randombirder

It's something I have wanted to do for a while and eventually I focused myself on booking a berth on the Brittany Ferries Pont Aven cruise ferry for an overnight sail to Santander.  I had heard that Biscay is rich in marine-life with a third of the world's species having been recorded in these waters.  The combination of the shallower waters around the British and French coasts, with far greater depths of around 4500m beyond the continental shelf provide the variety of cetaceans that over the years have made this a popular route for nature lovers.  On board, the presence of the Orca team are primed and positioned to pick up all occurrences of mammals and birds encountered en route.  Their work provides vital information toward the protection of our sea-life. The Pont Aven, is a floating behemoth and by far the largest vessel I had ever travelled on.  Despite the complexity of the boarding process, the mix of passengers, vehicles including freight, we left ten minutes early

It was ultimately a lacklustre weekend at Titchwell RSPB, an assessment made purely on the lack of returning migrants, and the absence of any autumn rares.  The trip was more in anticipation of what is to come over arguably the most exciting period for a UK based birder. The chance of an encounter of a rare vagrant, a UK mega, forcing local birders away their patches for a week or two for the outer isles where birding bounties lay in wait. It is always a joy being in this part of the world but alas, my arrival was inevitably a little premature.  The freshmarsh is always a hive of activity regardless of the seasons.  The sea however drew most of the interest with a bracing northerly blow that was forcing seabirds reasonably close to shore.  I however opted spend most of the time in the relative shelter of the reserve. It ended up being quite a lethargic couple of days, content with just mooching around, sitting in hides, and convivially bidding everyone a good day as I walked the pa

I'll have to remind myself about the fortuitousness nature of this one and how it went some way to banishing the disappointments of recent failed missions.  A little late starting out after Friday drinks yesterday evening, the head was feeling a little tender, but the plan was to get out and see something new. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper had arrived at Dungeness yesterday afternoon and was still present this morning.  The weather wasn't great in London but was agreeably pleasant on the promontory of Dungeness, warm sunshine coupled with a keen but warm southerly breeze. I decided to head for the Makepeace Hide where the neartic wader had been reliably observed during the length of its short stay.  It was picked up distantly on one of the islands half way out on Burrowes Pit where it was evident that the bird was extremely mobile.  I decided to stay put while the other birders made for the Firth hide. It was only after a couple of minutes or so when I picked up the sandpipe