I Got The Twitches

  Okay, I'll just start by saying I am not a twitcher.I am just a regular Birder who enjoys being in the company of any of our Avian friends whether it be Goldfinches in my garden or skeins of Barnacle Geese flying in from Svalbard to Winter in the UK.
 Due to health, work and finances I am not someone who is able to drop everything and spend hundreds of pounds rushing up to the Outer Hebrides to try and see an Eastern Kingbird for instance(though I'm sure it would be very nice to do).If something interesting turns up a bit more locally then I think it would be rude not to go pay the feathered traveller a visit ;)

  Twitch One (Sept 2016)

  A few weeks ago a large blue chicken arrived in my county of North Lincolnshire.At the time I was still in Ireland and so had to hope it would stay til I got back(I didn't need to worry as 6 weeks later it is still there lol).A Western Purple Swamphen(usually found along the Mediterranean and Southern France)had decided to drop in to Alkborough Flats just 20 minutes from my house so after arriving home from Ireland at 12.30am on Sunday morning (due to a 2.5hr delay on a 40 minute flight) I was up and out by 7am in hope of seeing it.
  When I arrived at Alkborough Flats a group of birders and twitchers(as some had come up all the way from Hampshire) were already in attendance along with tv naturalist Mike Dilger who was filming for BBC The One Show.It's always great to catch up with Mike who is also a patron of the Spurn Bird Observatory.They had already got some good footage of the "Moorhen on steroids" as Mike put it and was now chatting with birders to edit into the clip for the program so I got my 3 seconds of fame on tv lol.
  My very brief The One Show appearance on BBC1;)

 The Purple Swamphen was a bit too far for my camera lens to get a clear shot so this is what one looks like just in case you see it on a lagoon near you :)

  Twitch Two (Oct 2016)

    Anyone reading newspapers, watching the news or social media may have noticed the first UK appearances of a few Siberian Accentors over the last couple of weeks.One such bird landed at Easington near Spurn Point, a regular birding patch of mine especially during migration, so a trip had to be made.
  We arrived at around 7am just as the morning light was waking and walked down the lane to join a small queue of impatient birders.We were soon joined by fellow Hen Harrier heroes and young birders Findlay Wilde(with chauffeur and Mum, Heather) and Georgia Locock.
  The Siberian Accentor was very accommodating, foraging just a few metres away in between getting hassled by the local Robins.It's mind blowing how such a small bird can make it to the East coast of Yorkshire all the way from Russia and the Far East.
  Siberian Accentor

  Findlay & Heather Wilde on the left having one of those birding moments you never forget :)

   Not only did I have the privilege of being within feet of the Siberian Accentor, I also saw my first ever Shorelark too in the scrub along the beach.
Shorelark

  Other birds around Spurn included Dusky Warblers, Pallas's Warblers, Raddes Warbler, Ring Ouzels, Tundra Bean Geese and hundreds of Goldcrests, Fieldfares and Redwings.Spurn is truly a Birding mecca.
Goldcrest

  If I go to find a rare bird in my local area does that make me a "twitcher" or just an enthusiastic Birder? I'm not there for a life tick, I just want to marvel in the diversity of bird life that we are fortunate enough to share the British Isles with :)

Thanks again for reading and for getting me past 10,000 views :)

Rats, they're not that bad are they?

  Yes, this is a quick write up about Rats.I think it's safe to say that most people's love of Nature does not extend to these highly adaptable, furry fast multipliers (in a breeding sense not Mathematics) Myself, I think they are fascinating to watch.People see Rats and think of disease or their voracious appetite but they are capable of amazing things.
  Just read about HeroRATS which are put through months of training and save thousands of lives through mine detection and TB detection and you realise how incredible these rodents are.You can even adopt one on their website below ;)
https://www.apopo.org/en/

  I live next door to one pub and almost opposite another one so I occasionally see the odd Rat in the garden trying to reach the bird food but this week I had the chance to watch a whole 'mischief' of Rats, the most I counted at once was 13 scampering around.They were taking advantage of the food on offer at a feeding station in a Yorkshire Nature reserve.

 
  This tree stump of food was the main prize with up to 6 Rats on the top at any one time.A larger Rat(I will call Hulk after the wrestler Hulk Hogan not because he was green) arrived and started to take control.

  This dominant Rat seemed to sniff every other one that climbed on to the stump.If it passed its "smell test" they were allowed to feed if they didn't , it resorted to fisticuffs followed by being unceromoniously thrown off the stump.A bit like a Rat Royal Rumble, hence the name Hulk.
  The sniff test

  Fisticuffs

  Dumped off the stump.

 I continued to watch their behaviour with interest with the younger, smaller Rats foraging around the stump and on the ground under the bird feeders.These younger ones were very wary of the Moorhen brigade and if they came too close the Rats scarpered off down their holes.

  

  Keeping an eye out for those pesky Moorhens.

  While watching the Rat entertainment another couple walked into the hide but as soon as the woman saw the Rats she turned and walked straight back out with her partner close behind, saying to us "She really hates Rats!"  lol

  They end up as prey victims for everything from Birds Of Prey, Foxes, Stoats, Weasels, Grey Herons and Scottish Wildcats so they do have a role to play in our ecosystem, even if there are maybe a few too many (estimated UK population around 80 million).

