Spurn Bird Observatory

For the 60^th birthday of PC, myself and a few friends attended Spurn for a surprise birthday party. While most of the weekend involved drinking and social activities there was a little time for birding and seeing some of the sights.

Just as I arrived an Oriental Turtle Dove was found in Easington. Initially I drove past it, not knowing what was occurring, and so missed the original sighting. It then took a further two hours before I finally connected with the bird, but I finally managed it. It then had the decency to linger into the weekend so the following day I returned and got more views of the bird perched more prominently than at first. This is my second of this species in the UK, and was the first for Spurn since 1975 and only the second ever record.  

There was a reasonable Swift passage during the weekend, with the highest count being 2500 on the 5^th. We also tried flick-netting low flying birds and as such caught two juveniles that we were able to ring, a ringing tick for me. Another species that seemed to be passing through in good numbers was Little Gull, with flocks exceeding 50 birds blogging about the area and often passing low over the observatory building.

In the sunny afternoons I went out hunting for dragonflies. Although it is still quite early in the season there were reasonable numbers, including a smart male Hairy Dragonfly that I removed from the Church Field Heligoland Trap. Although not the prize it once was, this species is always exciting to see. Also nice were up to three Common Emerald Damselflies on the back pond of the Churchfield, a good sign after none were recorded last year.

One afternoon we also went out twitching some Orchids, which seemed to be in good numbers here this year. There was a Southern Marsh Orchid in Church Field, Pyramidal Orchid down the Canal Bank and Bee Orchid at the top end of Sandy Beaches. Whilst there we spotted PK fishing on the beach, and watched him removed a Starry Smoothound shark from the sea. It was roughly a meter long, so not huge, but is my first actual wild shark that I have identified, so very cool to see. Sadly he had released it by the time we made it down onto the beach. 

-Happy 60th Paul Collins, SBO warden

-Spoonbill

-Little Gull

-Swift

-Oriental Turtle Dove ssp. meena

-Collared Dove

-Pyramidal Orchid

-Hairy Dragonfly

Species List:
Spurn Bird Observatory: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, European Golden Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Western Barn Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Common Frog, Common Toad, Smooth Newt, Grass Snake, Starry Smoothound, European Perch, Azure Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Four-spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Common Darter, Ruddy Darter, Large Skimmer, Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Meadow Brown, Small Heath, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Red Admiral, 

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

Soil Hill 13.08 - 19.08

Highlights from the past week have been surprisingly numerous, with quite a few patch ticks around.On the 13th I spotted a group of Canada Geese feeding on the fields near the marsh. This is my first record of them here, though I probably have seen them before in my armchair birder days.

On the 15th August I patch ticked Sand Martin with a nice individual blogging with the swallows on the west side of the hill. It moved off north though and I was unable to reconnect with it.

The 16th was a superb day. When walking along the west side I was pleasantly surprised to spot 2 Little Owls resting on the wall. It looked like an adult and a well developed juvenile. I was pretty thrilled with that, a patch tick!

On the 17th I had two really good birds, but neither of them were in the area that I record as Soil Hill. The first was a Spotted Flycatcher which was down the track left of the Koi Shop. It alighted on the wall in front of me, but we both recognised each other at the same time and it dived over the wall. I raced over to see where it had gone but it obviously saw me again and I had to watch it fly on up the valley away from me. The next birds would not have been patch ticks, so I did not feel so bad them not being on the site. As I was walking down Taylor Lane I heard a jangling finch call which I realised might be Twite again. I go them landed on the wire but they did not stay long and flew off, though they did bank back round and appear to come back to that area, though I was unable to confirm it. A quick refresh in the Collins App confirm my suspicions that they were Twite, possibly 2 of the 3 birds I had seen earlier in the year.

13.08.2015

Species List:

Soil Hill: Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, Swallow, Feral Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Magpie, Starling, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Common Gull, Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Canada Goose, Skylark,

15.08.2015

It was also nice to bump into Nigel Kerwin today, who showed me a new area of Soil Hill that I have never been to, so that will be something to keep an eye on in future. 

Species List:

Soil Hill: Willow Warbler, Magpie, Swallow, Starling, Linnet, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Sand Martin, Kestrel, Blackbird, Whitethroat, Dunnock, Rook, Pheasant, Skylark, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Stock Dove, Meadow Pipit, 

-Willow Warbler

16.08.2015

It was also nice to bump into Brian Sumner up there, who was arriving just as I was leaving. Glad you got the Owls Brian.

