23/07/2017 Staying Local - Press Ridge Warren

Sunday 23/07/2017
Press Ridge Warren, Sussex

Another failed attempt to see the Honey Buzzard this morning but, by way of compensation, I had terrific views of a Hobby -  both in flight and perched. 

21/07/2017 Birding with Alan and Shaun

Friday 21 July 2017
East Anglia


Another day trip to Norfolk and Suffolk - this time with Alan and Shaun.  Dry but overcast conditions before the unsettled weekend weather meant this was our best bet for birding.  The strong winds in places was a problem but overall things were fine.

• After concluding our main business, we headed for Titchwell around lunchtime to see the attractive Pectoral Sandpiper.  It was showing really well at less than 50 metres from the main path by the Freshwater Marsh.

• It was surrounded by several Ruff in rather scruffy plumage as you might expect at this time of year.

• Other highlights included several Mediterranean Gulls and 3 Spoonbills.

• On the way home, we stopped off at Foxhole Heath, by the entrance to Rakeheath Farm, on the B112 to Icklingham, where Shaun spotted 2 Stone Curlews.  The views were the best I have ever seen.  They were only 50 metres away and looking splendid in the afternoon sunshine.

Another fabulous day trip to Norfolk and Suffolk!

16/07/201 Birding with Alastair

Sunday 16 July 2017

Invited Alastair to join me on this trip.  An early 06.00 start.

Cliffe Pools, Kent

First port of call was Cliffe Pools to see the Marsh Sandpiper and the Black-winged Stilts.  This was my second viewing but Alastair's first.  The Sandpiper was a "lifer" for Alastair too!  

The birds were in the same position as on Friday - distant but clearly visible.  Nearly 20 birders even at this early hour.

Baston/Langtoft, Lincolnshire

We arrived too late to get the Caspian Tern.  It was seen at 08.35 but had then disappeared without staying for the second day.

Norfolk

We then enjoyed a spectacular afternoon in Norfolk - just beating the rain!  It was great to see Sally and Roger again, this time with 2 of their 3 children.

We even managed to twitch the Long-billed Dowitcher at Cley before heading home in the evening.  Allegedly this was the first sighting of this species here for over 40 years.

13-14/07/2017 2 "lifers" in 2 days!

Thursday 13 July 2017

Ynyslas, Wales

• I managed to twitch the female King Eider in Wales today.  The bird was asleep!  Trust my luck - 287 miles travelled and my target species couldn't even stay awake.  Never mind, next time it will be a sprightly male in summer plumage.

The King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) is a large sea duck. It breeds along Northern Hemisphere Arctic coasts of northeast Europe, North America and Asia. The birds spend most of the year in coastal marine ecosystems at high latitudes. They migrate to the Arctic tundra to breed in June and July. 

Friday 14 July 2017

Cliffe Pools, Kent

• My second "lifer" this week was a Marsh Sandpiper at Cliffe Pools on the north Kent coast.  The views were quite good considering the bird was such a long way from the viewing ramp.

It has an extremely large range but a decreasing population and is a full migrant, travelling overland on a broad front between its breeding grounds in central Asia (Russia and Siberia), and its wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, Indonesia and Australia.

• The supporting act wasn't bad either with 7 Black-winged Stilts seen.

Oare Marshes

• We (Shaun, Alan and myself) then went to Oare Marshes where we were fortunate enough to get superb close views of the Bonaparte's Gull before it disappeared behind the reeds.
• Also seen was a lovely Turtle Dove - one of 4 known to be present.

12/07/2017 Twitching in Kent

Wednesday 12 July 2017
Kent

• With a high tide at 15.19, I finally got to visit Oare Marshes to twitch the Bonaparte's Gull.  The bird was asleep on the ground by the East Flood with lots of Black-headed Gulls in close proximity.  Thankfully it was the nearest bird to us -  barely 30 metres away.  It's a pity I didn't get to see it walk or fly but the ID was clear cut with the black head showing really well.

• On the way home I called in at Dungeness to twitch the Curlew Sandpiper on the ARC pit, viewed from the screen hide.

6-8 July 2017 Cumbria short - break

Thursday 6 July to Saturday 8 July 2017
Cumbria 

Coquet Island

I made a flying visit to Cumbria to take in a family wedding, leaving after lunch on Thursday and travelling back first thing on Saturday morning.

