The Juvenile Birder

Wading Through the Swamps of Scotland! We set off at around 12.30am with high hopes of seeing a few rare Scottish specialties. We arrived at our first bog in the Abernethy Forest at around 8:30am after dipping Slavonian Grebes earlier in the morning. Our two targets at this bog were White-faced Darters and Northern Emeralds. After around twenty minutes of waiting in the sun, we saw neither! However, I did manage to spot lots of Round-leaved Sundews  in amongst the Sphagnum Mosses , which I was quite pleased with as they were one of my favourite plants. Not yet down trodden, we headed off to RSPB Loch Garten to try and find Ospreys and Crested Tits.  As soon as we arrived at the car park, I noticed a few bumblebees nectaring on a Marsh Thistle . It had a yellow head and a red tail, so I took a picture and it was later identified as a male Early Bumblebee , a new species for me! We also spotted a Large Red Damselfly and a few Coal Tits . We then made our way to the visitor centr...

Wykeham Forest Wildlife! We arrived at a site just outside of Wykeham Forest in hopes of seeing Turtle Doves. As soon as we arrived, we were  treated to an abundance of activity. Initially we noticed five Yellowhammers  feeding and showing very well, including what looked to be a few fledglings. Suddenly, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew in and started feeding in a tree just opposite us. There appeared to be one juvenile and one adult bird. Although not uncommon, I have not had many views of this majestic bird this year. I then got out of the car (which we were using as a hide) and started looking in and around the bushes, spotting a few Nuthatches , as well as both adult and young Great Tits  and Blue Tits . I then spotted five Tree Sparrows , including at least three young, all perfectly perched on one branch. I didn't expect to see them here, so it was nice to find five of them! I also got a brief view of a Marsh/Willow Tit , however I didn't get to see it long enoug...

Ancient Woodland Adventure! We arrived at a small woodland at around 5:30am targeting Wood Warblers. We went up a steep yet short trail yet to no avail. We then went down the trail back into the woods, but still nothing. Just as we were about to leave, we heard their unique song. Excitedly, we scanned the trees and managed to spot at least four Wood Warblers  singing and chasing each other around. We waited around for a few more hours, trying to get a record shot, but we ended up leaving empty handed. We then went to a private reserve to try and find more woodland birds. This reserve has two halves, the woodland and the mosses. We first walked onto the mosses, spotting an  Osprey  along with multiple House Martins , a few Swallows  and a pair of Ravens . I then found a black and white bird singing on a wire. It was a Pied Flycatcher !  While photographing the Pied Flycatcher, I noticed some movement in the tree next to me. Upon closer inspection, I realized it w...

Duel at Dawn! We arrived at a moorland site in North Wales at around 5:30am. Our target was Black Grouse, and we were hoping to see them lek. We parked in a layby at dawn, and waited for it to get lighter. We could just make out their white tails in the dark. After around 20 minutes, we were finally able to see the lekking Black Grouse clearly. Their blood red "eyes" stood out at first, as well as their iconic shape created by their fan tail as they lek front-on.  While the  Black Grouse  were lekking, they made an amazing and iconic bubbling sound. They would also occasionally call. We could also hear a singing  Cuckoo  distantly, but we were unable to locate it. We then continued along the moorland, spotting multiple Red Grouse  as they flew across the road and landed right besides our car. Happy with our morning, we set off to try and find my bogey bird, and a bird I've wanted for 3+ years! We arrived at Pensychnant Conservation Centre at around 8:30am i...