Norfolk

It's been a while since my last post so I've got a lot of catching up to do. At the beginning of June I spent a few days on the North Norfolk coast based at Salthouse. Norfolk is the premier mainland county for birdwatching, but as with recent months the weather was not conducive to birdwatching or photography. Nevertheless I managed to see or hear 94 species of bird and 8 species of mammal; not bad considering the rain (it was the Silver Jubilee weekend for those of you that braved the weather in the early part of June).
Unusually for Norfolk at that time of year rare birds were thin on the ground, the only rarity of note during my stay was an elusive Black-winged Stilt at Cley. Even the Nightjars on Salthouse Heath failed to show on 3 different nights. But I did manage a view of a Cetti's Warbler, a bird definitely more often heard than seen. The one day that the sun shone I drove to Strumpshaw Fen but no Swallowtails or Norfolk Hawkers were on the wing.
I'm sure my next trip to Norfolk will be more productive; it's a fabulous county even in the rain!

This Red-legged Partridge was in the car-park at Cley.

The rain forced this Swift to feed low

over the lake at Holkham Hall.

The rain eventually did stop allowing birds such as this Barn

Owl to hunt.

A beautiful example of mimicry; this Wasp Beetle was

photographed at Strumpshaw Fen RSPB.

Summer-plumaged Sanderling at Titchwell RSPB.

Summer-plumaged Sanderling.

Avocet feeding at Titchwell RSPB.

Avocet, Titchwell.

Breeding-plumaged Little Egret at Cley,

it was being mobbed by a Lapwing.

Juvenile Robin at Titchwell waiting to be

fed by its parent.

A flock of Spoonbills at Cley. They were easier to see than the

Black-winged Stilt.

A female Broad-bodied Chaser basking in some rare sunshine.

I tempted the Jackdaws at Blickling Hall with some fruit cake.

Jackdaw at Blickling Hall.

A soggy Little Egret manages to catch some lunch at Cley.

Rose-coloured Starling

On Sunday the 17th I took my family to Conway RSPB reserve to show them the family of Stoats that had been showing very well on the previous Friday (photos to be published soon). After some good views of the mother bringing food to the kits, I ventured to nearby Rhos-on-sea where an adult male Rose-coloured Starling had been seen. Despite a long wait the bird did not show while I was there.
I returned to the site yesterday (Wednesday), while on my way to Snowdon, and had brief views of the bird perched on the roof of a house but it did not come down to the feeders. I continued on to Snowdon and ran to the summit and back as part of my training for next month's mountain race. I returned to Rhos-on-sea but the bird had still only been seen briefly all afternoon. I was pleased that I had seen the bird earlier, but any return to obtain better photos will have to be postponed until the weather improves again.

Adult Rose-coloured Starling, a gorgeous bird.

Young Stoat licking blood from around his mouth.

South Stack via Snowdon

On the 26th May I decided to have a go at running up Snowdon as I have an entry in the Snowdon Mountain Race at the end of July. The route follows the Llanberis path, which is also known as the tourist route as it is supposedly the easiest way up. It is about 5 miles to the summit from Llanberis.
It was a beautiful, hot May day; hard to believe after all the rain we've been having recently. Never having walked this way to the summit, (or competed in a fell race!) this was more of an exploratory run to see how my legs coped with the terrain. After parking in the town I jogged slowly up the road that leads to the path to the summit. Within a few minutes I was already walking up one of the steepest tarmac roads that I have ever seen. Thankfully, once onto the rocky path I was able to start jogging again. It was a very hot day, but the main obstacle to my progress was the near gale-force wind; I was glad to be wearing my sunglasses to protect my eyes from the dust. I made my way slowly up the slope passing many walkers. The views were fabulous, but I had to walk in many places due to the wind and the steepness of the gradient. I reached the summit in just over an hour. It was impossible to stand on the summit due to the strength of the wind and many walkers were taking shelter in the lee of the summit cairn.
Suppressing my desire to enter the cafe and buy a refreshing coffee, I immediately set off on the return run back down. With gravity aiding a quick decent my lungs could breathe easy again, but I held back from an all-out flight down to try and save my leg muscles. This was a wise decision as by the time I regained the steep tarmac road my thigh muscles were aching with every step. The journey down took 40 mins, and I was glad to reach my car and down a few bottles of water.
Once changed and re-hydrated, I drove over to Anglesey and visited the beautiful RSPB reserve at South Stack. This superb area of heathland and cliffs is home to fabulous seabirds such as Guillemots, Razorbills, a few Puffins and that enigmatic crow the Chough. I spent a lovely afternoon here admiring the wildlife and the scenery, but my leg muscles didn't appreciate the walk down the steep steps to the lighthouse after my exertions in the morning!

Guillemots nesting on the cliff.

The much-photographed South Stack lighthouse.

Chough with larval prey item.

Seaforth

It's been a good few years since I've visited Seaforth Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Liverpool. I had many good days' birding there in the late eighties and nineties but never got around to applying for the (now required) permit until recently. The overall size of the land given over to wildlife around the pools has been much reduced but the birds seen on and around the water are still superb.
I was lucky enough to time my visit at the end of May to coincide with the appearance of two Roseate Terns and a Black Tern, all beautiful birds. I'll make sure that I don't leave it so long until my next visit.

Black Tern hawking over the pools at Seaforth

Black Tern, a beautiful bird.

Common Tern posing on a rock outside the hide.

Common Coot doing what they do best, chasing another Coot!

