Rowlands Gill Birder: I Love my HOBBY!

Decided to go and give Digiscoping a blast today as the weather was sunny and low winds. I set off up into Chopwell Woods, walking around a couple of the fields on the way produced 2 Red Kites and 2 Common Buzzard and a female Pheasant with 4 chicks.

Moving into Chopwell Woods I pass around ten Cherry trees so I checked them for Hawfinch with no joy, no harm in looking. As I was walking along a Weasel ran across in front of me. I stopped and tried to squeak it out but it was gone! That technique never works for me.

I went up to what I will now call my Raptor Viewpoint. It overlooks part of the wood and also part of the Derwent Valley. While setting up the scope and camera I had an obliging Robin singing so I started to practice scoping on that with mixed results, most of my shots were over exposed though.

Robin singing away

There was also a Willow Warbler further down the plantation and I got some pictures of that as well.

Things got a bit quiet for a while so started faffing on with focusing on out really. Seen a small bird land miles away on top of one of the firs so a got one snap and then had a proper look through the scope. Spotted Flycatcher! It didn’t stay long and by the time I went to get another picture, it flew off up the valley.

One word...Mint!

A group of people came shortly afterwards and started bombarding me with questions about what I was doing. So, I kindly told them and carried on birding, I looked down the valley to see a hawk in the distance chasing Hirundines. I took the camera off the scope and picked up something I didn’t expect, a HOBBY! After the swallows evaded the bird it then had a direct flight path straight over my head, the barring and the rusty red undertail coverts in clear view looked the tits!

I headed down to the river to try and get some dipper shots and while I was there I found a Kestrel nest mid way up a pylon. The nest had 3 newly fledged young hopping about doing small flights.

Also down at the river I had nesting Chiffchaff, Willow Tit, Grey Wagtail and Bullfinch. I also found hundreds of tadpoles in the river, never seen so many in the small pool made by the river.

On my way back home I found a superb Nuthatch nest with the adult coming in, right on cue to feed the young and on the exit a faecal sac was carried away. At the bottom fields at Lintzford I had 3 Red Kites for company and found some Small Tortoiseshell Caterpillars.

Absolutely mint days birding and some great new patch ticks, just last week I was complaining about the lack of good birds on the patch. I take it all back!