Archie's British Birding Blog Deluxe

Great Grey Shrike in Staffordshire

2012-01-02T22:52:00.005Z

With the sun shining brightly and a slight chill in the wind it was a perfect day for a stroll around Cannock Chase. The first stop was Upper Longdon where a Great Grey Shrike had set up a winter territory in an area of clear fell. Near the roadside a couple of Brambling were spotted feeding among the beechmast with a small flock of Chaffinch. We then took the path down to the valley and within a few minutes were enjoying stunning views of the handsome Lanius perched atop the sparsely distributed rotting tree trunks.

Great Grey Shrike - Upper Longdon, Staffordshire.
All photos by Adam Archer

With a bit of patience the bird showed right next to the paths that skirt the perimeter of its favoured feeding area so trudging aimlessly around the clear fell area seemed pretty pointless. Unfortunately a few birders and photographers did not seem to share my point of view though. The highlight of the afternoon was when it spotted a potential item of prey and took advantage of the breezy conditions by hovering above it for around fifteen seconds in the style of a small, monochrome Kestrel. The only other species of note was a single Raven passing through, my 100th species of 2012.

We then drove across to the other side of the Chase to Freda's Grave. At this popular site we picked up a few more year ticks including a couple of Willow Tit and a pair of Bullfinch around the feeding station. There were also good numbers of Coal Tit and Nuthatch showing well amongst the usual woodland species just inches away from the bumper of the parked cars. A quick walk down into Sherbrook Valley produced a Green Woodpecker and the odd Reed Bunting or two, once again new species for the new year.

Sherbrook Valley, Cannock Chase.

On the way back home we decided to brave the plummeting temperatures and the biting wind chill factor by calling into Chasewater for the gull roost. After picking out a couple of adult Yellow-legged Gulls it was Snapper Richards that came to the rescue by locating the third winter Iceland Gull just before hypothermia set in.

All in all it was a pretty enjoyable start to 2012 bird wise but alas all good things must come to an end.... it's back to work for me tomorrow.

New Year's Day in Norfolk

2012-01-01T20:30:00.000Z

Oh well, it's 2012 and as we packed up the car for our trip east the first species hit the year list as one of our resident Little Owls called out near The Cottage. The second species added were a couple of grotty looking street lit Rock Doves..... well feral pigeons as we passed through a spookily quiet Leicester City centre. The third addition was way more beautiful as the spectral form of a Barn Owl flailed across the A47 just before Uppingham. As we entered Norfolk a few corvid species and winter thrushes were also picked up under the first sunrise of the new year.

We made the mistake of making yet another unsuccessful diversion around Wolferton for dodgy hybrid pheasants but with more curb-crawling weirdos around than the red-light district of Amsterdam we did one almost immediately. I toyed with the idea of calling in at Sandringham to drop off a 'Get Well Soon' card for Prince Philip but as a staunch Republican I thought it would be a little hypocritical. We eventually pulled into the car park at Titchwell RSPB and a few more common species were wrapped up including an obliging female Great Spotted Woodpecker. Around the visitor centre a mixed flock of various Redpoll and Goldfinch were located high up in the alders but it was not until they dropped down to a lower elevation that we could start grilling them properly. Eventually the paler and slightly bulkier form of a first winter COUES'S ARCTIC REDPOLL was located amongst the 15 dowdier looking Lesser Redpoll. There was also at least one Mealy Redpoll with the group as they commuted between the picnic area and the visitor centre.

Coues's Arctic Redpoll
Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk.
Photo by Sean Nixon

Coues's Arctic Redpoll - Titchwell RSPB, Norfolk.
Photo by Ray Purser

Other highlights around the reserve were European White-fronted Goose (2), Egyptian Goose (2), Pintail (male), Little Egret, Marsh Harrier (2), Avocet, European Golden Plover (800), Spotted Redshank (3), Common Snipe (3), Black-tailed Godwit (8), Ruff (12) and a single Dunlin amongst the usually encountered species. Feeding along the beach there were Grey Plover (3), Bar-tailed Godwit (2), Knot (3), Sanderling (34) and Turnstone (16) whilst out on the sea we managed to pick out European Goldeneye (7), Red-breasted Merganser (2 males), Red-throated Diver (2), Great Crested Grebe (5) and Slavonian Grebe. On the way back to the visitor centre for a civilised lunch, the unusually tame Water Rail performed well for the aviarazzi in a ditch just a few feet from the public footpath.

After a period of fine dining we bid farewell to Mike Feely and his Nottinghamshire crew. They were off to Cley for some rarity action whilst we decided to concentrate on quantity rather than quality. It was New Year's Day and we needed to beat him in the numbers game.

Our next stop was the Choseley area where we added various farmland birds to our day list including Grey Partridge (3), Red-legged Partridge (10), Stock Dove (4) and Yellowhammer (12). We then drove the short distance to Holkham Hall where we were lucky to flush a Woodcock from the leaf litter and pick up some much needed woodland specialities such as Treecreeper (4), Nuthatch (2) and Marsh Tit.

We finished the day back at Titchwell RSPB and as dusk descended upon us we enjoyed the spectacle of ten Marsh Harriers in their pre-roost display as well as a calling Cetti's Warbler. We finished the day with a pretty impressive 95 species, not bad considering our late start and relaxed approach. Oh and Feely and company finished with 87 species..... West Midlands 1 East Midlands 0.

Glaucous Gull in Leicestershire

2011-12-28T20:18:00.000Z

Albert Village Lake, Leicestershire.

As it is still 'the season to be jolly', you know Christmas and that, it was time to celebrate the occasion by hunting down a 'white-winged angel' or two. The first trip of the day was a sojourn just over the border into Leicestershire to search through the Laridae at Albert Village Lake. On my stroll down to view the lake, good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare were logged along with the odd Bullfinch and Lesser Redpoll.

Initially it was not looking to good at all as the nearby landfill site did not seem to be fully operational. As a result there were not many larger gulls knocking about. There were however plenty of Black-headed Gulls loafing around along with around 40 Common Gull. After further scrutiny an adult Yellow-legged Gull popped into view amongst a small group of Lesser Black-backed Gull. Following a bit of disturbance at the tip a small influx of Herring Gulls occurred but there was still no sign of anything more interesting. I was about to call it a day when at last I picked up a near adult Glaucous Gull taking part in a bit of a wash and brush up. The northern brute showed well for just ten minutes before it took flight and disappeared towards the old landfill area.

Iceland Gull in Staffordshire

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000Z

The gull roost at Chasewater, Staffordshire.

With an earlier Glaucous Gull under my belt I was hoping to add a further trio of gull species to my day's tally including another 'white-winger'. Upon arriving at the bitterly cold moonscape of Chasewater it was not too long before a third winter Iceland Gull was picked up bobbing around amongst the numerous Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and the odd numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls. It was at this point I was joined by some familiar local faces - Snapper Richards, Phil Locker and Dan Pointon all appeared in order to help sift throughs the steadily increasing raft of avian scavengers. Despite their help though all we managed between us was an adult Yellow-legged Gull. There was no sign of either the adult Caspian Gull that Snapper had found earlier in the afternoon nor the regular adult Mediterranean Gull that sometimes appears in the roost.

Other species of interest included an immature Peregrine harassing the Lapwing flock and a small group of 6 Goosander.

Alvecote Pools SSSI

2011-12-11T14:40:00.001Z

At a cold, wet and miserable Alvecote this afternoon a drake Mandarin lifted my spirits slightly. It was only my second ever sighting of this exotic, oriental species down at the patch. The bird has been in the area for a few weeks now but is quite elusive and mobile. I finally stumbled upon it around the willow island on Upper Pool displaying to a female Mallard.

Over on Mill Pool there were 11 Shelduck, 18 Goosander, a single Little Egret and a single Common Gull.

DESERT WHEATEAR in Shropshire

2011-12-04T22:00:00.000Z

After deliberating for over a week we finally decided to brave the elements and head over to Shropshire to see if we could track down a female DESERT WHEATEAR. The bird had been present in the area since last Friday when it was initially thought to be a PIED WHEATEAR until the identification was clinched the following day.

We arrived on site at a blustery Titterstone Clee Hill during early afternoon to find up to seven Raven tumbling around the summit in the powerful and bitterly cold north-westerly wind. I could have quite easily sat in the car and admired these wonderful birds all day but a rarity was beckoning just a short distance away amongst the old quarry buildings.

Desert Wheatear habitat - the abandoned quarry at Titterstone Clee Hill

At 533 metres above sea level this particular hill is said to provide one of the best all round views in the whole of England. Despite the murky conditions we could easily make out the Malvern Hills to the south however on a clear day it is also possible to see Snowdonia to the west, the Peak District to the north east, the Cotswolds to the south east and the Brecon Beacons to the south west. The scenery is quite stunning and the area is well worth a visit whether you see any birds or not.

An impressive view south towards the Malvern Hills

There were a few other birders milling around when we arrived but unfortunately there was no sign of the bird after it had flown up towards the summit earlier on in the afternoon. Almost immediately though Nadia picked up a small, pale passerine flying towards us before disappearing out of sight. After a careful, quiet stalk towards the general area Nadia then picked the DESERT WHEATEAR feeding happily just a few metres away. Despite it being very mobile the bird showed extremely well at times. We managed to get a few other visitors onto the rarity but no other birders tended to hang around for long due to the Arctic wind chill factor. Braving the elements I hung around until the bird once again flew off high towards the summit. I headed back to the car before hypothermia had chance to kick in enjoying the sky-dancing Ravens as I went.

DESERT WHEATEAR (female) - Titterstone Clee Hill, Shropshire
Photo kindly provided by Dave Hutton

A total of three different subspecies of DESERT WHEATEAR have made it to Great Britain however assigning a bird in the field to a specific race is not really safe. Out of circa 120 individuals that have occurred here just seven of those that have either been shot, found dead or trapped have been pinned down properly. The Central Asian Desert Wheatear deserti has been proven twice whilst the North African Desert Wheatear homochroa has been recorded on four occasions. In addition there has been a single example of Kazakhstan Desert Wheatear atrogularis. It is open to debate but I would suggest that all birds which have appeared during this autumn's influx are more than likely to originate from the Central Asia bearing in mind the recent conditions that have brought us our first acceptable Eastern Black Redstarts in a while.

DESERT WHEATEAR (female) - Titterstone Clee Hill, Shropshire
Photo kindly provided by Dave Hutton

DESERT WHEATEAR fact file

As touched on above this species breeds widely yet discontinuously across the arid and desert regions of North Africa from Morocco to the Middle East, north to the south Caucasus and across central Asia from central Iran and northern Pakistan to Mongolia and northern China. Some African birds are resident but many winter in the Sahara and Sahel region from Mauritania east to Ethiopia and Somalia. Asian breeders winter from the Arabian peninsula to north-west India.

The first records drilled down to subspecies level in Britain are as follows:

Central Asian Desert Wheatear - male (shot) - Fair Isle, Shetland - 6 October 1928
North African Desert Wheatear - female (shot) - Spurn, Yorkshire - 17 October 1885
Kazakhstan Desert Wheatear - male (killed) - Pentland Skerries, Orkney - 2 June 1906

Alvecote Pools SSSI

2011-12-03T13:36:00.000Z

Life amongst the sterile winter wheat fields at Bramcote
Photo by Adam Archer

It was a pretty enjoyable birding session down at the patch today. What looked like the smaller, sub-adult Azorean Yellow-legged Gull or hybrid from the Chasewater roost made a brief appearance on Gilman's Pool. Unfortunately it flew off south-east before I could grill it with my scope properly. Also on the same pool was a flock of 9 Little Egrets, a site record, as well as 49 Goosander and a Kingfisher.

Over the road at Mill Pool there were 13 Shelduck, a female Pintail, 8 Shoveler, 12 Gadwall, 26 Common Teal and just 2 Eurasian Wigeon. Around the margins a Water Rail and 4 Common Snipe were present.

Alvecote Pools SSSI

2011-11-26T17:30:00.000Z

The common wildfowl numbers are still way down at the patch but it was great to see fifteen female Goosander fresh in this morning on Mill Pool. The Shelduck numbers have also increased to eleven birds from just two last week. Eurasian Wigeon, Tufted Duck and Common Pochard are all pretty low on the ground however Gadwall, Shoveler and Common Teal numbers were all up very slightly. Around the margins of Mill Pool a Water Rail and 3 Common Snipe were flushed. Over on Gilman's Pool there were 3 Little Egrets and a few Goldcrests hanging around with the mixed tit flocks.

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) - Alvecote Pools.

Bracket Fungus species - Alvecote Pools.

At this time of year I enjoy mooching around for some interesting funghi. Above are just two examples of many I found today. If anyone knows the name of the bracket fungus above please let me know. It was found on a mature Willow tree above three feet from the ground.

Eastern Black Redstart in Northumberland

2011-11-20T23:30:00.000Z

Lindisfarne Castle - Holy Island, Northumberland.

With two trips up to Northumberland within a week and a marathon twitch to an offshore Scottish Isle sandwiched in between I was beginning to physically resemble Phil Mitchell during his heroin addiction phase. My planned score today however consisted of a delightful little fix, freshly smuggled in from the mountains of Central Asia - a Black Redstart of the subspecies phoenicuroides or Eastern Black Redstart as it is sometimes known.

We were unable to gain access to Holy Island until around midday due to the high tide so we headed across to Embleton in the first instance. Whilst driving slowly down one of the weaving lanes we finally located a large flock of Pink-footed Geese resting up in a stubble field. Due to the distances involved we failed to pick out any Tundra Bean Geese but there were a scattering of Eurasian White-fronted Geese and Barnacle Geese amongst them. Unfortunately there was also no sign of the two adult Ross's Geese either but most of the geese remained out of view in a valley. Just before we left the area a further 60 Eurasian White-fronted Geese flew in off the sea to join the flock, no doubt attracted to the constant calling of those that were already present.

The Eastern Black Redstart twitch.

After an enjoyable drive across the exposed causeway we quickly located the school in the village and made our way down to the nearby beach. After a quick rope climb down the small cliff we were all soon admiring one of the rarest birds to reach Britain this autumn. The first winter male Eastern Black Redstart showed exceptionally well for the next few hours as it fed on a glut of insects that had emerged in the glorious early afternoon sunshine. This subspecies is a long distance migrant that breeds predominantly in the Altai and Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. Its wintering grounds can be anywhere from the central plains of India across to Iran, Arabia, Somalia and Ethiopia in the west of its wintering range. Even though it is not a 'tickable species' this bird along with another in Kent earlier in the month are the only thoroughly examined examples that have ever appeared in Britain. Four historical claims of this subspecies were rejected by the BOU on the basis that Redstart x Black Redstart hybrids could not be ruled out.

I did my own little bit for scientific research by scraping a nice 'stool sample' from one of its favoured rocks. Hopefully DNA analysis may lead to this particular bird being confirmed to subspecies level but who knows? For a fantastic in depth discussion of this particular race on Surfbirds please click HERE.

Eastern Black Redstart (first winter male) - Northumberland
Photo by Adam Archer

Eastern Black Redstart (first winter male) with its eye on the fly.
Photo by Ashley Howe

Eastern Black Redstart (first winter male) amongst the barbed wire.
Photo by Adam Archer

Eastern Black Redstart (first winter male) amongst the seaweed.
Photo by Adam Archer

Other species of note in the area were the wintering groups of both Dark-bellied and Pale-bellied Brent Geese as well as 4 Long-tailed Ducks and the occasional Red-breasted Merganser. Further towards the sea a Red-necked Grebe was found along with the odd Red-throated Diver amongst the large groups of Eider. A magnificent Short-eared Owl quartered the rough grassland between the village and the pool where small flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover were spooked by a male Peregrine that eventually showed well perched up on the impressive Lindisfarne Castle. With the light quickly fading we headed back to the car to commence the long journey back south.

A view from Holy Island at dusk.

Special thanks to Mike Feely (driver), Snapper Richards (entertainer) and Jules Allen (last minute substitute for Stevie Dunn who preferred to stay at home due to an alleged north east curse involving missed ticks for Nottinghamshire) for contributing to yet another epic ASBO outing.

Eastern Black Redstart in Northumberland - Video Footage

2011-11-20T23:29:00.000Z

VEERY - where there's Muck, there's class!

2011-11-18T23:45:00.000Z

As I sat there at work on Thursday afternoon aimlessly tapping away at my keyboard, I received a call from genuine Premiership twitcher Steve Nuttall asking if I was up for a trip to Scotland. To be honest I had not even considered twitching the VEERY that had made landfall up on Muck but Steve is a hard chap to say no to. After having a quick word with my understanding boss, before I knew it I had booked a place aboard a mystery charter boat. What the hell was I doing? We eventually set off north at 10.00pm from Belvide in Staffordshire and finally arrived in the small port of Mallaig just off the Isle of Skye at around 7.00am the next morning. Our driver for the trip, Phil Andrews was like a birding cyborg, only stopping to lubricate his joints with a spot of WD40.

After a short wait in the early morning darkness our transport for the final leg of our journey arrived and without delay a lucky few of us were being whizzed across to one of the smaller inner Hebridean islands at pace. Due to the speed of the catamaran Orion, not a great deal bird species were spotted on the crossing except for a few startled Razorbills and the odd fleeing Kittiwake. The lack of birding opportunities from the craft however were soon forgotten as news filtered through that the bird was still present. What a relief!

The view from Gallanach Farm, Isle of Muck.

Just over a hour later we arrived on the wet, windswept Isle of Muck, disembarked the craft and promptly marched off in the direction of Gallanach Farm on the other side of the tiny island. Along the way a few Hooded Crows were present along with the odd Raven and a marauding Peregrine. Towards the end of the only road on Muck we arrived at the farm and were quickly hustled towards a steaming dung heap by a few of the farm workers. Within a few seconds up popped a sweet, little VEERY, a diminutive thrush all the way from North America. Within minutes all twelve of us were enjoying the bird as it picked its way around its temporary food source.

The famous VEERY dung heap... can you see the bird?

The bird continued to show exceptionally well for the next few hours around the same place often down to just a few feet. It did fly off into the nearby garden for a short while but with such a concentrated amount of food amongst the manure, the dung heap was way too much for it to resist. A superb bird in a stunning location. It just does not get any better. Despite the fact that we were all soaked to the skin and covered in cattle excrement it was smiles all around as we made our way back to the harbour.