Llandegla

Had a great morning's birdwatching at Llandegla in North Wales on Friday 18th May. Jane and I joined an RSPB group watching the Black Grouse lek on the moorland. At least 8 males were seen but they were too distant to photograph. Other avian highlights included Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Redstart and good numbers of Common Crossbills, some of which were carrying fir cones from the forest floor back into the trees in order to remove the seeds in a safe place.
We then drove to Wrexham where we watched a male Peregrine perched on the roof of the police station.
The female could be heard calling, presumably from the nest. At the time of our visit there were apparently two chicks in the nest. They should fledge successfully in what must be one of the most secure nest sites in the country!
On Friday 25th we spent a beautiful day canoeing 10 miles down the River Wye in Herefordshire. We counted an amazing 7 Kingfishers during the day and I saw my first Red Kites of the year while picnicking on the river bank. The sun shone all day which was great because it helped me to dry quickly after I fell in the river at the very end of our journey! 

Kingfisher, Mere Sands Wood, Lancashire, June 2009.

Red Kite, Gigrin, January 2010.

Stonechats

After a brief visit to Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB, I walked to Burton Point to look for a Cuckoo that had been seen earlier. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the bird but ample compensation came in the form of a pair of Stonechats. The female was more confiding than the male.

I finished the day off by trying to get some photos of Skylarks by Leasowe Lighthouse.

Sandstone Trail

The Sandstone Trail is a long-distance footpath starting in Whitchurch and meandering north through some of Cheshire's finest countryside before finishing in Frodsham. Last year Helsby Running Club revived the Sandstone Trail Challenge, a long distance walking event that also supports runners.
My friend Jane and I completed the Challenge last year and enjoyed it so much that we took part again last Saturday (the 12th of May). Officially the trail is 34 miles long but Helsby Running Club measure it at just under 33 miles. Not a great deal of difference when you're covering that distance. Also the total elevation is about 3700 feet, that's higher than Snowdon! The field of entrants is split evenly between runners and walkers and there is a cut-off time of around 12 hours.
We fully enter into the spirit of the event and its non-competitive nature; so much so that we view it as a 33 mile long picnic.
The weather was kind to us again this year with no rain and a few sunny spells but it was unseasonably cool. As per last year we kept a record of all the birds seen and heard along the way. Highlight for me was a stunning male Wheatear near Delamere, while Jane saw her first Goldcrest of the year along the canal near Whitchurch. We recorded a total of 41 species which was one up on last year and included a few recently arrived migrants such as Lesser Whitethroat as well as residents such as Raven.
True to our competitive nature we stopped for a welcome coffee in a pleasant little cafe near Delamere. This was in addition to the cake and biscuit checkpoints along the route. It took us just over 10 hours to complete the course through a combination of steady walking and occasional downhill running. Its amazing how quickly the time goes on such adventures and a great day was enjoyed by all the runners and walkers. Many thanks must go to the organisers for a superb event; roll on next year.

At the start in Whitchurch.

Somewhere in deepest Cheshire following

the yellow markers.

Approaching Beeston Castle, halfway-ish.

Overlooking the River Mersey, not far to go.

The following day I lined up with 5000 other runners on Chester racecourse for the start of the Chester Half Marathon. I had a few doubts about my sanity in entering this event straight after the Sandstone Trail, but you live once so why not? The route was a total change from the previous few years' races and was a bit more "undulating". I didn't feel too bad for the first 5 miles and kept at an average 6.30 min/mile pace, but at around the 7 miles mark the previous day's exertions began to take their toll and my legs started to feel heavy. I pushed on buoyed by the public support in the villages that we ran through. Mile 12 was downhill so I upped the pace a little to 6.25 min/mile, but this was before the final hill up into Chester where I slowed considerably. Turning into Northgate Street the finish was in sight and the cheers from all the supporters crammed onto the pavements urged me on to a sprint finish (well it felt fast!). My finish time was 1 hour 25 mins which was a great result considering.

Wheatears

Drove out to Crewe yesterday to look for the reported Wryneck as I have never seen one in Cheshire. The bird had been found at a site that I hadn't visited before, Maw Green Tip; birders often visit the most unusual places. On arrival in the area I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of birdlife to be seen, Sedge Warblers, Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and even a reeling Grasshopper Warbler. But the Wryneck was proving elusive so I settled down on a grassy bank and enjoyed something even rarer this Spring, a bit of warm sunshine! After about an hour the Wryneck flew between two stands of gorse, perched briefly on a bare branch, then dived for cover never to be seen again that day. No photographs, but at least it was a Cheshire tick.
I made my way slowly back to the car and came across a small flock of Wheatears that I photographed in the early evening sunshine.
Saturday training update - did my first longish run since the London Marathon, ran 10 miles at 6.50 pace, but legs still not quite recovered.

Male Wheatear with takeaway.

Not the prettiest perch but a lovely bird.

Back lit shot of male Wheatear.

Dolphins

My recent trip to Scotland produced only distant views of Bottlenosed Dolphins and certainly none were even close enough for record shots. But in July 2009 I stayed at Avoch on the Moray Firth, which is only a few miles away from the famous dolphin watching spot at Chanonry Point. I visited this site twice a day and saw dolphins on about 90% of my visits. Sometimes the animals were a long way from the shore while on other occasions they were very close giving stunning views. The weather for that week in Scotland was rainy and cloudy but at times it was very rainy and very cloudy! Typical Highland weather, I'm sure the sun must have broken through occasionally.
Bottlenosed Dolphins are truly enigmatic animals, they have a very special place in the human imagination. Language alone is inadequate to describe their energy, power, beauty and grace. But one word that they surely embody is dynamic; their reckless acrobatics are one of their most defining attributes.
Here are a few shots from that trip. No captions required.