Bird Count ~ 2013 and 2014

I was very impressed with fellow-blogger, Juliet Wilson's bird list total for 2013. Do take a look here.

I began logging ...

• the birds in my garden 
• the wildlife at RSPB Minsmere 
• the wildlife on our Scottish holiday

... but I failed to keep a total. So no prizes for guessing the nature of one of my New Year Resolutions! 

A beautiful Great Spotted Woodpecker graced our feeder for the first time on 23 December. I failed to get a picture then, but will post an old photo for those of you who may not know these birds. I have not seen it since, but we keep hoping it will come back for more coconut. And if it does, it will be added to the 2014 list!

My aim is to keep things simple in the hope that my goals remain relatively easy to achieve. I plan to keep an ongoing alphabetical list, which I will re-post every so often once it has been updated. I hope to log dates and locations ...

My bird list for 2014 looks like this:

1. Black-headed Gull (about 25, 3 January, Woodbridge)
2. Blue tit (two birds, 2 January, home patch) 
3. Great tit (2 birds, 4 January, home patch)
4. Herring Gull (1 bird, 3 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
5. Lapwing (9 birds, 4 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
6. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January, home patch)
7. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January, home patch) 
8. Mute Swan (2 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge) 
9. Robin (1 bird, 1 January, home patch) 
10. Turnstone (15 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge)
11. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January, home patch)

First Turnstones of 2013 ...

... in Woodbridge, near the Tide Mill

First Lapwing of 2013

First Mute Swan of 2013 ...

... more Turnstones.

And don't forget the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place on 25 and 26 January!

2013 Wordle 1: Summary of Wildlife Sightings So Far

Wordle of Birds I have seen (UK, largely Suffolk) so far in 2013

I have seen Egyptian Geese, a new species for me, in two locations, Lackford Lakes and Ickworth. This quarter represents my best sighting to date of Goldcrests (at Minsmere) and Barn Owl (Orford and Flatford). 

My early sightings have included a number of strange, possibly hybrid, Mallards, including largely white ones. The Egyptian Goose is really a 'garden escape' as this species was brought to Britain as an ornamental bird for parks and estates.  

Egyptian Goose

Mammals seen to date: Red Deer, Muntjac, Rabbit, Hare, Grey Squirrel ... and Rat. 

Insects seen to date: Ladybirds (two Seven-spots at Minsmere), Gorse Shield Bug (two at Minsmere), Bumblebee (on the wing) ... and a few unidentified beetles and moths.

Wild Flowers to date: Daisy, Coltsfoot, Violet, Aconites, Periwinkle, Dog's Mercury 

'Fishy' things: Skate Eggs, Cuttlefish cuttle bones

Seasonal Splash: January Bird Count

This is my Wordle, listing birds I saw in January 2013. 

These were spotted in Suffolk and Essex. 

The white Pekin Ducks (which were swimming with Mallards) were probably 'farmyard escapes'.

Bird of the Month ~ Barn Owl near Flatford

Islands and Islets (8): An Inner Hebridean Odyssey - Wildlife on Mull and Iona

Iona - as you approach by sea (or leave)

Approaching Iona from Mull

We spent three nights on Mull and one day on Iona. The weather wasn't brilliant, although the sun came out for a few hours during the afternoon of our last day (which we spent on Iona, where the colours of the kelp, the silver sand and the pure azure water were amazing).

We did not see many vertebrates during this leg of our journey - though we enjoyed watching the bats (not sure what species) at Uisken Beach on the Ross of Mull and a few rabbits here and there. We also saw four red deer on the wonderful road between Duart and Pennyghael, a toad in Bunessan and a seal in the strait between Lochaline and Fishnish.

Waiting for the ferry ...

My (separate)  Bird list is a little longer, though due to the wild weather, we didn't come across half the birds we had hoped to see. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed watching the following (in order of sightings) ...

