Siberian Accentor still showing very well until at least 14.35 when we left; everyone well disciplined and I suspect a lot of money raised for Spurn Obs.- (petrol company sales have probably done extremely well over the last 6 days?).

Nice to bump into the G M gang of 4.

Regards,

Mike and Barb

Siberian Accentor at Spurn today! Brilliant views down to about twenty feet or less

Things have gone a bit ballistic on the East Coast today (& from yesterday a bit!).

At Bempton Cliffs RSPB there is an Eastern Crowned Warbler (luckily I saw the first for Britain in Durham!) that was found yesterday but is still there today. Offshore at Bempton & seen elsewhere there is/was a Black-browed Albatross!!! I have seen the pictures and it showed ridiculously well. Up on Holy Island, Northumberland there is a White's Thrush (I need!!). Also supporting cast of Red-flanked Bluetail at Spurn, Red-breasted Flycatchers, Yellow-browed Warblers, Barred Warbler and even a Pallas's Warbler yesterday 

I'm off tomorrow - anyone fancy a trip over?!

Cliff Swallow on Saint Mary's on the Isles Of Scilly, present from Tuesday 6th September

A very decent find from my birding colleague Graham Flash Gordon

Scilly season might be on!


-- Edited by James Walsh on Friday 9th of September 2016 01:33:43 AM

Apologies for double posting but some people just look at certain threads and won't see this in the Woolston Eyes thread.

I had a phonecall from a ringing pal of mine at Woolston Eyes this morning. They have trapped & rung a White-crowned Sparrow this morning. It has been released at the John Morgan Hide (the large hide with feeders at either end). Access has been granted for non-members of this Permit only site. The barriers off Thelwall Lane have been left open. You can drive along the entrance track to the parking area on the left. Walk to the bridge and access is possible for a £2 donation today 10am-4pm. It may be granted tomorow if the bird is still seen. The Grid Reference is SJ649882 and the postcode is WA4 2HZ.

 

Good views of the Citril Finch on Sunday at Holkham Pines, Norfolk.

Moltoni's Subalpine Warbler reported nearby at Blakeney yesterday.

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

..........The numbers there throughout today must have easily topped the thousand mark and it was really busy, one of the biggest twitches I have ever seen. It was pretty muddy too so wellies are recommended. I think it will stay and the next few days will be quieter so not a bad option. There were postings on another forum that the landowner threatened to go into his field and flush the bird if his requests not to park on his verges were ignored, this is the only threat I can see to it not sticking around. But I feel that this was a heat of the moment threat and hopefully will not be acted upon.

---

There was no sign of the bird in the kale field today Paul so perhaps the threat was carried out or maybe it was the extremely strong wind that had swept it away before I got there - didn't realise that there was so much kale in the world !!!


-- Edited by sid ashton on Friday 2nd of January 2015 09:38:28 PM

Blyth's Pipit still resent this morning, although the views were brief the bird did fly up into the strand of Willow trees that border the small pool several times, but mainly out of view hunkered down in long grass, Due I guess to the very blustery conditions

A "marginal" mega found late this afternoon on the beach at Seaton Snook, R.Tees estuary (N.Cleveland) in the form of an Isabelline Wheatear, a new species for both Cleveland and for Durham.
The bird was watched until dusk and there will be the usual gathering at first light in the morning by the great majority of county listers (including me) for whom this news broke too late today.
For anyone travelling, the access is via the Zinc Road which goes right down to the beach with ample roadside parking before the weighbridge. The Zinc Rd. is accessed from the A178 road north towards Seaton Carew (if travelling from direction of RSPB Saltholme), directly opposite an obvious quite high refuse tip on the landward side of the road.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Porthgwarra in Cornwall today and a Black-billed Cuckoo on North Ronaldsay Time for a Twitchers Tardis to be invented

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

In E.Yorks a juvenile Masked Shrike has turned up today at Kilnsea near Spurn. It is behind Rose Cottage & is viewable from the seawall SE of the Crown & Anchor Pub. Park only in Well Field, not in pub car park or along road. Courtesy of RBA Pagers.

Having seen the one in Scotland several years ago it is not cutting me up that I am stuck in work, but a nice tick for many

Still there at 1.45pm

---

Yes Paul a cracking little bird I have put my visit report on the Spurn thread.

