Long trip to Alkborough pays off with Swamphen.

It's 4 0'clock & I am tucked up in bed when a text from Brian wakes both Jimmy & I to tell us to meet him in half an hour if we want to finally go an look for the Western Swamphen at Alkborough flats in Lincolnshire, of course we don't turn that offer down & we meet up just a little bit later than planned & head off on the near 200 mile journey.
We are the only car in the car park when we arrive at around 7.30, we have parked in the top park & that gives us a long walk to the first hide where the bird had been seen on Friday.
After more then 5 hours spent in the hide we have no sign of the Swamphen & we decide to head up to the gate above the horse paddocks but we stop at some steps just before we reach the gate & after 30 minutes Jimmy spots the target on the square pool as it heads round the triangle on the left side of the pool.
He gets Brian onto the bird but I miss out so I head up higher & get a very quick view as the bird comes into view once more, this turns out to be lucky as that is the last view that we get before we leave after a couple of hours. So I would of liked a better view of the bird but have to put up with the one I got & a tick's a tick after all.
While in the hide we are lucky enough to have 5 Spoonbill land on the pool in front of us & they stay awake on & off the whole time we are here.
Loads of stuff on the water to keep us amused while looking for Swampy,we see loads of Avocet &  ,Blackwit,  Greenshank,a fair few Spotted Redshank Ruff, &loads of other birds on a pretty full pool,Bearded Tits are in good numbers flying past the hide at regular intervals,a few Marsh Harriers are showing well over the back reeds. A  nice Hobby shows well over our heads with a catch after we leave the hide to round off a long day but well worth the long trip.

                                                                           

Three of the Spoonbill

Snipe in front of hide

Just some of the birds on the pool

Osprey in Herts for another year tick.

Just the two of us again today with Brian stuck at work & not needing an Osprey.
Setting off around 7 am it's just a little trip of 21 miles to Panshanger Park in Hertfordshire & once again we find the park without to much trouble, we park in a small car park that's free & we can see the lake as we start to walk over the field to look for the small hut with the Ash Tree near it, talking to a lady dog walker she tells us that the field at the right side of the lake is a no go area as some dogs had been getting to the sheep, so we take the left route & do a walk that turns out we really didn't have to do & it was a fair way for nothing as we find our self at the wrong lake.
On meeting a nice fellow birder who himself had found himself also at the same wrong lake as us.
The lady that told us the way to go had now caught up with us & tells us that Osprey Lake was the other lake & we need to head round the other side up a small hill & we can then look over the target lake as we walk round, as we head back down the hill we can see a small viewing platform & soon the little hut comes into view, as we look to the top we can see our car & we could of just walked straight down to the lake, so a real bum steer from the lady but she did stand & talk with us & was a very nice lady so no hard feelings.
We hang around with our new buddy named Jeff for the rest of the morning & by now a small group had arrived to look for the Osprey.
The first sighting we get of the bird is a distant one over the trees & high up but it looks like it's heading our way, it does come a bit closer but then we lose it behind the trees.
About an hour later our patience is rewarded when the Osprey flies around in front of us & heads right over our heads to give fantastic views to us all.
So three year ticks in the last week & two of them very near home that's not bad to keep the list moving.

                                                                       

Jimmy's photo of the Osprey

Pectoral Sandpiper S Woodham Ferrers

Just Jimmy & myself decide to try for a Pectoral Sandpiper  at Blue House Farm in Essex, it's only 34 miles away & for once we find the place with ease.
We park in the free car park & head off to find the first hide, it's a fairly long walk but not to bad & a birder on the way back tells us the bird is still around & points us in the right direction.
We enter the small hide to find 5 others already in there & we are put onto the bird straight away so a nice & easy tick. We get a great view of the bird probably our best view of a Pec.
Not to much else about just Ring Plover, a couple of Ruff, some Lapwing,1 Green Sandpiper, plenty of Pied Wagtails & 1 Yellow Wagtail dropped down in front of the hide. We have never been here before & find it a nice place to visit, the people in the hide were very friendly & we spend a good hour watching the Pec & having a good laugh.
So a year tick not to far from home on a nice warm day, well pleased we decided to go for the bird.
There are 2 other hides to visit but one of the birders tells us there is not much around & it will be a long walk for not much reward tick wise, so we head back to the car & off for home.

                                                                       

Pectoral Sandpiper