Lightning strikes twice...

Another self-found Wryneck on Holy Island today just 3 days after my first, this one in the dunes near the end of the Straight Lonnen.

I saw it fly out of the grass into a nearby hawthorn. I told my dad that I suspected I'd just seen a Wryneck and shortly after he confirmed it when he got a brief view of the bird sat on a branch. After a short wait it came into the open and sat there, allowing a more prolonged view than the bird a few days ago! We last saw the Wryneck head back into the middle of the Hawthorn.

After looking through my photos I'm pretty sure it's two different birds we've seen recently, and perhaps the bird reported on the Snook after we left was the same as the bird I saw on the 20th...

Here's the list of the other migrants we saw today...

2 Pied Flycatcher
6 Whinchat - including four together at Snook House.
c.6 Willow Warbler
2+ Chiffchaff
 

Wryneck

Whinchat

Wryneck & Icky...

Despite spending five hours on Holy Island we never left the Snook. When we arrived we settled into our usual routine of one of us walking around the back of the bushes while the other waits on the opposite side to wait if anything pops out. Straight away my dad got a brief view of an Icterine Warbler in the plantation just east of Snook House.

An hour later there was no further sign of the Warbler, so I decided to walk around the back of the plantation again. It was then I noticed a shape on a dead branch. A quick look through the bins confirmed my suspicion; a Wryneck! I managed to raise the camera and fire off a few shots before it flew off the branch, and we couldn't find it again.

The highlight of a search around the Half Moon Slack and nearby pines was a brief male Redstart. Back at the plantation a small group of birders had appeared hoping to see the Wryneck. The Icterine Warbler showed briefly once on a branch and twice in flight before disappearing again. At least I managed to see it this time!

The totals were:

1 Wryneck
1 Icterine Warbler
1 Redstart
1 Garden Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
1 Yellow Wagtail -  flew over.
1 Merlin
2 Chiffchaff
3+ Willow Warbler

Wryneck - the intricate plumage details on the Wryneck makes it one of my favourite birds.

Norfolk - Days 7 & 8

A couple of twitches on our last two days. First the Icterine Warbler at Burnham Overy. It could be very elusive at times but showed well in the end, with a Pied Flycatcher in the same bushes.

And our last bird of the trip: the Red-footed Falcon at Willow Tree Fen. It also showed well but at quite long range. In the end we gave up with taking photos and just enjoyed the bird, so below are some of the worst photos you'll see of the bird! A Brown Hawker also patrolled the grassland here.

Icterine Warbler

Red-footed Falcon

Norfolk - Days 5 & 6

On the morning of day five (12th) we were just planning to have a family day out at Hindringham Hall, but in the end I stayed around the Medieval Fish Ponds in the gardens because of the number of dragonflies there. The most numerous species was the Small Red-eyed Damselfly, with at least 40 on the ponds. Male Emperors patrolled the water's edge where there was a few females ovipositing. Common Blue Damselflies and Common Darters were also there.

Afterwards we went to RSPB Titchwell. The number of birds was impressive! We saw 21 different waders around the reserve and there was 17 Spoonbills altogether. Here's the highlights...

17 Spoonbill
6 Spotted Redshank - one in summer-plumage.
6+ Bearded Tit
1 Wood Sandpiper
150+ Ruff
50+ Black-tailed Godwit
125+ Bar-tailed Godwit
200+ Avocet
1 Little Ringed Plover
1 Whimbrel
1 Greenshank
9 Grey Plover
3 Yellow-legged Gull
1 Mediterranean Gull
2 Little Egret


 A walk from Morston to Cley the next day resulted in a flock of 9 Greenshank, a Whimbrel and 8 Little Egret. A Hobby flew over Weybourne.

That night we had our final look at the Cley gull roost. Our fifth Caspian Gull of the week was a distinctive third-summer, and 15+ Yellow-legged Gulls were there along with a Little Gull. A summer-plumage Spotted Redshank was our first at that site as was a Wood Sandpiper and 2 Egyptian Geese.

Small Red-eyed Dasmelfly

Emperor with a Common Blue Damselfly

Caspian Gull

Ruff

Avocet

Wood Sandpiper

Norfolk - Days 3 & 4

On our third day (10th) we decided to spend some time at Cley. The number of waders was spectacular, especially as there appeared to have been an influx of Black-tailed Godwits that day...

