UKC

Seen lots of classic spring birds. Spent a few hours in a bird hide watching chiffchaffs collect nesting material. The photos are of the same bird. Beautiful bird. The photos show how it can look brownish (in low light) to yellow and brown in the sun. 

Loads of willow warblers. This was in one of my very early morning dog walks. Look similar to chiffchaff, but has reddish rather blackish legs. It’s song is the best ID. 

Nuthatch this morning. Same nest site gets used every year. Another cracking bird. Treecreeper made an appearance. 

Thank you, symptoms have gone, just like that 😁

Those photos also show how typically, WWs are more greeny-yellow than CCs - but not enough to be relied on as definitive.

Singing whitethroats. Another cracking bird. 

Got stunning views of reed buntings on bullrushes. And a goldcrest. 

And found another barn owl nest sight. Was up at five this morning. Distant views but, another cracking bird!

Aye. Saw a whimbrel fly over the usual spot yesterday - only one I’ve seen this year. And I’m kicking myself at not dropping in on the stilt - now that was a cracking bird !!

Songs and contact calls (for WW in particular) aside, I generally look* at the wing shape (when hovering/gleaning) and especially primary projection (for sitting birds) to distiguish WW from CC: WW has narrower wings and longer primaries, as it is a longer distance migrant.

CB

*Actually this is not really true, if they are silent I note them as CC/WW.....**

** or even more likely, LBJ

All excellent photos, thanks. Has helped me learn so much in last few months particularly.

I was reading about differences between WW and CC this week and head shape seems to be a significant difference as well as other points noted. Former is flatter whilst latter is more rounded. Still very difficult for me to ID.

Currently, I’m struggling with the ID of what seems/behaves like a Mallard (male), but certainly not coloured right. It seems to have paired with a female and acts as such by chasing of other males who get too close. Most likely it is a male mallard, but some strange hybrid. (Can’t upload a pic as my pc will not allow meantime).

When I was watching the chiffchaff, momentarily a Cetti’s warbler landed on the same branch inches away. It looked massive by comparison and unfortunately too quick to get a photo (bet there’s very few photos of these two sat together).  
And thanks for your info - really appreciate it. 

I’ve learnt loads about birds from this forum, glad you have too.
Once you get mallards that don’t look like true mallards (often in parks etc), then I don’t bother. 

Will be in Fife for a spell early June and will be out and about.  Will spend some time time at Fife Ness - great for unusual stuff. I believe nuthatch are quite rare in Fife - see plenty round here (I hear even more, very distinctive call).  

think i heard one this morning. top trilling- reminds me of a skylark..

Yup, shouldn’t bother about that mallard; just curious I’m not missing some other duck!

Was told by RSPB that Nuthatches are rare and not usually seen at Vane Farm. Apparently though according to one member of staff, there can be Nuthatch seen on the north side of the loch though he doesn’t know why not at the reserve when so close. He goes to the other side to see them occasionally! You could try the Burleigh car park area if you are passing there as he said around that north side area.

Swallows now being seen in Fife - saw a few feeding at Loch Ore yesterday.

At Vane Farm much to their surprise a tree sparrow pair are nest building in their coffee cabin roof. There is also one in the roof of the first hide. All despite them having 12 nesting boxes around the woods to choose from.

Still to explore F Ness.

I think southern Scotland is more-or-less the northerly extent of their range - but they are spreading. They do occur in Edinburgh.

Went to RSPB St Aidens yesterday, saw a lapwing trailing three chick's about, through binoculars. 

A real unexpected treat today - went to Barden Bridge (north end of Bolton Abbey NE of Skipton), for a picnic with the Mrs and for her to see some bluebells - got the last parking spot by the road 😁

Went there because it's a very easily viewable Sand Martin nesting site by the river and I was wondering about taking photos, even with my difficult scope/phone combo. The Sand Martins were occasionally going in but I think I was too early, need to return when there are chicks in the burrows that need constant feeding.

