for a record shot. Satisfied with our views and eager for a lifer, we set off on the hunt for the reported Richard's Pipit.  We arrived in Ulverston at around 10:
Read more

Dragonfly Hunt!

-
Image
Dragonfly Hunt! We arrived at 10:30am to meet the kind Eddie Urbanski in order for him to tour us round his patch. Once we arrived had arrived at his patch, which was Cors Geirch NNR, the first thing I spotted was a Painted Lady , followed by a moth which Kevin (Eddie's friend) identified as a Straw Dot . We then started wading through a marshy bit of the site and almost immediately, Eddie pointed out a male Keeled Skimmer . Unfortunately, it flew away instead of landing for a record shot, but little did I know, that this would be one of many to be seen that day. We continued walking through the marsh when Kevin said he had a Bog Hoverfly. I searched the area he saw it in and spotted a male Keeled Skimmer sitting right in front of me, waiting to be photographed. We then walked through a dryer area of the wetland where Kevin pointed out a Bog Hoverfly ( Sericomyia Silentis )   nectaring right besides us, allowing for a perfect record shot. We then started searching the pony dung in
Read more

The Only Way Was Essex

-
Image
The Only Way Was Essex Image by Kristian Wade We set off at 2.00am and took Carl and Kristian with us. We arrived at Heybridge at around 7:00am. We walked towards a silhouette of birders all crowded round the sluice. I managed to squeeze through the crowd and get a front row seat. I waited patiently with the others in absolute silence. Suddenly, the bird came into view. At first, I couldn't spot it, but thankfully a kind man helped me get onto the Northern Waterthrush . I was delighted with my   point blank views of. Unfortunately my camera wasn't choosing to work at this golden moment. I also didn't have my scope on me, so I was unable to get any images of the bird. Nevertheless, I managed to get amazing views of the bird at close range. Satisfied with our views, we then headed off to Abberton Reservoir. We arrived at Abberton at around 9.00aam. We scanned both sides of Layer Breton Causeway first, seeing a few Egyptian Geese , Shoveler & Goldeneye , but not much else.
Read more