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

New scrape at Tilbury gets visit from a Temminck's Stint.

News that a Temminck's Stint had been seen at East Tilbury in Essex, was all we needed to head off there for a year and an Essex tick. 

After parking in the fort car park, we take the sea wall path down to the new scrape.

The first time we have been to Tilbury since the new scrape was opened. I must say it looks as if it will attract some good birds.

It's a biggish scrape so we spread out at different points around it to search for the Temminck's.   It took an hour before Brian was the one to find it 3/4 of the way along the scrape on a shingle island.

The bird gives good scope views as it walks along the edge of the water but is not near enough for good photos. Also on the shingle, we spot at least 4 Little-ringed Plovers and just one Med Gull. Only one tick here but it's a good one. 

Nice to get a tick in our own county of Essex and only a few miles from home, and I am sure we will be back before long as this scrape is looking great.

On the way home, we pay a very quick visit to Rainham as we had to drive past the reserve.

The only year tick we get is Sedge Warbler, so not much but another year tick is good.

The Tilbury Temminck's

Lesser Scaup at Abberton reservoir.

The Lesser Scaup was reported on Sunday at Abberton reservoir but we couldn't go for it.

On Monday Brian asks if we want to go for it and we meet up with him just before eight am.

It's an easy short drive of just over an hour.

We all need the bird for an Essex tick. As we head towards Lodge lane we spot the group of 

Cattle Egrets are in the sheep field at the top of the road on the way down to the causeway. They are over the back of the field so don't stop for any photos, we find Lodge lane and park in a small lay-by and walk down to scan the water for the target bird. we think we have found it but it's hard to be sure, so we head round to the first viewing screen where we meet up with 5 other birders and we soon pick out the Lesser Scaup among dozens of Tufted and 3 Greater Scaup and 4 Pochard plus a couple of hybrids. Off now to the farm to see if anything is about like Yellow Wagtail, no luck but 2 Spoonbill fly over and head towards Layer-Breton.

We head back to see if we can find where they had landed, no luck in that, but we see 2 Great White Egret and some Goldeneye plus a single Green Sandpiper.

While here we get another year tick as 3 Swallows pass overhead, the boys also saw a Sand Martin that I missed.

Before heading home we find and spend some time with 2 Little-ringed Plover, such a cracking little bird to watch.  

The Lesser Scaup

One of the Little Ringed Plovers