Pale-legged Leaf Warbler at Bempton RSPB

News of an Arctic Warbler at Bempton mid afternoon on 25th September was noteworthy and then it was upgraded to probable Eastern Crowned Warbler later that evening. Now as good a bird an Arctic Warbler is, it's no Eastern Crowned Warbler with only four previous British records and the last being at Bempton in 2016 so this news was greeted with a certain degree of twitchiness. My home schedule didn't allow a mad dash up the A1 to Bempton and I was relieved I'd held back when on 26th there was no sign of the bird. Roll on 24 hours and the bird had been seen again and successfully photographed and sound recorded. This recording lead to the bird being reidentified as Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. Now as good a bird the Eastern Crowned Warbler is, it's no Pale-legged Leaf Warbler. 🤣

There is just one previous record of PLLW in Britain and that was a bird found dead on Scilly in 2016 although there is also a record of one at Portland Dorset in 2012 which apparently wasn't seen well enough to confirm fully.

The bird was still present on Friday but not reported until early evening delaying the twitch until the weekend and sure enough there was a massive twitch on Saturday and to a slightly lesser degree on the Sunday where the bird proved difficult but reliable if given time. I couldn't get a free day until Wednesday but having checked the weather and seen two days and nights of rain on Monday/Tuesday I hatched a plan with the Jims to give it a go Wednesday morning if it had been seen at all on the Tuesday which it had.

We set off at 3am and made Bempton just after 7am to find around thirty early birds already looking for the bird and several using thermals to aid the search. At around 8am a guy using a thermal picked up a sign and quickly put out the shout that he had it. I was lucky to be close enough to get on his directions and spent the next hour or more finding it in the bins and trying to help as many people as possible to get on it which was by no means easy. I didn't lift the camera once due to the bird being deep in cover and the role I'd taken upon myself to help others where I could. I heard a couple of Yellow-browed Warblers during the time on site and saw one briefly drift through the Sycamores. 

In the nearby scrub I found lots of Tree Sparrow as you'd expect at Bempton plus a Garden Warbler, Blackcaps, Goldcrests and a few Chiffchaffs. I missed a Firecrest by a few moments but failed to refind it before we left for Flamborough.

At Flamborough we managed to see a rather showy if some what distant Icterine Warbler and Red-breasted Flycatcher. The Icterine was Jims second lifer of the day and one he was very happy about having missed a couple in the past. The Arctic Warbler had been reported again at Spurn so with the Jims needing that for a life tick I decided to drive them down there too, just another 50 miles or so but who's counting.

Red-breasted Flycatcher

Icterine Warbler

Icterine Warbler

We arrived at Spurn to news that nobody had seen the Arctic Warbler since about 9.30am but a guy had heard it recently in the car park which explained why at 12pm twenty or so people were gathered there in expectation. I had a quick look around the car park then set about walking off to see if I could relocate it and of course being Spurn there's always the chance of bumping into something else. I hadn't gone more than fifty metres from the pack when I found the Arctic, I phoned the Jims and very quickly the car park crew were with me watching the Arctic which was great as for many it was indeed a life tick. We left this scene so as not to crowd the area any more than needed and walked up to the trapping area were we found a couple of birders who put us on a Barred Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.

Before we left for home we dropped into Kilnsea Wetlands where we spotted the American Wigeon sleeping on the muddy banks to give probably the worst views I've had of this species but it did provide another welcome year tick.

Pink Feet Geese and Redwings moving over head with small pulses of both Swallow and House Martin provided some romance to the day too. I would have liked time for a bit of a Sea watch as there was some decent reports of Pom, Sootys and Petrels during the day. We almost made the ten mile detour on the way home for the Hoopoe but traffic was heavy, I was knackered and we still had a four hour drive to do so did the sensible thing and carried on towards home arriving back in Loughton at 7pm.

Now if the above seems like a dreamy birding day consider also the birds we missed in Yorkshire whilst up there. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Two Barred Warbler, Wryneck, Hoopoe, Great Grey Shrike, Olive-backed Pipit, Dusky Warbler, Pallid Harrier, Marsh Warbler, Corncrake, Ring Ouzel, Little Bunting, Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting. All of these were seen yesterday while we were there with the Two-barred being the only one that was a bit of a distance from us. 

Roll on to Thursday the day after our visit and firstly it would appear that my concern over the clear night of Wednesday giving the PLLW reason to depart seems was justified as it hasn't been seen yet today nor has the Icterine but we have yet more new arrivals in the shape of a Rustic Bunting and another that has since been reidentified as a probable Black-faced Bunting (just nine accepted British records and only one prior in Yorkshire) then an Isabelline (Daurian Shrike) or Red-tailed Shrike (Turkestan Shrike) (yet to be determined but less than a dozen records of either so either way a decent bird again and in the afternoon a Red-flanked Bluetail at Flamborough.

