Nocmig Confusion

What a summer. After a couple of weeks laid up with the lurgy that I thought might have been 'the Covid', I think it was just one of them summer colds. I've still got a heavy chest.  What with that and the relentless poor weather I've struggled to find much to write about. Even my notebook is a bit thin but here goes the update so far.

26th June, thick fog decended. That puts the kybosh on most things but on this occasion a few Sandwich and Arctic Terns flew over our house quite low calling as they lose sight of the actual coast.  

A poor juvenile Song Thrush made a bang as it crashed into the kitchen window unfortunately. I decided to draw it, life sized...

Song Thrush a window casualty.

Friday 28th June, on my way to work a surprise Red Kite very low above the road at Red Row was nice. It was so low it became at risk of being another casualty but luckily it dodged the bullet so to speak...Kites may well be the new Black headed Gulls around the rest of the UK but in this black spot they are still very much noteworthy.

On Saturday 29th June at midnight there was a bit of a mystery unfolding.

I was out for Peggy's late night stroll. It was calm and still when I heard a totally unfamiliar call over towards the coast. It called once, then a gap, called a second time then another gap, then called a third time as it made its way south. Given the three clear sounds I was able to memorise the info long enough ( minutes) until I got in and added the details to the notebook before I could forget.

Then I put a tweet out to those who like to record nocturnal migrants overhead at night - Nocmig. They are more practised at this specialist field than me. From what I could tell, this was a wader, sounds like a small calidrid type on the move. Soon two replies came with Temmincks Stint? 

This is s scarce migrant of muddy edged pools so cant imagine one over here but I went straight online to Xeno Canto and checked the call there. It sounded good and I passed thanks to the responders.

I still was a bit unsure. As a Nocmig sceptic as you might have seen here I always wonder what else it may have been. You cant see it, so its always a long shot for these unfamiliar migration sounds. This kept me thinking about the so called Temmincks overhead in the night. Its not impossible but lets face it, it is unlikely.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and I am speaking to my neighbour, published bird sound recordist and all round expert in avian audibles, Geoff Sample, when I recount the tale. Straight away he says what about Curlew Sandpiper? 

I have heard them calling before but didn't remember 'my' call. Time for another check on Xeno Canto. Well I never, Geoff was spot on. Similar to Temmincks but as my note says, drier and more distinct. At that time there were a couple of Curlew Sandpipers down the coast so they were certainly out there. A much more likely fit than the stint. Interesting isnt it....

Have a listen to this link - Xeno Canto Curlew Sandpiper Flight Call try the 8th one down the list by Stanislas Wroza 22 seconds Mongolia its the clearest without the background noise. Most like my bird.

To compare try the Temmincks Stint calls here too.

Oh and as I actually heard it and didn't just hear a recording of it, it was a patch tick too!

 

The adult Curlew Sandpiper taken a few years ago has the reddish belly in this pic with a juv Curlew Sand to its right and some Dunlin.

 

Patch Golden-en.

I've not posted since week 6 while my blogging peers are going all out with tremendous content. Gavin Haig, Dylan Wrathall, Steve Gale et al all have me eagerly awaiting the next instalment while I am just floundering.

I better fill the gap...

In my last post I 'nocmigged' a Moorhen. The very next day as I took the dog out late, a Coot was yelling its metallic call loudly over the house! Another garden tick on call...I must say, the nocmiggers recording on Xeno canto of birds calling at night are a great help which has just reminded me I had a funny one the night before last that I need to look up...I have suspicions...

On the same night as the Coot, a torchlight check in the village hall pond found a couple of newts on show. Not the expected Smooth Newts I usually see, but two male Palmate Newts. I didnt have a clue they were here being a more upland species usually. Next spring I will be prepared with an aquarium to get some photos.

On Sunday 3rd I got up early and went out birding! Well I got up and had a walk around our village and to the coast path. The only thing of note in a couple of hours was a single Lesser Whitethroat that only stopped briefly before flying off inland. A Wall Brown was in the garden.

In lovely weather, there was just usual expected stuff for a few days the highlight being an influx of Sedge Warblers, not too common in my patch, but 6 arrived on 8th, there was even one singing in the wood beside our garden, that was odd, clearly a newly arrived bird getting its bearings.

