A Fine Assortment

From Egyptian goose to spotted crake!

Playing catch-up as whilst I took a long time to post all my Shetland material I was also out photographing more stuff locally. Especially as I had some new kit to experiment with. I'll try to be brief and rattle through it all!

August 17th: Egyptian geese at North Cave. Record shot into the sun.

Egyptian Geese Darter. Dragonfly sp. August 18th: at home in the garden trying a new lens. Wood Pigeon Wood Pigeon Bee on white globe thistle August 20th: Saltholme, Phil Stead hide. Snipe Greenshank Greenshank August 23rd & 24th: For a few days in late August we awoke to watch roe deer from our bedroom window here in Acomb, York. A selection of photos from both days follows.

Roe Deer Roe Deer Roe Deer Roe Deer Roe Deer Roe Deer Roe Deer

In the afternoon of the 24th Sheila and I popped in to Blacktoft to see Barry. Things were very quiet. Black-tailed Godwit Heron August 26th: We drove to North Cave hoping for a glimpse of the spotted crake. Tricky bird to spot!

Record shot at best. I'll make amends later on! Spotted Crake

The crake hid himself away, ashamed to show his face, afraid of what others might say...Remember that? Danny Kaye singing the Ugly Duckling. I watched this greenshank. It's definitely greenshank season at the moment!

Greenshank Walking back we saw this dragonfly on a tree by the path. Dragonfly sp. A juvenile great crested grebe gave some nice reflections. Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe Great Crested Grebe

The greenshank turned up again later at Crossland hide along with  a little grebe with a little fish. Greenshank Little Grebe August 27th saw us both back at Saltholme. Not for anything special. Just a trip out to see the sea. Ever get that feeling? I need to see the sea? Phil Stead's greenshank first. Greenshank Greenshank

Plus a magpie. Magpie Med gull on the lamp-post at Newburn Bridge and...

...another one on the beach! Mediterranean Gull

Some redshanks flew in... Redshanks ...but turned their back on me! Redshanks

Strangely I visited Alkborough three days running. Once on the 28th to see the spoonbills and whatever else might be around, then again on the 29th with Barry after a disappointing day at Frampton and, finally, on the 30th...

...but we'll come to that later.

So, on the 28th I had no luck with the bearded tits but the spoonbills were pretty close. Spoonbills Spoonbills

The best part was when they were all spooked and took off... Spoonbills Spoonbills Spoonbills Spoonbills Spoonbills Spoonbills Spoonbills

Then the godwits took to the air. I can find 4 wader species in this shot. Black-tailed Godwit

The sea aster was in full flower.

Sea Aster August 29th was the day Barry and I went to Frampton Marsh and saw hardly anything. Reports of large numbers of curlew sandpipers and little stints had tempted us. There were a few little stints admittedly but nothing in the quantity we had hoped for.

The visit started well with a couple of yellow wagtails with the horses from the car park. Yellow Wagtail

Reed bunting and whitethroat juvenile on our walk. Reed Bunting Chiffchaff Small tortoiseshells were frequent even though there have been reports of a big drop in numbers this year. Small Tortoiseshell Ruff Ruff Ruff A very distant ruff and little stint. I'll put that right a little later too. Ruff & Little Stint We headed for Freiston Shore RSPB. Little grebe at Freiston. Little Grebe

Continuing north we called at Alkborough where there were plenty of birds. Little did we know what would be found the following day! Avocets Black-tailed Godwit On the 30th August a western purple swamphen turned up at Alkborough. Sheila and I went quite late on and had good scope views of my 424th British Isles lifer. I didn't take a camera but here's a reminder of a bird I saw at Saltney, Clwyd, North Wales at a Morrisons building site in 2010. It was an escaped grey-headed gallinule but closely related to 'Swampy'. Look at those feet! Purple GallinuleEscape Purple GallinuleEscape September! The year rushes on. 

September 1st and Sheila and I headed for Thornwick Pool, North Landing, Flamborough hoping a little stint was still about. A bit far off but a lot closer than the Frampton birds. Little Stint Little Stint Little Stint Slowly getting closer. Little Stint Some dunlin came in. Dunlin Dunlin Dunlin Back to the stint. Still going in the right direction!

Little Stint See the tramlines.

Liitle Stint Little Stint Little Stint Little Stint Little Stint Little Stint We called at Bempton. Jackdaw on the walk down to the cliffs. Jackdaw

The RSPB volunteer at  the viewpoint explained that young gannets fly down from the nest and spend some time in the water getting all the guano etc off their wings before they try to fly off again. That's what this bird was doing. Juvenile Gannet Juvenile Gannet Juvenile Gannet

September 2nd: after increasing reports that the spotted crake was becoming more bold and showing well we decided to have another look... Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake

Right out on the mud! Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake Spotted Crake

Spotted Crake

237 UK 2016