VEERY - Isle of Muck, Highland.
Photos (above & below) kindly provided by Steve Nuttall

VEERY - Isle of Muck, Highland.
This is only the 10th record of this species for Great Britain.

VEERY - Isle of Muck, Highland.
Photo kindly provided by Ashley Howe

Whilst we celebrated onboard the Orion with a welcome cup of hot coffee and a few Ginger Nut biscuits we noticed a few familiar faces from the West Midlands running towards us. The CalMac ferry had already lifted its ramp to depart the island but this bunch of 'tick & run merchants' needed to get on it. After a brief verbal exchange the ferry staff eventually agreed to lower the ramp again and the numpties who had spent no more than ten minutes of quality time with the VEERY made their escape with the tails between their legs.

The Orion (left) - the fastest pleasure cruiser in the whole of Scotland!

With a hour of daylight remaining we then made our way back south zig-zagging our way through the dramatic Highland glens through to Fort William. The base of Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis was just about visible through the mist as we passed through the town. After a brief stop for a fish supper in Callander and an even shorter stop to refuel I finally arrived home in North Warwickshire just before midnight on Friday night. I was suffering from a terrible case of 'bird-lag' but I was extremely pleased that I had took the gamble and made the trip. He who dares wins...... sometimes.

Veery on the Isle of Muck - Video Footage

2011-11-18T23:40:00.000Z

GREATER YELLOWLEGS in Northumberland

2011-11-13T22:40:00.000Z

It was Saturday morning. I was just preparing for a trip to the local patch when news came through of a probable Greater Yellowlegs up in Northumberland. I began to feel a little twinge of excitement. In this game a 'probable' is a good 80% better than a 'possible' and a whopping 325% better than an 'wholly unconfirmed'. Then around twenty minutes later, the heart-stopping wail of the pager could be heard resonating around the cottage. There was indeed a GREATER YELLOWLEGS fresh in at the Wildlife Trust reserve at East Chevington. It was now 11.00am and in the mid afternoon traffic we would probably not arrive on site until around 3.00pm. Taking into account the bird's skittish nature we made the calculated decision to head north the following day.

As I approached Dunnster Towers in Derbyshire at around 7.20am I received a call from the Aled Jones of birding, Andrew Kinghorn. From what I could discern from the Cheryl Cole type drawl the bird was still present and even better it was showing down to just a few yards from one of the hides at Hauxley Nature Reserve. The trouble was, we were nearly three hours away from our destination. It would be a nervous few hours as Mikipedia Feely sped up the A1 like a cross between Mr Magoo and Maureen from 'Driving School'. If you do not know what I am blathering on about then click here.

With Snapper entertaining us with his excellent impressions of various birding personalities en route we finally arrived at a muddy Hauxley Nature Reserve during mid-morning. We burst into the Wader Hide to find the usual glum-faced, scowling numpties hogging the best seats. We could either barge our way to the front like a bunch of hooligans or locate an alternative view point. With no sign of the bird anyway we opted for the latter and continued along the track to the next hide. At this point our luck changed as I noticed an old dear and her husband beckoning me into the Eric's Hide. Within a few seconds we were all set up watching our first ever GREATER YELLOWLEGS in Britain, feeding along the shoreline in tandem with a first winter Grey Phalarope. To make it even better there was not another soul there..... heaven..... but not for long!

GREATER YELLOWLEGS (first winter) & Grey Phalarope
Photo by Rob Capewell

Amazingly both birds then decided to fly even closer and landed right in front of our hide. Excellent views were enjoyed before they continued to feed along the edge of the lagoon and out of sight. Before long both birds reappeared but kept their distance due to a gang of twitchers taking up temporary residence on top of the bank. It did not matter though as prolonged scope views were soaked up to the maximum. After the much publicised Daventry debacle and the brief appearance of this species in Cornwall earlier this year, we were all as pleased as punch to finally nail this species.

GREATER YELLOWLEGS (first winter) - Hauxley, Northumberland.
Photo by Tristan Reid

After a quick bite to eat on the outskirts of Newcastle we then decided to head down to Cleveland and try our luck at Seal Sands. Upon arrival at Greatham Creek we soon picked out a smaller wader amongst a scattering of Dunlin. Upon closer inspection it was a smart, juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, a new British bird for the East Midlanders in the crew and our second American rarity of the day. Also on site were good numbers of Curlew and Redshank, a pair of Turnstone and a single Grey Plover. Another highlight was a pair of Short-eared Owls sparring with the odd Carrion Crow over the rough pasture in the distance. As always the Common Seals also put in a pretty good performance.

With the light fading quickly we headed around to the other side of the River Tees to Redcar. After a brief search we eventually found a pair of Tundra Bean Geese feeding in a winter wheat field at Kirkleatham. We headed back home to the Midlands extremely happy with our brief time in the hospitable north east.

The ASBO crew for the day.... or is it 'The Dingles' from Emmerdale?
Mikipedia Feely, Archie (me), Snapper Richards & Stevie Dunn.

Greater Yellowlegs in Northumberland - Video Footage

2011-11-13T16:06:00.000Z

Bewick's Swans at Alvecote Pools

2011-11-12T13:43:00.000Z

Whilst making my way down to the patch this morning a female Merlin passed through. This means there are both male and female birds wintering in the triangle of villages between Seckington, Shuttington and Newton Regis in the north of Warwickshire.

Down at Alvecote Pools I stumbled upon a real local rarity in the form of 9 Bewick's Swans, my first in the area since 1984 and the first ever to be found on the Warwickshire side of the reserve. The small flock consisted of 7 adult and 2 juvenile birds stopping off to refuel after their long and arduous 2,500 mile migration from the tundra regions of Russia. These birds will probably continue their journey south and spent the winter with up to 320 other birds of this species at the Wildfowl & Wetlands reserve at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.

Bewick's Swans (adult & juvenile) - Alvecote Pools.

Bewick's Swan (adult) - Alvecote Pools.

Other species of note included just 2 Shelduck on Mill Pool along with a single first winter male Common Pochard. This species along with Tufted Duck are here in surprisingly low numbers so far this year. It is no doubt linked to the relatively mild conditions on the continent this autumn. Over on Upper Pool a Little Egret was still present and around the feeders at Gilman's Pool a Coal Tit and 4 Bullfinch were spotted.

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR in East Yorkshire

2011-11-05T22:35:00.000Z

This species has been a nemesis of mine for longer than I care to remember. Most that have occurred in Britain have been 'one day wonders' during the week and twitchable ones have often turned up when I have been at opposite ends of the country. A perfect example was the time a group of us decided to head down to Cornwall for a weekend of rarity hunting during September 2006 and a bird appeared at Carmel Head on Anglesey. After planning the route we estimated that it would take us nearly seven hours to drive the 430 miles from Penzance to Anglesey. Needless to say we soon knocked any idea of twitching that particular bird firmly on the head. After an enjoyable few days in the south west seeing such rarities as WILSON'S PHALAROPE and scarcities such as Dotterel, 2 Pectoral Sandpiper, Wryneck and Melodious Warbler I decided to head over to Anglesey the following Monday morning. After showing well for the previous two days I well and truly dipped. To rub salt into the wounds there was another alleged sighting of the bird during that evening as I crossed the border into England.

Just a few weeks ago I was over in North Norfolk chasing a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL around Holme when an 'Izzy Wheatear' turned up in Sussex. The disappointment of missing out on the RUFOUS-TAILED ROBIN from the previous day increased slightly but at least the handsome Bluetail eventually showed well as a consolation prize. To add to the frustration not a year goes by when a pallid looking Northern Wheatear is misidentified as this species. The plumage differences are indeed quite subtle but having studied plenty of ISABELLINE WHEATEARS on their breeding grounds on the Greek island of Lesvos, the structure and feel of this species is something quite different.

So late on Friday afternoon news filtered through of a probable ISABELLINE WHEATEAR in East Yorkshire. Considering the bird was at Spurn and was no doubt being scrutinised by a handful of skillful birders I was very optimistic. My faith was rewarded when it was initially confirmed as such in the field before being trapped and ringed. Now would the bird hang around until the following morning? With a staggering 76% of all British mainland sightings of this species making just single day appearances, the odds were stacked firmly against me once again.

On Saturday morning I woke up early and half-heartedly sorted the birding kit in anticipation of sheer disappointment. There was no point in getting up to Spurn for first light and anyway, if the bird was still present there was little chance that it would depart during daylight hours. At around 7.15am I received a call from Spurn regular Adam Hutt. Amazingly the bird was still there and showing very well! We left North Warwickshire within minutes, collected Snapper Richards and Stevie Dunn from Tibshelf and we were on our way.

A few tense hours later we finally arrived at The Warren on the Spurn peninsula. We abandoned the car and made our way towards The Point at a brisk pace. Arriving back in the opposite direction were a stream of smarmy early birders including Mike Feely, Rich Challands, and Ash Howe. We also bumped into Rich Collis and grilled him about the birds habits and favoured location. What came back in reply was a indiscernible, garbled South Yorkshire drawl reminiscent of Vic Reeves's 'pub singer' impression. It would have been more useful asking Chewbacca his recommendations regarding a rare Oenanthe species.

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR - Spurn, East Yorkshire.
Photo kindly provided by Craig Shaw

Eventually we arrived on site to view the bird on the River Humber side of the strip. Just as we set up our scopes though the bird flew along the beach and kept heading off into the distance. Panic set in briefly before it settled down to feed once again. In flight the bird was pale and slightly larger looking than an immature or female Northern Wheatear. It also showed the bright, white underwing as it whizzed past. Some young female Northern Wheatears can show a light coloured underwing too but nothing as striking as this bird did. All of the group had scored with a new addition to our British Lists however better views were needed.

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR by Craig Shaw

As it fed nimbly around the sandy terrain the bird often showed a long-necked, upright stance as well as a longer tarsi and a shorter tail. In the field the bird had a pretty prominent paler supercilium before the eye rather than behind, a feature not particularly present in these photographs. The differences between the colouration of the upperparts and underparts were not substantial and the dark alula often stood out. We were also lucky to see the bird preen when it once again showed the white underwing along with the prominent wider dark tail-band.

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR by Craig Shaw

We continued to soaked up the bird for around ninety minutes in total as it moved up and down a section of the beach. Except for an impressive array of common waders and a few flocks of Fieldfare and Redwing arriving in off the sea there was not a great deal of other species to choose from in the blustery conditions. After a fruitless search around the Blue Bell Inn area we decided to head off into Hull and celebrate with the customary ingestion of assorted junk food before heading back down to the Midlands. After years of pain and disappointment ISABELLINE WHEATEAR had finally been nailed in Britain. It was smiles all around.

Spurn success! Me, Stevie & Snapper all scoop a British List addition.

Isabelline Wheatear in East Yorkshire -Video Footage

2011-11-05T11:00:00.000Z

SANDHILL CRANE in Suffolk

2011-10-06T20:30:00.000+01:00

With some time off work and not a great deal on the mainland to get excited about, we decided upon a quick trip to Suffolk for a 'first record for England'. I had already added SANDHILL CRANE to my British list a couple of years back with an epic trip to Orkney. Click HERE for a run down on how that particular twitch went. This trip however went a whole lot smoother and despite the bird being all the way over in Suffolk, it was considerably closer to home than my last experience of this species in Blighty.

After waiting on news before travelling we headed east at a steady pace. With the bright and clear weather conditions looking pretty good for the bird to take off at any time the long drive over was quite stressful especially as it had been in the area for a whole five days already. I had visions of it soaring high on the thermals and disappearing towards the Netherlands at any moment. We finally arrived on site at around 1.00pm and were told that it flown and disappeared out of sight amongst some cattle. It was not too long however before the bird strutted into view, an elegant yet very distant SANDHILL CRANE.

A beautiful day at Boyton Marshes RSPB - just below the sea wall.

Not satisfied with the far off views, we made our way down towards the sea wall to see if we could get a little closer. With a little patience and using a hay bale as shelter from the strong breeze we were eventually rewarded with some great views as it fed out in the open in a recently tilled field.

SANDHILL CRANE (2nd winter) - Boyton Marshes RSPB, Suffolk.
Photo by Adam Archer

After enjoying the spectacle for a while we headed off along the sea wall where we picked out a few more species for the day. Highlights included a single Dark-bellied Brent Goose, 30 Wigeon, 6 Little Egret, 25 Black-tailed Godwits, the odd Curlew, 2 Snipe, a scattering of Redshank and Dunlin as well as a single Wheatear.

After a bag of fish and chips in the picturesque village of Aldeburgh it was then time to head back home. A thoroughly enjoyable day all round.

The 2011 Sandhill Crane's movements in Britain

This bird may well have been the same individual that was initially spotted in Finland as it flew south-west over Espoo on the 5 September. It was then located in Estonia the day after where it stayed until the 8 September. The movements in Britain however are as follows:

Lothian, Scotland - 16 September - in flight south over Dunbar at 8.15am.

Northumberland, England - 16 September - in flight at Berwick-upon-Tweed over the A1 at 10.45am.

Aberdeenshire, Scotland - 22 September to 26 September - Loch of Strathbeg RSPB.

Northumberland, England - 29 September - various sites from Blyth to Whitley Bay in the morning.

Cleveland, England - 29 September - various sites from Marsden to Boulby late morning until early afternoon.

North Yorkshire, England - 29 September - south over Kettleness at towards Whitby at 2.00pm.

Lincolnshire, England - 1 October - south over Rimac at midday.

Norfolk, England - 1 October - at Snettisham RSPB late afternoon.

Suffolk, England - 2 October - initially at North Warren RSPB but settled at Boyton Marshes RSPB until 7 October when it flew high south at 10.25am.

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on the Isles of Scilly

2011-09-24T23:30:00.002+01:00

After the thrill of Monday's successful trip to St Mary's, the lure of the islands was too much considering the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was still present. So last Wednesday I plucked the old flexible friend from my barren wallet and booked a flight over to the Scilly Isles. To be honest I was pretty convinced that the bird would depart. That way I could enjoy a relaxing weekend in the Midlands and claim the majority of my borrowed cash back. Then again some other special American vagrant could quite easily turn up, after all a female BALTIMORE ORIOLE had been located on The Garrison on Tuesday.

Then on Friday morning an early report filtered through that the pond-dwelling nearctic warbler was still present. The trip was well and truly on. By 6.00am on Saturday morning myself, Steve Richards, Russ Berger and Nick Smith were hanging around the helicopter terminal in Penzance, jet-lagged and bleary-eyed yet full of hope. Before departure we picked up a trio of Mediterranean Gulls (first winter, second winter and adult) loafing around the helipad amongst the Black-headed Gulls. As we thundered our way past Land's End and over the Atlantic Ocean our hope turned to shear excitement, the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was still present.

Within ten minutes of the chopper hitting the tarmac at St Mary's airport our taxi had dropped us off at the incinerator. Just like on Monday, I was the first off the blocks and sprinted towards the Dump Clump as fast as my Wellington shod feet could carry me. Passing us in the opposite direction were a steady stream of satisfied birders who had already seen the bird. With just a few yards to go I had a choice to make. The trail to the left would take me to a slightly elevated position over-looking the Project Pool. The path to the right however would lead me to the small make-shift hide where I had watched the SOLITARY SANDPIPER from a few days before. I carried on towards the hide and almost immediately I had the target species in my scope. There it was, tail-bobbing away amongst the stagnant water, clumps of juncus and swarms of biting insects was my first ever NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH in Britain.

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (first winter)
Lower Moors, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
Photos kindly provided by Will Soar

I spun around to share my delight with my travelling companions but none of them were to be found. They had taken the path to the left where Higgo' was standing. I carried on enjoying the bird for no more than two minutes before it flew off low to the right. It was at this point thatSteve Richards appeared, his face full of abject disappointment. From where the other guys had stood the bird had not be visible! We all knew from the history of this particular bird's behaviour that the only real window of opportunity was to nail it early in the morning or early in the evening. It had been almost impossible to connect with during the remainder of the day.

To make matters even worse the heavens opened and within minutes we were all soaked, miserable and ankle deep in rotting vegetation and stinking mud. We had little choice but to head off to Lower Moors and the relative shelter of the ISBG hide until the rain abated. Hopefully whilst we were cooped up inside the leaky wooden box the elusive little critter would pop into view for the three depressed dippers.

As the rain poured down we all sat patiently in the hide for nearly two hours. The uneasy mood and disappointed silence was only interrupted by the occasional sigh and the squeak of a lens cloth wiping away condensation from either end of someone's optical equipment. The only bird species we had for company was a single Greenshank probing away in front of us. As the showers subsided we decided to head into the quagmire near Shooter's Pool where the bird had spent some of the previous week. As we trudged around checking every possible passerine movement amongst the stunted sallows, Steve Richards looked at his pager, "NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH still 10.05am at Lower Moors from the ISBG hide!" We shot off leaving a trail smelly trail of slime behind us.

Greenshank
Lower Moors, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.

As we re-entered the hide we were relayed the heart-breaking news none of the guys wanted to hear. The bird had spent a few flighty minutes a few yards outside the hide just seconds after we had left. Maybe it was us that disturbed the bird as we made our way down to Shooter's Pool? We then spent the following three hours crammed inside the hide once more. This session was slightly more entertaining however as a small, dark-rumped tringa passed high overhead and dropped down towards the Project Pool. It had to be the SOLITARY SANDPIPER and a quick call to one of our contacts on site confirmed it as such. Around Lower Moors itself a Green Sandpiper dropped in briefly but apart from the odd Chiffchaff flitting around, a single Sedge Warbler and a lone Grey Wagtail there was not a great deal of anything else to look at.

The face says it all!
Snapper Richards looks on in hope from the ISBG hide at Lower Moors.

Just after 2.00pm another message was received. The bird was present in the quagmire that we had explored earlier. The hide quickly emptied resonating with the sound of clanging tripod legs, involuntary bowel movements and wheezing birders. Amongst the panic I located a small pool away from one of the main tracks. Just as I steadied myself on a clump of relatively dry land a passerine scampered for cover over a tiny weed sodden area of water. From its behaviour it was a good chance that this was the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH but despite a thorough search we failed to locate it again. It was all beginning to get rather frustrating and to make matters worse we were running out of time. At this stage Steve took the decision to call the airport and ask them what the latest check-in time would be. There was hope. Due to a series of delays caused by weather earlier on, all of the flights were running late. We could all nail the bird as it returned to the Project Pool as it usually did during early evening. The lads remained quietly optimistic.

