Tuesday 29/5 - a lifer!

8am. Tea in bed, pager in hand. How sad is that? Oh well, Hartleppol Headland: 'Western Orphean Warbler trapped and ringed. Will be released at bowling green at 8.45am.' Humming and hawing. Eventually after doing a tiny bit of pointing on the side of the house [where I removed a satellite dish yesterday] I set off. To cut a long and very tedious story short I kept seeing bits of this bird in its sycamore tree. Eventually I saw most of it! The chap who got a photo is a miracle worker!

Decided to head home after a couple of hours. Saw a roller was at Spurn. 'Go for it!' came the text from home. So I went, I arrived and I didn't see it! Saw great views, unbelievably good views of a pair of golden orioles. Went home. Still happy.

One of what I might call my 'cuckoo category' photos. Distant view; rubbish photo but there on the top of that bush is... yes, a golden oriole! Honest!!

Wednesday 30/5

In the afternoon we went to Blacktoft as I had mentioned that a marsh warbler was, allegedly, 'showing well.' Not something really that marsh warblers do. Anyway we went. We saw the bird briefly from time to time. We heard it initially quite well, then silence. And that was about it. Even the marsh harriers were quiet - just one lone male seen. We tried for the grasshopper down by Marshland but no sound. By the reception building I photographed a young rabbit. Someone said: 'Have you seen the young leveret?' I went back. Not rabbit, hare. In the long grass nearby I spotted an adult. Never photographed a hare before. They make really nice pictures.

Leveret Leveret Hare

In the words of the song: 'If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hare.'

Thursday 31/5: Black to Backtoft!!

Marsh warbler showing well, allegedly, at Blacktoft. Ever get that sense of déjà vu? [Can now do accents! I've learnt how to paste from Word using Ctrl + V!!]  Anyway, I went back. It rained and rained. I don't think I've ever been so wet whilst out birding. This marsh harrier female sat through it all.

Marsh Harrier A bedraggled whitethroat was still feedinng its young with nice juicy spiders.

Whitethroat I sat in Singleton hide and watched the rain. There wasn't much else to watch. A few shelduck splashed down.

Shelduck

Somethings enjoy the rain. I expect the reeds enjoy it. Magic growth from magic rain. Probably at least a foot per week.

A dirty little toad was out on the path having a shower.

Toad Eventually I headed back to Tiggy for a drink and to warm up. I left her engine running to warm myself up and to enable contact with the outside world as my phone had died. Text from home promised  weather would improve. By 2pm the light seemed better. It looked warmer if you know what I mean. Experts with great eyesight had arrived. They were onto the marsh warbler. I wish Barry had been there: someone mentioned subsong! I could hear it [the subsong!!!!]. Then, I could see it [the bird not the subsong], perched up.

As ever, let the pictures tell the story. Notice it is ringed: we were looking for an upright ringed bird with a different song to reed warbler as they look extremely similar. Apparently marsh are a bit more upright in stance and sit higher in the reeds for longer. Have a look. Photographic first for me.

Marsh Warbler Marsh Warbler

Marsh Warbler Marsh Warbler By now the whitethroat had dried out a lot and was looking brighter. Still taking food back for its young.

Whitethroat On the way back to the car I met the leveret again. He looked pretty soaked too.

Leveret He scampered off. Great image this, thanks pal!

Leveret Later I saw him round the back end of the car next to Tiggy.

Leveret

Friday 1st June: I'm on a roll!

No I haven't sat on my lunch, Barry. But on Thursday night the Spurn roller was reported 'outside Aldbrough by the B1242 still on wires over ploughed field just north of the village.' Still!! As if it's been there for days and I haven't been paying attention. So decision taken to go early. Very early left at 5.30am. Arrived at ploughed field with 3 parked cars at 6.50. Saw bird 6.52. Just like that. Lifer 379. 21 to go to reach that magic number...

The light was poor and the bird not especially close.

Roller

Roller

On wires it looked a bit bedraggled but it was finding worms.

Roller The light was poor and it was still cold. I decided to wander down to Spurn for an hour. It wasn't too far. There was a tree pipit at the Warren. Reception information was barren again.

Tree Pipit

Apparently the long wing projection and pale area round the eye are diagnostic. A bit of supercilium present. And they'd ringed it.

I went back to Aldbrough. Three birders had become a major twitch of course. The roller was getting twitchy too. But the light was better:

Roller Roller This flight picture from behind shows how colourful a roller is in flight. Blues, brown, black, and white.

Roller Whatever next?

Yorks 108; UK 231