350+ 'Icelandic' Black-tailed Godwit - only 3 juveniles!
1 'Continental' Black-tailed Godwit - a distinctive colour-ringed juvenile.
40+ Ruff
1 Curlew Sandpiper
3+ Common Sandpiper
1 Yellow-legged Gull - adult.
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Little Gull

1 Small Red-eyed Damselfly
1 Brown Hawker
1 Emperor
1 Holly Blue

Another look at the Cley roost on the 10th failed to produce any Caspians, but 7+ Yellow-legged Gulls and 2 Little Gulls were there. 2 Green Sandpipers were the first we saw that week, and a Barn Owl hunted in front of the hide later on. Several low passes from some RAF Tornadoes also kept me amused!

'Continental' Black-tailed Godwit

Curlew Sandpiper

Norfolk - Days 1 & 2

Last week we had a family break in Norfolk and managed to fit in some decent trips birding!

On day one we had our first look at the Cley gull roost. An adult Caspian Gull was present and a stunning first-summer appeared later on. The number of Yellow-legged Gulls was impressive (compared to what we get in the north-east!), with at least 12 present.

A good forecast for the next day persuaded us to go to Kelling Water Meadows to look for the Red-veined Darters which had been seen there recently. Sure enough they were present along with a host of other dragonflies some of which we don't often get to see in Northumberland...

7+ Red-veined Darter

10+ Emperor

10+ Black-tailed Skimmer

1 Banded Demoiselle

1 Migrant Hawker

2 Southern Hawker

Common Darter
Common Blue Damselfly
Blue-tailed Damselfly

1 Holly Blue
5+ Gatekeeper
10+ Common Blue

A Red Kite flew over Holkham Pines in the afternoon, before we had another luck at the Cley gull roost. Today there was 3 Caspian Gulls (yesterday's first-summer and 2 adults, looking at my photos I think they were both different to yesterday's bird). Slightly fewer Yellow-legged Gulls this evening with 7+, and a single adult Mediterranean Gull.

Back at our cabin in the forest I saw my first Perseid meteor of the year.

First-summer Caspian Gull on the first evening.

One of day two's adult Caspians.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull

Red-veined Darters - the last photo's pretty poor but it shows the 'classic' Red-veined Darter pose quite well.

Migrant Hawker

Southern Hawker

Emperor

Picking up...

 Last weekend we saw the adult Caspian Gull 'PKCS' again in Amble Harbour. It didn't show nearly as well as last year.

We weren't expecting much when we set off this morning. The water levels were looking good at Hauxley with the Ponteland Hide producing a Greenshank, Kingfisher & 3 Common Sandpipers. After having missed Hobby on a number of occasions in the county I was very pleased to pick one up over the north pool at Chevington. It gradually flew closer and passed overhead heading south-west. A long awaited addition to the county list! 2 Ruff and a Little Gull were also at Chevington.

When we eventually tore ourselves away from the cricket on the radio at Druridge Pools, the number of butterflies on the wing was impressive. The 12 species on view were:

Painted Lady

Large Skipper

Small Skipper

Large White

Small White

Small Copper

Dark Green Fritillary

Small Tortoiseshell

Small Heath

Red Admiral

Common Blue

Meadow Brown

10 Ruff and 2 Little Egret were on the Budge Fields. 2 Peregrine flew over. A further 8 Little Egrets were at Cresswell (including colour-ringed bird 'T' 'F') along with a couple of Black-tailed Godwits.

Our last stop was Bothal Pond. We were stood at the south end when my Dad picked a wader up on the north side. I thought it looked like an adult Pectoral Sandpiper but because of the distance and heat haze neither of us were completely sure. We rushed up to the north end, and at first we couldn't see it anywhere. Then it landed on one of the concrete blocks in the middle of the pond, providing great scope views and putting the ID beyond doubt. We were only able to watch the Pec Sand for a few minutes before it flew off north-west.

The bird had a severe limp due to an injury to it's right leg, so if it turns up again it'll be easy to know it's the same bird. A Green Sandpiper was also at the north end and an adult Ruff was from the south end.

PWC15

Species: 156

Points: 205

156. Hobby

Pectoral Sandpiper

Hobby

Greenshank

Caspian Gull

5 of 8 Little Egrets at Cresswell Pond!