At this stage the weather was glorious and the waterproofs were quickly packed away. After a quick rinse of my wellies in the sea on Old Town beach we made our way up to the airport to have a quick look around and clear our heads. Unfortunately there was no sign of a first-summer Woodchat Shrike but a Grey-headed Wagtail was a nice find amongst the large numbers of White Wagtail and Wheatear that were feeding around the landing strip. Soon afterwards we located a juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper around the windsock as it was disturbed by the landing aircraft.

THE Scilly birding hotspot of 2011 - Higgo's Pool!
This is not included in any literature issued by the Isles of Scilly Tourist Board.

We then returned down to the Project Pool for a second bite of the cherry. Luckily the juvenile SOLITARY SANDPIPER was still present and tremendous views of the bird were enjoyed as it fed just a few yards ahead of us. As the clock ticked away there was still no sign of the waterthrush though and at 5.55pm we had no choice but to head back up to the airport. Despite my delight at connecting with this elusive rarity I was absolutely gutted for the lads who failed to see it. A large part of the joy of birding for me is being able to share in the thrill of encountering such a special creature with your mates. That part of the experience was missing from this trip and left a void that could not be filled.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER (juvenile) - St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
Photo kindly provided by Mark Payne

As if this story is not tragic enough as we collected our baggage at Penzance airport, Steve received a message from a source who was staying overnight on St Mary's. The NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH had dropped into feed on the Project Pool just a few minutes after we had left the site. As I write this blog a few days later, the bird is still showing well during early morning and early evening. At one stage on Sunday evening both the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and the SOLITARY SANDPIPER were joined on the tiny pond by a LESSER YELLOWLEGS. Birding can be so cruel at times!

Northern Waterthrush on the Isles of Scilly - Video Footage

2011-09-24T11:00:00.000+01:00

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER on the Isles of Scilly

2011-09-19T20:01:00.004+01:00

With both a NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH and a BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER still showing on and off on the Scillies it was all becoming way too unbearable to cope. I could handle life without the glorified Water Pipit but that bark probing, little barcode was twisting my melon. I needed to connect with her at any cost. After receiving the green light from my understanding boss I attempted to gather a crew together for the risky journey south-west.

With the usual suspects unable to juggle prior work commitments, I finally located a travel companion who was not so career minded. Due to the threat of disciplinary action by his current employer, this individual will be referred to as 'Bill Focker' for the remainder of this blog. Unfortunately poor 'Bill' had been in poor health over the course of the weekend and upon consultation with his doctor he was prescribed a full 24 hours of refreshing sea air in order to assist his recuperation. Via the medium of a well known birding based chat group we also managed to enlist another reprobate for the trip. Now ordinarily I would much sooner spend ten hours in a car with Michael Barrymore, a blister pack of Rohypnol tablets and a bottle of poppers than in the company of a good 83% of Birdforum users. My fears were soon dispelled however when I found out a like minded chap called Martin Smyth from Coventry would be joining us.

So I left North Warwickshire at around 1.30am, picked up Martin from Solihull and connected with 'Bill Focker' on the M5 for the remainder of the long journey. After a good old natter we quickly found our way to the traditional birding watering hole of Exeter Services where we chanced upon another trio of Warwickshire birders. Like ourselves they had also failed to confirm travel arrangements over to the Isles of Scilly. We therefore decided to team up and enquire whether an extra plane could be sourced to fly us over to St Mary's as soon as the booking office opened.

After some sterling driving work by 'Bill' we found ourselves at a rather damp and misty Drift Reservoir, just east of Penzance at around 7.00am. After a long walk down into the western arm we soon picked up our first American vagrant of the day as a juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS popped into view accompanied by a single Dunlin. We then turned our attention to the eastern side of the reservoir where we encountered a juvenile Spotted Redshank, a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper, another Dunlin and a lone Northern Wheatear. Unfortunately though there was no sign of the juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER that had been showing so well the day before.

LESSER YELLOWLEGS (juvenile) - Drift Reservoir, Cornwall.
Photo kindly provided by Brian Field

We then made our way through the murk to Land's End Airport to beg a plane seat. Just as we arrived though 'Bill' received a call from Phil Woollen. The scumbags at the Isles of Scilly Steaming Shit Company were far from interested in laying on additional flights. After a quick U-turn and a frustrating wait in a queue we found ourselves sitting on the dock of a bay like a trio of caucasian Otis Reddings. It was time for a three hour involuntary sea-watch aboard the Sickonian III.

The crossing was a pretty smooth affair and a few good birds were logged along the way. The highlight was a single Leach's Petrel not too far off Land's End with a scattering of Storm Petrels and Manx Shearwaters thrown into the mix. As we approached the islands the weather improved a great deal. As the boat negotiated its way between St Mary's and the Eastern Isles you could be forgiven for thinking you were cruising somewhere around the Caribbean as opposed to the extreme south-west of England. As we approached the harbour I made sure I was in prime position to disembark and as the gangplank hit the quayside I was off like a greased weasel. Within minutes 'Bill Focker' and I had hailed a taxi and soon afterwards we were both knee deep in mud at Lower Moors.

Just a few birders were present amongst the tangle of lichen covered branches and amazingly a couple of them had enjoyed a tantalisingly brief glimpse of the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH just seconds before we arrived on the scene. At this stage I was frantic and to make matters worse there was no sign of either rarities. After what seemed like an eternity but in reality was probably about ten minutes, a call went out a short distance from where I was searching. After a quick, squelchy scramble and a jostle for a viewing spot I was watching my first BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER in Britain. I was completely speechless, rooted to the spot and totally oblivious to everything around me except for the amazing monochrome gem that picked its way around the gnarled trees just feet in front of me.

BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (first winter female) - Isles of Scilly.
Photo kindly provided by Ashley Powell

The American beauty continued to show exceptionally well on and off with a little patience and a touch of common sense. Unfortunately though its nearctic cousin was the complete opposite. Despite a though search of the Lower Moors area none of us could relocate the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH. Too be honest though I had clinched the main target so I was far from disappointed. A juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper showed well from the hides along with a single Greenshank butthe only other species logged were the odd Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler amongst the usual resident species.

With the clock ticking away 'Bill' and I decided to head over to 'Higgo's Pool' behind the Dump Clump. Whilst John Higginson was working on his latest water feature, the SOLITARY SANDPIPER that had been present on the island for a while dropped in to feed. After a trek through the scrub we were enjoying tremendous views of yet another transatlantic vagrant.

SOLITARY SANDPIPER (juvenile) - St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
Photo kindly provided by Ashley Powell

After admiring the bird for a while we then traipsed up to The Garrison and along the Lower Broome Platform. Almost immediately we were admiring a stunning Red-eyed Vireo methodically feeding around the sycamores. The bird continued to perform well until it was time to head back to the quay for the return crossing to Penzance.

RED-EYED VIREO (first winter) - St Mary's, Isles of Scilly.
Photo kindly provided by Andy Hale

There were a few disappointed faces aboard the Scillonian III due to the NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH failing to show. This disappointment then turned to rage with some of the guys as the bird was relocated just as we were heading past Peninnis Head. To be honest though I was still buzzing after the previous four hours of high octane birding.

Apart from a single Sooty Shearwater and a few Great Skuas the crossing back to the mainland was pretty uneventful until we reached Land's End. At this point the seabird action started to heat up a little. As we approached Tater-Dhu lighthouse a feeding group ofCommon Dolphin were spotted and trailing them were a small group of plunge-divingGannet, a trio of Balearic Shearwaters and about a dozen Storm Petrels. A superb end to another memorable day in this magical part of Britain.

After the recent taxonomic announcements by the BOU, both HUDSONIAN WHIMBREL and SIBERIAN STONECHAT became a couple of appreciated 'armchair ticks'. This meant the BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER became my 450th species for Britain. What a species and what a location to reach the milestone with. The T-shirt is at the printers, hope that it is not too tight!

Special thanks to 'Bill Focker' for his driving and patience, Martin Smyth, Jules Allen, Mike 'The Dog' Doughty for their good company, Dan Pointon for his stake-out of Lower Moors and both Ashley Powell, Andy Hale and Brian Field for use of their excellent photographs.

Scilly Rarities Video Footage - September 2011

2011-09-19T16:00:00.000+01:00

EUROPEAN SHAG in Staffordshire

2011-09-17T16:49:00.006+01:00

After the news of a possible NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH on the the Isles of Scilly late yesterday, it was almost impossible to enjoy a decent night's sleep. To frustrate me even more an update came through again early on to say that it was still present on St Mary's at 7.00am. To make matters worse LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH had still not been ruled out, a potential first for Britain!

There was only one cure, to get off my arse and see some birds pretty quickly. The morning started pretty well around Seckington with a male Merlin chasing migrating Meadow Pipits up at the old castle mound. A Tree Pipit also passed through and a Spotted Flycatcher was a fresh arrival. Thoughts of Scilly had all but melted away.

Down at Alvecote Pools a Hobby was spotted sparring with a male Sparrowhawk over Gilman's Pool whilst on Mill Pool there were 2 Shelduck and 57 Shoveler. As I made my way up Laundry Lane towards Pretty Pigs Pool I received another huge kick in the balls. Whilst some lucky birder was attempting to relocate the elusive Waterthrush species at Lower Moors they had stumbled upon the second American warbler in two days, a much desired BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER. This is one of my most favourite species in the whole World so to see one in Britain is a dream I have had since I was a kid. Why the hell was I grafting away at the patch when I could be sitting on the deck of the Scillonian III well on my way to birding heaven?

Anyway back to reality. A Common Sandpiper was on the north shore of Pretty Pigs Pool and an elusive Common Redstart showed in the Old Orchard briefly as did an impressive 30 Chiffchaff. Nearby a lone Green Sandpiper fed around the muddy margins of The Decoy. As I made my way back to The Cottage for lunch there were large numbers of gulls feeding around the ploughed fields between Shuttington and Seckington. Amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls a second winter Yellow-legged Gull was a nice surprise. As I arrived back home my second Hobby of the day passed through chasing the small groups of House Martins and Swallows that remain in situ.

News then filtered through of a local scarcity to keep me entertained. A juvenile Shag had been reported from a tiny pool on the outskirts of a housing estate just down the road in Stonydelph. Upon arrival at Kettlebrook Linear Park I was guided to the bird by a couple of young kids who lived nearby. It was great to see their energy and enthusiasm for a species they had never seen before...... it was a bit like I would have been if I had been on the Scillies!

It was strange to see this bird of rocky coastlines hauled out on the side of a small duck pond in the company of Mute Swans and Mallard as far away from the sea as it could possibly get in England.

European Shag (juvenile) - Wilnecote, Staffordshire - September 2011

All photos by Adam Archer

SABINE'S GULL in Staffordshire

2011-09-10T19:29:00.000+01:00

The morning started with a visit from the East Midlands chapter of the ASBO fraternity to my new abode in the sleepy hamlet of Seckington. The purpose of their visit was to console me regarding the near miss I experienced the evening before down at Alvecote (more to follow shortly) and to hopefully connect with a local wind-assisted seagull. Whilst we explored the nearby Norman motte and bailey castle for any new migrants, we received a call from Gailey Reservoir stalwart Snapper Richards. It was the news we had been waiting for. The juvenile Sabine's Gull that had been present at Belvide earlier on in the week had dropped in at Snapper's patch once again. We were off!

Upon arrival we made our way along the causeway to where a few birders had assembled. I soon noticed though that as we got closer all the birders were looking in our direction. It was soon apparent that the bird had flown and that they were tracking it as it departed high in the distance. Soon enough Snapper came jogging towards to tell us the bad news. The bird had done a bunk just as we arrived. After dipping 2,500 Great Shearwaters down in Cornwall as well as a Kittiwake in Warwickshire within the last week, my bad luck with seabirds continued. After a quick jaunt to check out a flock of plough-following Black-headed Gulls nearby we returned back to the rez where we consoled ourselves with a nice summer-plumaged Red-necked Grebe and a couple of Arctic Terns (adult & juvenile).

We just started to enjoy ourselves in the afternoon sunshine when I spotted a couple of bored looking bird photographers creeping along the shoreline. Their target was a couple of obliging Ringed Plover that had dropped in. Much to our amazement they repeatedly took turns to flush the birds in order to grab a ridiculously close-up shot or two. Bearing in mind there was only a tiny area of suitable shoreline for these birds to feed in, the behaviour of these SLR wielding numpties was totally out of order. To make matters worse Snapper informed us that these birds were the first Ringed Plover at Gailey for an incredible 17 years. It was all too much for one of the crew and soon enough Nadia stormed over to give them a piece of her mind. Well done flower! As a Hobby passed overhead Snapper received a call from Steve Nuttall up the road at Belvide Reservoir. The Sabine's Gull had returned to its favoured feeding area there along the dam.

As we pulled into the car park we were greeted by a grinning Steve Nuttall who welcomed us and our cash with open arms. Sabine's Gull was a welcome and well deserved patch tick for him. The last bird of this species at Belvide was back in October 1982 when Musical Youth were number one in the singles chart with 'Pass The Dutchie' and Mr Nuttall still had a fine head of auburn hair.

As we arrived midway along the dam this smart juvenile bird could be found feeding unconcerned just a few feet below us. Getting a decent photo through the scope though was pretty frustrating due to the high winds and the unusual in-land surf. The Sabine's Gull seemed pretty much at home though as it picked up dead insects from the surface of the water.

Sabine's Gull (juvenile) - Belvide Reservoir, Staffordshire - September 2011

Just the ninth ever record for the County.

After enjoying the bird for a hour or so we headed back up to the car park via The Plantation where a nice selection of woodland species were encountered. Amongst the usual species we picked up a few Nuthatch and Treecreeper as well as Marsh Tit, Willow Tit and the odd Goldcrest. In the car park itself we found Steve again rattling the cash bucket. With the weather set to continue with strong south-westerly winds I predicted that he would get a long awaited Manx Shearwater on his patch pretty soon. The following day he duly nailed one, the first site record since August 1985. Congratulations Mr Nuttall!

'Archie's Theory on the Origin of Birding Man'

From left to right - 'plankton birder', 'shark birder', 'baboon birder' & 'gorilla birder'!

AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - The First Record for Great Britain

2011-06-18T23:04:00.000+01:00

An epic adventure always has its starting point and this one began nearly a week before on a bleak and extremely wet Sunday afternoon. In quick succession the pager alerted me to a BROWN BOOBY that was currently being watched offshore on the Isles of Scilly and minutes later news erupted of an AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER up in Aberdeenshire. Both birds would be potential firsts for Great Britain! I almost instantly discounted a trip to Scilly as there was little chance of a booby lingering around St Mary's until I could get down there. I did however have more of a chance with the scoter. With work commitments though there was just no way I would be able to head up north until the following weekend.

Shortly afterwards I received a phone call from Mr Belvide - Steve Nuttall to say he had just been in contact with John Higginson on the Scillies. The MEGA rarity down in the extreme south-west had been re-identified as a young Northern Gannet. Whoops, what a booby hey?

So fast forward to Friday night. Arrangements were made with the crew consisting of Stevie Dunn, Steve Richards and Jules Allen to meet me in Barnsley for the long trip to Aberdeenshire. As the forecast was a bit on the Marti Pellow side, you know Wet Wet Wet, the twitchmobile was packed to the rafters with Gortex and other water repellant attire. As all good birders know, there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. We departed South Yorkshire at around 12.30am and finally rolled through the Granite City of Aberdeen and up to Murcar golf course at around 7.30am. We struggled from the car bleary-eyed but full of adrenaline at the prospect of the challenge ahead.

The twitchmobile makes it safely to Murcar golf course, north of Aberdeen.

Despite the downpour we donned our waterproofs and made our way to the dunes. Well most of us did. It seems that Stevie Dunn thinks H2O is an American boy band and as such was dressed more suited for a Brazilian beach party than a Scottish sea-watch. I reckon he is still mentally trapped in Cuban holidaying mode, especially considering he was still wearing his 'all inclusive' hotel wristband. We took our places on the cliff top and scanned the rolling North Sea through the unforgiving rain. Through the thousands of Common Scoter and Common Eider we could pick out a number of handsome Velvet Scoter, probably consisting of around a hundred birds in total. Soon enough we locked onto our first sea-duck from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean when a drake SURF SCOTER popped up into view but where the hell was its rarer Nearctic cousin lurking?

The White-winged Scoter twitch at Murcar, Aberdeenshire.

As the rain continued we remained resolute and after about a hour there was an announcement from further along the line of birders. After following the Chinese whispering of directions I finally locked onto a likely candidate and there it was, Britain's first ever AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, an immature drake. No sooner had I ran through most of its diagnostic features though, the bird dived and despite our best efforts could not be relocated. Had I really driven over 500 miles for a 10 second view of a bird?

King Eider (male) on the Ythan Estuary, Aberdeenshire.

Photo thanks to the 'Three Amigos Birding Blog'

With the rain getting heavier and with no further sign of the rarity we decided that a change of scenery was urgently required. We made our way back to the car, soaked to the skin but convinced that the birding Gods would smile upon us later on in the afternoon. Further north on the Ythan Estuary the weather was slightly better. Our mood also lifted when we picked up the long staying drake KING EIDER preening his impressive plumage whilst hauled out on a sandbank. Apart from the many Common Eider on site and the coming and goings of the Sandwich Terns there was not much else to see. Jules managed to pick up a first summer Mediterranean Gull amongst the terns but saw fit to suppress it whilst we chatted to Rich Bonser about the days events thus far.

After a carbohydrate binge at the Newburgh Costcutter and a quick nap back at the golf course, we were ready for action once more. Well most of us were. Despite Stevie Dunn sleeping more than anyone else during the journey north, he took the decision to digest his bacon butty on the backseat of the twitchmobile like a modern day Rip Van Winkle. We however faced the second soaking of the day. For a further three, long hours we spent our time scanning the sea and hastily wiping precipitation away from both ends of our scopes with wringing wet lens clothes. Despite the conditions there were still plenty of birds to keep us entertained. As the tide came in the scoter rafts got progressively closer and more active. Superb views of both Common Scoter and Velvet Scoter were enjoyed and a further two drake SURF SCOTERS were picked up. In addition a few Red-throated Diver drifted in along with small numbers of Guillemot and Razorbill. A scattering of both pale and dark morph Arctic Skuas also flew in to harass the Kittiwakes and Black-headed Gulls whilst Northern Gannets plunge-dived in the distance.

