randombirder

Great to see the Nightjar still present on it's favoured perch.  A great crowd present this evening, and it was a pleasure meeting new people and hanging out with the locals too.  The bird rested typically until sunset when it became much more active, firstly preening, then stretching its wings before shuffling forward where it then perched at the end of the branch waiting for air traffic clearance. Finally it lifted of at 7.14pm where it dashed through the murk only to be seen again five minutes later back on its perch.  It then disappeared, and despite a brief aerial search, it wasn't seen again. Let's see whether it returns tomorrow.

What a splendid day.  I got a message from my good friend Graham Howie of a Nightjar at Middlesex Filter Beds.  Nightjar + Local Patch + 28th September = extraordinary. Not only that but the manner in which the bird was found also merits a mention.  Local jogging birder Alistair Dent breezed past the tree-lined boundary at the southern end of the filter beds and noticed a bird sitting along the horizontal branch of an elder tree.  Quite a spot - undoubtedly at speed! So the birders gathered that fuelled interest of passers by who all enjoyed great views of this wonderful bird.  Hopefully many would have experienced something new, wildlife is inclusive and should be enjoyed by all.  I enjoyed the conviviality immensely, birders and general public alike with many great conversations had.  Please can we leave a Nightjar permanently on site. Also noted there were two vocal Goldcrest and a Chiffchaff .  A Great Spotted Woodpe...

This aint no upwardly mobile freeway, oh no, this is the road to Hull.  I really don't know how these twitchers do it, coursing (and cursing) up and down the country, negotiating traffic and nerves.  Must be adrenaline or madness.  So in my madness, I wangled a day off, stole a car, and headed to Spurn. Now according to the good book, God rested on the seventh day, but thankfully (and taking full advantage of my lightning reactions) I connected with the juvenile MASKED SHRIKE (present for its 7th day) that had been re-identified last Saturday while I was in Norfolk.  Masked Shrike.... whatever, I exclaimed. Whatever my arse. Was gutted not to have connected with it earlier but with gratitude and luck and timing and stars aligning, I made it to the site.  The bird was seen so very well in it's preferred location in a big field, cocking it's tail like a Nightingale, flitting along the metal fenceline like a chat, and catching insects, well, like a Shrike...

Masked Shrike?  Whatever.  I was in North Norfolk for the weekend.  I was dragged under duress by my girlfriend who wanted to escape the hustle of the big smoke.  Go on then. A stocky gentleman approached us, face hardened by plenty of twitches no doubt, hardened by the highs and the lows.  "The bird is just up the track here..... when you get to the green bin, turn right and follow the birders".  Well how warm and forthcoming that was, and that's really how it was for the whole weekend.  Birders enjoying the scene, uniting with their peers young and old, singles and couples, black and white.  It was palpably utopian and a real joy to be a part of it. So it started at Burnham Overy.  The skies were grey, but there were plenty of birders and a fair few birds.  The bushes alongside the path up to the seawall held a decent flock of titmice that contained a Lesser Whitethroat , Willow Warbler , and Chiffchaff .  Three Spoonbill fle...

The new job started Monday last.  A week of utter mediocrity, apathy, and a deep sense of regret for leaving the aviation industry - one that I love.  Yet at the time it felt it wasn't for me and I left.  Now eighteen months later, and a couple of months away from a significant birthday, I am kicking my own ass.  As one masochist said to another, don't beat yourself about it brother (Heaton, 2013).  This job isn't for me.  It is as far away from my aspirations as a bull is from a china shop.  We keep searching, and the hope for something in aviation is what I am now completely ready for. It's been a hell of a year, but through it all, my outlet has always been wildlife and birding.  With rare access to a car, the ultimate escape was a trip to Norfolk, just the most magical place and one where I could totally get away from the exasperation I had been feeling. En route, news came in of a BARRED WARBLER at Burnham Overy so reacting to this, we h...

On the Marshes for a quick lunchtime visit, a Spotted Flycatcher was present in the scrub by the railway bridge.  A late Common Swift flew low over, and 13 Swallow headed north.  Three Little Egret were wading in the shallows of the relief channel, and a Common Buzzard soared low over. Onto the Waterworks, there were two Spotted Flycatcher feeding on insects from the large tree near to the cow pen with six Willow Warbler including two bright juveniles for company.

Now I can't keep away from this damn place.  This morning was very gloomy, mainly because I bumped into The Prof early doors.  We shot the breeze and cut through the mist in the hope of a crippler without success.  Of course when he pootled off, the birds arrived. First a Yellow Wagtail flew west with another two flying north.  A dozen Swallow soon followed also flying north bamboozled by the low cloud.  It was all pretty quiet after that apart from around five Willow Warbler around the reserve.  A juvenile Common Tern flew lethargically over. It got a little warmer, and heading down to the cow field, I discovered a couple of Whinchat that were new in.  Having been satisfied with this, I returned once again to the paddocks where two Northern Wheatear had arrived, male and female, and three Yellow Wagtail including one rather smart adult bird. A Hobby then flew in and sat atop the electricity pylon at the far end of the paddocks with anot...

On Sunday, this happened; Walthamstow Marshe s : Riding stables, front paddocks -  Pied Flycatcher , 2+  Spotted Flycatcher , favouring Western side of paddocks either side of the track running East-West between them. A few Chiffchaffs and Blackcap. Rear paddocks - 2 Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail. Bomb crater field - 1 Meadow Pipit, 1  Whinchat,  4 Pheasant. North marsh - 2 Blackcap, Reed Warbler, 5 Swallow SW. (Paul Whiteman, Graham Howie, Su Huckle, JW Davies). 3 Spotted Flycatcher still present in front paddocks 16.00 plus 2 Wheatear still (Lol Bodini/Stuart Fisher). Walthamstow Res:  Black-necked Grebe  West Warwick (per Pete Lambert). BNG still present this evening in NE cnr. (Paul Whiteman) 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Common Sandpipers Lockwood. 2  Spotted Flycatchers  together bushes NW corner of Lockwood, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, bushes NE Lockwood, Kingfisher Lower Maynard (David Bradshaw) ...and the rest of London went bonkers with the nu...