Happy new Year to all.

Happy new Year to all the people that I & the boys have met on our travels around the U K this year.
And the same to all the birders that we have yet to meet, looking forward to seeing loads of birds & seeing some new places & seeing old & new faces in the new year.
So I wish you all the very best of health & happiness & may all your wishes come true for 2018.

Local Little Owl moves home.

On walking my dog over my local field no more than a hundred yards from my house near the Roding Valley lake. I happen to look up at the large tree by the cricket pavilion & looking back at me is the Little Owl that has been missing from the playground tree after the council cut his home down on safety reason's.

This is the tree that we first found the Owl a few years ago before all the Ring- neck Parakeets forced it to relocate by the play ground after they took over the Owl's tree.

So out comes the camera to get a couple of shots  of the Owl. So nice to have it back.

                                                       

Today's Little Owl

                                         
                                                                             

At last Parrot Crossbill at Hollesley

Having spent a very long day at Santon Downham only to dip on the Parrot Crossbills a couple of weeks ago,I had given up on seeing any for this year.
But the three of us set off to see if we could find any at Upper Hollesley Common after Brian had seen some of J'Rs photos.
We arrive around 8.30 where we find the car park & head down to find the puddle where the photos had been taken yesterday in a small clearing.
Only 3 other birders here & there had been no sign up till now. On the track down Dartford Warbler & Goldcrest are seen, we wait at least 2 hours before 6 birds fly in to feed on the top of some distant trees & we are pleased to get great scope views & a good year tick.
A few more people have now turned up & things get better when 6 Parrot Crossbill fly down to the puddle right in front of us , they only hang about for a short time but everybody got really great views of them.

We are only about 10 miles away from the Arctic Redpoll that we all need for a year tick so we shoot off & find a small car park & can see a few birders not far down the field & on joining them it's only minutes before we have our year tick as the Redpoll flies back over the road with a small flock to feed in the field that we are standing in, a nice looking little bird.

American Horned Lark ( Staines Res )Sunday

Jimmy & I picked up a year tick at a very cold Rainham Marshes when we finally caught up with some Yellow-legged Gulls in mid week but I missed out on finding a needed Rock Pipit for a year tick when we decided to it was just to windy & cold so only a short time spent here, why is it always so windy & cold whenever we make it to Rainham.
On Saturday after checking with Brian that he couldn't get off work to come with us we headed off to Oare Marsh in search of the Green-wing Teal.
We arrive just after first light & spend over four hours scoping the scrape, at first with the scrape being a bit frozen there is not a lot going on with very few birds about, but as the morning warmed up a bit, many more Tern arrived & we kept scanning every thing that looked like a Tern but it never showed & there was nobody else finding it & it never got reported all day.
A couple of Common Sandpipers a pair of Goosander many many Dunlin & Redshank the odd Curlew but no sign this time of the Dowitcher.
The plan was to go to Sandwich if the Pallas's Warbler came on the pager but that never happened so being chilled to the bone it's a very disappointed sort of day.
Sunday See's Brian pick us up in his new car & we are off to Staines Reservoir in Surrey.
We found a space to park just off the road & headed up the slope to find about a hundred birders already in place & we are told where the Horned Lark is feeding, it is a long way over on the middle slope of the reservoir but with the scope we get grand views of this American visitor.
When the twitch is fairly local it is always so nice to catch up some local birders such as Harry & Stuart plus Graham J who we have had the pleasure to meet up with on the last 3 bird trips.

The Horned Lark.

Dungeness Dartford Warblers.Plus Great Egrets

With the weather set fair the three of us head off to our old favourite Dungeness, not been there much this year due to the traffic problem that we have encounted when heading back from there.
We heard that 2 Dartford Warblers had been seen around the area by the Britannia Public house, so we set about finding them & drive around that area.
Jimmy spots a Stonechat & we think that the Warblers would be some where near to that, & it's not long before we find one of the Warblers around the bottom of the bushes.
We stay in the car & the bird came near to us for a few photos & the other one soon shows as well so a good start to the day.
Off to have a look from the hide where we see 2 Great white Egrets & something that I had not seen before when a Marsh Harrier landed on a branch & then dropped into the water & just hung about there for 20 minutes or more.
A Kingfisher showed on &off but only usual stuff apart from that.
A walk on the beach watching the Gulls was nice. A report says that 6 Jack snipe had been seen at Elmley so with Brian needing a tick we head off but after a few drives up & down the main track it's a dip. We do sea a few Marsh Harrier & a group of Red-legged Partridge but not a lot about despite there being a fair amount of water about.

