Do you ever question your sanity?....

I think I'm starting to?... Having just worked my 4th night shift, having been informed that night I have 2 additional one's still to do, there I am at 06:50am, in -4 temperatures, stood at Priorslee lake looking for gulls I've already ticked this year!! Madness?...Well, there was in fact not a solitary large gull on the pool!!... The only real birds of note was a Peregrine which flew low over at 07:10 & a Water Rail in the southerly end of the pool showing half decently!!... Oh yeah, also a Grey Wagtail stood down in front of me when I arrived, looking as pissed off with the bitterly cold mornings as I'm starting to get!!...With no white-winged gulls roosting at Belvide these last two days, & both the Glaucous & Iceland still being reported from either Granville or Priorslee (& now Wood Lane also!!), they're obviously roosting somewhere local?!!... Aqualate maybe?...

Yet another early morning winter scene shot!!... Gettin' fed up of 'em yet?... Well I'm gettin' fed up of them too!!... But recently I aint seen bugger all bird wise worth trying to photograph!!... So you're gonna have to just put up with it 'til I do!....

-3?!!... -3?!!... You should've been here today mate!!

Yes, indeed... -3 yesterday was positively balmy compared to the peircing -7 this morning!!!... (at one point the car thermo indicated -8!!!)But, as I said yesterday, I do like these cold, clear quiet mornings.... Quite why, I have no idea!!?

In fact there was little, if no change from yesterday... The Water Rail was again very vocal but non-showing!! Still 25 Shoveler & 2 Pintail. The Shelduck was still present, but only 2f Teal today, but also 2 Oystercater.... which I couldn't quite work out wether their legs were frozen into the ice?!!... Normally I always put at least an hour in at VP, but at 07:20, just 30 minutes after I arrived, I admited defeat to the very cold air temperature & departed for the comfort of my bed!!...

VP at 06:50am this morning in -7 temperatures.... Just for you birders who dont go out 'til the sun's in it's zenith!!... ;~p

White Venus!!....

I arrived at VP just after my nightshift, around 7am, the car thermo read that the air temperature was a numbing -3!!!... But, I must admit that I do like these clear, silent, frosty mornings - very picturesque!! (I do have a calmer side y'know?)

On the pool I counted 25 Shoveler, 12 Teal, 6 Pochard (a further 9 on the trout pool), 2 Tufted Duck (at least 14 more on the trout pool), 7 Mute's (9 more, again on the trout pool), 2 Pintail & a Shelduck (a county year tick!)... A Water Rail was very vocal, but not showing!

In the top field it was pretty quiet, Marsh Tit & Bullfinch were picked up en route, with mixed flocks of Fieldfare, Redwing & Starling passing over!!...

The majority of birds (& there weren't many!!), along the hedgerow were Goldfinch & Chaffinch, with the odd Redpoll thrown in...

A male Sparrowhawk bombed past me as I left for the warmth of The Argo!!... Quiet, but a beautiful morning all the same... Off to bed now...

7am & -3 at VP today... still, quite pretty tho', dont ya think?.....

Even by my low standards this is an awful shot, but the early morning light made digiscoping with the owd N95 very hard indeed.... Yep! That's an excuse & the best ya gettin'!!....

A few Fieldfare's perching up in the top field... Not alot else to say really.... except night, night!!...

Priorslee & Granville Gull-fest!!...

Seeing as I had an appointment in Telford at 16:30hrs today, and with Belvide boasting 2 Iceland, 1 Glaucous & a 1st w. Caspian Gull in it's roost, it was Granville for me today!!...

I pulled in at Priorslee en route, good numbers of large gulls on the pool with c.600 LBB Gull... but nothing of any note!

At Granville the air was filled with thousands of gulls!!!... Sadly, the majority were landing behind the large earth mound to the left - completely out of view - great!!... After an hour of scanning all I'd had of note was 2 ad. Yellow-legged Gull and a few GBB Gulls!!... I was sure there was some decent gulls here, but they were surely hiding behind the mound!!... Another half hour & nothing, apart from getting even bloody colder I decided to sign out & head back to Priorslee for a quick look before my impending appointment!!...

There was no change, except for 2 GBB Gulls (incl. an adult bird!).... So, I decided it was time to go... Too soon, it would turn out!!....

Back to my usual utter crappness - but you get the gist, as thousands of gulls take to the air over Granville this afternoon!!....

Two photo's of an ad. Yellow-legged Gull, can you see him?.... Give you a clue, he's stood by a LBB Gull!!... ;~p

..... A phone call from Big V at 5pm was to prove my suspicions were right about that bloody big mound of earth!!... Just 30mins after I left Big V & Andy had a 2w. Iceland Gull drop into Priorslee!!... Doesn't that just bite the big one!!?...

Return of the Grip-back!!!

Bloody hell!! Just a matter of minutes after completing my previous blog entry my mobile rings, the screen displays that it's The Guru himself!!... This can only mean a good bird is around! I answer, "1st w. Iceland Gull at Granville now shag!!", The Guru informs me... I look to my right into my gal's dreamy, dark eye's as she looks deep into mine!... I shrug, sigh.. "Be there in 15 minutes mate"!!!... I leap off the sofa, yelling at Mand something along the lines of 'Let the dog out for a piss before you go luv!!'... I dive into The Argo & jet off at warp factor 3 for Granville & my white-winged goal!!...

