Dungeness gets us to 200

Off to Dung again after seeing what went through there on sat.We arrive just after 6 o'clock & up onto the beach, the hide was packed so we parked up at the side of the hide that gave us a bit of shelter from the wind , as the time goes on a good amount of birders arrive & a few birds had started to pass by, over the next two hours we see 4 Red-throated Divers plus 1 Black-throated, then they are followed by a few Eiders, then we pick up the first tick of the day when many Arctic Terns pass through, next up we get a nice close view of both Great Skua & Arctic Skua that gives us all another 2 ticks. Sandwich Tern also spotted for one more tick.
Off now to Arc pit & we pick up 2 Black Tern, been a couple of times to K G Res this week & missed them so good to get them here.
On to the reserve now 2 Black-winged Stilt reported by Christmas dell Hide, as we a get near the Stilts can be seen not far from the path so that saves a little bit of walking, we don't need these for a year tick, we had seen 2 overs Bowers a  couple of weeks ago, these 2 birds were a bit nearer to us so very nice to see. As we stand watching the Stilts a bonus bird drops in to join us, it's a Wood Sandpiper we all need this for a year tick, good views to start with then it get a bit elusive.    Then a couple of ladies tell us that Little Tern has just been seen at Ach Pit so as we need this for a tick it's back again, but this time we visit the hide. Only inside a couple of minutes & Brian picks out a couple of the Terns to give me one more tick for year.
A visit to Elmley on the way home as we always enjoy our visits there, the drive down to the car park is full of photo opportunities & it's  very pleasurable just to drive a few yards & then to just stop as something else drops down, no rushing here it's up to us where to stop.
As it turns out the weather closed in & the light got quite bad for any real good photos, first up we see a real good view of Yellow Wagtail with plenty of them walking about, many Lapwing as usual with Red Shank also in abundance.
A pair of Ringed Plover show at the side of the track with the intention of nest building, I hope they pick a better spot as this is very precarious.
So with 7 year ticks in the bag & after a nice warmish day birding it's taken both Jimmy & myself up to 200 ticks so far for the year.

The two Stilt

Yellow Wagtail

             

Skylark

Wood sandpiper

5 more ticks at Rainham & K G Reservoir

A couple of hours spent over Rainham on Thursday with Jimmy gets 3 more year ticks for me & 2 for Jimmy.
First up we get a Reed Warbler I needed one so a good start for me, a quick look in the Kingfisher hide in the hope of getting a photo of these colourful little birds, but it turns out to be rather stuffy inside with quite a lot of people & in the short time that we where inside no birds appear.
So on to the next hide where we spot a beautiful Hobby just sitting on a small mound that gives us a great scope view & it stays there for a long time so another year tick for both of us.
On now the aim is to find a Garden Warbler for a tick, but it turns out not to be today, but we both pick up a Grasshopper Warbler that gives us a tick so not to bad.
A nice little walk around the reserve on a warm day, we get to meet some nice people & 3 ticks as well.
Late Thursday afternoon we head once more over to K G Reservoir in the hope of seeing a few Terns,as it turns out it's very quite Tern wise & we don't intend to walk very far around today.
There are many Sand martin flying around & we scan them in the hope of seeing a House martin amongst them & after a little while we find a single bird to give us both a year tick.
As we stand scanning the water Jimmy hears Lesser Whitethroat from the bushes behind us, that's good for me as I am still needing one for another tick, I was the only one that never heard or saw one at Landguard at the weekend.
Two Common Sandpiper are walking about on the waters edge & 2 Egyptian Geese glide down onto the river, back on  the Bank 2 Wheatear give us a good show.
A few Terns fly about now but turn out to be Common Tern that we don't need for a tick but still nice to watch. 191 ticks up to now about the same as last year up till April.

Wheatear

Wheatear

Reed Bunting

King George Reservoir gets 2 ticks.

Just a very quick trip in the hope of picking up a few more ticks for the year, Jimmy & I meet Brian at the gates of the reservoir.

We spend a couple of hours walking the whole way around both reservoirs, it's not to good on the legs after the last few days of birding & this is not looking to good but we keep going in the hope of seeing something, as it turns out all we get are 2 year ticks with a single Sandpiper walking by the waters edge & when we get back round the other side a Yellow Wagtail flies up, we had hoped to see some Terns but nothing doing this early, so it's off home for some breakfast with 2 more ticks in the bag, not to good but two is better than none.

