About

My name is Pete Mella. I’m an amateur nature-watcher who lives in Sheffield, and this is my blog where I’ll jot down my thoughts, observations and anally-retentive lists based on my wildlife-spotting activities. Posts from 2006-2007 can be found in the old blog at http://sheffieldwildlife.blogspot.com.

Various wildlifey things I do include:

I’m a committee member of the Sheffield Bird Study Group, and design and edit the group’s Bulletin. I will also be contributing a section to the group’s 2009 annual report.
I provide a regular wildlife-watching column to Sheffield Wildlife Trust‘s Kingfisher magazine.
I write occasional ‘Go Birding’ walks for Bird Watching Magazine.
I’m a volunteer events assistant at RSPB Old Moor.
I conduct an annual Breeding Bird Survey for the BTO at Damflask Reservoir, Sheffield.
I’ve just completed a Certificate in Environmental Conservation at the University of Sheffield.

My main passion at the moment is birding, but I’m also learning about the rest of the natural world! I’m sad enough to keep birding lists, which I’ll keep posted on this blog. Sorry.

By day I work at the University of Sheffield as a Technical Assistant, helping people learn to use new media among other bits and bobs. I’m also interested in indie and unsigned music, and in a former life used to edit Sandman Magazine and run the L2SB local music website.

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16 Comments »

16 Responses

on January 18, 2008 at 12:32 pm | Reply Nick

Hi Pete,

I’m an avid reader of your blog as I live in Lodge Moor and share a passion for wildlife. In fact we had a little race going with our bird spotting lists last year. I discounted your Rhodes spots but I reckon you ended the year one ahead at 130.

Anyway just wanted to say I like the new site – I’m developing mine using WordPress at the moment. But whilst your blog works in Firefox it seems to fall apart in IE7 – not sure if you have tested it in IE7? I think the problem may be that FAT Birder Web ring being too wide for the space it has in the right hand div.

Hope you don’t mind me mentioning this.

Meanwhile back to the spotting list race – we’re just back from a holiday so Crow, Chaffinch, Mallard and Blue Tit is it at the moment – a miserable start to the year but I’m still jet lagged!!
on January 18, 2008 at 1:12 pm | Reply PMella

Hi Nick,

Thanks a lot for the comments. It’s great to know people are reading. I’m afraid I make it 132 last year (two of my Rhodes birds – Wheatear and Peregrine – got spotted in Britain later on)! I’ve made a good start this year, but got most of the easy ones out of the way so things will start to slow down now – you shouldn’t have a problem catching up.

Thanks also for mentioning the problem with IE – I’m using IE7 myself and it looks fine, but I have quite a large resolution on my monitor which may explain why it works for me and not you. I’ll see if I can change the Far Birder code to split it up.

Let me know when your site’s up and running and I’ll link to it.
on February 11, 2008 at 8:46 pm | Reply Mike Gillett

Hi Pete

been reading your blog since stumbling across it googling for the site of the mandarin, which turned out to be 2 mins from where i live !

have you been to Lound gravel pits near retford – very good site & would probably boost your year list a bit without going too far. Here’s the website -http://loundbirdclub.piczo.com/?cr=5&rfm=y
Shame not bit closer otherwise would be my local patch.

I havent seem any waxwings locally this year – there were lots 2 years ago – they were a garden tick!

Cheers
Mike
on February 11, 2008 at 9:46 pm | Reply PMella

Hi Mike,

Cheers for the comments! That site looks great – I’ll definitely have to have look up there at some point.

It’s annoying that the big waxwing invasion was winter 2005 – this was just before I started birding again properly, and before I knew about the right places to find out about bird sightings. There were a few hundred, apparently, a ten minute walk from my house!

There’s still (just!) time for a waxwing invasion, fingers crossed…
on March 5, 2008 at 2:28 am | Reply steven mortiboys

Pete,

I am really impressed with this blog. I’m not much of a bird watcher, but I appreciate your drive for wildlife. There are tons of birds around here, and I cant tell you what most of them are, but I can tell you from late spring to the end of summer our apartment complex is home to probably 20 different Hummingbirds.

Keep up the good work.
on March 11, 2008 at 10:03 pm | Reply Jane

Hi. My first time here. I’m not very good at lists… but I like your blog. I especially like the bit about “your patch”. Hope you don’t get too blown around by the coming storms! (we’ve had our fill over the last couple of days… down in Dorset). Jane
on June 12, 2008 at 5:32 pm | Reply Dave

Hi Pete ..

