Patch Photos

Had to take my car for its MOT this morning, so whilst waiting for it to fail, I went and walked around the harbour. Kittiwake, Great Crested Grebe, Shag and three Guillemots (all alive today) were the most interesting birds present, but nothing new. However, the light was very pleasant, so I decided to try and take a few pictures for the blog. My aim was to get a few decent pictures of some of the more common species, and not to focus purely on birds. I will then never post pictures of these species again, unless I get a better photo, or a photo showing them doing something weird.

Anyway, I will now post all the bird photos I got at the harbour:

Oooh, it's all arty and offset.

And that’s it. I got so distracted with the Turnstones that I didn’t take any other bird pictures, and these were the two best ones.

After I got bored of Turnstones, I walked down the beach along the side of the harbour wall. The harbour wall is great for showing how different species prefer different levels in the sea, and I took pictures of a few of my favourite organisms:

Acorn Barnacles - Semibalanus balanoides

Common Limpet - Patella vulgata

Rough Periwinkle - Littorina saxatilis

Small Periwinkle - Melarhaphe neritoides

A lot of the wall, as you get lower down the beach, is encrusted with barnacles, and the limpets are pretty obvious amongst them. Rough and Small Periwinkle, however, can be a little more difficult to spot. The best way is to look around the high tide mark. This is the area where Rough Periwinkles tend to hang around, and any significant crack in the wall can be filled with them, as in the picture above. Small Periwinkles, as you might imagine, are even smaller, somewhere between 4mm and 6mm at maximum size. These like it even higher up, basically above the water in the splash zone, but still favour crevices like the Rough Periwinkle. Small Periwinkles only really get wet at spring tides, which is also when they release their planktonic larvae. 

I also saw this broken Rayed-Trough Shell on the beach:

Rayed-Trough Shell - Mactra stultorum

Also seen on the beach was a dead seagull species. Unfortunately, I couldn’t pull its head off, so I will try again soon with some sort of cutting implement, as long as the body remains there.

I went back to see how my car had done and, as expected, it had failed, so I had to walk home. On the way home I saw a Peregrine fly over the cliffs near the castle, a Purple Sandpiper feeding on the rocks, and a small group of Harbour Porpoise swimming by:

Peasholm park is on the way home, so I walked through, noting the absence of the Scaup, as well as the presence of Mungo. I walked past the duck pond bit that feeds into the lake, and heard the distinctive sound of Goldcrests. I spotted them in a nearby tree, and devoted some time to trying to get a picture. Surprisingly, I actually managed it. It isn’t the best picture in the world, but it certainly is reasonable:

A little further along, I noticed a Grey Wagtail feeding in one of the recently drained ponds. Unfortunately it disappeared not long after I saw it, as a cretinous retard let their ugly stupid dog off its lead and ruined everyone’s lives. Other than that, though, it was a pretty decent morning.

Now, did Robert manage to guess yesterday’s mystery bird correctly? No. No he did not. I suspect he didn’t even bother to open his Collins and give it a decent attempt. Ferruginous Duck is what crossed my mind when I first saw it, but the iris is the wrong colour (orange instead of white), it lacks a white undertail, and the head is the wrong shape. In fact, I am pretty sure that this bird is simply an odd female Tufted Duck – a particularly ginger example lacking a tuft, and with that odd white mark on the wing, but a Tufted Duck nonetheless. A similarly plumaged individual can be seen here. So you lose points I’m afraid. So it was a ruse, a trick, some mindless shenanigans. Well my turnstone pictures are better so….

A fabalis, fabalis goose

My hours of dedication eventually paid off. I got to Flower of May at about eight this morning, and immediately saw a female Merlin crossing the road. For the next hour or so, nothing happened, there weren’t even any of the usual feral geese on the pond, so I decided to drive around some of the nearby fields to see if  I could find any feeding. I had no luck, of course, and got back to Flower of May at about ten thirty. As I drove up the road to the little car park near the pond, I disturbed a covey of about a dozen Grey Partridge which flew over into the next field. Grey Partridge seem to be bothered by people and cars more than Red-Legged Partridge are, and even a poor picture of one still evades me.

