Whiskered Tern & Roseate Tern Dungeness ( Lifers )

A late call from Brain around 1 O'clock tells me that he is going to Dungeness as a Whiskered Tern was being seen from Burrowes Pit.I tell him I'm up for that & will meet up as soon as I can.
I shoot home from a hospital appointment & pick up Jimmy then meet up with Brian at usual place.
With fingers crossed we arrive around 4 O'clock & get a shock when we find only one other person inside Dennis hide.
The lady tells us the Whiskered Tern had just been seen by other birders that had left the hide but she couldn't find it so we set about finding it & it only takes us 5 minutes before the bird flies across the pit & gives us great views as is skims the water feeding to give all 3 of us another Lifer.
We get the lady onto the bird that is a lifer for her as well, by now the hide was starting to fill up.
After an hour we have had some great views as the Tern kept flying around the pit but on 3 occasions it landed on the shingle island not far from the hide.
A trip round to Littlestone in the hope of finding me the Serin that the boys got on Saturday.
We meet Marco while here & he had heard the Serin but had not had any real views of it.
A few more birders join us but as we scan for the bird news comes on the pager that a Roseate Tern had just been seen along side the Whiskered Tern on Burrowes pit.
So as that is a lifer for Jimmy & myself we stop the search for the Serin & head back to the hide.
Once inside we are put onto the Roseate Tern as it settled on the nearest scrape along side the Whiskered Tern. Another lifer ticked & this one we have wanted to tick for some time now.Jimmy had dipped a few times on the Roseate so really special for him,I think it's the first time of trying for me so a real bonus. When I was walking out of the hospital earlier today it never crossed my mind that I would tick 2 lifers this afternoon so I call that a real bonus.

The Roseate tern

Whiskered Tern Dungeness

Cley gets me Temminck's Stint plus 2 more ticks.

We have a choice to make when Brian asks where too, the choice being Kent for a Serin or Norfolk for Temminck's Stints.
We think as a Little Bittern had been seen on the way up to Cley we like the look of that so that's where we head.We have no luck looking for the Little Bittern so head on up to Cley.
Parked up we are soon in Daukes hide & spot 5 Temminck's Stints out on a distant scrape to far for any photos of them but fair scope views.
Didn't hang about in the hide long as we heard that a Little Stint had  been seen over on the East bank. It's a bit of a walk & after an hour looking we find no sight of the Stint but get 2 year ticks when 5 Little Terns & a single Rock Pipit show from Richardson view point.
Back in the car 4 Spoonbills fly over Walsey Hill & drop onto the scrape in front of Babcock hide.
A quick park of the car & we are looking out at the birds, a really nice close view & for once the bills were on show.
Going past the American airbase at Lakenheath people were all along the road & the viewing area was full up with cars,so somethings happening.
We find a space & join the crowd & ask what's going on ,it turns out that a few F16 fighting Falcons
were landing soon coming in from Florida for the D Day celebrations.
Soon the Falcons fly in & what a spectacular sight  it was.
The planes flew over our heads putting on a grand display & the sound was something incredible to hear.
Then a real bonus when a C 17 transporter taxied round & took off flying straight over head what a buzz. What a great way to finish our day.

The nearest Spoonbill

A Meadow Pipit watching us by the hide.

The F 16 fighting Falcon

The C17 Transporter

The day of the big dip.

Yorkshire had an influx of migrant's on Saturday with Collared Fly,Brown Shrike, Woodchat Shrikes & Wryneck.
We should have gone for them on Saturday afternoon but things got in the way. so up early on Sunday we head off to drive the 4 hours with some trepidation as the bird we really wanted the Brown Shrike is not known to hang around for long.
Still if you don't try then you have no chance so we set off in the hope that news would come through of a sighting of any of them.
When news breaks it's bad with not a single sighting of any of the birds.so we head off to Bempton Cliffs in the knowledge of at least being assured of a grand days birding at a fabulous reserve.
We are not disappointed as the cliffs are alive with sea birds.
1000's of Gannets, Razorbill,Guillemot,some Puffins  a couple of Shag & Fulmar plus Kittiwake. On the grass verges there are lots of Common Whitethroat & the place is alive with Tree Sparrows.
This all adds up to a splendid days birding that helped to ease the pain of missing all Saturdays birds.
I only get one year tick in the Puffin.
We head to Blacktoft Sands to look for the Monty that has been there for a couple of years but once again we dip with there being no sign of the bird all day.
Marsh Harriers put on a great display with over 10 birds seen. A Bittern shows briefly in front of the hide so well worth the visit.

