Two Tree island

Not had much time to 'get out' this year due to work and other stuff going on. Hopefully things are settling down now and I can turn more attention to birding; a great way to de-tox the stresses of the week and discover some new and interesting sites.

Looking over to Leigh from Two Tree Island

Today, I chose to visit Two Tree Island. hidden away behind Leigh Railway station is the access road to this dog-walker and model plane enthusiast paradise. Reclaimed from the Thames estuary Two Tree Island is made up of rough grassland, brackish marsh and lagoons with a maze of meandering creeks, this nature reserve is perfect for finding roosting waders and winter raptors.

The island is split by the access road and has an eastern and western side. I went to the western side where there is a couple of hides. Land birds consisted mainly of greenfinch, dunnock and linnet. On the mudflats of the estuary, there were curlew, common redshank and parties of dark-bellied brent geese. From the main lagoon hide huge flocks of gulls were creating one hell of a racket. These were nearly all black-headed gulls with a few great black-backed and herring gulls in for good measure. At least 100 knot were huddled together with oystercatchers, dunlin and a couple of ringed plover.

Oystercatcher


Knot and Shelduck

Heading back to the eastern side there were more brent geese on the Thames. The sun was low and strong so any clear viewing was made difficult. Upon reaching the eastern end of the island, there were obviously many waders feeding on the now receding tide. Oystercatchers, redshanks and curlew were easily identified but the few godwits that shared the point were impossible to name. Towards the boatyard, a few grey plover were about with a couple of turnstone.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Digiscoping DIY Adaptor

Image
Thought I would take this opportunity to explain and illustrate the way I digiscope. I have never bothered to invest in a purpose-made adaptor because I’m never sure which one would be best and I suppose I’m a bit stingy. Instead, I have experimented with different joining mechanisms which have include fruit juice bottle tops, paint roller tubes and plumbing joints. Over the five or so years I have digiscoped, the results have been unpredictable. This has been caused by the light conditions, the mobility of the subject and invariably, the distances between my camera and the bird. probably worth noting here that I also tend to focus through the scope before attaching the camera. The most successful adaptor for me has been the paint roller tube. I discovered if I strip off the furry bit, I’m left with a perfect basis for an adaptor. Depending on the camera lens width and the telescope eyepiece diameter, I wrap insulation tape inside the tube. Measure the depth and width of the ca...
Read more

Scotland day 6: Look out. Look up and look where you’re going!

Image
Oh my days! Is it Friday already? This was our last full day with Heatherlea and it was destined to be a big one. Correction: The big one. Do these birding tour operators plan this? Do they always save the best for last? I don’t know. Some would say the Capercaillie caper would have done it and it did in many ways but this day would match it or in some eyes surpass it. You be the judge. Another full fat breakfast! My only thoughts during this now routine ceremony was whether I would still fit in the minibus. To be honest, I thought we would be doing a bit more walking on this trip but apart from the odd amble up a hill, we were never far from the transport. The birding day began with an excursion to Roseisle and initially around some of the farmland minor roads where we picked up a couple of corn buntings just sitting on fence wires. Looking out from a viewpointon the Moray Firth at Burghead Bay there were velvet and common scoters, eider and a few red-breasted merganser. Telescope out...
Read more

Scotland Day 1: A few 'grouses' about the weather

Image
We woke in the morning to discover the beautiful sunny evening that met our arrival had turning into a cold, grey dreich. We caught up with our guides and fellow adventurers early so that we could could visit a black grouse lek before breakfast. The visibility was poor and the air damp. When we arrived at the site, it was very difficult to see the birds. A few bobbing backsides – the white of the male tail feathers was about all I could see.  Black grouse, what Black Grouse? Lesser redpoll called as they went over and the inevitable willow warblers sang from various trees. Everyone got poor views to be fair but at that stage, we were all happy. A bit later at breakfast we discussed the weather, as you do and Dave and Chris, our guides for the tour laid out plans for local birding in Abernethy forest, primarily for crested tit and the magnificent capercaillie. The excitement was clearly audible. We arrived and parked up near Loch Mallachie and made our way down through the incredibl...
Read more