Sabines Gull Port Lympe safari park Kent.

Brian gets a free day and we decide to head to our old favorite Dungeness for a Grey Phalarope. we leave at 5.15 and arrive around 6.45 after a trouble-free journey.

We start off by the boats and walk up the beach without any luck, every mile on this Stoney beach feels like ten. Jimmy and I get a year tick when two Drake Eiders pass by.

We walk up & down the beach but no sign of the Phalarope. So it's off to Appledore a few miles away in the hope of seeing the Osprey for another year tick.

We have been told to park by the bridge and walk down river where we find the Osprey sitting in a field, it sits there for ten minutes before flying up and perching on a nearby telegraph pole, it then gives us great flight views as it heads back to a bare tree that we are told is a favorite perch of the bird. Now it's off to Lympne where a Sabine's Gull has been showing well. We just pull into the park and see a small group by a fence and the Sabines is seen just a few feet away from them, with the car parked we are soon joining the group to get great views of the bird that comes to just a few feet away from us and apart from a few short flights it is never far away from us.

Back to Dungeness for another go at the Phalarope but this time we head to the hide on the beach, where we are told it had flown up over the patch about half hour ago.

After an hour it's a no-show so it's time to head home, a nice day birding that got us some year ticks, and just nice to be at Dunge again.

The Sabines Gull

Again

The Dungeness bird

The Appledore Osprey

   

Alpine Accentor in Suffolk. ( Lifer )

We got the news at around lunchtime yesterday that an Alpine Accentor had been spotted in Suffolk, that is a lifer for all of us, but we have family commitments so could not go for it.

So fingers crossed we arrange to meet at 5am this morning.

We meet up with Brian and take the A12 and get a trouble-free journey and arrive at Slaughden Suffolk just before 7am, 

Then we head to Aldeburgh and find the car park by the Martello Tower where the bird had roosted overnight.

It's still dark when we arrive at the tower along with a crowd of birders, we are soon looking at the pipe that the bird had stayed the night on.

We could just about make out the Accentor as it started to move about on the pipe. It then flies off the pipe and around the back of the tower and out of sight, it is refound 20 minutes later on the rocks a fair way up the beach.

The group all head up to relocate with the bird and we get some long-distance views of it, after a time it flies away and heads further up the beach. we walked back down towards the tower and stop to talk to John p and while the four of us are talking the bird flew past us and landed on the rocks right by us then walked up the bank to be only a few feet away, so for a minute or two we have the bird all too our selves before the large group head back down to join us.

So this is our tenth lifer of the year and a cracking little bird that gave us a lovely morning birding and catching up with some other birders. After 3 hours we head off for home knowing we couldn't have had a better view of the Accentor.

The Alpine Accentor

again

Nice view on the rocks

Common Nighthawk ( Lifer) IN Oxfordshire.

Just about to settle down to read my morning paper, when we get a phone call from Brian saying have you seen it yet, no is the answer what is it, he tells us to stand by as a lifer has been found in Oxfordshire and if it gets confirmed we will shoot off for it

A Common Nighthawk had settled on a garden fence at 7 Springfield Road.

It was reported at 11.56 am and we wait till it is reported again and that is all we need to set off for it, we meet up and are on our way by 12.30, it's 90 miles away and we have a trouble-free journey, and arrive around 2 pm, the parking is easy and only 5 minutes from the bird. 

A fellow was waiting at the top of the road with a bucket for a £10 donation to stand in the road to view the Nighthawk sitting on a garden fence, with the fee paid we are all watching another Lifer and only 10 yards away from us.

It's a cracking-looking bird and is not disturbed by the large crowd that was building very fast.

While we were looking at the Nighthawk I would say a crowd of two hundred or so had made their way to see the bird by the first hour that we were there. A nice crowd with many familiar faces, always nice to meet up with them.

Nighthawk

A nice day birding at Dungeness.

We decided to have a day at a favorite place of ours Dungeness in Kent.

Galloways is first up as Jimmy and myself need Whinchat for a year tick and it is not long before we see a few flying from bush to bush along with many Stonechat and the odd Whitethroat.

It's up to the beach hide now, with not much wind and no locals about, hopes are not high.

After an hour or so things start to move, a flock of Scoters passes by then a few Gannets.