This is me looking pretty wet and dejected amongst the dunes at Murcar.

With the assembled scoter flocks being forced further south by the current created by the incoming tide it was time to change our position. A new viewing area was therefore established a further half mile down the coast and with immediate success. Just offshore there were four male Velvet Scoter and amongst them the AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER suddenly appeared. The greyish-pink wrap around to its swollen, two stepped bill could be seen quite well at this range as well as its distinctive head shape. In the poor light however, the brownish flanks were not too obvious. At last, I started to enjoy the bird before it eventually swam off and disappeared amongst the combined swell and scoter.

Steve Dunn was summoned from his slumber and the search continued with a renewed wave of optimism. Intermittently the AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER would be relocated but getting on to the bird from other birder's directions was always pretty difficult. Finally at around 6.40pm the keen eyed Steve Richards managed to pick up the bird once more and prolonged views of the target species were obtained by all members of the ASBO crew.

We headed back home under a constant deluge of rain and the occasional dangerous fog patch that delayed our journey a little. Exhausted, I arrived back in South Yorkshire at around 3.3oam and promptly slipped into a post-twitch coma. Yet another epic trip and yet another top notch rarity to add to the old British list..... upon acceptance of course.

AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - A photo study of an immature drake

2011-06-18T22:28:00.001+01:00

Not surprisingly due to the distances involved and the choppy sea conditions there are not a great deal of photographs available of Britain's first ever AMERICAN WHITE-WINGED SCOTER at the moment. After scouring the internet I managed to find these superb images by American photographer Christopher Taylor. These pictures show an obvious immature male deglandi that was photographed during the month of February presumably in the bird's second year. The head shape seems to be in keeping with my observations of the bird in Aberdeenshire however the basal knob was considerably more enlarged in the British bird in comparison to the individual below. Could this be down to our bird being around four months older than this individual possibly is?

Anyway, for anyone who is still thinking of making the trip to Aberdeenshire, I hope these pictures help you with 'getting your eye in' and assist you making your trip a worthwhile one.

Note the distinctive peaked forehead of American White-winged Scoter. Any Velvet Scoters encountered should show a more evenly rounded head profile. Note also the obvious brown flanks a feature that was quite difficult to pick up on the Scottish bird when we visited due to the poor light conditions.

Even at quite a distance the greyish-pink wrap around to the bill could be seen on the Scottish individual as could the small white sub-ocular mark around the eye. As we are dealing with an immature bird here this marking lacks the strong, upswept tail that an adult drake would show. As the bird flaps you can see the white secondary panel that gives the bird its name. Whilst on the sea and with the wing closed there was often no visible sign of this feature on the Scottish bird.

On this close up shot of the head you can just about make out the forming of a basal knob on the bill. As the bird matures this will progress into a distinctive 'step down'.

Honey Buzzards in North Yorkshire

2011-06-11T19:15:00.003+01:00

We had originally planned on taking a more relaxed and civilised trip back up to Cleveland today for a second look at the WHITE-THROATED ROBIN but with negative news during the morning plan B was put into action. We arrived at Wykeham Raptor Watchpoint in North Yorkshire at around 1.00pm to find a small gathering of birders staking out the area. A number of Honey Buzzards and Goshawks had already shown on and off but with the forecast of rain later in the afternoon we needed to score fast.

Initially only a Common Buzzard was picked up in the distance but after a bit of patience our first Honey Buzzard flapped into view over a distance copse. This individual then gained height and attracted the attention of another bird. As the birds ventured closer we could see that they were in fact rival males. It was at this stage that one of the birds started 'wing-clapping' and before we knew it yet another Honey Buzzard appeared. For the next hour or so every birder present was entertained by the trio as they put on one of the best raptor performances I have ever witnessed in Britain. On a couple of occasions they passed directly overhead no more then 60 feet away, it really was an incredible sight.

Honey Buzzard - Wykeham Raptor Watchpoint, North Yorkshire - 11 June 2011 .

Photos kindly provided by Roy Harvey

The Honey Buzzards obviously stole the show but there was also a fine supporting cast. We also spotted several Common Crossbills passing overhead and a singing Garden Warbler was nice to see around the watchpoint. We then made our way around to the forestry nurseries nearby where we eventually connected with at least four different Turtle Doves, unfortunately a very scarce sight in Britain these days. We failed to see any Goshawk during the afternoon but after the spectacle we had just witnessed we could not really complain too much.

The distinctive shape of a 'wing-clapping' Honey Buzzard at Wykeham Raptor Watchpoint.

Photo kindly provided by Roy Harvey

To finish off a fine afternoon we then headed the short distance into Scarborough for a quick brew and an opportunity to check out a few seabirds. Around the seafront, several pairs of Kittiwake could be found breeding on the buildings housing the amusement arcades, ice cream parlours and tacky gift shops however the cliffs along Marine Drive were far more impressive. Amongst the hundreds of breeding Kittiwakes in this more natural setting there were also a few pairs of Northern Fulmar and the odd Rock Pipit. A rather obliging Red Fox was also spotted hunting around the base of the cliffs. The highlight however was stumbling upon a Peregrine breeding site. A powerful female caught a local racing pigeon and then patiently attempted to coax a well developed youngster down from its favourite ledges with the tasty morsel. As the rain eventually set in for the evening we made our way to a fine fish and chip shop near the famous Grand Hotel for a slap up supper of haddock and chips. British birding at its very best folks.

Peregrine - Marine Drive, Scarborough, North Yorkshire - 11 June 2011

Photo by Adam Archer

Please note that all photographs are copyright protected by the photographer stated. Please do not use or reproduce them without prior permission.

WHITE-THROATED ROBIN in Cleveland.... it's enough to drive you up the wall!

2011-06-06T21:16:00.001+01:00

The day started with an early rise and a 6.ooam session at the gym before heading into the office for an exhausting day of banking based graft. Whilst perched at my desk, sipping away at an over-priced yet mildly stimulating Americano, the old pager beeped away telling me that a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL had been trapped and ringed on Hartlepool Headland. 'Mmmmm nice!' I thought and I continued to bring a degree of organisation to my already overcrowded desk. A few minutes later another early message was zapped over to Birmingham via a complex series of orbiting satellites direct from the RBA headquarters in Norwich.... MEGA Cleveland WHITE-THROATED ROBIN Hartlepool Headland trapped + ringed + will be released shortly (not Red-flanked Bluetail) ..... My throat went instantly dry and I struggled to unbutton the top button of my shirt in order to increase the flow of oxygen to my brain. I re-read the message a couple of times before the pre-twitch shivering began to kick in. This was a species that breeds at its closest point to Britain in Turkey and had never been recorded in England before.

Taking a quick swig of water and a deep breath I composed myself, puffed up my chest, summoned up the courage and asked my boss if I could take an emergency afternoon off work. He enquired as to the reason for my early departure. I told him that an extremely rare bird had turned up. He shook his head in disbelief, checked that it was acceptable with the rest of the team and reluctantly agreed to let me leave at 11.30am on the condition that a huge pile of pre-audit checks were completed. After shuffling more paperwork than a team of Ryan Giggs's lawyers in record time I made my escape out of the City. After a quick stop off in Tamworth to pick up my optical equipment and a change of attire I was on my way up the M42 and eventually the M1 to pick up my birding partner Stevie Dunn from Tibshelf. As he entered the twitchmobile I was overcome by the intoxicating aroma of Captain Morgan. Steve soon admitted that he had knocked back a small quantity of rum in order to calm his nervous disposition. Not only was the robin too much for him to handle but on top of this there was a Red-necked Phalarope in eastern Nottinghamshire, a much desired County tick for him. The daft bleeder even had the audacity to give both birds the same priority. I assured him that there would be future Red-necked Phalaropes dropping in on Robin Hood's County however a mainland WHITE-THROATED ROBIN may never appear again in his lifetime.... especially if he continued to insist on having 40% proof spirits for breakfast.

As we continued our journey north we received intermittent messages that the rarity had flown off from its favoured area around the bowling green and into the famous doctor's garden. Fortunately though it always seemed to return, much to the delight of the increasing numbers of birders that were arriving from all corners of Britain. We arrived on site at around 3.20pm and staked our claim to a small area of road on The Lawns overlooking the robin's prime feeding area. After speaking to Mark Payne we learned that we had missed a brief appearance less than ten minutes previously. As the minutes turned into a hour and the hour turned into two I was far from optimistic. Despite birders easing back from Olive Street to give the bird some breathing space and despite an organised search of the adjacent gardens, there was still no sign of the critter. It was not looking good at all and I was dreading the long, depressing journey back south.

WHITE-THROATED ROBIN (first summer female)
Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland.

At around 5.30pm we decided to head off to search a wider area in desperation. It was at this stage that we heard Ashley Howe say that the bird was still present but was feeding in the doctor's garden, an area with zero access. We then caught a glimpse of a few birders jogging down to Durham Street and so we followed. Upon turning the corner we were faced by the bizarre sight of a dozen eager twitchers standing on the top of vans whilst peering over a 12 foot wall.... they were watching the bird. Some entrepreneurial local 'monkey hanger' was quick to charge punters £20.00 to sit on the roof of his Ford Transit. Hard cash was being exchanged hand over fist like a night out at Spearmint Rhino. I needed to get on top of the wall by any means necessary. The lamp posts were off limits as they were covered in anti-climb paint and various portions of the wall were defended with shards of broken glass.

After abandoning my scope at the bus stop, I jostled for a position to board one of the vans. Unfortunately just as I made it on to the roof, the owner decided that enough was enough as the force of the combined weight had cracked his windscreen. As he pulled off to escape the hoards, I leapt on to the wall like Spiderman and straddled the fine Victorian brickwork. What lay in front of me was a well manicured large garden complete with a vast lawn and a fine selection of flower beds, much different to the species usual favoured summer habitat of sparsely vegetated rocky slopes of Afghanistan. After what seemed like a lifetime I caught sight of movement in one of the compost heaps. As I focussed my bins, there it was in all of its glory a fine female WHITE-THROATED ROBIN. The feeling I received from that initial sighting was tremendous. The pressure was off for me but I needed to get Steve up there too. As the bird showed well darting around the base of the rose bushes, Steve at last managed to find an accomplice to help me hoist him up. Within seconds of him gaining his composure he too was watching the rarity as it sat in a hollow in the parched soil, basking in the early evening sunshine.

Twitching legend Franko....
... rear-end a camouflaged photographer!

As we continued to enjoy the occasion we were pretty much oblivious to the chaos that surrounded us. A number of ladders had been provided by some friendly locals and a small scaffold structure was even assembled on the back of a builders truck in order that all those present could catch a glimpse of the target bird. This was by far the most unusual twitch that I have been party to and I must admit to enjoying every single minute of it. We eventually dismounted the wall to let others join in the fun and headed home at around 7.30pm. It had truly been a day to remember!

A 'lucky twitcher's view' from atop the Doctor's wall....

The WHITE-THROATED ROBIN in Britain.....

There has just been a single record of this species in Britain before. On the 27th May 1990 a female bird arrived on the Welsh island of Skokholm off the Pembrokeshire coast. Unfortunately the news of this particular bird was kept under wraps in order to protect the various seabird species that breed there. The bird lingered until the 30th May but was only seen by the wardens and a few selected guests that were hastily shipped over for the occasion.

There is also a further record of a male bird from the Isle of Man on the 22nd June 1983 only.

The WHITE-THROATED ROBIN twitch!

2011-06-06T21:15:00.000+01:00

WHITE-THROATED ROBIN - video footage!

2011-06-06T21:13:00.000+01:00

DOTTEREL in Staffordshire

2011-05-03T22:40:00.002+01:00

Whilst scouring Middleton Lakes RSPB for waders this evening I received a text from my old pal Tom Perrins saying that a Dotterel had been found at Whitemoor Haye earlier in the day but had only just been confirmed as such. Considering it was just a twenty minute drive away and the fact that it would only be my second sighting of this species in the West Midland region I knocked the pits on the head and made my way back to the car at pace. Upon arrival a glorious female Dotterel could be found feeding in its typical run and pause method in the middle of a vast potato field. This constituted my 24th different Dotterel in the past ten days after seeing a group of seven birds in Lincolnshire and an impressive trip of sixteen birds in North Norfolk.

Dotterel (female) - Whitemoor Haye, Staffordshire - May 2011

This individual was greatly received by many Staffordshire birders as it was the first twitchable bird in nearly ten years. The last lingering sighting in the County was way back in April 2002 when a group of four birds spent a couple of days on moorland east of Leek.

Bempton RSPB - Seabird City

2011-05-02T13:09:00.001+01:00

The mighty 350 foot tall, chalk cliffs of Bempton RSPB

It is always a treat to visit this spectacular seabird colony during the Spring and Summer seasons. Why stare out over the ocean in order to catch a brief glimpse of a fast moving auk when you can visit this excellent reserve and become an integral part of the community of 200,000 maritime marvels? Despite visiting on a busy Bank Holiday Monday, there was still plenty of space to view the action at point blank range. The experience is sure to stimulate all of your senses, including your sense of smell and you will be sure to come back for more year after year. This was in fact the earliest I have ever visited, so instead of the usual chick feeding frenzy witnessed during previous visits, I was privileged to experience a whole new show including courting couples, territory disputes and nest construction.

A 'bridled' Common Guillemot clings to its chalky ledge. Just 2% of guillemots of this type breed at Bempton however the form gets progressively more common the further north you go in Europe. Up in Iceland this phenotype accounts for nearly 50% of the breeding population. It is still pretty much unknown why the species would evolve in such a way.

You have to be lucky to spot an Atlantic Puffin this close at Bempton as most of them will be either out of sight on the inaccessible cliff tops out loafing around on the sea below. This individual could be found popping in and out of the small cave (the area behind the bird) that he had managed to find. He did not really seem too impressed with it as a potential breeding site though.

The numbers of Northern Gannet (above) are steadily increasing at this colony, so much so that there are concerns they may have a detrimental effect on the breeding success of the other smaller seabirds. It was great fun watching this species clumsily landing on the cliff tops and ripping out huge clumps of dry grass to line their nests with.

Razorbills (above) breed in much smaller numbers in Britain than the Common Guillemot. The latest estimates suggest that whilst there are just 188,000 pairs of Razorbill breeding, there are an astonishing 1.4 million pairs of Common Guillemot raising families around the British coastline. In fact the Razorbill is a much scarcer breeder than even the Atlantic Puffin that has around 580,000 pairs breeding nationwide.

The Northern Fulmar (above) is a seabird that has expanded its breeding range substantially over the last century. This is probably due to the species flexibility in altering its feeding behaviour. It is known to take advantage of large commercial fishing fleets. There are now thought to be around 500,000 breeding pairs in Britain.

The Kittiwake (above) is by far the most vocal species at Bempton. During the visit there were many pairs indulging in their gentle act of courtship as well as staking claims for the prime nest sites. It was also great to see a continual stream of birds descending on Flamborough North Landing nearby in order to collect seaweed for their nests (see below). Interestingly out of the many thousands of Kittiwakes I saw that afternoon, only two individuals were first summer birds which tend to continue their lives out at sea until they reach maturity.

As well as the seabird spectacle this reserve is also home to a thriving population of Tree Sparrows. Many birds were found feeding along the cliff tops and around the adjacent farmland. In addition a couple of Corn Buntings were also singing. Other species of note included the odd Shag, a small quantity of feral Rock Dove and a single Northern Wheatear.

For a one off parking fee of £3.50 (free to RSPB members) you could see all of this for yourself. I would definitely recommend a visit over the next few months.

Middleton Lakes RSPB - Whinchat & Wood Sandpiper

2011-05-01T14:58:00.002+01:00

The highlight down at Drayton Bassett Pits this morning was a glorious male Whinchat, a fresh arrival from its wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa. The handsome bird showed well until early afternoon when it was unfortunately flushed by a couple of dog-walkers. Around the pits the Wood Sandpiper from yesterday was still present as was the Ruff and the Turnstone. Other wading birds included 6 Ringed Plover, 6 Little Ringed Plover, 4 Common Redshank, 2 Common Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin. Overhead a flock of 40 Common Swift congregated at one point before dispersing over the pits. A Cuckoo was also heard despite the blustery conditions.

Whinchat (male) - Middleton Lakes RSPB, Warwickshire.

Tetney.... Let Dotterel Flood out!

2011-04-23T22:30:00.000+01:00

With not a great deal about today I decided to take a quick 'trip' over to Lincolnshire to see a group of Dotterel at Tetney Lock. This is pretty early for this species to appear on their migration from North Africa and the Middle East to their breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra of Europe or perhaps on the mountain plateaus of the Scottish Highlands. On my journey east a report came through that an immature White-tailed Eagle had flown over the birds. I hoped that it did not cause my target birds to scatter. As I arrived on site the song of Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat could be heard along Newton Marsh Lane. After a short stroll along the raised bank of the canal the birds came into view. With just a few sensible admirers watching the birds all six Dotterel were showing well just a few metres away, unconcerned of the attention they were receiving.

A trio Dotterel at Tetney Lock, Lincolnshire.

Despite the superb views us birders always seem to have something to whinge about and today was no exception. Due to the strong Spring sunshine the terrible heat haze hampered me getting any decent shots of the birds. The one above is the best I managed out of a disappointing collection of digiscoped efforts.

The semi-desert conditions of small parts of rural Lincolnshire is ideal for migrating Dotterel as it replicates the habitat on their wintering grounds.

Other species on site were few and far between but I did manage to see a couple of Northern Wheatear and a fly-over Yellow Wagtail. I then headed the short distance to Horseshoe Point on the off chance that the young White-tailed Eagle might appear. No such luck though. Once again bird species were limited with just a female Marsh Harrier and a few Little Egret to keep me occupied at this desolate location.

Waders & Warblers at Middleton Lakes RSPB

2011-04-21T22:45:00.000+01:00

With a fair few Purple Herons arriving into Britain over the past few weeks I would love to find a local one of my own. With this in mind I decided I would pay Middleton Hall Lake a quick visit this evening before continuing onto the old Drayton Bassett Pits site. This area always looks good for a rare Heron, indeed a Cattle Egret spent a few days there in recent times. You could just imagine a Night Heron or a Squacco Heron turning up at this well vegetated waterway but tonight I had to settle for the usual Grey Herons wading around its depths. There was no sign of any waders or the small group of Waxwings that have been here recently just a pair of Common Shelduck and a gathering of Common Teal.

