An East Coast Safari

Sunday September 25th

I like to get off nice and early and so I was in Canal Scrape hide for 7.30 a.m. A jack snipe was bobbing away but very much obscured by the vegetation. While I waited and hoped he'd emerge I watched a couple of water rails. Here's one of them. Water Rail Water Rail Water Rail Water Rail A common snipe was not far from the jack snipe and I hoped it might push the jack into view. If anything it had the opposite effect!

Snipe Snipe Snipe The jack snipe remained half-hidden... Jack Snipe Jack Snipe Jack Snipe A yellow-browed was being shown at Church Field. Yellow-browed Warbler As we watched the yellow-browed someone in the crowd said there was a pecker on the telegraph pole. Great Spotted Woodpecker

Kilnsea Wetlands was quiet at low tide. A ringed starling was on the wires by the car park... Starling ...and some curlews were in the field over the road. Curlew Curlew Curlew Curlew I headed north for Hornsea hoping for little gulls on the jetties but there were none. A few dinghies were on the water. Dinghy Hornsea Mere Wandering around Kirkholme Point a brightly-coloured dunlin flew in and landed almost at my feet on the narrow strip of mud. Dunlin Dunlin Dunlin Dunlin

The previously reported taiga bean goose was refound near North Marsh, Flamborough but only visible with a scope from Old Fall steps at the roadside.

I eventually saw it along with a small group of birders at the left hand end of a field of about 200 greylags. They took off and I managed to pick it out later at home as the geese flew off from the left with the taiga near the front. Taiga Bean Goos with Greylags It's heavily cropped - the third bird from the left. General view of the flock in flight... Greylag Geese

Thornwick Pool had dunlins again. Messing with camera settings I snapped this heron. Heron Heron

Final stop: Bempton Cliff. Situation normal: gannets and fulmar on show... Gannet Gannet Gannet Fulmar ...and tree sparrows in the car park. Tree Sparrow Tree Sparrow

244 UK 2016

A long walk to an invisible pond...

I spent the day in the Flamborough area, beginning at Bempton in the wind. Six yellow-browed warblers about including three together but very difficult to get a photo as they were endlessly active in the stiff breeze and tending to remain partially obscured deep inside the bushes. An elderly [?] pheasant attended. Pheasant I moved on to Thornwick Pool where 5 dunlin were present. Dunlin Dunlin

A friendly crow was in the car park by the fishermen's hut. Crow Crow Later in Bridlington harbour I took a few shots of the everyday birds there. Turnstone with a young crab.

Turnstone Redshank and herring gull. Redshank Herring Gull The highlight of the day came late afternoon when a red-backed shrike was posted at Cromer Point pond. It was quite a walk from Long Nab car park.

Long Nab observation hut from near Cromer Point. Long Nab From Cromer Point I could see no sign of a pond even after scanning with my scope. It's at TA028 928 approx. I turned round to give up and go back and noticed a patch of bulrushes and reeds just west of the last contoured mound I had negotiated. I went closer... Red-backed Shrike Perched up distantly was the shrike. Red-backed Shrike Red-backed Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

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.