Spurn and the North Sea - 22nd-23rd September

Great Skua, Bridlington Bay, East Yorkshire -  
Sunday 23rd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Following on from my crazy birding weekend a couple of weeks previous (see here, here, here, and here), I had another one booked for the weekend of 22nd September. It didn’t quite work out as planned, but it was fun and worthwhile all the same.

I’ve been birding with my friends Mike and Chris before, but always in the company of Lee “LGRE” Evans (here and here, for example). We’d discussed having a long weekend up north (they live in London and Norfolk respectively) for a while, and decided a September weekend around Flamborough and Spurn would be ideal.

The “ideal” bit really depends on the weather, and luckily – after weeks of westerly winds – some easterlies arrived just in time for our weekend. We met up in Beverley on Friday evening and had a few gins and beers to set us up for the follow day…

Day One was all about Spurn. Well, it started out by being all about breakfast at the B&B (which was Trinity Guest House, by the way – highly recommended). This meant we were still 45 minutes away from Spurn when news of the birds started coming in.

By the time we arrived the Red-breasted Flycatcher reported near the Warren had gone to ground, but a Yellow-browed Warbler was a nice back up.

We decided to check out the high-tide wader roost from Chalk Bank. This is the point when I noticed a rattle coming from my scope as I set it up. The view through the scope was completely black and the focus wheel had become stiff. And, yes, looking through the objective lens I could see a prism rolling around inside. Arse. As I write, I’m still waiting for it to come back from repair at Opticron.

Anyway, I did get some nice views of Knot, Curlew, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit, and Common Scoter through Mike’s lovely Swarovski scope.

Back up at Kilnsea, we hung around Beacon Lane just north of the Blue Bell, checking the bushes. Here I stumbled across a Common Whitethroat and then found a Yellow-browed Warbler (my first “self-found” for this species), which pleased me no end!

'My' Yellow-browed Warbler, Kilnsea, East Yorkshire -  
Saturday 22nd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

We popped down to the Point and saw, apart from gulls over, only a Common Snipe, a Common Kestrel, and a great juvenile Red-backed Shrike. The Shrike gave us all the run around through the thick and prickly shrubs in the dunes, but it was worth it. The Snipe circled over our heads several times, perhaps debating internally whether it was ready to set off southwards over the sea or not.

We heard a Red-breasted Flycatcher was in the Crown and Anchor car park, and got there in good time to see not one, but two of these beauties. These flighty fellas weren’t easy to photograph, but occasionally we got some lovely views of the birds’ faces, with that trademark plaintive expression, that upright posture or those drooping wings. This was a tick for all of us, so it was handy we were in a pub car park - time for a beer in the pub.

After some sea-watching near the Warren (with Great Skua being the highlight), and seeing a nice Redstart near the Obs, we spent most of the rest of the day staring at bushes on Beacon Lane.

House Sparrow, Kilnsea, East Yorkshire -  
Saturday 22nd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Pied Flycatcher, Kilnsea, East Yorkshire -  
Saturday 22nd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

We couldn’t get on the Barred Warbler that had been reported here, but we did get more views of the Yellow-browed Warbler I found earlier; plus Blackcap, loads of Pied Flycatchers, House Martins and Swallows over the fields, and a Short-eared Owl sat unobtrusively in the long grass. We took the path North, around the new Kilnsea Wetlands (four Yellow Wagtails feeding under cattle and a Carrion Crow and Kestrel face-off), before heading back to Beverley for beers and bed.

Sunset, from Kilnsea, East Yorkshire - Saturday 22nd September 2012

Day two was another trip on the Yorkshire Belle out of Bridlington. My last trip a couple of weeks back produced a stunning Pomerine Skua, and we were hoping for more of the same.

The weather was cool and overcast, but with some sunny periods. The sea was pretty calm, but there was the odd bump further out (too bumpy for some sufferers of sea sickness, unfortunately).

Highlights were 4 Sooty Shearwaters (a nice year tick, bringing this year’s list to 264), 2 Manx Shearwaters, several Great Skua and Arctic Skua (good views of both of these), a fly-past by 6 Common Scoter, and lots of close-ups of Kittiwakes.

Chris got loads of great shots, and I’m really grateful to him for letting me use them on this blog.

Sooty Shearwater, Bridlington Bay, East Yorkshire -  
Sunday 23rd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Manx Shearwater, Bridlington Bay, East Yorkshire -  
Sunday 23rd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Arctic Skua, Bridlington Bay, East Yorkshire -  
Sunday 23rd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Kittiwake, Bridlington Bay, East Yorkshire -  
Sunday 23rd September 2012 (photo: Chris Morgan)

Baird’s Sandpiper and other delights – North Teesmouth, Monday 10th September 2012

The forth and final day of my birding long-weekend, and after all that twitching (here and here) and boating (here) it was a pleasure to just do some straight-ahead bird watching.

