Harry's first dip

I took the family to Marsworth to look for Bittern - needed my scope so no joy on a nippy windy day
Bumped into LGRE who was on usual spotting form
Welcome to the world of dipping Harry my boy!!

Looking for Bittern

Harry not that interested...YET!!!

Granville Garden tick - GREENFINCH

A nice bedroom viewpoint sighting of a juvenile GREENFINCH this morning enjoying the sunflower seeds
Also later in the day a flock of Long Tailed Tits up on the back trees as I inspected the bird hide

Greenfinch - a first at Granville Birding!

Granville Patch first - Ring necked Parakeet

Cycling down to Tesco I spotted a single RING NECKED PARAKEET in one of the large trees - got an iPhone shot for the record.
Then another appeared - and they flew towards No 30.
I wonder when and if they will come to the feeders?

RNP from the iphone! First for Granville Road

Pheasant next door

Nice sound and sight this morning - a male PHEASANT flying from Evelyn's garden this morning while getting ready to cycle to work.
This brings the Garden species count to #25 for the year

Granville bird hotel - New facility open!

As winter is with us, the Granville Garden has a new and improved feeding selection for the birds..

With a selection of food stuffs - meal worm, sunflower seed, Niger Seed, Peanuts, Fat balls and Watering holes...

The grand total is 20 feeding / drinking points!

Species seen in December feeding:

ROBIN
GOLDFINCH
DUNNOCK
BLUE TIT
GREAT TIT
BLACKBIRD

The bird feeder 'straight' as seen from the bedroom


A great view of a Goldfinch feeding on the sunflower seeds on the nearest feeders to the house

Finch feeding on the newly installed feeders as seen from the 'Bedroom Hide'

Same bird , same feeder but from the 'Garden Room Hide'

Year tick on lovely ressie walk & brekkie with Anna

A superb morning for a walk through the ressies - for a big breakfast at Bluebell Cafe (yum!)
On the way back i recalled that there has been a RING NECKED DUCK on location for a few weeks.
Caught up with top birder Ian , and grabbed this shot through his scope via my phone!
Year list on 117 - pretty low!

Marsworth Reservoir on a glorious morning 

Long staying male Ring Necked Duck on Startops (thru Ians Scope!) 

Osprey at Weston Turville Reservoir

I finally got round to seeing the long staying juvenile OSPREY (been there at least two weeks) after a trip back from the maternity hospital (handily on the way home!)
I took the picture and video through my iPhone and the binos I had in the car.

My apologies (who to? I'm the only one who reads this anyway!) for a blatant lack of birdwatching recently - a combination of a new kitchen / dining room / utility rebuild, a baby on the way + baby room prep and a mountain of garden projects have limited my time to the world of birding.

Well at least when the baby arrives I will have loads of time to go birding! HA HA I'm so funny!

Will still be tripping out with the Bowra that's for sure

A video no less and a shot of the rare raptor in the local area.

Juvenile Osprey at Weston Turville Ressie

Bullfinch at Granville

So I awake Saturday morning, quite hungover it has to be said, look out the window and see a fleeting view of a male BULLFINCH on the back feeders eating the sunflower seeds out of the feeder.

The first one I have seen at Granville - and I saw watch I imagine is the same bird at Hillary's a few days before.

Tree Sparrows & a sparrowhawk

A camping trip with the Dening clan near Carsington Water - a very busy bird feeder by the reception hut.
Apparently they get a LSW - but I wasn't so sure of that!
Anyway, I got up before the masses and sat in the field watching the feeder to see what I would see.
Ended up with about 15 species which was quite nice - including a year tick for TREE SPARROW - and a fly by of a sparrow hawk including 2 GSW (woodpeckers)

Selection of nice pics

Here's a selection of some of my nicer shots that I intend to use as pictures in the 'Foster Nature Gallery' - coming soon! 

Fox from the hide

Sitting up the end of the garden enjoying the peaceful summer evening on the recliners, myself and Anna heard some scuffling around in the farmers field. We sent to the hide to have a look - and saw a baby fox weaving in and out of the wheat field!
No cameras to hand (DOH!) but a nice view for us both from the hide.

Birding with Rob and guest appearance from Tall Mark - South Coast June 2015

A weekend birding continued after my great start on the south coast , first stop was Lodmoor with Rob on Friday PM
Nice views and shot of a GREY HERON with an eel amongst the highlights in a slightly damp afternoon.

Grey Heron at Lodmoor with a very long tongue...

Back to the camp site to put up the tent
Tall 1 arrived and the drinking was already well under way

9 years since the three of us have been camping together! (Farmoor 2006)

Saturday morning, off to Radipole after a big fry up to clear the head
Year ticks for the day:
BEARDED TIT 
CETTIS WARBLER
Plenty of wandering around trying to see a Rosefinch - we did hear it once around lunchtime, unless that was someone else playing their app!!!!

Wren calling on the way in 

Female Reed Bunting

Family of Whitethroats 

Whitethroat - lucky escape from a sparrowhawk!

Rob looking for stuff!

Marsh Harrier nesting in the reeds

Tall Mark releasing his inner art with a shot of a plank

Cettis at Radipole - the only place you seem to be able to actually see them!

A walk along the coast produced very little except a close up KESTREL

Kestrel checking us out!

A visit to Portland Bill produced next to nothing except a GUILLEMOT and GANNET  through the scope - and a ROCK PIPIT 

Year list to #113

Chilled birding / doing nothing in the sun at Portland

Gay boys 

The evening turned into a "Tall Mark makes FIRE"

Ready 

Steady

FIRE! Thanks to a tumble dryer - who knew 

Sunday myself and Rob had a quick return to Radipole for a Rosefinch check - but nothing. 

Blue tit having a right old sing 

And off it goes

Then back home via Robs - a great weekend with my great buddies.

Hudsonian Lifer #295

On the way to a weekend camping and birding with Rob and Tall Mark, I made an early start and and headed to Pagham arriving at about 8. Had a lucky 30 mins where the bird had been located. Myself and nice chap from Maidenhead called Dave had a good search for the bird. I though I had it in the sight - a quite bright whiteish head, with darkish eye stripe. But we really needed to see the rump to be certain. As luck would have it, I was showing the possible bird to another chap and picked up my camera. Bingo the bird took off and by some complete fluke I got a shot of the read of the bird just landing.
Very fortunate to get a look at a HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL - that should be somewhere US side.
Lifer # 295.
Nice views of a few WHIMBREL too!

Hudsonian Whimbrel - the lack of the white cigar shape on the rump is the giveaway

Then on to Titchfield Haven - well the back end of if for a quick frog march to see the long staying GREATER YELLOWLEGS - the first one I have seen since the round Britain trip with LGRE. Slightly better pic this time!

GYL at Titchfield 

A good start to a weekend birding.....

Granville flowers in June

Some further shots from the garden from early June