Spurn Week 4

Monday 04 July

The wind of the last of the few days dropped for the morning at least, resulting in still and quite muggy warm conditions. Passage was all but dead, although there were a few Sand Martins moving through. I am no longer on mornings, much to the relief of my weary body. Somehow I managed 12 hours kip the previous night.

The best of numpties were a pair of juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers that were flitting between the fence posts. As passage was dead I headed out to clubleys field late morning to try and find some Red-veined Darters. I managed to find one but its red veins were not overly pronounced, leaving me with a few doubts initially, although it clearly is. There were also multiple Emperor, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and Common Darter to enjoy.

-Great-spotted Woodpecker

-Red-veined Darter

-Emperor Dragonfly

In the afternoon I headed up to ponds. My shift now works with the high tide, allowing me to sift through the increasing numbers of waders, Tonight's count racked up; Dunlin 783, Redshank 78, Common Sandpiper 3, Knot 2, Greenshank 1 and Sanderling 1. The best birds were a group of 4 Common and 1 Arctic Tern that came through late evening.

Sightings List:

Numpties: Woodpigeon, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Swift, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Golden Plover, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Goldfinch, Linnet, Mallard, Gadwall, 

Beacon Ponds: Greenshank, Little Tern, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Dunlin, Redshank, Lapwing, Avocet, Cormorant, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Knot, Sandwich Tern, Common Sandpiper, Kittiwake, Sanderling, Common Scoter, Guillemot, Gannet, Teal, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Arctic Tern

Tuesday 05 July

Another nice day with no stupidly early morning. I was down at the seawatching hut early morning for a few hours. There were a few bits and pieces moving on the sea, including 3 Manx Shearwaters and a few duck. The highlight of the duck was a Pochard that went north, possibly a Spurn tick for me, but I will have to check.

On my way to ponds I got the highlight of my day when I spotted a massive Grass Snake cross the path and go into the gabions on the other side. I had only seen its tail and figured that would be that. That being until its head emerged from the top of the gabion and sat there for about 10 seconds before slithering back into the grass. It was about a meter long and thick as rope, I had no idea they got that big. Since I was hardly expecting it I did not manage any photos, but trust me it was awesome.

Wader numbers had picked up again on ponds, with Dunlin numbers not at 1216, over 1000 for the first time this autumn. Redshank numbers had taken a slight dip, but Whimbrel had picked up. The cracking Red Knot was still there, and there were a couple of Greenshank too.

-Dunlin

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Gannet, Red-throated Diver, Guillemot, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Curlew, Knot, Dunlin, Meadow Pipit, Puffin, Pochard, Manx Shearwater, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Little Tern, Woodpigeon, Magpie, 

Beacon Ponds: Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Scoter, Curlew, Redshank, Wigeon, Mallard, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Plover, Knot, Little Egret, Linnet, Greenshank, Sand Martin, Barn Owl, Reed Bunting, Common Sandpiper, Common Gull, 

Wednesday 06 July

The vis-migging in the morning was very limited. We ended up not watching any birds on the sea to pass the time, and wrapped up by eleven. Since it was a nice day I headed onto Clubleys scrape but was unable to find any dragonflies other than Black-tailed Skimmers. I did however spot another Ruby-tailed Wasp that I was able to get a couple of photos of, maybe a bit of an improvement on my prior efforts.

-Ruby-tailed Wasp

Up at the ponds it was a very familiar affair on the bird front, but I was treated to something really special whilst on long-bank. I heard the Mallard family in the ditch go absolutely berserk, and given that an Otter has been in the area I immediately wondered if that might be the cause. I was thrilled to see that it was indeed the cause, but my views were only fleeting and no photos. All I managed was the back end of the body and tail as it swam into the reeds, but given I'm only the fourth person to have seen the animal in over 3 weeks that it has been present I am not complaining. What a treat!

Sightings List:

Seawatching: Gannet, Common Scoter, Teal, Sand Martin, Mistle Thrush, Cormorant, Swallow, Arctic Tern, Curlew, Pied Wagtail, Whimbrel, Redshank, Dunlin, Little Tern, 

Beacon Ponds: Oystercatcher, Greenshank, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Great-crested Grebe, Mallard, Ringed Plover, Reed Bunting, Carrion Crow, Redshank, Dunlin, Mute Swan, Herring Gull, Common Gull, Wigeon, Black-headed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Curlew, Common Snipe, 

Thursday 07th July

Numpties this morning finally had some real movement, with Swifts moving through all day. The final day total was 3480 but I had gone up to the ponds for the latter part of those numbers, I clocked out at around 2000. A handful of Sand Martin also went south, but not as many as previous days.