One of the Puffins

One of the thousands of Gannets

Many Tree Sparrow

Loads of friendly Jackdaw

As far as you could see these little fellows

Great spotted Cuckoo ( Lifer ) + Dotterel + Turtle Dove.

A late start today & we don't arrive at Choselly Drying Barns much before 10 o'clock,we head just west of Chalk Lane & find a row of cars parked up by the side of the road & we find birders already had 4 Eurasian Dotterel fairly close to us but still hard to pick out without  the scope.
Such a nice looking bird to see so we spend a long time watching them, they never moved about much but a good year tick.
It's onto Titchwell now where we search for the Turtle Dove that is around.
A feeding station has been set up not far from Fen hide & after 20 minutes we get a flight view & then watch the Turtle Dove drop to the floor to feed for some good views of it.
After a walk around the reserve & up to the beach we find no new ticks so off we go to look for the Great Cuckoo at Muckleburgh Hill.
We head to a car park  at Weybourne camp & walk the beach until we find some pines & a few scopes looking for the bird,it turns out to be the wrong place with no sight of it.
There are some people seen over the other side of the trees so we head back to the car & drive round to join them.
As soon as we reach them a fellow gives us the thumps up & gets us onto the Cuckoo to give me a Lifer, the bird was not showing to well at first but it then flies out into the open for a great view of it.
Also while here we get our first Hobby of the year.

 That is what I call a good day birding, 4 ticks & one a lifer & as I write this just watched Liverpool pull off such a fantastic  result in the champions league & that comes from an Arsenal man.

Brian's photos of the Portland bird.

Great spotted Cuckoo

The Turtle Dove at Titchwell

   

Baikal Teal,White-winged black Tern plus Bonaparte's.

Another try for the Baikal Teal but this time it's moved on to March Farmers Washes.We had tried a few days ago at Ouse Washes but dipped badly.
With the car parked at the bottom of the track it's a short walk along the ridge to where some birders were scoping over the washes.
It's so very windy & bitterly cold with no hiding from it. We are told the Baikal has been seen but had been lost from sight for some time. We set about finding it & after moving along the ridge a bit we find the Teal tucked into the bank but with some patience we get good scope views of this colourful Russian bird.Just a year tick as we saw one a few years ago but so pleased to see another one & this one was a better view in the end.
Everybody is dropping down the bank to try to get out of the wind & we think it's time to get back to the car.
The boys had ticked the White-winged black Terns at Abberton  yesterday & we set off to try to see them to get me a tick.
After a cuppa & sausage roll we set about finding the Terns,we head off to Island Hide & pick out a first summer Bonaparte's Gull for a year tick & then 5 White-winged Terns put on a display in front of the hide for us for tick number 3 for the day.
It turns out to be just as cold in the hide & we find ourselves moving back away from the windows.
Before we leave a nice Little Gull lands in front of the hide to round off a nice but very cold day.
Also very nice to find Dave B in the hide, not seen him for some time.
Well over 200 Swift were seen battering the strong wind over the Reservoir. A quick drop in at the farm where we get more great views of the Channel Wagtail that has hung about for some days now.

White-winged Terns

First summer Bonaparte's Gull

Baikal Teal

Purple Heron.

It's off to Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire to try to connect with the Baikal Teal seen here yesterday.
We walk down to Stockdale Hide that is the third hide down the track & is a fair old walk.
A few birders in the hide have had no luck in locating the Baikal Tern.
So we settle down to scan the water & find 2 Garganey,a large flock of 10 or more Greenshank plus Avocet & a lot of usual birds but after 3 hours we give in with no sight of the Baikal. A Marsh Harrier put a whole lot of the birds up & the Baikal was not seen with them.So that's it. A Black winged Stilt is seen from the next hide down the track.
So with no ticks for the day we head off to Burnham Overy in search of the Purple Heron that had parked up there.
Parking on the bend we set off on the walk towards the sea wall,a single birder had a scope up over looking the fields,he has not got the Heron & tells us that it had flown away over the fields, so not looking good,the day is not getting any better on the bird front.
Then out of the blue the Heron is spotted over on the second field behind a row of bushes, not the greatest view but after the day we have had a view is a view.On the field to our rear 2 Whimbrel are seen feeding.
Things get better when we have a Barn Owl fly along the river towards us for a really great sighting of a real favourite.

Long way off but  the Purple Heron is found

What a bird.