This area (comprising Saltholme, Seal Sands, Seaton Snook, North Gare, and so on – part of Teesmouth Bird Club’s recording area) is not too far from where I live, so even after a slow start to the day I was on the beach at Seaton Snook by mid-morning.

The juvenile Baird’s Sandpiper was with three Sanderling, running back-and-forth along the tide line. The birds were very confiding, but it wasn’t difficult to pick out the Baird’s even at some distance. It was the smaller, daintier bird of the group, with an obvious long primary projection, making the bird appear stretched lengthways. The legs looked longer and the bill looked finer than those of the Sanderlings.

With closer views the bill could be seen to curve downwards slightly. The breast was a buff-brown and well marked with fine lines of dark streaky spots; whereas the belly was off-white with a clear distinction between the two (c.f. Pectoral Sandpiper). The coverts were scaly brown/black/buff, with dark primaries extending beyond the tail. There was a hint of a buff supercilium behind the eye, with darker areas on the ear coverts and crown, and there were two buff lines from the nape down to the mantle.

When running it shot along like the Sanderlings on fast black legs, but when feeding it probed less frequently. It did occasionally find something of interest and would probe and peck at it for some time. In flight, the wings were long and thin, and appeared two-coloured: buff-brown on the coverts and greyish on the flight feathers.

There was no doubting this was an attractive, distinctive, and characterful bird.

Baird's Sandpiper, Cleveland - Monday 10th September 2012

Sanderling (left) and Baird's Sandpiper, Cleveland - Monday 10th September 2012

Sanderling, Cleveland - Monday 10th September 2012

After I’d had my fill of that lovely bird, I spent the rest of the afternoon at Saltholme RSPB, starting at the rather conveniently sited Phil Stead hide (in the car park, so you actually get some birding in before going through the gift shop).

After some minutes I managed to rustle up one of the moulting Garganey that were hiding in the reeds. These birds are often unobtrusive, even in spring and summer, when the male is in full breeding plumage and doing his thing. The eclipse plumage is a subtle thing, best picked out by looking for the softly-streaked head pattern. Nice supporting cast of Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Egret, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, and Coot was flushed briefly by a passing Merlin. And there was another cloud of Goldfinch coming and going too – seen so many this year, lots of good-sized flocks. Also, a Brown Hare came a sat in front of the hide for 30 minutes.

Brown Hare, Saltholme RSPB - Monday 10th September 2012

After a quick snack - and two Kestrels, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Coot, Mallard from the visitor centre - I finished off down at Saltholme Pools hide. I nice, close Black-necked Grebe was the highlight, though I could only see one of supposed two. A bit thin on waders today, but numbers of ducks building  nicely: Wigeon, Shoveler, Pochard, Teal, etc.

Baillon’s Crake, Rainham Marshes RSPB, London – Sunday 12th September 2012

Baillon's Crake, Rainham Marshes RSPB, London -
Sunday 9th September 2012 (photo: John Foster)

Yes, another twitch. I don’t even feel ashamed to admit it now, I’m too far gone…

Sunday 12th was another nice, warm sunny day and I intended to spend the day in Cleveland, check out the Baird’s Sandpiper on Seaton Snook and "do" Saltholme RSPB. I’d had a lie-in because the previous day had been a long one, and the Airedale Otters bat walk went on til late. I set off around 10:00 for the Northeast, but soon came home after realising I’d forgotten my phone (and spilling coffee in the car while looking for my phone …grrr).

While refilling my flask, a message from BirdGuides came through saying the Baillon’s Crake in London was showing again, and showing well too. I’d written this bird off in terms of trying to see it: a long drive was needed just for the slim chance of seeing a bird that seemed to show only in the early morning, and only then for an all-too-brief moment. Too much of a gamble, I reckoned. But, when this message arrived, I’m afraid my inner twitcher took hold…

…so, I arrived at Rainham Marshes RSPB around 15:00, with the sun beaming and a bit of a breeze blowing. Someone shouted from the visitor centre that the Baillon’s was showing now, so I hooked up with a local birder and we power-walked round to the Shooting Butts Hide.

And what a lovely nice big hide it is too, and full to the rafters with birders and their gear. The more eyes looking the better, I say. The bird had shown a few times apparently, but few people in the hide were getting on to it. Sounded like this was going to be a challenge.

Not long after arriving I bumped into my friend John Foster, who’d been in the hide during the 15:00 showing, but he hadn’t got on to the bird. John had to leave before seeing it, but came back twice over the next couple of days and got decent views, and even the photo above. Nice work, John, and thanks for letting me use it. You can find more of John’s photos here and read his blog here.

