12 Cliff Terrace, Hartlepool Headland

I was there by about 5.45am. Plenty of birders there already. I stood next to a couple from Hampshire and a man from Kent. It was that kind of twitch. The bird, by the way, was visible just to the right of a bay window. All you could see in the darkness was a patch of white. It looked for all the world like a piece of flaking white paint.

This photo was taken much later when it was reasonably light. The little swift took off moments later. It's looking at us all!

The bird was soon relocated along the promenade north of the bowling greens and it showed magnificently for an hour or more. So fast a flyer that I struggled to get photos at all never mind sharp ones. This one will have to do!

Little swift I snapped a couple of species that fly in a nice straight, predictable trajectory...

Scoter... Drake eiders...

Heading home I called at the Chevrons near Sleddale. No rough legs but I did see kestrel, red kite, lots of common buzzards, 2 peregrines and grouse.

And now for something completely different!

If you're mystified, there are birds here: just skip the flowers...

Some of you may know that for over a dozen years we opened the garden in the Yellow Book. We no longer do that but we still maintain our large garden as well as we can. About 4 years ago I bought a small collection of nerines - wonderful South African bulbs. Some are hardy here in Britain but many aren't. It's taken some time to get them to flower so I though I'd celebrate that with some photos. They have flowered this year for the first time through October and some are still going well.

Nerine bowdenii - the standard hardy nerine often grown in the UK

A strong growing deep pink form of Nerine bowdenii

This one came to us labelled 'Elegance'

My favorite, nerine corusca major a sarniensis cultivar - tender and spends the summer dry in a greenhouse with a large label reminding us not to water it till September

Nerine flexuosa alba

Dwarf and late flowering 'Hera'

Back to normal service!

November 5th 2018: Fairburn

A great grey shrike was reported at Fairburn Ings down by Hickson's Flash so I decided to try my luck. Unfortunately there was no sign of the bird but I did see a peregrine, a great white egret and a cattle egret. Here's some photos of the two egrets...

It was quite misty when I arrived. The great white and the cattle egret were not very active...

Over at Hickson's a heron was a chilly sentinel on the canal bank...until a dog walker scared it off. Returning to the Lin Dike area I saw that the great white had moved much nearer the road. I sensed an opportunity.

A heron was walking towards the great white and I felt the bird didn't like this approaching bird. When Mr. Grey came too close Mr. White flew off with Mr. Grey in pursuit!

November 8th: Meols near Hoylake on the Wirral

Set off reasonably early to see a pied wheatear that was performing on the promenade. I didn't have any trouble finding the twitch site! The bird's on the seawall somewhere...

You could get ridiculously close to the bird! Don't know why but I'm not sure this chap's lens is pointing quite the right way!

Here are my efforts - including some rather unconventional shots that I quite liked.

Later I called at Parkgate and saw 2 ringtail hen harriers, a raven, a great white egret, a peregrine and marsh harriers. Only photographed this little egret. I can still remember when sighting one of them got birders quite excited...

November 9th: Trip up to County Durham

Hoping to catch up with a hoopoe at Murton Park. Rather shy it stayed very much inside the scrub but I was content with this shot.

November 10th: Sheila asked if we could go see LEO!

Sheila knew they had been showing in Haverton Scrub at Saltholme and she loves to see owls especially long-eared owls. We were pleased with the new boardwalk but felt there was a design error of thinking. The boardwalk broadens out where the owls roost. However they can, of course, roost in slightly different places! On Saturday the LEO site was very busy and when the owls [2 of them] were located they were best seen from the narrow part of the boardwalk only intended for people to use approaching the site! Lots of bumping and good-natured manoeuvring with tripod legs threatening to topple people off into the mud at any moment!

However, the views were great.

To make Sheila's day we spent only 20 minutes down the North Gare road before heading home.

Magpie... ...and then 3 shorties seen. So Sheila saw 5 owls in one afternoon. Not bad going! Here, inevitably, are a few more shorties.

259 UK 2018

October in the North of England!

No trip to Cornwall for a catbird for me! That was a bird too far. I could say this autumn has been on the quiet side but I'm certainly not complaining with great birds like the bee-eater and photo-opportunities like the shore larks. Last weekend [20/10/18] took me north on Saturday into Northumberland again to not that far from where I saw the bee-eater at Haltwhistle. This time north of Hexham for two gull-billed terns that had settled on a gravel pit at Haughton Strother. Great name but dangerous road to park by and walk along. Still I made it ok.

