1st May:
Within hours of returning from Wales I met up with Adrian
Kettle and headed up to Newmarket to meet Stuart for the trek to Leighton Moss
for the easy, early morning Little Bittern. Cobblers! We sat in that hide for
five hours with god knows how many other birders watching the mist and sun rise
to deliberately obscure our view. No vaguely smallish Bitterns were seen but
two rather large ones were and at least two others were booming. Tawny and
Little Owls were vocal and a pair of Marsh Harriers and some Bearded Tits were
seen while we waited. However,
compensation for me at least came in the sinuous form of two Otters once of
which was seen munching an Eel.
Having seemingly blown out, we headed north to Haweswater.
We took our time on the walk up to the cirque as it was shrouded in low cloud
but it gave us the chance to find many immaculate Pied Flycatchers and
Redstarts in the scattered Oaks and Ash while a couple of Wood Warblers trilled
from the canopy. Both Mergansers and Goosanders were on the lake below and Common
Sandpipers teetered around the edges. Grey Wagtail and Dipper were found on a
fast flowing stream.
Up at the hut the cloud was clearing and the Polish RSPB warden
picked out one of the Golden Eagles immediately for us as he sat on a cliff
face tree while the female could just be made out on the nest. The male then
took off and absolutely fabulous views were had of this 24 year old (older than
me) in all his shing golden headed glory. Merlin, female Hen Harrier and
Buzzard were all also seen as we turned to make the slow walk back down.
We stopped a small quarry somewhere off the M62 and got good
views of a male Peregrine and some Twite before a stop off the M6 heading south
for a fine male Ring-necked Duck.
Annoying the Little Bittern reappeared at 9pm that evening!
3rd May:
A very early start with Paul Whiteman to
get to Madehurst in Hampshire before the roosting White Stork departed. Fortunately it waited for us and we had superb
views both on the deck and in flight.
Only my second in the UK and judging by some of the ridiculous parking
quite a few others actually needed it!
Nine bonus Whimbrel drifted over.
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| departed. Fortunately it waited for us and we had superb views both on the |
A look off Selsey Bill and then Church Norton produced a few
smart waders that included Grey and Golden Plovers, Whimbrel, Knot and both Greenshank
and Spotted Redshank. There was no sign
of the Broad-billed Sandpiper. Thorney Island next to look for Little Egrets
and we saw three very well with two more in the distance. Seven Greenshank were
in the channels and Little Terns were hunting over the Little Deeps while a
male Scaup in the Great Deeps was a welcome year tick. Beardies pinged and Reed,
Sedge and Cetti’s Warblers were singing.
North again now to Pulborough Brooks were the Garganey were
absent but seven agile Hobbies rounded up the day.
6th May:
A pair and extra male Sparrowhawk were displaying over
Wanstead Park as I drove by on the North Circular.
8th May:
A morning trundle up to Belstead just south of Ipswich for a
male Red-headed Bunting and we were soon watching him hopping around close to
some houses. What a stunning bird. It
was un-ringed so who knows where it came from. [Eds: even if it was an escapee
it was undoubtedly a wild caught bird]
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| Red-headed Bunting |
9th May:
Another day, another Bunting, this time
a fine male Ortolan in Richmond Park that had bee elusively present for a
couple of days. He took two hours to
find but eventually we located him in the canopy feeding around the Oak
flowers. A disturbed Tawny Owl, lots of
Woodpeckers, Swifts and House Martins added interest along with the Red and Fallow Deer.
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| Ortolan |
10th May:
Gardening in Upminster produced a pair of hunting Hobbies,
Green Woodpeckers at the nest and a few Warblers.
15th May:
A casual potter up the A12 with Neil M and Simon S to
Trimley for a Semi-palmated Sandpiper that had been present for two days but
only confirmed late yesterday. We arrived after the lengthy walk in at 9.50
that nearly everyone had just left as they had not seen the bird and only a
funny Dunlin which was rather odd. However,
literally five minutes later someone said ‘ What’s that that just flew in?’ and
there it was, a rather smart summer plumaged adult. It only stayed for twenty minutes before departing
high over the docks never to be seen again. Months later controversy still
reigns over the Saturday sighting.
A few other waders were seen including Dunlin, Ruff, Avocet
and a smart Curlew Sandpiper while an invisible calling Wood Sandpiper was a
surprise. Little Terns were everywhere and Wall Butterflies were dotted along the
path as we walked back.
Back in Billericay we phoned Birdline and leapt back in the car
and shot off down to Fleet Pond in Hampshire for a male Citrine Wagtail. The weather was pants but thankfully cleared
as we arrived and within a few minutes this dapper first-summer male was found patrolling
the lake side mere feet away.
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| Citrine Wagtail |
There were many Common Terns and hirundines over the lake
while a strange bird being mobbed by them turned out to be a hepatic female
Cuckoo which obligingly perched up for a few moment although most of the
twitchers present were not interested in her.
Pleased with our luck we hit the M25 and headed for home.
23rd May:
An Oriental Pratincole had been present for nearly a week on
fields and paddocks in the east Norfolk village of Gimingham but I had not
dashed for it as I was lucky enough to see the 1988 bird at Elmley. As such Pete and I headed that way
mid-morning on the Sunday and after some frustration with heat haze the bird
flew to the paddocks and gave excellent views. Very inquisitive looking with beady
eyes. Some wonderful aerial displays
were given showing off the chestnut underwings, lack of white trailing edge and
short tail streamers to great effect. A
Quail quipped from the adjacent field.
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| Oriental Pratincole |
We opted for a homebound route via Minsmere which was packed
but we did see the plumed head of a Spoonbill and three Sanderling (somehow a
year tick) seen. Marsh Harriers quartered but the Savi’s Warbler did not sing. The rest of the day was spent failing to see
a Red-backed Shrike between Sizewell and the Sluice bushes.
27th May:
An afternoon pop down to Elmley for a Great Reed Warbler
that sang well and gave sporadic views in its chosen ditch. It was actually
seen best in flight! Yellow Wagtails
buzzard about.
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| Great Reed Warbler |
29th May:
After much faffing about Pete and I got to The Naze where
the male Red-headed Bunting was still present on the undercliff. It was immaculate
and if anything brighter green above and slightly duller on the rump. It was lumbering around in the Nettles at the
base of a slum and was not approachable at all and often disappeared for a few
minutes before coming back out and sunning itself on the exposed sand! If ever
a bird had goo credentials it was this one with a back up cast of numerous
Black-headed Buntings, an Oriental Pratincole, Desert Warbler and various other
Eastern goodies and of course the bird of tomorrow…
 |
| Red-headed Bunting - in case you were wondering RHB is on my personal list |
A look in at Rye Meads gave me a chance to catch up with the
territorial male Marsh Warbler and I am pretty sure that we had a brown Common
Rosefinch moving through the Willows…
30th May:
A catastrophically bad afternoon where dithering resulted in
us dipping the Pacific Swift at Cley by just a few precious minutes. At least we were in the company of hundreds
of others who had missed out by the end of the evening. I could have had four life ticks that weekend
if things had worked out. We did see two
male Garganey and a Temminck’s Stint but they were not ample compensation for
the Swift. To make it worse the Desert Warbler was still on Blakeney but out of
reach as no one wanted to leave Cley just in case. Oh well there tends to be
one mega dip a year so let’s hope that they Swift was it!
[Eds: It was to take
20 years and two weeks to get Pacific Swift back and although my twitching days
were sparse by then even I made the effort to lay this one to rest!]
