Now where did I put the Atlas?

Finally caught up with the 'Atlas' Flycatcher on Monday. A corking little thing with a decent slab of white on the front. I cant really add anything to the debate about its parentage but I am glad I went to see it. Im now waiting on the decisions for two different Ficedulas for my Yorks (and World!) lists with the Collared from 2010 seemingly ratified in DNA but awaiting acceptance. I only got briefish views as once it had done one circuit I had to return to wake my sleeping daughter from the car to go rock-pooling, or walking to the beach, screaming, buying a bucket, crying more and walking back to the car as it is also known.

male Andrena sp.

On the home front - the Cuckoo is back and I also found at least two pairs of Whitethroat nesting around the reedbed/sewage works across the railway from us. We have breeding Blackbirds either side of the back garden with chicks pre-fledging judging by the amount of food being ferried in. Linnets are conspicously paired up and a Mistle Thrush pair appears to be nesting at the end of our road. As I got no decent photos of any of the above I treat you to a male solitary bee and a fly. I am tour guiding on Mull for the next couple of weeks but hopefully we have Wifi and thus it should be pretty cool.

Sunny Scotland

I spent a large proportion of last week bimbling around the islands of western Scotland in a professional context. It was gorgeous with tonnes of sun and very flat seas. We also had some decent birds and mammals! As we left the Clyde a couple of RAF Hercules gave us a fly by.

This was a seriously close view - taken with my 18-55 lens and a slight crop to centre the plane. By this time Eider, Black Guillemot and the usual suspects were under the belt and very soon after my first Manx Shearwaters of the year were under the belt (with several hundred seen across the duration). Amongst the Manxies feeding round the southern tip of Arran I thought I had found a Bonxie but on closer inspection it turned out to be...

... a Hen Harrier flying between Kintyre and Arran. It even glided over the waves in the manner of a shearwater and seemed unbothered by its sea crossing. The North Passage was full of Manxies and Gannets. The survey was pretty steady with a few bits of interest from passage waders and Swallows. Overnighting in Loch Indaal turned up trios of Scaup and Great Northern Diver plus a flock of 25 Common Scoter. Most gratifying. We didnt see much in the way of cetaceans until these three joined us.

Short-beaked Common Dolphin

The journey back was ace. Warm, sunny with flat seas. I crashed out many photos and found a distant light phase Pomarine Skua hassling gulls round the langoustine trawlers. No shots of that Im afraid.

Lunch Break

I returned home today - aware that birds were moving. Despite this I kept a direct course toward my child with no deviation. Well almost. I stopped for lunch at Frampton Marsh which is 5 mins from my journey course. It was unfortunate that I should bump into a Black-winged Stilt there although as a british lifer it was pretty underwhelming (probably due to the several hundred I have seen abroad every year for the last 5). Still a brit tick is a brit tick and number #329. Frampton was humming with migrants. Whimbrel  greeted me in the car park and Garganey came as a pair. 2 White Wagtails were pleasant as was their brighter cousin a smart female Yellow Wagtail. The waders were playing ball with a Little Stint and my first Little Ringed Plover of the year.

There was also a Bonxie knocking about that was demolishing a Coot but I didnt have time to see that and as quickly as I arrived I disappeared in a puff of dust toward Yorkshire. There was some birding in Norfolk but mostly I got pissing wet through. As such I will merely say that I year ticked Common Sandpiper, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Wheatear, Arctic Skua, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern and Arctic Tern plus I had a Blackbird between my legs. A fuller update may arrive in time.

Norfolk

Off to Norfolk today with work. Cant say where/what Im doing due to the usual reasons but I might get a decent whack of downtime for some decent birding whilst I am there so I will endeavour to update the blog if I get the chance. Should also get plenty of seabird year ticks. Not a lot doing here apart from falling in the mud with my daughter in a sheep field and having to walk through the village looking like something from the black lagoon. Nightmare.

Plenty of these guys back now.

30th Birthday Presents

Black-necked Grebes at North Cave thanks to Richard Willison. Far to good for me!

Thanks to all those that have relayed their condolences on my reaching this momentous milestone on my journey of inevitable decline and oncoming decreptitude. I seek joy in the fact that I remain firmly in the youngest 1% of birders despite hitting the first age milestone that you dont want to hit. My lovely wife and child have purchased (wife provided the capital I believe) a new birdtable with my parents adding feeders. A kindle will also be wending its way into my possetion soon I believe. Nice one.

please ignore the very long grass...

I spent the most momentous of days birding, well work surveys tbh but it was birding nonetheless. I was a sore with a bad back (different from last month but annoying - whats with the continual being mildly injured thing?) and thus a bit grumpy. I was even worse by the time I had surveyed the first sector and half the second with sack all about (1 Curlew and a few Shelduck). I kept an eye on the fishing pits behind the bund and these provided plenty of Pochard and Tufted Duck plus plenty of Great Crested Grebes and even the odd Goldeneye. No raptors or owls today but a big pulse of Swallows with a few Sand Martins. As I was finishing my second sector over 75 Swallows magically appearred. This was cracking as a single copse had 5 species of warbler vocalising (cant really say singing as only the Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff were really doing that). A Cetti's gave a brief burst of noise followed by a stuttering Sedge Warbler finding its vocal feet - perhaps a 1st summer bird? Maybe not being an early arrival. A Blackcap was sub-singing as well. I saw none of these naturally but it felt despite the showers and cool temperatures if there was a bit of migration going on.

Amongst the aythyas on one of the pits I found a 1st winter female Scaup, seemingly a different individual to last month which was on the pit next door and appeared to be an adult female. The new bird had a much smaller white blaze and was in messier plumage as well. No camera again due to the ever present threat of getting pissing wet through. Oh and my scope head returned so I got to remember how heavy lugging my scope/tripod combo about is. Even better for my back...

After I finished work I headed over to North Cave Wetlands in order to catch up with the Black-necked Grebes that had been present. Despite seeing dozens in Spain not long before its always nice to catch up with these beauties in god's own county. In this case three had dropped in - a pair which were like glue and a spare which stayed largely out of the way. I didnt see a great deal else although tonnes of hirundines were about and I saw my first House Martins of the year in North Cave itself. The Avocets were present in massive numbers and there were plenty of gulls about but my time was brief and I legged it.

Ichneumon Wasp sp

This was hanging about on our climbers yesterday. Any ideas on ID? Pimpla sp.?

New addition at 21 weeks

My wife is now 23 weeks pregnant but a fortnight ago - just before we left for Spain we got to see the baby again. It was being a git so we couldnt find out what flavour but here it is in all its glory. I can't wait to meet you.