Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

At 4:30pm this afternoon:

Juv Red-necked Grebe still in the south-east corner of the main flash with an adult Yellow-legged Gull on a bouy there too.

Black Tern still present.
2 pintail also

Info thanks to John Tymon

---

Anyone wanting to find the red necked grebe,are better making there way to the south bank opposite the play area,as it was mainly sticking to that area most of the time.

At 4:30pm this afternoon:

Juv Red-necked Grebe still in the south-east corner of the main flash with an adult Yellow-legged Gull on a bouy there too.

Black Tern still present.

Info thanks to John Tymon

Also around midday today:

Single Hobby
7 Buzzards
4 Green Sandpipers

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Red-necked Grebe and Black Tern both still present at 1pm

Both Red-necked Grebe and Black Tern still present 9am though distant.

Info thanks to Mark Rigby

Juvenile Red-necked Grebe present around the middle of the flash this morning.

Black Tern also present.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

early pm-wi Charlie Owen,and Dave Wilson for a while.
1 ADULT YELLOW LEGGED GULL
2 GREEN SANDPIPER
1 B.N.GREBE
1 GREENSHANK(DAVE WILSON)
1 CURLEW THROUGH SOUTH
STILL PLENTY SAND MARTIN,HOUSE MARTIN AND SWALLOW
CHIFF CHAFF
GREY WAGTAIL


-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Tuesday 7th of September 2010 05:46:28 PM

This morning so far:

2 Green Sand
1 Common Sand
1 Black-necked Grebe
1 fem/imm Redstart in trees to the right of Teal Hide

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Black-necked Grebe still present in Rammies this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Black-necked Grebe from Horrocks Hide this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

---

and this afternoon

Black-necked Grebe from Horrocks Hide this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Rob Thorpe wrote:

---

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

2 black tailed godwit 12.30
only popped in on the way to the moors

---

why would Black-tailed Godwit be going to the moors?

---

that was me joining the throng of people now doing the moors

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

2 black tailed godwit 12.30
only popped in on the way to the moors

---

why would Black-tailed Godwit be going to the moors?

2 black tailed godwit 12.30
only popped in on the way to the moors

Male Merlin low over the spit at 6:40am today.

Also female Peregrine scattering everything off the spit at 07:45 and Black-necked Grebe in Ramsdales Flash.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Three guys turned up tonight down Green Lane and started to fly a model plane over the Flash - does anyone know what the legal position is? Are they allowed to do this? I did challenge them but, to be honest, I didn't really know what to say. In fairness the birds didn't seem unduly scared but they were flying the plane pretty high, I've no doubt it would be a different matter if the plane were at a lower level.

Cheers
Jonathan

Single Black-necked Grebe present this morning plus Common Sandpiper and 3 Green Sandpiper.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

This mornings sightings:

3 Green Sand
2 Goldeneye
5 Wigeon

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Little Gull still present this morning. Also 4 Green Sand, 2 Goldeneye, 5 Wigeon

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Monday 30th August 2010 7.30 - 10.30am

A nice bright morning for a change with plenty of activity.

Blackcap 2
Chiff Chaff 2
Willow Tit 2
Whitethroat 3
Blue Tit 5
Great Tit 3
Long Tailed Tit 1
Treecreeper 1
Green Sandpiper 3
Jay 2
Greater Spotted Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Grebe 4
Cormorant c20
Lapwings c150
Lots of Sand Martins and Swallows
Tufted Duck (lots)

All the usual stuff too.


-- Edited by Adam Jones on Monday 30th of August 2010 12:34:13 PM

Present this morning:

Little Gull
Single Black-necked Grebe
2 Pintail
4 Green Sandpiper

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Tony Coatsworth wrote:

---

Agreed - but if you had some doubt, why phone it in - or more importantly why did Birdline put it out without checking ?

There was a couple there today who had travelled especially to see 'the Phalarope'

---

Hi again Tony. In answer to some of your questions:

I'm not sure the observers were in any doubt that they had seen a phalarope and so that's what they put it out as.