Congrats on a very interesting website, Ive just started birdwatching and my usual haunt is Wharncliffe Wood, and Wharncliffe Chase.

I was wondering if I could ask a bit of advice either from yourself or from anyone else who would like to contribute. I,m looking to buy myself a decent pair of binoculars say, £200 ish . There are so many different types that I,m completely stuck as to which ones I could consider. The ones I,m currently using are 8×25 but I struggle with the field of view when trying to find a small bird in a tree for instance. They are nice and compact but the restricted view makes them a bit frustrating at times.

Any advice or suggestions on a particular model would be most welcome

Thanks

Dave
on June 12, 2008 at 7:41 pm | Reply Pete

Hi Dave, cheers for the comments.

I may not be the best person to ask, as both my pairs of binoculars are quite cheap models. I have a pair of Bushnell H2O 10×42, which are a good sturdy budget brand that are fully waterproof, and set me back about £100. They’re not very good in low light, though, and for your budget I’m sure you could get better ones.

My other pair are Opticron Taiga 8×25 which are superb little bins for the price (I got mine for £60) but obviously you’re wanting to upgrade to something a bit bigger.

So I’ve just tended to use the ones I can afford at the time so I don’t really have much advice beyond that, but perhaps your best bet would be to visit Birdforum at http://www.birdforum.net and ask on there, as there’s always tons of people willing to answer questions like that.

Best wishes,

Pete
on July 3, 2008 at 8:20 am | Reply Marcus Conway

Very interesting blog here Pete. You must also be pleased with the superzoom you seem to be getting some great results with it.

Kep em coming!

Marcus
on July 3, 2008 at 8:26 am | Reply Pete

Cheers Marcus. Yes, I’m very happy with it, it’s actually getting better shots that I imagined it would, and I haven’t even fully fathomed out all the settings yet. I’d thoroughly recommend one.
on January 21, 2009 at 12:47 pm | Reply Richard Ashbee

Hi Pete

I have been following your excellent blog for sometime now, it’s good to see what is in and around Sheffield. I live at the other side of Sheffield , near Graves Park and can agree that regular visiting of a local patch is very rewarding. Keep up the good work.

I have just launched my website at http://www.natureinfocus-ra.com and was hoping that we could exchange links. Please let me know if this is possible

Cheers

Richard
on January 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm | Reply Richard Ashbee

Are you interested in exchanging links, you can find me at http://www.natureinfocus-ra.com

Good to hear that the waxwings are still about
on March 28, 2009 at 2:53 pm | Reply Andy Atkinson

Hi Pete
I believe my wife and I bumped into you at the Malin Bridge park & ride on Thursday evening. It’s thanks to you that we were there and had our first sightings of waxwings. Today we have been up the Loxley Valley using your information as a guide and had another life tick in the form of a couple of Dippers as well as the pleasure of Grey Wagtail, Chiffchaff and two dozen other birds. A big thankyou to you for your blog.

Cheers

Andy
on March 29, 2009 at 2:26 pm | Reply Pete

Hi Andy,

Many thanks for the comments! It’s really great to know when people find stuff from reading my blog, that’s one of the main reasons I do it. Hope you got some good shots of the waxies – they were some mean lenses you were pointing at them!

There’ll be loads of good stuff arriving in the Loxley Valley soon as the spring rivals appear. If you need any tips finding anything give me a shout.

All the best,

Pete
on April 28, 2009 at 8:41 am | Reply Richard Ashbee

Thought i would let you know i have added a batch of photo’s to my website including the waxwings from earlier in the year.
I also have a blog and are keeping track of the species seen during the year from my travels around the UK.

This is being updated on a weekly basis.
Just a few species ahead of you at present

Excellent photo of the Saprrowhawk and robins

Keep up the good work

Richard Ashbee
on August 9, 2010 at 6:02 am | Reply john wantling

Pete
If that weird crow leucistic by Millsands image is yours, dated 3rd July (year?), then can I obtain a high resolution file so that I can put this image into one of my corvid photo albums for my own personal use. My albums are hard copies and not online. I cannot find a contact link to send you an email unless this is what you use. If the image isnt yours then can you tell me who took it, please, or pass this message on.
John Wantling
Rochdale