The Dartford Warbler

Dartford Warbler

Great White 

One of the Red-legged Partridge

One more of the Warbler

Windy old day at Cley for Little Auk

It takes us two & a half hours to arrive at Cley today to find it is blowing a wind around 50 mph in a Westerly direction we expected these conditions & hoped for some good sea watching.
We spend over 3 hours on the car park beach & it's freezing cold before we find a bit of space in the brick shelter for some protection.
I pick up a year tick when a flock of over  30 Snow Bunting fly in & around the Shelter & over the time we are here they keep flying up & down past us.
 So a good start to the day for me.Plenty of Great Skua fly past at regular intervals & a small flock of 4 came in very close to the beach for the best views I have had of them. We expected to see a few Auks go past but all we got was just one Little Auk ,that gave us all a year tick but we hoped for a lot more.
We are really cold now so we give up our space in the shelter to head up to the visitor centre for a Bacon bap & a pot of tea & to warm up before going back to the beach for another 2 hours, but nothing is happening out at sea just a few Kittiwake & some Common Scoter plus some Gannets & nice to see a few Seals close in as the giant waves washed over them. Then a nice juvenile Glaucous Gull lands near to us on the beach.

Of course this is Brian's photo of the Glaucous Gull

We don't need one for a tick but always nice to see & it put a gloss on the day for us before we set off for home a bit disappointed but still 2 ticks pushes the year total up.

Snow Bunting

Dusky Warbler at Sandwich.

We meet Brian at 5.30 but no decision has been made as where to go, the only bird that we needed that was not to far away was the Dusky Warbler in Kent so that's that & off we go & arrive about 7 am.
After paying the toll to drive down the private road we park up near the Chequers pub & soon spot a few people standing on a high sand mound & after joining them we hear the Warbler & it shows on & off for the next 4 hours to give us all the best views of a Dusky that we have ever had.
It was to quick for me to get my camera on so the photo of it here is one Brian took. It was freezing cold on the mound with a cold wind blowing. A bonus when a Woodcock drops down in the bushes in front of us & a small flock of Brambling fly over. Time to leave & say goodbye to a nice friendly group.
To fill the day up we head off to Oare to find it alive with hundreds of Golden Plover & Dunlin plus Black-tailed Godwit & one single Bar-tailed.
Loads of Avocet, 4 Greenshank a Purple Sandpiper & the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher.
Jimmy had a Spotted Redshank but I never got on that.
 A really nice finish to the birding day with just so many birds on show I really like Oare Marshes.

The Dusky Warbler

Long-billed Dowitcher

At last Rock Thrush ( Lifer )

Thanks to Brian Jimmy & I finely meet up with the long staying Rock Thrush.
Fighting with my heart & head, the Heart says drive the 360 mile round trip back to Gwent in Wales or as the head kept telling me over the last  couple of weeks don't be stupid it's too far for this old boy to drive, so when Brian says lets go back & get you both a lifer we jumped at the chance.
It takes us 3 hours & we arrive at 7.30 am.
About a mile walk to to the 3rd quarry is done at pace & it's smiles all round when we see the Thrush only a few yards in front of us to give Jimmy & I a nice lifer at last, we dipped a couple of weeks ago so this is sweet.
The bird has been here a few weeks now but over 100 birders showed up while we were here about 5 hours in all.Now for the long drive home but this time we have smiles on our faces 720 miles to bag this bird, when you look at it in black & white it is really mad what we do to see a bird but so much fun is had so there is the reason we do it.

Rock Thrush

Brian in happy mood waiting for the Thrush to come close, maybe thinking of the long drive home

American Wigeon at Rutland. Willow Tit at Kelham

On Sunday we hope that the Scops Owl will be found & reported  in Ryhope, so we head up to Rutland so if the Owl shows we will be half way up to Durham & can shoot off there.
After last weeks big dip we don't want to go that far without it being seen.
So a nice early visit to Rutland to look for the American Wigeon.
We park up & head to pool 2 and find Smew hide and once inside we find the Wigeon without to much trouble.
A cracking little  bird to see & only the second one we have seen, the first being in Devon a few years back.With no news of the Scops Owl we head towards home but stop off to try once more to find a Willow Tit having tried at Kelham a few times already this year & dipped we hope this time will be the one.
Brian headed off to do his own thing as he has already ticked Willow Tit while Jimmy & I watch from the hide where the feeders had been filled & plenty of birds were feeding but it's it a long time nearly 2 hours before we get a very short view of a single Willow Tit as it lands on the tree behind the feeders but never came onto the feeders & was gone very quickly but we got a good look at it for a year tick.
While here a Kingfisher kept landing on a couple of posts to give great views & a pair of Green Sandpipers landed near to us & a Snipe was also seen.
So a very pleasant weekend that got me four year ticks.

