Minsmere & Landguard gets me 2 ticks.

With the weather looking grotty all around,we take a chance that Minsmere is going to be nicer than most places & as it turns out we miss all the rain & have a cold but rather pleasant day.
On arrival we head down to the North hide & start the search for the 2 Jack Snipe seen here yesterday.
It takes an hour but we find both of them not to far out from the hide but they stay in the long grass just showing from time to time, it's a good view in the scope when they do move about so a nice start with a year tick for all 3 of us.
We walk all the way around the reserve over the next few hours & see loads of Med Gull, 2 Redhead Smew a single Knot & all the usual stuff but no more ticks are seen despite spending time in the Bittern hide they never show for us today.
On the way out of the reserve we take a quick look at the Glossy Ibis that has been around for ages,not needed for a tick but we always have to stop to watch this funny bird.
We call in at Hazlewood common for another look at the Redpolls & get some good views of the Coues's plus Common & Mealy as they fly from the bushes on to the onion field,this is our third visit here & they never disappoint.
A quick stop off at Landguard on the way home gets Jimmy & myself a good year tick when we find 2 Purple Sandpipers on the rocks by the pier.

The 2 Purple Sandpipers

A distant record shot

Left it to late, Bluethroat gets away.

We had all week to go to Landguard or Dungeness to look for the Bluethroats that had landed there but with the bad weather it never happened.
Then on Friday one is reported at Walthamstow wetland centre only a few miles away but we make another big mistake when we wait to see if it was still there on Sat morning & of course it wasn't.
So one gets reported at Dungeness on Saturday when once again we couldn't go, but we meet up on Sunday with Brian & arrive at Dungeness at first light.
Only 2 other birders were looking along the channel at DengeMarsh gully for the Bluethroat but had not seen any sign.
We spend around 3 hours looking along the Gorse bushes where we see many, many Firecrest to give us a year tick & the odd Goldcrest along with some Chiffchaff  for another tick but no sign of the target bird.
When we decide to head off a small crowd of 30 or more were searching but it turns out to be in vain with no further sign of the Bluethroat, so our own fault ,hope to be quicker off the mark next time.
A drive down to the lighthouse gets us more Firecrest. So a quick look  up on the beach gets us a year tick when we find 2 Black Redstart over the power station wall. Sandwich Terns seen but not by me.
Off home but as usual on the way we pop into Elmley where we see a single Dunlin loads of Lapwing & Redshank, Marsh Harriers,a nice pair of Peregrine display,but nothing that we needed for a tick but it's always nice to spend some time here.

One of the many Firecrest

The single Dunlin

Redshank

In the Lighthouse garden

Snowy Owl ( Lifer ) at Snettisham.

Brain wanted to head to Norfolk on Saturday for the Snowy Owl, but I had family commitments so he waited for me to go on Sunday  which was greatly appreciated as the Snowy would be a lifer for me, Brian & Jimmy had seen the one in 2001 at Felixstowe.
An early start gets us to Thornham Harbour where the bird had been seen a few times at around 7am, but it was very quite with just a couple of birders & not much else,so we shoot off & after a short stop at Hunstanton Cliffs for a year tick when we see a few Fulmar's it's off to Titchwell to look for the Snowy.
Another tick arrives with a Yellowhammer, then a Med Gull adds to my list, later a Rock Pipit makes it a good 4 year ticks, but after walking up to the beach to join loads of people it's not looking good for the Snowy today.
We have a look around  the reserve in the hope news might come through of the Owl showing somewhere near. A look along the channels for Red-crested Pochard is very disappointing with a no show having just spoken to Ray who had told us that there was 8 about.
While thinking about heading  back to the car a fellow has news that the Snowy had been seen at Snettisham,, , a large fleet of cars were soon heading there, it had not come onto our pager until we were nearly there.
With the car parked in the small car park it is going to be a long long walk & at speed it was not easy.
The bird is reported as sitting on a mound behind the shore hide & that is as far as you can walk at this reserve not helped by the dread that the bird might decide to head off.
Thank God as we arrive red faced & aching legs the Snowy is in full view & only 80 or so yards away.
What a cracking 1st winter female for a lifer, the bird is very much awake turning his head from time to time & watching the now very large crowd of over 200 people. On the way back Geoff B passes us at pace on the way to get his tick, nearly didn't recognise him with a new hat.
 What a cracking day.
                                               

Brian with thumbs up on my Lifer.

Cracking bird the Snowy

The Snowy Owl

Part of the very large crowd

(Lifer ) Spotted Sandpiper + Willow tit in the Midlands.