My question is then, is Spurn the new Shetland? 

A great day out with Jim and Dad with a life tick and seven year ticks.

Life list now back to 448

year list now 244

Pale legged leaf warbler at Bempton

Couldn't get there yesterday, couldn't get there today, can't go tomorrow, can't go Tuesday, can't see it waiting until Wednesday even if I can find the time that is.

Sometimes life gets in the way of this crazy hobby 😉

UPDATE 2/10/24 I did make the time for myself, it did wait until Wednesday and I did see it ....boom!

Lesser Grey Shrike at Tollesbury Essex

News came late yesterday of a Lesser Grey Shrike at Tollesbury in Essex whilst I was busy cooking a family dinner for six so I couldn't find a way to escape. This morning I dropped my grandson at school and with news that the Shrike was still there I set off up the A12 to Tollesbury arriving a little before 10am. A quick catch up with Dave who was on his way back to the car park and I strolled on down to join the three birders remaining one of which was Mike O. so another good catch up. The bird was sat at the very top of the large distant oak but showed well in the scope. By the time I left another twenty or so birders had arrived including several locals adding to the social side of the tick.

The Lesser Grey Shrike is my 281st species in Essex and my 237th species for Britain so far this year.

The bird is the fourth Lesser Grey Shrike ever recorded in Essex and the first since 2008 (Rentendon 10-11th Oct. The other two recorded are Old Hall Marsh 26th June - 5th July and Great Wakering 17th -27th August.

Lesser-grey Shrike in that oak tree.

Red Crested Pochard

Red Crested Pochard

In other news I popped over the KGV with Jim in the week where we both added Red-crested Pochard to the list of birds seen at KGV although we've both seen them in the valley before.

We counted 55 species in the hour walk with Lesser Whitethroat, Wigeon and Common Sandpipers the best of them. The Red crested Pochard takes my KGV list to 105.......I know! I do love a list 🤷‍♂️

Red-backed Shrike at Walton on the Naze

Well I'm trying hard to reclaim some time and it seems to be going ok. I'm still there running around for the kids and the grandkids when they need me. Still looking after Suzanne and still providing care almost daily for her Dad but in between all that I'm finding time to treat myself with some decent birding time.

Today I woke early (out early, home early strategy) and popped over to pick Jim up before we headed up the A12 to Walton on the Naze where a Red-backed Shrike and Wryneck had been seen for a few days. Last night the sky was clear and we accepted there was a chance the birds could have moved on but we had a lovely surprise when we quickly picked out the Red-backed Shrike. I enjoyed the Shrike for a while as Jim went off to search for the Wryneck but once I'd grabbed a few images of the Shrike I joined Jim in the search. Two Garden Warblers, two Lesser Whitethroat, a female Common Redstart, Common Whitethroat, a Sedge Warbler and a few Chiffchaffs were encountered as we searched but we failed to find the Wryneck. A large flock of House Martins flew along the ridge above us and a few Turnstones moved along the tide line below us whilst in the car park we encountered a flock of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipits on the grass before leaving and heading for Shelley in Suffolk where a juvenile Purple Heron had spent a few days. 

Walton on the Naze

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Lesser Whitethroat

Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

We parked up and walked back along the road to view the lake from a gap in the hedge. There were four other birders here and they hadn't seen the Heron but had a fly over Osprey just before we got there. Two Hobbies were hunting constantly and both Buzzard and Red Kite flew over. Out on the water with the Swans, Geese and Ducks we counted a Green Sandpiper, Two Snipe, Two Ruff, Lapwings and a Black-tailed Godwit and then the Purple Heron stuck it's head up out of the reeds and we all managed to see it  as it gave great Scope views.

Gifford's Flash Shelley

Gifford's Flash

I even got home in time to sort a late lunch for my father in law and Suzanne to keep the team on board with my drive for more birding.

Year list now 235 (officially not my worst years total) oh and the Purple Heron was my 280th species in Suffolk.

Nightjar at Wanstead

So the father in law needed to see a doctor again which means I have to get to the surgery before they open at 8am and wait outside, once in I can book an appointment for today which I did although I find the system crazy in the year of 2024. You can phone at 8am but they don't answer until they've dealt with the people in line so by the time they answer all todays appointments have gone. Any way I digress, I booked the appointment for 10.40am went and did his weekly shop popped over to see him, made him breakfast took him to the doctors drove him to the pharmacy and the bank and took him home, all in a mornings work for me these days.