Willow Tit

The American Wigeon

American Wigeon

American Wigeon Wigeon

The friendly Kingfisher

Green Sandpipers

Wilsons Phalarope & Long-billed Dowitcher at Oare Marsh.

A quick bonus trip to Oare Marsh after Brian finished work See's us arrive around 2 o'clock.
We find the reserve packed with birders looking over a pool packed with flocks of Golden Plover & Black-tailed Godwits also Turnstones, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Red & Greenshank,3 Little Stints,2 Curlew Sandpipers,a few Ruff the place is just packed with birds.
We are not here to long when we find the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher that only I needed for a year tick & then the reason for our visit when the Wilson's Phalarope flies in & lands very close to us for a great view of this funny little bird.
This is the third Wilson's that we have seen the other two being found on the Isle of wight & one at Vange in Essex. So another year tick that we all needed made for a very nice afternoon indeed.

The Wilson's

Wilson's Phalarope

                                                                           

Long-billed Dowitcher

A horrible dip ( Scops Owl ) Sunderland.

We take the decision to travel 260 miles that takes us four & a half hours on a rainy morning up to Sunderland where the Scops Owl has been seen most days over the last few days.
Thinking that we must be mad but still looking forward to seeing the Owl that would be a lifer for all of us.
We found the town of Ryhope without to much trouble & parked off road not far from the under pass that led us to many birders with glum faces as the Owl was no where to be seen.
After 4 hours & with hardly any sign of the sun we have to give up on the Owl & also missed out on a Barred Warbler that had been reported.
Only good thing about being here is meeting up with Geoff  & John after to long a time without seeing them.
Brian has visited North Yorkshire a few times over the years for work things so knows the area well & he takes us to the Moors just outside Harrogate & Jimmy & I pick up a year tick when we see some Red Grouse wandering about the moor.
Next we head to Bolton Abbey for another tick when we see a couple of Dippers on the beautiful fast flowing river that runs through the grounds of the abbey, Brian always tells us about this being a lovely place & now we have seen it for ourselves.
So Brian rescues the day for Jimmy & myself with a couple of ticks but never got anything tick wise out of the day & had the job of driving us home that took nearly six hours in horrible weather so a big thanks to him.
We nearly turned off  half way up to Ryhope & head to Kilnsea where we would have got a few more ticks but the draw of the Scops Owl was too much so no regrets.

Red-throated Pipit ( Lifer ) Landguard.

Jimmy & I head to Landguard in search of a lifer after a Red-throated Pipit landed there yesterday.
We arrive just after first light & walk up to the wardens house where it had been seen on Wednesday
but after briefly scanning around the house we have no luck so walk up towards the sea wall. It's then that we notice a small group looking as if they might have something around the concrete blocks so we head over to them & one of the group is LGRE & he has heard the bird & within minutes the Pipit lands a few feet away to give us both another lifer.
Over the next hour or so we get some good views of it, a lovely little bird not to much red on show on the head or throat but very boldly streaked making it easy to pick out as it feeds with a few Meadow Pipits.

Today's  Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Local Red necked Grebe Roding Valley Lake.

Nice for my local lake to get some attention when a Red necked Grebe landed on the lake on Friday afternoon,a right bonus as the lake has never had anything this good.
Only living 100 yards away Jimmy & I are over there as soon as we hear about it from Brian, once we locate the Grebe we let Brian know & he soon joins us to get some good views of a juvenile bird.
Today we head back over & the Grebe is still showing well & in much better light Brian gets some great  photos.
Never thought our local lake would be the scene of so much attention with a fair number of birders arriving all day long.
The bird was still hanging about late this evening so maybe some more watching it tomorrow if not birding elsewhere.

Brian's photo of the Red necked Grebe

Grey Phalarope K G V Reservoir

A quick visit to King George Reservoir in Chingford it's only local to me & the Phalarope has been seen here for a few days.
Jimmy had already ticked the bird on Thursday but came over with me to help spot it.
We walk all the way around the south basin stopping from time to time to scan the water but after over an hour there is no sign.
So we finish the loop & just before we head down the slope to the car Jimmy gives it one last scan & bingo he has it in the scope.
The water was very choppy so we expected it to be more on the edge in the calmer water but it was found right in the middle of the reservoir, so another year tick for me.

