Hawfinches

I finally managed to see a Hawfinch during the irruption, though did not go out thinking I would. 

I went to Poor's Field in Ruislip Woods. I looked around for a while without seeing much though there were a lot of Jays with acorns  and a lot of Wrens alarm calling. A Nuthatch called and a Greenfinch flew over. This wasn't really the quality of birding I was expecting, and I was about to go back when a distant Siskin call distracted me and made me stay a bit longer.

As I looked up to the sky I saw a flock of birds drop down to a tree nearby. They looked like finches, but very big ones. I immediately guessed they were Hawfinches, but I could not see any colour as the sun was against them. They soon flew to another tree, this time more distantly, then didn't show again. When they were in flight I saw some colour on them, confirming their ID. I managed to get a few photos, but none of them clear.

Very Cropped Photo of the Hawfinch

Walthamstow Wetlands

Walthamstow Wetlands had very recently opened to the public, so today I decided to go birding there to see what it was like. The journey there wasn't too long, so it could be a site I visit more often. 

It was very busy with families, but it wasn't too hard to get away from most of them. I walked up the path viewing Lockwood Reservoir, and almost immediately saw a Wheatear  sitting on a wall. Quite late! 2 Linnets and a Meadow Pipit then flew over the reservoir.

A Late Wheatear

I walked to the end of the reservoir where there were a lot of waterbirds sheltering, mostly Coots, with a couple of Great-crested Grebes too. I then saw a smaller grebe though, so I  turned my scope to it, and realised I was looking at my first Black-necked Grebe. This is a bird that I really should have already seen, but it was still great. 

A Blurry Black-necked Grebe

The rest of the day was spent looking at all the other reservoirs, which didn't have much on them, but some of the birds of note included a Grey Wagtail flying over and a few Little Grebes, bringing the number of grebe species seen that day up to three. I will probably come back here in the winter because it seems like a place where some scarcer winter ducks could mix with the common tufted ducks

Norfolk Weekend

I had been planning a weekend in Norfolk for a while, and I was hoping so see some good birds. My dad and I arrived on Friday night at my aunt's house in Norwich, as she would be joining us. 

The first day we had booked a day with Carl Chapman, who runs a lot of wildlife tours including Norfolk day trips. I had been birding with him before and it was very successful, so we had decided to have another day in the Autumn.

He picked us up from the house at 9:00, and then started to drive us to the coast, explaining where we would be going on the way.

We started off on the coast, where we added Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Wigeon and a lot of common birds to the trip list, as well as hearing Greenshank and Bullfinch. We soon saw some more exciting species such as two Peregrines hunting over the area, a flock of Brent Geese flying past distantly and two very brief Kingfishers. There was also a distant Red Kite, which are increasing in Norfolk, and a late Small Copper butterfly, which was a species I had never actually seen before.

As we walked back to the car, we all heard a high pitched call, which Carl immediately identified as a Yellow-browed Warbler! We waited for some time until the warbler came out from the centre of the bush and began to feed out in the open! We all got great views of the bird before it disappeared in to another bush. There was also a Cetti's Warbler nearby, which gave a very brief view before it flew into cover and started calling.

The next stop was Holkham Park, where there had been an Osprey for a few days, though I did not know at the time. A Marsh Tit called in the car park as we ate lunch, and a Sparrowhawk flew over.

We then walked past the Fallow deer to the lake, where there were common water birds such as Pochard, Shoveler and Mallard.

A huge flock of Jackdaw flew up in the distance, where there was also a Common Buzzard.

Very soon after this, Carl spotted the Osprey which suddenly appeared almost above our heads! We got amazing views of it for quite a long time. It was very entertaining to watch as it dived in to the water, very close to us, at an attempt to catch fish. After some time it landed in one of the trees nearest to us, and gave great views as it sat perched for a while.

The Osprey at Holkham - Photo by Carl Chapman

On the way back to the car, we heard a Tawny Owl calling (which was surprising, since it was the afternoon), and a Green Woodpecker.

The final stop of the day was at Titchwell, where we added Golden Plover to the list. Carl then managed to find the Little Stint that had been around that day, and we got good views, and good comparisons to the bigger waders next to it. We also had very close views of a Snipe sitting out in the open.