• Herring Gull - Uisken
• Hooded Crows - ditto
• Buzzards - not quite on every telegraph post!
• Pied Wagtails - Castle Duart
• Chaffinches - ditto
• Gannets - off the cliffs, not far from Bunessan
• Skylarks - Duart Castle
• Grey Herons - Pennyghael, Tobermory and elsewhere
• Swallows - (are these Swallows?) on Iona, taking shelter in the Abbey cloister rafters (photo below)
• Cormorant - Pennyghael
• Eiders - sea loch near Pennyghael
• Oystercatchers - ditto
• Curlew - ditto
• Golden Eagles (2) - back road or 'scenic route' to Salen
• Pheasant - Aros
• (Query) White-tailed Eagle - a rather distant sighting in the Craignure/Duart area ... I see one has been spotted in this area from the Treshnish (B)log of wildlife here
• ENORMOUS 'tidal wave' of Greylag at sunset rolling up the Sound of Iona
• White doves on the Abbey (do these count as wild? - 'Columba', of course, means 'dove')
• Song Thrush - Iona, near Abbey
• House Sparrows (2) - ditto (enjoying the fresh soil of an archaeological dig - photo at end of post)
• Robin - ditto
• Blackbirds - Iona
• Kestrels (2) - Ross of Mull
• Mallard (8) - Loch Spelve, Mull 
• Owls (2 unidentified) - Ross of Mull 

Taking shelter in the cloister in preparation for a LONG journey south

We loved the cloister, with its carvings by Chris Hall of Scottish birds and Holy Land plants

Do stone monkeys count as 'wild and wonderful'?

Almost time to touchdown ...

The Iona Community has the 'Wild Goose' as its symbol. Many associate the Community's worship with the liturgical compositions of John Bell. You can read about the background to the Community here in a book review by Dr Josh Sweden. The fascinating history of Iona, the island, is tied in with the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, and it was one of these, Reginald, who sent monks to found a Benedictine community in this out-of-the-way island that had been occupied by Columba. 

... and now it's time for a flypast

Looking out from Iona - I loved those volcanic tump-like rocks

We did not see many invertebrates during this leg of our journey. There was a wonderful striped caterpillar near St Oran's Chapel on Iona (photo for a future post), and plenty of craneflies in Bunessan on Mull. I also noted some bees and snails. There were a few sea anemones (these belong to the group of Cnidarians - like jellyfish) in the rock pools near the ferry on Iona.

The otters and cetaceans may have eluded me, but we saw many wonderful creatures nonetheless!

The archaeological dig ... has the dinosaur been excavated ... or was the Loch Ness Monster on holiday in the Hebrides?

Beautiful Birds (39): 2012 Species List

Mute Swans near Mistley Towers and Manningtree, Essex, UK

I think I won't count numbers so much this year as species. The species marked thus: [L] are my 'lifers' or first (conscious) sightings. There are, for example, so many pigeons outside our window that I have decided to list each species of bird only once at the time of my earliest sighting.

This was my list for January and February 2011. I don't imagine the next couple of days will find me seeing many of the following which were on the list a year ago and which I have yet to see in 2012:

Snipe | Dunnock | Nuthatch | Teal | Redstart | Shoveler
 Treecreeper | Little Grebe

Chaffinch (I might yet see this fellow!)
Siskin | Wood Pigeon | Hen Harrier | Greenfinch

Gadwall | Tufted Duck | Wren
Great Spotted woodpecker
Song Thrush | Greenshank | Redshank

The discrepancy for those who are new to my blog is probably largely due to our move last Autumn from South Wales to Suffolk on the east coast of England. It is partly due to my current 'garden-less' lifestyle, to the fact that I was in America for two weeks in January and then pretty much confined to base by the snow and ice.

2012 bird species seen to date  . . .

