Temminck's Stint at Oare Marsh

I drove down to Oare Marsh this afternoon and was pleased to be put straight onto a Temminck's Stint as I walked along the track. A couple of birders already had the tiny wader on a small pool to the west of the main road leading through the reserve. We discussed it's features and noted how dark the legs looked but put it down to mud as the other features seemed good for the ID. I haven't seem a TS for a couple of years now and had to be reminded of the key features but the refresher helps the grey cells or at least I hope it does. The crowd seemed more than happy with the ID but those legs did bother me a little.

Distant record shot of the Temminck's Stint

Shortly after I located the Bonapartes Gull which pleased a few people that had been looking for a while.
Bearded Tit, Curlew Sandpiper, LRP, Turnstone where also seen along with the usual Godwits, Avocets and Redshanks.

Very distant record shot of the Bonaparte's Gull

An enjoyable hour or two at Oare, tick 267 for the year and only an hours drive home up the A2.

Black Tailed Godwit

Little Egret 

ps..I had a couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies on the wing at Oare too which was good to see.

Roller at Horsey and Blue Winged Teal at Ouse Washes RSPB

I drove the Jims to Horsey this morning in the hope we could find them a lifer in the form of the European Roller that's been hanging around in the area this week. We parked up near the Nelsons Head pub and walked the track to the dunes where we walked a further half a mile south of the track and managed to get straight on the target which pleased the Jims no end. Lots of juvenile Kestrel were feeding in the area and on the beach a group of Common and Grey Seals entertained us whilst an Arctic Skua came in over the shore line although it remained quite high in the clouds.

Bloody Common Seal

Common Seal

Common Seal

Bull

Grey Seal 

Grey Seal

Arctic Skua

On the walk back we found a pair of Yellowhammers nest building (everything seems to be a little thrown by the weather this year)

Yellowhammer nest building in August!

We headed from Horsey up to the north Norfolk coast where a coffee at Salthouse fuelled our journey along the A149 to Titchwell where we chatted with Paul Hackett and enjoyed views of Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Green and Common Sandpipers, Dunlin, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Bearded Tit, Black Tailed Godwit, LRP and RP, Golden Plover and large numbers of Avocet to name but a few.

Juvenile Kestrel

Lapwing

On the way home news broke that the Blue Winged Teal had been seen again at Ouse Washes so we detoured and by 4pm we were sitting in the hide with three other birders scanning for the Blue winged visitor from overseas. Lot's of Garganey and Teal were seen along with Wigeon, Shoveler and Mallard. Three Common Cranes and a Marsh Harrier were located along with large numbers of Ruff and a single Dunlin and   over the next hour the hide began to fill as it seems common knowledge that the bird has been easier to find in the evenings. In truth we were struggling as a group to find anything that fitted the spec until the shout went up "I think I have it!" we all got on the bird in question and started the ID routine, Plumage, bill, legs etc etc and we're all agreed we have the beast but if any slight doubt existed the bird then gives Jimmy a full wing flash and he let's the hide know.....100%!!!! that's our bird. tick 266 for 2013.

Blue Winged Teal at Ouse Wash

A quick trip up the M11 today with Suzanne and Tia where I just had to give the reported Eclipse Blue Winged Teal a go. This was not an easy call for me as a it would be just a year tick, it's in eclipse plumage and it's a long walk to the hide but in my search for a year tick a week I thought I'd give it a shot.

Stockdales Hide

It's a long walk.....1.6km to be precise.

So I made the 1.6km walk to the hide whilst Suzanne enjoyed a stroll with tons of butterfly action before returning to the picnic area to read her new book. I scanned for the Teal and found five Garganey and whilst one gave cause for a much closer look I couldn't get anything from it to call it Blue Winged Teal so I'll have to wait for this weeks tick. On the Wash were Spotted Redshank, Green and Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, LRP, Ruff plus the usual Ducks and Geese. A Marsh Harrier and Kestrel flew over but neither caused the ducks to move which I'd hoped for thinking the BWT might reveal it's blue.
The day was dominated not by birds but the huge numbers of Butterflies along the path. The days list included..
WALL BROWN. MEADOW BROWN, BRIMSTONE, SMALL BLUE, COMMON BLUE, PEACOCK, PAINTED LADY, LARGE WHITE, SMALL WHITE, SMALL HEATH, GATEKEEPER
SMALL SKIPPER, RINGLET with the Wall being the star of the show.

