randombirder

Sun, tasty healthy food, a steady flow of local wine, and fireworks over the sea was a great way to see in the new year. A real highlight was seeing my first Black-shouldered Kite hovering by the side of the highway as we made our way back to the airport. Other sightings during our stay were plenty of Azure-winged Magpies around the hotel, urban Cattle Egret , two stately Caspian Tern and Kentish Plover on the Alvor Estuary, and plenty of Blackcap and Chiffchaff within the scrubby areas not far from the beach.

...are not members of a Country and Western band.  They are two mega Thrushes, one spanking brand new, the other still in the courtroom... while the jury ruminates. It was an icy start.  It was an early start, arriving in Stow through isolated but impressive blankets of fog.  Graham and I watched the sun sparkle against the technicoloured sky as it lifted out of a crisp eastern dawn. The crowds were assembled, scouring rooftops for any signs of vagrancy.  The Blue Rock Thrush  then surfaced, appearing incongruous as it blundered around a residential garden before announcing it's presence on top of a TV aerial.  It all felt rather unsatisfactory. My mind was drawn to a spectacular Spanish rock-faces, listening to the fluty abbreviated melodies of this mountain dweller while peering furtively from behind rocky crevices. Plonked on a satellite TV dish wasn't the image I really wanted to 'entertain' for very long. Bemused bu...

A glorious day on the Marshes, the diluted winter sun hanging low, piercing through a milky blue sky.  There wasn't a breath of wind.  I love days like these.  They make dank winter days seem infinitely more bearable. The aim was to see sixty species.  The end result was sixty-two (including two Peregrine seen on the drive home). The highlights were; a Short-eared Owl that perched on top of a small bush at Wennington the Barn Owl roosting at its usual residence, ten Avocet feeding in Aveley Bay, Seven Curlew on Purfleet, The continuing Water Pipit seen in front of the Butts Hide, A couple of Stonechat around the Butts Hide, Two Marsh Harrier quartering Wennington, five stunning drake  Pintail, Small flocks of  Redwing  and a single  Fieldfare, A lone  Chiffchaff  behind the Ken Barrett hide, ...and hundreds of Lapwing.

Not to do Jersey any injustice at all, but this weekend trip may fade quite quickly from the memory.  Arriving in gloomy conditions on the short flight from Gatwick, we headed into town on the local bus. The cold and low cloud had transformed the beaches to barren sandy wastelands as the bus skirted past the bay en route to St Helier. The town was busy throughout the weekend, the festively-lit high street full of shoppers stock-piling for the holiday season.  There was no spirit here to find. The Christmas market was embarrassing.  A cheap marquee filled with tack with nothing to fill the senses with festive cheer. Sunday was better.  A nice afternoon spent in St Aubin feasting on a cracking Sunday roast at The Tenby. And that was that really - until on the Sunday on arriving at the airport, the fog that had lingered all weekend cancelled most flights during the day - including ours. A night at the Radisson Blu overlooking the harbour expensed...

I had one hour.  With the Forster's Tern reported again for it's second day, the twitch-mobile was fired up where it was then seen powering up the A12.  A Peregrine and Buzzard were seen en route. Thankfully the site was easy to find.  The tide was out.  The weather typically autumnal.  There were plenty of waders out on the mud exposed by the receded tide. Flocks of Avocet , Black-tailed Godwit , Dunlin , Knot , Shelduck , and smatterings of Redshank , Turnstone , and Grey Plover  present.  A group of Pintail were roosting by the edge of the channel. Standing with Josh Jones, we picked up the Tern distantly.  The bird flew around before resting on the exposed mud.  This may have been the best view which was fine.  Time was limited. The bird then alighted, making steady progress toward us, following the channel before meandering round and flying swiftly by much like the time I was restricted to. Extremely elegant, the dark...

It is quite extraordinary that this resident of the Americas was found, ostensibly, on the wrong side of the UK.  Extraordinary that it should linger all day in brutish weather.  It was cold, and the northerly wind bared its' teeth. Leaving at 5am, I arrived dead on seven.  There were murmurings that the bird had already been sighted.  There were already around c300 twitchers on site. Moments later, a group of seven  Barn Swallow flew over.  Mass panic. A bird, shorter tailed hung back from the group then disappeared. Then the show began.  The American Cliff Swallow appeared, joining rank with it's European cousins.  Perching on top of a hawthorn for long periods appeared incongruous.  It was hard to imagine there was any food here for them. What appeared to be a juvenile, the short tail, dusty rump and nape, and a distinctive pale face mask made this bird really rather attractive. Then I left the assembled crowd. Spen...

Shaun Harvey is a hero.  He found a Dusky Warbler near to the Stone Barges at Rainham. I headed down on a dismal Sunday morning.  It was gloooomy.  Staking out at the appropriate location I waited along with a few faithful London birders. The bird began to call.  Brief ticks then silence. It then appeared from the gorse, and flew over to an adjacent clump of gorse and hawthorn.  It did that a couple of times. And that was pretty much it.  Rather low-key for a mega London bird.

It was almost out of view when I arrived on site, largely obscured by overhanging nettle on the banks of the stream.  The setting was somewhat picturesque. The Black-bellied Dipper at this quaint Suffolk site then flew out into the open to feed again, diagnostically plunging into the shallows of the River Gipping.  Lively and energetic. It then flew towards the gasping onlookers and settled on a line of exposed stones close into the viewing area.  My camera wouldn't focus on it.  It then exploded off again.  Upstream.  Later seen dashing back and forth - appeared slightly unhinged.  A dazzling bird. Of the nominate form C.c. cinclus this is the Western European race of which our C.c. gularis  is the subspecies.  In the main, the underbelly is ostensibly uniformly dark.  The contrasts are striking.

More of the same.  There was one at Easington.  I was there last week.  Then one turned up in Norfolk.  At Burnham Overy.  So I went.  I saw it.  It was lovely.  An Isabelline Wheatear .  Only the third for Norfolk I'm told.  A rare bird indeed. I also saw a Pallas's Warbler (4th).  My third of the autumn.  Brief though.  There was also a Shorelark .  Looked like a young bird.  Not as gaudy as the adults.  Quite a scaly mantle. Two Northern Wheatear also present. A few conversations had.  A thoroughly satisfying afternoon.   

I headed out of the Hope and Anchor pub as the light began to fade away for one last scan of the trees that surround the car park.  Birds were active, and within the foliage a  Pallas's Warbler , a Yellow-browed Warbler , and a Firecrest were picked up within ten minutes.  And this was pretty much the order of the day. There were birds everywhere, and having driven up the night before and rested in a hotel on Hedon, Kat and I were up at first light to head over to Easington for the SIBERIAN ACCENTOR .  I'd seen the photos from the day before of queues wrapped round corners as hundreds of anxious birders descended on this migrant hotspot for their moment with this super-sibe, The 'invasion' of this species across northern Europe has been unprecedented. There was a queue, but it was a relaxed atmosphere, a few familiar faces mixed into the homogonised crowd, a convivial atmosphere, and an abbreviated wait before groups of 30 were allowed access to a tarmac area o...