I parked up the car, and looked across the pond. The feral geese were back, but no sign of the Taiga. I got a quick glimpse of Mungo, or perhaps Mungo’s evil twin brother, but then he hid behind the bank and remained out of sight. Another hour passed, and in that time all the geese flew off north, and another birder arrived. I chatted to the other guy for a while, before deciding that the goose wasn’t going to show, so I set off down the road to Scarborough. I was just approaching Cayton roundabout when I noticed a birder at the side of the road. I quickly pulled over to see what he had found. In the field opposite were all the feral geese from Flower of May, and, just to the left, there was a small group of grey geese. I set my scope up and had a look. Unfortunately there was quite a stiff breeze, and a pretty hearty rain, and all I could really tell was that there were four Pink-Footed Geese and one other larger, orange-legged goose.

It seemed likely that this was the right goose, the Taiga, but I wasn’t happy with relying on it ‘probably’ being the right goose. At this range, it could well have been a Tundra, though structurally it seemed a little different, longer legged and longer necked, for instance. After a quarter of an hour or so, the geese flew off south…

… and I bet they were heading to Flower of May. I got back in the car, and head back towards the pond. When I got there the birder from earlier had just seen them drop onto the pond, so I quickly set up my scope and had a good look at the goose at last.

Still not the best picture in the world

The Taiga Bean Goose looked significantly larger than the Pink-Feet, whereas Tundra Bean Geese would only look a bit bigger. Of course, individuals of both races vary in size, so this isn’t always a key identification feature. The extent of orange on the bill of this goose also pointed towards Taiga; rather than an orange blob near the tip of the bill in Tundra, the orange patch was elongated back towards the head. Once again, though, the amount of orange can vary, and so isn’t conclusive. Another point in its favour, and this is a more consistently accurate feature, is the flat base to the bill. In Taiga, the bill seems pretty smooth from beak tip to beak base (where it widens only slightly), and so the beak merges with the overall head shape smoothly, whereas in Tundra the base of the beak bulges out more significantly near the base, making the bill appear more distinct from the head. These three points, added to its long-legged and long-necked appearance, make this a pretty convincing Taiga.

Last of all, the title of this blog post refers to the specific name of Bean Geese in general, fabalis, as well as the subspecies name specific to Taiga, fabalis again. The American Ornithologist’s Union split Tundra and Taiga into two species in 2007, but, as yet, the British  Ornithologist’s Union has not followed suit. “Who cares?” I hear you ask, well as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t really make any difference to me. I enjoy seeing different subspecies as much as species. There is the possibility, however, that if it was to be split into two species, both could end up receiving more protection. There are only two regular flocks of Taiga that winter in the UK, and it could be that, if split, their wintering grounds could be afforded some special status.

Taigas hate me & a new centipede

Stuart text me yesterday and asked me if I fancied spending the morning going round a few birdwatching sites in the Scarborough area. Our first stop, bright and and early, was Peasholm Lake. The lake is still hosting a Scaup, but additionally there was a drake Mandarin there this morning. Unfortunately, low light levels meant I could only obtain the filthiest and most upsetting pictures, which I will not upset you by posting here. The lake was also partly frozen over, and, oddly enough, there was not a single goose present on the lake, island, or the surroundings. Probably off feeding in a field somewhere, we decided.

Next stop was the harbour, where most of the recent cast was still present, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Great Crested Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, as well as the Shag, which stood obligingly next to a Cormorant for comparison:

We're not so different, you and I

A little different today was the Grey Seal, which kept popping its head above the surface and pretending to be either a shiny little diving bird, or a buoy. In fact, it was neither. It was a seal.

From the harbour, we went to Seamer Tip Pools, a site famous for the fact that I could never find it when I tried to get there myself. Hopefully I am now cured of that dreadful malady. Recently, Seamer Tip Pools had been home to a Hooded Crow and a Jack Snipe, but today we were instead treated to a female Pintail, which was still pretty pleasant, as well as good ID experience.

From Seamer, we head to Wykeham Lakes, which had recently been home to a Slavonian Grebe. Unfortunately there was a 400mph, -80° wind that made viewing the lake uncomfortable, so we gave up after spotting some Whooper Swans and a Dabchick. As we drove around the lake, we spotted a Hare sat in a field:

And we also saw a couple of Kestrels and a Buzzard sat in a tree only a couple of metres from the car – probably one of the best views of Buzzard I’ve ever had. Unfortunately it flew just as I got my camera out and turned on.

Our last site was Wykeham Forest, where we saw loads of Red-Legged Partridge driving in, and heard plenty of Crossbill within the forest. We checked out the ‘Shrike Clearing’ to see if the regular wintering Great Grey was there, but no sign yet.

