Showing posts with label Caspian Gull. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caspian Gull. Show all posts

Wednesday, 30 December 2020

Autumn highlights from East Anglia - Part 3

 A final selection of photos from the autumn with these being from mid-October until I returned home in mid-December...

Incredible numbers of Red-flanked Bluetails turned up along the Norfolk coast with up to at one site alone. This one lurked in the undergrowth in Holkham Pines. 

Pallas's Warblers are always great to see. This individual was in Holkham Pines, while other late autumn highlights there included a putative Stejneger's Stonechat, Barred Warbler, Hawfinches, Yellow-browed Warblers and up to 17 Cattle Egrets


The rarest bird of the autumn and biggest surprise was the eastern-race Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin at Stiffkey. 

Another, more showy Pallas's Warbler was also at Stiffkey the same day as the Scrub Robin.

This Red-flanked Bluetail showed superbly at Holme Dunes. 

Two of the Hawfinches at Holkham.

A Lesser Yellowlegs showed down to a few metres at Cley late in October.

An influx of Caspian Gulls to Cley the same day as the Yellowlegs included this smart Dutch-ringed first-winter (phonescoped). 

During the lockdown these Glossy Ibis turned up at Horsham St Faith - within cycling distance of my Norwich house. 

I managed one post-lockdown trip to the coast before returning to Northumberland, with a juvenile Iceland Gull at Weybourne being the highlight and a Black Brant at Cley. 

Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Caspian Gulls from Cromer

Had good views of several Caspian Gulls at Cromer in early August before I returned home to Northumberland, but only just got around to editing my photos. Here are a few of my favourites...









Juvenile and first-summer Caspian Gulls

Juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull for comparison

Saturday, 22 February 2020

The last month...

I've had a particularly busy few weeks at uni but I've still managed to fit in a bit of birding as well. Here are a few of the best bits from the last month or so...




First-winter Caspian Gull at Sheringham. A day in the Holkham area produced 8 Spoonbills, 137 Russian White-fronted Geese, 3 Great Egrets and 50+ Snow Buntings among others.
Lesser Yellowlegs at Lingham Lake, Nosterfield. A redhead Smew was also on the lake.
Cattle Egret in the roost at Bolton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire. 2 Great Egrets were also in the roost and a drake Ring-necked Duck was at nearby Ellerton Lake.
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (unfortunately I can't disclose any more details)

Great Crested Grebes

Sunday, 15 December 2019

Caspian Gull and other birds from Norwich...

This first-winter Caspian Gull was a nice way to round off my first semester at uni. It was at Earlham Marsh, Norwich yesterday before being flushed by some horses. Other highlights at my local patch at uni have included a Great Egret and fly-over Marsh Harrier.

I also made a trip to Buckenham Marshes RSPB last weekend to see the four Taiga Bean Geese, although they remained distant, and had good views of the local wildfowl and Marsh Harriers.



Caspian Gull
Great Egret
Wigeon at Buckenham Marshes
Distant Taiga Bean Goose

Monday, 12 August 2019

Images from Spurn...

Thanks to the Cameron Bespolka Trust, last week I attended the BTO Young Leaders course at Spurn Bird Observatory. It was a great four days with a mix of talks, activities, and of course some birding. A full write up will appear elsewhere on the web in due course, but for now here's a few of my bird photos from the trip...



White-rumped Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper


Juvenile Caspian Gull
Knot - the wader numbers at Kilnsea Wetlands were seriously impressive!

Thursday, 27 July 2017

Back again...

Yesterday morning we relocated the adult Caspian Gull 'PKCS' back in Amble Harbour for its fifth summer running. A smart juvenile Wood Sandpiper was also on the reserve at Hauxley...


Caspian Gull

Wood Sandpiper

Monday, 22 August 2016

Another good morning...

We suspected that the juvenile Yellow-legged Gull was still around Amble so headed there this morning...

On the way we called in at QEII where the juvenile Black Tern was showing really well, however the poor light prevented any really good photos. We arrived at Amble where an adult Curlew Sandpiper was feeding in the seaweed and the returning adult Caspian Gull dropped in.

It was a while before my Dad picked up an interesting gull sat on one of the staithes. We walked to the marina to get a better look and when we got there it was quickly apparent this was the bird. Whether it is a Yellow-legged or not we're not sure about.

While watching the gull the adult White-rumped Sandpiper which I found yesterday was spotted which also gave great views near the lifeboat station before flying upstream. A really good looking bird and my dad even managed to photograph it's white rump in one of three photos he took of it!

On the way back we called in at Druridge Pools for an hour. 5 Curlew Sandpipers and 2 Little Stints remained on the Budge Fields and 2 Spotted Flycatchers were in the pine plantation by the entrance along with a number of Willow Warblers and a few Goldcrests. A Redstart was also feeding along the fence on the east side of the farm building.

Just as we were driving home to get some lunch we spotted an Osprey flying low over the road between Druridge Pools and Widdrington village. It headed off in a south-west direction. A patch tick and an excellent end to a decent day!

PWC 2016
Species: 105
Points: 203




The Amble gull
Caspian Gull

White-rumped Sandpiper



Black Tern

Osprey