Up at the ponds the numbers of waders continued to increase. A lovely total of 780 Dunlin with a few additional species mixed in, including 117 Redshank, 9 Knot and one of each Godwit. Things looking up for wader passage.

-Swift

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Gannet, Dunlin, Redshank, Whimbrel, Curlew, Golden Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Little Egret, Cormorant, Knot, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Carrion Crow, Sparrowhawk, Linnet, Goldfinch,

Beacon Ponds: Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Wigeon, Great-crested Grebe, Swift, Swallow, Cormorant, Mallard, Whimbrel, Curlew, Greylag Goose, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Common Teal, Marsh Harrier, Sand Martin, Mediterranean Gull, Pied Wagtail, Mute Swan, Black-tailed Godwit, Knot, Common Tern, Lapwing, Redshank, Dunlin, Black-headed Gull, Greenshank,

Friday 08th July

A noticeably lighter Swift passage this morning, with only a steady trickle of birds moving. I gave swing netting a go with Paul to try and catch some but sadly I was far too inexperienced and kept swinging too early. That being said, we only really had a couple of birds to swing for, so its not like we missed out on much. Despite the slower stream, we managed to clock 1500 Swift and 1000 Sand Martin. Two Turnstone out over the sea were also nice.

Wader totals were slightly down at ponds, but it could be as I left the ponds before the high tide which was later in the evening. Still, a healthy count of 660 Dunlin with 60 Redshank and 4 Knot was not a bad count. A few wader continued moving back in as well, with 16 Whimbrel and 19 Black-tailed Godwit. 

-Swift

-Common Lizard

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, Sand Martin, Knot, Turnstone, Cuckoo, Kestrel, Goldfinch, Dunlin, Little Egret, Starling, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Goldfinch, House Martin, Linnet, Redshank, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Whimbrel, Curlew,

Beacon Ponds: Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Swift, Sand Martin, Swallow, Great-crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Skylark, Starling, Reed Bunting, Dunlin, Little Egret, Ringed Plover, Fulmar, Common Scoter, Greylag Goose, Redshank, Knot, Greenshank, 

Saturday 09th July

The Swift movement of the last few days really labored today, but still almost 1000 birds were reach by the end of the day, but that was over the entire day and I was only at numpties in the morning. There were a few Waders coming in though, especially Redshank landing on the Humber.

The ponds was very much the same, but now the tide times had changed such that I completely miss any birds coming in. However I did get a smashing compensation in the form of an adult Little-ringed Plover, my first adult and only second ever at Spurn. Cracking little thing, although always a bit distant unfortunately. A single Arctic Tern and Little Gull also added a nice bit of spice to a chilled out evening. 

-Little-ringed Plover

Sightings List:

Numpties: Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Redshank, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Curlew, Whimbrel, Mallard, Common Scoter, Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Goldfinch, Linnet, 

Beacon Ponds: Swift, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Little Tern, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Gannet, Mute Swan, Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Swallow, Redshank, Dunlin, Little-ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Yellow Wagtail, Little Gull, Greenshank, Knot,

Sunday 10th July

A rough night in the pub meant no presence from me at Numpties in the morning, the world was still spinning somewhat when I woke up at 10.00. I did manage to recover somewhat for my time at ponds, but sadly there was nothing really worth recovering for. It was a very quiet evening to say the least. The best of it probably two Grey Plover coming in off.

Sightings List:

Beacon Ponds: Swift, Sand Martin, Little Egret, Little Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Cormorant, Gannet, Mute Swan, Avocet, Swallow, Redshank, Dunlin, Little-ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Yellow Wagtail, Little Gull, Grey Plover, Greenshank

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, 

Orgreave Lakes

Its been a while since I was last on patch what with work and excessive twitching but today I dragged myself out of bed and headed over for a look to see what has changed. I set off at half 7 and arrived on site for half 8. Still reasonably early but I expected most things to have moved off or flushed by dog walkers. A twitter report of 7 whimbrel was of interest in the early morning but I expected these to have been long gone by now.

As soon as I arrived at the lakes I was mobbed by a pair of Lapwings. Initially I assumed there must have been a nest but then spotted 2 small dark bundles of fluff hunkering down in the sedge, so I quickly made my way past. I have to say, I am not optimistic for those chicks, as I imagine someones dog will probably make a meal of them. Of interest though, one of the adults pretended to be injured as I hurried past, which is the first time I have seen this behavior.

It was quiet to say the least, with numbers of ducks low and not much else around. There was a Yellow Wagtail on the island and spectacular numbers of Hirundines and Swifts, the latter giving a really good show as they whizzed past me all day. The only other birds with good numbers seemed to be waders, with 3 Common Sandpiper, around 13 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, 4 Common Redshank and at least 5 Little Ringed Plovers.

-Little Ringed Plover

As I passed the plains I added Wheatear to my list but numbers of these seemed to be down on the last time I was here too.