The final birds of the day were a flock of Grey Plover that flew over out heads as we were heading back. A very successful day with Carl Chapman!

Oare Marshes Twitching

The Oare Marshes in Kent is a reserve that I have been going to quite often for a few years now, so when I heard there was a Wilson's Phalarope there I immediately decided I needed to go. It was also there with the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher, Little Stints and a Black-necked Grebe. 

The journey from my house to the Oare marshes takes under 2 hours by Train, so I was soon at Faversham station. I bought some chips from a Fish and Chip shop and began to walk to the marshes (about 3 miles). 

As soon as I arrived at the bit of the East Flood by the road, I saw the Wilson's Phalarope swimming around, so close in I could identify it without using binoculars. A lifer! I decided to find out where the little stints and the Dowitcher were (these would be two more lifers) before having a proper look at the Phalarope. Luckily, there were plenty of other people, who had already been watching a while, to point out the Long-billed Dowitcher and Little Stints! 

An attempt at photographing Golden Plovers on a phone through a scope...

The Stints were feeding even nearer than the Phalarope, as they were foraging in the bit of exposed mud that was closest to us. The Dowitcher gave great views, though wasn't as close as the other two waders. 

I then spent a lot if time watching the Phalarope, and occasionally looking at the many other waders that included Ringed and Golden Plover, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and Redshank. I regret not taking a good camera though, as I didn't expect the birds to be so close.

I walked up to Oare creek to look for the Black-necked Grebe, but could not find it. After some more birding around the area, I returned to look at the Long-billed Dowitcher and Wilson's Phalarope for some more time. This time though I found 2 Curlew Sandpipers (which I tried to get photos of through my scope, but failed). A Snipe that flew out from the reeds was the last new bird of the day.

This trip had been extremely successful, and I walked back via Oare creek after a great day!

Wormwood Scrubs

I was not planning to do anything in the morning, but I soon saw news of a Red-backed Shrike at Wormwood Scrubs, which was a very short train journey from me. I arrived very soon and a couple of people pointed it out to me in a bush. I had never seen one before, so was glad to see it. I moved around to try and get better views, but after realising there were too many bushes blocking the view, I went back to where I originally was. This turned out to be a good idea because the Shrike had flown from the bush and perched on a dead bush in front of me, and it was very close. It stayed there for a short time, then flew from bush to bush until it went out of sight. Unfortunately, I did not have a good camera to get a picture of it.

Portland and Lodmoor

After seeing the recent sightings at Lodmoor, I decided to head down there with my Dad. I don't normally twitch birds that aren't local, but the fact that Stilt Sandpiper is probably one of my favourite birds, and the fact that there were other birds on my target list there made me decide to go.

Unfortunately, about halfway through the journey, I found that the Stilt Sandpiper had not been seen since the previous day, but the Least Sandpiper was still around.

When I arrived at the train station, I immediately walked to Lodmoor. As soon as I arrived, I saw the Least Sandpiper, walking through the mud quite close in. First lifer! I watched it for a while longer, as it sometimes disappeared behind clumps of grass. The views were mostly good, though my scope wasn't very powerful. A Great White Egret also gave good views compared with the Little Egrets around it.

After this I had fish and chips, where I sat inside because it was raining. My Dad and I then got the bus to Portland.

View From the Observatory Front Garden

Our first stop was the quarry near the Observatory, where a Wryneck had stayed for quite a while. Almost immediately, my Dad spotted some movement in the grass that turned out to be the Wryneck. This was probably the bird I most wanted to see in Britain, and the views it gave weren't bad. Then, after a bit of waiting, the views changed from not bad to amazing! It sat out in the open very close by, and I could see all the details because the light was in the right direction. This was the second new bird for me, and probably one of my favourite I had ever seen.

The rest of the day was quiet, and in the evening my Dad and I went to where we would be staying: the Portland Bunk House. We would have stayed in the bird observatory, but it was full, and this place was the closest to it. It looked a bit better on the inside than it did on the outside, though I don't think I would ever stay for more than one or two days there.

Early the next morning, we headed down to the observatory to watch the bird ringing. A female Sparrowhawk was first, then a Goldcrest. 