One Arctic Skua is seen and over the time spent on the beach, we see another 11.

An adult Pom Skua flys past.A Sparrowhawk is seen heading out to sea and an Oystercatcher was also seen. Seals and Porpoise and the odd Guillemot add to a nice morning.

We had been joined by a few more birders, so nice to have a chat with them before it's off to Boulderwall farm which is just inside the reserve entrance gate.

First, we spot a Great-white Egret quickly followed by a Glossy Ibis, and while watching them at least 9 Cattle Egret fly in and land, so a nice little stop here.

We hardly ever go onto the reserve and instead head back over the road to Hanson hide.

This was a pleasant surprise as the scrapes looked really great after some work was done on them.

A Snipe was showing well right in front of the hide and the cameras were clicking away.

Looking out over the scrapes the best bird we see is a Black Tern and that was later joined by another one.

A large flock of Golden Plover had settled on a scrape and 4 Common Sandpipers were showing well. Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwit are seen.

Then we spot a Little Stint to round off a really nice day. We end up with 3-year ticks and that was good as all we wanted was a nice day out and that's what we had.

 

The Snipe in front of the hide.

One-off the Whinchat

A Sparrowhawk was seen on a drive around.

Dungeness

Again Dungeness away from the beach.

Greater-sand Plover Redcar Yorkshire.

The Sand Plover was reported to be on the beach at Cleveland Redcar at Teeside a few days before we could all head up to try for it due to family commitments.

But on Monday a bank holiday we meet up and the 3 of us spend the next 4 hours driving keeping our fingers crossed that the lifer would still hang around for a little longer for us.

We arrive after a trouble-free run and park in the beach car park and pay for 3 hours at £1 an hour so not bad.

We start the walk up the beach where we can see a group and as we walk people on the way back tell us that the Sand Plover was showing well, so I increase my pace trying to keep up with Brian.

The bird was showing really well although the light was dull so no great photos but some good record shots, but great scope views.

A good hour is spent watching the fabulous little Plover as it is busy chasing about with the Ring Plovers and Dunlins before everybody lost sight of it.

It was later seen by the bandstand at the car park end of the beach a good mile and a half walk that we did just to get more of this cracking little bird.

While here we see many Gannets, Fulmar, Common, and Sandwich Tern out at sea.

Also seen Whimbrel, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Knot, Turnstone, and Redshank.

After we had enough of the Plover we head a short distance up the road to a place Brian had been to before called South Gore to look for a Red-backed Shrike but birders already there tell us that after 2 hours there was no sign of the bird. so we head over the road to meet up with a local birder and he gets us on a distance Curlew Sandpiper for a year tick and we find another tick when we see some Little Terns. Off home now and that takes us around 5 hours after a hold-up near Leeds where a festival was taking place.

Greater- Sand Plover

Again

South Gore

Purple Heron, Westonturville Reservoir Bucks

I missed out when the boys shot off to Rainham to tick a Wryneck on Tuesday but got the chance to make up for it when we decided to try for a juvenile Purple Heron in Buckinghamshire.

It had been seen at a reservoir called Weston Turville and it was only a short trip round the M25 then the A41, we had a small hold up but it didn't take long before we had another year tick, it was a long way over the back of the reservoir so we walked round in the hope we could get a better view.

It was still over the other side of the reservoir but we had a nice view of the bird, we gave it 3 hours in the hope of getting a flight view but apart from a small flight to the next bush, it was happy to stay where it was.

Brian took a photo of a Grey Wagtail that was happily feeding on the Lillies and that was nice to watch as it looked so peaceful and quiet. 

Also while here, we saw Red kite, Common Buzzard,  Sparrowhawk, Swallow, and Housemartin.

We meet up with Phil another Essex birder who shows us a Damselfly and tells us it is a bit rare so we took a photo so as to have a look when we got home as we are not into them.

The Purple Heron

again

The Greywagtail is just a nice peaceful scene

The Smallred-eyed Damselfly

               

Kelp Gull ( Cape ) Grafham Water Cambridge .

 Brian had shot up to see the Gull on Sunday as he was over his son's house and that left him only 30 minutes away. it was around 5 o'clock in the afternoon and Jimmy & I had not seen anything posted about it, so Brian was on a solo trip and he was without his camera.

