Tophill Low revisited 22.05.13

If you haven't been to the water works for a while you'll find a few changes afoot.

Tiggy just in shot on the left!

Temminck's stint had been reported at Watton NR, the curious bit of Tophill Low which isn't part of Tophill Low at all but which can be overlooked from their most southerly hide. The bird was easily located in a scope.

Temminck's Stint & LRP Bit of a cuckoo shot [sort of 'proof I saw it' photo] coming up! [Hugely cropped]

Temminck's Stint & LRP LRP on the left; Temminck's on the right. Both asleep!

Not quite so cropped but still pretty distant was a bonus wood sandpiper. Very nice bird.

Wood Sandpiper Even bigger bonus was the bird I just glimpsed scuttling low down in a stand of hawthorn bushes: imagine my shock when it burst into unbelievably loud song: Cetti's warbler.

I decided to head for North Marsh hide where I had seen reed warbler close up other years. This turned out to be a good idea. I sat and watched and took some photos whilst listening to the sounds of the reed warblers coming from the reedbed and the cuckoo singing unseen nearby.

Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Perched up singing in the sunlight is one thing. Scuttling in nearby brambles for insects [and then flying straight back and diving low into the reeds], the birds can look confusingly different. More reed warblers, believe it or not!

Reed Warbler The light changed as the clouds rolled by.

Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler Reed Warbler 3 ticks: Double Nelson 222

It's a wonderful hobby!

Lakenheath Fen 26.05.13

Red-footed Falcon Barry and I left home just after the dawn had finished cracking hoping to get to Lakenheath Fen RSPB to see the wonderful red-footed falcon that had taken up [no doubt temporary] residence there. An adult male, I had seen some amazing photos that made me want to photograph this bird.

We soon had our first sighting once we had parked at 8.50am in an already overflowing car park. Most of Britain's birders had the same idea as us. Eventually we met some birders we knew by sight - no surprise in the end.

The falcon put on a fine display but, you know, you always want to get that bit nearer. You dream of that 600mm lens!

A hobby was spotted perched in a tree.

Hobby He gave us a great display too - plus the best images of the day. Who's complaining?

Hobby The red-foot appeared from time to time but never very close.Red-footed Falcon The hobby caught something to eat.Hobby Hobby Ok. Let's bring on the best of the red-foot images!

Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon The next 3 poor quality but consecutive photos are included because I spotted the insect that the bird had spotted! Towards top right, then above wing.Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon

Finally grabbed!Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Red-footed Falcon Let's not forget the hobbies: they were wonderful too!Red-footed Falcon Hobby Hobby Hobby We walked round the reserve and also saw Savi's warbler and garden warbler. A cuckoo posed in the woods but, for once, not what I call a cuckoo-type photograph!

Cuckoo Some cygnets appeared.

Barry used the mute swan's head as a perch to look over the reedbed!

Barry at Lakenheath RSPB I located a singing whitethroat.

Whitethroat We moved on to Weeting Heath NWT where we saw stone curlew quite easily plus a nice spotted flycatcher. Then on again for a walk round East Wretham Heath NWT. Here things were rather quiet. A white butterfly of some kind turned out to be a female brimstone when we looked at the photographs.

Brimstone Some visitors had located a smart male redstart.

Redstart Redstart Preening. Nice image.

Redstart

Saltholme RSPB 28.05.13

Great white & little egret After 2 hours at Cowpen Bewley Woodland Park listening to an invisible nightingale I wandered down to Saltholme and saw one of the two great white egrets. Little egret on the left in the distance. Spot the little gull also!

I couldn't resist a few tern shots from the hide!

Common Tern Common Tern Common Tern A pipt landed on the fence. It looked a bit different so I wondered if it was a tree pipit but came to the inevitable meadow conclusion. It seemed nervous and soon left.

Meadow Pipit Meadow Pipit Walking back some cows were pressing up against one of the solid gateways. I wondered who was watching who!?

Cow Mute swans flew past, noisy wingbeats filling the air.

Mute Swan Mute Swan

Strensall Common/North Cave

Thursday 29.05.13

Barry and I risked a wet afternoon [we got one!] to look for wood lark and tree pipit on Strensall Common. Unfortunately the firing ranges were busy and with the sound of gunfire, some of the reserve was off limit.

Woodlark location We found the wood larks - a pair - but no sign of tree pipit. It began to rain heavily so we set off back to the car. See Barry's blog for more [http://barryjohnbishop.blogspot.co.uk/] and drove to North Cave to hide from the weather. That's what hides are for! Sanderlings were present but a bit too far away. This avocet was nearby, well rain-splashed!

Avocet Borage looked well in the wet.

Borage

Just had my 6,000th visitor. Great news!

229 birds UK 2013. There's more to come! [Now, who said that?']