~Hmm...

What an afternoon!! I got up at 3 after my night with the intention of catching some late aftenoon birds up at flam. Wife tells me Marcus (ebirder) has text saying there is a great snipe at flamborough. I ring and find out that i have missed the organised flushes. I get in contact with the boys on the ground (Lawts and Mike) who tell me about loads of common, potential for scarce including the most showy Little Stint in the entire world.

I land scoring some half decent shots of the stint being interupted by a phone call from mike - apparently Bay brambles was holding 3 Wrynecks - a much needed lifer (dont know how ive missed em before). When I got across I quickly get a couple of out of focus shots on the closer of the two that is showing and a good look at a better marked individual that is a bit further away. Then my phone goes again - Lawts who has slipped away is chasing a guy who has told him about a Booted Warbler near Old Fall. We peg up there and quickly get on the bird but no ID is nailed down (milky tea coloured small, slight hippolais with a weak bill, distinctly concolourous, pale below and light brown above, pumping its tail slowly and deliberatly occasionally (as opposed to the 2 garden warblers it was knocking about with)). Rumour circulates that it is an eastern olly or a garden warbler - it goes out on the info services as both but it was definitely not the common and may have been the rare - im not qualified enough to say so. Some images were taken by the guy who runs the Buckton Birder blog and hopefully the ID can be cleared up. Got some stick on BF from ppl not on the scene and they can stick it - It was not a Garden Warbler, that much I know. Some people going on 2 bird theory which works for me as there were in fact 3 birds in the hedge. At the twitch a few people were moaning that all they could see was garden warbler but this was due to the fog rolling in at 5.15 putting all the birds into the bottom of the rambles with only the odd tail or wing showing.

Naturally I will put my shots of the Wryneck and Stint up asap but it was too dark to shoot the warbler.

Modern Life Is Rubbish

Sorry to steal a title from Blur but they are right. The collapse of the free market as we know it, the resurgent Dollar (how - it was their fault and now we pay the price) and predictions of financial meltdown in Germany, Spain and the UK all have absolutely nothing to do with the reasons i'm skint. But i am and this means sitting around doing not a lot on my days off. Every day I intend to go birding but i wake up too late - am I fazing? I dont think so - I still twitch new local birds and delight in finding something new when I do go out. So whats the reason for my malaise? Call of Duty 4 - im rubbish at it but i cant kick my addiction. Hours i prat about on it and get blasted to smithereens by 12 year olds from massachausetts. What a monumental waste of time. But i love it.

On the birding front - an untwitchable Barred Warbler at Old fall being the only bird of real note (although some Spotshanks a Swine Moor continue to put that place on the map). This weekend looks pretty shit hot on the east coast, probably Yorkshire north again.

P.s. England are winning in Croatia as i write this - im sure that wont have lasted by the time you read this but it is making me smile a little more.

p.p.s. Lance Armstrong - you wont win anything especially if you cant take your 'supplements'.

Double D

Thats D for Dip. Nothing too mega just an icky & rb fly. But a bit of a pain seeing as a tour of several likely sites had me hoping for self found scarce. Not to be - a flyover Redwing was a nice early surprise.

No early morning start as ange had organised for me to sit in for a workman to pre-assess some work on making our washing machine gap big enough for a washing machine. Stupid fucking builders. First up at 11 was Speeton church yard. Scored diddly. Moved onto Hoddy Cows scoring little more bar a couple of Willow wobblers and sngle Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler ( it was as i left here that the Redwing over flew). Stopped on at Bempton checking the Dell with the results a paltry single Chiffer and a brace of Goldcrests. Rubbish. Had a much needed Magnum to lift my mood and checked the birdnews. Apart from the Brown-headed Cowbird (wtf?!?!) there was a RB Fly and an Icky in Old Fall.

Rocked up scoring Redstarts by the gallon. A dude tour was busy stringing these as the RB Fly but that was sadly absent. The hedge produced further Redders and a millions of Wheatears were on the field with a scattering of Whinchats guarding the posts. The plantation held a year tick in the form of Paddy Fly (couldnt be arsed to visit Bolotn Abbey in spring) plus even more redstarts and some Spot Flys. Infact after the first pied fly it started shitting em - they were all over. Nothing any more interesting than that unfortunately but not a terrible day.

