Bempton Seabirds,Saturday July 2nd 2016.

With the prospect of an ideal days weather i headed for the seabird mecca that is Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve situated at the northern end of the great white cape that is Flamborough Headland.
 I try and visit this fantastic place at least once a year to see that sight,sound and unfortunately smell,of the the thousands of seabirds which call this place home.
 The conditions today were perfect,as it was pretty windy which seems to help with photographing,particularly,the Gannets as they seem to hang in the wind more.
 Not only is it a great place for birds,but the towering cliffs are a sight to behold also and make for a very impressive scene to enjoy.
 The following are some of my better efforts with the camera from my visit today.

Fulmar,what a stunning species.

Adult Gannet,supremely beautiful birds.

Adult Gannet.

Puffins,a visitors favourite.

Razorbill,my personal favourite of the Auk family.

Adult Gannet and large chick.

Adult Kittiwake.

Impressive Scenery.

Sir David At 90,A Lifelong Inspiration!.

After the very kind offer from birding buddy Tim Cowley to go along to a talk at York University by the man himself,Sir David Attenborough,i literally jumped at the chance.
 So along we went to see the great man in the flesh,with a packed house listening on every word from this living legend and it got me thinking what a great inspiration this man has been to me.It is Sir David along with my gran who is no longer with us sadly,who both drove a fire inside me to be interested in the natural world.
 So thanks to them both for giving me the start in this lovely hobby from watching Sir David in the ground breaking series Life On Earth in the late 1970's to walks in 'Little Switz' at Hessle with my gran learning about birds,insects and wild flowers and i owe them a great debt and have many fond memories.
 So here i am 40 plus years down the line still enjoying this fantastic hobby and hopefully a little bit more knowledgeable.

My Gran Looking After Her Roses In Her Garden,Great Memories.

The Isle Of Wight....Monday 6th June - Friday 10th June 2016.

Our first visit to this supremely beautiful Island for a week of walking and hopefully some wildlife sightings along the way,saw us enjoying a fantastic week of soaring temperatures and stunning scenery,with a couple of 'New' species for us thrown in.
 Tuesday 7th June:

Today saw us catching the local bus to Ventnor after a brief visit to Ryde and we decided to walk back along the coast to Shanklin.
 With a stroke of luck while walking down to the beach in Ventnor town i managed to find a single Wall Lizard which i managed some half decent photos of,but they are like lightning.This was a superb bonus to the trip and a new species for both of us,although the species is thought to have been introduced to the UK,this population at Ventnor is thought to be the oldest.
 After enjoying this stunning reptile we continued our walk along the coastal path along some fantastic habitat for Lepidoptera,with masses of Red Valerian,Bird's-foot Trefoil and Kidney Vetch and sure enough it wasn't long before we had found our first ever Glanville Fritillaries.
 They had been on my radar for the trip and i knew we would be in the correct area to see them,but was just worried about timing.This was confirmed as most of the individuals were not pristine specimens,being slightly worn,but beggars can't be choosers when watching such a stunning little species.This along with most of the other Fritillary species have become incredibly rare,so it was a great privilage to see these beautiful butterflies.
 The coast along here proved a mecca for Leps,with other species seen including Common and Holly Blue's,Speckled Wood,Green-veined White,Painted Lady(Including individuals arriving in off the English Channel),25 Silver Y moths and 50 plus Diamond-back Moths and the scenery was just amazing too,what a great day out!.

Wednesday 8th June:

Another fantastic day out today saw us visiting The Needles,Alum and Freshwater Bays,the scenery here was just breathtaking and we also managed to see a few more interesting species which included more Diamond-back Moths,Painted Lady and Common-blue Butterflies.The flora was pretty special here also and included masses of the lovely pink Thrift,Wild Cabbage,Bird's-foot Trefoil and Sea Carrot along the cliff top paths.

This Island has to be visited to be truly appreciated,with some fantastic coastal scenery and some very special residents,one of which i will certainly be returning to see.

Shanklin Sunrise.

Shanklin Sunrise Looking Towards Sandown And Culver Cliff.

Sunlit Gulls,Shanklin Beach.

Wall Lizard,Ventnor.

Wall Lizard,Ventnor.

Glanville Fritillary,Horseshoe Bay,Ventnor.

Glanville Fritillaries,Horseshoe Bay,Ventnor.

Coastal Lepidoptera Habitat,Horseshoe Bay,Ventnor.

Luccombe Chine.

Shanklin.

Alum Bay.

The Needles Battery And The Needles.

The Needles.

Freshwater Bay.

Cliff Top Path,Freshwater Bay.

Cliffs At Freshwater Bay.

Stunning Scenery At Freshwater Bay.

Common Lizards,Shanklin.