Now my Dad lives in the next street to my father in law so I popped in there for a catch up only for Jim to tell me a Nightjar had been found at Wanstead so we set off via my house to collect my camera and bins. Dad chose not to come preferring to watch England get battered in the cricket.

On arrival we paid for a couple of hours parking (£2.50) and walked out to long wood to find a crowd of ten or so birders gathered around the tree where the Nightjar was roosting. I couldn't see it but a couple of guys called me closer and pointed to the bird. I took two shots (one in focus and one miles out) and backed away to the main crowd where I could now see the bird having the advantage of knowing where it was. After about ten to fifteen minutes the bird was bothered by a Squirrel which woke it and after a quick wing stretch the bird lifted from its roost perch and flew up and over the trees and out of view. It probably fell back into long wood somewhere but we got distracted by news that the Wryneck had now been seen. An hour later and with the car park running out we left with nothing more than a possible short flight view of the Wryneck.

The Nightjar is a full fat Essex (met area) tick for me and takes the Essex list to 280. We don't get many Nightjars in Essex having not bred since the late seventies as far as I know. The last Wanstead Nightjar was 1893 so this was a patch tick for anybody lucky enough to connect with it on the day. The only chance we have now to see these birds in Essex is of passage birds like this one and the two caught and ringed in Hornchurch yesterday by Paul H.

I got home to find a Coal Tit on my garden feeder. A rare garden bird which usually only shows up on the coldest of the cold winter days.

Coal Tit

Coal Tit

Heavy crop of the Nightjar

Nightjar Wanstead

We also have Chiffchaff and Jay visiting the garden again both of which are often seen at this time of year.

Morning searching for migrants with Jim

Having missed the best of last weekends migrant fall I decided I'd try again this weekend and with the big fall on Friday and me having family commitments Saturday I thought leaving it until today might cost me but I was pleasantly surprised as we arrived at Wells Woods to find it alive with migrants. A Wryneck was reported but we didn't find it but the Warbler/Tit/Flycatcher flock was enormous. 

Dominated by Spotted Flycatchers and supported by large numbers of Garden Warbler it took some work to search the entire flock but we tried. We found around six Pied Flycatcher, lot's of Willow warbler and Chiffchaff. Lesser Whitethroat were present in good numbers with the odd Common Whitethroat and a single female Common Redstart. After a while we had decent views of a Wood Warbler in the flock but failed to locate the reported Icterine Warbler.

On the way home we popped into Titchwell were we enjoyed Little Stint, Spoonbill, Hawfinch and a Grey Headed Wagtail along with more Spotted Flycatchers.

Just the one year tick for our trouble but a very memorable day with more Spotted Flycatchers in a day than we'd probably seen in our lives before. Difficult to count due to how mobile they were but they were everywhere.

year list now 233

Little Stint

Ruff

Ruff

Wood Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat

Spotted Flycatcher

Dotterel at Landguard

A juvenile Dotterel was found at Landguard yesterday and was reported again this morning so after checking the Jims didn't want to travel for it I set off alone and arrived at 12 o'clock setting a couple of hours in the car park I walked out to the point to find several birders searching for the Dotterel but they said the bird hadn't been seen since about 9.30am when the report went out. I set about searching and walked out to the point checking the roped off area as I went. Three Wheatear a Turnstone and a lovely Purple Sandpiper were my reward for the walk and I sat down to watch and photograph the Purp which soon came closer as I sat still by the pier. It had a dispute with the Turnstone which they settled and then tolerated each other well after that.

Aware I had only another 45minutes on the car park I walked back down the beach outside of the roped area of course. There was still six people standing between the roped areas scanning for the Dotterel but to my great surprise as I walked back scanning the area as I went I found the Dotterel when it hadn't been seen for four hours. It walked up and down in the dips of the desert area and I put news on to Birdguides and when it dropped below the ridge I tried to let the other birders know I'd found it but they seemed to be all looking elsewhere and didn't notice by raised arm. Within five minutes the bird had taken off flying low towards the other birders but it then caught the wind and flew high before using the wind to take it south and over the bay where I followed it all the way across to Harwich and beyond. I told the other guys that I'd found the bird but it had flown south and in my opinion was unlikely to return as it would have to fly directly into the wind to do that. I took ten images five minutes apart and put news out twice within six minutes to highlight how short my encounter with the bird was but I left very happy to have seen it. I guess it supports my theory that sometimes you have to walk away from the crowd if you're to find the bird.

The year list stands at 232 and leaves me needing just the one tick to avoid a new low.