Just as Stuart was dropping me off at home, he received a text telling him that the Taiga Bean Goose was back at Flower of May. Stuart had already seen it, and needed to get back for lunch, so I jumped in my car, picked up Rachel, and drove to Flower of May.

I couldn’t find the bloody goose. This is the third time I’ve tried and I’m sure I’ve checked every goose there. Once again, big flock of Canadas, a few Greylag, a few Canada x Greylag Hybrids, and Mungo, the Swan Goose x Canada Hybrid. I probably could have spent a couple of hours waiting, but in a fit of pique, brought on by cold, Rachel stole my hat. Then, in a further fit of pique, she took my car keys, locked herself in the car, and honked the horn until I gave in and drove her home.  On the way home I asked her if she would like to see the Mandarin at Peasholm, but, in a fit of pique, she decided she didn’t want to. I was welcome to have a quick walk round the lake to see if I could get a photo whilst she sat in the car, though. I parked up near Peasholm and, in a fit of pique, Rachel decided that she would walk round with me. At the lake the first thing I noticed was that the geese were back on the lake – but something strange seemed to be going on. On Peasholm lake was Mungo:

MUNGO!

Now, either the bird at Flower of May was a different Swan Goose x Canada Goose Hybrid, or Mungo had, with an associated group of  Canadas, flown from Flower of May (just outside of Lebberston) to Peasholm Lake (North Bay of Scarborough) in less time than it had taken me to drive. Theoretically possible, I suppose, but it didn’t seem likely. I will have to make detailed notes on plumage and try and get a photo of the Flower of May bird tomorrow. Tomorrow? Yes, tomorrow. I’m going to stake out the Flower of May pond and either see that Taiga or die trying.

Anyway, the Mandarin was still there, but sat on the bank of the island, so too distant for photos. I suggested we wait a while, but, in a fit of pique, Rachel insisted we went somewhere warm.

In other news, I took a picture of a centipede on the 3rd of December at my mum & dad’s house, and I have identified it today as Stigmatogaster subterranea, a new species for my life list and my sixth myriapod:

Stigmatogaster subterranea

Red Crested, Red Breasted & Red Throated

At present, I have not been receiving text updates from the Scarborough Bird Alert as I have not paid for the service. This is not because I have been trying to get the service for free, or because I am desperately poor (even though I am). It is purely because I haven’t bumped into anyone to give the money too, having missed the last million Scarborough Birders meetings by; A – being at work; B – falling asleep after work (only once); and C – being in Cumbria.

Anyway, fair’s fair, and I am off the service until I pay someone. This means I have to find my own birds, and also rely on the intermittently updated Scarborough Birders website. (I also have a mole on the inside that sends me choice texts, but shhh!) Anyway, the Scarborough Birders website informed me that up until the 3rd of December, a Red-Breasted Goose had been seen at Harwood Dale lake. I had seen a Red-Breasted Goose earlier in the year at Scaling Dam, and indeed assumed that this was the same bird. However, I decided to go and see it again for one very good reason – it is the most gorgeous goose in the world, even beating out Emperor Goose.

I got to Harwood Dale lake, lovely picturesque setting, and immediately located the Red-Breasted Goose feeding amongst the feral Canada Geese. I obtained the following utterly disappointing shots.

Pretty shabby quality, eh?

Digiscoping was no better. My camera isn't really very good at it.

Goose-wise, there were also six Barnacle Geese, a few Greylags and a single Pink-Footed Goose. On the rest of the lake there were seven Goosanders, two Cormorant, a Grey Heron, and a few Mallards. After watching the goose for the best part of an hour, I decided to move on to see what else I could find. (A decent-quality picture of the goose can be seen on the Scarborough Birders sighting page here)

My next stop was Hackness lake. You can’t actually get down to the lake, so you have to scope it over a fence from the side of the road. This revealed three Mute Swan, another Grey Heron, Mallards, several Teal, and four Mandarins; three drakes, one duck. Unfortunately, they were too distant for photographs. I also heard a Green Woodpecker yaffle, and a Nuthatch calling. I’ve not seen Green Woodpecker round here before, but I’ll remember it as somewhere to check out in future.

