Turdus eunomus indeed!

I headed off to Beeley near Matlock in Derbyshire on Monday morning hoping to see the dusky thrush - a bird I had certainly never seen before. Advice was to park in the Dukes Barn activity centre car park. It had space for perhaps a dozen or so cars but there must have been several hundred when I arrived and the poor little village was gridlocked! I chatted to a local who found it all very exciting and who said he'd ''even been on the internet to look up the bird''. Nothing had ever happened in Beeley since the plague years.

It was in fact a multiple twitch as the bird was pretty mobile - so there was a twitch by the church, another by the playing fields and another by the orchard alongside the Dukes Barn site. I stayed at that one.

Shutters clicked excitedly for a song thrush...

Dusky Thrush Robins were hurtling about chasing each other. Robin Briefly the bird landed in an apple tree. It stayed only seconds and flew.

Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush A couple of hours passed with various reports of brief sightings. Apparently on the playing field the bird was a long way off. I hoped it would return to the orchard. It did. On the ground this time. Here we come... Dusky Thrush Over here! Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Better views... Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush Dusky Thrush

273 UK 2016; 10th lifer of the year and my 429th British Isles species. Guess that may be 2016's swansong...

The Kites of Nunburnholme

On Tuesday 29/11 I went back to Nunburnholme near Pocklington to see the red kite roost again. The reason for going was the prospect of really good light. I found the light not just good but magical. However first of all some more of those white pheasants - plus a normal one!

Pheasant Pheasant If you didn't know what they were you might be puzzled to see this:- Pheasant Pheasant A common buzzard was dozing in a tree. Pheasant If there's a problem with this roost site it's that the birds come in low against the very dark forest background. Red Kite But you just need a couple of birds to circle round a bit in the afternoon light...Magic! Red Kite Red Kite

Red Kite Red Kite Red Kite Red Kite Red Kite Red Kite Red Kite

Saltholme & Hartlepool Headland

I headed up to Saltholme to attend a ringing demonstration. Although the local ringing group was well organised and informative, the birds must have been forewarned as very few were trapped in the nets. Just a few blue tits and goldfinch. I did learn, however, how to sex goldfinches! I also walked out to Haverton scrub to look for the long-eared owl but it had not been located. I headed back a trifle frustrated but enjoying the fresh air. As a firm believer that no day out birding is completely disappointing, I decided to head to Hartlepool hoping something would turn up.

Off Jackson's Landing a group of red-breasted mergansers let me get close. Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Merganser

I wasn't disappointed! 

A raft of eider was fairly close in across from the lifeboat station. Eider As I made my way along what they call the Town Wall the eider came in closer.

Eider Curlew were on the pebbled shoreline. Curlew Curlew Curlew Curlew Curlew Lots of oystercatcher on the ground often don't make a good shot so this individual looked rather good up on a ''rock'' away from the others. Oystercatcher It began to drizzle as I headed back towards the grassy beach area if you know where I mean. I sat down on the grass and hoped some purple sandpipers might come close.

A pied wagtail came to inspect me.

Pied Wagtail The sandpipers were very restless but I got some nice views and discarded many later! Purple Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper As the light changed to a watery sun I snapped a drake eider on a concrete groin. Eider Eider