Originally posted by Dave Ousey:

A few days before a family holiday is not the ideal time to go rushing off on a twitch at the other end of the country, now is it? So when a Short Toed Eagle was first seen in Hampshire and later in East Sussex, I thought I will have to miss that one, even after a couple of my fellow A Team birder friends had tried to tempt me to go (try harder next time boys) You cannot believe how I felt upon returning to the UK, late on Friday, to find that the Short Toed Eagle was still present in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex. Whilst unpacking, washing, cleaning house, gardening and shopping a few texts where sent secretly sent and a team assembled for an early dash Sunday morning, after first obtaining permission from my understanding wife. At two am we got into Chris Bs car with Steve B,Steve K & myself, only, bird of prey man Bob was missing from a full A Team trip! Heading along the M62, M6, M40, M25 and finally onto the M23, East Grinstead and into the Ashdown Forest area. At this point we struggled to find the Long car park, but as a few other birders arrived we realised we were in the right place. This area is really beautiful and certainly not like Up North. A few Tree Pipits and Stonechats were seen, but no birds of prey, so after about an hour we decided to go to the Gills Lap car park area were, we were told, quite a few birders were present. A check of the bird news revealed the bird was sat in tree waiting for us, put your foot down driver time. As we arrived a gathering of around 60 birders were watching something! A birder told us the Short Toed Eagle was sat on top of a tree at the other side of the valley, what joy, a bird that was seen by one of our departed birder friends on Scilly a few years ago, could finally be enjoyed by us all now! Truly amazing to be lucky enough to see one of the most charismatic eagles of the Western Palearctic right here in England. As it was a lifer for all our group the customery hand shakes were exchanged. The bird took to the air after about 20 minutes and gave great flight views, especially right over our heads! It gained height and disappeared out of the valley (not to be seen again until Tuesday morning). The people that live or visit this area are truly impressed by its natural beauty, as we were. After the very early start we all began to feel a bit jaded and we decided after a little stop in Crawley to head for home. We all got home around five pm and enjoyed the sunshine that had made the day very special.

With the Short-toed Eagle that appeared first at Morden Bog in Dorset having settled down at Ashdown Forest in East Sussex I finally decided to give it a go!! Setting off at 4.45am was definitely too late as the M25 was hit at the start of rush hour and was stop start for the whole 30-odd miles that I had to be on it for Once this was cleared it was q.a short distance to Ashdown Forest and first to Long car park where it had been roosting nearby until c.9am most mornings, well all except this one. Rumour had it that over-keen birders approached the roost tree and flushed the eagle out at 6.15am, leaving tens of folk arriving a bit later pretty miffed!!

Most of us then relocated to Gills Lap car pak as the daytime feeding circuit favoured this area most days. The overcast conditions didn't help but at 11.30am a raptor was spotted over pines just across the road & I heard folk saying that it looked promising, I got my scope onto it and immediately exclaimed "that's it", at last the 2s Short-toed Eagle was showing to all The bird gave excellent views as it circled around just over the road, often hovering & dangling its legs as this species does when scanning the heath for reptiles. After about 15-20mins it drifted off back in the direction of Long car park leaving everyone elated that this Mega had showed again despite the bad feelings of earlier in the day.

As the sky was now cloudless & it was warm & sunny we took the chance to explore the area logging up a few good birds in this part of the world I am totally unfamiliar with but will hopefully go back to. We recorded Woodlarks, Tree Pipits, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Turtle Doves and Red Kites as well as a breeding species that cannot be mentioned as it is too sensitive on open forums (if anyone is planning a visit & knows me & I know you please message me in private for info).

Later in the day we were treated to further views of the Short-toed Eagle both perched up and flying around pretty close to us against a blue, cloudless sky, a fantastic bird in a really nice area. Chatted to lots of NW and Staffs birders that I knew down there, amazed just how many had made the decision to go on the same day as us!!

The M25 was predictably a pain going back too and all in all 490miles were logged and 9.25 hours were spent in the car, that bit wasn't fun but the day out was, a Mega bird watched, a species that I never thought that I would see in the UK and a new area birded to which I plan to return to for a holiday/short break sometime. Added to that a quick explore of the Pooh Trail - Ashdown Forest is where A.A.Milne based Winnie the Pooh (!!!) to see landmarks such as the Enchanted Place, Eeyore's Gloomy Place, Hundred Acre Wood (actually Five-hundred Acre Wood in the forest!), the Lone Pine, The Heffalump Trap & of course the Pooh Sticks Bridge, and it all added up to a brilliant day out

If anyone does plan on going & needs extra info please private message me, but give a few days notice as I may not be on here every day!!

