Spurn Week 2

Spurn Day 8 - Wednesday 30^th August

After the high of yesterday evening I awoke with great anticipation of many migrants. I was, however, over optimistic as the numbers of birds had gone down rather than up. Early morning ringing before the rain set in produced a Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Wren and a Reed Warbler. The latter was without doubt the highlight, the feathers were so incredibly soft to touch. After the rain and a rather intense nap I headed out and round the triangle. Sadly though there was nothing to gain from this, as the numbers of migrants were still well down. A handful of Willow Warblers and a single Wheatear were just about all that I could muster. I ended my walk by finally having a look at the Black Redstart at Sandy Beaches caravan park. It was not a showy bird, and remained extremely elusive.

Spurn Day 8 - Thursday 31^st August

Mornings are now spent in Churchfield with Paul, learning to handle birds. Once again though there was not a huge number of birds present. Tree Sparrows were once again the most common birds we caught, plus a few Willow Warblers and other odd bits and pieces. Just as we were wrapping up news broke of a Pectoral Sandpiper on Kilnsea Wetlands. I rushed off to try and see it, by the time I got there though the single bird had become two Pectoral Sandpipers. Sadly both were distant and I was unable to get any decent photos. That being said, I was able to get nice views through the scope. I returned to the Wetlands in the evening, but in between I took on the challenge of the point. As per there were not many birds to be seen down there, just a few Lesser Whitethroats and a couple of Stonechats. By evening only one Pectoral Sandpiper remained, but there were a few nice Ruff to see, Curlew Sandpiper plus a few wildfowl.

-Pectoral Sandpiper

Spurn Day 9 - Friday 1^st September

The mornings ringing was slow! We caught a few bits and pieces, the highlight being a Woodpigeon. I was impressed by the strength of the bird, even despite Pauls warning, it managed to wriggle out from grasp. Another Reed Warbler was also nice. We finished up at midday, at which point I collapsed into a very deep nap. Once I had awoken I tried to bird the triangle but there remained a distinct lack of new birds in. The best of it was a juvenile Cuckoo, which will probably be the last I see this year.

Spurn Day 10 - Saturday 2^nd September

Ringing was even slower than what it had been the previous days. Still, we caught four Tree Sparrows and three Great Tits. A Sparrowhawk was in the net but it wriggled out before we had got to it. Once again we wrapped up at around midday. We reopened the nets later in the afternoon but still struggled to catch anything. Still, it was a nice sunny day and pleasant to be outside just chilling.

Spurn Day 11 - Sunday 3^rd September

The morning was spent photocopying, with no birds at all being caught in the nets. After which, I headed up to the Wetlands following the news that the Pectoral Sandpiper was right in front of the hide. Unfortunately when I arrived the bird had once more flown to the back of the wetlands. The Curlew Sandpiper was still around though and showed quite nicely in front of the hide. My afternoon was spent strimming and working on the garden, before a quick evening jaunt up to the wetlands following the news that a Bittern had dropped into the reedbeds up that way. Bittern would have been a Spurn tick for me, so I was pretty chuffed when the bird did a couple of close flybys around the ponds before it roosted in the reeds.

-Bittern

Spurn Day 12 - Monday 4^th September

The wind remained somewhat unfavourable for large numbers of migrants, but there was a light scattering of a few migrants, plus some really nice birds around. The morning started with the first Barred Warbler of the autumn, which was trapped at the warren. It was rather fidgety in the hand and not overly cooperative. Once released it went straight back into the Heligoland trap like an absolute muppet.

We then began our quest to try and capture the Purple Sandpiper at the breach. It was one of the most ridiculously tame birds I have ever seen, coming far too close for my camera, but unfortunately eluded capture on both attempts we made to net it. I was still able to get a few nice photos of it, frame filling with no crop required.

Between attempts to capture the Purple Sandpiper a juv Red-necked Phalarope was found on Kilnsea Wetlands. It was a rather stunning bird, but remained distant for most of the time we were watching it. There was a short period where it flew a lot nearer to the hide in the company of a small Dunlin flock, which it was frequently harassing.

