Araneus diadematus and the Umlaut bird!

Forgot to include this fellow in my last blog. Garden spider [aka araneus diadematus] in our garden 24th September. Garden Spider

I had been hoping for a few days to find a gap in our family commitments to get away for a night and go to Anstruther in Fife to see the Brünnich’s Guillemot before it left. I managed it on Thursday but, unable to leave York before midday, it was 6 p.m when I arrived and the bird was hiding somewhere under the pontoons in the harbour. Eventually it came into view and I watched it for some time as it swam around, flapping its wings a few times. [Lifer 425!] By now it was fairly dark and I decided to leave photographing the bird till the morning - or more likely lunchtime when the tide would refill the harbour.

Next morning I snapped a few of the birds on the beach... Curlew Curlew Eider ...and decided to explore the local area whilst I waited for the bird to reappear. Imagine my shock when the pager announced the bird was dead. Bird Guides later said 'the corpse had been retained'! Good job I saw it the night before...

I returned via Roseden for the rose-coloured starling which failed to show whilst I was there. That, of course, is birding. For a radically different account read Nigel Stewart's version of events at http://cliftonbirding.blogspot.co.uk/

A sparrowhawk was flying about and probably didn't help my chances! Sparrowhawk Sparrowhawk Final break from driving at Newburn Bridge, Hartlepool. It was a very high tide - one giant wave took all the waders, me and this cormorant by surprise. I happened to point the camera at the cormorant as it broke over the short stone section of the jetty.  Cormorant I soon spotted a med gull on the jetty. Mediterranean Gull The waders were nice and close but seemed not bothered by the people watching from the promenade. Dunlin

Dunlin Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

The big wave was too much for the med gull. It returned to its favourite perch. Mediterranean Gull