Good numbers of beautiful, bright bramblings seen on the feeders at Binn Green, also large numbers of siskins, alongside the chaffinches, great tits and great spotted woodpecker. Mistle thrush also heard singing. We've had some great views of mountain hares - easily seen at the moment as their coats have turned white but the landscape hasn't (yet!), and a magnificent buzzard was seen flying across Dovestone Reservoir…

Today’s post is the last blog post from me as this is my last day working with the RSPB at Dove Stone as the reserve’s Community Engagement worker. What does this mean for the blog ? Well, Dove Stone’s two wardens, site manager and visitor services manager  will be posting all manner of things to the blog between them after today. Happy reading.

On to some recent sightings. Finally a new bird for the…

Time for an update  from the weekend and this morning.  On Saturday morning we had a ringing demo at Binn Green. Thirty birds were ringed, amongst them were Chaffinches, a Treecreeper, Coal Tits, Siskins, Great Tit, Blue Tits ( largely first winter birds ), Goldfinch and Blackbird.  

Recent sightings from Sunday include Dipper,Red Grouse,a female Goldcrest and Brambling as well as the usuals Goldifnch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch…

A couple of photos from Binn Green showing yesterday's Treecreeper and a nice shot of a very handsome male Blackbird.  cheers to Ken for these photos - good detail of the Treecreeper's long hind claw, this being one of the diagnostic differences between the Eurasian Treecreeper and the Short-toed Treecreeper, found in parts of mainland Europe. 

The most abundant birds in today's sightings at Binn Green in…

A quick update on today's sightings from Binn Green.  On the feeders there's been Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chaffinches, a few Siskins, good numbers of Goldfinches plus Coal, Great and Blue Tits. Feeding around the ground there's been Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Robin,  Blackbird and Dunnock. Also seen today was a ringed Treecreeper in the feeding area.  The larches have also had quite a few Goldfinches and Siskins feeding…

Bright and cold at Dove Stone today. A brief Binn Green update.  Today there's been a male and female Brambling, a Raven cronking over Alderman's Brow, Great Spotted Woodpecker,  Nuthatch, good numbers of Goldfinches, a few Siskin, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Coal Tit, Blue TIt, Great TIt, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird - male and female,  So, the 30-minute-birding list is still on 22.

Elsewhere around Dove Stone, recent…

Todays 30-minute sightings from Binn Green, courtesy of Mandy, our Peregrine-watch-person.  Half an hour well spent, starting with Siskin, Goldfinch and Greenfinch, Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Robin, male and female Blackbirds, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Jay, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch on the peanut feeder, Magpie, Pheasant, Woodpigeon and two cronking Ravens.  Nothing new to add today, so the 30-minute-birding list stands…

Continuing with '30-minute-birding' around Binn Green. No new species today unfortunately - still looking out for Lesser Redpoll. This morning's half hour gives us: Great Spotted Woodpecker, two Mistle Thrush, two Jay on the peanut feeders, a few Goldfinch but not as many as yesterday, Greenfinches, no Siskin this morning, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Blue Tit, two Robins, plenty of Chaffinches, two Blackbirds, Pheasant…

Today's 30-minutes at Binn Green.  Good numbers of Goldfinches on the feeders along with a few Siskin, Greenfinches and Coal, Great and Blue Tit, plenty of Chaffinches groundfeeding,  6 Blackbirds and a Dunnock. Also seen today which I haven't seen so far in these half-hours was a Mistle Thrush perched at the top of a Larch singing and a Jay repeatedly collecting peanuts before flying in the direction of Yeoman Hey…

Continuing with sightings from 30 minute birding - the idea being to take time out - even if it is just half an hour - from a day to connect a bit more with our everyday surroundings and discover what's about.  Here's what I saw in 30 minutes spent at Binn Green watching the feeders yesterday afternoon:

Great Spotted Woodpecker (m), Treecreeper, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, 30+ Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal…

Back to the blog posts now and I'll be continuing with the 30-minute-birding slot throughout this month - leads ( by coincidence ) nicely into the big garden birdwatch too over January 25th and 26th and promotes the whole thing about recording wildlife.  But first a quick look back at 2013's birding year. 

