White-crowned Sparrow at Hope Gap in Seaford

Yesterday we headed down to Seaford in East Sussex where a White-crowned Sparrow has been reported since Saturday. It's been elusive since Saturday but having dipped one in Cheshire back in 2016 I was determined to take the chance of moving this bird off my dipped list. We arrived at 8am and quickly found the area the bird has favoured. The crowd of twenty birders/twitchers had split with some watching from the centre path some from the top path and some watching the area that had been seeded the previous evening. At about 9am Alex B saw the bird and although I was stood next to him I couldn't react fast enough to get on it. The next sighting was at 12.15 whilst we'd taken a short break for drinks. We sat it out at the seed from 1pm until 3pm but after seven hours on site we headed home. The bird came to the seed at 4.30pm and visited frequently all evening. 

We added Rock Pipit and Lesser Whitethroat to the year list whilst at Seaford.

This morning after being gripped off by all the images on the socials I called Jim and told him I was going back today. He was up and ready but Dad didn't have the energy after yesterdays jaunt. We left at 7am and arrived shortly after 9am and this time as we joined the small crowd we were delighted to see the Sparrow sitting out in the open waiting for us. We watched it for another hour or so and managed to get some images as it came to seed every fifteen minutes or so but would often be obscured and remained quite skulking at times.  A walk down to the sea gave us a bonus year tick when Jim found a female Common Redstart. 

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

On the drive home we made the three mile diversion to Thorndon CP paid the £2.50 for an hours parking and walked down to the lake. Luckily other birders had the Night Heron in their scopes or we may have struggled to find it as the bird was in deep cover and very obscured. Good to see Dave and Matt there but we didn't hang around too long as the bird was asleep and my sofa was calling me.

a nice fly over at Seaford

The Night Heron....honest!

Thorndon CP

Hope Gap (a very mobile Redstart in those bushes)

The seven sisters...very fitting as I'm one of seven brothers 

Year list now 183

Life list now 438

catching up

I haven't blogged since 13th March so thought I'd do a quick catch up.

As is usual now my time has been divided into caring for Suzanne, the grandchildren and the father in law and continued to help my youngest with landscaping and maintaining the garden of his new home but I have done some birding on the rare days off.

I dipped an Alpine Swift on the patch at Fishers Green on 24th March but year ticked Sand Martin.

Silver Wood Duck still surviving in the valley

A yellow-billed Pintail keeping the Wood duck company

The 25th March saw us travel down the A13 to Tilbury where we connected with the Green-winged Teal and added our first Little-ringed Plovers of the year too.

7th April and we had a morning at Abberton which allowed us to year tick Yellow Wagtail with at least twenty birds around the farm. A male Blackcap was a first for the year and a single Common Tern was also a year tick. We also saw another pair of LRP.

On 10th April I headed down to Devon to spend a few days with the grandchildren. A lovely week with very limited time outside playing with them but I did stop at Labrador bay on the way down where I saw a Cirl Bunting and my first Swallow of the year. On the 12th I managed another view of Cirl Bunting at Broadsands and a Shag at Brixham whilst playing pirates with George.

The 22nd saw me laying turf at my sons and allowed me to year tick House Martin.

A couple of hours at Lee Valley on 23rd was enjoyable allowing us to tick Cuckoo, Nightingale, Sedge and Reed Warbler along with  Whitethroat and Swift also new for 2013.

24th and we had an hour at Wanstead where we managed to find ten Wheatear, a Whinchat and a Willow Warbler but we failed to see the Little Owls again.

The year list at this point is just 178

Waxwing at Cranfield in Bedfordshire

 

Just a few images from the single visit to the apples during my visit to Cranfield

It's been a while

I haven't been out birding since 15th February save the half hour trip to Bramfield on 16th Feb for Hawfinch. The usual family duties coupled with a rather nasty chest infection have taken all my time, sapped my energy and I've found it difficult to find my mojo too. The weather has been pretty poor which hasn't helped with my motivation to get up and get out but following a course of antibiotics I find myself feeling better and with a clear day in the forecast I decided to make the half hour trip to Stanborough Lakes in Hertfordshire hoping to see my first Little Bunting for the county and it couldn't have been easier arriving to find Matt and George M had the bird in their scopes. I watched it come and go for a few minutes at the feeder but didn't hang around long as views were distant and into the light so took the county/year tick and moved on.

Little Bunting and Reed Buntings at the feeder

I decided to drive further up the A1 to see if the Waxwings at Cranfield would show and again on arrival they were sitting in the Crab apple tree so I grabbed a few images before they flew back to their watchpoint tree. The birds didn't return to feed for the next hour or so at which time I left glad to be back out and pleased to add the year tick with the Little Bunting.

