Leighton Moss

I love Leighton Moss, but not usually on a Saturday. RSPB Reserves on a Saturday are always a dichotomy. I think its great so many people want to interact with nature, and the RSPB certainly help them do that. But, when all I want is to do a bit of birding they can be purgatory on a weekend. However! Leighton Moss had a bird I wanted to see - an American Wigeon, so I reckoned if I was up and out early enough, I could beat the crowds, see the bird and be gone before most casual visitors arrived.

It wasn't a great start as I turned the alarm off at 06.30am and promptly went back to sleep, only to wake up 30 mins later cursing. Still, I was on the road by 07:30 and around an hour later I was on the car park. I grabbed my gear together and headed off for the Lower Hide where the bird was last reported from. The walk down was pretty quiet; there was the usual gaggle of 'togs' at the grit trays, hogging the best viewing spot - I don't think they've moved since I was last here in spring. They really should think about moving as I heard several Bearded Tits 'pinging' close to the path on the way up to the hide, and I'm pretty sure if I'd spent five more minutes looking I'd have seen them. But, I was on a mission so, made a mental note to take my time on the way back.

When I arrived at Lower Hide I was the only person in there. A quick look out of the windows provided a potential reason for that. The pool was covered in mist and viewing was down to perhaps 50m max. So it was a case of sitting and waiting. A few other birders came and went and slowly the mist cleared. When it cleared enough to see the back of the pool there was only me in the hide, so I had the joy of finding, and enjoying, the American Wigeon on my own. It really stood out more than I expected - the creamy-buff forehead was like a beacon in the gloom left behind after the mist. Eventually it showed really well, and a few more birders turned up to enjoy it too.

The view from Lower Hide  just as the American Wigeon decided to show. The Wigeon is in this photograph - If I could work out how to put an arrow on I'd point it out!

Other entertainment was provided by a showy Water Rail and a few fleeting glimpses of a Bearded Tit. It was also nice to see lots of Pintail too, probably more than I've seen here ever before I think. Sadly the weather and the distances involved meant that photographs with the DSLR were pretty much impossible, and phonescoping was out of the question because I forgot to take my hide clamp!!

I had a quick mooch from the causeway hide on the way back and ticked off the Great White Egret, and was surprised to see at least three stoats crossing the path. The gaggle of photographers were still at the grit trays, some three hours later. They have patience I'll give them that. Two more Great White Egrets were on show at Lillian's Hide, along with another Water Rail, Little Egrets for comparison with their larger relatives, plus another shed-full of Teal, Eurasian Wigeon and Pintail. It was also getting rather busy so I decided to leave.

On the way out I checked out the Optics stand that the RSPB had put on for a few hours. The new Leica Noctivid were there and I couldn't resist a look. If I can work out a way of acquiring a pair without the Mrs murdering me I think I might be tempted - they are very, very good.

I was back home by 13.00 and after a bite to eat I took the dog round the local patch which was pretty quiet. Half a dozen snipe over and a few thrushes pretty much summed it up. I am convinced that one day I will find a real good rarity though.

Eastern Promises Fulfilled

I was off on my annual autumn visit to Spurn for three days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week with my mate Rob. As anyone with an interest in birds will know, the last few weeks have been amazing for birds! A high pressure over Scandinavia has produced consistent easterly winds and perfect conditions for migrants leaving the northern continent and heading south. The week before last I headed over to Bempton Cliffs for the Eastern Crowned Warbler and ended up bagging three lifers, all cracking birds plus an excellent supporting cast, all due to this weather system. So, with the weather still looking fantastic, it was with great anticipation that we set out at 05:30 on Wednesday morning.

We arrived at Spurn at around 08:00 having beaten the traffic. Ominously the radio was quiet. There had been Woodchat Shrike, Pallas's Warbler and Red-flanked Bluetail the day before, but nothing on the radio today. So, we dumped our gear in the 'Obs' and decided to go for a mooch around the triangle. About half an hour later news came through that the Woodchat Shrike was showing again. This would be a British tick for both of us, so it was off to tramp down to the point. The walk itself isn't too bad except for across the soft sand of the breach. It was made more entertaining by the many Goldcrests that were showing down to a few inches in places, and a few Mealy Redpolls dotted around; the latter also a lifer for Rob.