Sparrowhawk Being Ringed

After reading the observatory books for a while I decided to go for a walk in the fields to look for a reported Ortalon Bunting. After some searching, I could not find it, so I decided to go to look at Ferrybridge then leave for home. On the way to the bus though, I saw a group of people looking in a field. I asked them if they knew where the Hoopoe was that had been in the area, and they said it had been reported in the nearby field, so I decided to wait here for a while. After a while, someone spotted the Hoopoe sitting in the bare tree next to the field! It was quite distant, but through the scope I could see it quite well. The 3rd lifer of the holiday, and another bird that might have been my favourite I had seen.

I then went to Ferrybridge, where there was only a Bar-tailed Godwit, some Ringed Plover and some Dunlin. I decided that it was then time to head home (after getting some more chips). 

3 Days in Spurn Bird Observatory

I had been wanting to go to Spurn Bird Observatory for a long time, and from the end of August to the start of September, I managed to get there and I was not disappointed!

The journey from London wasn't too bad, and as I left early, I got there in time to see a lot of birds.

The first stop was the observatory building, where my dad and I would be staying. We unloaded all our luggage in to the room, and looked around the observatory. It was surprisingly comfortable, and there were many books to read. I didn't stay long though as I was told there were two Pied Flycatchers in the churchyard near the observatory, so I headed over there, and after a bit of waiting, one showed itself quite well, and the second gave a very brief view. A great bird to start of the trip!

I then went to Kilnsea Wetlands, where there wasn't much, but it was good to have a brief view of a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. The Humber Estuary had a lot of birds but, as I didn't have a scope, I couldn't identify many of them. The birds close enough were Curlew, Redshank, Dunlin and a Greenshank.

I was tired at this point from being in a train all morning then being out in the open for a long time, so I went back to the observatory and rested, which turned out to be a very bad idea, as when I woke up and arrived at the Seawatching Hut in the evening, everyone told me that they had just caught and ringed an Icterine Warbler (a bird I have never seen) near the observatory! They had looked for us to tell us about it, but they couldn't find us as we were in our room.

The rest of the evening wasn't bad though, with hundreds of terns passing, mostly Common Terns but there were some Sandwich Terns too. Someone lent me their scope for a bit and I managed to see two Arctic Skuas, a flock of Teal and a couple of Common Scoter.

The Seawatching Hut

I woke up early the next day to walk through the Triangle Area to the Warren, where there would be bird ringing. There wasn't much though, as only a Sedge Warbler and a Robin were ringed early in the morning.

I searched the Triangle Area for birds, but didn't find much until a few people, including me, got flight views of a Lesser Whitethroat. 

Someone also lent me their scope to look through the waders on the Humber Estuary. I saw Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, a huge flock of Golden Plover, Sanderling, Curlew, Whimbrel and Oystercatcher, as well as the hundreds of Redshank and Dunlin. This day was unfortunately quiet for birds though, so I didn't see much else.

I woke up early again the next day to go and watch the bird ringing at the Warren, and this time I watched a Redstart being ringed, as well as a lot of Tree Sparrows and a Willow Warbler. As I walked back I saw a Wheatear on the path.

Redstart Being Ringed

Later though, when I was sitting in the observatory after a few hours of birding, a message came over someone's radio that a Citrine Wagtail had just flew over the Warren. I  walked quickly over in case it had dropped down on the mud. but I was told that it had just passed straight through. About 3 minutes later though another message from the radio said that there was a Pectoral Sandpiper on Kilnsea Wetlands! 

The birders gave me and and my dad a lift so we would get there faster, and hopefully see the bird. 

When we got there, the hide had just enough room for a few more people, which was lucky. The bird wasn't there when we got there though, but it was exciting when a Curlew Sandpiper flew out of a Dunlin flock and landed right in front of the hide and at times, you couldn't see it because it was so close. This was definitely the best view of one I've had of one of these birds. Soon after this though, a bird flew on to the wetlands and in to full view. It was the Pectoral Sandpiper! I got great views through a scope, as did everyone else, and I could see all it's features very clearly. This was the first lifer of the trip.

There was a radio call from some other people looking at Kilnsea Wetlands from a different angle, who said they had also seen a Pectoral Sandpiper, but in a different place to the one from the hide, which meant that there were two in the area. After a while though, they flew off together in the direction of Easington. 