The day finished up after the final attempt to net the Purple Sandpiper, when a Citrine Wagtail was found on Kilnsea Wetlands. It was right in front of the hide in the company of a small group of Pied Wagtails. It showed very nicely and I was able to get a few photos. Another Spurn tick in the bag, a species which is now nearly annual at Spurn! An amazing end to a day which, on the face of it, really did not promise much!

-Barred Warbler

-Barred Warbler

-Citrine Wagtail

Tuesday 5^th September

The mornings ringing was still pretty decent today, although there was not a great deal of variety in the catch; mainly Tree Sparrows with a few Phyloscs thrown in for good measure. Most of the day was spent trying to catch the extremely bold Purple Sandpiper at the breach. Sadly we were unable to catch it, but the bird itself more than made up for it, showing incredibly close. It was too close for my lens as it happened, but I was still able to get some nice shots which I am very happy with. 

-Purple Sandpiper

Species List:

Spurn Bird Obs: Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Cormorant, Hobby, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Bittern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greenshank. Common Redshank, Ruff, Pectoral Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Black Tern, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, Little Gull, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Woodpigeon, Collard Dove, Feral Pigeon, Short-eared Owl, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin, Redstart, Black Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Wren, Dunnock, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Barred Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Rook, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Migrant Hawker, Ruddy Darter, Common Darter, Common Emerald Damselfly, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Small Heath, Common Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, Small White, Green-veined White, 

Old Moor RSPB

With going to Spurn in less than a week, I have been very busy packing and saying goodbyes to people at Uni. However, when the news broke that the Old Moor little bittern had returned from last year I decided to make a move and try and finally get it.

In the six hours I waited on site I once again failed to spot the bird. Largely through a mixture of bad luck, but also a lack of communication from birders who had seen it and in some way my own blind incompetence. Anyway, whatever the case, I once again failed to see it, now accumulating to a grand total of 16 hours spent on this bird.

I arrived at the reserve to the astonishing news that the reserve had not opened early, as I had assumed, so my bad. I therefore had two hours before I could commence looking for the little bittern. I wandered along to Bolton Ings where I was able to pass the time by finally, finally yearticking Green Woodpecker and getting fantastic views of a Barn Owl.

-Barn Owl

Once inside the reserve I set up at the wildlife watchpoint, figuring that the bittern hide would be too full and sweaty and that from the watchpoint I would be able to get a more prolonged view of the bird when it flew past. Hahaha. That failed to happen as it somehow snuck past the watchpoint at every opportunity. However, the Bittern did show very well, with numerous close flybys throughout the morning and then early afternoon one landed in the reed-beds next to me, allowing me fantastic views of the bird bitterning before it settled down to feed.

-Bittern

It was a pleasant enough, if ultimately very dissapointing day. The year-ticking of Green Woodpecker is long overdue though, and offers some consolation. 

Species List:

Old Moor RSPB: Black-headed Gull, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackbird, Tree Sparrow, Coot, Moorhen, Great Tit, Bittern, Mute Swan, Green Woodpecker, Wren, Common Tern, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Swallow, Swift, House Martin, Dunnock, Whitethroat, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Great-crested Grebe, Barn Owl, Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Redshank, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Long-tailed Tit, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Greylag Goose, Reed Bunting, Peregrine,

Blacktoft Sands RSPB

With nothing else on the cards I decided to go and get the Monties at Blacktoft for my yearlist. That plan failed as the bird did not show in the two hours I waited. The staff member present said it had been seen up river and there had flown south, maybe she had given up waiting for the male. Either way, I diddnt see it...

Birds I did see more than made up for it though. The Bittern put on quite a show, more so that the photo would suggest. Through the scope I got great views, but was more content to watch it rather than photograph it. I at least have a record shot for the year now...

