298 Little Bittern at Amwell

Lunchtime news of a Little Bittern fifteen miles away at Amwell had us meeting up for the short drive up the A10 this afternoon. With first reports saying "from viewpoint" we thought it might be one of those dropped into a reed bed never to be seen again but we got lucky when we were put on the bird straight away by the small group on site. Within a few minutes it had dropped and then flown back out of view and wasn't seen again today. I must admit I had one eye on the Titchwell bird and didn't expect to be seeing one this close to home today.

Year list now 298

Little Bittern

Little Bittern

Little Bittern at Amwell

Little Bittern 

The Bittern was resting deep in those trees

297 Isabelline Wheatear at Cley

At this time of year new birds are hard to find so with an Isabelline Wheatear being reported at Cley yesterday and with the overnight weather on our side we set off this morning to find the bird. Arriving at 7.30am we walked along the Eastbank and then walked east along the fence line of Arnolds Marsh to look for the bird but by 8am we'd not connected then another birder said he'd seen something drop off a post so I walked back along the fenceline and at 8.30am had found the Wheatear out on the marsh just below the fenceline. The bird flew closer and gave good views before flying to the top of the dunes at which time I walked up and positioned myself a good distance away in the hope that the bird would come along the dunes and I got my reward as it did indeed walk along the ridge and came quite close before taking flight back onto the marsh.

Isabelline Wheatear at Cley

Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear

On the walk out we had a quick look on the pools and found a single Long-tailed Duck and on the shingle a small group of Snow Bunting added to the day.

On our way along the coast road we stopped between Wells and Holkham and eventually found the Rough-legged Buzzard a bird which I always enjoy and this one showed well at distance flying along Lady Anne's drive and over the new visitor centre.
Also here we had Peregrine, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard.

Rough-legged Buzzard over Lady Annes Drive

Rough-legged Buzzard

Tick 297 of 2019

Something about Wheatears......

The year list moves another notch closer to the 300 and now sits at 297

Three to find but a quick look at the news services will show that there's not much out there I haven't seen. There's a few I've missed but not many to go after as this map of todays reported birds shows. (as at 5pm)

 I can't see me making the monster trip for the Eider or the questionable Pipit but the Titchwell Bittern might be a target later in the week or even the Stonechat as I search for the final three ticks to hit my target.

296 Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Walberswick

I had a family thing on this morning so was late setting off up the A12 to Dunwich but pulled into the beach car park around 12.15pm and started the long 2.5KM walk along the shingle ridge to the general area the Wagtails had been reported at this morning. On arrival we joined the twitch and found a single Yellow Wagtail which was quickly ID'd as Western feeding in the grass with some Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits. A group of eight Snow Buntings dropped in to feed and after about an hour the Eastern Yellow Wagtail finally returned to feed. It gave good views before flying off south again.

The bird has been around for a couple of weeks now but only ID'd from sound recordings yesterday which prompted our trip.

Year list now 296
Life list now 410

Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Walberswick

A few of the others that made the long walk today

The view while we waited

So the 300 challenge is starting to look more likely with just four required for the rest of the year but as you can see from my recent activity I'm putting in a bit of effort to close it down.

295 after a decent day at Spurn

Yesterday saw Spurn reporting Bluethroat, Dusky Warbler, Pallas's Warbler and Hume's Leaf Warbler so it had to be our choice of destination today. We arrived around 8.30am and started with a search of the pub car park where the Pallas's Warbler had been reported and within minutes we found the little gem as it fluttered around doing a circuit of the bushes bordering the car park.

The Pallas's warbler that gave the Jims another year tick

We then walked the canal path to the Warren and picked up a year tick when a Lapland Bunting was first heard then seen feeding on the shore line keeping company with good numbers of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and at least one Twite.

One of several Yellowhammers present

Our next target was to look for the Bluethroat that's been entertaining the locals for over a week.
Unfortunately despite a good search we couldn't find the target but did get a nice consolation with a very confiding Snow Bunting and a very close fly over Woodcock.

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting 

The Dusky Warbler was another no show but we did find the Hume's Leaf Warbler feeding in bushes along Peters Lane Easington and it showed well through the scope but was a bit distant for the camera. The bird was heard to call a few times before flying further down the lane when the householder pulled up on his drive and entered the garden.

A cracking days birding ended with a Merlin chasing a Skylark above us and the year list has ticked over again and now stands at 295 and leaves me just five to find by the year end for that 300 goal I've set myself.

The Dunwich Wagtail looks to finally have been confirmed as Eastern on call so I'm now hoping it'll wait for me to connect with it in the next couple of days.


Year list now 295

Fantastic sea watch at Cley

With the wind switching today to include a northerly bias I decided on taking the Jims to Cley for a seawatch. We arrived at around 9.30am having stopped on the way up to dip Golden Pheasant again.
Around thirty birders had already established territory around the coastguards hut so we squeezed in and started the watch.