However, all that changed when a dog walker letting his animal run free across the plains put up no less than the Whimbrels that had been reported earlier. I was surprised, and quickly went for the camera to try and grab a shot of them in case they flew off, but I had no reason to fear as they landed on the shoreline of the large lake, allowing me to stalk them as they fed on the bank and get some reasonable record shots.

As I got closer they moved over the crest of the hill and onto the far side. I continued on the path hoping to encounter them feeding on the bank there and get some more shots, but the view I had was even better as they had all lined up along the edge of the water, and some were even having a wash. This was pretty special. I got some great views and some pretty decent record shots of 8 Whimbrel. It would have been nice to get a shot with all 8 in at once but they were just too spread out in the end. 

They were fantastic birds and one of the best birds I have ever seen on patch. They are a patch tick and only the second time I have seen Whimbrel inland, so it was a good decision to come down to Orgreave today.

-Whimbrel

The Whimbrel flew back onto the plains at half 10. I had tried to avoid flushing them all day by going back on myself and avoiding paths they were close to, but in the end they just flew off. I imagine they will stick around all day now, and probably leave overnight. They certainly made my day

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Whimbrel, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Lapwing, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Gadwall, Mallard, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Common Whitethroat, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Black-Headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Reed Bunting, Kestrel, Blackbird, 

Orgreave Lakes

First full day back in Sheffield and with nothing outstanding anywhere I decided to return to my usual patch of Orgreave lakes and hopefully pick up some stuff. A lack of motivation meant I arrive at 9.00 rather than any earlier, but while I was in bed trying to motivate myself I saw on twitter that 4 Egyptian Geese had dropped in to Orgreave that morning, as if more incentive was needed...

The day started hazy but it soon reached the heights of yesterday, with glorious sunshine. I quickly made my way to the small lake where I got chatting to another birder who told me all that was around. We then went found so we could see the far side of the island where the gyppo geese and the escaped Maned Duck were, the latter having been here for about a week now. The duck was easy enough to pick up on the island by its bizarre shape and obviously different plumage.

-Maned Duck

The Egyptian Geese were in 2 pairs that often kept apart. I was able to get some digiscoped shots of them on the island for purposes of patch and year-ticking records. I do quick like Egyptian Geese, despite their obviously being plastic. Last year I only had a sleeping individual spotted as we drove past so to actually see them for what they are was quite a result, especially on the local patch. 

-Egyptian Geese

Then we moved on to some real birds. The Little Ringed Plovers were still on the bank where they had been last time I was here but this time I was able to find them on the deck, largely helped by the bird choosing to sit on top of the ridge. As a result I was able to try and digiscope them, and finally got a reasonable shot of the species where all its features are clear.

-Little Ringed Plover

Not far on from that we stopped to chat to another birder. While we were chatting I picked out the female Pintail on the small lake, another patch tick, though the SBSG describes it as from suspect origin, so I may end up loosing this one.

-Pintail

All along the walk I had been told there was 1 Wheatear on site, but it was at the far end. No sooner did we reach the far end and with a quick flash of that white rump did we refind the superb male Wheatear. They are my favourite bird, as there is simply no bird that looks as good as this (In my opinion) on the British list. Fab! And my first this year. The only downside is that I did not get one on Soil Hill. Sadly it was never overly approachable and so my shots were all distant and not ideal.

-Wheatear

Perhaps the most surprising yeartick of the day was Willow Warbler. The birder I had been walking with had said he had heard one singing near the river, and as we approached the river we heard it again. It took some finding as it was well tucked in, but find it we did and I even managed a record shot, though its pretty awful. The call was delightful to hear though, showing that migrants were finally starting to arrive again.

-Willow Warbler

Other birds on site included 3 Common Buzzards flying away over to the east, which were a patch tick for me. Also of note were at least 2 singing blackcaps along the riverside but I could not see one, as they were tucked well in on the far bank. They are the biggest miss of my 2015, so it would have been nice to tick it off too but not to be.

Overall it was a smashing 3 and half hours on the site in glorious weather with some smashing birds. Not a bad way to return to my patch!