There were few birds to be seen apart from Little Grebes and feisty Coots, with Little Egrets and a Peregrine further out over the reserve. Everyone’s concentration was focused on the long grass at the back of the first channel of water’s in front of the hide.

At one point, probably around 18:00, I saw a small rail/crake species fly out from the back of the grassy area and land on the far bank (further back and to the left of the red generator, for anyone who’s been to the hide). At least, I think that’s what it was. No one else said anything, and I was too timid to pipe up. And when someone called out “Baillon’s!” and pointed to the near shore, I dismissed this earlier sighting altogether.

I rushed down the right-hand end of the hide, and standing on tip toes, using two blokes in front of me as arm rests, I got on to it. Yes, sideways on, just a few inches into the grass, a rich brown crake with strong white spotting. Result! Okay, I didn’t cover myself with glory in the melee, and the views weren’t great, but it was the bird all right.

But the best views were yet to come. At around 19:15, as the light faded and we were reminded the hide would shut in 15 minutes, a young guy picked it the Baillon’s again, halfway up a thick blade of grass some ten metres from the last sighting. It wasn’t possible to see all of the bird at one time, but by moving along the hide it was possible to see just about the whole thing.

What first struck was it was remarkably small, and it obviously wasn’t weighing down the grass it was perched on. The grey face and bill were clear from my initial vantage point, and through my scope I could just make out the eye, looking red-brown. The under parts were also grey with some speckling on the breast and barring on the flanks. The upper parts were more obscured, but the chestnut brown down the nape and mantle was clear, as well as some of the white spotting and streaking I’d seen during the earlier sighting. A great bird to see and learn from.

Interestingly, a two-bird theory has developed online after apparent differences were noticed in photographs of the bird(s). This is something I though might be possible, even before I’d seen what looked like two separate birds. With evidence of breeding from several sites across the UK this summer, it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise that birds bred at Rainham. Apparently, Marsh Frogs, which are present at Rainham, have a very similar call to Baillon’s Crake. So if any were heard calling in this obscure corner of the reserve late at night, they may have been disregarded. Hopefully these will be the first of many.

Finally, I must say a big thank you to the staff and volunteers at Rainham for their generosity and hard work for opening the reserve early and until late so that twitchers like me had a chance to see this bird. Special thanks to warden Howard Vaughan, who implored me to run to the hide when I arrived ("Go, go, go!"), and who waved us off with a smile as we all left happy in the dark. Cheers.

Bridlington Skua Cruise – Saturday 8th September 2012

The first of two RSPB Skua and Shearwater cruises off Flamborough Head I planned going on this year. A lovely day: in fact, the weather looked too nice. The sea was as flat as a pancake, which didn’t bode well for good birds…

I got to the harbour-side at 08:00 and sat near the gangway, attempting to stake my place in the queue (but still managed to be bustled out to the way by some Johnny-come-lately, older-and-so-should-know-better birders when we all went for the boat). Purple Sandpipers and Turnstones were on the sea wall north of the harbour, and Guillemot was very close in to where I was sat waiting.

The North Sea mill pond - Saturday 8th September 2012

Some of the Yorkshire guys from the Bird Forum were meeting for this trip. Not being sure of where I’d be coming from beforehand, or going to afterwards, or even if I’d be there at all, I decided not to join in with the car sharing. Or maybe I’m just an unsociable bugger.

As we left the harbour we all got a good look at the Kittiwakes on the outer harbour wall. It wasn’t long before we had our first good bird: a Black Guillemot. I say “we”, but I think Martin Garner of Birding Frontiers fame was the only one to see it well. There was some consternation on the boat that the sighting wasn’t properly divulged at the time, but I was watching Martin as he spotted it and subsequently confirmed the ID and I don’t think there was much more he could do. Maybe he could have asked the boat to be stopped, but I’m not sure he felt that was in his remit. I think the only people who were really bothered were county listers who needed it for their Yorkshire list (I don’t keep one), and those needing for their life list (they should try northwest Scotland for birds in their fantastic breeding plumage). It wasn’t even a year tick for me, so I smugly kept my gob shut.

Anyway, there are plenty of accounts of this trip and opinions on the above tyke Tystie that I won’t bleat on about it any more. I won’t into much detail about the birds here, other than the on lifer I did get on this trip: Pomarine Skua.

It was called quite early as an Artic Skua, I guess because the spoons (the twisted, elongated tail feathers) weren’t obvious as it approached. But when we all got a good view… whoa! It was a Pom, and a stonking adult in breeding plumage.

