Kent again, 16/5

Another trip to Kent today. Leaving Lincs at around 06:00, I picked up Werrington duo Chris Orders and Leon Smith (not a couple I hasten to add) and caned it down to Grove Ferry for about nine. Finally found Marsh Hide, and watched the Black-winged Pratincole for a further two hours at the back of the pools, generally obscured and often totally out of view. In that period, it flew once (I had a split second view through my bins before it disappeared behind the duffer standing in front of me) - very unusual for a pratincole, so I thought. It spent much of its time waddling around, not really doing alot. Occasionally, it would dart after an insect or get upset by the local Greylag Geese. Still, a very pleasant bird to look at, and the experience was greatly enhanced by twitching guru Garry Bagnell arriving and struggling considerably to get on to the bird for several minutes.


Black-winged Pratincole, Stodmarsh, 16th May - note the black wings. Erm...

Nevertheless, I decided to move on some time just before 11, and headed back to the viewing ramp with the crew. A Wood Sandpiper shot about at the back of the pool, and there were also a few Blackwits and Avoshits on the scrape. Then we left, just before a Red-footed Falcon flew through. And that was about it!

Local bits, 14-15th May

I decided to have a break this weekend and head home. Naturally, this usually means copious amounts of birding crammed in to the limited time available. Sure enough, I got out on the patch as soon as I could on the evening of 14th. The recent Spotted Redshank (a splendid summer-plumaged bird) was still on the New Works, and a nice bonus was a Black Tern on the Ocean.

Friday (15th) saw me gripped off by local birder and butcher, Will Bowell, who managed to find a Temminck's Stint at Maxey Pits in between slaughtering local livestock. Keen to get back on level terms, I went down to BLGP - 3 Black Terns were nice on the Ocean, and an Arctic Tern was on the Jet Ski Pit. A Common Sandpiper flitted about on North Pit, and the Spotted Redshank was still in residence on the New Works. Other bits included a Hobby over, but there was no sign of that real bit of quality I was after.


Black Magic @ BLGP

I moved on to Maxey, where Bowell's Temminck's eventually showed rather nicely, along with a few tundrae Ringers and a Dunlin:


Temminck's Stint, Maxey, 15th May

Crazy days in the south, 30/4 - 2/5

Dungeness at dawn, complete with expectant hordes

Since arriving back from Morocco, things seem to have gone a bit nuts in the UK. Nothing spectacular in terms of quantity, but quality is certainly there. News of a Collared Flycatcher at Portland broke on 29th, and then later in the day a Crested Lark was found in Kent. So, at 02:20 on 30th, in the pitch dark, I rolled up in the area north of the new lighthouse at Dungeness, where the only other birders present were Will Soar in a suspiciously steamed-up car and Richard Bonser, who had already been on site for c80 minutes. Finding it hard to contain my excitement at the prospect of a dull brown bird I had seen hundreds of in Morocco over the previous week, I decided against sleep and stood in the darkness with Marc Read (and later Dan Pointon and Mick Frosdick). Interestingly Marc, then I, heard the Crested Lark calling a little after 03:00 (my ears sharpened after repeatedly hearing them in Morocco). It therefore came as no surprise when the bird was located flying from the direction in which we heard it some time before 06:00. Though generally flighty and elusive, it did show well on the odd occasion, although the rather large crowd didn't help in the plight to gain extensive deck views. A somewhat darker bird than those observed in Morocco, it was also quite strongly streaked on the breast. Unfortunately, my views were not good enough to observe the chestnut underwings but apparently they were present...!

Crap photo of a crap bird

With no news forthcoming on the flycatcher, I had a brief seawatch off Dunge. Not alot was happening; a couple of flocks of Common Scoters headed east as did several Arctic Terns. Then, at around 08:20 on it came - and so I got on with the arduous drive west.

The drive to Portland was, in essence, appalling. It was capped off by a crash at Ferrybridge, which temporarily delayed the journey further. Finally, some time in after 13:00, I rolled up at Southwell and was greeted by the usual midweek brigade, getting excited over every Blue Tit moving through the garden the flycatcher had been favouring. After some time, up popped the boy - a fantastic first-summer male Collared Flycatcher. A remarkably smart bird, the only real difference from an adult being the brownish primaries and fairly restricted white patch at the base of the primaries (for Collared). Being the miserable recluse I am, I soon got bored of the crowd and so decided to call it a day and battle through the traffic back to Lincs, arriving back in the mid-evening.

Next day (1st May), the flycatcher was still present, and was joined nearby by an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler. Setting off on initial news, I reached Thrapston before turning home on negative news. What a schoolboy error that turned out to be - no sooner had I got home then the bird came back on as there. To cut a long story short, it cost me the bird - I arrived at a rainy Portland some half an hour too late for the bird, and the rest is history. Spell it out: D -I -P....