Grey Heron at Middleton Hall Lake

I then moved down to the Middleton Lakes RSPB area and concentrated my efforts around the North Pit where it was seething with birds. I soon picked up a handsome pair of summer plumaged Black-tailed Godwits along with a couple of Common Greenshank probing away at the mud. Other waders included 3 Oystercatcher, 12 Northern Lapwing, 2 Ringed Plover, 8 Little Ringed Plover, 10 Common Redshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, a Common Sandpiper and 2 Dunlin. The true wader highlight however was a drumming Common Snipe, the first time I have witnessed this behaviour at this particular site. The male bird obviously impressed as an interested female was soon giving him the attention he was craving. Out on the water I counted 22 Common Shelduck and 12 Northern Shoveler whilst 3 Eurasian Wigeon (2 males) and 5 Common Pochard (3 males) were nice to see at this time of year. Around the margins a couple of female Northern Wheatear, possibly of the race leucorhoa were present along with 8 splendid Yellow Wagtails and a small flock of Linnet. As the sun fell in the west it was time for the freshly arrived warblers to do their part with the combined symphony of Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler interspersed with the odd burst of Cetti's Warbler and Common Whitethroat and completed with the reeling of Grasshopper Warblers. On the way back along the canal the long staying Pink-footed Goose was spotted amongst the flock of Greylag Geese. Quite a memorable Spring evening at the 'Minsmere of the West Midlands'!

The sun setting over Drayton Bassett Church

Highland Spring Day Two - Where Eagles Dare!

2011-04-17T23:00:00.002+01:00

I was awoken at around 5.00am from a long, deep, satisfying sleep. It was so tempting just to whack the alarm on 'snooze' and grab an extra few hours of slumber time but the lure of those ancient pine woods of Grantown were just too tempting. As the sun peaked through the trees we connected with our first (and only) Red Squirrels of the trip. They are so much more delicate, refined and prettier than those brash American imports most Brits are more familiar with. Our early morning stroll then got even better when a female Capercaillie was flushed from amongst a damp patch of bilberry. As we headed deeper into the forest the silence was broken by the 'champagne cork popping' of a distant male. As we made our way carefully towards the origins of the strange sound we then picked up another two male Capercaillie as they stood motionless in the distance. As we absorbed the atmosphere one of the birds then took flight providing us with evidence of just how substantially large these birds are.

This is me in Anagach Woods looking all pleased with myself after another successful 'Caper Hunt'.

We then concentrated our efforts in locating another Scottish speciality. During our trip last year we only managed to grab a brief glimpse of a single Crested Tit at the cafe feeding area over at Glenmore Forest. Within about thirty minutes this morning though, we managed to see a minimum of four birds all of which were feeding in their usual flitting fashion pretty high up in the canopy. Around six probable Scottish Crossbill were also seen and heard in the area as well as a single Tree Pipit, a Willow Warbler and 10 Siskin. As we made our way back to the car yet another male Capercaillie flew low over the path in front of us, amazing luck. It was then back to the comfort of Kinross House to sink a celebratory breakfast. As I munched my way through a bowl of fresh fruit and delicious homemade muesli I got chatting to another birder who had just been on a week long Heatherlea 'Scottish Highlands' trip. They had managed to strike it lucky with most of the specialities with the exception of Rock Ptarmigan. Despite extensive searching at a number of reliable sites up in the mountains they too had drawn a blank. It made us feel slightly better about failing ourselves the day before.

We then made the short journey north and onto the eerie Lochindorb. After a quick scan I managed to locate a pair of stunning summer plumaged Black-throated Divers as the swam, snorkelled and dived around the southern end of the loch. At this point we bumped into our Belgian birding friend again. The previous day whilst on Cairngorm I had recommended that he visit Loch Garten RSPB if he wanted to see Capercaillie rather than traipse around the forests in hope. It was great to see him beam away as he proudly announced that he had seen two males and three females earlier that morning. His next targets were Black Guillemot and Atlantic Puffin so I suggested he give Burghead a try. Other species in the Lochindorb area included a few pairs of Icelandic Greylag Goose, many Red Grouse and Curlew as well as a single Raven.

Lochindorb - you can just about see the ruined castle in the loch that dates back to around 1250, a former stronghold of the Clan Comryn.

With the sun shining brightly, the afternoon looked pretty good for soaring birds of prey and so we made our way down to the Findhorn Valley. The omens looked good too as a Red Kite was spotted from the car as we made our way up the A9. As we pulled up into the car park we were told that a distant eagle had been spotted about ten minutes earlier. Within a few minutes we were watching a pair of Ring Ouzel, recently arrived from their wintering grounds in North Africa or the Middle East. These birds were then spooked as a male Merlin passed through. With no sign of any large raptors we decided to take a stroll deeper into the valley to see if we could relocate the lost eagle. There was once a fine, old Highland based ornithologist and author called Desmond Nethersole-Thompson who famously said that birdwatchers come in two different varieties, 'arsers or a leggers'. In other words you can either sit and wait for the birds to come to you or you can go off in search of them. I am pleased to confirm that there would be plenty of 'legging' on this trip and hardly any 'arsing'.

Two views of the spectacular Findhorn Valley in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.

During our hike we encountered at least 10 Northern Wheatear as well as numerous Meadow Pipits and yet another singing male Ring Ouzel. Out on the river around a dozen Oystercatcher were present along with a small colony of breeding Common Gull. We also spotted a pair of Wild Goat with a couple of kids in tow. Eventually our hard work was rewarded when a majestic immature Golden Eagle suddenly appeared and showed well for a while. We celebrated our good fortune with a quick nap along the riverbank before making our way back to the car park. No further eagles were spotted on the return leg but a couple of Common Buzzard and a Kestrel did show near the lodges.

With not enough time or energy to make another assault on Cairngorm we decided instead to make our way to Glenmore Forest in search of crossbills. Our first stop was Loch Morlich for a quick scan of the water. Unfortunately there was no sign of any Red-throated Diver but a couple of pairs of Common Goldeneye were present along with a noisy flock of Black-headed Gulls.

The tranquil setting of Loch Morlich with the daunting Cairgorm Mountain Range in the background.

The next stop was another picnic site that looked promising for a bit of Loxia action. As we retrieved our kit from the car a lovely middle-aged couple from Nairn approached us to say that they had seen their first ever Capercaillie whilst out on a bike ride a fortnight ago. Before we knew it they had collected their laptop from their camper van and we were then subjected to a series of the most crippling 'Caper' shots ever. They had been lucky enough to stumble upon every birders Highland dream, a 'rogue male' Capercaillie. The photographs of the bird were stunning as it showed just inches away from the lens. We just had to see this bird! Within minutes the trusty OS map had been consulted and full directions were quickly obtained. We just could not wait until the next day. We quickly decided to cancel the crossbills and hunt down 'Henry' (as the locals call him) before the day was out.

Unfortunately in all of the excitement we eventually realised that we had taken completely the wrong track through the forest. After nearly a hour of hiking we began to feel lost and as the sun was falling low in the sky a touch of concern crept in. Remarkably we encountered a further two Capercaillie that evening but not one brave enough to take on a human like 'Henry' does. As we regained our bearings we eventually made it back to the car safe and sound albeit hot and exhausted. We knew where we had gone wrong and we agreed that we would search the correct area of the Rothiemurchus Estate after breakfast in the morning.

The sun sets over the Rothiemurchus Estate as we eventually make it back to safety!

Highland Spring Day One - Capercaillie & Black Grouse

2011-04-16T22:30:00.002+01:00

The epic Highland adventure started sometime around Friday night. The purpose of the trip was to locate most of the speciality bird species during a relaxing three days based around the Abernethy Forest. I was determined not to be tempted away from the area by the lure of White-billed Divers, a drake King Eider and a young Bonaparte's Gull which had all appeared in the north of Scotland recently. This long journey north would be based around appreciating the resident wildlife that this unique region of Scotland had to offer us. We nearly failed at the first hurdle though when a female Red Deer suddenly appeared out of the darkness standing astride the white line on the A9 near Pitlochry. Thankfully I managed to swerve a little and miss the suicidal beast by a few centimetres. The rest of the journey was made at a cautionary snail's pace!

We finally rolled into an empty car park at Loch Garten RSPB at around 4.00am and promptly settled down for a quick power nap. Unfortunately my sojourn into slumberland went far too deep and the sleeping session continued way past first light. We awoke to a scene reminiscent of an overcast Bank Holiday Monday at Alton Towers. The car park was pretty full which meant that a whole load of 'Caperphiles' had jumped the queue in front of us. As we arrived at the famous hide we were faced with the usual tourists scurrying around in an attempt to see a distant giant grouse or two. Luckily a kindly RSPB fellow spotted us arrive and beckoned us over to his scope where a couple of female Capercaillie could be seen perched up in a twisted pine tree. This was way too easy!

As the crowds dispersed we at last managed to find a window to peer through. Another three male Capercaillie were quickly located but as usual they were all pretty distant and largely obscured. I then turned my attentions to the more entertaining support act of the Osprey pair called 'EJ and Odin'. 'EJ' had laid her first egg just 48 hours before so she tended to sit tight on the nest whilst her partner made the occasional appearance nearby. Hungry for more Tetraoninae action we then made our way out of the forest and out onto a nearby area of moorland.

Tulloch Moor, Highlands

In order to curb disturbance at this site a few of the local conservation organisations have combined to build a bit of a viewing screen at this well known site. As we approached we could just about hear the distinctive bubbling and crackling of a male Black Grouse breaking through the early morning drizzle. Almost immediately I picked up a minimum of three males at the lek and promptly did my bit for European relations by putting a tall Dutch guy onto the birds. If the male Capercaillie is the heavyweight Mike Tyson of the Grouse world then the Black Grouse has to be the flamboyant Freddie Mercury. It is puzzling to imagine why female Black Grouse would be turned on by the camp display of the limp wing tips and the protruding white arse of the male. Other than a pair of Goldeneye, a calling Red Grouse, the odd Curlew and a plethora of Meadow Pipits the bleak habitat failed to provide much more so we decided to take shelter from the rain and switch locations.

The first stop was at the old picnic site along the Coylumbridge to Ski Centre road. This site used to be great for locating Crested Tit along the River Luineag but all I got was a brief glimpse of a single bird high up in the canopy. Other species included Blue Tit, Coat Tit, and Goldcrest as well as a single displaying Tree Pipit. The huge highlight for me though was locating my first Scottish Wood Ant nest.

A Scottish Wood Ant nest in Glenmore Forest Park

The pine forests of the Highlands are the only place in Great Britain where the Scottish Wood Ant occurs. The nest above can contain around 100,000 individuals consisting mainly of non-egg laying female workers and the much less abundant males and egg laying queens. The worker ants all have specific roles to perform with some being responsible for maintaining the nest, others being food gatherers and the last type taking care of the eggs, pupae and larvae. It is amazing to think that this bundle of twigs and pine needles contains thousands of tunnels and chambers that even extend below the ground. As well as living accommodation, nursery chambers and food stores there are even cemetery sections where dead ants are kept.

After a quick brew we then decided to take on the challenge of the Cairngorm Mountain Range. With a couple of ski runs still open we decided to take the less disturbed track to the south-west of the ski centre that climbs up to Coire an t-Sneachda. Red Grouse were by far the most abundant bird species that we encountered along with good numbers of Meadow Pipit. We also connected with a small herd of Reindeer, the only place in Britain where this introduced species occurs.

Red Grouse (male) - Cairngorm Mountain Range, Highlands

As we reached the end of the track we stumbled upon a trio of high altitude Northern Wheatear but after an extensive search of the area we failed to locate a single Rock Ptarmigan. We would need to break through the pain barrier yet again if we were to connect with this high montane specialist. Whilst making our journey back we bumped into another foreign birder, this time a young Belgian chap, who despite climbing higher than we did, also managed to draw a blank. As we continued our descent a Peregrine was spotted passing over the car park but apart from a few Black-headed Gulls no other bird species was noted.

Looking down to a distant Loch Morlich from Coire an t-Sneachda

Dejected at the lack of Rock Ptarmigan at Coire an t-Sneachda

With exhaustion setting in we then made the decision to head back to our accommodation in Grantown-on-Spey. On the way there though we could not resist the lure of another scarce Highland breeding bird and so we made a brief detour to scour a few of the smaller lochs for Slavonian Grebe. A couple of different locations produced three splendiferous summer plumaged birds, one of which showed down to just a few metres away.

I must admit to feeling slightly disappointed at failing on our quest of seeing all four British grouse species in a single day but then again I have always been a little greedy. Overall it had been a wonderful yet tiring day amongst glorious surroundings. Bring on day two!

SPOTTED CRAKE in Warwickshire

2011-04-02T19:37:00.000+01:00

I decided to stick to Shakespeare's County today in an attempt to see a rather elusive Spotted Crake that had been present at Brandon Marsh for the past few days. With the East Marsh Hide completely packed to the rafters I decided to stake out the area from the relatively empty Jon Baldwin Hide instead. Almost immediately the shocking metallic outbursts of several Cetti's Warblers reverberated from different points around the reserve including one right next to the hide. Out on the main scrape 5 European Golden Plover, one of which was in near summer plumage were nice to see as were 3 Little Ringed Plover and 16 Common Snipe. Turning to the skies around 6 Sand Martin fed over the East Marsh and a distant Willow Warbler was heard in song, my first of the year.

After just over a hour of scanning the base of the bird's favoured reeds I was about to opt for a change of tactic, in other words 'throw the towel in'. One last scan however produced a slight movement and shortly afterwards the Spotted Crake appeared and showed well for just over ten minutes. I managed to get one other birder on it and then offered my scope to a steady stream of admirers before the bird disappeared again. It was nice to connect with this species for the first time in a few years, especially after it eluded me during my 'big year' of 2010.

Spotted Crake - Brandon Marsh, Warwickshire - April 2011

Photo kindly loaned by Max Silverman

With the target species in the bag it was then time to take a leisurely stroll around the rest of the SSSI. Other highlights included a Cetti's Warbler showing very well, a pair of Nuthatch mating, 2 singing male Blackcap, a singing Marsh Tit and brief glimpse of a Water Rail.

Please note that this reserve is open to members of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust only out of the standard opening hours of 10.00am - 4.00pm at weekends and 9.00am - 4.30pm during the week. If you are not a member it will cost you £2.50 to get past the old dears on reception. If you fancy joining the Trust please see the following membership link.

BITTERN in South Yorkshire

2011-04-02T19:35:00.000+01:00

As it was an fine Spring evening a small gang of us decided to take advantage of the late opening times at Old Moor RSPB reserve in order to nail a rather elusive Bittern. As the sun went down a Barn Owl appeared and a swirling cloud of 300+ Sand Martin came into roost but there was no sign of the target species. With the warden, Dave Waddington's patience starting to wear thin and a small amount of verbal abuse being aimed at the secretive bird, we all exited the Bittern Hide in an attempt to gain a wider view from the footpath. Suddenly at 7.55pm a magnificent Bittern arose from its reedy lair and flew a short distance away from us. This constituted the latest ever sighting of this species for the reserve as they normally depart much earlier in the year. As we made our way back to the car park I then caught another glimpse of the bird as it flew towards us but once again it landed out of sight amongst the phragmites.

An early evening view from the Bittern Hide at Old Moor RSPB reserve.

Waxwings at Alvecote Pools

2011-03-28T18:30:00.002+01:00

It was grande to get down to the long neglected patch this evening after work, especially after a hectic weekend of birding in foreign Counties. The extra hour of daylight meant that I could scour the place for some early migrants, hopefully a couple of Sand Martin or maybe a Little Ringed Plover. The highlights though turned out to be a couple of species you would usually associate with winter. Firstly a single Fieldfare 'chacked' from atop a willow at Gilman's Pool. Secondly, whilst chatting to Mal Scott on Mill Pool Bank a flock of chunky passerines flew towards us and skimmed our heads. Despite receiving a good blinding by the early evening sun as they flew over, their excited calls gave them away as a group of 27 Waxwings. Unfortunately they failed to linger and flew off in a south-westerly direction. This constituted a well deserved 'patch tick' for the Warwickshire side of the reserve.

Other highlights included 8 Shelduck and 2 male Shoveler on Mill Pool whilst over the road at Gilman's Pool a Chiffchaff sang and 2 Willow Tits were spotted around the feeders.

SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER in Suffolk

2011-03-26T19:11:00.000Z

Whilst slaving away at work last Thursday, MEGA news came bursting through of a SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER that had been trapped and ringed in Suffolk. My already shite day suddenly got a great deal worse. There was no way I could make the trip until the weekend but I consoled myself with the fact that no bird lingers for too long at the dreaded Landguard Bird Obs.... like ISABELLINE WHEATEARS for instance... Grrrrrrrr!

So imagine my surprise when on Friday morning news filtered through that the bark-probing, little critter was still present. Would it hang around for just another day? After carrying out a bit of research on the web, it appeared from weights and measurements taken that the bird's fat score was pretty, damn low. This bird was going nowhere for another few days. I contacted Steve Dunn to tell him the exciting news but he was far from convinced. I finally managed to bribe him into chauffeuring me down the A14 by vowing to pay off his mortgage if the bird was not present the following day. With the lure of substantial financial compensation he quickly assembled a crew and a plan was in place.

It's the early hours of Saturday morning and everything is running like clockwork. That is until we arrive on Clumber Street to collect Mike 'Mikipedia Feely. Mansfield Borough Council should rename that place Slumber Street based on the fact that old 'Miki' is always tucked up in bed when he's due to be picked up. Well sometimes he's tucked up in bed, very occasionally he can be found butt naked, semi-conscious, downstairs on his chaise lounge during the early hours after knocking back one too many bottles of Blue Nun. When Steve once peered through his living room window one chilling, pre-twitch morning he was confronted with what he thought was a 100 lb prize winnning, plucked turkey. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a drunken 'Miki' sprawled out starkers with his hairy, little legs akimbo. A sight that is enough to bring the weariest of birders around quicker then injecting Red Bull directly into your blood stream.

Mikipedia (grey top) enjoys nothing more than entertaining the Landguard crowds with his harmonica playing skills.

