The Bigg Bird Forum

[JohnD]

We panicked a bit because we couldn't find our membership cards but went anyway....turned out it was a free day.....today.

From the minute we entered the shop, it was possible to start seeing birds and there were telescopes there to view a variety of birds including red grouse , a new addition to my lifetime list , and I made a second almost the moment we got out onto the reserve proper with a redpoll.

They had Bittern on the list of birds on the reserve....when I asked about it in the shop I was told they were very shy.....

The star point on a cold and not very nice day from a weather point of view was the restaurant, four of us had four different meals at under a fiver each and they were hot, generous tasty and satisfying and all things that meals ought to be.....

WE might not have spent a lot of time birding but we shall be going back.

[Strixaluco]

It sounds interesting - must remember Old Moor if we're ever around that way.

[Eddie]

A redpoll, nice, i've never seen 1.

Eddie

[JohnD]

Eddie said he'd never seen a Redpoll....neither had I till yesterday but I wouldn't have known if a guy with a camera hadn't sneered at my not knowing what it was as if it wasn't worth bothering with......I must admit two things bothered me when I looked it up, one was the colour, this seemed to be much paler than the pictures would lead me to expect, the other was it was solitary, and three or four publications describe the bird as gregarious and sociable..so should I delete Redpoll and write Arctic Redpoll?

[Strixaluco]

Some info about the Arctic Redpoll from my BirdGuides CDrom:

A rare vagrant, which occasionally occurs in much larger numbers, such as in 1995 when 155 occurred and 1991 when there were 63 birds. There have been 460 records in Britain and Ireland up until the end of 1995.

There is a tendency amongst travelling birdwatchers to assume that any pale Redpoll in Arctic Scandinavia must be an Arctic Redpoll. This is certainly not the case, especially on Varanger Fjord in north Norway where Arctic Redpolls are far outnumbered by the northern race of the Redpoll. These so-called 'Mealy Redpolls' can look distinctively paler than Redpolls from further south but only rarely do they look as white as a true Arctic Redpolls. The key features to look for before ticking off Arctic Redpoll are the relative lack of streaking, around the sides of the breast and especially on the undertail coverts, the pure white unstreaked rump and a bill that looks as though it has been squashed into its head.

[JohnD]

Thanks for the info on Arctic Redpolls.......I am beginning to learn to trust what I see and to question what I am told a little more...... from what I have read however unlikely it might seem I think the Arctic R. must at least be a possibility....

[Pete]

could be Common "mealy" Redpoll they are paler. but prob lesser.

[Pete]

[Eddie]

[Wendy Woo]

Hi all from a Middlesex Newbie.
I spent a great week at Old Moor as a residential volunteer for the RSPB back in October 2005. The week I was there I was lucky enough to see a Spotted Crake. There was also an escaped Harris Hawk there at the same time but it'd moved on before my week was up.
Old Moor is a beautiful place to visit. There's alot to see. I mainly done scrub clearance but also kept the hides tidy and advised visitors. Because I was residential and stayed on site I was the first one in the hides every morning, magical

[JohnD]

Hi Wendy, welcome to the Forum,
Being a live in volunteer on a reserve sounds good..... What does it involve?

[Wendy Woo]

Hi JohnD. Being a residential voulunteer is like being on a working holiday. All you pay for is your food and you have to make your own way there. You're expected to work 5 of the 7 days your there, and depending on your skills that could be admin or outdoor work. Once you're on the RSPBs books you receive a new volunteers brochure every Dec/Jan. You can volunteer from a week to a year.
Last August I was meant to do a week on Operation Osprey at Loch Garten but had to cancel when I fell ill. The Ospreys had already flown tho so didnt miss anything except alot of tidying up and closing the centre for the winter.
Would recommend it anyone. The RSPB website has more info.

[marriottmr]

Wow, residential volunteering sounds fun, may well have to look into that as a break some point soon, good way to have fun and save the pennies methinks!

Old Moor is my local reserve and a fab place, I'd recommend it (and the cafe) to anyone. Lucky enough to see a peregrine the other day, quite surprised by this but that's the nice thing about being a newbie, there's plenty to surprise me yet!

Does anyone know much about the other two local spots which I think are associated with Old Moor - Wombwell Ings is one. Are they worth a visit?

Cheers
Mike

[Wendy Woo]

Hi Mike,
As part of my stay at Old Moor I also done a days work at Fairburn. I was there at the wrong time of year but was told it's a better place to see (and hear) the Bitterns than Old Moor.
A bit smaller than Old Moor but with lovely wooden walkways so very good for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Back in Oct 2005 it was discovered there was a small group of harvest mice had moved in. Man-made nests of old tennis balls had been placed in the reeds and rushes, and although no mice moved in they must've been inspired as they made their own nests nearby.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/index.asp

Volunteer brochure can be downloaded from this link.

Wendy

[marriottmr]

Thanks Wendy - is Fairburn the place up near Castleford? Would love to see a Bittern. Would also love to see a bearded tit, at both my recent visits to Minsmere and Blacktoft I was told to expect them and didn't. Anticipation makes it all worth more though...

Mike