It came in close and circled the boat a couple of times, maybe as close to 10 metres. Close enough and long enough to really take in all the identification features. This was a large, powerful skua. It had a very dark brown hood covering the face to below the bill line - not just a cap. The neck was a strong yellow colour. The line between the dark uppers and pale under parts was broken and mottled. There was a strong, mottled “necklace” and a powerful, two-tone bill. And there were the tail “spoons” of course. It eventually sat on the water and allowed us to approach. Taking flight it flew around the boat again and sat on the water, before finally heading off. Better views than I’d ever thought possible of a Pom off the Yorkshire coast.

My friend Andy texted me to gloat about the great views he was getting of this bird, not realising I was on the same boat and had in fact been waving to him across the deck! Anyway, he got some great pictures, which he’s generously allowed me to use here, so I’d better be nice! There are more of Andy’s photos on Flickr here.

Pomarine Skua - Saturday 8th September 2012 (photo: Andy Kisby)

Pomarine Skua - Saturday 8th September 2012 (photo: Andy Kisby)

Getting good views of the Pom - Saturday 8th September 2012

The skua action didn’t stop there. We had some great views of juvenile Arctic Skua and both adult and juvenile Great Skua. Nice to see so many. After all the skua fun, the other birds were just padding, but we had some good one given the calm weather and westerly wind. At least three Common Scoter, Common Tern, Arctic Tern (great views of an adult and juvenile), Sandwich Tern, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin (the auks in juvenile and winter plumage), lots of plunge-diving Gannet, Fulmar, and a distant Balearic Shearwater. I got on this last bird, and it was certainly dark, with a loose-winged flight action, but I couldn’t pick out much more than that. The other birds I got from on board were: Herring, Common, Black-headed, Lesser Black-backed, and Greater Black-backed Gull, Kittiwake, and Shag, with four or five Red-throated Divers flying north past us as we came back to Bridlington. I think one or two other species were seen by others.

The Bird Forum guys decided to head off to Tophill Low NR. I would have joined them, but it was in the wrong direction if I was going to help out at the Airedale Otters bat walk in Bingley at 19:00. So I decided I’d pop into to Fairburn Ings RSPB on the way home.

I headed for the Lyn Dyke end of the reserve. It was quiet, with few birds or people around, but it was a lovely afternoon to spend watching the world go by. Through my scope I watched a male Gadwall in extreme close-up as it preened in the bright sunshine. Fantastic: such beautiful plumage. A late Chiffchaff was singing, and I heard Willow Warbler calls from the hawthorns. It was a nice way to break up the monotony of the journey home.

The bat walk later went well too, with lots of Pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bats to entertain the kids; and my daughter Rowan having a great time staying up late with her friend running around St Ives in the dark!

Double Dowitchers!

I had a ridiculous, brilliant, and tiring few days of birding/twitching last weekend, after getting agreement from Mrs Indie-Birder for me to disappear for four days. I’m playing catch-up with the blog at the moment, so here’s a quick account of day one.

Friday 7th September: The plan all along had been to spend a long weekend on the east coast, picking up those usual September migrants around Spurn and Flamborough Head, and hoping for something more interesting to crop up. But, with the wind coming stubbornly from the west all week, it came as no surprise that East Yorkshire was quiet, whereas the South West was full of American goodies. Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, etc, etc, and most of them lifers for me. Now when Britain’s only second twitchable Short-billed Dowitcher turned up in Dorset earlier in the week, the die was cast.

I set off later than I wanted, but arrived at Lodmoor RSPB in Weymouth around 10am. What a beautiful morning, hot, sunny, slight breeze off the sea… Yes, yes, but what of the bird? “No sign”… Well, I’d made my choice and I was here now. I’d even brought a toothbrush and enough clothes for four days. I wasn’t going home empty-handed.

Lodmoor was good to me last year, when looking for another Yank wader: Stilt Sandpiper. Okay, I spent an afternoon then looking at nothing but Juncus grass, but that bird showed brilliantly in the end. I clung on to this thought as I stared intently at the Juncus grass hoping the Black-tailed Godwit that kept passing the gap I looking at would suddenly shrink and develop shorter legs and some tertial notches…

Waiting, watching…

Then an eagle-eyed chap picked it out, just where it had been last seen briefly at dawn five hours earlier. After this, it stayed in view all the while I was there (another 2.5 hours). It wasn’t exactly close, but at least it was relatively still, allowing us to all check those salient ID points:

• Dowitcher? Yes.
• Short bill? Hard to tell, the Long- and Short-billed types have overlapping bill-lengths.
• Juvenile? Crucially, yes. Paler, buffier chest and flanks than the richer coloured adults, and with scaly upper parts.
• Tertials, tell us about them. The tertials looked black with bold orange notches, a bit like tiger stripes.
• Good enough for me!