1. JANUARY Feral Pigeon (USA and Suffolk, UK)
2. Starling (Liberty Island, NY, USA) Jan 2012 [red conservation status in the UK]
3. Egret (wetlands outside New York, USA . . . hard to tell which species, I think 'Little') 
4. Red-tailed Hawk (NY, USA) [L]
5. House Sparrow (Liberty Island, NY, USA) [red conservation status in the UK]
6. Mute Swan (Mistley, Essex, UK)
7. Shelduck (ditto)
8. Bar-tailed Godwit (ditto)
9. Common Sandpiper (ditto)
10. Carrion Crow (ditto)
11. Ring-billed Gulls (rivers Hudson and Delaware, USA) [L]
12. Canada Goose (river Delaware, USA)
13. FEBRUARY Blue-tit (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
14. Goldfinch - a flock (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
15. Moorhen (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
16. Rook (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK) 
17. Buzzard (Suffolk, UK)
18. Red Kite (Kirby Hall, Northants, UK)
19. Long-tailed Tits (Suffolk, UK)
20. Robin (Suffolk, UK)
21. Redwing (Suffolk, UK) red conservation status
22. Fieldfare (Suffolk, UK) red conservation status
23. Mallard (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
24. Blackbird (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
25. Great Tit (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
26. Coot (Flatford Mill, Suffolk, UK)
27. Magpie (Suffolk, UK)
28. Greylag Goose (Shotley peninsula, Suffolk, UK)
29. Cormorant (River Orwell, Suffolk, UK) 
30. Pied Wagtail (Ipswich, Suffolk, UK)
31. Black-headed Gull (Ipswich, Suffolk, UK)
32. Herring Gull (Ipswich, Suffolk, UK) red conservation status
33. Lapwing (Orwell Bridge, Suffolk, UK) red conservation status
34. Oystercatcher (Orwell Bridge, Suffolk, UK)
35. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Suffolk, UK)
36. Wigeon (Suffolk, UK)
37. Red-legged Partridge (Shingle Street, Suffolk, UK)
38. Pheasant (Shingle Street, Suffolk, UK)
39. MARCH Brent Goose (a flock on Mersea Island, Essex, UK)

I hope to make a new Wordle list once I reach the end of February.

What else have I seen? Well, not much in the way of mammals or insects.
A quick round-up ...

• Seals (two, off Suffolk coast, UK)
• Grey Squirrel (New York, USA)
• Rabbits (Suffolk, UK)
• Molehills - fresh, but no moles seen (Northants, UK)
• ?Stoat hole (Northants, UK)
• Midges (Along the River Stour, Flatford, Suffolk, UK)
• ?Red Spider Mite (Cambridgeshire, UK)
• Snails (Northants, UK)
• Slipper Shell (Shingle Street, Suffolk, UK)

Have you had any interesting or unusual wildlife encounters in 2012?

Seasonal Splash (4): Winter Colour ...

We took a stroll around Mistley Towers, part of a ruined Robert Adam church near Manningtree, UK . . .

. . . There were a lot of Mute Swans on the estuary foreshore.

Some were more interested in posing for the camera than others!

A portrait in profile.

These Shelducks were heading for home . . .

I think these are Bar-tailed Godwits  . . .

. . . and a Common Sandpiper, in late afternoon light.

We spotted a pair of these Greylag geese at the nearby Alton Water Park.

 January: 2012 bird species seen to date  . . .

1. Pigeon (USA)
2. Starling (Liberty Island, NY, USA)
3. Egret (wetlands outside New York, USA . . . hard to tell which species, Great or Little)
4. ?Red-tailed Hawk (NY, USA)
5. Sparrow (Liberty Island, NY, USA)
6. Mute Swan (Mistley, Essex, UK)
7. Shelduck (ditto)
8. Bar-tailed Godwit (ditto)
9. Common Sandpiper (ditto)
10. Carrion Crow (ditto)
11. Assorted - but unidentified - gulls (ditto and rivers Hudson and Delaware, USA)

Bird Count (4): May 2011 ... plus 'Best of the Rest'

Newts

It's time for my May 2011 update, and I'm ashamed to say that I spotted very few 'first in 2011' species of bird. It is for this reason that I have 'cheated' and combined my complement of living creatures for this month. The birds are all first sightings of the year: the others may not be. My thanks to those kind bloggers out there who helped every so often with an ID.  

