Birding Braunie

Could be a good birding weekend this. Today I was working at the Lee Valley Park and as per usual, I went for a walkabout before the shift. You probably know I have had some camera problems and this morning was a chance to test out my new Nikon Coolpix 6500 with my scope. This is always a bit hit-and-miss so I had to pick an easy target to get going. The Holyfield Weir seemed the perfect place to shoot ducks. They (Mallards) like to hang out along the concrete edge of the weir and I have some cover so as not to freak them out. Mallard Duck Unlike my old Samsung, the Nikon needs some manual zooming to lose the vignetting. I was spoilt with the Samsung as this framed perfectly so now I have to fiddle a bit. Mallard Drake On the whole, I’m liking the results although I still need to sus out a faster shutter speed or the fps setting at least. Coot, nearly a duck Well spotted. Not a duck So, so far so good but sitting ducks are fairly easy. The Bittern watchpoint was f...

No camera. In the old days this wouldn’t have been a big deal when I went birdwatching. However, digiscoping has become a big thing for me. I might not do it properly, i.e. with all the proper attachments but I can get results I like and it means I can populate my blog with the images of the subjects I’m subjecting you all to. So I decided to paint instead. I haven’t picked up my brushes for a few months and as I had the day to myself, I thought about going a bit further afield and combine it with a reccie of a birding site I had only read about. Therfield Heath in Hertfordshire. The Icknield Way is an ancient track that runs south from Royston and was the path I chose to take. I can imagine in winter this is a harsh environment to be in. Apart from the irregular hedgerows, there is little cover or protection for the cold winds that must stab through here. View from the Icknield Way looking East. I found a place to stop with good views across swathes of fields and sketched a wat...

It’s all a bit slow really. Any decent birder would look at my totals and think I was a bit of a slacker. I wouldn’t argue with this view really as there have been moments or opportunities I suppose where if I had just pushed myself a little bit, I might have a few more to that meagre total. Such fellows as Pied Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Common Redstart could all have been picked up 5 minutes down the road but I just wasn’t in the mood you know. This Thursday just gone, I along with all the other volunteers in the Lee Valley Park were invited to an annual awards party with volunteers recognised for their sterling efforts over the past year and an unveiling of the photography that had been selected for the Park’s calendar. The whole shebang kicked off at 6pm so I decided the best thing to do would be to take the day off work to ensure I made it in good time. So all I had to do was find a suitable location to enjoy a few hours birding. So it rains. Well it rains in the fog to be precis...

The last day of August is quite a significant date in the birding calendar. It closes that rather slow moving book of summer and opens a thriller of a novel entitled Autumn. The first chapter opens on a scene at Old Hall Marshes in Essex. It’s early and the narrow track that leads to a small car park is travelled by three vehicles, in convoy but not together. I’m at the back of this  caravan and close the big iron gate as the two vehicles in front rumble slowing to park up. There are three of us. We all look to each other, acknowledge our presence and lock and load our various weapons of choice; binoculars, scopes, cameras and thermos flasks. The older man, from under a huge bush hat speaks first. "You both here for the 'Neck?" We both nodded stupidly and he smiled, looked to the sky and muttered something about the wrong wind or something. His mane was Steve and this was his third attempt at the Wryneck. He had good info that the best way to track the bird was to tra...

People often ask me why I like watching and recording the birds I see. To be honest, I don’t really know. I don’t really remember why birds hit the mark for me except I know it relaxes me and makes me feel good, free and most importantly, makes me feel as though I’m doing something positive to help the future of the nature around me. But it’s not all about me. I record winter thrushes for the BTO and I have started counting butterfly species I see and recording them for The Butterfly Conservation and I submit my recordings to local bird groups. I’m lucky. This doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated and disappointed if I miss something good – it’s happened a lot. But it never gets the better of me. It just doesn’t matter because there is always next year. People always give me a funny look when I tell them I’ve never seen a Puffin or at least a live one. I will eventually... hopefully. Something to look forward to I say. I would hate to get to the point where a a missed sighting or a m...

Well that was a weekend and a half. Saturday was an eye-opening adventure to Rutland Water. The 25th British Birdfair took place over three days and I was invited by Lee Valley Park to help man the stand they have along with five other members of the Park team including my good friend Brenda who taught me how to womble for freebies. You sure can collect a vast amount of 'stuff' at these fairs but there are a few gems as well. I’m well made up with the double (two stuck together) mousemat(s) I secured from the Butterfly Conservation chaps and this means I can donate one to myself when I’m in the Bittern Information Centre. Win win as they say. Got a million brochures from bird trip companies that think I’m a millionaire. You should see the cost of some, no, all of them. Certain people managed to find free alcohol too but I restrained myself as I wanted to remain the consummate professional that everyone knows me for. Dawn showing excited fair attendees where they can find ...

Blimey. Every year there are certain days that stand out from the main as memorable and incredibly satisfying. Yesterday was just such a day. For a few weeks I had been planning a birding trip and had my eye firmly fixed on Kent. Specifically Oare Marshes – one of my favourite sites – and Grove Ferry, more for the delightful watering hole than anything else but the reserve has been good to me over the years so why not? My good friend Ed was riding shotgun and I would pick him up from his home close to Brentwood. Now Ed is pretty brilliant at many things; it could be Star Wars trivia, BBQ’d kebabs or knowing how to design the interior of a double decker bus. But on this day it was his ability to make the most amazing bacon butty breakfast. We got down to Oare around 8.30am and already there seemed a larger than usual gathering of camouflauge. Now camouflage isn’t always easy to see but when most of it is squarely positioned on the road with huge tripods and rucksacks then it doe...