Dodgy Pheasant,Stunning Sylvia And Dove From The Orient,Saturday 7th May 2016.

With the very kind offer of a trip down south from Tim,with John as co pilot,we headed south today to attempt to see the long staying Western Rufous-turtle Dove at Otford in Kent.
 As i had just finished my nightshift,on the journey south,i attempted to grab some sleep,but it wasn't easy with thoughts of this mega in my mind.
 The weather thankfully was scorching and as Tim and John wanted to try and see the reported male Amherst Pheasant at Lidlington in Bedfordshire,this is where we headed first.
 After arriving in this quiet rural village,we headed through the local churchyard to the birds chosen area.
 The area the bird was present in was thick woodland and not easy to see into to be fair,the closest i got to seeing it was several bursts of calling from thick cover and to be honest i couldn't have cared less.I was far more interested in watching the local Garden Warblers which showed nicely and i managed to find 3 Coreus marginatus,not a common species in my local area in North Linc's.
 Full marks to the lads,as they eventually managed a 10 second view of the Pheasant as it wandered about it's woodland home,a UK tick for them both.
 After visiting the dodgy chicken it was on to the next site,the amazing Thursley Common.
 After a traffic filled journey and a bit of both birding and plane spotting from the car seeing 2 Hobbies,a couple of Red Kites,several Common Buzzards and the best of the bunch the HUGE Airbus A380 while passing Heathrow,we eventually arrived at Thursley.
 Our targets here were the lovely local Dartford Warblers and after a bit of searching we managed to find a male which was watched collecting food and visiting his presumed mate on the nest,as he kept returning to the same area giving some lovely views.
 These were John's first Dartfords in the UK and it was great for both Tim and myself to re-aquaint ourselves with this cracking little native Sylvia Warbler.
 Other sightings at Thursley included Common Buzzard,Male Stonechat and 35 plus Common Lizards,always a feature of the boardwalk here.
 Time was getting on,so we headed back to the car and made our way to the final site of the day and the main target of our visit the Rufous-turtle Dove.
 After more frustrating traffic for Tim to work his way through we eventually arrived at the Doves chosen street and garden.
 Next ensued a patient wait until the bird eventually and thankfully flew into one of its favourite trees and could be seen,only just at first due to it's position in the tree,but we eventually got a decent angle on the bird and bit by bit managed to piece together the birds ID features,such as the paler tips to the tail feathers compared to the race 'Orientalis'.
 This my first sighting of the race 'Meena' known as Rufous-turtle Dove which has been split from the other race 'Orientalis' known as Oriental-turtle Dove.Fortunately i have seen 'Orientalis' as well,after having the bizarre experience of seeing the Oxfordshire bird stood in the Akers family kitchen in March 2011 and as they are both deemed as possible full species on their own merits,today's bird maybe a future armchair tick.The bird was a new species,regardless of race for both Tim and John,so was a twitching success all round for us.
 So after a hectic dash around,all the target birds were seen and we all made the long journey back north.A big thanks to Tim for driving and another successfull twitch executed.

Coreus Marginatus,Lidlington,Bedfordshire.

North Cave Wetlands....Monday 02.05.2016.

Half a day to myself today,saw me heading over the bridge into the home county to visit that excellent gem of a reserve that is North Cave Wetlands.

 On arrival and after getting all the kit together i began proceedings by looking on Dryham Ings first.It was a hive of activity as on my last visit,with many pairs of the ubiquitous Black-headed Gulls,2 displaying Little-ringed Plovers and wildfowl included Shoveler,Gadwall,Mallard and a few Teal.

 Overhead a couple of Common Buzzard caused a brief panic amongst the residents,but they all soon settled back to their breeding duties and nest building.

 As i walked along the track past village lake,my first Sedge Warbler of the year tried it's best to sing over the continuous din of the squawking Black-headed Gulls.Later,2 more Sedge Warbler showed much better,including one particularly showy individual near the Dragonfly ponds,one of my favourite Warbler species!.

 A quick look from the hide overlooking village lake,saw a single adult Med Gull in amongst the nesting Black-headed Gulls and it looked quite settled sat in amongst them.Perhaps they will breed as there was also another adult reported later with this bird,so presumably they are a pair.

 As i made my way down the side of the Carp Lake,the distinctive rattling song of a Male Lesser Whitethroat saw me enjoying some lovely views of this cracking little bird and another 'new' species for the year.It's amazing to think that this little Sylvia warbler has just flown all the way from Africa to breed here,the wonders of bird migration!.

 More 'Firsts' came next and included my first Swifts(6) and Common Tern(1) over Island lake and prolonged watching from here added a lovely Red Kite and a couple more Common Buzzard over the adjacent hillside.

 Other species encountered included a single Black-tailed Godwit on Island Lake.

