Lapland Bunting at Staines res + Dowitcher at Rainham.

 We have found it hard to get any birding in lately, Brian has been very busy with his in-laws and we had the bad news that his mother-in-law had passed away a couple of days ago. We had a short trip to our local reserve at Rainham Marshes where a Long-billed Dowitcher had been seen. Brian was at his son's house when the bird was reported that is only 10 minutes away from the reserve, so he popped in to get a year tick,  

We find out that this is a first for Rainham, so we meet up the day after and head there to get the year tick as well, It was very easy to see as it was only down the ramp from the visitor center on Purfleet Scrape. It was really nice to meet up with Marko while here.

We then walk along the Thames path and get another year tick when we see a Water Pipit, so a good little trip.

Brian popped in to see us this morning after dealing with all the stuff that he has to deal with at the moment. We decided to get a break with a short trip to Staines reservoir as a Lapland Bunting had been reported and we needed it for a year tick.  On arrival, we park on the grass verge and take the short walk up the ramp we see a few birders and walk up to them and the Bunting is there only a few yards away, a lovely little bird and not at all bothered about us being there. We also see a couple of Black-neck Grebe not needed for a tick but nice to see them.   

The Lapland Bunting

Long-billed Dowitcher

3 Lifers + 4 ticks in East Yorkshire.

We all wanted to head up to Bempton after a lifer was found there a few days ago, so we jumped at the chance to go when Brian found time, and I had no commitments. It's a 3am start. and we arrived at Bempton Cliffs around 7ish, a crowd had already gathered and we just walked around the corner to join them. A birder had a Thermal imager and he told me he had the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler in the bush in front of us, I got a quick view of the bird, it's a lifer for all of us. Over the next 2 hours, we all got good views of the bird but it was very active and it was dark in the bush so trying to get good photos was not going to happen, but was well worth the trip to see this first reported live one in Britain.  

While here we get a year tick a Yellow-browed Warbler plus not needed for a tick but Tree Sparrows were everywhere. 

Jimmy has dipped a couple of times with Icterine Warbler so with one being reported at Flamborough and only just down the road, we shoot off to find it. 

The bird is reported just behind the Viking Hotel Holmes Gut. As soon as we arrive we get a year tick when a Red-breasted Flycatcher is spotted. 

A short walk down to a closed-off bridge where a small group tells us the bird had not been seen for a few hours, so not looking good, Jimmy thinks it is another dip for him, then Brian who had walked off sends a call to say he has the Icterine in sight, we head up to him at speed, Jimmy a bit faster than me. 

The bird gave us really great views and another lifer ticked for both of us. 

40 miles away another lifer is reported at Spurn. So off we head to search for an Arctic Warbler. It has been seen at the Discovery Centre car park. Not a lot of birders here and it is not looking good, so once again Brian walks off and it's not long before we get the call he has found it around the back of the center. Everyone follows us and the Arctic is showing really well and was not disturbed by us being there, so cameras click away.

Down the road by the trap nets, we see a Spotted Flycatcher and a year tick when a Barred Warbler flew out of the trap and up the hedge row. 

Just up the road at Kilnsea Wetlands we pay a quick a quick visit and spot an American Wigeon for another year tick. 

Off home now as it's a 4-hour drive we leave sooner than we really wanted to and when we get home we find out we could have had a few more ticks but that's life. Still, we had a cracking day and got 7-year ticks 3 of which were lifers for Jimmy and me, Brian only got 

one lifer but what a good one.

Red-Breasted Flycatcher

Arctic Warbler

Icterine Warbler

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Blue house farm, Temminck's Stint plus 2 more ticks

Brian visited Blue House Farm a few days ago and had a great time there.    

So when he asked us if we wanted to go with him for a return visit, we jumped at the chance to get an afternoon out birding.

The farm is in Essex and only an hour away from home, I had never been there before, and I found that hard to believe, and I thought I would recognize it when we got there but I had never been there.

We got the car parked in a tiny car park but the upside it was free.

A walk of about a mile across a couple of fields before we reached the small hide that had a few birders in there, a friendly lot that made room for us to start looking for the Temminck's.

As luck would have it the bird was just a few feet away on a small island so a good year tick within minutes of arrival. a cracking little bird, so small when looking at other birds around it.

We spend about 4 hours in the hide with some good company and pick up two more year ticks when we spot 3 Wood Sandpipers and 3 Curlew Sandpipers to get the year list moving after not getting out in recent weeks.