Sandpiper

Dotterel another lifer at Kessingland + Ring Ouzel.

With no particular place to go, we decide to beat the rain & head north & end up at Landguard.
The aim is to look for maybe a Ring Ouzel or hope for anything else that might drop in.
We are not seeing a lot about only the odd Wheatear plus quite a lot of Linnet,the feeling is that it's not going to be a great day for us when the pager tells us that four Dotterel had hung about over night at Kessingland.
So as this is Jimmy's target bird for the year we are off like a flash, it takes a bit longer than we expected but when we arrive & park at the caravan park, we are only a couple of minutes away from seeing another lifer for both Jimmy & myself.
A small group of birders have got the Dotterel walking about on the beach not to far away from them , so scope out & we are watching the bird that gives us a really great view.
After spending a time just lapping up this lifer it's time to have a go for the reported Ouzels ,we get our self over the sand dunes to scan a field that we had been told that was the place to see them, that proves to be a good tip off when we see the first of 5 Ring Ouzels over the next hour or so 2 females & 3 males are seen.
We just had to have another look at the Dotterel as we head back to the car.
While hear I also get my first Whitethroat tick of the year plus Ringed Plover for another.
With no rain about we are off to Minnsmere to round off the day we hope with maybe a tick or two.
Round to the Sand martin wall for a certain tick to start us off, plenty off Sand martins about around the wall so we hang about  just to watch the birds bombing in & out of the holes in the wall.
Just time for a quick visit to one of the hides unfortunately no year ticks are seen from the hide but on the way back I get Willow Warbler for a tick & while watching some Red Deer we hear our first Cuckoo of the year, but it never showed itself to us.
So after a slow start to the trip I end it with 7 year ticks & 1 new lifer in the Dotterel.

Dotterel little bit far for my camera

Male Ring Ouzel

We all got a photo of this being so near to the hide.

A Red Deer 

And the Nightingale sang.

Friday afternoon and Jimmy is off work, so it's off to Fishers Green in the Lea Valley in the hope of hearing the beautiful song of the Nightingale.
We walk to the usual spot & sit on the seat & just listen,but nothing happening at present, so we walk on down the path & walking up towards us is Marco minus the bike, he tells us that he had just heard one down the track,so after exchanging a few words we head off there.
As we walk we find he has got it spot on as  we hear the lovely song burst out & then it's spotted in the bushes to give us a really good view, of course as the cameras come out it's off, but it's another year tick & as we walk around we hear at least 5 more in song.
Only a short visit & we don't get any more year ticks but the aim was to hear the Nightingale so well worth the trip

Lesser s Woodpecker + Two bar Crossbill & Baikal Teal.

We are on the way up the M11 heading to Cambridge for one more try for the Baikal Teal when Brian asks do we want to see Lesser s Woodpecker.
As this is my target bird for the year the answer is lets do it, Brian had meet another birder over Fishers Green & was told of a very good place to see them & as we were very near we had to give it a go.
After parking it's only a few yards to the spot that we hoped would give us all a year tick.
Within minutes we hear tapping that tells us that the bird is near, a scan of the trees & there it is & we get the best view that I have ever had of one, we spend a good hour just watching this cracking little bird.
So off to a great start to the day, we now head up the A11 to find Four balls Farm at Pymoor.
On arrival we find a few birders up on top of the bank with scopes looking out over a small flood pool rather a long way off, but we are told  the  Teal was out there.
After scanning for a few minutes the Baikal Teal is spotted along with Shoveler,Shellduck, Pintail, plus many Teal. It comes & goes in & out of view over the next 30 minutes. We don't hang about to long as it's very windy & cold up on the slope so with a possible lifer in the bag we are off to Lynford Arboretum to search for Crossbill.
The large gates by the lodge are wide open & a few people are inside looking over the puddle where Crossbill often come down to drink, the people who live in the house give us the OK to enter the grounds & soon we are looking at 5 or more Crossbill  in the tree by the puddle & then one by one they drop down to drink, when we find one looks like it maybe a two-barred, some of the birders think it is, but a single fellow thinks it looks a bit dodgy, so with a little doubt in our minds we go in search to find another one.
We walk down by the side of a stream & meet up with 3 birders who put us onto a Hawfinch high up in the trees, very nice that not even having to work for this one.
As we walk on just like buses we hear & see another Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, it's only a fly by but still nice.Grey Wagtail also spotted in a small pool.
Jimmy & I head back to the house for another look by the puddle when I get a phone call from Brian to say a male Two- barred Crossbill was showing well back where we had just come from, so a quick trot back to get a really great view of the bird & this time there is no mistaking it.

