Savi's Warbler,Red-footed Falcon,Grasshopper Warbler.

It's off to Minsmere for the Savi's today,meeting up at 5 am we arrive around 7 am & head straight off to Island mere hide.

Once in the hide it's minutes before the Savi's is heard & then it's spotted in a bush over the back of the water, we have great scope views for a good year tick.Two nice clear views of Bittern,2 Otters & great displays from a pair of Marsh Harriers made it a great start to our day.

We are tipped off as to the location of a Grasshopper Warbler & set off to find it.

We walk to the bend past South hide & get to hear the bird calling on a number of occasions but we have to wait for over an hour before the bird showed.

Once the bird is seen we get to see it a few times sitting out & flying to another bush for another tick.

The group of people that we were standing with were heading off to find the Red-footed Falcon at Rendlesham in a disused airport, it's 14 miles from Minsmere & there was a small crowd with cars parked all along the road.

The Falcon was found with ease as all the birders were on it & we get really great early views of this cracking Falcon. The owner of the house was very obliging letting people into  his garden to get a better view of the bird thanks to him.

The weather is not to bright but we spend over 3 hours watching the bird fly from one light tower to another & then dropping down to the ground to feed.Tick number 3 for the day & it's a little smasher.

Loads of people that we know were here so probably the reason we stayed so long.

The Red-footed Falcon

Marsh & Wood Sandpiper at Vange

An afternoon visit to Vange yesterday that is under an hour away for us, gets us 2 year ticks, after parking up crossing the railway we join a small group looking over the scrape.
The group all had the Marsh Sandpiper in sight & we are soon looking at it as well & not to far away we find the Wood Sandpiper a couple of nice looking birds to add to our year list.
We meet some old familiar faces that's always nice plus some time spent with Graham J is nice but it made a quick visit into a long one what with the talking & trying to get closer to the birds,so the promised shopping trip with my wife has to be put on hold.
While here a Spotted Redshank,Reed Warbler,some Bearded Tits where seen.
A good showing of Greenshank at least 7 seen plus 4 Dunlin rounded off a very pleasant visit to Vange.After the two Black-winged Stilts last week Vange is proving a good spot for us.

Just about the Wood Sandpiper

A distant view of the Marsh Sandpiper.scope views so much better.

Ortolan Bunting ( Lifer ) Billet's Farm Abberton Reservoir

We hear that a Ortolan Bunting has been found at Billet's Farm Abberton Reservoir on Monday evening.
So it's up early setting off at 5.30 am this morning in the hope that we will see a lifer for Jimmy & I.
On arrival at the farm we park in the free farm car park that is open from 7 am to 7 pm.
Three people are on site & all have cameras out pointing at the farm buildings,it's looking good for us as we ask have you got it ,yes comes back those lovely words.
So scope up & we have another lifer to our lists. The bird showed really well for over an hour flying from one barn roof to another along with some Yellow Wagtails .
One of the birds  turns out to be a Blue Headed Channel Wagtail that was a nice looking bird pity we can't use it for a tick but nice to see it.
When the Bunting disappeared we wait for a while to see if it returns but after half an hour we pop up the road to Wigborough Bay for a quick scan & pick up a year tick as we see 7 Greenshank on the middle scrape.
Off to Abbotts Farm about 3 miles away so Jean could get some  walking in. As we leave the car we hear our first Cuckoo of the year, not a lot about while here but we only came for the walk but Whitethroat & Lesser Whitethroat were seen.

The Ortolan Bunting

Again

Channel Wagtail ( Bluehead )

Sevenoaks for Ring Ouzels.

Been thinking of going to Sevenoaks for the Ring Ouzel for a couple of days but the trip to Vange for the Stilts got in the way.
So this morning it's up & off in the hope that they have hung around for another day.
It is an hours drive & we arrive just before 7 am,I pull up on the drive just before the entrance gate too the reserve where one birder was already looking for them.
He has not seen them & is not to confident that they were still about.So we set about scanning the paddock field that is a large area & within 5 minutes we find 2 males right over the back along the fence line.
We spend a fair while watching them before heading onto the reserve for a nice relaxing walk with my wife Jean & Jimmy.
Not to much about but Blackcap seem to be everywhere we walked.We visited a couple of hides but as I say apart from it being a nice pleasant walk on a warm morning not much about. On the way out we scan again & find the two birds a bit closer. Year total up to 199.

