Grey Phalarope over KGV Reservoir.

A 9am call from Brian to say he was heading over to the KGV Res as a Phalarope had been reported there, we all needed one for a year tick, so we arranged to meet him over there.  

It's local to us and only takes 15 minutes despite the 20-mile-an-hour traffic through Chingford. As we park up, Harry is on the way back from seeing the bird. He tells us the Phalarope had moved down to the southeast corner of the south basin.

Brian was already down there watching the bird; this is only a short walk from the car park along the top end of the reservoir. The walk got even shorter when Brian was heading back towards us, as the bird had flown up to meet us and landed not far away near the edge of the water.

We get a really good view of what turned out to be a Grey Phalarope, not as reported a Red Phalarope.

Always nice to see Harry and other local birders when we visit here, and meet a new birder in Richard, who was the one to find the bird. 

                                                                  

The Grey Phalarope.

Brown Shrike in Suffolk gives me another lifer.

After missing out on the trip to Spurn on Wednesday for the Black-faced Bunting that Brian & Jimmy went for. I was glad when this Brown Shrike popped up on Birdguides around  9am this morning. A phone call to Brian to see if he could make the trip gets a thumbs-up reply, and to meet up at 10 o'clock. 

We arrive at Heath Rd, Upper Hollesley, Common in Suffolk, around noon, and we find a fair number of cars parked up, but we manage to get parked just off the main Road by Gobblecock Cottage and see a small crowd of birders lined up on the other side of the Road. 

We soon get talking to a local birder, who tells us the Shrike has been seen on & off over the last hour.  We didn't have to wait long before Jimmy and I had another lifer. It was really nice for Jimmy, as he had dipped this species on two other occasions.  I was with him on one of those trips, so a big high five on getting this tick.

Over the next couple of hours, we had great views of the Brown Shrike, although it never came close enough to get great photos.

A nice little twitch not too far from home, and nice to see John P and Howard. along with some other known faces.  It's been a while since we have been out birding together, so this was great to do this trip and to get to see this cracking 1st winter Brown Shrike. I was told the first for Suffolk.                      

                                               

Brown Shrike

                                                                                

Black Stork, Zitting Cisticola, in Suffolk. one lifer.

Brian couldn't make the trip yesterday when the news came on Bird News that a Zitting Cisticola had been seen in Suffolk.  

So we decided to go today, we meet up at 3am, Jimmy and I needed the Black Stork that has been seen at Boyton Marshes RSPB over the last few days, so we headed there so that if news came out on the Cisticola, we are near enough to shoot there, it being only 24 miles away.

Brian had already seen it a few days ago, so it was nice of him to walk the really long walk down to the dyke by the river path where he had seen the bird. It is 5am now.

This walk went on and on for about 2 miles, not nice, but we got a great reward when the Stork was spotted and gave us wonderful close views. It is only the second one I've seen; the first was seen at Frampton a few years ago. 

Just before 7am, news comes out that we were waiting for, which sees us rushing off to Warberswick in the hope of seeing another lifer.  

We arrive and face another longish walk along a pebble beach, on its own, not too bad, but after the first long hike, it was a leg ache for sure. 

Again, we got our reward when we met a small group of fellow birders and heard the first call of Zit Zit Zit. Then, over the next hour, we get quick flight views of the Zitting Cisticola as it flew up and down in front of us, not the greatest, but we get the bins on the bird and we have another lifer.

Black Stork

  

Dipped Song Sparrow so had a great day at Bempton Cliffs

Brian phoned late Tuesday morning. Do we want to head up to Thornwick for a lifer Song Sparrow? Jimmy and I are in two minds, and Brian is unsure, so we decided to wait until the next morning.  

We set out at 4am and arrive at Bempton around 8am There is no report of the Sparrow,  we 

Decided to visit the cliffs in the hope that the Song Sparrow would be refound, and we are only minutes away if that happens.

As soon as we are parked up, we spot many Tree sparrows, and as we walk down to the sea, a Barn Owl gives a good display.

Once we overlook the cliffs, hundreds of seabirds are flying around and nesting on the cliffs: Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, and the wonderful Gannets.

We spend a few hours watching the fantastic spectacle this place offers, all the time watching for news of the lifer up the road, sad to say, looks like the bird had flown over night, so a bad dip, and next time, drop everything if possible and go there and then. 