He found the Gull without any trouble and texted us to say so.

On Monday we get a call from Brian he is going back with the camera. So we meet up with him and we are on our way to Grafham water before 6 am.

We arrive just after 7 am and park with ease and start the walk around the water, this is a proper road so very easy to walk it and we can see a group not far up the road. 

On reaching the group we can see the Cape Gull sitting on the tower railings and not far away from us.

 .

A lot of Gulls are on the railings with the target bird and Jimmy and I get a year tick with a Yellow-legged Gull sitting next to the Cape.

 A Caspian Gull was also seen but not needed for a tick. 

So this was a nice little trip meeting up with a few birders that we knew and that is always nice and we come away with another lifer and a first for Britain and back home before lunch.

I wonder how long it took the Cape Gull to get here from Southern Africa.

The Kelp Gull

Again the Cape

Cape in flight

Again

The Yellow-legged Gull

Turkestan Shrike at Bempton cliffs

The Red-tailed Shrike had been at Bempton cliffs since 28th June and we really wanted to get up there to tick another lifer, the problem is getting us all available, and also the 220 miles drive means we have to think about it.

We all love Bempton so as soon as we were able to go, we arrange to meet up at Brians's house at 2am to set off on the trip. while waiting for Brian we get a year tick when we hear a Tawny Owl calling so off to a good start to the day.

It should off taken 4 hours but the A1 overnight closures mean a detour puts another hour on the trip and we never arrived till 7am.

Brian drops us off near the track up to Wandale farm to save my old legs a bit of walking, while he then drove on to the reserve car park.

The walk up the track is a fair way and we are not too sure if we are in the right place but we carry on and soon the farm comes into view.

As soon as we arrive around the back of the farm the bird is showing only a few yards away from us, what a little poser it is as it flies from bush to bush then back again, so another lifer ticked, then the bad news when the farmer holds his hand out for a tenner, couldn't quite make out why we had to pay him a tenner maybe a bucket I could go along with so people could put in what they could, but that's life.

After an hour or so we head up the track to Bempton to watch the wonderful Gannets flying at eye level as we head down to the platforms where we get to watch plenty of Razorbill, Guillemot, Fulmar, Kittiwake, and a single Shag on the rocks.

No sign of the Albatross while we were here but we saw it last year so not too much of a disappointment. A few Puffins were nesting on the rocks and we see a Puffling in the hole with the mum, always so nice to watch all these birds swarming all around the cliffs. 

So a cracking trip and we also got to see all the Tree Sparrows that are here.

Red-tail Shrike

The twitch

Some of the Puffins

Tree Sparrow

Bee-eaters in Norfolk + Hoopoe in Hertfordshire.

 Nice to have Robert with us and he drove us to Norfolk to see the Bee-eaters that are being monitored by the RSPB at Trimingham.

It takes us around two & a half hours before we find the field that has been set up & pay the £5 parking fee, then it's a very short walk to see six of the beautiful bee-eaters sitting on the wires. The RSPB is doing a great job making sure everyone can park and get to see the birds. 

A lot of birders still turning up to watch the birds that have been here for some days now.

We spend over 5 hours watching the birds as they fly around and then back on the wires and we also get to watch them fly into the hole that they are nesting in at the side of the road on the bank. I have seen Bee-eaters on the Isle-of-Wight and also at Nottingham so these are the third ones I've seen and you can never get tired of watching them.

There was a Sparrowhawk hanging about and one of the birds had some wing feathers missing

which is a concern. We only visited this one site today and headed home when we had our fill of these fantastic birds but a great day spent here and always nice to be out with the boys.

Bee-eater

Next trip we head off to Hertfordshire in the hope of seeing the Hoopoe that has been around in the horse paddock behind the church in Hinxworth.

Once again Robert takes the strain off Brian as he drives us, he needed a Hoopoe for a lifer. It takes around an hour and we find the church and park up, it is only a short walk down the side of the 3 paddocks before we are looking at the Hoopoe.

It stays over the back of the paddock for some time before it is spooked and it flies up into the trees and spends ten minutes there before flying back down it followed this pattern over the next couple of hours and then it took off and headed towards the church, so the small crowd all head up to see if we could a get a better view of the Hoopoe.

