Crest has fallen...

Every now and then I have the smart idea that leaving the tripod in the car is a good idea, and that it's easier to photograph very small migrants hand holding the 500. Wrong!

This afternoons trip to St Mary's was on the back of promising weather, a rainy start with south easterlies. 2 firecrest and a yellow-browed warbler had already been put out on the pager, and since SMI is only a few minutes away it seemed the best bet in the decreasing amount of light that afternoons currently have.

All quiet round the wetland - I did not see or hear the YBW, but there were loads of blackbird and robin, plus a single male blackcap.

A tip off had me walking north to the first mound, where very quickly I was watching the dazzling firecrest. Had I had the tripod I suspect I may have fared better...

Plenty of amusing chat was had and tales of the Shetland rubythroat [you can get there by train apparantly :) ] were gripping. Unlike my autumn so far....

One

An "end of a week of early shift" was celebrated down the road at Teesside with Phil, catching up with the juv pallid harrier at Dormans Pool.

Only seen twice during our vigil, the first fly through was close but frustratingly quick, while the second was more distant.... though not as distant as the Norfolk bird a few winters' ago. Smashing local bird, could do with one in Northumberland!

With any luck this fab raptor will stick and I'll have another "go"... The image above was the only "uncompletelyoutoffocusbutnotquiteasinfocusasI'dlike" shot...

Three

Three this evening. Been a while since we've had more than one at Wrst Hartford, and I'd forgotton how tricky these can be photographed in flight... need more practice and better light!

#Short_13

A tip off from GM had me spending a couple of hours at West Hartford late afternoon. Distant views of an intermittent short-eared owl was the main reason for being there, while 13 stock dove was, I think, my best total at the site.

More impressive were the 100's, if not 1,000s of gulls passing through - predominately bh, with h, c and a few lbbs' coming in from the west, dropping in for a bathe and drink before continuing to the coast.

Hoping to get to the coast soon - mid month and still not caught up with any of the migration...

< scaup II

A couple more images of the Marden lesser scaup - it was, like today, a grey day.

Lesser Scaup

Took a very quick look at the lesser scaup at Marden this morning... more pics tomorrow.

-1

British Birds arrived in the post today ~ the annual rare birds in Great Britain issue. Usually a welcome read, but not today, as the "redhead" that wintered on Kenfig in the early 2000s' has now been removed off the British list :(

Pah - I even had to make two trips to connect!

Spurred buy the yellow-browed warbler reports from Tynemouth and Holy Island, I did a quick scoot of Whitley Bay Cemetery this afternoon - no luck!

A single house martin over the street on my way back was a late individual...

Dodgy geese continue, Crane in vain.

Alas the sandhill crane was an impossibility this week as I was stuck at work (There have been some stunning images of it taken near Holywell).

Saturday morning saw an ill fated trip to Budle Bay to see if the common crane was about - it wasn't.

Two ross's geese at Monks House did little to compensate, and the sun refused to shine.

Newton was very quiet, with only a couple of robin ticking next to the tin church, a few goldcrest and a single treecreeper...

Garden first, dodgy geese and a lost bonxie...

I think the decorating at BSHQ is almost complete, and the removal of sticky duct tape from the floor edges earned me sufficient credit to have a quick trip north this afternoon.

The "action" began before I departed, with a peregrine soaring above the garden - a first

Time was limited, so I took the easy option - go and look at some white geese in a flock of pink-feet and grey lags. The four snow geese were relatively easy to find, feeding in stubble west of the north pool. Not entirely sure of their credentials, especially as three bar-headed were present too!

Some ruff flew in and joined the melee, while rather more bizarrely, AC and I were treated to a inland bound great skua  ~ flying steadily wnw until lost to view. Where was it going?!

Busy!

Decorating almost complete. I may get out birding again at some point. It's been an amazing September nationally, though none of it in reach for me...

Armchair Sometimes

Even with the pressures of overtime and home improvement, the rares keep dropping in and today I added another species to my BOU UK list. Sounds great, but boringly it was a bird from 2005 that makes an uneventful addition to the list - siberian stonechat...

This bird was seen and photographed in the south-west at Porthgwarra, Cornwall on 7th October 2005, en route to Scilly. We'd had a second look at the long staying long-billed dowitcher residing nearby at Drift Reservoir (keeping company with a dapper spotted redshank) prior to our visit, and by mid afternoon had connected with a blackpoll warbler on the Garrison, St Marys IOS. Great days!!!

Overworkedwetpaintedandunderbirded

Life remains complicated, with ovetime at work to tempting to miss, and home improvements in progress...

Managed a quick cycle to West Hartford last night, where hundreds of common gull bathed prior to roost. Lesser numbers of bh, h and lbbg accompanied them, but none of the hope for little or med could be picked up.

1 greenshank dropped in briefly, while a single female type wheatear lifted from the path as I made my way back to HQ.

With the sharpie in Teesside (last years bird returning?), things are looking up. Just need to get Saturdays shift at work out the way and home furnishings back into newly painted rooms before birding can re-commence....

Dipping continues

In keeping with recent tradition, this morning was (between gardening duties) spent not seeing two very good West Hartford species - gbb gull / shoveler.

The gardening duties have been very exciting indeed. Turn you head on its side to watch...