Now off to Slimbridge WWT to see the Long-billed Dowitcher, to contrast and compare…

I arrived at the WWT headquarters a fair bit later than I expected. Why? One obvious clue would be: I don’t have a sat-nav. Anyway, it was still a gorgeous day, and so a stroll around here would be lovely. After dodging the zoo animals, I arrived at the Zeiss Hide to find the sun right behind the area where the waders were feeding. With a little help from some regulars, we picked out the LBD feeding with Black-tailed Godwits. The other wader (godwits, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, and Snipe) made it very easy to pick out on size and gait alone. It looked scruffy, obviously in full moult. This made picking out the finer ID points a little trickier, but it was clearly a moulting Dowitcher, and the one we all agreed was the Long-billed Dowitcher.

Right then. Good work all round. Successful trip. Very happy. Now I just needed to get home. I had to be at Bridlington harbour for 08:00 the following day to catch a boat…

It's a family holiday in Spain, not a birding trip...

I had a great holiday in Spain at the end of August – just me, Mrs Indie Birder, and the two kids (Miss and Master Indie Birder, I guess). We stayed in a small casa on an olive farm in what felt like the middle of nowhere (near Rasquera, about 30km due north of the Ebro Delta). Plenty of good birding to be had, lots nature reserves about too, although the rural Catalans aren’t all bird lovers…

The weather was great: at times scorchio, but with a cloudy couple of days and a bit of rain thrown in to take the edge off the heat. This was no birding holiday; but with nowt else to do than swim in the pool, I spent the odd hour wandering around the olive groves looking for stuff.

Wood Lark, Crested Lark, and Hoopoe were the most interesting of the birds around the farm. The other birds are the kind of things you’d expect on a farm in Britain in the summer: Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Starling, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Swallow, Long-tailed Tit, Great Tit, Blackcap…

Wood Lark, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

These olive farms make for a dry and desolate habitat, especially after a long hot summer and when most of the breeding is over. The birding is tough here on a hot afternoon, I can tell you. There had been some fires this year, and the evidence was clear from out front door: charred trees within 15 metres of the casa.

I guess the most interesting things around the farm were the insects: things like Ephippger, Blue-winged Grasshopper and Nosed Grasshopper. Plenty of butterflies too: Large White, Wall Brown, Mallow Skipper, Common Blue (I think), and Swallowtail. Plenty of moths (Hummingbird Hawk-moth being the best), and loads of dragonflies, though I struggle to ID these well.

Wall Brown, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

Mallow Skipper, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

One (sneaky) reason for suggesting we come to this area was the chance to visit the Parc Natural del Delta a l’Ebre (that’s the Ebro Delta Nature Reserve). Now then, this is a really great place for birds, even if my trip was during the quietest time of the year. During the week I managed to charm my way to two visits, one with the family and one without, both to the northern side of the delta.
As we drove through the rice fields, the draw of the place became clear. There were Whiskered Terns everywhere: sat of wires, hovering over the roadside ditches, swopping over the car. And Little Egrets and Squacco Herons flew up from hidden dykes as we passed.

I took the family to El Garxal on the north-eastern tip of the delta, where the highlights were Greater Flamingos, Black-winged Stilts and Glossy Ibis. It’s very educational to see these birds in breeding, non-breeding and juvenile plumage side-by-side, allowing for lots of comparison and learning. Well, that’s what I thought; the kids seemed to get a bit bored after a while. We met another family here, whose kids really interested in the birds, which was rather refreshing.

"Daddy is hogging the scope again..."

 Greater Flamingo, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

I reckon Spurn could benefit from having one of these running between the Crown & Anchor and the Point.

We set off for Canal Vell, further west, and got lost. Again. It’s easy on this massive delta, and most of the relevant signs were tiny and hidden. When I finally got there the wind was up, which made birding from the top of the observation tower difficult. Few birds around too, I reckon because of the time of year; but a Slender-billed Gull and another Greater Flamingo was worth the effort. Better still, there were some Audouin’s Gulls in the fields by the track, allowing for great views.

 Audouin's Gull, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

 Audouin's Gull, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012
(same bird as above in different light - notice how much darker the wings look)

 Observation tower at Canal Vell, Ebro Delta, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

The strong wind meant the dragonflies were clinging on to the vegetation for dear life, but photographing them (with my crap camera) was difficult. I only managed a few decent shots among the blurred ones as the dragonflies were shaking so much in the wind. Any ID help here is much appreciated.