Goldcrest

We arrived at the point after a 3/4 hr walk and headed for the Parade ground where the bird had been reported. There were several birders around who said the bird had disappeared and hadn't been seen for a while. Just then I noticed a friend and Spurn regular who was doing some ringing so caught him up for a chat and to see if he had any more info. Basically the bird was showing in a hawthorn bush, but birders consistently approached too close to it and kept spooking it. We decided to wait and see if the birders moved off and went for a mooch in the point bushes. Unfortunately about 20 minutes later the sky opened and it started pouring down, meaning birds just disappeared into the cover. So, it was back to the parade ground where we hoped the weather might have shifted a few people on. It hadn't, but those that were left were well away from the bush, sheltering themselves. Suddenly a birder picked the bird up as it flew low across the parade ground back into its favoured bush. It was really skulking and disappeared again, but 5 minutes later I picked it out again as it flew to another bush where it showed well for the next half hour or so.

Woodchat Shrike

So, after filling our boots it was a yomp back to the Obs for something to eat. After lunch we headed out to Kilnsea Wetlands. There were still a few heavy showers about, and the easterly wind was strengthening so passerines were hard to come by and we reckoned that the hide on the wetlands might be the best bet to see a few birds and remain sheltered. In the hide we met another regular and got chatting. I mentioned I'd seen a large flock of Golden Plover and he decided to go and check them through, having missed an American Golden Plover at Spurn last year in a similar flock. We sat around a bit longer watching the Greenshank (a Spurn tick for me) and then headed back to the Obs. Five minutes from the Obs a message came over the radio that he'd found a juvenile American Golden Plover, so it was a dash to the car and then off to see the bird. To be honest it wasn't the best view. The bird was distant, was back on and well hunkered down in what was a stiff wind, and it only occasionally lifted and turned its head. It was clearly smaller and greyer than the other birds, but not as distinctive as I'd expected. 

Day two dawned uninspiringly. The wind was still strong, and squally showers didn't encourage us. But, we headed out towards Sammies to cover the lanes, reckoning that any migrants would be seeking the shelter behind or in the hedges and feeding on sheltered field margins. We counted a good number of Redwings, Song Thrushes, Robins and Fieldfares and then a shout came of a Radde's Warbler near Sammies car park. A lifer for Rob and a bird I've not seen in a long while. Unfortunately despite hanging around in some horizontal rain showers, and the bird being re-found, albeit away from its original spot, in a seemingly confined area, it did a disappearing act.

We headed back for some lunch, calling at Easington Cemetery en-route where we counted loads of Bramblings, a Common Redstart and multiple Robins. After lunch we headed out round the Triangle. We only got as far as the Churchyard where we spent some time as it was sheltered, when I found a Pallas's Warbler. It wasn't a new bird, but it was my first 'self found' so I was feeling pleased with myself when a couple of regulars turned up to have a look at it. Then all hell broke loose.

A radio message from Lance Degnan went something like this (whispered): "All birders, listen carefully. I've got a Siberian Accentor at the back of the old School House on Vicars Lane!" That's as much as I heard as we all just ran. I totally forgot about Rob who, never having experienced anything like this before, was, I think, quite bemused. I suddenly realised my car was a few minutes away at the Obs and, I had no idea where I was going, so I just shouted to ask Adam, a regular, for a lift. Thankfully Rob and I, plus a couple of others all managed to get in the car and raced off to see the bird. We were there within 10 minutes of the call going out and, well, WOW!

For a relative of our lowly Dunnock this bird was a stunner and very obliging, feeding down to less than 20 feet away. A second for Britain, first for the mainland, British tick for everyone there I think (don't think anyone twitched the Shetland bird) - and a lifer even for some of those who keep world lists.

Siberian Accentor



I rattled off hundreds of shots and am still going through them. There are better out there on the internet, but these will do me fine!! There was much celebrating later on in the Obs and in the Crown and Anchor!