As I walked back out the hide, I saw at least 3 Yellow Wagtails in the fields with some Meadow Pipits.

I then looked for birds a bush by the road, and saw a Common Whitethroat and eventually the second lifer of the trip for me - a Garden Warbler. I also saw a Peregrine flying over the Humber. 

Roe Deer in a Field

Later I talked to a birder who was regular at Spurn, and I mentioned that I was looking for Whinchats. The birder said that he knew exactly where to see one, and he took me to a spot where, almost immediately, a Whinchat appeared! I got great views of it as it sat on the fence posts near one of the fields. I also saw a Merlin fly very quickly by. This about ended what was probably the best of my few days at Spurn. 

Next morning I woke up early as I had to leave in the afternoon. I spent almost the whole day in the Kilnsea hide, where the highlights were a Pintail, a  Brent Goose, the Curlew Sandpiper, at least 2 Greenshanks, a few teal and some  Wigeon. Just outside the hide I got views of a Merlin hunting in a Starling flock. It was great to see it try to pick out a starling from the huge flock. I watched it for a bit, until it gave up and flew away. 

Soon after I had to catch the taxi back to Hull, then begin the journey back to London after a another great trip! 

Birdfair 2017

On Saturday 19th August I attended the Bird Fair, which was the third I had been to. 

The journey there took around 3 hours, but it was worth it. I also arrived at the Bird Fair earlier than I had done the previous years, so I had more time to look around. I met up with my aunt and then started to visit the many stands. 

We started on Marquee 1 where Dave Gosney was, the creator of the series of 'finding birds in' DVDs. I bought a few DVDs then carried on looking at lots of different stands such as Oriole birding (who I had just been on great holiday with) and also different companies that do tours all around the world.

I visited all the Marquees, picking up as many holiday brochures, entering as many competitions as I could and visited stands such as the BTO, Spurn and Fair Isle Bird Observatory, Wader Quest, the RSPB, and a lot of good areas that sold books, and definitely had some that I will be buying in the future!

I then visited the BTO bird ringing area which was outside, and watched some of the birds being ringed, which included a lot of Blue Tits, a Great Tit, a Linnet, a Reed Bunting and a Willow Warbler.

The best one though was the last one I saw, which was a female Sparrowhawk, apparently twice the size of a male they had caught earlier in the day. I got some great views of it being ringed, though there were a lot of people there. 

Female Sparrowhawk Being Ringed

Chris Packham was also filming in the area and I also saw the author of the 'Best Birding Sites - Yorkshire' and 'Best birding sites - Norfolk' books, Neil Glenn.

Chis Packham Filming

I had lunch back at my aunt's car, and then went around to look at the remaining stands

I finished the day going the talk on Spurn Bird Observatory - where I will be going shortly.

Soon after the talk there was a message that most of the stands would close, but I had looked around most anyway, so I decided to take the train home.

Isles of Scilly Pelagic trips

I have just come back from the Isles of Scilly with Oriole birding and have done many Pelagic trips, mostly watching birds, but also mammals. I was amazed by the numbers of some species, especially on the first Pelagic.

It started when we boarded the Scillonian, which is the boat that leaves from Penzance and sails to St Mary's Island. Before the boat left, I saw a few Sandwich Terns and Common Scoters - a good start already. We then set off on the two and a half hour trip.

The number of birds surprised me - there were hundreds! The Majority of the birds were Gannets, mostly at the start of the journey, and Manx Shearwaters, mostly in the middle and the second part of the journey. There were also plenty of Fulmars and common species of gulls like Lesser Black-backed, Great Black-backed and Herring (not many Black-headed Gulls though!)

Manx Shearwater

At one point, we passed a place that clearly had good food for the birds and Cetaceans, as there well over a hundred Manx Shearwaters, a Great Skua (a new bird for me), lots of Common Dolphins and a Bottlenose Dolphin (a new mammal for me). At this point, someone shouted 'Great Shearwater', and everyone's heads turned to the sea. Most people managed to see the bird quite distantly, but unfortunately, I could not get on to the bird.

The Scillonian arrived on St Mary's Island In the early afternoon, and the group was told to meet at the quay later that day for our first evening Pelagic. Everyone went straight to the hotel to drop off luggage. I was tired at this point, and definitely needed to use this time to rest! 