As the wedding reception was not until 7.30 pm on Friday, I booked tickets for Brian, Jeff and myself on the 1 pm boat from Amble sailing around Coquet Island in Northumberland!  This gave us just enough time to see some of the 108 or so Roseate Terns nesting there and still get back to the west coast in time for the family event.  Although the boats were not allowed to land we enjoyed terrific views as we circumnavigated the island.

• The 10-hour round trip was well worth it even though the boat trip itself was only 1 hour long.   The seas were calm and we sailed out in almost perfect conditions. With only 12 passengers allowed we had plenty of space to get comfortable.  After seeing numerous Puffins and Kittiwakes, several Gannets and Guillemots and lots of seals, we finally got to see the Roseate Tern colony.  We even managed to get superb views of a couple of them still showing the pinkish tinge on their underparts.

Unfortunately, we were on the first of 3 scheduled trips and our boat had to be back in Amble for the 2 pm sailing and it was not possible to negotiate an extended stay.

A short but ever so sweet boat trip!

Nosterfield, Yorkshire

Next morning I set off back home to Sussex but decided to go back down the A1 to allow me to detour to Nosterfield in Yorkshire to twitch the Sabine's Gull.

• The bird was not on Flask Lake as reported on RBA.  It had flown on to nearby Kiln Lake so it took a while for me and several other birders to find it.  Eventually, we did spot it - flying and showing the vital ID features.  It then landed on the water's edge barely 30 metres away.  It then took to the water and we enjoyed good views of it swimming.

It was too late for me to go to Wykeham Forest to look for the Honey Buzzard so I made the long trip back home, arriving around 7.30 pm.

A very impressive Nosterfield site!

03/07/2017 Looking for Honey Buzzrads

Monday, July 3
Press Ridge Warren, Ashdown Forest

Alastair invited me to join him for a morning's birding at Press Ridge Warren targeting Honey Buzzard.  I had previously tried Black Down, Acres Down and Newhouse Farm, each time drawing a blank.
This session was to prove no different with no sign of the bird.

• However, we did have some compensation with good sightings of Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite and Hobby.
• The Red Kite was a welcome first for me at this venue.
• The pair of Hobbies were particularly interesting and are obviously nesting here.  They were seen flying together.  Then the male was seen fighting off a nearby Carrion Crow before settling down on a nearby branch to act as a sentinel.  We saw it for lengthy periods thereafter.
• There was also a family of Stonechats nearby - a male and 3 juveniles. 
• A pair of Spotted Flycatchers was also present.

A good session despite the absence of the star item.

01/07/2017 250-up!

Saturday, July 1, 2017
North Norfolk

• It is rather fitting that I got my 250th bird species in Norfolk. Whilst at Titchwell a Little Gull was pointed out to me on the Freshwater Marsh.

• Over 50 species seen - the highlights being a couple of Bearded Tits, a Cuckoo, 20+ Bar-tailed Godwits and a couple of Mediterranean Gulls.

Passing the 250 mark was my primary target for this year!

29/06/2017 Bee-eaters x4 in Nottinghamshire

Thursday, June 29, 2017
East Leake, Nottinghamshire

After a couple of weeks staying local and settling in our new dogs, it was nice to get out and about again.

• The long journey to Nottinghamshire was well worth it, with fabulous views of 4 of the 7 Bee-eaters known to be at East Leake.  I arrived mid afternoon as the birds were showing well on the bare branches of a tree in the quarry.  They took it in turns to fly off before returning to the same tree.  They were a photographers dream with good lighting and relatively short distances.

Bee-eaters at East Leake
courtesy of  Matt Merritt on Twitter

I have to say the event was managed superbly by the RSPB in conjunction with the local farmer.  A nearby field was opened up as a temporary car park.  The short route along the busy A6006 was clearly marked as was the path down to the quarry.  In all the site was a 10-minute walk from the car park. 

• Colourful and unmistakable, bee-eaters are rare visitors to the UK and normally nest in southern Europe. 
• The last time they nested in the UK was 2015, when two pairs set up home in a quarry in Cumbria. They have also nested on the Isle of Wight (2014), Herefordshire (2005) and Country Durham (2002). 
• These beautiful birds may stay for the next couple of months should they breed.

" A thing of beauty is a joy forever"  John Keats