Welney Cattle Egret 9th March, 2019

It's a while since I had seen Cattle Egret in the UK, so hearing that two had been showing well at the WWT Reserve in Norfolk, I spent the day there, with hopes of photographing at least one of the egrets.

Failing on the first attempt, when the birds were flushed by a dog walker, I spent a pleasant day in the hides, with a very smart Greater Scaup and eventually saw the Cattle Egrets at close quarters as I headed back to Ely.  Asking the taxi driver to pause by the bridge, I did my best not to flush the birds, which were right next to the bank. I failed, but did end up with a very nice flight shot with the light in the right place (at last!).

 Greater Scaup

Cattle Egret

Northumberland early spring weekend 1st - 3rd March

I love Northumberland. There is something about the coast there that draws me time and time again.

Thought the weather forecast was looking far from clement, I headed up on an early afternoon train straight from work on the Friday and arrived at my hotel as it was getting dark.

After a slap up dinner of lasagne and sticky toffee pudding, I turned in looking forward to a full day's birding.  The room was okay, with a 'view' of Inner Farne. The bathroom was enormous, though the loo being positioned directly under the eaves of the sky light meant it was impossible to do a stand up wee.  Maybe the room should be advertised as for women only?!

After a hearty full English, minus fried bread, I caught a bus to Bamburgh in hope of getting good views of Purple Sandpiper. However, they numbered precisely zero and Stag Rocks was virtually birdless save for the odd ever-present Eider.

I walked back along the beach, which was pleasant but uneventful, until I reached some rocks just north of St. Cuthbert's. Here was a party of around 15 Snow Buntings, and although flighty at first, eventually became quite confiding as I knelt on the beach.

Snow Bunting

I spent the weekend birding the area, focusing on the wealth of waders that frequent the beaches between St. Aidan's and Lowgos Bay. After missing Purple Sandpiper at Stag Rocks, it was nice to find three birds around lunch time on Sunday. Also, after missing a decent shot of Fulmar at Scarborough in January, it was nice to get a stunning image of a bird that was buzzing the cliffs adjacent to Seahouses golf course.

Oystercatchers

Fulmar

Purple Sandpiper

Sanderling

Grey Plover

                                      

Curlew

Red-breasted Merganser

Scarborough Great Northern Diver - 19th January, 2019

I had often entertained the idea of going to Scarborough to photograph one of the divers that frequent the harbour from time to time and with a Great Northern Diver reported as showing down to a few feet for the past week, there didn't seem to be a better chance.

I caught the first train north on the Saturday morning and was at Scarborough for just before nine.

It seemed the weather dice weren't rolling in my favour this year, and after the experience with the Red Kites, this was yet another dull, murky day.  It was dry though, so I suppose one has to be grateful for small mercies.

I located the diver in the harbour after about 20 minutes, and after it swam around in the middle, the bird eventually came right up to the edge where I stood.  In order to spook the bird as little as possible, I knelt down, resting my camera on a capstan, and I got some nice shots, despite the low light.

Great Northern Diver

 I was in the grip of a bout of man flu and felt rather iffy as I walked to Scalby Mills, in order to photograph the Eurasian Wigeon that splash around right next to the sea wall there. 

In the evening, I met up with Nick Addey and Steve Wignall for a pint of three, while watching the Blades on the pub TV, as we talked birds. I say talked, although my flu had reduced my voice to a whisper.

The Sunday's cloudy was worse if anything than the previous day, but I did get a few shots of some of the local bird life before getting a midday train back to Nottingham.

Common Redshank

Eurasian Wigeon

Great Black-backed Gull

Red Kites in the clouds - 5th January, 2019

I had been mulling over the possibilities of seeing Red Kites in their Chilterns stronghold for a while, and looking at various online resources, it looked feasible on public transport, though time in the field would be quite short.

I set off for Oxford on the first train of the day and paused there for breakfast before getting a bus into the Chilterns.  I found a greasy spoon type cafe and ordered a bacon sandwich, which came on a stone cold plate. How hard would it have been to have warmed the plate?!  Not having time to argue the point, I gobbled up my breakfast with an equally uninspiring coffee and caught a local bus for an hour or so trip into darkest Oxfordshire.

I alighted at the village of Watlington. A quaint Miss Marple kind of place, and site slap bang in the middle of Red Kite country. 

On the positive side, Red Kites were everywhere - there were stacks of them. On the other hand, it was really really cloudy. The weather forecast had been quite good, but they had certainly got it wrong here.

It was fortunate then, that after walking up and down the hill where birds were wheeling round overhead, one bird circle round right above me and then perched in a tree at incredibly close range. It was certainly the best views I've ever had of a Red Kite, and despite the poor light, I was quite pleased with the images I got.

Red Kite

I saw little else in the area, apart from an amazingly confiding Fieldfare, a displaying Raven and one Common Buzzard.  I would like to go back to Watlington, maybe for a weekend, as it's a bit of a trek in a day by public transport.

Fieldfare

Northumberland 21st - 23rd September

This was my second trip to Northumberland this year, after a mid summer trip for the breeding birds on Inner Farne. With a fair wind I hoped for some migrants and explore the area around Seahouses where I stay.

After my train journey to Berwick was delayed by 40 minutes, I missed the connecting bus to Bamburgh, meaning I had to get a taxi, which wasn't an arm and a leg exactly, but money that could have been spent better elsewhere. Regrettably, this experience is all to common on our broken rail service, and a 23 minute delay was blamed on a vehicle colliding with a level crossing near Stevenage. Why we were getting progressively late as we headed north went without explanation.