 So all in all not a bad visit again to this super reserve.

Newly hatched Coot chick on the Dragonfly Pond.

Avocet over Island Lake.

Adult Black-headed Gull over Island Lake.

Gadwall And Shoveler over Island Lake.

 

Crowle Moor NNR,Sunday April 24th 2016.

With a few reports beginning to slowly trickle in of the first Large-red Damselflies of the new season being seen,i primarily visited the NNR today to try and find my first records for the season,but sadly it was not to be due to the poor,cold weather again.
 All was not lost though,as a few avian sightings managed to keep me interested,the best of which were 2 Brambling picked up firstly on the subtle 'Yeck yeck' flight call followed by the more familiar 'Eeep' alarm call as i neared too closely.This species is always a nice bird to encounter and the huge flock's sometimes seen in autumn and winter are a joy to see.
 The rest of the bird species seen,were all summer visitors and i felt a little sorry for them in the cool temperatures today.
 First records for the year among the 'Summer' migrants included 3 singing male Whitethroat and a singing male Cuckoo,which i didn't see unfortunately,the 'Nettle Creeper's' being a personal fave species.Also seen on their long journey's from Africa included at least 21 singing male Willow Warbler,4 singing male Blackcap and finally 5 singing male Chiffies.
 So today's visit wasn't mega productive,but with a few nice photo subjects,it was a nice visit all the same.

Singing male Chiffchaff.

Northumberland And Cumbria.....Monday 11th April - Thursday 14th April 2016.

A few days away with Trace,staying with my sister Kirsty and her husband Kev in their cottage at Eals in the lovely county of Northumberland,wasn't really planned as a birding or wildlife watching trip,but i sort of expected to see a few bits,i certainly wasn't disappointed!.

Day One.

An early-ish start saw us heading north along the A1 and after our usual stop off at Wetherby services,the obligatory Red Kite and Common Buzzards were encountered along the motorway,before we headed across country from Scotch Corner.
 As we headed into Teesdale,a pre-planned visit to the fantastic High Force,saw us visiting this very impressive waterfall.A few welcome bird and wildlife sightings here included a lovely Dipper along the Tees,a couple of Chiffies and the amazing sight of my first Western conifer Seed Bug found along one of the paths near to the car park,what a great start to the holiday.
 As we carried on the journey we neared some great Black Grouse habitat and it wasn't long before we were enjoying our first ones seen this year,with a bachelor group of 7 males watched feeding on the roadside,not close enough for the camera,but great to see all the same.
 Further on and nearer to our destination,Trace spotted a further 3 males,which thankfully were much closer and i managed a few record shots.What cracking birds they are and it was nice to see some again after last years Yorkshire birds.
 After arriving at the lovely stone cottage we were staying at along with our hosts Kirst and Kev,we unpacked and straight away went to explore the area.
 We walked along the South Tyne Trail up to Lambley Viaduct and back and saw a few nice sightings which included a cracking male Merlin,Willow Warbler,6+ Common Buzzard,2 Grey Heron and the lovely sight and sound of displaying Curlew and Snipe.
 Afterwards we walked along the South Tyne at Featherstone Castle,with some lovely riverine scenery and a few notable sightings in the form of at least 20 Oystercatcher,Sand Martin,a couple of Common Buzzard and on the river,2 Common Toads and a shoal of Minnows.

Day Two

Watching the garden before we all went out for the day today,saw a nice surprise seen in the form of a single Mealie Redpoll found with at least 11 Siskin and 2 Lesser Redpoll visiting the garden feeders along with a female Great-spotted Woodpecker.This little garden proved to be brilliant for birds with at least 21 species being seen in it,incredible stuff and i missed the Nuthatch Kirst saw as well!.
 We visited a few places during the day,with the best sighting being a male Red-breasted Merganser on Ullswater and 75 Fieldfare near Eals in some poor weather conditions today unfortunately.
 Back at the cottage garden,the Mealies had doubled to two now,amazing stuff and 3 Bullfinch also visited.

Day Three

After more of watching the garden birds at breakfast,Trace and myself headed out on our own today,visiting the stunning Ullswater and beautiful Grasmere.The weather was still cloudy,with a few sunny breaks,but we couldn't care less about the weather to be fair,with the scenery being breathtaking,particularly as we drove through the Kirkstone Pass.
 A few nice bird sightings at Grasmere included 25 beautiful Whooper Swan making their way back north to Iceland and they looked stunning as they positively glowed against the surrounding dark mountain scape.On and over Grasmere itself,sightings included my first Common Sandpiper of the year which Trace spotted,200+ Sand Martin and 3 pairs of Goosander.
 At dusk as we returned from a lovely meal out,to see a male Woodcock was roding over the garden,what an amazing place to stay!.