The first Pelagic on the Sapphire was amazing, with  hundreds of Shearwaters in large feeding flocks - and not just manx. I saw my first ever British Great, Cory's, and Sooty Shearwaters, and lots of them! The feeding frenzies also had Many Common Dolphins, but there was a lot of excitement at one point when a huge whale was seen, thought to either be a Fin or Sei. Our skipper Joe Pender managed to photograph it, and so it was confirmed as a Fin Whale - another new mammal for me!

Great Skua

The second Pelagic the next day was still great, though there were fewer birds, and my highlights were the Great skuas, flying right over the boat to attack the Gulls. Some chum was thrown overboard to attract more birds. A few European Storm Petrels (another new bird for me) were attracted by the chum, as were lots of Fulmars and some Manx Shearwaters. Great, Cory's and Sooty Shearwaters were also seen from the boat, though not in the numbers of the Pelagic from the day before. A group of Harbour Porpoise and some more Common Dolphin were also seen. Near the end, a flock of Black-tailed Godwits flew high over the sea.

Cory's Shearwater

A separate trip for shark tagging later that day was also a good experience as 4 different Blue Sharks were brought on board and tagged, then released back in to the water. Another exciting moment was when the Oriole birding tour leader alerted everyone to a Wilson's Petrel, and I did see the bird (yet another lifer for me!), though briefly and distantly.

Blue Shark being tagged and released

Before we boarded the Sapphire the next day, we had a bit of time for land birding, though the only bird I saw was a Dunlin on Porth Hellick Pool. 

The next pelagic was a great one, the best part being the great views of at least 3 Wilson's Petrels. These great birds were one of the main targets of the trip and everyone saw them extremely well!

Great Shearwater

Other birds seen were more Cory's, Great, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, lots of Gannets and Fulmars and lots of European Storm Petrels, which 'danced' around the boat and were great to see. We also saw an Ocean Sunfish, though it was quite small.

The next day was spent birding on land again, this time guided. We had a lot of success with six Green Sandpipers that showed well, a flock of Greenshank, a Redshank, a few Wheatears, and new butterfly for me: a Holly Blue! I did well for new species.

Later that day we boarded the Scillonian on its way back to Penzance, though on the trip over we did see another Fin Whale, a Minke Whale, lots of Common Dolphins, a Cory's Shearwater, a Sooty Shearwater, lots more Manx Shearwaters... and my first Balearic Shearwater of the trip! An exceptional crossing, and an exceptional holiday!

Common Dolphin 

Butterflies seen (including some in Cornwall)
Large White, Small White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Grayling, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Holly Blue, Common Blue

A day at the Oare Marshes, Kent

A trip to the Oare Marshes in Kent was quite successful, with many birds around. The weather was mostly good, although there was some rain at about 2:30 but it wasn't too heavy. My first look at the East Flood had many Redshanks, Black-tailed Godwits and a few Ruff, Dunlin and Lapwing, along with a single Golden Plover. I walked around the reserve, but didn't see much apart from a few Whimbrels on the mud. I then looked at the East Flood from the road again and this time managed to find a Greenshank that had joined the Black-tailed Godwit flock. 

Black-tailed Godwits and Lapwing

I decided to walk around the reserve again, and in the hide overlooking the East flood, a group of people pointed out a Curlew Sandpiper, a new bird for me, just moulting out of its red plumage, and very different to the Dunlin around it. A flock of Golden Plover also landed quite near it. Satisfied with my sightings so far, I continued walking around and was happy to find a winter plumage Spotted Redshank viewed from a different angle on the East flood, showing its very long beak. I also soon came across a flock of Yellow Wagtails near the creek, which included some colourful males.

Unfortunately, I did not manage to find the Bonaparte's Gull that was around that day because when I checked the mud where other people had said they recently saw it, a lot of the gulls flew up and landed on the East flood, but when I went to check there, people told me it had flown off to the mud again! I did manage to find 2 Mediterranean Gulls in a group of gulls that had settled though.

I tried to find the Turtle Doves that had been reported on the wires and posts near the field, but could not find any.

I then decided to walk home after what was a great day at the Oare Marshes!

Butterflies seen (including some on the walk to the Oare Marshes)
Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Common Blue.