Also there (or seen from there) were:

• Several families of Greylag Geese with weeny goslings.
• Several Common Sandpipers showing nicely.
• A pair of kingfishers, sometimes with fish, I think they're nesting in the same bank as the Sand Martins.
• A buzzard and later 2 Red Kite.
• A pair of Mandarin Ducks - stunning male, was just thinking about trying to get a photo and they flew back along the river ☹
• 2 Dippers
• Pied and Grey Wagtails

And then the highlight, when we got back to the car there was a Woodcock, basically just in the field across the road from the cars and the Ice-cream van !!! Stunning views of it since it was so close and just there in a sunny field, looking a bit nervous when it could see me watching it.

After a few minutes looking at it, I was just getting the scope back out of the car to try and get some photos and it flew back into the woods when someone else walked along the road ☹

Not having much luck with photos but otherwise really chuffed with all those bonus sightings.

Nuthatch - now that I recognise the call, I'm realising that there are a lot more about than I realised, even here in urban N Manchester.

My favourite bird, thanks for that.

Nice one. There’s some great bluebell woods near me. Not very big, good for a 30 minute walk. Surprising how much sent they can give off - love them. 
My wife took these on her phone the other evening. Elnup woods in Shevington. 

Nearly forgot: Willow Tit this evening. Lucky round Wigan area. Someone was telling me they need young woods - 30 year old trees - and the landscaped mining areas have lots of young woodland. Very distinctive call. 

Here’s the mallard duck hybrid (I guess!) and with it’s mate in case anyone interested.

Edit: Added photo - lucky time and location for me this afternoon! Didn’t seem bothered by being so close to me. Was chased off by a crow shortly after though.

Sent!!??

Are you a boulderer?

Seriously, lovely pics....keep ‘em coming👍.

I had Grey Partridge, Wheatear and Ring Ouzel at Curbar this week. Oh! and Cuckoo heard.

Bouldering? A man with my reputation?!  I hardly climb anymore. I have bouldered loads in the past, and once nearly topped out on Ulysses or Bust but reversed it. Them were the days…

Not seen a ring ouzel in ages. Cracking bird though. 

Apologies for the really poor quality photo...but I've never seen anything like it before. Seven adult hares looning around a large field repeatedly, seemingly oblivious to us with our 6 dogs.  They came pretty close at times. This went on for several minutes and was an absolute delight to behold. Mad March hares in very late April.

Saw my first swallows of the year last Wednesday in Dingwall.

In the garden now about every other bird is a siskin. Just seen a blackcap flitting about and a chiffchaff yesterday, but the best sighting was a pine marten during the day yesterday eating seed that had fallen from a feeder.

Dave

Wow!  The boxing stuff lasts well into April. I see a few now and then, but your sighting is amazing. 

Another Wow!  Never seen a pine Martin. Yet. 

There is a Grasshopper Warbler “sighting” at Vane Farm recorded today. Wonder how many have actually seen one as it was explained to me that they are very rarely seen as they use undergrowth to move about, and are normally identified by their sound.

Whilst there, I was talking to a bird watcher who has a picture of a Capercaillie which just happened to be by the roadside and stood whilst he stopped the car and took a photo. Some folk have the luck.

Male Capercaille is on my "to see list" (once saw a female one in my youth), but that will obviously require a trip up to Scotland, which doesn't seem to happen very often for me (only about every 10 years ☹).

Be careful not to get near a lek site or otherwise search for or disturb them. Apparently a wildlife photographer was arrested and charged this week for being at a lek site to photograph them. There is reported to be active ongoing surveillance and reporting to police of any incidents.

Where pine martens are present and food is available sightings are common - I've lost count of the number of times I have seen one in this situation and had a female and three young within a few feet of me sitting on the floor by the back door, but in close to forty years of visiting NW Scotland a few times each year I have seen only two pine martens in the wild.

Dave

Managed to get a shot of the White Coppice cuckoo on Saturday morning, with a bit of help from a nearby birder.

cycling along a narrow track in a local forest this morning I spotted something weirdly shaped flying (barely)  just above the ground. Turned out to be a blue tit carrying a downy feather which was as big as itself in its beak. Guess its nest building time.

Had my first flock of mufflon sheep in the wild last evening. Always knew they were supposed to be around but no luck so far except for the occasional tracks.

First thought that they were roe deer (a proper plague round here) and was about to walk past, but then I realized that there were some fawns and yearlings in the group, which should the wrong time of year for deer.

CB