-Bittern

There were so many Bearded Tits. Obviously this is the site where they are well known, but in the past I have hardly seen any. Today they were flying everywhere. Whilst scanning the reedbed they would frequently fly across the view. A Cuckoo flew close past the hide, and a Peregrine flew over. But perhaps the best bird was a self found Hobby. Sadly it did not come close and I quickly lost it, although other birders were able to stay on it for much longer. Overall a very enjoyable days birding despite the obvious miss. 

Species List:
Blacktoft Sands RSPB: Bittern, Bearded Tit, Swift, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Great-crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Woodpigeon, Little Egret, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Sedge Warbler, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Marsh Harrier, Gadwall, Coot, Reed Bunting, Avocet, Mallard, Tree Sparrow, Cuckoo, Grey Heron, Pochard, Mute Swan, Peregrine, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Hobby, Cormorant, Sparrowhawk,

Old Moor RSPB

With nothing worth twitching turned up around I decided to make my first trip to Old Moor of the year, in the hope of seeing a Bittern. As a result, as soon as I arrived I headed to the Bittern Hide. I had not waited long when the Bittern, which had obviously been somewhere behind the hide, flew round right in front of us, giving me one of my best ever views of this species. It had a stream of angry gulls following its tail until it dropped down in the reeds. I did not have the camera out so I was able to just watch it, but obviously it does mean no photos. I did see the Bittern again when I was in the Wader Scrape Hide, as it flew past more distantly and much higher up, but again no photos. Still, its been over a year since my last Bittern so I was pretty thrilled with that.

I had also got myself a new attachment for my scope to hopefully aid with my digiscoping. Today was its first time out. Its a bit fiddly but helps prevent shaking when trying to take photos and I'm looking forward to taking it with me on twitches. Its fortunate that there were plenty of birds to take photos of today...

-Mediterranean Gull

-Little Ringed Plover 

-Avocet

Overall it was mainly common species on the agenda today but I got a good list gathered and Bittern is my 190th species on the yearlist this year. Its keeping it ticking over very nicely.

Species List:

Old Moor RSPB: Black-headed Gull, Great Tit, Gadwall, Moorhen, Swift, Swallow, Mallard, Kestrel, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Great-crested Grebe, Coot, Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Pochard, Bittern, Robin, House Martin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sand Martin, Common Tern, Carrion Crow, Common Buzzard, Redshank, Mute Swan, Pheasant, Lapwing, Linnet, Oystercatcher, Little Grebe, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Blackbird, Mediterranean Gull, Avocet, Shoveler, Little Ringed Plover, Jay, Grey Heron, Bullfinch, Collard Dove, Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, 

Fairburn Ings

My time at uni is drawing near to an end for good for the summer. Since it is 'Le tour' this weekend I decided to make today my final major birding trip due to the number of road closures over the weekend. I decided to try a new site, for public transport at least, by going to Fairburn Ings RSPB. Its a site where I have had mixed fortunes before, dipping smew 3 years in a row, but I had not been for some time.

Reports showed that there were 2 spoonbills on site, that had been around for some time, which was the main reason I thought to go and have a look, but the glossy ibis that has been roving around west and South Yorkshire had recently made it is home. As a result I decided to head over that way to enjoy my last bit of proper first year birding.

Despite its steep train fare I did not have to get a bus, as I can walk to the site from Castleford, so that was a major bonus. Once out of the town you follow the canal for a short distance before going onto the RSPB land.

It was walking along the canal that I had Mallard, Swallow and Mute Swan on the canal and woodpigeon on the overhead cables over the hedge. Or so I thought. I don't really know what inspired me to check out this so obvious woodpigeon on the wires, but for some reason I gave it a thorough inspection. It was difficult from my range, and my head secretly wanted turtle dove, so I allowed myself all kinds of thoughts. When I managed to get a decent view through the bins I immediately noticed a lack of white round the neck. Woodpigeon no more. I still struggled to make anything out with my bins though, so got the camera and grabbed a record shot. I could not believe my eyes when I had a look, it was a Cuckoo, chilling on the wires. I got closer until I was right in front of it, the hedge providing a suitable hide. Its my first good shots of a Cuckoo landed, and it is also one of my best self finds. To find a Cuckoo at this time of year, on a site not reknown for its cuckoos, is something pretty special. I was well pleased with myself. I had a good look through the bins, before taking some shots and then going for the bins again. But it was between the transition of camera to bins that the bird moved off, as it was no longer there when I looked up again. I don't know where it went, but it made my day, and it was not even lunchtime.  