The bird was originally put onto Birdguides by the observers (though I do not know who they were at this point atleast) and to be fair to Birdguides they would have no real reason to check it as the observers were sure of what they had seen. Unfortunately, Birdguides affords the easiest way to anonymously submit sightings and as with all the information services, they each check each others sightings and use them freely. Hence, information gets around very quickly indeed.

As for the couple who twitched it today. I personally put out negative news on the phalarope and expressed my concerns about its possible mistaken identity to Birdnet early evening. I know for sure that Birdnet published this information immediately (and it follows that all the other services read it and published it too) so there seems no reason to not know about it. Especially since the couple would have read the news on one or more of the information services or perhaps even this forum and that negative news was relayed very early on

Dennis atherton wrote:

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Im not going to penny with the summer wine crew again, we dont get any birding or photos done, spent that much time chatting that an osprey could of flown over head and we would of missed it


ps nowt wrong with a bit of twitchin in my humble opinion

we Couldent find the pharalope today neither

---

I was doint birding while you lot were chatin-see the listwe made more noyse than a pile of skookidsand thonly twitchen ive done this summer,is when i met thi ont moss,and got hammered wit horseflies,that day i did some twitchin!and swearinsi thi ont rucks- compo

Im not going to penny with the summer wine crew again, we dont get any birding or photos done, spent that much time chatting that an osprey could of flown over head and we would of missed it


ps nowt wrong with a bit of twitchin in my humble opinion

we Couldent find the pharalope today neither

Tony Coatsworth wrote:

---

There was a couple there today who had travelled especially to see 'the Phalarope'

---

Serves them right for being twitchers

Afternoon mooch with the full crew-Foggy(jon tav)Clegg(charlie owen)and Truly(Dennis Ath)more chatting than birding
Little Gull-1
black necked grebe-1 juv
tufted duck-350+
great crested grebe-72+
pochard
willow warbler-c6
chiff chaff-c10
blackcap-1
kestrel-1
pheasant-6
lots of house martin and sand martin
long tailed tit-c10
green sandpiper-5
pintail-2
shoveler-60+
plenty teal
cormorant-19
kingfisher-1
lapwing - c400
plus all the usual stuff

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 29th of August 2010 08:59:33 PM

Agreed - but if you had some doubt, why phone it in - or more importantly why did Birdline put it out without checking ?

There was a couple there today who had travelled especially to see 'the Phalarope'

Imagine being inexperienced, viewing it at distance in strong winds, swimming around actively picking insects from the water's surface. Then squint hard at the bird itself or one of the images on the galleries and it is indeed feasible however much it might initially seem not. There's no shame for whoever made the mistake, assuming it was indeed a mistake and there wasn't a Grey Phalarope there at the time

Little Gull at end of spit - swooping about like a tern, beats me how you could mistake it for a Phalarope but it was horizontal rain at 10:00 and visibility was poor.

Typically brightened up now I've got home

This morning:

Little Gull still present
2 Pintail
Single Black-necked Grebe so far

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

No sign up to 7.30pm & only me and my dad looking until Rob turned up.

A carrion crow feasting on a small white bird on the spit was a Black headed gull and not a Phalarope.

Little Gull by the spit & 2 Pintail amongst the Gadwall.
3 Green Sandpiper Teal hide.
1 Swift over flash.

My first reaction to this sighting was that the reporter had possibly mistaken the Little Gull for a Phalarope - when I was watching the Little Gull last week it was definitely Phalarope-like in its feeding manner.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Anyone with experience John, not necessarily even with a scope, but I could see where confusion might arise. No sign so far and I fear it's looking increasingly likely to be a genuine mistake, no real problem with that

---

yer reet
wit bins this morning ,it looked tiny at the end of the pointlike you no issue with mistakes we all make em-me more than most

Anyone with experience John, not necessarily even with a scope, but I could see where confusion might arise. No sign so far and I fear it's looking increasingly likely to be a genuine mistake, no real problem with that

colin davies wrote:

---

Just a thought, but how easy would it be to mistake a 2nd cal year Little Gull sat on the spit / water with a Grey Phalarope? I hope that I'm wrong, and I've not seen the Little Gull myself, but just wondered.