Next morning saw Rob and I volunteering to help manage the crowds that turned up. Rob collecting donations and me parking cars to try to prevent birders causing chaos in the village. We were busy from 06:30 until about 09:30 when it seemed to calm down so we went back to the Obs for a bite to eat and a brew. I had started to come down with a cold and was really feeling it, and Kilnsea and the whole area was crawling with birders - crowds for a Firecrest and Yellow-browed Warbler sort of summed it up. I really didn't feel like spending the day dodging crowds so asked Rob if he minded leaving early. Thankfully he was ok with that, but just then a Dusky Warbler was caught and was being shown in Church Field. We went for a look, and this more than anything confirmed that I'd be leaving sooner rather than later. There must have been 200 birders queuing to see it. On the plus side it added even more funds to the Observatory coffers.

Firecrest and Yellow-browed Warbler Crowd

Its easy to get side-tracked by the rarities on a visit like this, but the commoner stuff is great too. The number of Bramblings was probably the most I've ever seen anywhere, Ring Ouzels and Shorelark as supporting cast just goes to show what an amazing place Spurn can be.

 Siskin

 Brambling

 Song Thrush

East Coast Gems

I had been watching the recent weather intently. As a birder you're always interested in the weather and it had looked good the last few days with a high pressure over Scandinavia producing great migration conditions, and a few rarities around the country showed that birds were moving. I was partly watching the forecast in dread too; I'm off to Spurn next week and I'm praying that if the high pressure stays it doesn't all 'happen' before I get there, and if it moves off I don't want to be there in a westerly or north westerly. Anyway, the rarities kept cropping up along the east coast and I've been sat watching jealously, so when a colleague at work said he was off to the east coast on Thursday (yesterday) and asked if I fancied it I nearly bit his hand off. I just had to make a few calls to get meetings re-organised and I was sorted. I was in work on Wednesday and news started trickling through of even more good birds - Eastern Crowned Warbler, Greenish Warbler and the Black-Browed Albatross at Bempton RSPB, Whites Thrush on Holy Island, Red-flanked Bluetail and Little Bunting at Spurn, plus Yellow-browed Warblers pretty much everywhere. I was like a kid at Christmas and couldn't wait, as several of my work colleagues pointed out.

05:30 on Thursday and I was on my way, and being chauffeured by Dermot. The first time in years I haven't had to drive over to that side of the country so that was an added bonus. As we crossed the Pennines I was keeping an eye on the news so we could finalise our day. We were definitely going for the Eastern Crowned Warbler (ECW) and were considering going for the White's Thrush on Holy Island too, but were trying to remain flexible. At about 08:20 we turned into the car park at Bempton. There were already plenty of cars around and a few birders walking towards the scrubby area at the side of the new Seabird Centre. We quickly joined them and learned that the bird had been showing quite well already, so took up position just outside the canopy. Sure enough after about 10 minutes the bird appeared and what a cracker. I can understand how, with only brief views, someone could mistake this for an Arctic Warbler, but with a good view this bird is so distinctive. In some lights the head was almost black and the faint greyish crown stripe was easily picked out. The bird was very active and moved around constantly and my attempts to photograph it failed miserably. I did however manage a nice shot of a Tree Sparrow!! There was also a huge number of Chiffchaffs in the bushes with a nice array of plumages on display, from buff to green, small medium and large superciliums, they were all on display. A nice Brambling that had obviously just arrived was also a nice addition to the list.

Tree Sparrow

After watching the ECW for a while we mooched around the reserve, a quick look on the sea proved fruitless, mainly because it was so breezy I couldn't keep the scope still, but there were still plenty Gannets and Fulmars close in to provide a bit of entertainment. We were heading back to the car when reports came through of a Bluethroat on the coastal path so we headed back to see if we could see it. It was eventually pinned down between two crowds and I managed reasonable views of a first winter/juvenile type bird. I was amazed so many people had rushed to see it, probably just due to the number of people on site for the ECW, anyway, it was enough to encourage us to leave. The White's Thrush had done a disappearing act, so it was off to Flamborough for the Taiga Bean Goose. A quick word about Bempton Cliffs RSPB. There has been a tremendous amount of work done since I was last here in 2014. The new seabird centre is a huge improvement on what was there before, the paths around the reserve have been massively improved too as has the car park. Go check it out.

