Lifer at Dunge, Melodious Warbler + 2 year ticks.

Brian gets a day off work, so meeting up at 5. 30 we are off to Dungeness in the hope of meeting up with the Melodious Warbler that's been reported along with a Wryneck at the same place.
Around 7 we are in Arc car park & walk down to look over Arc pit as Brian needs the Red-necked Phalarope that is here for a tick.
We get on the target bird within minutes also a few Garganey a single Snipe plus Dunlin and the usual stuff.
The pit is alive with Hirundines with hundreds flying all over the place, really nice to just sit for a while watching all the activity.
Off now to find the Warbler down Denge marsh Rd, we drive a long way down the Rd till we reach the gully, a couple of fellows confirm that the bird is still about along with a Wryneck & it's only a short time before I am ticking another lifer.The Melodious Warbler shows very well for the whole time we are here, a really cracking bird. The Wryneck proves to be a bit harder to spot, we do get a couple of flight views & see it in a bush in front of us, but not the best view that we wanted. A few farmilar faces arrive which is always nice to catch up with them.
We are told that another Wryneck has been reported at Galloways that is only a few minutes away so off we go to find it. Once again a couple of birders are already there & confirm that a Wryneck has been seen. We soon pick it out for ourself when we see it sitting in a bare tree to give me the best prolonged look that I have had of this funny looking bird, a bit far off for the camera but great views with the scope.
 Plenty of Whinchat & Wheatear about plus the odd Stonechat, after we have our fill here we head back to Arc Pit to find a Little Stint that we need for a year tick.Also we see a couple of Raven & Marsh Harrier, we also see a Sparrow Hawk take a Starling, it had the pick of hundreds of them.

Melodious Warbler

At last the Bee-eater ticked on the IOW.

After missing out for the last two weeks we make the decision it's now or never to head over to Niton on the Isle of Wight to see the European bee-eaters before they take flight.

Such a long way off 

We meet up with Brian just after 4 am & arrive at the ferry port at 6 30 for the 7 15 crossing,we pull into the RSPB watch point just after 8 o'clock to be meet by a couple of volunteers, they walk us down to the best place to see the birds & within minutes we are ticking another lifer for all of us.
The area is roped off & the birds are a long way off in a dead Elm flying back & forth over the next three hours, so no photos that are any good but we get really great scope views, what a cracking looking bird.
In all we see 3 in the tree at one time.
A funny old day weather wise, a little rain then some weak sun & we needed our coats on, but it was well worth the time & cost for the chance to see these very colourful birds.
I thought the Short-toed Eagle was going to be the best bird of the year for me but I think this just beats it.

Today's Little Owl update

An early morning walk over to see how the local Little Owls are getting on, on arrival one was feeding on the ground below the nest, it saw me & flew up into the trees & hidden from view.
I give myself an hour to try for some photos of any of the four that are here.
While standing waiting a Greater-spotted & two Green Woodpeckers pay a visit to keep me company while waiting for any of the Owls to show.
A scan of the trees going up the hill gives me the first photo of one & only a few yards in the same tree I spot number two.
They seem to be doing very well & don't seem to mind me being pretty close to them with the camera. At least 15 Ring-necked Parakeet fly over head & land close by, I hope they don't take over the Owls tree like they did last year, pushing them round the field, this does look a much better place for the Owls this year with a lot more cover for them.

Spotted Crake at Titchwell + 2more year ticks.

We make the decision to go to Titchwell rather than the Isle of Wight, so it's a 5 o'clock meet & we pull into the car park at Titchwell around 7 o'clock.
The Spotted Crake is seen within minutes without going into the hide,we get really good views as it walks in & out of the reeds over the next 1/2 hour or so, it never came out from the reeds far enough for me to get a good photo in good light nothing unusual there.
A quick scope from the hide gets us many Dunlin plus Wood Sandpiper, 3 Spotted Redshank,Ruff, 5 Spoonbill, little r Plover,Turnstone, plus Avocet all over the scrape.
A walk up to the beach gets us 13 Eider very close in & a few Gannet also pass by.On the way back to the car we get to see the Chinese water Deer that live here.
On now to Cley in the hope of meeting up with the Temminck's Stint that's been reported here.
After a  walk to north hide we soon pick out a Curlew Sandpiper & then 3 Green Sandpipers Jimmy & myself need both for a year tick, we get a quick view of what we think is the Temminck's but not a good enough view to give it a tick. So 3 year ticks for the day plus a full day out birding on a nice sunny day with the boys.

Spotted Crake

Chinese water Deer

The Crake again