My next stop was the Flower of May caravan site. There is a pond right next to the entrance, which often attracts winter geese that are passing through. I had been told that a Taiga Bean Goose had been favouring the pond for a few days, but unfortunately, there was no sign of it today. These geese subspecies seem to have it in for me. Anyway, at the pond I saw a small group of Wigeon, six Redshank, eighteen Golden Plover flying around in the distance, and a few hybrid geese. Two of the hybrids were the common Canada x Greylag Hybrids, but one was a bit different. It looked bigger than the other geese, with a longer neck, with a gradient of colour from the back of the neck to the front, a small white extent of feathering above the bill, and muddy yellow/orange legs. Once again, this was a goose that I had history with. This was Mungo. I first saw Mungo on the 6th of February this year, and thought it a pretty odd looking beastie. Another birdwatcher in the area tentatively suggested Hawaiian as an ID, but when I checked this later it was obvious that this was incorrect. After sheer minutes of searching, I decided that a Swan Goose x Canada Goose Hybrid was the best fit, but I had no way to confirm it. Luckily, after a short period of time, it showed up at Peasholm Park, where Steve obtained this stunning image:

Mungo!

Anyway, other than Mungo, the Swan Goose x Canada Goose Hybrid, there was nothing more of interest here, so I moved on to Scarborough Mere.

I didn’t spend long at Scarborough Mere, if I’m honest. I had things I needed to be doing at home. So why go? Well, I’ll tell you. I have a strange fondness for a group of geese that hang around near the carpark begging for bread. They are a really horrible mixed group of Domestic Greylags, Domestic Swan Geese, various hybrids of the two, and a Greylag Goose, called Cloppy, that has the top of its beak missing. They are like a family to me. After checking they were all okay (I will get some pictures for you another day, you voracious readers you) I had a quick scan around. “Aha! What’s this?” said my brain, as my view alighted on a drake Red-Crested Pochard. “A Red-Crested Pochard” it thought. Unfortunately, despite it being within inches of my camera, the pictures are rubbish:

Need to learn to use my camera really.

I then returned home, and nearly stood on a dead Collared Dove on the path.

Dead dove

Still dead

If anyone knows what might have killed the poor thing, then answers on a postcard please. My guess is a horrible cat, but if anyone thinks they know better, let me know. (My guess would also be cat. If anything had caught it to eat then they would have started on the chest. The only other possibility is that a bird of prey killed, then was disturbed before it started plucking)

I then spent the afternoon being constructive, washing carpets and wiping things indiscriminately, as people with homes do.

Later on, I managed to convince Rachel that a walk around the harbour would be invigorating and exciting, so we went for a wander. The first birds of interest were the numbers of Turnstone around. Throughout our walk, we must have seen close to forty altogether. Anyway, quite a lot were hanging around near where they clean & sell the fish, watching a lady washing out the shop floor with some interest. The following picture amuses me because they look like they are considering mobbing me, but really, they were after Rachel’s fish sticks.

The Turnstones are massing!

Near the mouth of the harbour I saw a couple of birds swimming and diving in the sea. I called Cormorant, Rachel called Diver. Of course, Rachel was right. Two Red-Throated Divers:

Turning back and facing back into the harbour, a winter-plumage Guillemot could be seen up against the rear of some moored fishing boats. A Shag popped up quite close, the first I have seen in the harbour, allowing me to take this picture:

Rachel then spotted a gull in the water, and asked me what it was. It was clearly a Black-Headed Gull, but I had a look through the binoculars to humour her. Unfortunately, Rachel’s uncanny ability to make me feel like an idiot was working in force, and the gull turned out to be a Kittiwake in winter plumage. A Kittiwake in the harbour in December? Who’d a thunk it?

A Great Crested Grebe was also popping up regularly in the harbour, but too distant for semi-decent photos. A Rock Pipit was also bobbing about, but as the light dimmed getting an unblurred photo was becoming quite difficult. We had a quick look at the Purple Sandpiper roost…

… which held at least 31 birds. Rachel spotted another Guillemot in the sea, and that was pretty much it. Another thin gto mention though was a gull I saw and photographed near the Turnstones. At first I thought it was just a 1st winter Herring Gul, but the pale head and neck seemed unusual. It didn’t seem like a 2nd year or later Herring Gull either, with no sign of any grey feathers coming through on the back. I’ve put a copy of the picture on Birdforum, where I will obviously be proved wrong and it will just be 2nd winter Herring Gull after all, but I will put a copy on here for my dear readers as well, so you can laugh at my ignorance.

Weird...

UPDATE: I have also added pictures to some of my recent pictureless posts. Reread, and enjoy!