After a very welcome message from Tim and also seeing some very gripping photos from finder Mark Thomas,it was drop every thing and head for Bempton Cliffs RSPB again! after mark had found and trapped and ringed a stunning Green Warbler!,a first for Yorkshire.
A hectic journey through traffic and some of the slowest drivers in the universe ensued,making the journey up to Bempton feeling like 5 hours,never mind and hour and ten minutes.
Mark had found the bird on his ringing patch at Buckton,just a spit from the Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve and the bird flew into a mist net which kindly allowed some study in the hand and measurements,photos etc. to confirm identification of this MEGA rare Warbler.
Twitchers were heading to Buckton from all points of the compass in Yorkshire to come and see this smart Warbler and for many like myself,it was also a lifer.
On arrival,i grabbed the gear and headed off as quick as i could enjoying some general chat with one of our finest wildlife artists Darren Woodhead and his son Corin,which certainly made the walk easier.
After arriving where the bird was found,it was pretty obvious from the start it was not going to be easy to see and after watching with others it seemed like a lifetime before anyone glimpsed the bird and then Garry Taylor saw it very briefly and it also called.
It wasn't long before i got onto it,with the briefest of views head on and then i was surrounded by people,more like a rugby scrum,rather than trying to look at a rare bird.
At least another 5 views of the bird were had over the next hour and a half,none for more than 10 seconds,which isn't ideal i know,but at least i had seen it on a few occasions now.
In the field the bird looked very bright,with the head pattern really standing out and also the single wing bar,seen on one occasion,it looked brighter than any Greenish i had seen in the past,for sure.
This species breeds in a restricted area in Northern Turkey,the Caucasus,Trans Caucasia and Northern Iran and winters in Southern India and Sri Lanka and has occurred in this country on 8 previous occasions,with this bird being the first twitchable mainland record!.
Not the easiest bird i have seen for sure and i would have liked another trip up to see it,but Tracey and myself were Wales bound,early Saturday morning and i still had to pack and wash the car etc...
A cracking bird for Yorkshire and just reward for Mark after all the hard work in creating the habitat here and for finding this lovely bird.
Attached are a couple of photos of the bird in the hand,which Mark has very kindly let me use on my blog.1st Winter Green Warbler,Note The Distinct Head Pattern.Photo Courtesy Of Mark Thomas. What A Cracking Little Bird!,The Single Wing Bar Being Just Visible.Photo Courtesy Of Mark Thomas.
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