Species List:

Soil Hill:

Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Feral Pigeon, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Swallow, Stock Dove, Swift, House Martin, Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull, Kestrel, Linnet, Jackdaw, Little Owl, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Goldfinch, Blackbird, Sparrowhawk, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Rook, Magpie, Wheatear, 

-Wheatear

-Swift

-Little Owl

17.08.2015
Of note today were the Spotted Flycatcher (Plus Willow Warbler) down the track near the Koi Shop and the 2 Twite that flew over Taylor Lane. The Twite are probably still in the area so worth looking for. Perhaps the real highlight however, was when two Weasel kits emerged from the vegetation along the edge of Taylor Lane, ran past me and then started play-fighting in the middle of the road. It was incredible to see, simply superb.
Species List:
Soil Hill: Magpie, Starling, Kestrel, Feral Pigeon, Carrion Crow, Linnet, Swallow, Woodpigeon, Black-Headed Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Wren, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Whitethroat, Meadow Pipit, Moorhen, Stock Dove, Skylark,

-Weasels

-Twite

Anglers CP and Wintersett Reservoir

Having been working on Monday and a very busy day on Tuesday, today was the first chance I got to try for the Lesser Scaup on Wintersett Reservoir. I decided to go after my lecture and spend the afternoon up there as reports suggested it was far more active in the evenings than during the day.

I set off around 12 under gloomy skies and frequently changing weather. That said, it was a very pleasant afternoon. As soon as I got of the bus at Anglers CP I knew it was going to be a good day as the sky was full of Swifts and Hirundines, but especially the former. There were hundreds, flying really low over the lake.

-Swifts

I had a quick look in the hide hoping to pick out the resident yellow legged gull but it was not in for the time I was there. I had a quick scan but only spotted usual things and so headed off quickly to try and get the Lesser Scaup.

I picked up another birder along the way, but he said he had not seen it, though he had no scope. As a result I began to doubt that it was as a forgone conclusion as I had imagined that I would see it. I had no reason to fear, as soon as I had set up the scope I had picked out the bird on the far side of the reser with some tufted ducks. Alas, it was quite a way away so we headed round to try and get a little closer.

On the far side the view was better but the bird had moved out into the middle of the lake where it spent around half an hour fishing. The other birder thanked me and left after about 15 mins, but that was a mistake to make, as after a while longer the bird took flight and came to chill with the tufted ducks on the near side where I was viewing from. It began preening and swimming within 10 meters of my viewpoint allowing me fantastic views of the bird, clearly showing the purple sheen on the head and the peculiar head shape that distinguishes it from greater scaup.

This particular individual has more than just his Lesser Scaup features though. He has an orange tag on his bill which makes him stand out quite significantly. This tag has allowed this bird to be identified before and he has quite a history. The code on the patch is VH and he was trapped and tagged as a juvenile drake on the 20th December 2013 in Sao Jacinto Dunes NR in Portugal where he remained until the 3rd February 2014. He was next seen in Llangorse Lake in the Brecon Beacons, south Waled from the 17th October 2014 to February 2015 when he dissapeared again. The next time he turned up was 4th May 2015 when  he was spotted on Wintersett Reservoir, West Yorkshire, which is where he is right now. Stories like this remind you of just how cool birds are.

-Lesser Scaup

-Blurred Flight shot showing half bar

After showing close for a while it then moved out into the middle of the lake again, so I headed off back to Anglers to see what was about. There was not a great deal around still but there was a Black-Necked Grebe reported so I headed for a look at that. I bumped into Mick Turton who was back home to do some things, so that was nice. He picked out the Grebe but it was very distant and hard to get a photo, but it was a super summer plumaged bird to look at. It was also a yeartick...

-Black-Necked Grebe

In the hide there had been little change in the scenery, though a Common Sandpiper dropped in, as did an Oystercatcher. There had been good numbers of Common Tern throughout the day too, and some of these were perched up on the rocks near the hide. I had a scan through for arctics but could not find any.

So that was that. Lesser Scaup is my sixth duck lifer this year alone. I can't imagine any other bird group is going to top that, especially with the views I have had from most of those lifers, pretty incredible.

Species List:

Anglers CP: Black-Headed Gull, Common Tern, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Moorhen, Coot, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Common Teal, Black-Necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw, Blackcap, Blackbird, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Pied Wagtail, 

Wintersett Reservoir: Tufted Duck, Lesser Scaup, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Common Tern, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Starling, Woodpigeon, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, 

Yorkshire and Lancashire Birding with Zac and Jonnie

On Saturday afternoon I received a message from Zac asking if I wanted to come with him for the monties harriers at Blacktoft, and that we would then move over to Spurn to see if we could find anything good. Of course I agreed and due to the weather we set off slightly later with Jonnie Fisk and arrived at Blacktoft for 11 to see what we could get.

As soon as we arrived I year-ticked Sedge Warbler from one of the individuals that singing and song-flighting along the path to the hide where we would wait for the harriers. Once we were in the hide we learned that the male had been around. I was impressed by the high numbers of Marsh Harriers, at least 6 in the sky at any one time. Sadly the Montagu's Harriers where less showy. Zac picked out a female which we got views of but once again I made a terrible mistake and went for the camera, when will I learn not to do that when watching a lifer. The harrier flew over the reedbed for around 30 seconds before dropping down and that was the last we saw of it, and the male did not show during our stay.

There were other birds around, including a very aggressive Great Crested Grebe which attacked a family of Graylag Geese right in front of the hide. It was a fairly vicious attack too, not holding back at all as it clipping and nipped the geese until they got out of the water. On the Island in the middle of the lake Jonnie picked out a pair of sleeping Gargany too. Again, they were a little distant sadly and I could not a decent shot of them but they were great to see, even though they hardly lifted their heads up. I also had my first swift of the year, as they hunted over the reedbeds with the hirundines.