When I arrived the birds had flown off as, I was told, they often do but they usually come back! Fingers crossed then! While we [about 8 birders present] scanned the fields a group of 5 whoopers dropped in. Good to see the 2 youngsters. I wondered if they had cygnet rings...

The terns dropped in unseen and were suddenly there on the island with all the gulls and cormorants. A long way off so photos record shots at best. Still glad to record my 335th British bird that I have photographed. Here they are. [The third bird is a black-headed gull]

Heavy, wetting drizzle made me decide to get back to Tiggy for a coffee. I headed south-east to Hartlepool to see if anything was happening on the Headland. Apparently not but before heading home I paused at Newburn Bridge. Lots of gulls on the water - it was high tide. I scanned them...

Medusa's back again for the winter by the look of things.

Sunday [21/10]: in the afternoon Sheila and I headed to Sprotbrough in the sunshine to see if the popular bittern was performing. No luck there: we were told to come in the morning. Might try that later in the week. What do you make of this bird near the top of a 30 foot oak tree? Centre of the image. I saw it fly in. It's a hen pheasant with a head for heights.

A buzzard and a kestrel entertained us. Same post - different bird!

October 28th: Shakespeare warbler!

Don't be ridiculous - of course there's no such thing. But whenever anyone mentions ''barred warbler'' I can't help thinking of Mr. Shakespeare. One was showing at Bempton Cliffs ''in the car park.'' Now my experience of barred warblers is that they are elusive, shy creatures appearing for a few seconds and disappearing again for a few hours. This one was different and even qualifies for the accolade of an Intimate Encounter. Must have been nearly ten of them this year - intimate encounters I mean, not Bard warblers.

Often hiding deep in the undergrowth I hoped the bird would come out to see us...

The bird showed wonderfully and in varying degrees of shade and sunshine. 

Eventually it flew from the roadside where coaches park to the dell. Here it was more distant and was hassled by a chaffinch who clearly disapproved...

A redwing was also seen.

Hartlepool delivers!

1: 29th October

I began inside the fish dock where a great northern diver had been reported. It came close enough for some great views.

Hartlepool Headland: the Town Wall looking towards the fish dock.

I found a couple of little auks just outside the fish dock but they obligingly swam into the area where I was standing! First view from some way off.

That's better! Submerging! Surfacing! Nice views of a bird we don't often get to see so well.

Next stop, Seaton Common for the short-eared owls. A kestrel was waiting for something to happen. So was I!

Finally I heard a red-breasted flycatcher had been seen in the Zinc Works Road bushes. A very tricky bird to isolate from the undergrowth, I gave it my

best shot...

2: 31st October

A trip with Barry up to Hartlepool for a day's general birding. No great rarities but some quality birding in good weather. We began down the Zinc Works road hoping for the red-breasted flycatcher for Barry's year list. We parked and saw some curlews in the field. A large green mechanical machine of unknown purpose trundled off down the track disturbing the curlews. I think this photo shows a male and female as males [according to the books I study] have longer bills and are more likely to be mistaken for whimbrel. Quite a clear difference in the photo below. No sign of the flycatcher but a few people looking. We decided to return later and try again. Photos now from the Headland - a bit of everything...

Juvenile dunlin, Mediterranean gull, ringed plover, redshank...

...also seen: rock pipit, distant purple sandpiper and a turnstone.

Nearer the fish dock we saw an eider duck and a young great crested grebe.

Seaton Common to see if the owls were out and about nice and early. We parked part way along the North Gare access road. The owls were seen but not terribly close to us. The resident kestrel was hovering over a mound to our right... Shorties...

Back then to the red-breasted flycatcher site where we both had reasonable views of the target bird but I failed to improve on the photos from my visit earlier in the week.

Saltholme for a comfort break and a bit of shopping. We called at the Watchpoint and at Phil Stead hide. Shoveler in the sunshine... ...and a black-tailed godwit too. To end the day [and this rather long post] we returned to Seaton Common for a bit more owl input. Can't resist!! At one point one owl dropped into the grass where I was able to pick it out. Can you?

Let's zoom in a little. Time to say farewell to the owls and to you all. I hope to be back soon!

257 UK 2018