We picked up the Taiga Bean Goose quite quickly, and even though it was distant we got good views of the distinguishing features. We then had a quick debate about what to do next. Nothing new had come up on twitter so we decided that Spurn had to be a good option and set off. We'd just called for fuel in Hornsea when I had a twitter alert that an Arctic Warbler had turned up back at Bempton. A quick debate and we were heading back to Bempton. Once again we skidded into the car park, except this time we were in the overspill there were so many birders on site. We grabbed our gear and headed off in the opposite direction to the crowd still looking at the ECW. We had only just got our scopes set up when someone called a Warbler in the hedgerow. Thankfully I managed to get on it quite quickly and had an eyepiece full of what to me was clearly an Arctic Warbler. The bird flitted around in a couple of Willows then disappeared. About five minutes later a.n.other warbler appeared on top of a small Hawthorn, closer than where the first warbler had been but in the same area. I didn't get on this one, but some people said this wasn't an Arctic Warbler, more likely a Greenish. Several birders then had a lengthy debate about what had actually been seen. Both Dermot and myself were sure we had seen Arctic Warbler, as was another friend who we met on site, who also happens to be an excellent birder. After some debate the two bird theory seemed to explain it and seeing as neither bird was showing we moved back to the ECW where it was showing ridiculously well and I managed some great (for me) photos of it, along with a couple of other birds.

 Eastern Crowned Warbler

 

 Eastern Crowned Warbler

 

 Eastern Crowned Warbler

 

 Eastern Crowned Warbler

 

  Chiffchaff

 

 

 Redwing

 

 Tree Sparrow

 

We decided to have one last look over the sea before leaving. It was still breezy, and still almost impossible to hold the scope steady. Instead I watched the Gannets which just seemed to be enjoying flying in the stiff breeze. At one point just about every Gannet on the cliffs headed out to sea in one movement. It was quite breath-taking. The photo below doesn't do it justice as it was a quick snap on my mobile but it was a great way to end the day.

 

 

Leasowe

So, the forecast for today wasn't great, but the tide was a 9m + at midday and I really fancied getting out to the coast. I thought about heading off to Parkgate or the North Wirral foreshore but I discovered that the Wirral Wader festival was on today. Nothing at all against this, in fact I think its great, but I just fancied a quiet day out and the thought of loads of people didn't encourage me. To be fair I could have gone to Parkgate as the event only started there in the evening, but I had seen reports of some decent seabirds off the northern coastline and I fancied a chance at seeing some of these with some decent wader numbers. So, I decided to head to the gun site at Leasowe as this wasn't  mentioned at all in the festival venues and it was where the reports of Leach's Petrel and Pomarine Skuas had been from. I've never been to this particular site before so had no idea what to expect.

When I arrived I was instantly happy with my choice. As well as being able to park (for free) so I could sit on the back of my car and look right onto the beach, there was also some great scrub habitat immediately inland that looked promising.

                                              Looking straight out towards the wind farm

                                             Looking North East towards New Brighton

I arrived at around 08:30 with high tide due at midday, so I spent the first couple of hours bush bashing in the scrub between the beach and golf course. Although it looked promising there was very little on show except for a lonely Chiffchaff and the usual Tits, Blackbirds and a few finches. There were however hundreds of Meadow Pipits streaming over. They were coming in on a broad front all across the coastline so impossible to count, but it was an impressive movement.

As the tide started to rise I set up behind the car. There were plenty of Oystercatchers and quite a few small mixed flocks of waders batting around, and a few Oystercatchers and Redshanks had started to roost up on the rocks just off the beach. There was also a good number of Sandwich Terns present, later joined by a few Common Terns. The pictures below are a bit dark as they were phonescoped at full zoom on the phone and by this time the weather had turned a bit grim!

A nice adult Arctic Skua was one of the birds I had hoped for, as was a Red-throated Diver, but it was really nice to see the latter sat on the sea a few hundred metres off the beach, a pleasant change from seeing them half a mile out and by far the best view I've had of one of these in ages. The photos again aren't the best and the view through the scope were much better.

                                                               Red-throated Diver

One of the most extraordinary things I saw today was what I assume was a truly huge flock of Common Scoter. I knew that there was a big number regularly seen off Holyake but this was way more than I'd imagined. There were thousands and thousands, not to mention the many flocks of 10 - 20 birds that were scattered as far as you could see. It was truly spectacular, I just wish I'd been closer.

Anyway, by midday the rain had really set in and after another hour I gave up. However I really enjoyed this spot and will probably be visiting regularly.