Some Mallorca Birds

OK so I've been slacking on the blog front.

Here a some pictures from my trip to Mallorca back in May

Spotted Flycatcher

Stonechat

S

Audoins Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

                                            Cirl Bunting

Blue Rock Thrush

                            Woodchat Shrike

Thekla Lark

 Booted Eagle

                                           Fan-tailed Warbler

 
Cettis Warbler

 Nightingale

                             Great Reed Warbler

       Spanish Wagtail

Purple Swamp Hen

                                              Red-knobbed Coot

Red-knobbed Coot

                                                

 Marbled Ducks

                                               Black-winged Stilt

Little Egret

Gull-billed Tern 

 Collared Pratincole

Kentish Plover

                                             Little-ringed Plover

Golden Eagle

Honey Buzzards (seven of a group of eleven birds that went over in one flock

 

 

 

 

It's bleak out there

For goodness sake it's the 25th of March. We had 36 hours of continuous snow over the weekend and the temperature isn't due to get much above freezing all week.
 With our RSPB field trip to Norfolk being cancelled yesterday I decided to stay local and walked the fields close to home.
 In truth I didn't see too many birds, but one that did catch my eye was a Buzzard sitting in the snow a few hundred yards ahead that flew off as I approached.
 I didn't think too much of this but as I got nearer to that spot I could see the shape of something on the ground. It looked like a Partridge and I expected that too to take to the air when I got too close.
 It didn't and as I managed to walk ever closer I thought it too good an opportunity not to photograph it.

 

However it soon became apparent that all was not well with this bird as every now and then it would twitch unaturally and it obviously hadn't bothered to shake off the snow that had collected on the side of it's face.
There didn't seem to be any sign of 'Buzzard damage' so I wondered if it was just suffering from the cold.
 I managed to pick up the bird with no trouble and decided to take it home to warm up but unfortunately when I checked on it a couple of hours later it had passed away.
 

Keep Quiet and they won't know we're here !

I thought this mildly amusing on a visit to a very murky Emberton Park yesterday as these 2 Canada Geese sussed out the roof of the hide as to whether it was a suitable nest site.

 I also came across this drake Mandarin on the main lake. He was trying very hard to impress a female Mallard, whose mate was less than amused.

Kempston Mandarin

The recent prolonged cold weather has meant that local Mandarin Ducks have been slow to return to their regular breeding areas.
The Kempston Mill part of the River Ouse used to hold several birds  but over the last few years the numbers dwindled and for a couple of years there haven't been any seen.
 So I was pleasantly surprised to see this smart male there last week.

 

 

 

 

In the Presence of Royalty

She may not look anything other than ordinary but this Mute Swan is a princess.

I know this because it says so on her leg.
On an otherwise unremarkable wander around Willen Lakes a group of Swans clambered out onto the bank. One I noticed had two metal rings, one on each leg. The one on the right was a standard BTO ring. But the one on the left simply bore the words  DYERS ROYALTY

This would be due to it being rung on the River Thames during the annual Swan Upping Ceremony.
There are two groups who carry this out, The Worshipful Company of Vigntners and  The Worshipful Company of Dyers.
 I have sent in the details of the other ring in to the BTO and wait to hear the full details of where and when the bird was ringed.
 

In the Land of Chiffchaffs

I had the opportunity to visit Ecton Sewage Works today.
Large numbers of overwintering Chiffchaffs have been reported here over the last few weeks. In addition there have been up to three of the Siberian race of this species amongst them, and as I had never seen this type before I decided to take a look.
 The reason the birds had decided this was an ideal place to see out the cold weather was due to the outlet stream from the sewage farm being a few degrees warmer than would be expected and hence there were many small flies present.
 When I eventually found the right place I was amazed. There were small birds everywhere, mainly Long-tailed Tits, but amongst them Chiffchaffs - lots of them, also Robins, Wrens and a single Goldcrest.
 Looking through the Chiffchaffs at least one bird stood out from the rest, being very pale grey in fact almost white - this was a Siberian Chiffchaff. I'm sure I saw more than one but never at the same time, so can't say for definite

Siberian Chiffchaff



Siberian Chiffchaff (it's not a trick of the light, it really was this pale)

 I estimate there must have been about twenty Chiffchaffs within a 100 yard stretch, all flitting in and out of the waterside Willows. I've never seen anything like it, even in the summer. Quite amazing.

Common Chiffchaff

 

There were probably about 30 Long-tailed Tits present as well.

Long-tailed Tit

 

 

A visit to see 'Black Belly'

 

I had been intrigued when I heard that a Dipper had turned up in Norfolk last November. They are normally a bird of the western half of the country.
 It turned out that it was actually a visitor from the continent as it was of the Black-bellied form rather than the standard brown-bellied type.
 I never considered going to see it as at the time as it was extremely elusive and subsequently disappeared.
 However last month the bird was rediscovered on a backwater of the River Thet in Thetford.

As I had never seen the continental form of Dipper before, this morning I took a trip out.

Thetford is a town I have been past many times but never stopped at. I mst say I wished I had as it it is a lovely place, very unspoilt with the river flowing right through it.

The Dipper was easily found at the site it has been frequenting over the winter and was incredibly confiding showing down to 3 or 4 yards.
 A Kingfisher was also seen nearby, but it appears I missed another couple of Goodies. A couple of Otters live on the river and are constantly seen in various places through the town.
 A photographer showed me pictures he had taken the day before of them sitting out on the bank just the other side of the river. He had seen one of them just before I arrived but typically I couldn't find them.

Black-bellied Dipper

Taking a Dip