Two Yanks and a Little 'grin.

Worth getting up for!

It was an early start on Sunday to get onto St Mary's just as the tide receded - for another attempt at iphone-scoping the American Golden Plover... Still not quite getting the results I had hoped for, and I'll use the blustery conditions as a contributory excuse for now...

Best of a bad bunch...

Further north at Cresswell, another American, this time in the form of a Pectoral Sandpiper occasionally came within the iPhones range for record shots. Better still were flyover little egret and a soaring peregrine - both very belated 2013 ticks!

Pectoral Sandpiper and, to the left, Ruff

AGP: Tresco 2006

Had another go for the St Mary's Island American Golden Plover this afternoon, and perhaps got the timing just wrong - as the rising tide reduced time on the island itself and reduced the available rocks beneath the promenade somewhat. Two "closerthanyesterday" views, but insufficient time to get a photography device on the bird in question. Rather frustrating.

Reflecting on this, I wondered how long ago it was since my last AGP... surprised to find it was 2006, a confiding immature on Tresco, Isles of Scilly. It was a sunny, warm day (not unlike today) on 11th October. To say the bird was confiding is an understatement, and it completed a good day on  the island.

The AGP was the final pitstop, having enjoyed an American Robin in the morning (a bird I've never photographed well in the UK... need another go!)

...and between the AR and AGP, a nice Red-backed Shrike  on my favoured autumn shrub-type perch (brambly things) - all in a days birding in the South-West!

American Golden Plover, St Mary's - iPhone scoping attempt 1...

First attempt at iphone scoping a rare... American Golden Plover at St Mary's today. Conditions were ok, but a slight breeze made steady focus tricky. A handy tip on site from MH might assist ... I'll try next time and advise accordingly!

The AGP was initially on a rocky island offshore in Hartley Bay, too far for any serious attempt at a record short (though I did try). As the tide encroached the flock moved onto the rocks adjacent to the lighthouse, so a closer approach was possible,  the images are zoomed in slightly on the scope and can at best be described as a "record"(from approximately 20 meters range?).

iPhone Scoping

I'd tried a couple of attempts at digi scoping recently, and after a short period of experimentation I've opted to use the iPhone in preference to a standard compact camera. (The Dslr hasn't been retired!).

The advantage of the iPhone is that images or video can be uploaded direct from the field and, perish the thought, be skyped or facetimed live from the field when that gripping rare turns up!

Hand held images were ok, but an adapter was needed to speed the accuracy up - so here's a sample of what I came up with - the back of a hard case for he 4s, and a bit if creativity from a mate...

Picture 1 - the room with a view - scope aimed at the gable end near top if picture.

2 - iPhone through scope at *30 (minimum zoom)

3 - iPhone through scope at *70 (maximum zoom)

Good start / Good End

Headed to st. Mary's this evening for an hours sea watch before dusk. Arrived as most of the others had left, with only Mark L and Alan J on watch - first bird through the scope was a close-in Sooty shearwater!

Gannets predominated viewing, with lesser numbers of kittiwake. 25 Brent geese headed north and a few wigeon. Skuas seen consisted only of Arctic, while the highlight of the watch was almost missed by Alan, as a storm petrel fluttered north in line with the yellow buoy! The investment in the new scope is paying off...

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Waders and bits at East Chevington

After a failed attempt to get common rosefinch on the county list this morning (Seaton Sluice), I headed to East Chevington for a few hours.

The north pool was very busy, with the main quarry, white-rumped sandpiper on show throughout the visit along with a good variety of waders - 25+ ruff, 10 black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, lapwing, curlew, 3 little stint, snipe, 1 curlew sandpiper, some fly through sanderling and redshank.

A few pintail were amongst the teal and a single black tern occasionally came down in front of the viewing area.

From the edge of the reed bed the spotted crake continues to show intermittently, but the star of the visit was a suprise bittern that walked along the edge of the eastern shore, crossing the "crake bay".

Tried some digi-images to mixed results...

White-rumped Sandpiper

Black Tern

Test from the field!

iPhone pic of Black tern at East Chevington...

Local chat

With the realisation that the coast would be chocca with charvas, I opted to cycle around Cramlingtons finer sights this afternoon - having missed the mornings marsh harrier at West Hartford it made sense to start there - no harrier nor sanderling / little stint, but compensation in the form of 4 whinchat and a single wheatear.

Onwards to Arcot and the belated addition of garganey to the bike list. Lots of teal, some mallard and a stack of coot too.

With the sun shingles it was then back home for ice cream. More later?

Evening potter

...to Tynemouth - greenish warbler calling occasionally next to the Haven car park and a pied flycatcher. A satisfactory day all in all, just a pity the booted wasn't available...

Booted off

News of the Booted Warbler at Hadston on Saturday came too late for me - experimenting with DIY had reached a point of no return...

Sunday commenced with another rapid response trip to West Hartford to collect the little stint that had dropped into say hello to the seemingly resident sanderling. Another great Cramlington year-tick.

Little Stint and Sanderling - an unlikely duo at West Hartford - picture through the scope...

With the biggy (smally?) in the bag, I headed up the coast - negative news already from Hadston, so I called into East Chevington for a decent couple of hours. The spotted crake resides, and at time has forays out into the open - chasing off snipe, redshank and teal while I was there.

A black tern dropped in and fed actively over the northern section of the north pool, while waders were complimented with spotted redshank and ruff.

Spot Shank - again through the scope

With the sun breaking through I headed to Hadston Carrs - no sign of the booted warbler, and a quick look to sea provided manx shearwater, gannet, arctic skua and hods of kittiwake.

Cresswell had greenshank, 2 spotted redshank, avocet and a ruff. Otherwise quiet.

Sprinter.

Tonight I RAN (yes, RAN) to see (twitch) a sanderling! Well done Gordon... A sanderling at West Hartford. 

Cramlington's first I think...

After spot

Headed up the coast for a couple of hours - 7 Manx shearwater off Snab, the up to Cresswell: lots to look at, with spotted redshank, 5 greenshank, common sandpiper, single black-tailed and bar-tailed godwit, avocet, 3+ yellow wagtail and a pintail...