---

I'm like you i hope not ,but this morning the little gull was sat 3 feet out from the top of the spit ,picking flies off the water surface,just like a phalarope would,but there could be a grey phalarope?anyone with a decent scope should be able to tell a little gull from a phalarope

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 28th of August 2010 06:43:51 PM

colin davies wrote:

---

Just a thought, but how easy would it be to mistake a 2nd cal year Little Gull sat on the spit / water with a Grey Phalarope? I hope that I'm wrong, and I've not seen the Little Gull myself, but just wondered.

---

Actually, a very astute point Colin and one I didn't consider but in reality seems quite likely On saying that it'll either be refound as a Grey Phal or I'll receive a bob on description for it

Just a thought, but how easy would it be to mistake a 2nd cal year Little Gull sat on the spit / water with a Grey Phalarope? I hope that I'm wrong, and I've not seen the Little Gull myself, but just wondered.

No sign currently but still looking. 2 pintail from horrocks 6.20pm.


-- Edited by Simon Warford on Saturday 28th of August 2010 07:46:55 PM

I'm been unable to find anything out about this sighting (and am stuck in work!) but have spoken to Judith who has kindly agreed to go and take a look (whilst her chicken's in the oven!).

GREY PHALAROPE reported from Horrocks Hide at 3.45pm (per RBA).
That's a bolt from the (deep) blue!

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Saturday 28th of August 2010 05:12:27 PM

Present do far this morning:

Little Gull
2 Black-necked Grebe
Greenshank

Info thanks to John Tymon

morning mooch today produced just a couple of extra onto what has already been posted, a singing chiffchaff not heard one sing in a while and a great juvenille whitethroat at top end near rammies pool

Nice to meet Barry this morning hunting through loads of black headed gulls for a small one

pm mooch wi foggy-clegg too busy moving his hide ont moss

black necked grebe-2 juv
green sandpiper-7
wheatear-1 fem/imm on rammies ruck
lots of swallows and sand martins
a few willow warblers and chiff chaff
plus the usual stuff

Alan Nuttall and I spent a few hours at the Flash this a.m.
As well as the birds reported by Barry we saw:

A Black-tailed Godwit feeding at the end of the spit out from Horrocks hide at 10:40 hrs.

A Common Sandpiper landed briefly on the north shore.

7 Green Sandpipers all in view at the same time from Teal hide. This matches the max. number seen from a singe hide at Blacktoft Sands yesterday!

Buzzard soaring to the north west.

All still present this morning:

Little Gull
2 Black-necked Grebe
5 Green Sandpiper

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

"Swan and Chips"

Was it the Queen having a campfire?

Not been around for a couple of days but on Monday got some nice Wren and Chiffchaff shots from East Bay hide; thanks to JT for pointing me to this spot; I stayed for 2 hours there, is very quiet and lots of birds, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Sand Martin, the Little Gull, Wrens, Willow Warbler?

hope to get there Sat am, weather permitting.


Rich

At least half a dozen swifts over Rammies last night around 7.45pm.

There was an inflatable out last night with what looked like three teenagers on board (though anyone under the age of thirty is looking increasingly like a teenager to me these days). I thought it was the safety boat? Whilst I was there it was parked up sedately in the centre of the Flash. Several blokes had a campfire going by East Bay Hide however . . . probably cooking a swan or a couple of coots.

Second calendar year Little Gull still present this morning with the usual 2 Black-necked Grebes and 5 Green Sandpipers.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

4 greenshank tonight landed 7.03 pm -got back up and headed SE after a few seconds.

information thanks to DAVE WILSON

Also Dave mentioned some idiots firing around the flash on an inflatable,and scaring everything off the main flash tonight,Anyone else sees this please report it to the yacht clubs, and anyone else that may help to stop thisapparently this may have happened before.

This morning so far:

2 Black-necked Grebes
5 Green Sandpiper
1 Greenshank (briefly early am)
3 Snipe

Info thanks to Barry Hulme