Grey Phalarope

Spotted Crake Ingrebourne Valley

A short trip of 20 miles See's the three of us turn into Ingrebourne park at around 8am.
It's a short walk down to the viewing platform & a few people were already scanning the area in front of us where the Crake had been seen yesterday.
It's nearly an hour before Brian spots the Spotted Crake in the corner of the reeds & over the next couple of hours it moves across the reed bed from left to right giving us some great views of a lovely little bird. Nice to meet up with some familiar faces over the time spent here.
So a nice easy year tick for all three of us.

The Spotted Crake

White-winged black Tern at Tyttenhanger.

After missing the trip with the boys on Friday that got them 2 lifers at Portland Dorset I decide to to head to Hertfordshire for a year tick.
So with Jimmy on board I drive to pick up Brian & the three of us head up to Willow farm lake.
It's about 20 miles so in no time at all we pull into Willow farm activity yard but we can't find the lake, so after getting some directions from a local driver we drive  back to the roundabout & drive about 4 miles before pulling into the Willow fishing lake & heading down to the car park.
We pay the parking charge & the fellow in charge allow us access in the car to the lake, & as soon as we pull up by the lake Brian is out of the car & finds the Tern without to much trouble.
We spend the next hour watching a great display from a smashing looking bird as it flies up & down the lake feeding. A really nice year tick this one.
As we look over the lake we realise that nearly all the other birders have parked where we had been at the Activity farm & found a way down to the lake,still we never had to walk anywhere so a real bonus.

Jimmy & I,  Brian catches the bird flying by.

White-winged black Tern

(Lifer ) Citrine Wagtail at Minsmere.

 A lifer is the target at Minsmere a Citrine Wagtail  means the three of us had to head there .As we get nearer to Minsmere a we run into a heavy mist,on arrival at 7 am we walk down to East hide & the mist is not going to lift for another hour.
As the sun starts to burn off the mist we get to see more of the scrape & see loads of Black- tailed Godwits & a single Bar-tailed a few Ringed Plover,Dunlin,Golden Plover,Common & Green Sandpiper,Avocet,Ruff,a few Spotted Redshank,a Water Rail walked about in front of the hide.
A Cuckoo & a hunting Peregrine fly across the scrape but no sign of the target bird.
It's a good 2 hours before we get a sighting of the Wagtail as it shows for a few seconds as it walks up a bank before it flies off to another scrape. We manage to find it again a long way off on number 9 marker scrape & this time we get great scope views for the next 2 hours before it flies over to North hide where Jimmy manged to find it again & got a lot of people onto it after we had walked round to the hide.
Off home but we stop off in the cafe for a coffee & Brian just couldn't resist a giant portion of Ruby's apple & blackcurrant crumble at £2.80 I only mention it because he never stopped going on about how it was the greatest thing he had ever tasted all the way home & he recommended it to everybody on his blog.

Photo of a Citrine Wagtail

Woodchat Shrike for a lifer in Gloucestershire

The decision is made on sat evening for the three of us to drive up the M4 to Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire on Sunday morning the aim being a Woodchat Shrike that would be a lifer for Jimmy & I,  we made good time & arrived just after 7 am.
Parking up just off the road the common is spread out in front of us & it is huge area.Three fellow birders pull up & park behind us & it's our lucky day as it was one of them David Poulton that had found the Shrike & they walked with us to the area the bird favoured.
It's a gloomy old day & after half an hour of no luck it starts to rain so not looking good, an hour or so later the rain eased & the sun started to warm things up & that was when the Shrike made it's appearance to big high fives for another lifer Jimmy & I & a year tick for Brian.
The 3 local birders had told us that the common was full of Whinchat & Common Redstart & we soon found that to be true when we see double figures of Whinchat & many Redstart flying about the place.First time any of us had been here & with what the locals were telling us about the amount of birds that they see here we are sure to return. After 3 hours or so of enjoying the locals company we depart for what will be our first visit to Slimbridge Nature reserve.
The weather is still pretty rough so not a lot of people on the reserve, we head to the hides & although  there is nothing here to give us a year tick we really enjoy watching what was on offer with Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper,many Godwits & a couple of Cranes feeding out by the beach.
A walk through the conservation area was grand experience being able to get close up to many birds that we only get a distant view of & the birds that we are not able to see if you not able to travel to see them. Once again we shall return on a more weather friendly day.
So over all a smashing day out only 2 ticks but 2 new places visited & meet some really nice birders as well.

The Woodchat Shrike at Sodbury

Greywag at Slimbridge

Bewick

Eider

Bean Goose

Bean Goose

Black winged Stilt

Male Eider

Merganser