Personal highlights for me at Dove Stone included watching Common Redstarts and Ring Ouzel around Chew and an un…

Day 3 of the 30-minute birding slot. This morning has given us Coal Tit, Blue TIt, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Siskin, Chaffinch, Robin, Blackbird, Pheasant and Great Spotted Woodpecker on and around the feeders, all of which have been present over the last couple of days. No signs of Brambling though. Aside from birds on and around the feeders at Binn Green in my half-hour I also saw Wood Pigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow and a D…

Following on from yesterday's sightings up at Binn Green, it's day 2 of the 30-minute birding slot, the idea being to just see how much you can see with half an hour to spare. On and around the feeders at Binn Green this morning there were Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Pheasant, Blue Tit, Great Tit and Coal Tit, all of which were seen yesterday. Unlike yesterday I didn't see Robin, Brambling…

How many different birds can you see in just half an hour ? Let's find out in a new 'mini-series' on the blog: 30-minute birding. So, kicking it off this morning in half an hour spent watching the feeders at Binn Green ( and in no particular order ) I saw Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Brambling ( m&f ), Robin, Blackbird, Siskin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and a Pheasant. That's 12 birds. Some…

A quick update with recent sightings from a walk around the main trail at Dove Stone over the weekend.  This Sunday was the December BTO wetland birds survey ( Webs ) so time for recording what's on the valley reservoirs at Dove Stone.  On the main res. Black Headed Gulls on the sailing club pontoon numbered 36 - fairly low really. I noticed that one of these birds had a brown head already. All else was quiet on the…

A quick update with news that there is now a large group of about 80 Brambling at Dove Stone. Over the last few weeks the numbers have been increasing and they were largely around the memorial woodland and Chew Brook. This group seen today was at Ashway Gap where there are some mature beech trees which the Brambling will be feeding from.

Other recent sightings include a Peregrine today at Dove Stone rocks,   Dipper from…

An update with a new bird for the Dove Stone reserve 2013 bird list. Walking through the woods yesterday I flushed a Woodcock, which brings our total for this year to 71. We have records of Woodcock prior to this, but this is our first record for the year.  Woodcock are extrememly well camouflaged birds that aren't active during the day, unless flushed. These are birds that are crepuscular - active at dusk and dawn, with…

A few recent sightings from around the main trail. Starting up at Binn Green around the feeding area there are good numbers of Goldfinches and Greenfinches, a couple of Brambling and good numbers of Coal, Great and Blue Tit.  Also look out for Wren, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker.  Last week it looked like the numbers of Siskin were building, however, this weekend there were very few to be seen. Watch this space for updates…

 An update with recent sightings from around the main trail.  

Starting at the main car park with an increase in numbers of Black Headed Gulls with around a 100 in number some times. Worth checking for perhaps the odd Common Gull or Lesser Black Backed amongst them. Pied Wagtails on the main reservoir dam wall and a regular Grey Heron on the res shoreline where it meets Chew Brook. On the feeders at the main car park we…

Some recent sightings from Dove Stone yesterday.  Starting up at Binn Green on the feeders plenty of Blue, Great and Coal Tits as well as Chaffinches ground feeding. Also a Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker on the peanut feeders. Dropping down to Yeoman Hey,  look out for Goldcrest in the plantations and Dipper and Grey Wagtail on the spillway that runs above the path. 

Also yesterday views from here of a Buzzard being…

A quick update with a few recent sightings of what's about, seen whilst walking the main Dove Stone trail.

Starting at the main car park and this end of Dove Stone res there's in the region of fifty Black Headed Gulls on the res itself and on the sailing club pontoons.  There's some first winter gulls amongst these too - look out for juvenile brown upper parts on the back and slightly paler legs.  Black Headed…

A quick Dove Stone update - it's been a while. So, recent sightings of Redwings and, more unusually for Dove Stone with only a previous few records, Redshank - the latter seen on the shore where Dove Stone res meets Chew Brook.

Redshank

So, Redwings. Last weekend there were two flocks of around 50 flying over Binn Green and a second group over the far side of the Dove Stone embankment. These birds will be over wintering…

A quick update on what's around and about at the moment. On the bird front recent sightings include some good raptors: two Merlins, one chasing and catching a Meadow Pipit,  two Red Kites, Peregrine, two Sparrowhawk and a family of five Kestrels.  Last year we also had good, frequent sightings of a family of Kestrels regularly over Aldermans Brow.  Kestrels are awesome little birds.  Also recently, reports of Long Eared …

Odonata. Odo- what? In ancient Greek it means 'toothed jaw', and this is the name under which dragonflies and damselflies are grouped and the name comes from the fact that their mouth parts are serated. 

Dragonflies and damselflies are on the wing from May to September with a small number of species on the wing into October and November. In the UK 52 species of odonata have been recorded with 38 of these breeding…

Sighting of the week is White Letter Hairstreak, seen next to Ashway Gap, and a first for Dove Stone's butterfly records. White Letter Hairstreak gets its name from the letter "W" that is formed from a series of white lines found on the underside of the hindwings - and it always feeds and rest with its wings closed - known as a ' lateral basker '. The White Letter has an erratic, spiralling flight…