Wall Butterfly

Wall Butterfly

House Sparrow dust bath

House Sparrow

Another day at Dunge

On the beach at Dunge this morning at 7am, the sea was calm and the sun was shining.
Lot's of Gannets and Scoters moving through and I found an Arctic and Great Skua that the Jims didn't manage to get on. A single Fulmar, couple of Sarnie terns, a juvenile Med Gull and a probable Arctic Tern was just about it for a couple of hours on the beach. Speaking to Paul H we missed both Manx and Balearic Shearwaters by a few minutes.
I found a Black Redstart on the power station wires and a large unidentified raptor in the distance could have been an Osprey as one was reported this morning.
From Hanson Hide we had Garganey (thanks to Paul H for putting me on them) Black Necked Grebe, Green Sandpipers (4) and several LRP.
We made a detour to Oare Marsh on the way home were Curlew Sandpipers were showing well and the flood was alive with Blackwits, Redshank, Golden Plover, Lapwing , Avocet etc etc.
Nothing to shout about today but some good birding in good company and I always enjoy a day at Dunge.

Black Tailed Godwits at Oare marsh

Curlew Sandpipers at Oare marsh

Golden Plovers at Oare marsh

August Let the games begin!

So my year list sits at 265 as we move into August, a month when birds get on the move again moving south to their wintering grounds and usually lingering a little longer than they do on the way to their breeding grounds in spring. I started the year chasing last years 279 total and have been asked by a few people if 300 is a realistic goal for 2013 but knowing how hard the ticks get in the second half of the year I'll just settle for 280 to beat last year. In August 2012 I saw just six new birds taking my year list to 257 so whilst I have my nose in front I'm mindful of the fact that of the 27 birds seen in the last five months of 2012 I've already seen 11 of them and amongst the other 16 are birds I might find harder to connect with in 2013 like Desert Wheatear, Buff-bellied & Olive Backed Pipit, Short Billed Dowitcher, Pallas's Warbler, Alpine Swift, Booted Warbler, Red Breasted Flycatcher, Red Flanked Bluetail, Baillon's Crake and White Rumped Sandpiper which I think you'll agree are not givens by any stretch.  The truth is the longer the year goes on the harder the ticks get. I need 15 to beat last year so if I can find just one new bird each week I could achieve my highest total to date and I'd be very satisfied with that at this stage....Let the games begin!

Quail at Crane Hill Cambridgeshire

Bird 265 for the year.
The bird in question was a Quail and I found it at Crane Hill in Cambridgeshire. Two singing males have been reported since Sunday so I dropped in to try my luck. Firstly Crane Hill is not the easiest place to find with the published postcode taking me to the local Golf club so I had to get on line and check the local map to get my bearings again. I walked though the small metal gate and from here for about half a mile to the end of the woods (which contain Spotted Flycatcher and Bullfinch amongst other birds) The public footpath takes you down a steep dip and continues all the way into Everton. The birds had been reported at the track leading to Stonehill Farm (this track is private land so stay on the footpath.) I didn't hear any Quail here instead picking up a single bird at the top of the steep ridge on my way back which was a nice reward for the time invested. I also had Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Whitethroat with Buzzards calling overhead too.  A nice walk and not too far from home thankfully.

Caspian Tern at Rudyard Reservoir Staffs

I woke early today and decided to make the trip up the M1/M6 to Staffs in the hope that last nights poor weather had kept the Caspian Tern pinned down. 180 miles in just under 3 hours and I'm pulling into the car park at the bottom of Bean Lane before 8am. (Yes I broke my soft 2 hour rule for this one)
I saw a couple of birders on the shore of the reservoir and walked towards them to find they had the bird in view on the mud at the end of the reservoir. I scoped it for a while before it flew up and started to fish on the far side. It caught a fish and then returned to the mud for about an hour and this was it's routine all morning.

Caspian Tern (distant record shot)

Distant shot of the bird resting with BH Gulls

Caspian Tern is the worlds largest Tern species and it can usually be found in North America, Asia and in Europe around the Baltic Sea area with American birds migrating to South America and the West Indies whilst the European/Asian birds tend to migrate to the tropics. It can be found as a resident in Africa and Australasia so who knows where this guy came from.
Britain averages about five records of Caspian Tern a year but rarely does one hang about in land.

I also paid a visit to Tittesworth Reservoir and I need to thank the guy from the sailing club  that made me a coffee (that's hospitality) and the guy that helped me find my first Willow Tit for two years.
Birds 263 and 264 for the year.

On another high note I added Lapwing to my garden list on Friday when a group of five flew over bringing the list of seen or heard (Little Owl being the only bird not seen but heard) from the garden up to 62