Morocco, 24th - 29th April

A few images from a recent trip to Southern Morocco; in the region of 160 species were recorded and I had no less than 28 WP ticks...! A trip report will probably be available at a later date.


male Rock Thrush, Oukaimeden, High Atlas


Seebohm's Wheatear, Oukaimeden, High Atlas - surely a candidate for a split!


Curlew Sandpiper, Barrage El-Mansour, Ouarzazate

Black-winged Stilt, Barrage El-Mansour, Ouarzazate

Black Tern, Barrage El-Mansour, Ouarzazate

(Long-billed) Crested Lark - Galerida (cristata) macrorhyncha

nest, desert 37km south of Guelmine

Kelp Gulls (5 of 10 adults), Kheniffis Lagoon

Black-eared Wheatear, Oued Massa

'maroccanus' Cormorant, Oued Ksob, Essaouira

House Bunting, Smimou village

Heron sp., Oued Ksob, Essaouira

20th April

I had a call from Will Bowell this morning, informing me that Mandarins were back on the Welland in Market Deeping - I popped down and soon located a female just west of the Old Coach House, and took this photo with my phone:


More plastic madness...

The newly-reformed active yearlister Bowell was getting twitchy by early afternoon, keen for new ticks. So, when the Hoopoe at Upper Sheringham (Norfolk) came on the pager as 'still present', there wasn't alot going to get in the way of him and the bird. I decided to go with him, although in hindsight lazing around on my arse at home would have been the more sensible option - lots of midweek brigade, no Hoopoes and a bad accident on the A47 made the afternoon somewhat more unpleasant than we had hoped for.

A quick look at BLGP on our return in the evening produced a passage wader at last(!) - a Common Sandpiper was buzzing around the New Works. Typically, there was absolutely nothing else of interest.

East Anglian tour, 19th April

Today, predominantly triggered by poor local birding, I went on a 350-mile drive around East Anglia with my companion Will Bowell and his offensive red shoes (see image below). It turned out to be a very mixed trip - we dipped a few things and also had some nice bits and bobs along the way.

First stop was Wereham (Norfolk), where a Dotterel had been seen the previous evening. Arriving at around 07:50, we failed to locate the bird - it later transpired that it had flown off at 07:35. Rather than piss about, we moved on to a Breckland site where at least six Golden Pheasants were heard, two of them affording fantastic views. A Nightingale was also in sub-song and a Yellow Wagtail flew overhead. Nearby, a heath produced two Stone Curlews showing well on territory, albeit slightly distant. Our final Breckland site was Mayday Farm, where a Goshawk displayed and a Woodlark sang.

Without really realising, we soon found ourselves on the north wall at Breydon Water, where a 3rd-summer Yellow-legged Gull was blogging about but the American Golden Plover had 'done one'. To cheer ourselves up, we indulged ourselves with copious amounts of fast food from a nearby McDonalds.

Southwold (Suffolk) was our next desination, where the green-ringed juvenile Glaucous Gull was strutting its stuff on the jetty at the mouth of the harbour, but there wasn't alot else knocking about. Westleton Heath produced the unavoidable Dartford Warblers, and lazing around overlooking Minsmere RSPB from Dunwich Heath produced my first singing Reed Warblers of the year, along with a Sandwich Tern past offshore and several Mediterranean Gulls getting down and dirty on the scrapes.


Juvenile Glaucous Gull

A male Black Redstart was singing between the power stations at Sizewell, and there was plenty of Kittiwake activity offshore. Waxwings have been lingering in Ipswich, so we decided to pop our heads in, alas to no avail. There was also no news on the lingering Purple Heron in the Shingle Street area, so we headed south in to Essex.


Nuclear-frazzled Black Redstart

Eventually we arrived at Maldon (after much swearing and problems with finding the site), and the Lesser Yellowlegs was duly on show at appalling distance as it fed on the Blackwater Estuary, viewed from the recycling plant. Much more impressive was the congregation of gloriously-plumaged Icewits (c.400), as well as 3 Avocets and a couple of Greenshanks.


Will Bowell actively birding at Maldon in Allwood-style converse.

So - a brief account of what turned in to a surprisingly exhaustive and stressful day, with more dips than hits. The joys of competitive year listing.... good luck for 2009, Will...

Local Bits, 16th April

I've been doing a few local sites over the past few days (concentrating on my patch, Baston & Langtoft Pits) without any real impact. Best of the bunch have been a Wheatear at Maxey, along with lingering Green Sandpipers and a Pink-footed Goose at BLGP - magic stuff.

Yesterday, heavy clouds rolled in and there was rain in the air, and a cool northeasterly breeze. Plenty of bits and bobs seemed to be on the move through the midlands, but all I could manage were a few Yellow Wagtails and increased numbers of hirundines at BLGP. The weather had brought results elsewhere, with these two excellent Sanderling (along with four Dunlin) on a local scrape:

Two spring-plumaged Sanderling with three Dunlin.