Two-barred Crossbill

Red- leg Partridge

Two-barred Crossbill

(Bingo ) Little Owl returns.

After the disappointment of yesterday, I try again over my local fields in the Roding Valley by the play ground.
The tree that it nested in last year was deserted again, so I scan the big tree on the over side of the swings & there it is sitting in the middle of  the tree, it was tucked down & asleep but when I got the camera out the eyes open to look at me, it's great to see our bird back again for the fourth year running, let's hope we see chicks later on.

Nice to see you back again.

Little Owl

Roding Valley hoping for the return of the Little Owl.

A quick trip over my local fields by Roding Valley Lake, I was told by my neighbour that our Owl had returned.
I spend around an hour looking at where it has been seen for the last couple of years by the play ground but it fails to show, so I will keep watching over the next few weeks in the hope that our Little Owl is indeed back.

While looking for the Owl a nice couple of Thrushes came down to feed very close to me so I got a couple of photos of them.

Ring-necked Duck made us work at Abberton

Just Jimmy & I again this morning, we are up early & off to look for the Ring-necked Duck at Abberton.
It is only an hour away from home which is good as we want to get back for the football at lunch time, when we arrive the causeway by the visitor centre there is not a single birder about, funny that as the pager has told us that the target bird had been seen this morning on this causeway only a little time ago.
So off we go round to the other causeway just in case we had it wrong.
On arrival it looks like it might be better as there are a good few scopes scanning the water,on asking if the bird had been seen we are told no & in fact we had been right to look round where we had come from, so we drive back round & now people are here looking, we meet the fellow who posted it on the pager & he tells us that it had been seen with about six Pochard but they had moved off but if we find the Pochard  it will more than likely it will be with them.
We are told to try up the road called school road as we can get a better view of that end of the lake, still no luck, so back down the road to scan there again, nearly ready to give up when a fellow that we spoken to round the over side tells us he has just heard from a mate that the bird had just been seen at Hide Bay, it meant going into the visitor centre to walk about five minutes to view the water, we see a few people already here & on asking if it has been seen we get the answer we wanted to hear & we are soon looking at another year tick for both of us.
We spend about an hour in the company of this bird with great views in the scope but to far away for any good photos. Our first Common Tern & Swallow are spotted while here.
On the way back to the car we meet up with John a fellow we get to see at many twitches all over the place, always nice to meet up with him to have a catch up.

Just a photo of where the Duck was seen.

Hoopoe at Snodland in Kent.

Jimmy & I leave at 7 o'clock & in under an hour we are in the golf club car park where the bird has been seen for some time now.
With Brian already been here & seen the bird this week we have a good idea of where to find the bird & his map puts us onto the target within a few minutes of arrival.
The bird is in the middle of the pasture behind Sandhole farm & we get over an hour of looking at this cracking Hoopoe, with it having been here for a weeks now there is not any body else here until a couple of fellows turn up just before we leave, they tell us they have been looking for the bird for over a couple of hours & they were really happy to spot us as they headed back to their car having given up the search, just shows you it helps to have sent out a scout if you want to save time.
Also seen in the same field a couple of Song Thrush & a Peregrine pays a visit and swoops down into the next field. So 2 really good year ticks in two days after seeing the Black-winged Stint at Bowers yesterday.

Under the Tree

Black-winged Stilt at Bowers Marsh

A phone call to Brian to see if he wanted to go to Bowers to see 2 Black-winged Stilt that had landed at lunch time, Jimmy gets home from work at 4 o'clock & Brian says he will be home by then so we give it a go in the hope they will hang around for a while.
It's only 36 miles away & I drive this time & 45 minutes later we are walking down the very long path to Freshwater Lagoon, 2 other birders are already on the birds when we arrive.
They are right over the back of the Lagoon, we get great views in the scope but it's a long way of for any good photos.  We spend about an hour just watching the Stilts walking about & also having a good old splash about.
Another nice year tick for all three of us, after a while a few more people arrive & then Harry & Barry turn up.
A few Avocet & Ruff are on the island also Shelduck swimming about, a Greenshank flies over, all in all a very nice visit to ease the pain of work for the boys, looking forward to tomorrow when Jimmy & I  are going to look for the Hoopoe in Kent, Brian has to work but he has seen the bird a couple of days ago.