We leave Bempton around lunchtime and head back down the A1 and stop off at Welbeck.

A few birders were already there, and we spent 2 hours looking for a Honey Buzzard without any showing. One of the fellows had been here since 9am and was still there when we left at 4 PM without seeing one. While here we do get to tick a Quail in the field opposite.

A little detour to Rutland gets us Osprey at Manton Bay, 2 adults with 2 chicks in the nest.

                                                                     

                                                                        

                                                                  

Puffin

   

                                                                      

Razobill

                                                                       

                                                                           

Treesparrow

                                                                      

Fulmar

                                                                

Gannet

White winged black Tern. Fen Drayton.

We hear of a White winged black Tern at Fen Drayton in Cambridge, Brian is free, and I have a few hours before picking up two of my grandchildren, 

So we meet up and head up to Cambridge on the M11; it's an hour's drive, so not a long trip.

We park and meet up with a local birder, who walks with us to Drayton Lake, where the bird had been spotted. 

As we arrive, we are told the bird had flown to the other lake, so off we go to find it, but as we head over there, we get about halfway when we are told it had flown back to the first lake.

Back at the lake, we get to see the Tern within minutes. It flies up and down the lake, and we get great views, but it never comes close to the bank.

We spent some time watching the  Tern before heading off to look for the reported Turtle Dove

But it never showed, and I don't think it was found on the day. Only one tick for the day, but a nice little trip with the time we had.

                                                                  

                                                       

 The White winged Black Tern, as near as it got to us.

Spotted Sandpiper and Great Reed Warbler, Cambridgeshire.

A surprise call from Brian asking if we wanted to head to Cambridgeshire for the Spotted Sandpiper, the surprise was that he had already been and seen the Sandpiper.  Both Jimmy and I were free, so we met up and set off to Grafham Water. As we get near, it comes out as not having been seen, so we head instead to RSPB Ouse Fen to try to get me a tick that the boys had already seen.  

With the car parked, we walk a short way down a grass track to Cranes Fen, and as we near the end of the track, we hear the Great-Reed Warbler calling long and loud, and then we get some really good sightings of it. 

I also get a tick when a single Crane flies along the tree line over the reeds and lands out of sight.

Next, we see a lot of Hobbies and we pick out a single Red-footed Falcon amongst them for another year tick.

We see that the Spotted Sandpiper has been seen again. So off we go to Grafham Water and park at Plummer car park.

Just a short walk and we spot the bird in a sheltered corner of the reservoir and get a cracking view of the first one with spots on. We have seen a couple of them, but only first-year birds with no spots. What a cracking-looking bird. 

                                                             

                                                             

The Spotted Sandpiper.

                                                                  

                                                                         

The Great Reed Warbler.

                                                                   

Minsmere, KGV res, and trip to Cambridge.

A short trip over the KGV reservoir with the boys gets me three year ticks. We walk up the ramp, and as soon as we scan the reservoir, we find seven Black Terns flying over the water. We are only on them briefly before they fly up high and away from view, and never come back while we are here.   

As we walk around, I get a tick when we spot 3 Common Sandpipers, and a Lesser Whitethroat gives me tick number 3.  On the walk round, we meet up with Stewart and Harry, always nice to see them.

Next up, we plan a trip to Minsmere in Suffolk. 

On the way into the car park, we stop by a gate where we have seen Stone Curlews before and get lucky when we have a good view of one in the scope, not needed for a tick, but always good to spot such a funny-looking bird.

We head up to the east hide, along the smart boardwalk that saves us having to walk along the sand, so much easier on the old legs.

In the hide, we soon see Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern for a couple of ticks. Bartail and Blacktail Godwits in nice colour, along with Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, show well.

A birder upstairs calls out that he has a Wood Sandpiper in view, so we shoot up there and all three of us tick it, along with a Little Gull.

Brian finds a pair of Garganey once again. We don't need them for a tick, but people in the hide did, so good for them. 

As we walk around the reserve a single Spoonbill flies over and we hear Bearded Tits.

When we enter the Bittern hide, we are put on a single Bittern just coming into view, and it 

walks right out into the open to give the packed hide good, long views of it. 

While in the hide, I get my first Hobby of the year on top of a bush.

A quick run up to Dunich gets Jimmy and me a tick when we follow a local up the track to see 2 Dartford Warblers. A good day's birding, and I end up with 6-year ticks.

                                                            

Bittern