randombirder

Since the   B elted kingfisher had been pinned down to a specific location, and close scrutiny of its movement had been established, it was time to find a window of opportunity and head northwest.  A reluctant long-distance driver, the only realistic option was to de-camp as close as possible to the location in preparation for a pre-dawn arrival.  Unsurprisingly, Premier Inn came to the rescue again with a bargain room at just £65 that included breakfast and dinner within half an hour of the site. With this plan firmly in place, the part that I couldn't control was whether the bird would return to its current favoured location along the River Darwen close to Roach Bridge.  Finding the parking location was relatively straightforward but despite a pre-sunrise arrival - the car park was full with only a single sensible space available. The weather was pleasantly mild with the rains of the previous day/night having passed through, the skies began to clear.  Fuelled...

It had been a whole five weeks absence from the field, for various reasons, was just not able to head away.  This unforeseen hiatus had intensified my appetite for heading out and seeing something new. The returning black scoter to the shores of the northwest had proved reliable in recent days.  It's a long way to travel but Premier Inns are reliable, provide quality and convenience so a stop off en route was the sensible way forward. A couple of hours drive had me on the outskirts of Pontefract before a sharp getaway the following morning. On arrival, the weather was absolutely glorious, the icy roads toward Bamburgh Castle made things interesting as did the patchy dense fog for most of the journey, but thankfully, the coast was clear, the sun was out and the winds light, fully appreciating that I'd picked a good day to be here. A short walk up to the clubhouse to start the scan.  There were plenty of wildfowl on the sea, distant rafts of common scoter were going to ma...

A really nice day just ambling around hoping for some late autumn goodies.  The skies were clear and the wind reasonably light which made for conditions that made the north norfolk coast look spectacular. Heading first to West Runton where the greater short-toed lark was seen busily feeding with a decent group of skylark. Not wanting to spend the day driving around, the rest of the day was spent at Wells Wood wandering through the woodland up to the beach at Holkham.  It was generally quiet, a lone chiffchaff and two woodcock flushed from the understory was about as good as it got.  The shore lark at Holkham beach decided to disappear after they were supposedly flushed by a sparrowhawk. Heading back to the car park, a number of people had gathered in the hope that the dusky warbler would make an appearance but feeling rather apathetic particularly toward the assembled birders, a quick look closer to the dell revealed the bird calling along the treeline bordering the o...

A really great few hours at Titchwell with my buddy Graham which as usual held a few interesting species most notably a grey phalarope that had been present for a few days continually spinning round close to the the main path.  Such incredible birds, the feeding behaviour of this taxa is a wondrous thing and always a crowd pleaser. A confiding common guillemot was feeding at close range suggesting that it may not have been in great condition.  Hoping that's not the case as it was great to see it up close. A single snow bunting was present on the beach where an assemblage of common waders were feeding along the shoreline.  A little stint was present along the muddy fringes on the freshmarsh, a  spotted redshank flew low over, and a merlin dashed through.

A quick dash from the hotel to Spurn for sunrise.  A decent crowd had already assembled that built up through the subsequent hour or so.  Standing by the Discovery Centre, the two-barred warbler was seen to dart into a Sycamore and then for the duration - gave the coffin dodgers a right old hobble-around. Such a smart bird, finally showed well at the end of the tree line, zipping around, stationary for few fleeting moments, voraciously feeding as it moved in and out of the foliage.  Great to watch - ending an extraordinary couple of days in Yorkshire.

It was never going to be easy to reach the heights of yesterday but today was another remarkable day.  The plan was to head to Spurn and spend the day there.  That was what this trip was intended for.  A laborious start soon turned into an incredible afternoon.  It was really quiet with no real signs of visible passage at Spurn, just a few siskin and redpoll flying over. Standard coffee and cake consumption ensued at the Discovery Centre before deciding to head down to the Point.  A gentle stroll with generally no movement in the bushes and the occasional buzz on the phone with a few updates of East Yorkshire sightings.  At around 2.30pm a message came through of a possible upgrade from the Flamborough red-breasted flycatcher to a taiga flycatcher .  An about turn and a gruelling march back to the car took around 40 minutes.  Distances aren't small in these parts but after a clear drive to Flamborough Head, was grateful that the walk from the ca...

An extraordinary day that cast the laments of a 'mediocre' birding autumn well and truly to one side. A twitchy day that started at the stunning St. Aidan's RSPB reserve in South Yorkshire where the long-toed stint showed well in the glorious morning sunshine as it scampered along the scrape with several dunlin .  A juvenile spoonbill was presumably one of the individuals from the breeding success at Fairburn Ings.  A few ruff were present as were around thirty black-tailed godwit , and a single common sandpiper .  A vocal group of bearded tit were flitting past the reedbed. It was a cracking start to the day, but it was only the start.  Heading over to Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve where the white-tailed plover remained as it has done now for several weeks.  A single curlew sandpiper was present there as were a small group of snipe and a bearded tit low down in the reeds. Ideally wanting to spend more time there, another dash, this time across the county ...

An absolutely belting day - feeling more like summer - a day that only Scilly can deliver in October.   The morning felt like a re-run of the day before, a lone flyover siskin but this time two black redstart on Penninis, a male and a female type. A whinchat , male blackcap and a brief pied flycatcher on the Garrison.  The sun was beating down, it felt great and nothing else mattered.

A better birding day  the weather was still glorious, but at least there was a bit more going on. Heading onto Penninis first thing where one of the two black redstart was seen on the headland where a siskin flew over. The standing stones field has held appeal on this trip so heading over where a common whitethroat and willow warbler were present, the former surprisingly being the first time I'd seen this species on the islands. Heading onto Lower Moors where a jack snipe and a water rail showed well from the screen by the hide. A quick stop into the standing stones field, where the whitethroat was still present and a surprise kingfisher burst out of a small willow by the pond. A couple of stick insects were present by the old town churchyard.