It was on Saturday 9th that the real prize lay in store.

Jane and myself took Peggy for a walk down to the pond on a lovely sunny warm morning. It was quiet but very pleasant.

We were about to wander back for breakfast when a call in the trees stopped me dead. This is the standard recovery position when you hear an call that needs to be heard again.

A few seconds passed and then it came. I don't know how to spell 'phweelloo weeloo' but it was as clear as a bell up in tall lime trees behind us. I said 'No! cant be' , Jane said... 'Golden Oriole?' She has never heard one before only hearing  me on about them in the past but she just knew what the caller was... 'weeleeoo woo' again and again...we turned to follow.

I gave her the dog lead and I went ahead. As we walked along the path the bird called again but further off. We headed to where it was. As we neared, the squawking nasal squeal call came a couple of times, lower down across the burn in thick cover. The first time I have heard this call from a migrant. We took a different route to get a better angle but, after a couple of more cat calls, it went silent. The trail was lost.

Such a shame, not to have seen my 4th Northumberland and 2nd patch Golden Oriole, but it gave a great vocal performance in daylight (not on a hard drive) so I am very pleased to have it. For my first one see HERE . Its 11 yrs since that one!

Photo by Gary Woodburn of a bird John and myself found at Newton Pool a few years back. I wish mine had shown as well as this. 

An older drawing of my first Northumberland Golden Oriole that sat about on bramble bushes right in the open.

I cant believe I've had two on my own patch...

Lockdown Weekend again.

As we enter week 3 of working from home I thought an update is in order. As with last weekend apart from an odd dog walk most of the time has been spent in the gardening. I am in danger of making it too tidy! It will soon revert to its happy unkempt style as summer progresses...

Down to wildlife. Like every other birder in the UK I did fancy a Common Scoter on the garden list as many were on the move, migrating N in the darkness, only detected by call, but didn't have the commitment to sit for hours in the dark on the off chance, so I just popped out for a listen occasionally. I was out for a duck on this front, hearing only Golden Plover, Curlew, Tawny Owl and possibly Teal but cant be sure on that one.

The Nocmiggers all did well while they were in bed. I've seen some great comments on that front too. The best for me was one that said something along the lines of 'Of course you can tick it, after all you have gone to the trouble of setting the equipment up outside then listening back to it' . Mate, you have not seen or even heard that bird, you have heard a recording!

Another comment suggested that 'Observatories count them so yes you can tick them' Durrr... er no... the obs add them to the site record which is different altogether. Say, if you move into a house where the previous owner recorded 100 species before you. You wouldn't add them to your list but they would be the start of a house list because they had been recorded on that site.

Is it just me? this isn't rocket science. Imagine on a day in early May and you have a team out doing a county bird race and you are going for a new record. Just get half a dozen sets of nocmig kit borrowed, set them up at midnight on local migration hotspots etc and the next day add the species to your actual list. You will obliterate the record!

To be fair, I am quite interested in the night time stuff, but its the reaction of the people that irks. I will approach this subject again I bet...

Right enough of that, back to the real stuff.

Leveret in its form.

The adult Hare and the leveret.

Grey Partridge from our drive.

On Saturday, 31 Pink footed Geese flew N, followed later by a pair of honking Canadas. A Linnet flew south while the mammal list was quite good. We had 2 Hedgehogs, 4 Roe Deer, a Brown Hare and its leveret and a Bank Vole.

First thing on Sunday a line of 4 ducks was flying fast N. A quick glance with the bins was quite surprising with 4 imm redhead Goosanders, only my second record for the garden after a pair flew south one New Years day some years back. At the same time, a female Kestrel flew south, then later a male was out the back field. My first Peacock butterfly of the year was the only insect.

Lockdown Garden List stands at 50 now and am still missing Mistle Thrush, Siskin, Redpoll Common and Lesser black backed Gulls and most summer migrants though a single Swallow and a Willow Warbler were only a few hundred metres away when I took Peggy for her walk to the coast path this morning so they wont be long in becoming additions. Hopefully.