We were told the water level was on the way down by a local named Dave, so we got lucky

when we also see 9 Spoonbills, 2 Greenshank, 4 Common Sandpiper, 6 Ringed Plover, loads of Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, and 16 Snipe plus Avocet and Marsh Harrier that put the Spoonbills up in the air for good views. A really pleasant afternoon and not far away from home and I'm sure we will visit again.

 

Woodchat Shrike, Rainham marshes.

A call from Brian asks if we fancy a trip over to Rainham, as a Woodchat Shrike has been seen there.    

It's 1 pm so the trip turns out a lot longer than normal, it's only 18 miles from home but the traffic is heavy and that means we arrive after 2 o'clock. 

We drive to ferry lane first in the hope we can get a view from there but we soon realize that is a mistake and we head off to the reserve and meet a young birder who tells us where to go as he has just seen the target bird. 

It turns out that we have a long walk up past Target Pool to shooting buts hide. it is a rainy afternoon but not too bad, as we near where the bird is Tom B points to tell us the Shrike had just flown to a bush near to us, with bins and scopes out we are soon looking at a cracking year tick. 

Swifts and Martins are in big numbers and I get another year tick when we see House Martin flying low over the water. 

A nice little trip with a great bird and nice talking to a few local birders.

Woodchat Shrike

A Whitethroat 

Quick run over the flats this morning.

 Brian called to see if we wanted to shoot over our local Wanstead flats for an hour or so, Whinchat is the bird we are looking for and as soon as the car is parked we see a couple in the fenced-off area. Such a great-looking bird to watch as it sits up for great views.  

Jimmy gets a tick when we get Lesser Whitethroat as we have a walk around. 

Nice to meet up with Marko and a couple of local birders before we head off home, short but sweet trip.

The Whinchat on the flats today.

mid week trip to Minsmere plus Surf Scotor & Dunwich.

 The three of us set off early for a mid-week visit to Minsmere in Sufffolk.  It's only 7 am when we arrive and we have the reserve to ourselves for a while.  

As we head up to the new boardwalk we hear our first Cuckoo of the year, with the place being so quiet we hear Grasshopper Warbler as we walk, a good tick for me, the boys already had one last week. Nightingales are heard and we see a few Bearded Tits.

The new boardwalk up to the first hide is a great improvement to the site. Once in the hide, we see Dunlin, Ring Plover, Garganey, Med Gulls, Knot, Oystercatcher, Barnacle Geese, 2 Greenshank, and the only tick we needed was Sandwich Tern.

Looking out to sea large flocks of Kittiwake gives me another year tick. We spend a couple of hours walking around but no more ticks, a search for Dartford Warbler is in vain, so it's a short trip up the road to Dunwich Heath, and as a member of the National Trust I get to park for free always a bonus. 

Only walked a short way on the heath before a pair of Dartford Warblers show and more are heard. Many Sandmartin flew about with Swallows but never saw any Housemartin.

6 miles along the coast we head to Walberswick to search for the Surf Scoter. 

Parked up we walk a few hundred yards up the beach where a flock of Scotor are seen.

They are a fair way out and the sun wasn't helping us,  but the scopes soon picked it out and it was easy to spot once on it. 

A nice Bar-tailed Godwit

Two of the Barnacle Geese.

On the right a long way out to sea but that's the Surf Scotor.

Frampton comes up trumps with a few year ticks.

A late-night call gets us up early for a trip to a real favorite reserve of ours in Lincolnshire Frampton RSPB.  

We arrive in the car park at 8 am and scan over the fence where there is loads of water and it is packed with many birds.

The boys already had the Lesser-Yellowlegs from another trip that I missed but I soon put that right when the Lesser-Yellowlegs showed well for my tick.

A Black-winged Stilt was soon found over the back of the scrape for a good tick. Looking over this scrape is so good that we had to drag ourselves away to look for more stuff.

Up at 360 hide, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover are seen, while in the hide a lady that we had been talking to came back to the hide to tell us that the Black- Tern that had been reported had just been relocated up by the end of the track to the hide, so a quick run up there see's us get a really good year tick, the Tern gives a really good up and down display. 

Brian then picked out a couple of Little Gulls for another good tick and then a fellow next to us found a Gull that he wasn't sure of, so he got Brian to have a look and it turned out to be a Bonaparte's Gull. it had been reported the day before but had not been seen today so a really great find. 

Also seen while here Greenshank, Spotted-Redshank, a few Yellow-Wagtails a White Wagtail, a Great-white Egret, and a Little Egret a sedge Warbler get us a year tick. 

As I said we love this place and on the right day it's a magic place for us, and this visit was one of them.

The Black Tern

Again

The Bonaparte's Gull

A bit far off but the Black-winged Stilt