Hundreds of Gannet and Kittiwake were the obvious birds with a scattering of Auks and a Gulls which made up the initial counts. A few Red-throated Divers flew east before the first decent bird in the form of a Pomarine Skua. The wind increased and with it came more movement to the east of Auks whilst Scoters and other ducks including Pintail, Eider, Tufted and Wigeon all moved west. Then the Skua passage picked up with a count of 27 Poms, 9 Great and at least 4 Arctics all moving east in front of the turbines. Mid afternoon and we got a shout of "Little Auk" and managed to get on two of the five that flew close in from the east to give my second year tick of the day.

A Merganser flew past then a Great Northern Diver headed west along with a small group of Little Gulls and a large flock of Great Black-backed Gulls to add to the fabulous spectacle unfolding in front of us. Waders were represented by Grey Plover, Turnstone and Sanderling andlater in the day we added three Velvet Scoter to the day list and a single Manx Shearwater.

I thought today would be a good day but it proved to be one of my best ever sea watches from Cley.

Year list now 293 and only 7 short of my 300 goal

Cley sea watch

Gannets

Brents

Artwork at Cley

Fisherman at Cley

Watching the sea

291 Pallas's Warbler at Thornham Point

We headed up to Norfolk this morning with our first stop at Cley where we picked up a year tick for the Jims with a single Velvet Scoter among a small group of Commons. A Black-throated Diver sat on the sea west of the car park along with several Red-throats and a few Guillemot. A single Med Gull, lot's of Gannet and ducks including three Eider made up the best of the rest. We walked to East bank hoping to find a Lapland Bunting but failed and the only thing of note was a Peregrine sat on a gate out on the marsh which gave us terrific scope views.

Thornham Point Titchwell

A message came through of a Pallas's Warbler at Thornham Point so we made a quick call to drive down to Titchwell and give it a go. We walked to the beach and then marched along to the point. The weather was gloomy with rain in the air but we set about trying to find the target which had been seen just before we arrived. A group of around twenty or so birders had set up where the bird had last been seen and shortly after a guy called it just as I saw a tiny bird fly up and away from us. Whilst everybody sat it out I was convinced the bird that flew was the Pallas's so I walked off and slowly made my way around the bushes to the far end. I watched a group of six Goldcrests move through the bushes and whilst watching jammed on the Pallas's Warbler which gave good but very short views.
A quick call to Jim to let him know it was at my end and the group all followed him to me but unfortunately only one guy managed to connect with it.

After another two hours it was seen on the back of the bushes but it proved very elusive and as the rain increased the Jims decided to concede defeat and we headed for home.

Year list now 291

Ten ticks in ten weeks

So I sit here on 290 after almost ten months and need another ten ticks for that magical (at least to me) 300.

So what targets have I got left to go for.............(forgive me for thinking out loud here.)

Lapland Bunting............ Should be able to find a wintering bird somewhere
Taiga Bean Goose..........The wintering Cantley birds hopefully in late November
Little Auk.......................Right time of year to get them passing the south east
Pomarine Skua...............Still a chance of a late bird whilst looking for Little Auks
Long Tailed Skua...........Slim chance
Ruddy Duck...................Getting harder to find each year
Snow Goose...................Would be a lifer but a few in Scotland that might be achievable
Black Scoter...................Will it return? will I go for it? will I see it if I go?
Pacific Diver.................. As above
Capercaillie.....................Haven't given up on finding one IF I get back to Scotland this year
Golden Pheasant..............Still a chance (have had them in Nov and Dec before now)
Barred Warbler................Been quiet in the south east for these this autumn but still possible
Rosy Starling...................A couple about but not local enough for me, never say never
Desert Wheatear..............Still possible along with Isabelline and even an outside chance of Pied
Parrot Crossbill...............Might still find one if the lucks on my side.

Currently some good birds about too....
Citrine Wagtail, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-flanked Bluetail, Spotted Crake, Rock Thrush, Lesser Kestrel to name a few.

And of course there's always other vagrants to consider.....
Like these I've had in November and December over the years.

Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Lesser White-fronted Goose
Red-breasted Goose
Buff-bellied Pipit
Pallas's Warbler
Brunnich's Guillemot
Isabelline, Desert and Pied Wheatear
Blyth's Pipit
Forster's Tern
Cliff Swallow
Crag Martin
Glossy Ibis
Hoopoe
Pallid Swift

So you can see it remains a realistic but challenging goal.

Ten weeks to get myself ten ticks but having said that my best ever Nov/Dec total is 2014 when I got eleven ticks. (Unfortunately I already have nine of that eleven)

2015 wintering bird

Brunnich's Guillemot from December 2013

Be a poor effort if I don't find one of these this year

Last years November gift in the form of a Pallid Swift at Cromer

No doubt something unexpected will turn up too, but will I be lucky enough to connect with it?
Here's to a good bit of birding in the next ten weeks and a good luck message to anybody else chasing a good finish to the year.