Anyway I digress somewhat. After being blessed by the 'porn fairy' in a quiet layby on the A14 in Cambridgeshire (see here) I received a call from Mark Payne who was already on site. The bird had been trapped yet again and was going to be paraded in front of it's admirers any minute. There would be no 'dip dividend' payout for Steve Dunn today. We eventually arrived on site at around 8.30am and amazingly there was hardly anyone about. We sauntered up to the small gang of twitchers and after a brief wait of just a few minutes a scruffy looking SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER appeared to feed on the textured trunk of a stunted elder. With a biting breeze coming in off the sea, the bird continued to prove quite elusive during our time around the Fort compound. Occasionally though it showed well out in the open for just enough time to note the main identification features.

The elusive SHORT-TOED TREECREEPER in Suffolk photographed by Richard 'Big Vern' Vernon before we arrived. Notice the neat 'elbow effect' primary panel. Eurasian Treecreeper will always show a 'broken forearm' to the 'elbow effect'. Also notice the rather substantial bill.

Other species of note included a handsome Black Redstart adjacent to the Fort and up to 3 Northern Wheatear at The Point. After a quick stop off at Levington Marina to twitch a first winter male Long-tailed Duck we headed back north in order that the losers amongst us could watch the Wales v England football match. Oh and before I forget, we also spied at least 6 Red Kite along the Northamptonshire section of the A14.

A special mention must go to my birding brother Stevie Dunn who reached the ultimate birding milestone of seeing 400 species of bird in Great Britain today. Unfortunately he forgot to bring his celebratory, yellowey orange, Lycra T-shirt along on the trip so he marked the occasion with this photograph of him clutching a copy of the Felixstowe Evening Tribune whilst demonstrating that not all Derbyshire based birders have webbed hands.

Congratulations Stevie... next stop 450!

Bittern in North Warwickshire

2011-02-26T13:21:00.004Z

Northern Pintail (male) - Ladywalk Nature Reserve, Warwickshire

After being cooped up in the office all week and missing out on the beginning of Spring, I was keen to get out early this morning. There had been outbreaks of glorious sunshine on and off while I was at work but typically the weather had changed for the worse now it was the weekend. Due to the rain bucketing it down I needed to choose a birding place with a degree of shelter, so I though I'd give Ladywalk a try.

Around the car park a flock of 15 Lesser Redpoll were nice to see around the feeders along with the odd Siskin and 4 Bullfinch. There was also an interesting looking melanistic Great Tit knocking around. From the Sainsburys Hide the highlights were a Bittern showing well in flight before disappearing back into the reedbed and a Great Spotted Woodpecker using the exterior of the hide as a drumming post! Other sightings included a Willow Tit, a flighty flock of 30 Siskin, another 5 Lesser Redpoll and 2 female Brambling.

From the Riverwalk Hide a male Pintail and 21 Goosander were present amongst the usual wildfowl as well as 4 Oystercatcher and 22 Lapwing. Also in the area at least 2 Cetti's Warblers were heard and the resident Tawny Owl could be seen in his usual position. All in all a very enjoyable morning indeed especially as I had the entire reserve all to myself. Access is strictly by permit holders only via a locked gate. If you are local and fancy paying Ladywalk a visit please click HERE for access details.

Common Teal (male) - Ladywalk Nature Reserve, Warwickshire

'Tart The Gyr' by Gyr Crakes

2011-02-06T21:02:00.004Z

The eagerly awaited followed up to 'Thou Shalt Always Bird' by the Puff Daddy of Birding.... Gyr Crakes.... enjoy!

Harriers & Owls in North Norfolk

2011-02-01T21:22:00.248Z

It's always great to head over to the North Norfolk coast at this time of year, especially during the week when the birder numbers are greatly reduced. We arrived on site at a grey and blustery Thornham Harbour just after 8.00am in the hope that we would find the juvenile male NORTHERN HARRIER that had been spending the winter in the area. I had previously connected with this American rarity late last year just a short way east along the coast at Burnham Overy Staithe. The views however were not that close and the subtle differences between this form and the more familiar Hen Harrier of Europe were not that obvious. A distant 'ringtail' Harrier was picked up far off over Titchwell RSPB reserve but unfortunately it failed to stray any closer. There were plenty of Marsh Harriers to enjoy though along with a single Little Egret, a hunting Barn Owl and hundreds of Pink-footed Geese passing overhead.

In order to get the circulation going in our frozen bodies we then decided to take a brisk stroll along the coastal footpath to Holme. From our viewpoint in the dunes up to 35 Bar-tailed Godwit were seen probing the tideline along with the odd Grey Plover, Dunlin and Sanderling. Out on the sea there were good numbers of Red-throated Diver as well as a single Red-breasted Merganser and a Razorbill. A small flock of 10 Snow Buntings also made a brief appearance flitting their way along the beach. With the heavens opening, we decided to head back to the car at pace and a find a place to eat breakfast. A veggie special and a pot of tea hit the spot at the impressive cafe at Burnham Deepdale and to make matters even better, the rain shower seemed to fizzle too.

With the weather improving we took the coast road east to Salthouse where we enjoyed point-blank views of both Snow Buntings and Turnstones feeding around the car park. It was then a short drive back west to Cley where a drake AMERICAN WIGEON eventually showed amongst the flock of grazing Eurasian Wigeon just east of the East Bank. Walking up the the shingle ridge we were soon watching our first of 9 Shorelarks that were present. Attempts at digiscoping them with my new set up proved hopeless in the dim light and windy conditions. Out at sea Red-throated Divers were noticeable again and out on the NWT reserve there were two pairs of Marsh Harrier displaying.

AMERICAN WIGEON (male) - Cley NWT, Norfolk

Shorelark - Cley NWT, Norfolk
Photo by Jon Hall of The Bumbling Bears

Burnham Overy Dunes, Norfolk
Photo by Adam Archer

After a scan through the large numbers of Brent Geese at Holkham we then continued across to Burnham Overy Dunes. From the small cark park situated on the A149 I soon picked up what looked like a juvenile ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD perched up on a distant post in the mid afternoon sunshine. A stroll north along the muddy track finally clinched the identification for certain as the bird showed pretty well flying short distances from fence post to fence post. It was in this area that the winter goose spectacle kicked in with thousands of Pink-footed Geese passing over along with much smaller numbers of Greylag Geese and Brent Geese. Hunting Barn Owls continued to impress with yet another four birds present in the area, two of which showed down to just a few yards. Always an awesome sight.

Thornham Harbour, Norfolk
Photo by Adam Archer

With the day fast running out we decided to finish our memorable day of birding where we had started it, at Thornham Harbour. This time though our luck was in. I had just set up my scope when a harrier suddenly appeared hunting over the saltmarsh. Upon closer scrutiny it appeared to be the juvenile NORTHERN HARRIER and as it flew closer a few of the main identification characteristics of this nearctic race soon became apparent. This bird had frustrated me now for well over a month so I was over the moon to finally see the bird well enough to judge it for myself.

NORTHERN HARRIER (juvenile male) - Thornham Point, Norfolk
Photo by James Hanlon

In flight the solidly dark neck 'boa' was very noticeable as was its predominantly unstreaked rufous underparts. The orangey colouration continued into the undertail coverts with similar warm tones also found in the wing coverts of this bird. It really was unlike any juvenile Hen Harrier that I had ever seen before..... except perhaps for a similar bird that myself, Steve Dunn and Mike Feely found flying in off the sea during a storm at Spurn last August. Click here for a discussion regarding our bird on Martin Garner's excellent Birding Frontiers website.

Anyway back to the Norfolk bird. After quartering the marsh for a while the Circus hudsonius headed towards the mudflats where it dropped suddenly. A few moments later it took flight grasping an item of prey, most probably a Dunlin. It then returned to the ground where it spent the next forty minutes or so consuming its meal. The harrier then treated us all to another quick aerial display before it headed inland after being mobbed briefly by a Barn Owl. A superb end to another excellent day on the North Norfolk coast.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER in Staffordshire

2011-01-30T23:14:00.000Z

After a stressful week of being embroiled in a whole load of birding political nonsense it was nice to get back to actually watching a few birds. The morning started off at home taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch with my daughter. The total was way down on previous years with just 13 species recorded in the allocated hour. A male Reed Bunting was the highlight but it was pretty disappointing not to have spotted the usually guaranteed Coal Tit, Bullfinch and Siskin. It still depresses me that both Starling and House Sparrow have never been recorded in my garden whilst I've taken part in this survey.

During the afternoon I then drove the short distance to Pelsall where a juvenile BLACK-THROATED DIVER was present for its third day at Clayhanger Marsh. This bird was initially thought to be a Great Northern Diver on its first day in the West Midlands. The bird then caused a bit of a stir yesterday when close up views revealed a pretty distinctive chin-strap, a feature normally associated with the much rarer PACIFIC DIVER. All other features however are consistent with Black-throated Diver and getting to see the bird in the flesh confirmed this identification even more.

BLACK-THROATED DIVER (juvenile) - Clayhanger Marsh, Pelsall, West Midlands - January 2011

Please note the chin-strap on the photograph below, a feature more reminiscent of Pacific Diver but sometimes evident on Black-throated Diver.

Other birds around Ryder's Mere included 4 Goosander as well as the usual selection of more common wildfowl such as Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Teal, Mallard, Common Pochard and Tufted Duck.

Bohemian Waxwings in North Warwickshire

2011-01-22T10:49:00.001Z

A pair of Waxwings taking part in a spot of berry swapping.

Grendon, Warwickshire - January 2011

After spending over three weeks suffering from 'pig flu' and following the death of my beloved Nikon Coolpix 4500 camera I've found it pretty tough to get 'blog motivated' just lately. Now I'm back to full fitness though and after securing a bargain Samsung NV3 on e-bay, I'm hoping that those dark days of birding depression are behind me.... as long as I don't dwell on dipping the Slaty-backed Gull too much!

This morning I thought I'd venture out and try my new camera on a few common birds just to get a bit of practice in before any rarities start turning up. Before I did though I drove the short distance to Grendon to see if there were any Waxwings knocking around the berry laden trees on the St Nicholas housing estate. My persistence at this site was at last rewarded when a small group were located without even leaving the car. In total there were 19 birds present. Unfortunately the dingy weather conditions were not great for digi-scoping but I was quite happy with my initial shot using the new camera, hand-held up to my scope. All I need now is a bit of sunshine and an adaptor and hopefully the photos will improve.

A Day at the Natural History Museum in London

2010-12-19T18:30:00.002Z

The snowy exterior of the Natural History Museum viewed from Cromwell Street.

I was due to head to London today to watch Manchester United play Chelsea. Unfortunately though this pathetic Country of ours fails to function properly in adverse weather conditions and the biggest football match of the season was amazingly postponed. I reckon the 'rent boys' just didn't fancy playing us right now bearing in mind their current atrocious form. So with a return rail ticket to London already purchased I had to think of something else to do in the snow covered capital City. Christmas shopping on Oxford Street was a definite no, so I opted for a day of culture and quiet contemplation in the salubrious surroundings of South Kensington and the Natural History Museum.

The Central Hall of the Natural History Museum complete with its cast of a fossilised Diplodocus skeleton.

It is not just the exhibits that have always enthralled me about this museum, it is also the amazing architecture that surrounds you. I have a special interest in the fabric of this stunning building as the thousands of terracotta tiles and stone sculptures that adorn every nook were manufactured in my hometown of Tamworth between 1873 and 1880. I like to think that one of the ancestral 'Archers' of yesteryear helped to handcraft some of the pieces depicting various flora and fauna of the World, some still with us but regrettably some now extinct. The company, Gibbs & Canning Ltd closed in the 1950's.

My homeboy Charles Darwin!

Obviously it is the birds that I'm most interested in so I made my way straight to that particular section of the museum. It wasn't too long before I was admiring stuffed examples of the strange Shoebill of Eastern Africa and just opposite a daunting looking Harpy Eagle of Central and South America. These are just two examples of those special species that I hope to see in the wild before I depart this World.

There are also some excellent examples of birds that I, or anyone else for that matter will never see again. One of the highlights of these extinct species is the fossilised remains of a Moa species (see below). It is thought that all eleven species of this giant resident of New Zealand died out after the islands were colonised by the Maori in the 17th Century. Up until the arrival of man the only predator that these birds had to concern themselves with was the equally impressive Haast's Eagle, another species that became extinct around the same time.

The Moa of New Zealand - my reflection in the glass tells you just how huge these birds were!

Premature extinction is not just confined to exotic, distant lands or restricted to ancient history. A prime example of this is the relatively local Great Auk. This flightless alcid was once abundant in the far North Atlantic where it had been hunted sustainably for over 100,000 years. Unfortunately though, with the bird being relatively easy to hunt combined with the opening up of trade routes with North America the species was over exploited. It was used readily for food and oil but the European populations suffered mostly due to the huge demand for down filled pillows and mattresses. The nearest breeding colonies that existed were as close as Papa Westray on the Orkney Isles and on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda. It is from this island that the last British sighting was made. In July 1840 a trio of local men caught a Great Auk and kept it tied up for three days until a wild storm swept in. Believing that the bird was a witch and had caused the sudden change in the weather, they then beat the unfortunate bird to death with sticks!

Great Auk - an example of one of only eighty complete specimens left in the whole World.

The egg below belongs to the extinct, flightless Elephant Bird of Madagascar. This species was slightly smaller in height than its ratite cousins of New Zealand but still stood at an impressive three metres tall. Its body weight however was thought to be a third more than that of the Moa. They are believed to have become extinct during the middle of the 17th century, again due to over hunting. There are only 36 complete eggs of the Elephant Bird in existence. Amazingly the size of the egg is larger than any of the dinosaur eggs ever found and has the equivalent volume of 160 chicken eggs.

The impressive egg of the Elephant Bird, imagine what a great omelette it would make.

So with the birds all but done it was then time to take in the other areas of the museum. There is something for everyone, of all ages and it was great to see some of the looks of wonder on the faces of those that were visiting for the first time, especially the kids. The dinosaur section is pretty amazing as is the 'Our Place In Evolution' display. One of my favourites however is simply the cross section of the Giant Sequoia tree that stands at the top of the Central Hall. This five metre slice of history was once part of a 1,300 year old coniferous tree that lived in the old growth forests of central California until it was felled in 1893. It's crazy to think that this mighty tree may have continued growing for another 1,000 years and was a seedling in the year 557.

Entry to the museum is completely free of charge, so for the price a pre-booked £30.00 train ticket you can enjoy some of the natural wonders this planet has to offer all under one roof. I'd recommend a visit just as soon as you can..... but please leave a generous donation.

My main man Thomas Huxley shows his support for the ASBO theory of birder revolution!

Thomas Huxley was one of the first people to support Charles Darwin and his theory on human evolution despite the ridicule he would have to endure. During a heated discussion at Oxford University with the sceptical Samuel Wilberforce in 1860 he was asked whether he had descended from an ape on his mother's or father's side of the family. Huxley quickly responded that he would sooner be descended from an ape than from a man who mis-used his great talents in order to suppress debate. This is one of the greatest come-back lines in history.

Alvecote Pools SSSI - Snow Snow Snow Innit?

2010-12-18T16:21:00.000Z

There was not a great deal to report from the patch today amongst the Arctic weather conditions. On Mill Pool there were 12 Common Shelduck, 10 Goosander, 55 Eurasian Wigeon and 8 Northern Shoveler. A flock of Northern Lapwing roosted on the ice and an adult Yellow-legged Gull dropped in briefly. The escaped drake Hooded Merganser was still on the River Anker just north of Shuttington Bridge.

Just what you need at the moment...... a snow shoveler!

AMERICAN WIGEON in Rutland... or is it Leicestershire?

2010-12-11T20:19:00.003Z

I attempted to 'half inch' this impressive sculpture for my nan's Christmas present but I failed to squeeze it in the back of the old Skoda.

With the chance to add to the year-listing insurance policy, I took the opportunity to head over to Rutland Water today. The reason being, I woke up in a cold sweat the other night in a blind panic. I had dreamt that just before midnight on New Year's Eve the BOU announced that the pesky redpoll complex had been re-lumped and I ended the year on 299!

It was the first time I had visited the Lyndon part on the reservoir and I was surprised just how quiet it was. Maybe it was because visitor centre was closed or perhaps it was due to the icy access road only just being re-opened. Whatever the reason I was loving it, peace and quiet on a sunny and tranquil winter's afternoon. There's always something to spoil it though. Upon entering the Teal Hide I was faced with a couple of the usual manic-depressive birders, you know the ones. They are the type that never respond to your polite 'Hello', they avoid eye contact at all costs, they communicate amongst themselves in a series of quiet grunts, they rarely break into a smile and they give the impression they would rather be anywhere else other than out birdin'.

Anyway I stuck to my year long rule of not asking them if the target species was showing, I wanted to find it myself. To be honest though judging by the expressions on their sour faces I don't even reckon they'd spotted it. So after grilling the various wildfowl for a while I eventually picked out a handsome drake AMERICAN WIGEON (301). The bird eventually showed well close in shore just to the west of the visitor centre amongst its Eurasian Wigeon cousins. Other web-footed treats included 7 Smew (2 adult males, a first-winter male and 4 sexy females) as well as 3 Greater Scaup (adult male & 2 females) and a single female Goosander. Other species of note included 2 Black-tailed Godwits and a Water Pipit.

A Tom Tom eye view of Rutland Water!

'Thou Shalt Always Bird' by Gyr Crakes

2010-12-09T19:13:00.003Z

Check this shit out, it's the work of a genius....... and before anyone spreads any rumours, I had nothing to do with it...... whoever it is though should be nominated for a 'Golden Globe' or summut! Don't forget to keep watching it to the end for footage of two of Britain (& Ireland's) most infamous bird-spotters making some serious shapes on the darrrrnce floor of the Porthcressa Disco!

Pink-footed Geese at Alvecote Pools SSSI

2010-12-04T12:53:00.001Z

A thawing out Gilman's Pool at Alvecote Pools SSSI - December 2010

A small flock of Pink-footed Geese were found by Roy Smith amongst the Canada Geese earlier on the week. After last night's heavy snowfall though, I was worried that there might not be enough exposed 'fieldage' available for them to feed on and that they might move on. Only the odd single Pink-footed Goose of dubious origin has ever lingered at the patch so I was praying that they would stay put until the weekend.

After pulling up onto a snowy Dingle Hill this morning I soon picked up the Canada Goose flock and not long after that I had also picked out the first of six 6 Pink-footed Geese in the distance. Tom 'Dom Jolly' Perrins then appeared briefly before it got too cold for him and he fled to the comfort of his cosy car. For the more hardcore amongst us though it was time to use our stalking skills and creep close enough for a few record shots..... and here they are.....