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Linnet, Egyptian Goose, Maned Duck, Oystercatcher, Goldeneye, Willow Warbler, Great Tit, Common Buzzard, Lapwing, Redshank, Robin, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Kestrel, Pied Wagtail, Blackbird, Gadwall, Goosander, Mallard, Long-Tailed Tit, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Black-Headed Gull, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan,Coot, Moorhen, Teal, Great Crested Grebe, Magpie, Dunnock, Pintail, Wheatear, Cormorant, Little Ringed Plover, Comma, Peacock, Orange Tip, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone,

Orgreave Lakes

Its been about a week since my last trip to Orgreave and how things have changed in that time. Granted I did make it for my earliest ever time at the site, half 8, but immediately I was greeted by a chorus of birdsong from Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Skylarks and my first Chiff-Chaff of the year. It was very impressive.
A walk round the small lake produced some goodies. 2 Redshank, a Ringed Plover and 4 Linnet, as well as the usual suspects on the lake and the island; Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Teal, Wigeon etc, though there were far fewer pochards than before.
As I viewed the larger lake 2 Little Ringed Plovers flew over me, yeartick! I followed them onto the mound behind me, but one dropped while the other continued flying around for a good 5 mins before it too dropped. It was distant but even so, once they dropped they were almost invisible and after a quick view through the bins I failed to find them again.

-Little Ringed Plover

I continued round the large lake. Sadly no unusual gulls, but there was a pair of Goldeneye and 5 Goosander to add to the diversity of wildfowl. There were no wheatears around but I there were some Golden Plover on the plains. They were hard to pick up as they were not in one mass as they usually are. I tried to digiscope them but my efforts leave a lot to be desired.

-Golden Plover

Other species on the walk included 2 Grey Wagtails and Long-Tailed Tits, plus more chiff-chaffs singing but I was unable to pick one out. That was until I was in the park before getting the bus and I managed to see one flitting in the undergrowth. Initially I struggled to get the camera on them but after that I did manage to get some decent shots of my first Chiff-Chaff of the year. Very exciting that's for certain.

-Chiff Chaff

So a lovely mornings walk and some great species to go along with them, setting me right up for Easter!

Species List:

Orgreave Lakes: Reed Bunting, Chiff-Chaff, Long-Tailed Tit, Graylag Goose, Canada Goose, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Linnet, Goldeneye, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Grey Wagtail, Golden Plover, Goosander, Kestrel, Mistle Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Teal, Pied Wagtail, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Cormorant, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon,

Spurn Day 47

I decided that my spurn patch weekend list was in need of a boost. So I awoke with the intention to find as many species as possible so that I may be crowned NGB champion. I started as usual at the seawatching, where I added Eider to my list of species for the weekend.

I next headed along the canal to try and pick up species. I got a great tick when a Marsh Harrier flew over me. It was quite muggy in the morning so my photo was not very good, even when it flew straight overhead. I grabbed a few shots to include on the website but I have only included them as a record purpose.

-Marsh Harrier

. I spent a bit of time with Tim looking over the estuary. I found Golden Plover to add to my list while Tim found Greenshank and Yellow-Legged Gull that we both added. I then moved along the triangle towards Beacon Lane which I then wander up in order to spot as many species along the road. Stuff was about along Beacon Lane, including Grey Partridge, Wheatear and more Whinchat, the latter of which I got some photos of. Also along Beacon Lane on a none avian front was a lovely Common Lizard that I spotted basking on a rock. 

-Whinchat

-Common Lizard

On the ponds I added a few Wildfowl like Wigeon and Mute Swan, not overly rare but very important in a bird race. I then headed along to wetlands to see what was on there. The best things I found were Pintail, Common Sandpiper and plenty of Yellow Wagtails. As soon as I arrived there was one on the fence which was as close as I have ever been to one, allowing me to get some of my best ever shots of the species.

-Yellow Wagtail

Also on wetlands, and the highlight of the walk was a juvenile Little Ringed Plover which had been there for a few days but I had not seen. Its a Spurn Lifer for me, so I was very excited to see it, the first one I have seen for a few days.

-Little Ringed Plover

I continued round picking up odd bits, the highlight being a Spotted Flycatcher on Beacon Lane, Spurn Tick. In the evening I also patch ticked Razorbill going north which was nice. Overall, a sound day and a great list to help me on my way with the NGB patch challenge.

Species List:

Seawatching: Arctic Skua, Gannet, Common Scoter, Knot, Common Teal, Wheatear, Oystercatcher, Fulmar, Sandwich Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Eider, Red-Throated Diver, Redshank, 

Mooching About: Whinchat, Cuckoo, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Blue Tit, Lesser Whitethroat, Great Tit, Wren, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Blackbird, Whitethroat, Curlew, Golden Plover, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Cormorant, Oystercatcher, Mallard, Robin, Yellow-Legged Gull, Collard Dove, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Carrion Crow, Grey Partridge, Kestrel, Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Wheatear, Linnet, Yellow Wagtail, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Dunlin, Wigeon, Little-Ringed Plover, Shelduck, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Pied Wagtail, Little Egret, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Chaffinch, Collard Dove, Spotted Flycatcher, Greenfinch, Meadow Pipit, Coot, Starling, House Sparrow, 

Seawatching: Gannet, Sandwich Tern, Oystercatcher, Razorbill, Common Tern, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Arctic Skua,

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,