A long drive to get me a Lifer at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham by the river Trent. Jimmy & Brian only needed the Spotted Sandpiper for a year tick but for me it would be a first one seen.
After arrival at the water sports centre it's not a long walk down the side of the White water rapids to reach marker 750 on the rowing lake to stand on the bridge looking over the calmer water at the end of the course.
We had been told the bird was around so just a question of waiting & it showed after about 20 minutes as it walked about on the side path to give very close views,it did fly off from time to time but always came back to more or less the same place.
We all picked up a year tick when we see a Common Sandpiper not to far away from the bridge.
We are told of a Long-tailed Duck on the Rowing lake & we find it with ease, it is not needed for a tick but a good chance of a close photo.
Some fellows that we have meet before at other locations tell us where to find Willow Tits not to many miles away so it's off to look for the place.
On route we decide to pop into Kelham Bridge as that was a lot nearer to us & we have been there many times & been lucky enough to see the odd Willow Tit.
In the hide the feeders are full & lots of Tits fly in to feed but after a good time the Willow Tit never came to play.
 We do pick up a year tick when we see 3 Male & 3 female Bullfinches in the back bushes so not a wasted trip.
But it's Willow Tit that we want while we up here so we head to Lea Marston that is the place we were told about & after a couple of wrong turns we find the hide we need & we see 2 Willow Tits within minutes of arrival.
Another couple of new places visited & we all get four ticks for the day & a added lifer for me.

                                                               

The Spotted Sandpiper

The Long-tailed Duck

Spot the difference  Brian's photo

What a Boar,New Forest + Goshawk & Penduline Tit.

An early start to drive the 140 odd miles to Gloucestershire & we pull  into the small car park at Plock Court Longford. It's a large recreation field but to the left in the corner is a small pond not much bigger then a large puddle with Reedmace and that is where we head to join a couple of people already watching our target bird. A Penduline Tit sitting in a small bush next to the pond sitting up & showing really well, a nice looking bird that gives us all an easy year tick.
We spend a good time watching the bird fly over to a hedge row then back to feed on the rushes for really close views of a cracking little bird.
Off now to the Forest of Dean about 30 minutes away, but before we get to the view point at New Fancy we see 4 wild Boar.
Despite many visits to the area we have never managed to find any, so out of the car in a rush to get photos & watch them feeding. I won't say we got chased by any but we did move a bit quick when they came our way.
 At Fancy we get to see one Goshawk along with a Raven then two appear to give a good display.
A few more Ravens show before another two Goshawk fly across.
Some fellow at the view point had just come from seeing a Shrike & he tried to tell us where it was,we set off to look for it but we went wrong, we walked 20 minutes one way then the same the other but not seeing anybody about we give it up as a bad job.

The Penduline Tit

A cracking day birding with the added bonus of the Boars spoilt only by a long delay on the M25 at Chorlywood on the way home.

Below is a brief video clip of the encounter.

Boars

One of the Boars this is when we moved a bit quick.

Nice first visit to Sevenoaks wildlife reserve.

Jimmy & I head off to Sevenoaks in Kent where a Black-necked Grebe has been seen for nearly a month now.
We are paying our first visit here & we find it to be a very nice reserve indeed,the Grebe has been seen mostly on east lake & that is where we start our search,it is quite busy with loads of Lapwings & Teal along with many Great-crested Grebe, a large flock of over 30 Greylag Geese fly in but we see no sign of the Grebe.
So we head round & go in a couple of hides still with no luck, we then try Tower hide & it's only minutes before we have another year tick as the Grebe swims about around one of the islands to our right.A walk along the river bank where we see a Sparrowhawk perched in a tree & on a closer look we find another one sitting a few feet away.
Walking around the paths we see over 20 Siskin plus flocks of Long-tailed Tits the odd Song Thrush but despite a fellow birder telling us he had just seen 2 Bullfinch we never found them.
A really nice morning at a lovely reserve gets us only one year tick but well worth the visit.
                                                         
                                                                 

The first Sparrowhawk

Same one

The second Hawk just above the other one

Map of the reserve

Visitor centre

Tower hide Grebe seen from here

Black-necked Grebe

Cranes & Short-eared Owl Eldernell Cambridgeshire

Cambridge is our destination today, with not a lot of shortie activity at our usual places it's a fair bet we will see some at Eldernell.
Arriving just after first light there are a few cars in the car park. Looking out over the Nene Washes we see plenty of Buzzards a couple of Marsh Harriers loads of Lapwings with large flocks of Golden Plover,it's very cold & the Owls are not playing ball.
A birder gets us onto 3 common Cranes for a year tick for jimmy & myself & over the time spent here we see at least 9 Cranes.
Then Jimmy finds a Shortie perched by a gate, it's a long way over but good scope views had of it for a good tick.
Later on everybody but myself gets a close view of another Owl on the path right in front of us, it never hung about for more than a few seconds but they all got on it.
So with a good couple of ticks in the bag we head down the A1 & stop off at RSPB Sandy.
Just hanging around the car park feeders gets Brian a tick when we see over 20 Brambling along with Greenfinch loads of Chaffinch a single Song Thrush a few Nuthatch & Treecreppers plus the odd Coal Tit.
 A walk down to the hide gets much the same plus a single Great spotted Woodpecker.  We bump into Steve G while here always nice to meet up with him.
                                     

Just a few birds at Sandy