-Cuckoo

I continued onto the reserve, and decided to first call in at Lin Dyke Hide, as that was where the ibis and spoonbills were most frequently recorded. As I left the riverbank and headed up towards the hide I noticed 2 large white birds circling near the farm in the distance. Of course my first thought was swans, but through the bins I could see that they were not swans, they were in fact the Spoonbills that I had come to see. The scope was in my bag, and through the bins there was not much to make out except for their long neck and broad wings and tail. I grabbed a ton of record shots of the birds, since I had no idea what their next move would be, and good thing too, as they quickly dropped down below the tree line. They are my 17th lifer this year, and a bird I have long wanted to see. Sadly because of distance I could not make out the bills properly, but I had hope that over the course of the day I would find them again.

-Spoonbills

Now I was really buzzing and it was about to get even better. Not much further up than from where I saw the spoonbills I noticed a large bird fly towards me over the reeds to the right of the hide. It was clearly a heron and because the neck was tucked in from such a low flight I identified it as a bittern. A quick check with the bins showed I was right, but it also showed that the bird was coming towards me. I grabbed the camera due to the potential of some great shots, just in time for the bird to gain altitude and fly right over me. Great shots? you bet, it was without doubt the greatest view of a bittern I have ever had, beating even those birds that I have seen landed. I think it would only be right to let the pictures do the talking.

-Bittern

The bittern flew over the path and then was lost behind the trees. I had barely made it on site and already it was one of the best days birding this year, and that is saying something. I made it to the hide without further incident, but that's not saying much due to the short distance. I began looking for the ibis, or to see if the spoonbills had landed. The latter had not and the former was not to be seen. I did not want to ask other birders, as it removed some of the pride from any sighting, but from tactical eavesdropping I learned that it was in a pool just up the path.

From the hide there was good stuff to find, including many waterfowl; Common Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and more Mute Swans. On the banks there were Lapwing, Redshank with a well grown chick and a few Little Egrets, which were showing really well. After some continued searching I found a few Little Ringed Plover on an island quite far out, and was going to announce them with pride, when I noticed a small bird right in front of the hide have a stretch. There had been a Little Ringed Plover with a well grown chick right in front of the hide all along, and nobody had noticed. They were even close enough to get some decent record shots.

-Little Ringed Plover

After my stay in the hide I decided to head up to check out the Ibis and see if it showing. I saw the small cluster of birders on the path, but could not see the bird due to the hedge. I saw the pool next and was shocked by how close it was to the path, as in really close. There were also about 10 Little Egrets on the pond, which being so close and so unfazed looked absolutely great, the best views I can ever recall having.

After a short while the ibis raised its head, it had been feeding at the back out of view. It was moving closer though, but keeping to the reeds and sedges, making it difficult to photo, or even see. This is of course the same bird that I twitched at Wombwell Ings, before exams and all that fun. That seems so long ago, and compared to how close the bird was currently seems completely independant of this encounter.

While I waited upon the ibis to yield a great view I noticed a pair of Whitethroat that had been moving around the hedge in front, probably disturbed by the small cluster of birders. I decided to back off to avoid causing them more harassment. Once back the birds started landing in very nice positions for a photo of Whitethroat for this year.

-Whitethroat

As I had mentioned before there were many Little Egrets all showing well. While photographing the Whitethroat I had noticed to my horror that my camera battery was very very low. Even so, I decided it was too good and opportunity to miss, so took a few photos of the egrets while they were in nice positions.