Waxwing at Stanborough Lakes

Lets hope I don't have to wait another month for my next trip.

Year list now 159

At last a day out

I hadn't managed a day out since 29th January mainly due to man flu and my continued care duties but with a clear day on 15th I decided I'd head up to the Brecks and try to find some Goshawks as the weather looked ideal. The Jims wanted to come so we all headed up the A11 and landed at Lakenheath for first light. A walk up to the washland view point delivered nice views of a Great Egret and four Whoopers before an Otter was spotted in the river which is my first ever at Lakenheath. Two more Great Egrets were feeding along the river bank and we scanned the Geese for the reported Tundra Bean Geese without luck.

As we walked round the reserve we encountered several Marsh Harriers with a short display from one pair. Lots of pinging from Bearded Tits with a couple of distant views for a late year tick and the Jims ticked Water Rail at last. As we returned to the river I noticed the Goose numbers had picked up and located the three Tundra Beans but they all took flight before the Jims caught me up due to a river dredger passing them, luckily they flew back and Jim picked them up as they landed on the washland. A Kingfisher sat out in the open below the viewpoint which was a nice way to end our visit.

Buzzard

Marsh Harrier

Tundra Bean Geese

Whooper Swans

We next headed up to Cockley Cley and plotted up for a session, news from the guys on site was that it had been quiet as they packed up to leave but shortly after they left we had a single bird fly over then a pair got up and although not a full display there was some interaction between them before they both roosted up in the distant pines for a while. Two Peregrine and at least ten Buzzard entertained us as did the boxing Hares and a singing Woodlark. We also enjoyed the company of Toby an enthusiastic eleven year old out showing his Mum the birds of the Brecks. Great to see young people enjoying the hobby, I remember seeing my first Spoonbill at Minsmere when I was his age and I've been a bird nut ever since although work and raising a family became bigger priorities as they do for most of us.

Goshawk at in the tree..views were much better in the scope than the camera.

On the route home we had to pass Lynford so decided to try again for Hawfinch but failed to see any despite waiting until 3.30pm. A disappointing end to the day although Jim picked up a year tick with Brambling at the feeding station which seems to be up and running again.

16th Feb.....Went to Bramfield church and saw a Hawfinch  (year list now 158)

A little Canada goose in Norfolk

Back in 2012 we saw a Richardson's Cackling goose at Cley and assumed that was that but the bird failed to get accepted so didn't make our list and has haunted us ever since. We don't twitch the islands and this isn't a species easier seen on the mainland especially in the south so when James M found one this week in Norfolk we planned to give it a try at the weekend and hope for it to stick.

This morning we headed north up the A10 stopping at Welney where we year ticked Tree Sparrows among the House Sparrows and then connected with Cattle Egret as three birds flew up and over the bank as a cyclist passed. A Barn Owl was seen on the fence outside the main building and it was nice to see and hear the thousands of Whoopers. News came through that the Little goose had been seen so we packed up and headed north again. We arrived at the concrete pad in Brancaster and joined the guys on site. Graham J kindly allowed us to view the Goose in his scope for the tick before setting up our own to get longer views. The bird was distantly feeding in a field with c3000 Pink-footed Geese. 

From here we went to Holkham with Graham and managed to jam on Firecrest as we entered the boardwalk area. A sea watch delivered a few more year ticks as a small raft of Common Scoter drifted west with at least one Velvet Scoter. Lot's of Mergansers and a single Long-tailed duck were seen and Graham found a Red-necked Grebe. 

Shoveler

Snipe

We stopped at Abbey Farm, Flitcham on the drive south and year ticked Yellowhammer but failed again to find the "resident" Little Owls.

Year list now 153

Life list 437

finding time

Somehow I'm finding time to get some birding in despite my growing family commitments. I doubt this will continue for long but I'm enjoying it all the same and living in the moment for now.

Today I had a couple of spare hours so popped over to the Bittern hide at the valley stopping on the way to check Strawberry pond and to year tick Mandarin duck. I found 22 birds on the small pond with 20 Mallard and a few Moorhen. I took a few quick images and continued my short  journey through the forest to the valley. At the hide I enjoyed good views of the Bittern as it caught a couple of small Perch and then a large Tench. Outside the hide I found a female Kingfisher and watched her fish for a while and Dave told me of a drake Smew on Seventy Acre so I connected with that too although it was a bit distant for my 400mm lens.

Year list now 145