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Friday 20th of June 2014 11:26:27 AM

Went on Tuesday & I know it was newer news then, but it was a weekday, and parking was pretty bad. If you park in Burnham Overy Staithe village it is a longer walk, my mate I met there said easily an hour. I parked at the crossroads on the A149 half a mile E.of the village but parking is limited & it got a little chaotic. I ended up down the minor road opp the track towards the dunes that you need to take, parking is possible on the verge of this road intermittently so you should get a spot here. The track is good underfoot and leads to a boardwalk which tracks you round to the dunes where the bird is favouring. This route is between 30-45mins long, long enough to et the nerves jangling!! I reckon you should be absolutely fine regarding it being there as I had scoped views of it twice collecting nesting material!!

Good luck and have a safe journey, Phil

Cretzschmar's Bunting, Fair Isle, Shetland

Great Spotted Cuckoo reportedly in Pembrokeshire - a sign of the madness to come over the next few months???

Source: RBA

-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 12th of March 2014 07:08:09 AM

Great views of Brunnich's Guillemot at Portland Harbour and Hooded Merganser at Radipole in Dorset today plus White Billed Diver in Brixham Harbour today

Todays Megas

Buff-bellied Pipit on the Wirral

http://www.deeestuary.co.uk/lsight.htm


Ivory Gull still at Patrington Haven, Yorkshire


Falcated Duck in Oxfordshire

http://oxonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/

-- Edited by James Walsh on Saturday 21st of December 2013 08:41:25 PM

Tim Wilcox wrote:

---

Dropped by casually to have a look at the Baikal Teal yesterday after Tony Darby and myself had been at Martin Mere all morning (where there's a wonderfully visible roosting Tawny Owl between Janet Kear and UU hides btw). Many convinced of its wild credentials. Possibly the report earlier of it being a hybrid may have resulted from its incomplete drake plumage - it only has a droop below the eye not a full chinstrap and is still slightly muted in colouration. Apparently they have bounced back in China and Korea and have increased rapidly in numbers in the last 10 years and are now designated as of 'least concern'. Whatever the origins here the probability of genuine vagrants has clearly increased and Baikal Teal was added to the BOU list in 2009. I still don't get this wild/plastic decision-making process. How come all these Blue-winged Teal knocking about seem to be 'wild'?

---

Had a look at the Baikal Teal this morning and had good views in excellent light. Whatever its pedigree it was a really interesting bird to see and worth the trip.

Dropped by casually to have a look at the Baikal Teal yesterday after Tony Darby and myself had been at Martin Mere all morning (where there's a wonderfully visible roosting Tawny Owl between Janet Kear and UU hides btw). Many convinced of its wild credentials. Possibly the report earlier of it being a hybrid may have resulted from its incomplete drake plumage - it only has a droop below the eye not a full chinstrap and is still slightly muted in colouration. Apparently they have bounced back in China and Korea and have increased rapidly in numbers in the last 10 years and are now designated as of 'least concern'. Whatever the origins here the probability of genuine vagrants has clearly increased and Baikal Teal was added to the BOU list in 2009. I still don't get this wild/plastic decision-making process. How come all these Blue-winged Teal knocking about seem to be 'wild'?

Drake Baikal Teal Banks on the creek viewable from the seawall, park @ Banks Road near the Environment Agency building & walk 700 yards

Also the first-winter Ross's Goose @ Marshside RSPB Reserve, viewable from Marine Drive

The Southport Marshes are the mega wildfowl capital of Britain at the moment

All eyes point North - Unst in Shetland has weighed in with Cape May Warbler, the second for Britain another mega American to drool over - incidentally the first accepted record was sunny Paisley in '77

-- Edited by John Doherty on Wednesday 23rd of October 2013 09:15:00 PM

Thick-billed Warbler still on Shetland, also Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

No, didn't catch it, I didn't go, the area's not urban enough

Like the sound of that programme, I'll have to see if the producers at the Beeb are up for it

Anyway, let's get back on the subject of megas