Day Four

Sadly it was time to say our goodbyes to Kirst and Kev and we reluctantly travelled home back to Lincolnshire after a lovely,relaxed few days away.

High Force,Co.Durham.

High Force,Co.Durham.

Western Conifer Seed Bug,High Force.

Black Grouse,Northumberland.

Lambs At Eals,Northumberland.

Male Siskin,in the cottage garden,Eals,Northumberland.

Oystercatcher,Featherstone Castle,Northumberland.

Mealie Redpoll,in the cottage garden,Eals,Northumberland.

Kirkstone Pass,Cumbria.

Grasmere,Cumbria.

Ullswater,Cumbria.

Mealie Redpoll's,in the cottage garden,Eals,Northumberland.

Tophill Low,A Superb Day Out,Sunday 3rd April 2016.

A full day out planned today,saw myself and Mike meeting up at another 'New' site to add to his list of excellent birding venues,the following account is what we recorded throughout the day.
 As it began to get light properly,i began to get the gear together and when Mike arrived,we started proceedings by heading around the northern half of the reserve first.
 A few niceties around the car park to start,included a Great-spotted Woodpecker and 3 Siskin,the male of this trio of stunning finches trying his best to impress the two females with his wheezy attempts at singing.
 We headed down the side of 'D' Res first and through 'D' Woods quickly adding two nice birds to the day and year list.The first was a female Brambling watched flycatching in the canopy of the trees in the company of a hand full of Chaffinches,views wern't brilliant,but beggars can't be choosers and it was a decent sighting all the same.The second goodie was a male Blackcap,fresh in from Africa and at first fed in a similar fashion to the Brambling,up in the canopy,before dropping lower down and showing nicely through the bins.Blackcap's as Chiffchaff,are more and more a feature of our milder winters in the UK,but still the majority make the long journey south to Africa.
 Also in 'D' Woods,at least 5 Chiffchaff sang and a Doe Roe Deer quickly disappeared as we approached,nice sightings to add to the notebook.
 A look on 'D' Res itself at the northern end,revealed a feeding flock of at least 119 Sand Martin and another 2 firsts for the year in the form of 2 House Martin and 6 Swallow.What a great sight it was to watch this hirundine flock and they showed very well at relatively close range.
 We continued down towards Hempholme Meadow and then the Lock itself,with another highlight added here,with a pair of Red-crested Pochard seen on the river before they flew onto the small pond nearby and on the fields adjacent to the river,having the welcome sight of 5 Brown Hare and another Roe Deer.
 After enjoying the northern part of the site,we made our way back to the car and had a welcome refreshment stop before moving onto the southern part of the reserve.
 A quick look on North Lagoon revealed 36 Teal and a pair of Grey Wagtail and the explosive song of a male Cettis Warbler nearby was great to hear.The male of the pair of Grey Wags was singing and displaying to his mate,perhaps they will settle down and breed.
 We eventually made it round to the hide overlooking Watton Nature Reserve,with not that much here to add to the notebook apart from a single Little Egret,2 Grey Heron and 7 Curlew.
 After leaving the hide and walking back through South Scrub,that lovely,sweet song of a Willow Warbler greeted us.Another new spring arrival,fresh in from Africa and one of my personal favourites,it was also another new bird for Mike to go with his first Blackcap,Red-crested Pochards and Grey Wagtails....an impressive day so far for him!.
 South Marsh was the next stop and to be fair it was pretty good with more nice birds,which included 2 displaying male Little-ringed Plover,3 Ruff,9 Redshank,another singing male Cetti's Warbler and for me the birds of the day,a pair of Garganey.
 The Garganey were not particularly close,but it was great to see them all the same and again,another new species for Mike,i think he's beginning to think birding is easy.
 By now it was lunch time and Mike had to leave,so we said our goodbyes and i settled down for a while to have some lunch.
 Mr Tophill was now on his way and i was now looking forward to spending the afternoon with fellow birder and dragon addict Martin Hodges.
 We spent our time looking around the southern half of the reserve,mainly looking for insects and managed some good sightings along the way which included our first Episyrphus balteatus or Marmalade Hoverfly for the year,several species of Bumblebee which included Buff-tailed,Large Red-tailed and Common-carder.We also managed to record a couple of species of Butterfly,with singles of Small Tortoiseshell and the lovely Comma being seen.
 A real bonus for me today,but sort of expected,where at least 6 male Grass Snake,unfortunately not showing for photos due to the not ideal weather conditions,but pleasing to see all the same.
 So what an impressive day today at this superb site,with an impressive 80 species of birds recorded,including several first records for the year and with some great company,what else could you ask for in this great hobby.

Record shot of the Garganey pair on South Marsh.

Comma,near to 'O' Reservoir.