Set out for one lifer ended up with two in Norfolk.

Jimmy & I set off just after 5 am & head  up to Burnham Overy in the hope of getting a lifer in the Isabelline Wheatear that Brian got yesterday & had been around for a couple of days.
We hope the bird has hung around for another day, when we arrive we just about get the car parked off the road & as we start the long walk the pager tells us that the bird had been seen,so only 20 minutes away from another lifer.
We join a small group & they had seen the bird but it had just flown over the back & out of sight, so it's a case of just waiting & after 20 minutes the Isabelline Wheatear returns & we get some great views of this little beauty.It walks about feeding & it doesn't seem to bothered with the group watching it.
 So a lifer for both of us & as we scan the bushes I get a real bonus when a Radde's Warbler shows well sitting out on the side of the bush, Jimmy had already got one this year on a trip that I never went on so another lifer for me. Now we walk to the Western end of gun hill to look for the Desert Wheatear that had also been here for a few days. When we arrive a large group  already had the Desert Wheatear in they scopes, it was over the other side of the water running about on the sand along with the Isabelline  that had flown down  from where we had first seen it.
They are a long way over but we get great scope views as they run up & down the sand & some times the Desert Wheatear sits up on a log but to far away for my camera to capture any thing.
We hear that a couple of Waxwings had been seen at Burnham Norton, so we head off & find the place & meet the fellow that put it out & he tells us where to head to see them.
We walk a short way to the sluice gate & scan all the bushes but after an hour we give up & leave without any sign of them. Also seen 2 White fronted geese amongst a large flock of Brent, several Egyptian geese also seen walking about with them, a large flock of Pink foot are over the back of the same field. Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, loads of Oyster catcher along with loads of waders while watching the Wheatears.
So off home with 3 ticks 2 of them lifers so a good trip.

Isabelline Wheatear

Jimmy in the line watching the Desert Wheatear

Ring-necked Duck Wilstone Reservoir

Jimmy & I decide to head to Tring to look for a reported Ring-necked Duck seen late last night, so we set off around 6 am & arrive just before 7 am, we had to wait for the light to come up so sat in the car for 20 minutes or so & then walked up the steps & headed round to cemetery corner scanning the water as we go.
Loads & loads of stuff on the reservoir we see a few Grey Wagtails on the edge also 1 Rock Pipit, a couple of Water Rail are seen over the back in the reeds, a Jack Snipe was also seen by a fellow that had joined us but we never saw it.
After 2 hours of scanning we are about to give up & look round the other side, I give one last look in the corner & bingo I pick the Duck out & get Jimmy to get the scope on it to confirm it & yes we have another year tick. So a nice little trip not to windy & near to home.
                                                                 

Ring-necked Duck

Long way but what a beauty in Yorkshire S Accentor

Met up with Brian at 4am for the long drive to East Yorkshire, on the way we encounter some fog patches but we make good progress & after 3, 1/2 hours we are only 8 miles away from Easinton when the pager comes into life & the first bird to show is our target bird.
Feeling that we are only about 10 minutes away from another lifer we arrive in Easinton to be met by some local volunteers who point us in the right direction, round the corner & down the road to be meet by more volunteers who see us into the car park, it's just a short walk back up the road to Vicars Lane that has been shut off to traffic by the police, at the top of the road more volunteers who I must say all did a fantastic job a very big thank you to them all.
We do not have to wait in line & head to the fence where we see the Siberian Accentor feeding on insects & walking about showing very well down by the yellow skip.So a long way but what a lifer to get.We have our feel of the bird before it flies off over the road & is a lot harder to see now so it's time to head off.
We head up to the car park at Kilnsea & just a few yards onto the beach we get good views of a Shore lark, not needed for a tick but always nice to see one.
 The weather is not looking good & rain is on the way, the pager tells us a Pallas's Warbler is up the road in the pub car park, so off we head & find loads off birders gathered looking for it.
The rain is getting a bit heavy now & it's not looking good for us to find the bird, but find it we did & I tick another year tick.

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Off home now as the weather is now rotten but on the way we find a flock of Tundra Bean Geese I am the only one needing these for a year tick so pleased about that as I am well down on numbers this year.

Kilnsea Shore lark

The Siberian Accentor

Again Accentor

Hard to take

I had been down with a nasty bit of flu this week, I phone Brian to let him know I am still not fit enough to go out on Sunday & he tells me he will be going up the east coast as this is the day to be in that area & sure to get some more year ticks.
I sit about in doors watching all the birds coming on bird guides feeling sorry for myself & cursing my luck.
When Jimmy gets home he has picked up 3 year ticks one being a lifer, it's the same for Brian so well pleased for them. They find a lifer at Holkham in a Radde's Warbler & a couple of year ticks with a few Yellow-browed Warbler's & then they round it off with a Dusky Warbler at Cromer plus a few others that they didn't need for a tick.
He then tells me that they had to walk some long paths for a couple of miles some of them in the wrong direction & also they got an absolute soaking for their troubles, so it would have been a really bad decision if I had been silly & gone with them.
The year started so well with loads of ticks & some lifers & then it is put on hold for weeks when I have my  knee replacement, I just get back into the swing of things & hope to put a few more ticks on the list when Mr flu bug pays a visit. I must of been in my twenties the last time I had real flu so I really should count my blessings but we never look at life like that & I hate the fact that I have just missed another lifer, Well roll on next week & hope that the last legs of this flu bug goes away & I can get out & do some ticking again.

