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.
We had a couple of hours to kill this morning, so we set off for one last brief look at the patch especially with the good weather forecast. It turned out to be a lot better than we were expecting...
One the way we stopped at Widdrington Moor Lake where there was no sign of the Bewick's Swans, but a smart juvenile Great Northern Diver was on the north side.
When we reached the Budge Screen the number of ducks was impressive especially when they all flushed onto the middle of the water, with a couple of hundred Teal being the most numerous, and looking very smart in the sun. Also present were Wigeon and Mallard and 6 smart Pintail (5 drakes).
Then my Dad picked up the first-winter Long-billed Dowitcher sitting in the grass. It provided some nice scope views with it being a bit closer than when we've had it at Cresswell.
While watching the Dowitcher a Water Pipit dropped in on the edge of the water right in front of the screen allowing some brilliant views. A couple more birders arrived and the Dowitcher decided to fly off, later to appear back at Cresswell.
All of a sudden two Water Pipits flew out of the tussocks and headed off west, followed shortly after by a third bird which dropped in calling from behind us. The Pipits continued to be very mobile over the next half hour or so, regularly flying off and then dropping back in, when they would become invisible in the grass.
PWC 2015 - The final scores Species: 179 Points: 249
One of the Water Pipits - surprising just how much the appearance varies depending on lighting.
The first was quite quiet over the three hours we were there. The highlight wasn't even a seabird!
9 Manx Shearwater
104 Wigeon
118 Teal
14 Common Scoter
5 Pintail
2 Great Skua
1 Shoveler
18 Brent Goose
3 Roseate Tern
1 Osprey - flew south. Not quite what we were expecting this morning, and (embarrassingly!) only my second in the county.
1 Merlin - 'in off'
Back again this evening from 14:50 to 19:15...
1 Great Shearwater - flew north at 18:50. Not nearly as close as last year's bird, but more prolonged views allowed us to appreciate the bird a bit more before it was all over. Great scope views in good light made it an awesome experience!
26 Sooty Shearwater
43 Manx Shearwater
6 Arctic Skua
2 Great Skua
9 Wigeon
5 Teal
2 Tufted Duck
3 Common Scoter
2 Grey Plover
1 Whimbrel
2 Brent Goose
A good day's birding to end my summer holiday with...
First to Lower Gelt Quarry in Cumbria where the Bee-eaters have bred this year. The two adults were on show most of the time we were there, only flying off when the weather closed in or the local Buzzards scared them off. They looked great through the scope! We also managed a very brief view of a young bird's head in the nest hole.
On the way back we stopped at Grindon Lough. The eclipse drake American Wigeon was on the south bank with a good number of Eurasian Wigeon. Not a plumage we see very often so it was quite an educational bird.
When we left this morning we weren't expecting anything too special, but we decided to start at Bamburgh. At Budle Bay there were plenty of Gulls and Wigeons as well as a few Grey Plovers and 2 Little Egrets. When we reached Fenham Flats the number of Wigeon on the flats was impressive. There must have been at least 1500. 6 Little Egrets, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and a Pintail were also there.
As we were leaving news came through of a Hume's Warbler showing well at Briar Dene so we decided to have a look. Straight away we were onto the Hume's Warbler in the top of a sycamore. Not long after it flew across the Dene and into a sycamore where it showed really well and was very vocal, and it provided me a great chance to use my new microphone. Scroll down for a recording.