Pink-footed Geese - Alvecote Pools SSSI, Warwickshire - December 2010

In the same field I also stumbled across a small covey of 4 Grey Partridge, a species that is unfortunately now very scarce in the area. There were also good numbers of Fieldfare around and a single Brambling passed overhead.

Down on a mostly frozen Mill Pool the Common Shelduck flock had increased to 13 birds and there were also 6 Goosander. Around Gilman's Pool there was a Willow Tit and a Goldcrest amongst the mobile mixed Tit flock.

By the way, no geese were harmed (or fushed) during the making of the above photographic evidence.

300 at last! ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD in Lincolnshire

2010-11-28T21:28:00.001Z

The Humber Bridge viewed from South Ferriby, Lincolnshire.

Well that's it, 300 genuine British bird species notched up during 2010.... and with over a month to spare too. After missing out on the Hatfield Moor bird a few weeks ago, I decided to head up to South Humberside this morning for a slightly more reliable ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD. During the drive across the temperature dropped to a chilly -7oC and the road conditions were pretty scary. As we approached the River Humber, the snow became deeper and the highways became icier but we had to struggle on. As we carefully pulled into the layby just west of the huge cement works, an obvious Buteo silhouette graced a nearby chain-link fence, a quick glance through the bins confirmed that it was the species we had hoped for.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD (juvenile) - various dodgy record shots of the obliging bird on some of its favourite perches.

This scarce raptor from Northern Europe showed and performed superbly whilst we dithered in the extreme temperatures. It pulled out all the stops in order to entertain us by posing upon various perches, taking short flights around the area, hovering in the chilly breeze and even pouncing on unsuspecting prey items. It may have not been one of the rarest species to reach 300 with but it was certainly one of the most memorable sightings of the year.

Other species in the area included a flighty flock of around 1,000 Pink-footed Geese feeding in the adjacent fields, a Common Buzzard and 2 male Goosander on the Humber. The only waders of note were the odd Eurasian Curlew, a few Common Redshank and good numbers of Dunlin.

After a quick thawing out session in the car we then drove the short distance to Far Ings LWT reserve. We failed to locate a drake Smew due to the onset of a severe snow blizzard but a few Bearded Tits were heard 'pinging' around the reserve. As the weather deteriorated it was time to head west out of the snow before we became stuck for the night.

My beloved 'telesnowpe' and 'snowpak' at Far Ings LWT.

Alvecote Pools SSSI - Return to the Patch!

2010-11-27T19:13:00.001Z

A mostly frozen Pretty Pigs Pool at Alvecote Pools SSSI - November 2010

A couple of patch MEGAS were reported during the week but with it being horrible and dark when I head to work and with it being even nastier and darker when I finish, there was no I could pay either of them a visit until today. Initially it was not looking too good amongst the snow and ice. There was no sign of the female Greater Scaup on a frozen Pretty Pigs Pool and there was just the regular escaped drake Hooded Merganser and the even dodgier Whooper x Mute Swan hybrid to keep me entertained. There were plenty of Fieldfare and a few Redwing around the Old Orchard and the odd Lesser Redpoll passed overhead.

Hoping that the Red-breasted Merganser was still on Mill Pool, it was this area that I visited next. There was no sign unfortunately but I was thrilled to eventually locate the female Greater Scaup amongst the Common Pochard and Tufted Ducks in the extreme north-west corner of the lake. Also in the area were 9 Common Shelduck, a drake Goosander and 6 Common Snipe. A trio of Little Egrets were also a nice surprise flying north at midday. Over on Upper Pool there was nothing of note except a female Goosander. Whilst strolling around Gilman's Pool the MEGA alert sounded on my pager..... there was a drake BAIKAL TEAL in Cambridgeshire..... I needed to make a move!

'FAKEAL TEAL' in Cambridgeshire

2010-11-27T18:08:00.001Z

After a quick glance at the road map and clumsy fumble with the old 'fat chav', I calculated that it would take around ninety minutes to reach the Cambridgeshire hamlet of Cambourne from Alvecote Pools. With a British lifer at stake it was a pretty easy decision to head east, especially considering that a handsome adult drake BAIKAL TEAL would also become my official BOU bird species of 2010.

After a quick call to Steve Richards we decided to meet up on site. As we raced along the A14 the news filtered through that we were both waiting for, the rare duck from the Far East was still present happily swimming around on Whomping Willow Lake with a few Eurasian Wigeon and Gadwall for company. This time though the bird was aged as a first winter male, adding a bit more weight to the proper vagrant argument. I smiled to myself and applied my foot to the accelerator with a touch more force. Just thirty minutes later as I just entered the village I received a call from Steve. From the tone of his voice I knew it was not going to be good. He then dropped the heart-breaking bombshell that the bird was a f*cking hybrid! I was that disgusted that I did not even pay the little web-footed freak a visit, I turned around and headed back along the A14.

Epilogue....

I did not fancy burning my retinas by viewing photographs of this vile individual, however rumour has it that it could well be a Eurasian Wigeon x Northern Pintail hybrid. Whatever it is, it just goes to show that CAMBRIDGESHIRE BIRDERZ ARE WACK! You got my back Smestow Gaz?

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER - a NEW Warwickshire tick!

2010-11-14T20:52:00.002Z

At long last a County 'bitch tick' was nailed today. This species has given me the run around in Warwickshire for nearly thirty years. I have missed out on quite a few local Red-breasted Mergansers over the years including one pesky individual that refused to be tempted over from the Staffordshire side of Alvecote Pools in 1995. This particular bird showed remarkably well at the west end of Shustoke Reservoir this afternoon.

Red-breasted Merganser - Shustoke Reservoir, Warwickshire - November 2010

Photo kindly provided by Dave Hutton

RICHARD'S PIPIT in Derbyshire

2010-11-14T20:39:00.001Z

With a much needed, tricky 'year tick' up for grabs just a hour away from home, efforts were made to head up into deepest, darkest Derbyshire this morning. I teamed up with fellow ASBO soldiers of fortune, Steve Dunn and Rich Collis for an SAS style assault on Matlock Moor and the mission proved a great success. Thanks to us administering a classic 'Pointon Pincer Movement' the target was soon exposed. The RICHARD'S PIPIT had no choice but to surrender under the onslaught as grassy fields were trampled, stone walls tumbled and a plethora of native British wildlife fled in all directions.

Seriously though, the scarcity from the east proved relatively easy to see in flight and gave us pretty good views. It was also nice to hear its passer domesticusesque flight call too in order to clinch the identification. Other birds included the odd European Skylark and Eurasian Siskin as well as good numbers of Meadow Pipit.

Rich Collis is sworn in as the official 'Head of Birder Relations' for the South Yorkshire Chapter of ASBO Birderz. Welcome aboard Rich!

Photograph thanks to Steve Dunn

Taking into account the dodgy H*use Finch that I had the misfortune to see in Devon and the tricky Empidonax flycatcher that I spotted in Norfolk then you could say that this RICHARD'S PIPIT was my 300th British Bird of 2010. Due to my strict Catholic upbringing however, I refuse to celebrate until I reach 302..... just to make sure. I'm sure you'll all understand.

PIED-BILLED GREBE in Greater Manchester

2010-11-13T16:50:00.002Z

The adventure started last Tuesday was news of a PIED-BILLED GREBE filtered through from the Republic of Mancunia. The last British twitchable individual was way back in 2001 when one hung around for seven weeks in Cornwall. The only recent birds relatively nearby though have required a passport to see them as they have all turned up on the Emerald Isle. Anyway a quick text was sent to my birding comrade Steve Richards to see if he was skipping work to head north. Unfortunately for him though he had just touched down in Norway with work and would not be able to pay the potential lifer a visit until the weekend.

So with Mike Feely lying drunk and naked on his living room floor with various aviform related pornography strewn about his person, it was just Steve Dunn and myself that made the trip this morning. Upon arrival at Hollingworth Lake near Rochdale we immediately bumped into a few familiar faces including fellow ASBO birderz Steve Richards and Julian Allen as well as Nick 'Dip' Smith and former Warwickshire bird photographer Steve Seal. The yank vagrant was initially asleep but after a short while it started to buck up its ideas and performed very well indeed, swimming back and forth along its favourite inlet.

Upon adding PIED-BILLED GREBE to his British List, Steve Richards (above) became over 'avi-aroused'. Usually his eyes just bulge with excitement like those of Garry Bagnell upon hearing he's gained promotion to the 'British Birding Premiership'. On this occasion though poor Steve managed to get his swollen 'ASBO member' wedged within the fork of a lakeside tree. It took a trio of Lancastrian fire-fighters and a melted Chap Stick to free him.

PIED-BILLED GREBE - Hollingworth Lake, Littleborough, Greater Manchester.

Both excellent portraits have been kindly provided by Steve Seal

The only other species of note were a distant Peregrine and a marauding Sparrowhawk. With nothing else to see in the north west of England we headed back to the car park to plan our next move. We briefly suggested heading up to Northumberland for a SQUACCO HERON but a potential three hour drive soon put us off that idea. I did suggest heading out onto Saddleworth Moor but Steve hates birding anywhere where you are likely to have kids underneath your feet...... God I'm sorry.

GREY SEALS in Lincolnshire

2010-11-10T19:51:00.002Z

It was time to forget about the birds today and concentrate my efforts on a moaning collection of stinking, bloated mammals. No, I was not heading to work in Birmingham today, we were paying the RAF bombing range at Donna Nook a visit. The wildlife spectacle of over 3,000 Grey Seals did not disappoint. There is always something to enjoy in a seal colony whether it be bulls squabbling over a particular patch of beach or a cute, little baby being scratched on the head by its attentive mum. A number of young showed incredibly well in the dunes, including one curious youngster that came within inches. It is so tempting to give one a quick fondle but it is important you step away. If the mother smells human scent on a youngster it will quite often abandon it.

A Grey Seal pup gets some nourishment from its mammy.

Just a sample of the huge Grey Seal colony at Donna Nook.

A recently 'squeezed out' Grey Seal pup..... complete with birth gore.

As well as the seal spectacular the bird life is also pretty impressive along this stretch of the Lincolnshire coast. Wildfowl included around 450 Dark-bellied Brent Geese on the mudflats and skeins of Pink-footed Geese passing overhead as well as the expected Common Shelduck. Waders included 25 European Golden Plover, 30 Eurasian Curlew, around 180 Common Redshank, 25 Knot, 80 Dunlin, 25 Sanderling and the odd Turnstone. Unfortunately there was no sign of any Shorelark or Snow Buntings on this occasion but a group of 40 Twite were great to see, especially as the group surprisingly contained a stunning adult Mealy Redpoll. Other passerines included a single Water Pipit and a Brambling as well as good numbers of European Skylark, Meadow Pipit and Tree Sparrow. A probable Lapland Bunting also whizzed overhead at one stage.

The bonus bird of the day was a CATTLE EGRET that we stumbled upon just inland of the car park near the farm buildings. The bird showed well at times but was quite flighty on occasions. Eventually though it would return to its favourite cow fields to feed. All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out in the stunning, autumn sunshine albeit with an icy northerly wind thrown in.

A Grey Seal pup gets a back scratch from mum.

The Last Day in Cornwall - Yellow-browed Warbler & Firecrest

2010-10-26T11:56:00.000+01:00

The weather was pretty awful as we awoke from our slumber in Penzance. It is always tempting to just stay in bed during those wet and windy Cornish mornings but to be honest I can never resist the lure of those nearby coastal valleys. The first stop was Nanquidno where almost immediately I heard the distinctive call of a Yellow-browed Warbler. Unfortunately though, it was nowhere to be seen in the blustery conditions. After a thorough check of the plantation near the ford we decided to head further down into the valley where a few Goldcrests and the odd Chiffchaff was spotted. Near Nanjulian a slightly different regulus call was heard and a few seconds later a stunning Firecrest appeared. The bird was pretty elusive but showed well at times, especially when it perched up in a small Monkey Puzzle tree briefly. Upon our return to the car the Yellow-browed Warbler (294) was heard again near the plantation. Eventually I managed to catch a brief glimpse of the elusive pest in one of the nearby gardens.

Firecrest - Nanquidno, Cornwall - October 2010

Photo loaned from Cornwall Birding

With the weather deteriorating we then headed down to Sennen Cove for a quick brew and a stroll up to Mayon Cliff overlooking a windswept Land's End. Gannets and Kittiwakes passed by offshore as well as the usual selection of Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Shags, Cormorants and Rock Pipits but nothing more interesting was picked up.

Land's End viewed from the old coastal watchpoint at Mayon Cliff.

With time running out it was then time to make the long, depressing journey back to the Midlands. A quick stop at the Hayle Estuary produced a sleepy Eurasian Spoonbill, a few Little Egrets and an adult Mediterranean Gull amongst the usual species.

Once again my favourite County in Britain provided us with a few cracking birds, a whole load of stunning scenery, many great laughs and some precious memories. I need to live down here as soon as possible, it is where I belong.

AMERICAN GREEN HERON in Cornwall

2010-10-25T09:00:00.156+01:00

'The Jungle' at the fantastic Lost Gardens of Heligan.

After a relaxing yet rarity-free saunter around Porthgwarra this morning, news filtered through that the GREEN HERON had been spotted at The Lost Gardens of Heligan once again. The bird had been pretty elusive over the course of the past few days and was not seen yesterday at all until late in the afternoon. We had met a birding couple in Sennen the previous day who had searched for the bird all day but to no avail. With plenty of daylight remaining for our own thorough search though, we decided to take a gamble and take the ninety minute drive over towards Mevagissey without delay.

Upon arrival we were told that the transatlantic vagrant was currently showing on the top pond in 'The Jungle' section of the gardens. After a short stroll through the sun-dappled woodland, past Heligan House and over the western green, we arrived to find a lone photographer rattling off shots. After a quick glance towards where he was pointing his fat lens, we were soon enjoying the diminutive, first winter GREEN HERON as it fished around the perimeter of the small ornamental pool.

GREEN HERON (1st winter) - The Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, Cornwall.

All photographs by Adam Archer

After some tremendous views it was about time that I grabbed a few digiscoped shots of the bird myself. After a quick fumble around the trusty Sco-Pac though I discovered that I had left the camera in the car.... I was gutted. Luckily a kind-hearted birder stepped in and volunteered to head back to the car park whilst I stayed with the bird. During this time I started to receive more attention from passing members of the public than the heron was getting. As the traffic along the narrow boardwalk increased I must have showed at least fifty curious tourists the bird through my scope. All of them though were as equally impressed with the bird as we were. I must admit that the looks of wonder on some of their faces were just as satisfying as actually seeing the rarity myself. I must be going all soft in my old age.

The GREEN HERON twitch!

Check me out as I'm swathed by curious pensioners. Some of their facial expressions are priceless.

After about a hour of plucking several small fish from the pond, the bird decided to make a move. It flew directly towards the crowd of admirers, gained height slightly just a few feet over their heads and headed further down into the well vegetated valley. As the crowd collectively gasped and finally dispersed, we decided to try to and relocate it. About fifteen minutes later whilst scanning one of the other ponds I detected a slight movement on a tiny island. It was the GREEN HERON again and this time we had the bird all to ourselves. As before, the bird continued to show very well just a few yards away. To see an awesome bird like this in such beautiful surroundings is always such a great privilege.

GREEN HERON fact file

The Green Heron is the American counterpart of a complicated complex that was once referred to as the Green-backed Heron when they were lumped into a single species. Since 1993 however most authorities have split the main trio. They are commonly classified as the Green Heron of North and Central America, the Striated Heron that ranges from West Africa across to Japan and down to Australia and finally the Lava Heron of the Galapagos Islands. Amongst the three separate species there are also over thirty different races.
Some races of Green Heron in the States are non-migratory however the race that occurs as a rare vagrant to Europe - Butorides virescens virescens is not. This race is longer winged than the other sedentary populations. It breeds from south-eastern Canada down to the southern United States and across to the east side of the Rocky Mountains. It spends the winter in the southern most States of the United States and down into the northern edges of South America.
The Green Heron is one of a very few species of bird that uses tools to aid its hunting technique. It often drops bait such as insects, pieces of vegetation and sometimes even bread onto the surface of the water in order to attract small fish.

GREEN HERON in Great Britain

Coincidently the first ever record of Green Heron for Britain turned up just a short distance from the current Cornish individual. In 1890 a fellow called Mr Murray noticed a mysterious, small, stuffed heron specimen in the shop window of a taxidermist in Bath, Somerset. After making further enquires he discovered that the bird had been shot by a gamekeeper whilst searching for Woodcock near Penrice, St Austell on the 27th October 1889. The bird was presented to the Linnean Society the following the year and was later admitted to the British List. After several debates throughout the subsequent years, the species was later removed from the British List in 1915 by the British Ornithologists Union who doubted the species ability to cross the Atlantic Ocean. In 1971 however the record was reviewed once again and the species was added to the British List once more.

The full history of the species in Britain is as follows:

1889 - Cornwall - Penrice near St Austell - immature - 27th October - shot and now on display at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro (see above).
1982 - Yorkshire - Stone Creek - immature - 27th November until 6th December.
1987 - Lothian - Tyninghame - 1st winter - 25th October - found freshly dead and probably killed by a fox.
2001 - Lincolnshire - Messingham Sand Quarry - immature - 24th September to 2nd October.
2005 - Anglesey - Red Wharf Bay - immature - 7th November to 20th November.
2008 - Kent - West Hythe - 1st winter - 19th October to 9th November.
2010 - Cornwall - Pentewan - 1st winter - 6th October to present

AMERICAN GREEN HERON at The Lost Gardens of Heligan

2010-10-25T08:44:00.002+01:00

An excellent video sequence of the famous Heligan Green Heron by Cornish birder - John Chapple

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER in Cornwall

2010-10-24T18:34:00.003+01:00

After an early start from Warwickshire we finally hit a sun-drenched Cornwall during late morning. The first stop was the Hayle Estuary where I had hoped to add Whooper Swan to my 'Kernow List'. Unfortunately yesterday's small, family party could not be located but a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was nice to see showing well near the causeway bridge. Other species included 6 Common Shelduck, 475 Eurasian Wigeon, 120 Common Teal, 4 Little Egrets, 20 Oystercatcher, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 15 Eurasian Curlew, 18 Common Redshank and 6 Dunlin.

