Craigs UK Bird Photos

Glossy Ibis 29th Sept

I'm starting a new contract in Northumberland on Simonside. Now i saw the reports of a Glossy Ibis from druridge pools, this is only 17 mile away so decided to go and take a look after work. When i got there the bird was hiding in a ditch, but eventually it wandered into site, although it never stopped feeding. I did manage a distant record shot how i got this i have no idea cos it did seem a long way off...

Local stuff 27th Sept

Decided to search Soddy early morning but only things of note were a small movement of Meadow pipit and Swallow, 15 Snipe a few Teal and 100+ Greylag.  A chiff chaff was showing well.

 I then went onto Workington again very little but 5 Med gull 3 2nd winter and 2 Adults.

1 Shag on the harbor wall again 1 Gannet but not much on sea, once again north Cumbria is poor, I'm moving out...

Cleveland Proper Twitching. 26th Sept

Well Rach n i headed off towards Saltholme pools in Cleveland for the morning. On Arriving at Back Saltholme pools a couple of birders put us onto the Juv Buff-breasted Sandpiper that had been present since yesterday. It wasn't showing very well and was very distant, so it was twitch and off. Next up the road to Dormans pool for brilliant views of a Juv Red-Backed Shrike, we spent a little longer here as it was showing much better.

Lastly onto Haveton Hole for the Drake Blue Winged Teal, the bird was asleep and again distant with a lot of heat haze, so after it had woken up preened and gone back to sleep again we twitched and went. After lunch we headed home. A very successful morning, and couple of days.

Lancashire 25th Sept

Well today the plan was to spend the day at Leighton Moss, but on the way down i had a message saying Long-billed Dowitcher Marshside RSPB. Now this was a life for me so i headed straight for Marshside. On arriving the hide was full and the bird was showing, albeit asleep. After a 15 min or so it woke up and had a wander round. The light wasn't brilliant but i did manage a few record shots.

After i had a scan of some of the reserve, seeing little else, i had a trip to Bank Marsh where a Great white egret had been seen. On arriving i had missed the bird by a couple of minutes, so i gave it a couple of hours, but came away very disappointed. I did Count 38 Little Egrets however.

On the way home i decide to nip into Leighton Moss, and what a good move that was. On arriving i Found 3 Spotted Redshanks and 6 Greenshanks, all Showing well.

Spotted Redshank

Greenshank

After a little while to my great delight a Great White Egret landed on the Marsh albeit distantly. Another 21 Little Egrets were on show.

Gt White Egret

Finishing off at Seizegh Castle but no Hawfinch to be seen. Still all in all a very good day.

Soddy Gap 20th Sept

In the morning before Soddy i had walk along Maryport Coastal Way, in the bushes were a few ChiffChaffs, Yellow Hammers, and Reed Buntings in the long grass were plenty of Mipits and Skylarks. On the Beach a Northern Wheatear.

At Soddy a Dunlin was the first here for a long While.

A Pinkfoot turned up and joined the Greylags.

It was Fairly sunny, which meant good numbers of Common Darter Were on Show.

Other things of note were 15 Snipe, 75 Mallard, 15 Teal, 5 Wigeon, 1 Cormorant, Few Chiffchaffs, 1 Willow Warbler and 3 Buzzard.

Ive got to find Something Decent soon....

Hobby 19th sept

Whilst Dipping the juv Red-necked Grebe at Rocliffe a Hobby flew east up

river. A county tick for me. Also 1 Kingfisher, 1 Goldeneye and a few Common Sandpipier.

Honey Buzzard 14th Sept

Well here i was at work on the top of Nan Beil, well actually i was sat having dinner, when out of the blue and to my great surprise a juv/female Honey buzzard flew straight past me looking at me as it drifted slowly towards Haweswater, this was the first Honey Buzzard i had seen in the county, it was Brilliant! I also had my first pinkfeets in the county (this season at least) too, just a small group by the sounds of it....

Flamborough Head 11th-13th

What still no photos, I'm having a real rough time of later, my camera hardly See's the light of day, so yet again a weekend of no evidence!!!

I had seen the forecast on the Monday and it seemed the east coast was gonna get a massive fall of migrants, by the end of the week this had changed to the following week, but sod it though we would give it a go anyway. So Friday afternoon rach and i set off for Flamborough head, on the drive down a report of a greenish warbler at Flamborough head, wicked, id only ever seen 1. So we arrived at our Campsite and quickly put up the tent, then rushed down to Flamborough head lifeboat station. There was nobody there, this was gonna be tricky i thought. After a few minutes i could hear a call that was reminiscent of a chiffy, but wasn't, i played the call on my phone and realised what i was listening to was the Greenish Warbler. I didn't get much of a look at it in the thick cover, but did get lots of very brief views, it was being harassed by a chiffy. i watched the bird until it disappeared 10 min later. We then headed to the lighthouse to see if we could find the Ortland Bunt that had been reported the day before, there was no sign of this bird although we did see a Whinchat and a Short-eared owl come in off the sea and then start hunting. What a Good start. During the night plenty of Pinkfeet were calling as they flew in off the sea...

Next morning i headed out Old Fall plantation, but disappointed  see very little, except a few chiffys. Next i got wind of a Barred Warbler by the lighthouse, so went to see this juv, a little beauty it was too, again very flighty though.

It was time to do the family thing and headed off to Scarborough, I got wind of another Greenish Warbler out side the castle, so whilst Rach went round the Castle i and a few others hunted for this bird. When i arrived people were watching the Reported Greenish, when i saw the bird i just though but that's a Chiff Chaff, it didn't look like any Greenish id ever seen (x2), but hey ho the finders heard it call so maybe it is? Maybe we had the wrong bird, i then heard that this was a worn adult bird, so it was the bird we were watching. Tristan had a look at this bird on the Sunday, his initial thoughts were chiffy too, but it sounded OK for greenish. After a week of discussions it turns out its was probably an Eastern type Chiffy, a very educational bird at least......

Tried Flamborough again in the afternoon, couldn't find anything of note, nor the Barred.

Sunday it was time for home, so up early again to try Old Fall Plantation again, it started to look good, a Common Whitethroat, but then nothing but a load of chiffys, until i headed back to the car where i had a Common Redstart but that was it very disappointed. Went back packed up tent and headed to the usual bits of Flamborough and Filey until Dinner time when we decided it was time to head home. So a couple of nice birds, but I'm waiting for that perfect day..... No bloody Pics.....

Soddy Gap and Maryport 11th Sep.

30 Common Snipe

13 Teal

10 Goosanders

12 Chiffchaff

100+ Mallard

1 Cormorant.

Maryport Coastal Path

6 Eider

10 Sandwich Tern sat on Rocks.

1 Juv Kittiwake

2 Chiffchaff

1 Northern Wheatear.

1 Kestrel

Workington

Well first bit of birding since i came back from a week of seawatching at Cornwall and YES I'm Seawatching again this time from Workington..... Jesus!

Well it was OK but not brilliant best Bird of the day was a Juv Sabines Gull that was lingering just outside the Harbour until it flew South. Other things of note were a  Common Tern, 2 Med gull, adult on Beach and 2nd winter in Car park Briefly, 1 Drake Common Scoter, 7 Wigeon, which i tried to string into Velvet scoters till they came a bit closer ;), a Few Gannets, 36 Kitts, 2 Sandwich Tern, 1 Diver sp which was far too far away for an id, 7 Guillemots, 1 Razorbill, 1 Peregrine, and a Grey seal. All in all could have been better.....

Soddy hosted just 175 Mallard, 20 Teal and 6 Snipe.