Being dropped off near the castle, I headed for Stag Rocks, where I figured the first Purple Sandpipers might be gathering. However there was nought but Turnstones and the odd Common Redshank. Off shore Sandwich Terns and Gannets were dive bombing the waves. 

A storm building off shore looked menacing and fearing a deluge I sheltered in the lee of the lighthouse wall. Fortunately the ensuing downpour wasn't as cataclysmic as I had feared, but put paid to any birding for half an hour.

Common Redshank

Harkess Rocks

Bamburgh Castle from the north

There seemed nothing in the way of migration and House Martins were still tending their nests when I returned to Bamburgh, where I got a bus to Seahouses. The castle is surely one of the most aresting in the country, dominating the coast in its grandeur.

Checking out the harbour area at Seahouses, Oystercatchers, Turnstone and Common Redshank were the stock species and several Great Black-backed Gulls were loafing around the harbour walls.

Oystercatcher

Feeling decidedly peckish after my long day, I decided to grab some dinner before dropping off my gear at my digs. Exploring the beach and rocks at Annstead, I saw a handful of common waders, including a Bar-tailed Godwit. The bird was rather nervous but flew close enough by for a passable record shot.

Bar-tailed Godwit

The following morning was dry with high cloud, producing a rather milky sunshine. I checked out Seahouses harbour where there were the usual smattering of waders including several Curlew and some ridiculously approachable Eider. I'm told these bird have taken a liking to fish and chips, at the expense of thin egg shells. I don't suppose this tameness will result in the same public anxiety that has been associated with Herring Gulls. 

Curlew

Eider Duck

 1st winterGreat Black-backed Gull

As the clouds thinned out, I headed north along the Bamburgh road for about a mile until I reached the roadside pool at Monk's House. Here there were several Grey Herons, Shoveler, Eursian Teal and three Black-tailed Godwits. One bird was feeding, but the other two remained resolutely asleep for the 30 minutes I was there. Since first light Small skeins of Pink-footed Geese had been moving south east and were the only sign of migration. 

Grey Heron

Black-tailed Godwits

Eurasian Teal

Pink-footed Geese

Walking back to Seahouses, the tide was coming in, meaning that waders were coming a bit closer, if one could deploy the right field craft. Finding a boat moored where the water was lapping around the keel, I managed to position myself such that birds approached close enough for me to get some decent shots, including a nice juvenile Ringed Plover. 

Walking south past Braidcarr Point there were a few Grey Plover, although the rising water meant I couldn't very close and only managed a barely satisfactory record shot. However, it's the only time I have photographed this species - so until I get a better opportunity...

Ringed Plover

Grey Plovers and Turnstones

After a light lunch I headed south, picking my way through Annstead Dunes, in the hope of kicking up a migrant. However, the persistent westerly winds meant there wasn't even a sniff of migration. Not a single crest, Chiffchaff or anything.

Continuing on to Beadnell, I saw a female Goosander loafing on the rocks. Finding a bench from where to watch the coast and high tide roost, I was joined by local birder Lucy McGregor. She suggested we go and check out Budle Bay. Accepting the lift, we drove north and parked up in the layby that overlooks the bay. There were stacks of commoner waders, along with good numbers of Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon and a few hundred Pink-footed Geese on the far shoreline.

On the way back, we checked out Stag rocks, but no Purple Sandpipers were showing. At the nearby golf course, with the light fading we checked a large flocked of Linnets, and a hopeful Kestrel, which showed beautifully, lit by the setting sun.

Redhead Goosander

Budle Bay (looking north)

Kestrel

The following morning began with unbroken sunshine and a walk around Lowgos Bay provided some excellent photographic opportunities, including a lovely Rock Pipit.

In the absence of any migrants, I opted to embark on one of the 90 minute cruises that go around all the Farne islands. Birdlife was in short supply and I even failed to capture a Gannet, struggling to track the birds on the bumpy sea. However, the Atlantic Grey Seals were performing on the rocks near Staple Island. It's great to see these mammals up close.

On arriving back at Seahouses, Common Starlings were gathering on the harbour wall, and the adults looked amazing in the sunshine. These are such splendid birds with their plumage and iridescence. I had just enough time to grab my bags from the digs and catch the bus back to Berwick and my train home.

Rock Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Atlantic Grey Seals

Common Starling

Scarborough Mediterranean Gulls July/August 2018

I was on the Yorkshire coast for my now regular late summer sojourn in the seaside town of Scarborough. This serves as a nice base for my mother while I go birding.

I made two visits to the bay at the south end of the town, where Mediterranean Gulls can be lured with bread or in my case a fruit scone. It should be noted that there is a perceived problem of Herring Gulls harassing the public, and feeding gulls normally would attract the ire of the good folk of Scarborough, but happily the south of the town below Holbeck tends to have fewer large gulls.

I counted three adults, four third calendar year birds and a second winter individual.

Mediterranean Gull - a second calendar year bird.

Three 3rd calendar year Mediterranean Gulls

Adult Mediterranean Gull

Aside from the Med Gulls, I had a few photographic opportunities including a lovely juvenile Common Gull. Such gentle looking birds.  A two hour spell with the Peregrines on the headland produced one fairly satisfactory record shot. I was also pleased to get a juvenile Cormorant and Turnstone in perfect light.

Common Redshank

Juvenile Cormorant

Female Peregrine

Turnstone

 Great Black-backed Gull 

Juvenile Common Gull