Hayle Estuary, Cornwall - October 2010

After grabbing a tasty vegetable pasty at the bakery in Marazion we took advantage of the low tide by taking a leisurely stroll along the cobbled causeway to St Michael's Mount and out over the sandy beach of Mount's Bay. Due to the presence of the dog-walking fraternity not a great deal of birds were spotted other than the usual Cormorant, Shag, Herring Gull and Oystercatcher. It was then over the road to Marazion Marsh RSPB where a Bittern had been spotted earlier on in the morning. It failed to appear whilst we were there though and the only species of note was a single male Common Stonechat and the odd singing Cetti's Warbler. A quick visit to the ancient fishing hamlet of Mousehole produced 9 Ruddy Turnstone around the harbour and the odd Goldcrest around the back of the village but nothing else of note. Despite being in one of my favourite places on the planet during a most gorgeous spell of autumn weather, the birding was not really matching the occasion. It was time to move it up a gear.

After a short drive west towards Land's End, we parked up just east of Sennen near the entrance to Trevedra Farm and took the short farm track south. Taking care not to spook the flock of 120 European Golden Plover and the odd Northern Lapwing, I carefully set up the scope and began to scan the nervous group. On the first scan through nothing unusual could be located but upon the second a delicate juvenile BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (292) strolled into view before quickly disappearing over the brow of the hill. As more birders arrived on site, the flock was flushed by a marauding Common Kestrel. As the pack swirled around in the early evening skies I eventually picked out the much smaller American vagrant. Luckily a short while later, the flock settled back down in the same field and this time the BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER showed well until we left.

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER (juvenile) - Sennen, Cornwall.

Photo by Adam Hartley of 'Pendeen Birding'

Buff-breasted Sandpiper fact file

The first documented record of Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Britain was a bird that was shot amongst a trip of Eurasian Dotterel during early September 1826 near Melbourne in Cambridgeshire.
This species breeds in the open arctic tundra of North America and is a very long distance migrant. It spends the winter mainly in South America, especially Argentina.
In its native United States this species is often referred to as a 'grasspiper' due to its preference for grassy areas rather than the coastal mudflats favoured by most other wading birds.
This species is unique amongst North American shorebirds in that it uses a lek for courtship displays. Females select a mate and then leave to raise their chicks elsewhere. In Europe a similar mating system is used by the Ruff.
During the late 1800's and early 1900's this was a very abundant species with population estimates ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. By the early 1920's however, widespread hunting had decimated their numbers, resulting in near extinction. Due to urgent protection measures the species recovered remarkably quickly but it is thought that the species is now in decline once more.

After receiving a tip-off from Cheshire birding pal, Mal Curtin at Trevedra Farm we then headed the short distance north to Nanquidno Valley. He had seen a very vocal Yellow-browed Warbler down there earlier on in the day and as it was a species I needed for the year, I decided to give it a quick bash before the day ended. Despite a thorough search of the area the bird could not be located amongst the many Goldcrests in the area. Before making our way back towards Penzance to find our accommodation we popped in at Pendeen to watch the sun go down. A LITTLE SHEARWATER had passed by this very spot the day before but even that special seabird would fail to equal the beauty of a typical Cornish sunset.

Sunset at Pendeen - the slight peak on the horizon to the left of the photo are the distant Isles of Scilly.

LESSER YELLOWLEGS in Oxfordshire

2010-10-16T22:33:00.002+01:00

Port Meadow Floods, Oxford - looking south towards the River Thames.

After a rare lie in this morning, I headed the relatively short distance over into a neighbouring County for a new year tick. Thanks to some excellent directions I managed to find the spot without any problems at all. Port Meadow is situated on the outskirts of the historic city of Oxford and is adjacent to the famous River Thames. Before today I knew absolutely nothing about this area but I since found out some interesting information. The meadows are an ancient area of grazing land, still used for horses and cattle, and has never been ploughed. In return for helping to defend Britain against the marauding Danes, the Freemen of Oxford were given the 300 acres of pasture by Alfred the Great who founded the City in the 10th Century. The Freemen's collective right to graze their animals free of charge is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 and has been exercised ever since.

Upon arrival, the sights and sounds of circa 600 Eurasian Wigeon, 29 European Golden Plover and a scattering of Northern Lapwing were enjoyed amongst the odd passing train, the grazing bovines and the posh joggerettes. Soon enough I was watching a trio of waders consisting of an adult Ruff, a Common Redshank and a juvenile LESSER YELLOWLEGS (291), the reason for the trip. The American vagrant showed well if not a little too distantly for a decent photo during the time I was there. It was disturbed occasionally by a pair of Carrion Crows but would always return back to its favoured feeding area along the northern section of the floods.

LESSER YELLOWLEGS - Port Meadow Floods, Oxford - October 2010

Photographs kindly provided by Stephen Burch

RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL in Cleveland

2010-10-10T21:11:00.001+01:00

The impressive yet misty Huntcliff area just east of Saltburn-on-Sea, Cleveland.

With the east coast set to continue its decent run of rarities, I decided to stay overnight in Yorkshire again on the Saturday night. Early on Sunday morning I heard that the East Midlands ASBO crew were on their way to hit Spurn... at pace. Although tempting, I envisaged that the better quality birds would be making landfall slightly further north. As I made my way up the A1 my instincts proved correct when news of a RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL in Cleveland came through on the pager. With Steve Dunn and Mike Feely currently watching a superb Pallas's Warbler at Sammy's Point, had I made the wrong decision though?

After parking up in the quaint seaside town of Saltburn, I hiked up and along the clifftops to Huntcliff. As I plodded on, I was hearing the same sounds as I had during the previous day at Spurn. Goldcrests were calling from the sparse sections of scrub and Redwings were streaming in off the sea. The odd Brambling was also seen along the coastal footpath. As I arrived on the scene I was disappointed to be told that the target rarity had just been ringed and released. I was worried that the bird would either become very elusive after its ordeal or even worse, would disappear completely. I need not have worried though as I soon picked up the gorgeous RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL sparring with a European Robin at the base of a broken line of bushes.

The Huntcliff RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL prior to its release.

Photo kindly provided by Damian Money

After a while, the RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL became more elusive as more ramblers made their way through. I then noticed a single bird fly from cover and land in a ploughed field behind where the small group of birders had congregated. It was either a Robin or the Bluetail and I was delighted to see through my bins that it was the latter. The bird showed well hopping around in the open with just a single Song Thrush and a Northern Wheatear for company. Whilst enjoying the bird, I noticed a couple of immaculate Lapland Buntings walk into the same field of view. I eventually concluded that there were at least five birds present. What a great start to the day!

Have the Samaritans erected this sign to prick the conscience of potential cliff jumpers or is it aimed of weary, insane birding year-listers like me?

WOODCHAT SHRIKE & DUSKY WARBLER in Cleveland

2010-10-10T21:07:00.000+01:00

I have only visited Hartlepool once before and that was to watch the mighty Tamworth FC create a 'giant killing' shock and knock Hartlepool United out of the FA Cup. Would my second visit to this town prove just as memorable and enjoyable? As I made my way to the headland, news of a RADDE'S WARBLER came through from the Jewish Cemetery. I decided to head to The Croft first though in order to check out a long staying Lanius species. Every birder loves a shrike! Upon arrival there was no sign of the bird amongst the plethora of Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs but after a short while the juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE (289) finally made an impressive entrance. To my surprise it flew straight towards me with a freshly deceased Goldcrest in its bill. It then tucked itself into cover where it could be glimpsed decapitating its prey, wedging the body in between two small branches and ripping it to shreads. It was like a scene from the movie 'SAW'!

juvenile WOODCHAT SHRIKE - Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland - October 2010

These excellent photos were kindly provided by Tristan Reid

With no sign of the Yellow-browed Warbler or the Firecrest which had been present in The Croft earlier in the day, I decided to head across to the Spion Kop Cemetery where the RADDE'S WARBLER had been re-identified as a DUSKY WARBLER. As I arrived on site it did not look good. I was told that that the bird had been disturbed by over eager twitchers and had promptly disappeared from its favoured feeding area. Undeterred I decided to take a stroll further along the track overlooking the rugby club and within a few minutes I detected a distinctive 'tak.... tak.... tak' call. With the help from another birder I managed to catch a glimpse of the bird responsible for the sound, a fine DUSKY WARBLER (290). After a bit of patience the bird showed very well indeed but was easily spooked and disappeared for long periods. As with the previous day at Spurn, my day of birding had ended with a bang. I now have just ten species to go until the target of 300 is smashed!

DUSKY WARBLER - Hartlepool Headland, Cleveland - October 2010

Photo kindly provided by Steve Clifton

A Spurn Spectacular - RUSTIC BUNTING in East Yorkshire

2010-10-09T17:54:00.003+01:00

With the weather conditions looking pretty good over the previous few days for a bit of an east coast fall, I decided to head over to Spurn today. As I headed towards Kilnsea I sensed that I was in for a busy time. All along the lanes I had to slow down with caution as I weaved through tired pipits, finches and thrushes resting on the road. As I pulled into the car park it got even better with European Goldfinches and Eurasian Siskins literally dropping at my feet, hungry for seeds and completely unconcerned by my presence. Looking to the sky, Redwings passed over in their hundreds and Skylarks headed south a dozen at a time. The thought of rarities and silly year ticks did not even interest me, I was in birding utopia.

A hungry Goldcrest peeks out from a roadside hedge, no more than a two feet away!

As I made my way up towards the Crown & Anchor, hundreds of Goldcrests filled the roadside hedges along with impressive numbers of European Robins. In the adjacent fields, thousands of Redwings were feeding along with smaller numbers of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds as well as the odd Fieldfare. A scan of the berry laden hedgerows soon produced the first of six Ring Ouzels I would see during the day. It was whilst watching one of these fine birds that I picked up a handsome Great Grey Shrike surveying the busy scene from deep within a hawthorn. Luckily the bird soon started to show off in true Lanius fashion by perching up in the open and providing superb views.

After a thorough search of the Canal Zone I noticed that most birds seemed to be heading south along the peninsula. I therefore took the decision to head to the Point and see what I could find. As soon as I left the car the sound of calling Brambling and Eurasian Siskin filled the air. The atmosphere was electric and to make it even better there were hardly any other birders about. The Point was full to the brim of Goldcrests and Eurasian Siskins and around the trapping area at least 30 Brambling were a delight to see. There were also smaller numbers of Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Common Redstarts. A real treat however was finding a Barred Warbler clambering around in the buckthorn behind the VTS tower. Along the high tideline, a first winter Black Redstart (286) was good to see, especially as it was my first of the year. It was at this stage that news filtered through off a PALLAS'S GRASSHOPPER WARBLER further north in County Durham. A quick look at my watch confirmed that I would never make it there with enough daylight remaining.

A male Eurasian Siskin feeds on roadside weeds no more that a foot away from the camera!

With a LITTLE BUNTING having been trapped, ringed and released at Kew I decided to head back down to Kilnsea to see if I could relocate the bird. With no sign of it, I eventually gave up and headed back down the lane for a second helping of the Great Grey Shrike. Whilst enjoying the bird, I picked up a radio message to say that another rare bunting had been found along Beacon Lane. Within ten minutes I was watching a fine RUSTIC BUNTING (287) feeding along the footpath. The bird initially showed quite well on and off but as more birders arrived and the light deteriorated the rarity began to get a bit more elusive and flighty. Even so, I was ecstatic with the end to a another very memorable day in Yorkshire.

SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER & Pectoral Sandpiper in Essex

2010-10-07T22:30:00.001+01:00

Prime Essex birding habitat - Abberton Reservoir

See that island in the middle? There's a SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER on it.

WOW! At the moment this ugly looking 'rezza' near Colchester is possibly the wader capital of England. Due to a load of construction work taking place, it has been drained in order that they can raise the water levels. The first stop for Steve Richards and I was along the causeway where we soon picked up a nice juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper feeding on the muddy margins, our first Yank of the day. Other highlights in this area were 10 Red-crested Pochard, 13 Northern Pintail, 8 Little Egret, 25 Black-tailed Godwit, 10 Ruff and 3 Spotted Redshank.

Pectoral Sandpiper - Abberton Reservoir, Essex

Photo thanks to Sean Nixon

We then moved up to the Essex Wildlife Trust visitor centre where we were soon scanning through the hundreds of shorebirds on site. After some careful scrutiny we eventually picked up the main target of the day, a juvenile SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER (284). Due to the distances involved it was a pretty tricky task to keep relocating the bird amongst the flighty groups of Dunlin. With patience though you could identify the American vagrant by its podgy, hunchbacked jizz and its less hectic and more methodical feeding action in comparison to the 8 Little Stints that were also present. Other notable sightings included 3 Egyptian Geese, 7 Northern Pintail, 3 Little Egret, 10 Avocet, a single European Golden Plover, 320 Ringed Plover, 75 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Spotted Redshank, 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 2 Black Tern.

juvenile SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER (right) with juvenile Little Stint - Abberton Reservoir, Essex - October 2010.

Photo thanks to Adrian Kettle

RING-BILLED GULL & Mediterranean Gulls in Essex

2010-10-07T22:29:00.080+01:00

The famous Rossi's Ice Cream Parlour at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.

There had been no news regarding 'Rossi' the adult Ring-billed Gull since the middle of September but after receiving a tip off from a friendly, local birder that the transatlantic scarcity was still present we headed down to Southend during the afternoon. We arrived at the gull's usual haunt near the ice cream parlour and began the search. Initially only Black-headed Gulls were attracted to Snapper's sandwich scraps but soon afterwards several Mediterranean Gulls (adult & 2 first winter birds) flew in to feed too.

Luckily, a local then appeared further down the seafront and dumped a huge pile of bread and cake on the sea wall. This soon brought in a few larger gulls including Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Gull and finally the returning adult Ring-billed Gull (285). The bird showed well for a while before flying off down towards the pier to roost on the roof of the casino. It was in this area that we enjoyed further views it along with another 5 adult Mediterranean Gulls.

Other sightings included a single Little Egret and 4 Dark-bellied Brent Geese.

adult Ring-billed Gull (above & below) - Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex - October 2010

Photos by Adam Archer

adult winter Mediterranean Gull (above) & first winter Mediterranean Gull (below) - Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex - October 2010

Photos by Adam Archer

It's official, year-listing drives you mental! BAIRD'S SANDPIPER in Essex

2010-10-07T22:00:00.001+01:00

BAIRD'S SANDPIPER (juvenile) - Holland Haven Country Park, Essex.

Photo kindly provided by Matthew Deans

Whilst enjoying some hot Laridae action near Southend-on-Sea, news filtered through of a probable BAIRD'S SANDPIPER over at Holland Haven Country Park. There was no way we were going to bother contemplating a visit until confirmation of yet another American rarity was received though. Whilst nearing the M25 and making slight in roads into getting home at a reasonable time, the sighting was confirmed. We turned around and made our way over to Clacton-on-Sea as the daylight began to fade. Upon arrival we sprinted down towards the pool and entered the fire-proof bird hide, cunningly fashioned out of a couple of old shipping containers.

Luckily, the birding Gods were smiling down on us. There was a trio of extremely helpful Essex birders already watching the bird and they were happy to let us use their scopes of the light quickly deteriorated. The vagrant showed well as it picked its way around the Northern Lapwing flock until it was too dark to see anymore. We had arrived in the nick of time to see our FOURTH American rarity of the day. It was also yet another addition to my year list..... or was it?

Whilst updating my 'BUBO Listing' tally, I frowned as it failed to let me input BAIRD'S SANDPIPER as a new sighting to my '2010 British Year List'. Maybe there was a bug with their server or maybe I had already added the species in error? I then realised I had already seen an adult bird up at Lound in Nottinghamshire during August!

It is therefore official, this year-listing nonsense f*cks up your mind completely! How could I forget such a memorable species? I fear that I shall soon be sectioned under the Mental Health Act 2007. I will see you all after I have undergone an extensive course of electroconvulsive therapy.

WILSON'S PHALAROPE in Norfolk

2010-10-06T19:14:00.003+01:00

The view from 'The Observatory' at Welney WWT, Norfolk - can you spot the WILSON'S PHALAROPE?.... Nah me neither!

Here it is! A splendid first winter WILSON'S PHALAROPE just about to get 'ruffed' up whilst 'widgeoned' in between two ducks.

Photo kindly provided by Matthew Deans

It was a toss up today between a trip to Essex for a SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER or a slightly shorter twitch to Norfolk for a WILSON'S PHALAROPE. With 'school run' duties and a new windscreen to be fitted there was no way I could do both birds in a day. With none of the usual suspects willing to join me, I opted for the easier option of Welney WWT. I arrived just after opening time and headed straight down to view the main lagoon. Within a few minutes I was scoping a first winter WILSON'S PHALAROPE (283) as it fed at pace amongst a flock of roosting Eurasian Wigeon and Greylag Geese. This transatlantic vagrant was a most welcome addition to the old year list and completed a nice hat trick of Norfolk Phalarope species this year following the Red-necked Phalarope and Grey Phalarope I was lucky enough to see at Kelling at the end of September.

Other sightings included 2 Barnacle Geese (feral), 3 Northern Pintail, Marsh Harrier, 22 Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Common Snipe, 8 Dunlin and 2 Little Stint.

FERRUGINOUS DUCK in West Yorkshire

2010-10-04T16:00:00.100+01:00

Wintersett Reservoir, Wintersett, West Yorkshire - October 2010

Photo by Adam Archer

After a search of the southern end of this reservoir on Saturday afternoon, I had failed to locate FERRUGINOUS DUCK that had been been present the day before. In fact all I had seen during the pretty depressing visit was a Red-breasted Merganser over the road at Park Lake. After a two day absence I was thankful that the bird was located again, especially as I was only twenty-five minutes away from site at the time.

Despite the time of year, the weather was more in keeping with a spring day in May as we meandered our way through the sun dappled woodland to the north-west corner of the reservoir. Upon finding a suitable viewing area and after a quick scan through my bins it was not too long before I managed to pick out a handsome drake FERRUGINOUS DUCK (281). The scarce visitor from Eastern Europe continued to show well, it not a little distant amongst the Tufted Duck, Common Pochard and Common Coot until the lure of another local rarity proved too much.

Above: adult male FERRUGINOUS DUCK (top bird) with male Common Pochard (bottom bird) - Wintersett Reservoir, West Yorkshire.

Photo by Adam Archer

Above: adult male FERRUGINOUS DUCK (middle bird) with two male Common Pochard - check out the snowy white ass!