Hoopoe

 

Sardinian Warbler another lifer 400 up.

 Well, that was a pleasant surprise, I set off to South Foreland in Kent with the boys hoping to get my 390th life tick, the target being a Sardinian Warbler. We had visited the area on Friday for a lifer in the Eleonora's Falcon and didn't think I would be back here so quickly.

So the bird has been reported and is only around 90 minutes away so a must-go. it's a clear run and we arrive in the area without any trouble but then have some difficulty finding the site.

A bit of luck when Brian pops into a cafe on Beach road and finds Jamie p having a coffee & he soon puts us in the right spot, it's only a short walk but up a bit of a hill, before we reach a kissing gate & from there we could see a small group of people & we join up with them to search for the Warbler.

Over the next couple of hours all we get are a few short notes & some movement but no real sight of the bird. The group has grown a lot by now, so a lot more eyes looking.

In all, we spend 5 hours here & eventually get a longer burst of calling & song and then a flight view to confirm it is the target bird along with a few shorter in bush flights that was it. A few Buzzards a couple of Peregrines a single Hobby and some Fulmar's keep us entertained along with a grand show from a Spitfire. A couple of Essex boys had turned up so that's always nice to see them.

I didn't know at the time this was to be my 4ooth British bird. The boys keep the lists and had been telling me I was only on 390 so  I went along with that, so a big surprise when they give me high fives and own up to the fact they had held 10 birds back so as to keep me on my toes.

So I join the 4 hundred club quicker than expected 😉

So a big thank you to the boys who got me into this fantastic hobby and for most of the driving and the great times we have together.

Eleonora's Falcon( Lifer )

 The first report I saw of the Eleonora's was when Brian sent a text around 11am and that went on for a few hours each time an update came on bird guides.

Shall we go for it or not, will it stay, probably not. this went on until it got too much and we decide to give it a try, so just before 3 o'clock the three of us meet up & head off to Worth marsh in Kent.

The traffic heading over the Dartford crossing was very busy and the road's all the way were slow, but we got there around 5.20 pm with news that the Falcon was still around.

We drive down Jubilee road & see some of the Dungeness boys & they send us down an uneven dirt track to find a volunteer lady from the Sandwich RSPB group and a very pleasant

lady. she was doing a fantastic job of steering everyone into a large field to park. 

Off now to find the bird. we follow the flow down a narrow track until we meet a group of birders all with cameras ready, but we are told to head a bit further down the track to be able to see the Eleonora's.

Down the track, we soon meet up with a group of about 60 birders and we are onto the bird to give us all another lifer. It is sitting on the outside of a tree to give us good scope views.

After a good time spent watching the Falcon & seeing it do a few short flights, we head off to Worth in the hope of getting a better view of the falcon.

It turns out to be a great decision when we find a small group of birders in a farmer's field.

On joining them we find the bird a lot closer sitting on a fence post and we get a bonus when we see 2 Hobbys sitting on the next two posts and on the telephone wires behind us a female Red-footed Falcon to give us a year tick to round off a good trip. 

The Eleonora's Falcon 

The Eleonora's Falcon

Nightingales at Abberton Essex.

It's time to spend some time with the Abberton Nightingales, so we leave home around 5 am & arrive just after 6 am.

Brian drops us off at the entrance to the visitor center and then parks the car down on the causeway. ,

He then joins us in walking the line of trees at the side of the reserve entrance, where we soon hear the wonderful sound of several male Nightingale.

Then we get a great view of one as it shows out in the open for a long time what a nice bonus that was. Nice to get some other people onto the bird as they had never seen a Nightingale and a pleasure to see their response. 

Off round to Lodge lane viewpoint to look for a couple of Ring Ouzel that had been seen there.

It turns out to be harder than we expected as they were a long way from the screen and also in the long grass-feeding down by the edge of the reservoir, we are told that they have been seen on and off over the morning so just a case of patience we hope. It is nearly an hour before we get a flight view and then the 2 males show out in the open for a short time, a good year tick and we also get a tick with a couple of Yellow Wagtails show back on the track.

One last look down on the causeway gets us a tick with Common Tern show well.

A nice morning and only an hour from home.

The Nightingale

Two poser Terns

Common Tern

One of the Yellow Wagtails