Two Ring Ouzel

Black winged Stilts at Vange

An early call to Brian to tell him Jimmy & I are off to Vange Marsh to see if he fancied the trip for a pair of Black Winged Stilts
Minutes later I'm picking him up & on the way,it's about 28 miles from home an we soon arrive at Chestnut road & park the car & walk  under the flyover & over the railway line & onto the reserve.
We could see a few people scoping the marsh & we join them to find that they have the Stilts in view.
After watching them for an hour & looking to see if anything else was about we set off for home on a really cold morning.
Ruff,Spotted Redshank,Godwits & Avocet were seen but nothing we needed for a tick.
I picked up a couple of ticks over King George Res on Thursday when I see Arctic Tern plus my first House Martin of the year.
Year total so far 198.

Black Winged Stilts

American Wigeon + Osprey at Rutland.

Off to Rutland on Saturday for the American Wigeon. On arrival we park the car & head off to Dunlin hide, it's a fair walk to the hide on a grey old day.The lagoon is full of Wigeon but we find it hard to pick out the Target bird,we spend over two hours before the bird swims out from the bank & after getting good scope views things get better when it swims down in front of us for great views of it.
While waiting for the Wigeon to show we were entertained by a single male Ospey that was busy building a nest ready for when he finds a mate from the 21 that are here.
There is an imbalance of more males then females of maybe 2 to 1 so he may have to wait a while for a mate.
2 Little ringed Plover drop onto a scrape to give us a year tick.
Before heading home we head to Kelham Bridge to try for a tick for me as I need Willow Tit that the boys got weeks ago, I was with them but ended up in the wrong place when they got there's.
Not a lot of time spent there but no luck this time.

The American Wigeon

Brian's Osprey photo

Dungeness gets us ticks

It's Dungeness again today in the hope some migrants have dropped in,plus the weather is expected to be better here than Norfolk, also we hope to pick out the Crane that has been around for a few days on the fields by the farm.

As it turns out we find it along Dengemarsh Road a bit distant but we get a good scope view.As we searched for the Crane we got a year tick with our first Sedge Warbler of the year when we first hear a couple then spot them.

A long sea watch only gets me 2 Common Tern for a tick plus a single Whimbrel for another, the boys pick out Arctic Skua but it's a long way out & I couldn't pick it out. Also seen lots of Gannets & Sandwich Tern,loads of Common Scoter pass by but no Velvet while we where watching but some had gone past before we arrived so we were told.While here we see Wheatear & Peregrine.

A few Porpoise show & that is always nice to see.

No sign of the Cattle Egret but we never looked to hard.

As usual we pop in at Elmley on the way home but nothing that wasn't there last week to tick.

With no time limit on us we offer to try to find Brian the Wanstead Little Owl that Jimmy & I got a few days ago.

The car is parked & Brian gets a year tick within minutes,we only find the one Owl but that will do.

Next up we head to Alex in search of the Redstart that we missed last time & Brian finds it for us so an Owl for a Redstart is a fair swap.

The Wanstead Redstart

At last

We have had a Little Owl only a few yards from my home for the last few years,but they have not been seen this year,it didn't help when the council chopped away at  half the tree they nested in.
We have dipped on seeing any at a few locations over the last few weeks.
With the sun out Jimmy & I think it's time to head over to Wanstead Flats as we know Little Owls have been seen there.We did look on Sunday when we went for the Garganey, but it was very cold & not a good day to see them sitting out & we never tried to hard or to long.
We park in the Centre road car park that costs nothing & walk towards the copse when we spot Nick & get some local knowledge where to search for them & within 10 minutes we find two birds.
So that stops that becoming a Bogey bird of the year.
An hour or so search over by Alex looking for a Redstart that Nick found yesterday & had also seen today is in vain with no sight of the bird. So with a tick in our pocket it's off home.

One of the Little Owls