-Little Egret

But of course, the bird of the hour was the ibis. After waiting a little while it decided to finally come out and show itself in all its glory. It was a different perspective to the view I had got at Wombwell, here really highlighting the grey streaks on its head and the the green and purple sheen on the bird. It carried out all kinds of behavior, mainly feeding but also preening which was a different perspective of the bird.

-Glossy Ibis

I got so many better pictures of the Ibis than before, the fourth awesome bird that I have seen already today. After a while I decided to move on to try and re-find the Spoonbills further up the reserve. I had initially decided to walk along the river, but the spoonbills had changed that and I decided to walk along the road to see if I could find them further up.

Before the road I added Willow Warbler to my day list, and Wren too, which was singing with great gusto from the hedge. Once on the road the birds naturally declined. Overlooking the Spoonbill Flash I did not get many additions as most of the birds could be seen from the hide. However, there were some ducks resting hidden next to the road which I failed to see due to me being distracted by a Sedge Warbler. One of the ducks was a Pochard female, which I took a couple of photos of due to it being so close.

-Female Pochard

I continued along the road, reaching the area that overlooks the moat. However, the spoonbills could not been seen. What did impress me were the number of Cormorants. They were everywhere, on the trees, on the bank, in the water even flying overhead. I was very surprised by how many there were.

I moved off and entered the car park area of the reserve. I first headed down to the main bay lookout point near the car park to see if there was anything there, as there has been some decent stuff in the past. Today it was very quiet though, mainly eclipse mallards. There was also a female Mandarin which was different, a lovely male reed bunting giving it Gusto from the reedbed and a couple of Common Terns hunting out over the bay.

After a short stay at the feeding station my next call was the Pickup Hide for lunch. On the feeding station there were Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows, nothing particularly unusual, nor were there any willow tits which I really wanted to see.

Fortunately at the Pickup Hide there was a Willow Tit, a very aggressive individual that was chasing all other birds on the feeders. Besides that there was not much about. The Sand Martin wall in front of the hide was quite busy, with a few birds drifting in and out at regular intervals. There were also about 5 Avocet on the bank, I am informed a pair with chicks. A Stock Dove also joined in at one point for a drink, but it was very quiet. I tried for some record shots of the Willow Tit but it was very dark and they did not come out well. Never mind.

-Willow Tit

-Tree Sparrow

Once I had moved on from Pickup I decided to take a look at the hide overlooking the main bay before returning to Lin Dyke via the river. In that hide there was not much, but there were good numbers of Great-Crested Grebes on the lake, most of which were sleeping. On the way to the hide I also picked up Chiff-Chaff and Long-Tailed Tit, the latter being a regular at the site.

Along the river it was very quiet. There good numbers of Cormorants in the river, and a Grey Heron on the bank. It was mainly the insects along the bank that were the highlight, with many species of butterfly; Ringlet, Gatekeeper, Small and Large Skipper, Red Admiral, as well as a couple of dragonfly species; a spectacular Four-Spot Chaser and a Black-Tailed Skimmer on the path.

-Four Spot Chaser

-Black-Tailed Skimmer

 I re-arrived at Lin Dyke hide intending to stay a little while and then go and re-find the ibis. However, not long into my stay at the hide and a birder came in and informed us that the ibis had moved on, apparently we should have seen it from the hide, but failed. So I spent all my remaining time in this hide waiting for something to appear.

And right on cue the Spoonbills decided to do another flyby, but this time I opted to watch them rather than photograph them. Even through the scope it was difficult to see that beak, but I certainly got a better view than I had got before, and I was glad I saw them again before I left for the train. Once they had gone down again I returned to try and see what else was about. The fore mentioned birder had spoken about Common Sandpiper, and right on cue a Common Sand came and landed on one of the pieces of wood on the lake, another great day tick. There was a tree in the middle of the flash, and while I watched this tree became frequently covered in Sand Martins, before something would cause them to flush and they would all leave. But the real stars again were the Little Ringed Plovers, which once more were right in front of me, but I was unable to spot them for a good half an hour. It then turned into a nightmare trying to describe their location to the other birds, who could not believe how well hidden they were, despite being out in the open.

