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