Hooded Crows + in Scotland

Hooded Crow

Some of the Toads we had to avoid

on the road to  Ardnamurchan

At the bottom by the Lighthouse

Loch Garten

Robert the Bruce

A bit of History

Dip at Fen Drayton

Jimmy & I set off early on Saturday in the hope of seeing the reported Baikal Teal at Fen Drayton, it has been there most of the time we have been in Scotland & is still hanging about being reported on Friday.
It's about 60 miles away so not to bad, when we arrive & turn into the reserve its' a very long drive down to the car park, we stop to ask a couple if they know where to go for the target bird & they tell us to park on the verge where we are & it's only about 1/2 mile away.
The time now is just after 7 o'clock & we spend the next 3 hours along with many other birders scanning the lake but it looks like we have missed this bird.
We do get 3 year ticks out of the trip when we see a Little-ringed Plover & one Sedge Warbler over the back of the bus lane in the bushes, the third tick comes as we head back to the car when a pair of Blackcap display very nice for us.
So if the Baikal gets the thumbs up we've missed it, but it's our first visit to Fen Drayton & it's a nice place but you do have to be watchful of the buses that bomb through the middle of the reserve.

Scotland last day. Osprey ( Lady ) returns for the 24th time

Up early for the last day of this trip to Scotland, we head 70 miles up to Loch Garten, a quick look for Crested Tit again in the hope of getting some good snaps of them, no luck this time so after one more drive around the forest in the hope that a Capercaillie might pay us a visit. No luck again so a walk in Abernethy Forest looking for Crested Tit, we found a good spot last year that gave us really great views but the tree is not productive this time, so a bad start to the day.

Scottish Crossbill

Then we hear the call of Crossbill & go in search of them, & this time we are lucky when 3 male & 1 female drop onto a tree not to far away from  us. They turn out after we check them out to be Scottish Crossbill another year tick for us all.
So not a wasted visit after all a good reward for driving 70 miles the wrong way from the airport.
Time to go now as we have to get nearer to the airport, but first we pop in to one of our favourite places while we are up here Lochindorb as I got my days mixed up it's on yesterdays page what we saw, unfortunately not a lot this time.But still pleased we visited again.
Time getting on now so we move nearer to the plane. we divert of the main road at Dalwhinnie to get a little top up on petrol, while here some fast flowing water gives us hope of seeing a Dipper, the answer is no but Jimmy & I do get a year tick with a Grey Wagtail, Dippers have proved to be elusive on this trip.
On the road again now we see a sign for Bannockburn & Robert the Bruce Monument, so always up for a bit of history & we still have a couple of hours to  kill before we need to be in Glasgow we head there & it's a nice place to visit & nice to improve your knowledge of these matters. We also see the William Wallace Monument that is not far away.

We think that is the trip over then we see a sign for Loch of the Lowes & we hope that the Osprey has returned there, we only have a short time left now so what a bonus  when we are told at the visitor centre that the female Osprey had just returned today.
So with the £4 fee paid we are into the hide within minutes & onto the nest that is a lot nearer than the Loch Garten one, at first only the female is in the nest but then the male returned & mates with his wife, everybody in the hide is in a state of excitement at seeing this.
The people that are present in the hide are wardens & professional people plus a camera crew from Scottish TV to record this great return for the 24th time of the female named Lady, she has raised 50 chicks with 3 different males in that time, this is male number 4 for her, quite a remarkable storey & a real local star.
Brian is asked to say a few words for the TV crew & he makes a good fist of it & he appears on the news later that evening along with a lady who also has a say on the subject.
What a great story to finish the trip off with.
Never been to this place before & it's a shame that we have to make a dash for the airport now, so a flying visit this time but we will be back at some time in the future as they also have Beavers that swim about early in the morning in front of the hide & the hide is always open so nothing to stop you seeing them.

The Reserve board

Posted minutes before we arrived

As near as my camera could get me