I joined Dave Parmenter and Mike Collard on a long days twitch to Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington to see the Black-browed Albatross that had been frequenting the cliffs since late June. However the bird was not present every day and would go missing for long periods. So we decided to choose a day when the bird had been seen on the cliffs the previous evening and to arrive at the site at dawn, before the bird had left the site. So that meant leaving home shortly after midnight!!
We did arrive shortly after dawn but were not first on site. Several other people had beaten us to it but despite a lot of scanning of the cliffs we could not find the Albatross. Then about 5:30am someone spotted "Albert" as he flew from the cliff. It was soon lost to view but found a little later on the water off of Staple Newk. We had to quickly move locations to see the bird and even then it was not close as you can see from my photos below! But at least we saw the bird whereas quite a few people had failed to do so over previous weeks.
Black-browed Albatross - popularly known as "Albert". Sorry about the rubbish photos but he was a long way out. The scope views were OK though.
Gannets nesting on Staple Newk
A pair of Gannets preening each other, showing a strong bond.
The short video clip below is of the two birds above showing a strong pair bond.
We left Bempton Cliffs mid-morning and headed to Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire, which was roughly on the way home. It also had been home to a Pacific Golden Plover over the past few days! It took over two hours to get there.
On arriving we found the car park almost full so there were plenty of birders on site. We checked in at the information centre and were amazed by the large number of waders in view. There were hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits and Knot, many of which were is partial summer plumage. Also on view were plenty of Avocet, Dunlin, Lapwing, Common Sandpiper and Ruff.
Keen to see the Pacific Golden Plover we soon walked towards the sea wall to view the field where the Plover was. It did not disappoint and was on view all of the time we were there. In the nearby pools we had very close up views of a Wood Sandpiper, Avocets, Little Ringed Plovers, a Snipe and about 100 Dunlin (see video clip).
We then moved up onto the sea wall to view some of the other pools and picked up Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Greenshank, Oystercatcher and a Whimbrel, the latter on the seaward side of the wall. In the distance there were a group of at least eight Spoonbills.
On the way back to the car park we stopped off at the visitor centre for another look (and a coffee) and added Green Sandpiper to our wader list. This list ended up at 17 which was pretty good but with a bit more time we could have explored the hides on the reserve and increased on this.
Pacific Golden Plover - Showing some of the key ID features of this species. The video clip below has clearer views.
A short video clip of three of the birds seen at Frampton Marsh, including the Pacific Golden Plover
Avocet feeding close to the track.
Dunlin - Lots present feeding avidly.
A Dunlin with colour ring Yellow "CX1" Details of the origins of this bird will be added here in due course.
Black-tailed Godwit - A rubbish photo taken through glass at the information centre. White + White on right leg and Yellow over Orange on the left leg. Details of the origins will be added here in due course.
We were walking the dog at Jubilee River when I received a message to say that two Black-tailed Godwits were on the flood at Dorney Common. It was only a short way away, so a quick visit was called for. The finder Colin Barnes was just leaving when I arrived.
I visited a house at Wooburn Common with three other birding friends. We had been given permission to view a pair of Spotted Flycatchers that were breeding in the porch of the house. The birds have bred in the area for several years. The birds were feeding young so there was quite a bit of activity around the area by the two adults.
It was a big surprise to be told of two Long-eared Owls fledglings. I managed a late evening visit on 9th June and soon heard the "squeaky gate" calls of the young birds. Eventually they were located in some thick scrub. They continued to call for about 30 minutes before flying along a hedgerow that crossed the farmland. I have seen Long-eared Owls on several occasions but this is the first time I have seen birds that have recently left the nest!
Long-eared Owl - a juvenile appearing from the thick scrub.
A walk with the dog mid morning produced a bit of a surprise with a hunting Barn Owl. I soon lost it to view but on returning an hour or so later it was perched on the fence posts shown below. It was not the same individual that I saw a few days before.
This was in an area near Leyland, Lancs where there is extensive open farmland with plenty of rough grassland. Some derelict buildings from WW2 munitions production may well provide breeding sites.
Not too many other birds seen this morning but a pair of Yellowhammers copulating on the path in front of me will surely lead to successful breeding!
Barn Owl in prime habitat.
Barn Owl - perched on the same line of fence posts as the Little Owl on a previous posting.
Oystercatcher - This bird is actually sat on the wall of the local prison! They seem to like it more than the prisoners!
A pleasant mornings birding with my daughter Katherine. Firstly to Hesketh Out Marsh RSPB on the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire. Here we were greeted by quite a few Tree Sparrows but not easy to photograph. From the sea wall we scanned around but rather quiet when compared to the huge numbers of wildfowl in the winter months. A few Avocet, some Shelduck, a Little Egret and an obliging Reed Bunting were soon seen. A pair of Terns on one of the rafts appeared to be Arctic Terns but too distant to photograph. Apparently this species has bred here in recent years.
Our visit was cut short by the large numbers of biting midges which we had not expected!
Tree Sparrow - The only one close enough to photograph.
Reed Bunting - A smart male singing near the viewpoint.
Avocet - One of several present. There were several at Marshside also.
Then a short drive over to Marshside RSPB reserve. A lot more birds were present. A Merlin trying to snatch a prey item in front of the hide was unexpected. The long staying Glossy Ibis was also present but very distant and in tall grass, so no photos.