-Gargany

We had intended to stay longer but news broke of a Red-throated pipit near Manchester and Zac said we were going for it. Personally I would have waited given that these birds don't tend to stick around from what I understand but it seemed to be doing a reasonable job, and as you will see later, Zac made the right call as per.

Despite the monties, the real highlight of Blacktoft came just as we were leaving. As we were walking out of the hide a young Spoonbill came towards us from the direction of the other hides. Zac and Jonnie left to go to the next hide along to see if they could catch it there but I stayed and could see it flying low across the scrape in front of us. Then, it decided to land on the island in the middle of the pond, with that fantastic beak out in all its glory. It had a quick bark at some mallards, stayed for about a minuet before flying off again. It was possibly the highlight of my day, but maybe not quite, and was the best view of the species I have ever had. Not only that but I got some reasonable photos from it, please excuse the excessive number of photos about to be shown...

-Spoonbill

We raced off for the pipit after that. My phone was down, so I had no idea whether the bird would have stuck or not. The weather was lifting as drove, with the rain easing off until it had almost stopped. We drove over the snake pass, which was, surprisingly, a first time for me. It truly is a beautiful road make no mistake, and I was impressed. On the way over we saw Red Grouse, Common Buzzard and I spotted a Raven, though it took me a while to work out it was not a bird of prey.

Eventually we arrived at the pipit. It had taken a little longer than we had anticipated but we still made it for early afternoon and to our delight the bird was still showing. It took us a while to work out the directions as it was so close to the wall, when we expected it to be feeding out in the field with the other mipits.

Sadly it did not stay there long and then flew off into the field. It was re-found but was further away. making it harder to get record shots though the view was still fantastic. In the end we had about half an hour-40 mins with the bird before a thunderstorm came in and the bird was flushed by the lightening, moving it into the middle of the field. We left when the storm hit but the bird was refound in the afternoon.

So about the bird. For a bird that's usually seen flying overhead calling we were very lucky to see this bird. It was stunning adult, complete with red-breast, something I never thought I would see but here it is and fantastic it was too. When the sun caught it fully it stood out in the field even without bins, almost like a carrot or something. It looked extraordinary and yet fantastic. The stripes on the back were also pretty cool to see, those white marks which distinguish it from other pipits when it lacks its breast. And when it flew we even heard it call, so we call a full house on the bird. Fantastic!

-Red-throated Pipit

-The Twitch with incoming storm clouds

Absolutely buzzing from that, with now 2 lifers under my belt, we contemplated what to do next. We decided to go to Pennington Flash to see a Black Tern that had dropped in. Again, I expected it to have left but I had already been wrong once today and would happily be proven wrong again. By this point the storm had stopped and the sun was now out, though it was a little blustery.

We arrived on site to find the sky filled with Swifts but to news that the tern had been lost. Nevertheless we settled down to try and scout it out. I picked it out among the common terns but it had been roosting well down which is why no one had found it. I then spotted a Common Sandpiper and a White Wagtail, so this reserve obviously is where I was most at home.

The tern, my first inland and first landed, then flew on to a branch at the end of the rocks where it stood out much better. Sadly it was too distant for any great attempt at a photo but I had a stab through the scope and they will serve Ok as a record shot. On the deck it was surprising how much smaller it was than the Common Terns it was with, despite having seen them in the tern roosts at Spurn.

-Black Tern

We continued on our way, next stop being the wirral to have a look at some dotterel that were supposed to be chilling on the beach. We did not see the dotterel but we did see a fantastic summer plumage Curlew Sandpiper which was feeding among the dunlin. Sadly we lost it multiple times before we eventually got it settled. It was a fantastic bird, almost as good as the one at beacon ponds last year, but probably not quite...

And the final year-tick of the day was something of a surprise when Jonnie spotted a summer plumaged Grey Plover flying down towards us. It then flew straight over our heads allowing us to see its black belly before it continued on its way south. A fantastic end to the day.

-Curlew Sandpiper

And that's how we finished. Zac dropped me off at Liverpool station and I was soon on my way home after a fantastic day out birding, with 2 lifers. I have not had a day with 2 lifers since February, what an excellent day. Big thanks to Jonnie and Zac.

Species List:
Blacktoft Sands RSPB: Marsh Harrier, Sedge Warbler, Gadwall, Shoveler, Avocet, Montagu's Harrier, Gargany, Great Crested Grebe, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Woodpigeon, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swift, Spoonbill, Carrion Crow, Rook, Chaffinch,
Ludworth Moor: Red-Throated Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Lapwing, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw,
Pennington Flash: Black Tern, Common Redshank. Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, White Wagtail, Herring Gull, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Black-Headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Mallard, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Swift, Swallow, Cormorant, Starling,
Meols: Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Herring Gull, Greater Black-Backed Gull, Oystercatcher, Shelduck, Starling,