-Little-Ringed Plover

It came to the time when I had to go for the train sadly, and I departed. On the way back I picked up another Grey Heron and a Pheasant but not much. It truly had been a great day, really enjoyable. And with another lifer, and catching up with that Glossy Ibis what more could a birder really ask for.

Species List:

Fairburn Ings RSPB: Spoonbill, Bittern, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Glossy Ibis, Starling, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Blackcap, Great Tit, Robin, Common Pheasant, Black-Headed Gull, Wren, Mallard, Jackdaw, Mute Swan, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Mistle Thrush, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtail, Kestrel, Collard Dove, Lapwing, Long-Tailed Tit, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Moorhen, Coot, Great-Crested Grebe, Jay, Common Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Pochard, Redshank, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting, Stock Dove, Willow Tit, Oystercatcher, Chiffchaff, House Martin, Little-Ringed Plover, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Scaup, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Avocet, Sedge Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Whitethroat, Swift, Cuckoo, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown, Large White, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-Tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Black-Tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Four-Spot Chaser, Common Toad,

Old Moor twitching Great White Egret

So it tends to happen that on productive revision days a rare bird turns up at one of my local sites, and so it was yesterday when a great white egret turned up at Old Moor. Once more, as I had done before I decided to speed off after lectures to try and track it down, only lectures finished later today that I would usually go birding after, so that left a very real possibility that the bird would go in the morning.

I tracked the incoming records all morning and at 12.00 when I was good to go the bird was still there. It took a while to finally arrive, I dropped in at half 2, but I arrived to the outstanding news that the bird was still there, only there were people who were seeing it, and others that were not. Apparently there was also a bittern showing well at the 'Bittern Hide', where I had not been before. 

My intention was to make this a short visit as revision called, so I went straight to the bittern hide. The bittern itself had gone and the egret was out of site, so I settled down to wait and see. While I waited there were great views of Common Tern and Great Crested Grebes, as well as hirundines and Swifts.

I had been looking in the wrong place but the I soon tracked down the egret when it re-appeared from behind the reeds. Initially you could only see its head as it was mobbed by gulls, but soon it came out in all its glory, showing off fishing, and when it was mobbed its aigrette tail feathers were blowing wonderfully in the wind.

It was sad that it was quite a way away so I could not get this detail on camera, but I managed some reasonable record shots all things considered. I watched the bird for over an hour before deciding that the degree was probably pretty important and needed seeing to. 

When I first saw the birds head I did wonder if everyone had got it wrong, a white heron head with a black beak did make me wonder if it was just a little egret. It was only when it stepped out from behind the reeds that I really got to appreciate the bird in all its glory as it waded up and down the bank. Its no wonder really that I took so many pictures...

-Great White Egret

Thats my tenth lifer and 151st species this year, an incredible year. The only other bird of note was a very brief view of the bittern as it moved through the reeds. A very fleeting glimpse not even worth really noting, until I got home and found these 2 photos among my collection. I chuckled to myself when I found these, clearly showing the bittern flying in the background behind the egret, a truly fantastic fluke shot.

-Bittern and Great White Egret

Another thing to note was the presence of a small cluster of Southern Marsh Orchids in front of the hide. Sadly I was obviously unable to get a really good view but I took a quick photo from the hide for record purposes.

-Southern Marsh Orchid

In review it was well worth taking the afternoon off revision to see this bird, so elegant, and put Monday well and truly behind me. I was glad to see that the bird really showed well, so that I got to see all aspects of it, truly stunning. In summary, here is the rather brief daylist:

Species List:

RSPB Old Moor: Pheasant, Magpie, Sparrowhawk, Blue Tit, Mute Swan, Black-Headed Gull, Common Tern, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Moorhen, Jackdaw, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Swift, Swallow, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Sand Martin, Great White Egret, Bittern, Lapwing Cormorant, Woodpigeon