 Yellow-winged Darter (male), Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

 Yellow-winged Darter (female), Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

 Ruddy Darter (male), Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

I returned to the Delta on my own on a rainy morning later in the week, visiting Les Olles on the northern edge near L’Ampolla. The undoubted highlight (possibly of the whole trip) was finding a family of Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio): two adults and two juveniles. Despite their bright colouration, they weren’t easy to pick out as they poked out the reeds in the gloom and skirted around the water under the overhanging vegetation. The poor light and worse equipment meant I couldn’t get a decent photo…

 Purple Swamphen, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

There were plenty of ducks at Les Olles, and the commonest seemed to be the Mallard; but this being duck moulting season, I felt obliged to check every bird in case there were other eclipse ducks hidden in there. With the exception of the odd Pochard, they were all Mallards. Or I’m rubbish at eclipse ducks, which is quite possible.

One downside to this place were the observation tower with the ramps for wheelchair and pushchair access: great idea, but there's no attempt to hide the observer from the birds. No roof and a really low wall. I had to crawl up it and peek over the side on my knees - and I still flushed half the birds. The other half left when a family joined me on the tower a couple of minutes later.

The other was finding all the shotgun cartridges around the reserve.

Les Olles, Ebro Delta - Note the shotgun cartridge under the sign

Of course there’s great birding to be had inland in Spain, and our one trip into the mountains produced a Short-toed Snake Eagle. It was sat at the top of a tree at the roadside on the road from Rasquera to Cardó. It flew as we pulled over, but gave some great flight views, long enough for me to get a good look and jot down some notes.

 Looking for eagles in the Serra de Cardó...

Eagle-eyed Rowan

It was also in La Serra de Cardó we saw the lovely Two-tailed Pasha butterflies, the enjoyment of which was only spoiled by the fact they were feeding on a really stinky cat turd.

Two-tailed Pasha, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

We went for a boat trip along the Ebro from Benifallet to Miravet. From the quayside I got close views of Squacco Heron (in it’s proper habitat, not like the one I saw in Northumberland, which died the day after), plus Grey Heron, Little Egret, Common Sandpiper, White Wagtail, and Kingfisher.

So, yeah, not bad for a family holiday, and definitely not a birding trip…

Sand Lizard, Catalunya, Spain - August 2012

It was a dark and Stormie night…

'Stormie' as in European Storm-petrel; the weather was actually really nice. It was also a starry, starry night, with the Milky Way putting on a good show over Flamborough Head during the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Moth and Storm-petrel night.

European Storm-petrel, Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire - Sunday 12th August 2012

I’d never seen a European Storm-petrel before, so this even gave me a good chance to see one and the opportunity to look round Flamborough Head or Spurn during the day. But, I threw that opportunity away because of the massive hangover I had, so I arrived around 18:00, not long before 20:00 start time.

I’d driven to the coast listening to Sparks’ seminal album Kimono My House, which is one way to get rid of a hangover. If you haven’t heard Sparks’ early stuff (this was their third album of 21, so far), it’s a bit like listening to Queen, Goldfrapp and Wild Beasts all at the same time. Which sounds a fair bit like their later stuff, too; but this album is probably their most “rock”. It’s pompous, loud, cheeky, ridiculous, and great – and it’s influenced loads of great musicians. The journey took no time at all.

I wandered aimlessly around the Head for a couple of hours watching the Gannets and gulls off Thornwick Bay, some Whinchats and huge flock of Goldfinch at Thornwick Pool, a lovely Linnet pair at the Lighthouse, and Curlews and Oystercatchers at South Landing.

After standing around at the car park at South Landing until 30 minutes after the event was due to start, the well-meaning but slightly shambolic YTW staff finally did their introduction. This was mostly about where their offices are, some stuff about other events, issues with printing brochures, some knowing nods to other YTW staff, etc. It then turns out the ringers didn’t want us to watch them catch and ring the Storm-petrels. Then, the moth-trappers said we were about 90 minutes early to start trapping, so we could do the stormies (if we could see them) or the moths – but not both.

Seriously, can’t these people (the YWT staff) get training in how to run an event? I run RSPB events (unpaid, not like this lot) and the first thing to remember is these events are for the attendees – and they are not interested in what the staff got up in the regional office last week. They want to know about the wildlife they are (hopefully) about to experience. Please, learn some customer service guys.

Okay, that’s enough ranting. As darkness fell we piled over to Thornwick Bay. Cue lots of comedic headless chicken activity until we found where we should go. We stood a short distance back from the beach and listened to the repeating sound of a European Storm-petrel song, which was sort of like listening to a distant, distorted Labradford album – not at all unpleasant to my ears.

Eventually a bird was caught in the mist-net. The ringers took about 20 minutes to remove it, and a further 10 to process it. Then they brought it up to the few of us still left waiting to have a good look. I’ve heard these birds are small, but I was really surprised at just how small. The ringer didn’t appear to have a bird in his hand at all until he opened his fist and there it was. A slightly weird chimera  of Fulmar, Pigeon and House Martin.

