Must be the season of the Twitch!

[aka: Let's twitch again like we did last summer!]

Never heard of John of Gaunt's reservoir near Harrogate? On the maps it's one of the Beaver Dyke reservoirs but often known by the name of the ruined castle by the western reservoir. The two reservoirs are just east of Swinsty Reservoir. I went there on Sunday 11th September to see a red-necked grebe.

A bit breezy but otherwise nice. As I walked along part of the Dales Way I met two butterflies I hadn't seen much of this year.

Wall Wall Small copper Small Copper Later I got reasonable views of the grebe but it never came close - so just a few record shots. First, here's the reservoir.

John O'Gaunt's reservoir near Harrogate John O'Gaunt's reservoir near Harrogate Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Grebe

Off out birding! September 13th...Skinningrove, South Gare rocks and Newburn Bridge

Start with another visit to Skinningrove stonechat, rock pipit, linnet and a few other bits. Stonechat Rock Pipit Stonechat Stonechat Stonechat Linnet

Ringed Plover Oystercatcher

I saw on the pager that the white-winged black tern and black tern juveniles were still on South Gare rocks as the tide was coming in. I headed there as it was quite close by. The darker bird is the black tern: picture 1. Picture 2 is the white-winged. Met a problem I hadn't come across before: heat haze wobble! Black Tern juvenile White-winged Black Tern White-winged Black Tern Black Tern juvenile Black Tern juvenile Black Tern juvenile Black Tern juvenile Black Tern juvenile

We looked for roseates too with their long streamers. Alan Whitehead arrived as the tide became really high and most of the terns had left. Roseate Tern Roseate Tern Roseate Tern Roseate Tern Newburn Bridge as I needed to call at Hartlepool Tesco! [ringed plover, sanderling and bar-tailed godwit] Ringed Plover Sanderling Bar-tailed Godwit

13th September - messing about at home with new camera, I took these test shots. Bee Bee Speckled Wood Spruce Cones

Cyrtanthus elatus or Scarborough lily. Scarborough Lily

September 16th - back to South Gare but it was pretty quiet. Lots of mipits passing through... Meadow Pipit ...and a few stonechats. Stonechat Newburn Bridge had two med gulls and some other waders... Ringed Plover Sanderling Sanderling

Turnstone Mediterranean Gull Oystercatcher Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull Mediterranean Gull ...but knot a lot else. Knot plus Sanderling

September 18th at Blacktoft.

About a mile from Blacktoft we spotted a buzzard. As I got the camera ready a group of dunlin flew west. Dunlin The buzzard sparred with a sparrowhawk. Buzzard + Sparrowhawk Buzzard Snipe and ruff at Blacktoft. Snipe Ruff Ruff September 19th I went to Spurn but suffered battery failure early on: the battery on the new camera doesn't last as well as the 1D. I need to plan for that! I saw a yellow-browed warbler plus the wader spectacle at high tide at Kilnsea Wetlands including the woodsand. Spent a merry hour with Karen and Simon Spavin and watched a redstart plus a probable elusive barred warbler which in the end I didn't count. Just one image then, of a snipe. Snipe Struggling along at 241 for this year but when I look at the draft of my photobook it's nonetheless been a good year for photos.