A bit more Bempton

Barn Owl at Bempton Cliffs RSPB

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Northern Gannet at Bempton Cliffs RSPB

3rd year bird gaining more of the adults white plumage

Adult Gannet

4th Year bird retaining some dark feathers in the tail and wings

Trying to land amongst the Kittiwakes

Gannet at Bempton

Just great birds to watch!

Razorbill

Just a stunning place to visit.

Another trip "up north"

I've had three days in Yorkshire this week so took in a couple of hot spots during my stay.
First stop was Blacktoft Sands where a walk to Singleton hide revealed the Ring-necked Duck and a female Montagu's Harrier. The duck was tucked away and only just viewable in the scope whilst the harrier put a great show flying across the back of the reedbed for about forty minutes. Sadly the male bird didn't show whilst I was there but Marsh Harriers did in good numbers. The reserve volunteer told me the Montagu's were feeding young so that's encouraging and the Marsh Harriers raised twenty one young last season so they're doing something right here. A very nice reserve with a good selection of hides with easy access and only a short walk from the car park. Singleton is best to watch for the Monty and it's only a five minute walk.

Marsh Harrier

I also visited Bempton Cliffs and enjoyed great views of a Barn Owl hunting from the visitor centre and lot's of Tree Sparrow around the feeders. At the cliff face Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Guillemot and Puffin were all well represented and the noise was impressive. I love these seabird colonies as they're just so alive with constant comings and goings and little drama's on every ledge as birds look after young and try to find a little space to land etc.  Throw in a quick stop of at Flamborough Head and my whistle stop tour was over but it did bag me three year ticks taking the list to 242

Tree Sparrows making little Tree Sparrows

Barn Owl

Barn Owl 

Guillemots

Kittiwake

Puffins

Gannet

Gannet

Gannet

Gannets

return of the Oare Marsh Bonaparte's Gull

So the Bonny Gull has returned to Oare Marsh in Kent and this helped us decide on todays trip. Being quite local and having a decent bird we opted for Kent against Norfolk and the possibility of Marsh Warbler and White-rumped Sandpiper. Leaving home at 5am we pulled into Oare at 6.05am and watched a Barn Owl hunting over the marsh. With no sign of the gull I left the Jims and walked to the hide where I quickly located the Bonaparte's Gull on East Flood and after putting news out and calling the Jim's I sat back and enjoyed first the Barn Owl and then a Marsh Harrier along with the Gull and the large number of waders on the flood.
Godwits and Avocets were present in decent numbers with the odd Curlew, Ostercatcher and Redshank out on the mud.

Barn Owl 

Marsh Harrier

Marsh Harrier

Bonaparte's Gull always distant but showed well in the scope

Black-tailed Godwit

We visited Elmley on the way home where we had Hobby, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Yellow Wag, Stock Dove and Skylark to mention a few. Lapwings and Redshank are still present but in very small numbers as the fields are now very dry moving most waders out onto the estuary. We encountered an entertaining group of Linnets and Swallows visiting a puddle on the way out of the reserve so stopped to grab a few images before making our way home.

Linnet

Linnet

Linnet

Stock Dove

Swallow

Swallow

Young Swallow

A decent day in Kent with the weather being grey windy and very cold for the end of June but the year list has trickled up to 239 now

Frankentit

Had this little visitor to the garden over the weekend.

Blue Tit

Poor thing!

Double dip depression

It's that feeling again!
I've tasted it before but it's still bitter and not something I want to be tasting again any time soon. It's like losing a cup final or getting all ready to bat only to be out first ball. So having tried for the Quail reported at the Serin mound Rainham yesterday and despite a few hours in the company of Paul H. I missed the bird with the only highlight a male Marsh Harrier that drifted over the tip as I left. Whilst driving home yesterday I kind of regretted not making the trip for the Wheatear when it was first reported but figured I'd go in the morning having rested up the traffic would be lighter and I could still make the Saturday night dinner.Black-eared Wheatears just don't like to wait so as we arrived at Acres Down this morning we already feared we'd be on a sticky wicket and the glum faces walking around just confirmed our fears. We took in the great views that the New Forest has to offer hearing Woodlark for the Jims to get a year tick and adding Tree Pipit, Crossbill, Spot Fly and Redstart before I picked out a reasonably close Honey Buzzard which the Jims managed to miss whilst papping a Stonechat. Another Honey came up along with several Common Buzzard and a couple of very distant unidentified Buzzards. No Goshawk were seen and other birders reported Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Hawfinch from the same area which just highlights what a great site this is and deserving of more of our time without the twitch factor.

So with the majority of the crowd heading off to tick Hud Whimbrel and Greater Yellowlegs we departed for home disappointed with the dip but pleased with the trip.

Year list now at 238

PS..The afternoon gave me an opportunity to get the camera out in the garden for a change.

Female House Sparrow

Male House Sparrow

House Sparrow

House Sparrow

House Sparrow

Hudsonian Whimbrel at Church Norton

With a couple of hours off work today I called the Jim's and asked if they fancied giving the Whimbrel a try and within half an hour we were heading around the London orbital car park (M25) and down the A3. We got lucky and parked in the only space left at Church Norton giving a relatively short walk through the church yard and down to the shoreline. We quickly started scanning a couple of Whimbrel and worked on the obvious to eliminate the birds as possibles. (The white back giving both away eventually) As we scanned we were told that a group had what they suspected to be the target a few hundred yards further along the bank.
When we arrived we found a small group of around thirty watching a sleeping distant spec. We could see the bird was a Whimbrel and the head looked good for the Hud. We watched for two hours until the bird got up and gave a couple of wing stretches before a short flight and we could finally say we'd seen our first Hudsonian Whimbrel. A while later the bird took to the skies again and was easily picked out amongst other Whimbrel and Curlew with it's dark back and underwing.

Hudsonian Whimbrel (The best I could manage)

A very pleasant twitch with good scope views moved the year list to 237 and the life list to 360

Titchwell and Choseley drying barns

We made the trip up the A10 this morning pulling into Titchwell around 7.30am. A Barn Owl was seen as we parked and a Cuckoo was heard calling before we'd set off down the footpath. Avocet, Godwits and a mix of ducks and geese were noted before the real birding started. Five Marsh Harriers took the the sky together and a pair of Little ringed Plover paraded around in front of the hide. A drake Garganey sat on one of the small islands and gave good scope views and at least fourteen Little Gulls showed well before a single Little Tern put in a brief appearance. As we walked to the beach Wren, Linnet, Reed Bunting and Dunnock sang well and on the sea we noted Common, Sandwich and Little Terns along with a few Gannets and Auks.
A Chinese Water deer put in a show too before we left and headed up the Choseley.

Hare

Hares

Avocet

Goldfinch

Little Gull

Little Gulls

Little Gull in flight

Moorhen fight

Wren

At the drying barns we saw three Turtle Dove and a couple of Corn Buntings. Grey and Red-legged Partridge were present as were good numbers of Yellowhammer and a few more Marsh Harriers. A Hobby flew over to give Jimmy a year tick at last. Hare numbers here are very good.

The year list ticked over to 236 with the Little Gulls