We all had another wacky-races dash in the dark back to South Landing, so the moth-trappers there could have a look. Then we walked down road/slipway to the beach, like a scene from Close Encounters, to let the little beauty go. It was placed on the concrete, and shuffled around on its weak feet that are set way back on it’s body. Then, with a flight action reminiscent of a Hammer Horror plastic bat on the end of a string, it took flight and disappeared into the night as we cheered it on its way.

European Storm-petrel, Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire - Sunday 12th August 2012

I spent a further 45 minutes learning about moths (so much to learn!) before remembering I had work in the morning and really should get going. Not a bad evening out.

Wildlife Weekender

Another weekend, another new bird, and another lovely morning exploring some local wildlife with the kids.

The tick was an Alpine Swift on Sunday 1st July, at Buckton Cliffs, East Yorkshire (although it felt like Cleveland by the time I’d walked there along the cliffs from Bempton). I’d earned enough brownie points to have the late afternoon free for some birding, so decided a trip to the sunny east coast was the best bet – especially if there was a new bird in it for me.

I parked at Bempton RSPB, and after walking almost all the way the Filey, I arrived at the trig point where most people had been viewing the bird. There were no other birders present when I arrived at 18:30, so I set about finding it among the thousands of similar sized and similar coloured birds whizzing around in front of me. The large numbers of Gannet, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Herring Gull, and Rock Dove didn’t hinder the search too much, but the clouds of brown/black and white Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin did.

After about ten minutes I picked it out, being the only small black/white bird breaking the horizon (very occasionally), although it was the Swift shape that first made it stand out. I stayed and watched for an hour as it came in and out of view, most of the time with barely a flicker of its wings. The sickle shape of the bird was striking; the wings were so long and swept back. The tail was long and forked. On closer inspection the upperparts were a dark brown, not black; but this contrasted well with the clean white breast.

I watched through my bins as it swooped dizzyingly from high up, silhouetted against the clouds, to down towards the cliff face below me against a background of surf and rocks. Because of this movement, scope views weren’t easy and photos (with my old compact camera) were nigh on impossible.

I was a lovely evening to be sat on a cliff staring out into the North Sea – warm, sunny, with a mild breeze and few clouds. Very quiet – I suspect many people were at home watching the Euro 2012 final.

Filey Bay from Buckton Cliffs, East Yorkshire - Sunday 1st July 2012

On the way back to the car I got some great views of Corn Bunting, some of which I’d heard singing while watching the Alpine Swift. I managed a photo through my scope before this one flew off, but it really doesn’t do justice to the views I was getting.

Corn Bunting, Buckton Cliffs, East Yorkshire - Sunday 1st July 2012

On the way back I attempted to listen to the football on the radio, but the MW reception is pretty poor in the Wolds. So, the obvious choices were The Queen is Dead by The Smiths and Black Sabbath's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Obviously. And I got a lovely bonus of a Barn Owl floating around over the road and right over the car at Wetwang.

Before my rabid inner twitcher took over, I’d had a great weekend experiencing nature with the family. On Saturday 30th June I took my kids around Rodley Nature Reserve. Regular readers will know this is my patch (or one of them) and I am often singing its praises. “Proper” birding isn’t easy with kids, but if you want to educate and inspire children with a range of wildlife without going far from home, you should bring them to a place like Rodley NR.

This Saturday’s visit didn’t disappoint. We watched the Common Tern family, one adult fishing while the other sat protectively with the youngster on the raft. A pair of Mute Swan made their stately way from the duck marsh to the lagoon with their eight cygnets in tow.

My favourite sight was a pair of Little Grebe displaying in front of the hide we were in. The birds faced one another and arched their wings while shaking their heads from side to side. Then, both birds sank simultaneously. After the surfaced they “ran” across the water towards each other, before settling down and repeating the whole courtship ritual again. At first I thought it might be a threat display, until I saw the level of synchronisation and, ultimately, the way the birds seemed otherwise happy in each other’s company.

We did some pond dipping, finding all kinds of stuff in our nets: half-grown frogs, water boatman, pond skaters, minnows, and so on. Over the pond were some blue damselflies (either Azure or Common Blue – not sure) and a Four-spotted Chaser. Around the pond was a scruffy young Common Whitethroat, recently fledged because it seemed to be having trouble landing on a suitable perch!

Four-spotted Chaser, Rodley NR, Leeds, West Yorkshire - Saturday 30th June 2012

Little Swift and little sleep

Little Swift, New Brighton, Merseyside - Saturday 23rd June 2012

I did some birding last weekend: two very different types of birding.

On Saturday I was mostly a rabid twitcher, hauling myself out of bed at 02:15 (only 90 minutes after getting into bed) and driving to Merseyside simply for the pleasure of seeing a new bird.

On Sunday I was a duck-counting, data-collecting, patch worker, arriving on-site at 05:45 for the monthly BTO WeBS count at Rodley Nature Reserve.