Down South, 12th April

With news of a White-throated Sparrow in Hampshire, a dream team (consisting of Will Bowell, Dan Pointon and myself) was quickly assembled for an assault on the south coast. Leaving Langtoft just before 02:00, we arrived at Old Winchester Hill mid-morning (following a couple of hours' birding at another site en-route).

Immediate impressions were not good; although the bird was seen soon after arrival, chaos had broken out amongst the hordes of dudes present on site. Every time the bird was seen in a different spot, mass panic broke out and the group would charge over to gain further views. Most were stood next to the thicket (no wonder it shows only occasionally!), with some even in the bushes themselves. The total lack of fieldcraft on display was somewhat worrying, and did prompt the occasional complaint from yours truly and a few other sensible souls who were standing at a reasonable distance. Twitch-wise this was one of the all-time lows, but the bird made up for it. A stunningly bright male, with striking head pattern and surprisingly rufous-toned upperparts, it was often located by its prominent 'chipping' call - my rather poor photos below don't do it justice. Apparently it had also been heard singing, but unfortunately I missed this. A couple of Bullfinches were also noted.


male White-throated Sparrow, 12th April...


... and again.

Keen to get away from the carnage, we headed back north. A Ring-necked Parakeet flew over the M25, but the ever-sharp Pointon missed it. This meant we had to stop at Wraysbury so he could add the species to his year list. Sure enough, several noisy birds were seen around Magna Carta Lane without having to stop the car, so we continued northwards.

A call from Mick Frosdick informed us that the previous day's White Stork had been reportedly relocated in Hertfordshire, but a search of the area failed to produce anything of real note, let alone the stork. Finally got home a little before 16:00, exhausted and ready for sleep after having just 5 hours over the previous two nights!

Red-rumper, 11/4

There seemed to be alot on the move today; lots of Sandwich Terns and Common Scoters moving amongst other species. Naturally, I gave the patch a morning grilling and the best I could turf up were a couple of Green Sandpipers and a male Wheatear - not exactly the calibre of bird I was hoping for. The aythya hybrid, first seen on February 27th, was again present on the Ocean:


Aythya hybrid: very Tufted-like, but note the grey flanks, head shape and orange eye. In the field, a reddish tinge to the head was often noticeable, as was mantle colour - a very dark grey.

A female Goldeneye lingered, and several Little Egrets were about. On arriving home, I realised that the Red-rumped Swallow found near Leicester had been lingering, so I decided on a pre-work jaunt. The journey was somewhat unremarkable, taking just over an hour to reach Wanlip. The Red-rumped Swallow, a pristine individual, was showing very well over the pit opposite the Hope & Anchor pub with other hirundines, including the first decent numbers of House Martins I have encountered this year. Some time later, the weather cleared slightly and the flock flew off high to the north. The bird did not return so I left (although it did return later on in the afternoon).


At least you can tell what it is...

A quick stop at Manton Bridge, Rutland Water, on the way home revealed my first Common Tern of the year but very little else of any significance.

Ups and downs, 6th April

After an abortive attempt at setting off for the Cornish Great Spotted Cuckoo last night (abandoned after deciding the weather was too poor for the day to be in any way a pleasant experience), I stuck local today. A pleasant walk with the dogs at Castor Hanglands (Cambs) was surprisingly productive. Undoubted highlight was a Hawfinch which was seen flying over the clearing near the main ponds; a totally unexpected sighting. It appeared to land, but did so out of view and despite searching, wasn't relocated. My first singing Willow Warblers and Blackcaps of the year were heard, and a few Marsh Tits were also seen. A Tawny Owl was noted in flight in the main woodland, a Siskin flew over, and Bullfinches were commonplace. Buzzards were also present in remarkable density, with at least five being seen.

Following a spot of lunch, I hit the patch. The weather had become a little more unsettled, with the breeze picking up and clouds rolling in. I had high hopes for some new arrivals, and as soon as I got out the car by the old wader scrape, my first BLGP Willow Warblers of the year were heard singing. At least three Buzzards were in the sky, and a couple of Little Egrets flew by. The Ocean failed to produce anything of real interest, but it was on my walk back to the car that the mega chose to appear - a splendid Egyptian Goose on the island on the old wader scrape. It may not sound much, but it's the first site record for almost five years, following a bird in May 2004 at Grummit's Scrape! The New Works were pretty standard; 5+ LRPs, 2 RPs, a Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Little Egret and so on. A second Green Sandpiper was in the Cross Drain, but there were none of the hoped-for Little Gulls.


Plastic fantastic.

A second visit during the evening produced much of the same, and there still weren't any Little Gulls. A real blow came as I arrived home; I discovered a whacking great bulge on one of the tyres - it appeared the tyre wall had weakened, rendering the car somewhat unsafe to drive. For a second night in a row, plans to head to Cornwall were aborted. I guess that's what some people call unfortunate.