WORDLE for JUNE 2011 ~ species seen

If you are interested in my wild flower count for 2011, you can find the current tally by clicking here. I wonder what new items will be added in June ... The Ram's Horn Snail was perhaps the most unusual sighting: it was rather camouflaged and I initially wondered if I had spotted a leech!

P.S. I have just realised that the Dock Beetle appears twice ~ sorry!

Bird Count (3): April 2011 ... plus 'Best of the Rest'

APRIL: bird species spotted in April for the first time this year (2011) 

All these birds, with the exception of the Pied flycatcher were seen in Yorkshire, either on the North York Moors or on the East Coast. 

Nesting Gannets at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, April 2011

There were so many birds in e.g. the Gannet colonies at Bempton Cliffs, that I decided to focus this month on the number of new species seen rather than on the numbers spotted of a particular bird. Maths is definitely not my strong point!

BEST OF THE REST, APRIL 2011 ... plus a solitary seal!

'Stoat' is a bit of a cheat: David saw the stoat. I was the one who nearly fell down the stoat hole!

• Count for March 2011 can be found here.
• Count for January and February 2011 can be found here.

Bird Count (2): March 2011 ~ and 2011 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch Results

Birds seen and noted in March 2011, mostly in South Wales, UK

In case you are interested in numbers (some of these are approximates) ...

Carrion Crow (42)   |    Tern (30)   |    Rook (12)   |     Shelduck (11)   |    Long tailed tit (10)    |    Chaffinch (9)   |    Black Headed Gull (9)      |  Wood Pigeon (8)  |      Magpie (7)  |   Blackbird (6)    |      Blue tit (6)   |   |   Mallard (6)  | Dunnock (5)   |   Lapwing (5)  |   Coot (4)   |    Pintail (4)  |    Sparrow (4)   |   Great tit (3)   |  Wren (3)  |    Buzzard (2)  |    Gadwall (2)   |  Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)   |   Greenfinch (2)   |   Little Egret (2)   |  ChiffChaff (2)  |  Robin(2)   |   Nuthatch (2)   |   Red Kite (2)   |    Siskin (2)   |   Starling (2)  |  GreyHeron (1)   |   Tufted Duck (1)   |  Sparrowhawk (1)   |  Moorhen (1)   |   Curlew  (1) |  Pheasant (1)

• Birds seen in January and February 2011

• March 2011: other observations include a Grey Squirrel, a Rabbit, several Common Toads, Toadspawn, Bumblebees (I must learn more about the different ones), approximately 12 Small Tortoiseshell Butterflies, a Common Quaker Moth, Snails, an Ant and a Ladybird (still to be identified from my photo).

One of my most appealing first hand observations was of a 'dancing' Blue tit, trying to impress (or reach?) its reflection in the large wing mirror of a 4x4. The display lasted for quite a number of minutes (I was sitting in the dentist's car park), with the bird flying off every so often, only to return for another attempt at showcasing its performance. I didn't have my camera with me at the time, but you can see a similar scene here from The Daily Mail, February 2008.  

Do take a look at the 2011 results for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch (and here).

You might also enjoy my 'Pick of the Month' photo choice on 'The Lizard Naturally' blog ... utterly adders!

Bird Count (1): January-February 2011

Birds I have seen during January and February in South Wales

I wonder what species you have noted so far this year in your neck of the woods? I have also seen the following: -

Mammals
1) Grey Squirrel
2) Rabbit
3) Fox

Amphibians
1) Common Toad

Insects
1) Bumble Bee
2) Hover Fly
3) Ladybird (fluttered past without stopping)

Molluscs
1) Snails

I have yet to see my first Butterfly of 2011. I recall spotting my first one year on 14 February in the snow!

Postscript: you might enjoy this post about what birds can do in Israel ~ thanks, April!