The Tops!

First of all I'd like to thank my 3,000th viewer from Inverkeithing - the readers keep me blogging even if half of those hits are my own :). After no further ado - today.

I was going on my first Birdforum mett in a while after missing the last 2. During these i'd missed Black Kite, Shore Lark and Little Tern - 2 lifers and a Yorks tick. Today iscored none of those things but had a great time. It was good to meet Pete (NaturePete) and to reaquaint with Julie (Jay-jay) and see the rest of the usual crew (skink1978,bitterntwisted, marcus conway-ebirder, birdieboy123, keith dickinson, lawts & unclelawts) and a shame to miss Mark who slept in. Today we were off on the Yorkshire Belle scene of the Great Shear last year. I also nearly missed the boat when i slept through my alarm only to be woken by Julie outside my house.

I race off and a McD's does the trick to wake me. The cruise itslef was anticlimactic with 7 Bonxies a couple of Arctic Skuas and singles of Sooty and Manx shearwater. Other bits included a couple of Little Gulls, lots of Porpoise and some Common Scoter, all fairly standard. Upon landing and fish and chips most decided to go to Tophill Low.

Landing at Tophill we immediately see a birder on something. A Hobby it turns out and we get good views of 2 birds. There had been no sign of the RF Falcon in the morning and we duly went elsewhere first seeing a Spotshank and a few Ruff and single Dunlin at Watton Borrow Pits. Sat on the pylon was a Common Buzzard. The azure streak of a Kingfisher zipped by and we made our way to South Marsh, where bar a few teal there was nothing. Until a Falcon appeared over the trees. Slate-grey all over and red vented with red boots. We all got flight views followed by it preening in a tree. In order to get better views we moved round to the side of O res but it failed to show. An adult Hobby zipped through but that was our lot. A check on D res revealed the BNG distantly plus a Sparrowhawk over and a Fox in the fields. Very excellent.

Unexpected Bonus. Poor Result

Was at work this morning when at half 6 my phone goes off - do i fancy an afternoon out birding for the Wilson's Phalarope at Alkborough, North Lincolnshire. Of course i said once i was rested i would be free and easy. Arriving at Alkborough i was very impressed with the place. Formed by a breach of the river bank, its a great wetland where we saw Knot, Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin plus a number of Little Egrets but no Phalarope. It was low tide and it seems that determines whether the bird is present. After this dip we headed up to Tophill Low to see the male Red-footed Falcon plus i could clear up a bit of a bitch tick in the form of Red-crested Pochard. As it was the only falcon we saw was a male Merlin flushed on the approach road which then sat in the top of the tree. Very nice. Upon arrival we managed to not see the falcon or the hobby that was kicking about with it. Checking D reervoir we managed 5 Red-crested Pochards including 4 males in various stages of eclipse with one nearly in full summer. Also knocking about was a Black-necked Grebe in winter plumage. Off on the seabrd cruise tomorrow- could be quiet, fingers crossed we get something.

Flushers!!!!!

Much indignation is being shown on Birdforum about the flushers! Especially directed at one person who has been suitably reprimanded - Dan your a bad lad! However its the selfish gits that entered the field to locate the bird first thing yesterday that ruined it for everybody and i hope they dip everything they go for. Private Land is private land and there is no right to roam. I hope this doesnt lead to things being suppressed but rather think it will. As for me - my birdnews provider has gone haywire and im struggling to find out about stuff. Which aint best.

Great Big Massive Snipe!!!

Having been on nights I was fast asleep when Mike rang at 12 today. 'There is a Great Snipe at Speeton and they are gonna flush it at 2'. This took a while to sink in as I had been fast asleep but I quickly got my wits about me and got up to the site. I was one of the first to arrive and probably 80-100 people eventually did turn up including Mike(skink1978), John(birdieboy123) and Dave Tucker. We formed a (dis)orderly line as the scrub was walked by some local birders. Nothing. We walked the entire top half of the field where the bird had been seen previously. Nothing. Then Mark Thomas and a few other birders walked the adjacent scrub in the next field (he had permission but nobody else did). A snipe shot along the small band of set aside but I didnt see it as somebody jumped in the way. Some people got the white in the tail and the wing bar but it was decided to try and flush the bird back into the field that had access. It was walked from the other direction and gave a magic flyby showing all the features and generally being about as big as a Woodcock or so it felt. Mint. Fingers crossed Lawts gets it later as it turns out the one on Saturday was a common...

p.s. on drive to work last night finally caught up with Tawny Owl with a flyby at Little Driffield.

p.p.s Had a good research round the Warbler at Flamborough and am now happy it was a Booted.

RB Flicker

I agree its a dumb nickname but its a cool looking bird, especially a sum plum male like the one I saw today at the blow hole on Flamborough. Also a nice selection of Whinchats, Pied Flys and Redstarts including a flat one on the road. Included is a terrible photo of the flycatcher

PG Nightmare

Woke up to the news of GWE on my old stomping ground at Bank Island. Gonna hopefully pay homage over the next few days. As it was I headed to a flash near Lissett to dip Curlew Sandpiper (looking into the sun so couldnt pick em out) when Dan Pointon text to tell me of a Savi's Warbler at Flamborough. Off i trotted only for it to be re-id'd as a Reed Warbler upon my arrival. As I was landing I'd got wind of a PG Tips at Spurn - I tried to set off but my starter motor wasn't playing. A further bird around the head produced Redstarts, Spot Flys and Whinchats but nothing rarer. For the second day running Id failed to get a handle on a passage Honey Buzzard which are passing down the east coast in large numbers. Also looks like ive missed a Red-footed Falcon at Tophill. Spurn tomorrow is sounding inviting at the moment!!

Pics from flam

Very Obliging Little Stint

One of a couple of Wrynecks showing at Bay Brambles

The Booted Warbler, or is it a garden warbler? amorphous blob? This could have been the bird but it and a garden warbler hunkered down and fed when the mist rolled in and you could only jut make it out, could have been either.