randombirder

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.

Another stroll round St. Mary's walking further than intended.  The only birding interest were two pale-bellied brent goose at Bar Point, snipe and water rail at Porth Hellick, and a painted lady along the Sunnyside trail, finally ending the day at the brilliant Dibble and Grub.

These were slower days after the initial flurry of activity.  Days that allowed time for tea and cake which is essential for trips to Scilly.  Just strolling around in beautiful autumn sunshine that felt more like summer than the slowly diminishing remains of yet another sidereal year. Views like this from the old town cemetery never tire. The 6th returned a confiding snow bunting that after a bit of a search, re-appeared along King Edwards Lane barely a couple of metres away. A quick decision to head down to the quay for a trip across to St. Agnes for my annual visit to see my dear friend David Bradshaw which is always a Scilly highlight for me.  A quick coffee and scone at the Coastguards Cafe and we were off to catch up with two dotterel that had made landfall on Wingletang Down.  A merlin flashed by but the buff-bellied pipit had moved on. The light radiated across the islands. The 7th was a real treat.  The tide was sufficiently low to allow safe pedestri...

A pleasant stroll around St. Mary's demonstrated just how quiet things are here at the moment.  A male blackcap in Carreg Dhu gardens produced some excitement which tells its own story.  A whinchat marginally ramped up the quality along the Porth Hellick trail.   Having succumbed to my limited patience earlier in the day, a return to the vicinity of the airfield resulted in re-locating the female red-backed shrike within vegetation viewed from the 'airport trail'. A lethargic meander toward the standing stones field resulted in finding a  tree pipit  within a willow.  Another whinchat was present there but dashed away toward Lower Moors.