The new bird was Little Swift (Apus affinis), a bird of Mediterranean Africa and the Middle East, and of Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It was first reported on Friday 22nd, showing very well over the promenade at New Brighton, on the Wirral. An quick-witted birder noted where it when to roost that night, and put the news out. Hoping to get there before the bird woke up, I arrived around 04:15 and was soon told it was still roosting in the same spot – on a window ledge on the second floor of Pier House.

The Little Swift on my camera screen - it's asleep on the 2nd-floor window ledge, above the Pier House front door.

Through my scope I could see the bird breathing and occasionally shuffling on the ledge. The bird looked small compared to a Common Swift, one of which was roosting at the other end of the building. At rest, the Little Swift’s wings and tail did not protrude as much. The main difference was the obvious large pale rump, which was bigger than on a House Martin, and extended round to the flanks. There was also clear pale edging to the flight feathers. The pale fringes were likely due to the bird’s age, making it a juvenile or even a first winter, thus raising questions about its origin – could it have been born south of the equator? Well, I have no idea.

At 05:15 the bird lifted its head up briefly to show its pale, almost frosty face. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the face on film (it was so brief, and my camera didn’t have the battery life to run continually for the 1.45 hours I watched it on the ledge). But, the movement of the bird as it breathes it clear in the video.

The Little Swift eventually left its ledge at 05:55, much later than the Common Swifts, which had been feeding overhead for a good 30 minutes by then. The bird joined its cousins and gradually the flock moved out over the Mersey to feed. The Little Swift had a slightly different flight style to the Commons, with more mid-air stops (the tail could be seen to fan out at the bird applied the brakes) and upward lurches. The short tail helped you to pick the bird out too, and the white rump was easy to see from the side as well as the back/top.

One bizarre incident at the twitch was a bloke emerging from the beach with an adult Great Crested Grebe under his arm, asking all the birders if anyone wanted to take it of his hands. He’d driven passed earlier, at about 05:30, asking in a comedy gruff voice, “What yer lookin’ at?”, and then took his three or four dogs for a walk on the beach. Not sure if his dogs had attacked the grebe in the first place, but he was concerned they might eat it. He seemed (understandably) confused that none of the birders (nature lovers, surely?!) wouldn’t take the bird; perhaps not understanding that most of them were likely to be long-distance twitchers who didn’t want an injured grebe in their car for 2-3 hours as they drove home.

It was good to meet up with Secret Twitcher, another early riser from West Yorkshire, and be able to admit our twitching urges without fear of ridicule. Hopefully we’ll arrange shared travel on some future twitches, and save some money.

By way of mitigation for the fuel costs and general grubbiness of twitching, I was out bright and early on Sunday around Rodley, doing the monthly WeBS count and all-bird survey. Always a pleasure to tour this place at dawn, or thereabouts, although we were very late this month by our standards, starting at 06:00.

Highlights were large numbers of warblers around (Willow and Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, all in good numbers, but no Reed Warblers…), the breeding Common Terns, and my first Little Owl of the year.

Northern Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella), Rodley NR, Leeds - Sunday 24th June 2012

But, there weren’t many waterbird chicks around, which is sad but understandable after the bad weather we’ve had, and we didn’t see any Blue Tit, Chaffinch, or Willow Tit (a reserve speciality).

Suffice to say, I was very tired at work on Monday (having expended the last of my energy shouting at the TV on Sunday as England were knocked out of Euro2012). But, by Tuesday I was awake enough to make the trip to see the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) at Cley.

A lovely, smart bird, feeding around an island on the North Scrape from the Swarovki Optik hide (in poor light, by the time I got there). Smaller and more delicate than a European Golden Plover, certianly "leggier", and with an apparent stumpy rear end (the tertials extend further down the primaries, giving the impression of a shorter winged and shorter tailed bird). Even from a distance it looked very striking: velvety black face and breast with a thick white border to the uppers, quite Grey Plover-esque.

Because of the poor light, and the fact I left my digiscope adapter in the car, I couldn't get any good photos. But here's a record shot.

Pacific Golden Plover, Cley Marshes NWT, Norfolk - Tuesday 26th June 2012 

Some beautiful Black-tailed Godwits too, and an immaculate Spotted Redshank in full slate-black summer plumage close up. Stunning. The obligatory Barn Owl was around too, and gave great close views as I headed back along the shingle to the car.

Afterwards I tried for some Nightjar at one of the Norfolk hotspots, without success, and spent the long journey home wondering if it was worth it. Well, I got the bird (a lifer, and a stunner at that), saw some other beauts too, and got my year list to 250. So, a hesitant yes; but if I’d dipped… Got home very late, and was falling asleep at work again the following day…