Long trip to Alkborough pays off with Swamphen.

It's 4 0'clock & I am tucked up in bed when a text from Brian wakes both Jimmy & I to tell us to meet him in half an hour if we want to finally go an look for the Western Swamphen at Alkborough flats in Lincolnshire, of course we don't turn that offer down & we meet up just a little bit later than planned & head off on the near 200 mile journey.
We are the only car in the car park when we arrive at around 7.30, we have parked in the top park & that gives us a long walk to the first hide where the bird had been seen on Friday.
After more then 5 hours spent in the hide we have no sign of the Swamphen & we decide to head up to the gate above the horse paddocks but we stop at some steps just before we reach the gate & after 30 minutes Jimmy spots the target on the square pool as it heads round the triangle on the left side of the pool.
He gets Brian onto the bird but I miss out so I head up higher & get a very quick view as the bird comes into view once more, this turns out to be lucky as that is the last view that we get before we leave after a couple of hours. So I would of liked a better view of the bird but have to put up with the one I got & a tick's a tick after all.
While in the hide we are lucky enough to have 5 Spoonbill land on the pool in front of us & they stay awake on & off the whole time we are here.
Loads of stuff on the water to keep us amused while looking for Swampy,we see loads of Avocet &  ,Blackwit,  Greenshank,a fair few Spotted Redshank Ruff, &loads of other birds on a pretty full pool,Bearded Tits are in good numbers flying past the hide at regular intervals,a few Marsh Harriers are showing well over the back reeds. A  nice Hobby shows well over our heads with a catch after we leave the hide to round off a long day but well worth the long trip.

                                                                           

Three of the Spoonbill

Snipe in front of hide

Just some of the birds on the pool

Osprey in Herts for another year tick.

Just the two of us again today with Brian stuck at work & not needing an Osprey.
Setting off around 7 am it's just a little trip of 21 miles to Panshanger Park in Hertfordshire & once again we find the park without to much trouble, we park in a small car park that's free & we can see the lake as we start to walk over the field to look for the small hut with the Ash Tree near it, talking to a lady dog walker she tells us that the field at the right side of the lake is a no go area as some dogs had been getting to the sheep, so we take the left route & do a walk that turns out we really didn't have to do & it was a fair way for nothing as we find our self at the wrong lake.
On meeting a nice fellow birder who himself had found himself also at the same wrong lake as us.
The lady that told us the way to go had now caught up with us & tells us that Osprey Lake was the other lake & we need to head round the other side up a small hill & we can then look over the target lake as we walk round, as we head back down the hill we can see a small viewing platform & soon the little hut comes into view, as we look to the top we can see our car & we could of just walked straight down to the lake, so a real bum steer from the lady but she did stand & talk with us & was a very nice lady so no hard feelings.
We hang around with our new buddy named Jeff for the rest of the morning & by now a small group had arrived to look for the Osprey.
The first sighting we get of the bird is a distant one over the trees & high up but it looks like it's heading our way, it does come a bit closer but then we lose it behind the trees.
About an hour later our patience is rewarded when the Osprey flies around in front of us & heads right over our heads to give fantastic views to us all.
So three year ticks in the last week & two of them very near home that's not bad to keep the list moving.

                                                                       

Jimmy's photo of the Osprey

Pectoral Sandpiper S Woodham Ferrers

Just Jimmy & myself decide to try for a Pectoral Sandpiper  at Blue House Farm in Essex, it's only 34 miles away & for once we find the place with ease.
We park in the free car park & head off to find the first hide, it's a fairly long walk but not to bad & a birder on the way back tells us the bird is still around & points us in the right direction.
We enter the small hide to find 5 others already in there & we are put onto the bird straight away so a nice & easy tick. We get a great view of the bird probably our best view of a Pec.
Not to much else about just Ring Plover, a couple of Ruff, some Lapwing,1 Green Sandpiper, plenty of Pied Wagtails & 1 Yellow Wagtail dropped down in front of the hide. We have never been here before & find it a nice place to visit, the people in the hide were very friendly & we spend a good hour watching the Pec & having a good laugh.
So a year tick not to far from home on a nice warm day, well pleased we decided to go for the bird.
There are 2 other hides to visit but one of the birders tells us there is not much around & it will be a long walk for not much reward tick wise, so we head back to the car & off for home.

                                                                       

Pectoral Sandpiper