Maybe tomorrow - especially if that cowbird gets nailed down...

It looks like a cat

Apparently. So my wife said of the Long-eared Owl that was sat sleeping in a hedgerow at Tophill Low this afternoon. My best views of this difficult to pin down species after an earlier dip this year at Fairburn. No pics unfortunately as the camera only wanted to focus on the branches in front of it, stupid lack of manual focus.

I was on nights last night so was pleasantly surprised to find my wife suggesting a walk at Tophill. I had obviously checked my bird alerts and was well aware of the presence of Garganey, BNG, Little Gull and the aforementioned LEO. Unfortunatley the Gulls had cleared out and we didnt have time (and my wife lacked the inclination) to scour D res for the Grebe and Garganey but I have seen plenty of each this year. Only other birds of interest were a Common Sandpiper and Snipe on South Marsh. Still no Green Sandpiper this year. Also Tophill Low news worthy is the discovery of roosting Nauthusius Pipistrelles amongst the Soprano Pips in the visitor centre (a bat detector and a ninja suit may need to be procured for some underhand batting).

Amir Khan got stuck on is arse twice in 54 seconds and still the new Audley thinks he is gonna win world champs - not unless you've got a hell of a defence because with a glass jaw like that you aren't gonna win shit. England football team = gutless wankers. Nuff said.

Here for your delectation is the funniest and most impressive thing i have seen in ages.

Scarewood House

Now I know thats a terrible title for a post on bats at Harewood House but im under inspired today as it was a long (but good)evening. We scored 4 bat species Common and Soprano Pipistrelle - the commons in the woods and the soprano's around the waters edge plus we had some Natterer's Bats in a group of mixed Myotis bats over the lake - but we couldn't be sure of any Daubenton's or Whiskered Bats. The final species was a couple of Brown Long-eared Bats which fluttered around a conifer. The bat detecters picked up a Leisler's Bat but that pushed off. We had been told to expect Leisler's as they are a Harewood speciality which feed around the lake margins at sunset. Unfortunately the introductory lecture which was a little dull, dragged on for the best part of 75 minutes and we missed them, as they apparently get displaced by the Soprano Pipistrelles. The only other disappointment was the lack of any Noctule Bats but this was compensated by finding out they are the only audible bat and my ex used to moan about the bats being very loud at hers and askig me why I couldn't hear them - Ker(mammal)tick. All in all this increased my bat list from 2 (Common Pipistrelle & Daubenton's) to 6 species. Very chuffed.

On the way back me and Mike tried for some Daubenton's over the Wansford Canal but no such luck. A couple of glimpsed Barn Owls being our reward. We do have a public access place for Leisler's Bats now though and we reckon we should see these beauties soon.

Alpine Birds

Check out Dale Forbes's blog Alpine Birds. Some cool stuff from the roof of Europe.

Tonight I'm off batting, not the cricket related activity but on a bat walk at Harewood House with a couple of mates from BF, Mike & John. Heres hoping we get some good stuff. Obviously the results will be here tomorrow.

Barmston

Went for a paddle out today seeing as Ive done next to no birding all summer. Decided to visit Barmston, scene of a Little Auk mega feast last year (1000 bird day!) as a presumed juv Kentish Plover had been seen there yesterday. Nearly had a last minute change of mind when a GWE pitched up at long nab but it pushed off pronto (and was later seen flying over Scaling dam). I held no great hopes for relocating this but its a nice spot for a seawatch and a wander. Plenty of bits and pieces moving including a gorgeous summer plumage Red-throated Diver preening on the sea. Also a bit surreal were some Shelducks sat about 300m out plus Great Crested Grebe. Passing by 50ish Shoveler and 100ish Teal were expected fare. No shearwaters or Skuas and only a handful of Common and Sarnie Terns. Very little on the passerine front with Pied Wag, Linnets, Sand Martin and Swallow. Not so much as a Wheatear so didnt thrash the marsh too hard due to total lack of enthusiasm. Grilled the waders on the beach which were mainly juv Ringos with a couple of sum plum Sanderlings and a sprinkling of black-bellied Dunlin. A detour via Hornsea Mere home brought a few Little Gulls and some other dross. Was good to be out and the Little Gulls pushed the year list onto 225.