  Next time you come across a Rat, instead of hitching up your skirt and jumping on to the nearest bench ;) just observe it for a minute and appreciate its tenacity :)

  Thanks for reading :)

  

  

30 Days Wild:Day 29 - Tigers at 100

                                                               










  Before we get on to Day 29 I would just like to say that this is my 100th blog post with more than half been posted during 30 Days Wild 2015 & 2016 so I just want to say a massive Thank You to everyone who is one of the 8760 views and has taken the time to read through any of my blog posts and look at my photos since I began my wildlife blog. :)

  As you can see from the pic above today was a slightly wet day but even with the pouring rain we wanted to get out and spend some time with the Big Cats and maybe a Bear or two so off we set for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park.We have been annual members since just after its opening and it has changed a lot from a park with a few old wooden aviaries containing Squirrels and then the rescue of the Lion pride from Europe.It is now one of the best managed Wildlife parks in the UK that also does a lot for conservation through the Yorkshire Wildlife Foundation.

  

https://yorkshirewildlifepark.com/

  Of course we would all prefer to see wild animals like Amur Tigers, Leopards & Lions in the wild but due to the destructive nature of the Human Race their populations continue to decline.

  Anyway back to the Park :) I always looks for birds(wild ones) when wandering around and am at 42 species so far seen at the Park.Today though due to the heavy rain I didn't see much bar a few Jackdaws, Swallows, Mallards, Mute Swans and Pied Wagtails.
  Pied Wagtail with food.

  One of the recent additions to the park are a pair of Giant Otters, though today and not for the first time, a person next to us watching them said they were Seals lol.I thought the large sign next to them saying "Giant Otters" might've given it away.

 
    The majority of the Lion pride were not too impressed with the weather and prefered to stay snug in their shelter and catch a nap.

but the mischievous Brothers were out keeping an eye on things.

  A quick shake to disperse some of the excess rain water.

  Three of the four Polar Bears now at the park were slowly following each other between the large enclosures.

  The main reason of our visit though was to see the Amur Tigers.Vladimir, the two girls, Sayan and Tschuna and the three very grown up cubs.Vladimir , we have known nearly all his life as we first saw him at a few weeks old in Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore before he was transferred to Yorkshire. They are part of the European Breeding Program as there are thought to be less than 500 Amur Tigers left in the wild.
  Vladimir

   Vladimir getting some love.....

 ...though I don't think he was too impressed with getting a love bite lol

  More pics of the Amur Tigers.

  These are just stunning animals and need our help.You can help too :) There are a few Tiger charities that work to protect Tigers and their habitats in areas such as India, Sumatra and Russia.
 We are walking to raise money to help Tigers in India through projects done by Tiger Awareness, just 3 weeks til our walk so still time if you would like to donate and help protect these iconic animals and their habitats and help reduce Tiger-Human conflicts.
  Your help will be very much appreciated :)

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/StuartPike-MajellaFox

http://www.tigerawareness.co.uk/

  So that's it, blog 100 done with just one day of 30 Days Wild to go. Let's keep it going beyond June and see if we can help more people become aware of the beauty to be found in our Natural World and motivate them to help protect it :)

  Thanks again for reading and I hope you are still here for blog number 200 ;)

30 Days Wild:Day 6 - A Walk In The Yorkshire Sun

                                                                  

  It was a very warm , sunny day in Yorkshire so we headed over to YWT Potteric Carr for a mixture of bird watching and bug hunting.

First Bug of the day, a Green Shieldbug

  Around the ponds there were lots of Dragonflies, all Four-spotted Chasers.Majella took this photo of me taking the photos below.

.

  Lots of birds were heard but not seen including Blackcaps and a Cuckoo.Viewing was easier at the Willow Pool Feeding station.

  A couple of young Coots.

    A Magpie that had decided the original holes in the feeder were not to his liking lol

  The water in the Mother Drain was beautifully clear as usual , no Grass Snakes there this time but nice to have good views of the Roach and Perch.

  Butterflies on the wing included Brimstones, Large Whites, Orange Tips and Speckled Woods.This Speckled Wood looking a bit worse for wear.

  Walking down a trail I noticed a lot of movement in the nearby vegetation and was excited to see newly fledged Willow Warblers, 4 of them with an Adult.

    Plenty of other birds around such s Grey Herons, Tufted Ducks, Moorhen, Black-headed Gulls, Greylag & Canada Geese.

  Female Mallard, you can see the meaning "water off a Duck's back" ;) (photo by Majella Fox)

  Mute Swan

  We were hoping to see a Bittern fly by but no luck so had to be happy just watching this Marsh Harrier hunting over the reed beds.

  A few photos of different parts of the reserve.

  So overall a fantastic 3 hour walk around part of YWT Potteric Carr and worth all the (now itchy) Midge bites lol Something that really ended the walk on a high was a Mammal encounter on the access road back to the centre.Unfortunately I didn't get a photo but it was a Common Shrew rummaging in the grass at the edge of the road, amazing to see :)

  Thanks again for taking the time to check out my blog, lots more to come over the next 3+ weeks.