Just as I enter Telford my phone rings again, 'tis The Guru again - uh-oh this aint good... or it's very good!! - "Stop at Priorslee Lake mon, I aint seen it since I spoke to you!!"... Bollocks!! Knew it'd bugger off!!... So, I'm soon at Priorlsee Lake scanning the gulls there... No sign!! Then once again the mobile rings, again it's The Guru!!..."Still no sign of the Iceland, but I just got a Glaucous over!!"....

Great stuff, every other sodding gull turning up except the one I want!!...

Then, at last, a few minutes later Andy finds it!! I dive back into The Argo and race the short journey up to Granville Landfill site... I sign in at the weighbridge, the bloke in there spys my bins & grins, "Another birder eh? Your mates on the corner over there!..." Cheers bud!

Within seconds I'm looking through Andy's scope at the 1st w. Iceland Gull perched on the large mound, in brilliant sunshine, showing brilliantly!!... The bird took to flight a couple of times, always returning to the exact same spot (Andy didn't have to move his scope to get back on it when it landed!!). After a few minutes we left (I had work to go to!)... My second county tick for 2008!!... & with The Guru nailing Short-eared Owl (I still need this for a county tick too!!) & male Hen Harrier on the Long Mynd this afternoon, just guess where I'll be spending my next day off!!?... ;~)

Two photo's of the 1st w. Iceland Gull at Granville today!... These aint bad at all for me, eh?...

No Yankie after all!!....

Well, what with divorce proceedings, having my daughter sleep over & the usual crapness of shiftwork, I haven't really done any birding for a week!! I did manage to miss out on a 1st w. Iceland Gull at The Mere, found by The Guru (who else!!), as that was the one night of the week my daughter sleeps over!!... Oh well, that would've been a county tick for me!!

Then news last night from Polemere of a 'Wigeon with a green stripe behind it's eye'!!! Oh right! Sounds interesting!!.. So, again unsure of who reported this, was it indeed a drake American Wigeon, or was it a simple mistake? (Possibly a drake Teal in with the Eurasian Wigeon??)

Anyway, I was at Polemere this morning just after 7am scanning the small pool... Plenty, well, 20 Wigeon present... But sadly, no American Wigeon!! (There were quite a few Teal, but these were on the far side of the pool, certainly not mingling with the Wigeon!... so, who knows?!!...)

A year tick came in the shape of 2 Barnacle Goose (ferals most likely, but the nice chaps at the B.O.U. now say we can tick the free flying ferals - so cheers guys!!). Also 2 Snipe, but little else of interest...

Paul arrived just as I was getting ready to leave, so a quick natter & a smoke then back home to have a cuddle in bed with Mand!!... ;~)

....Work this afternoon, on a glorious day like today!! Raptor day for sure... Get out there if you can and look out for Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Merlin or Goshawk!!....

Upper pic of 2 Barnacle Geese at Polemere today, not a bad one for me!! Lower one of a distant Snipe, much more in line of my usual naffness in digital photography!!....

February kicked off!!...

Despite snow & bad weather warnings, my Dad & myself set off for North Wales at 07:30am this morning!! In fact, despite a biting wind and the odd hail shower, the skies were clear & the sun shone... it was still bloody cold though!!...

Worlds End was our first port of call, arriving around 08:15am (after a slight detour due to road works!!). We parked at 'the spot', walked up the bank & I scoped the far valley & within seconds I had 3 stunning male Black Grouse in the scope, there bubbling call echoing across the valley, almost as nice as the bird themselves!!.. A lifer for my Dad, so he was chuffed!! It was never going to be much of a raptor day, so any hope of Hen Harrier or Merlin were discarded & we pushed on!!...

One of 3 male Black Grouse today, dont blame me for the quality here, I did say they were distant!!!

Conwy RSPB was next, but it was very sparce of birds here, so we soon dispanded hope of anything here.... even the reported Water Pipit was apparently a Scandinavian Rock Pipit, so no hope of my bogey being buried!!...

Llanbedr-y-cennin was next, and it took a little while but soon enough 3 Hawfinch flew over, circled & landed in a distant tree... One bird moved onto a nearby hedge & I got my bins on it, but as I set my scope up to try & snap a pic, it flew off!!... We waited a while, but decided that tis was maybe the best we were going to get... Onwards & upwards!!...

Llanfairfechan for the second time this year, but first a fry up & cuppa tea in the nearby cafe!!... & a much needed toilet break as Conwy's were closed!! After a late breakfast I went for a seawatch... Kittiwake was picked up instantly flying not too far out, Common Scoters were distant & flying only, no divers today!! Then I got onto one of two Arctic Skua's, the second bird was a juv. flying very close to the shore line!! A solitary Gannet was flying high up, but again very distant, only it's size, bright white colour and black tipped wings made it identifiable!! I also picked up on 3 white ducks flying out at sea, which were most probably Eider, but as the wind was battering my scope I couldn't be 100%, so they dont make ze list!! :~(

Just what you need when birding in arctic winds!!!... Nice bit o' grease!!... :~D

Then, just as I was giving up all hope & about to leave, a lone drake Red-breasted Merganser sitting on the sea, quite close in!!.. At last!! I was beging to think they'd all gone!?...

Overlooking the sea wall at Llanfairfechan - I did try to photo the close-in Arctic Skua & the merganser, but the wind was battering my scope waaaay too much!!!...

No Rock Pipit, couldn't really add the pos. Eider, but still managed 6 year ticks & one was a lifer for my Dad! Home & in the pub for 14:40pm... So, not a bad mornings birding, despite the arctic winds!!...