sunday last day of a great weekends birding

 as usual got to swilly early, i wanted to get some photos of the old lock 

i suspect might be more to see in winter 

headed down the causeway the light was lovely 

but not brilliant for getting photos of a hobby that appeared and dissapeared quickly, put out the news to the local birders whatsapp dont think it was seen again 

heading down the track between the 2 reedbeds the red necked stint was still at idle washlands, so i headed down my only concern every petrol station over the weekend were empty! with a quater of a tank left i could do it but would it get back?? 

down the A1 managed to get diesel not cheap but better than nowt 

after a 50 minute drive id arrived at idle washlands, parked on hagg lane by the flash, before even getting out of the van i could see 4 great egrets and at least 12 little egrets, managed the 15 minute walk and joined the rest of them, the light was awfull and the stint was distant far to away for any photos  but managed to get one 

its crap but enough to identify it as a little stint which is now the verdict but given the distance and views i can understand the caution yesterday, big call to make so respect 

back at the van the flash now had 1 cattle egret 16 little egrets and 4 great egrets, the cattle egret was too  distant in the sun to any photos 

nice place one for the future 

so with in 60 miles of my flat ive seen the following this weekend 

spoonbill 1

great egret 4

cattle egret 1

little egret 21

hobby 1

marsh harrier 3

buzzard 6

sparrowhawk 1

cetti's warbler 18

ruff 12

black tailed godwit 28

white tailed plover 1

little stint 2

bearded tit 32

whooper  swan 11

pink footed goose 500+

im getting older nowt i can do

 swilly for dawn 

cattlegate pond now looks too dry for waders so onto the east reedbed, not before watching a very showy cetti's warbler,  

thats better 2 blackwits and 2 ruff plus 6 dunlin and a couple of snipe along with a nice little egret, 

it was warm by 8am even the larger dragonflies were up 

a few bearded tits pinging from the reeds with a couple seen in flight, this was nothing........approaching astley all i could i was beardies pinging away, as i got the junction i could see them on top of a small willow at least 12 with more calling from the reeds...........stunning 

beardies 

wondering what to next the coast is dead and cannot be bothered driving for hours i needed somewhere close and familiar 

blacktoft sands 

usually i dont like hides, so its not somewhere i think of visiting, i did my usual have i got money to get in do they take card? 

i decided to join the rspb, i was a member decades ago and at 16 i was a volunteer warden so sod it ill join 

the white tailed plover looks like its about to die, but i guess its ready to move on as its head has gone a brown/grey colour and just resting still smart bird.

water rail ran over to the reeds lots of ruff and blackwits 2 green sandpipers 3 marsh harriers one wing tagged red 12, a nice bright wheatear landed at townend plus more little egrets and bearded tits 

swillington at its best

early doors till 1030 

this site just keeps giving, its the best site in west yorkshire for birding, bye bye fairburn with your distant views 

over 10 cettis warblers singing with 2 seen 

little egret 5

spoonbill 6

little stint 1

ruff 1 juv

grey plover 1

spotted redshank 1

snipe 15

dunlin 3

green woodpecker 1

sparrowhawk 1 male

kingfisher 1

beared tit 1 female 

just before 10 a bird appeared over the eastern reedbed gull or pale buzzard?? bins up a osprey heading overhead towards the main lake stunning bird 

 

green withens sunday 12th september

 back to normal after saturdays great day

2 wheatears on the track 

over 8 red grouse very active 

lbbgull flew west 

meadow pipits 40+ sw

twite 3

pied wagtail 2

mallard 1 male 

kestrels 3 at oxygrains 

carrion crow 3

reed bunting 1

wren 1

mytholmroyd 

50 house martins above hoo hole 

great spotted woodpecker 1 

kestrel 1

bempton and buckton

quite an easy drive to bempton this morning left at 0630 arrived at just before 0830, the rspb card machince wasnt working so get in £6 saved nice free parking love it 

its only a 15 minute walk up to buckton,yellow wagtail around the old radar station  at the heligoland trap around a 100 people all chatting away or on phones the usual modern twitch.

very windy so nice but brief views of it in the crab apple tree far too distant for a photo not the best twitch but nice bird 

a marsh harrier drifted west over the fields 

a warm windy walk back to bempton, the albatross was flying around over the sea some great views of it just effortlessy drifting back and forth 

honey buzzard

 back up old town today for work 

having a lucnh break in the cooler shadows of the extension a raptor was heading down the valley from cock hill it was quite low i said "whats this looks odd" it was head on and both my workmates said red kite which gives an impression of how long the wings looked!!

it followed the field / moor line of the hill and banked to the right i was immediatley struck by the buzzard like appearence but long wings i watched if for about 2 minutes as it drifted over, it had the look of a buzzard but the jizz was wrong quite flappy,long wings and a dainty head. 

weekend

 started early doors saturday  at sammys point found a pied flycatcher and 1st winter male redstart, on to kilnsea and a brief seawatch resulted in a 

long tailed skua 

red throated diver 

4 common scoter 

triangle 2 redstarts 1 whinchat 1 yellowhammer 

collared dove 

sammys point

sunday 

early arival at swillington 

this really is becoming my favourite place not only just the birds but the whole atmosphere, its the only place ive been birding were everyone just gets along with whatever thier doing joggers bikers walkers familys horse riders birders photographers its a really friendly place and i find it unique 

little stint 1

dunlin 4 

ringed plover 3

greenshank 1

snipe 3

spoonbill 2 on pond 1 flew east, 3 middle ings 2 eastern reedbed 

little egret 7

grey heron 4

curlew 1 

marsh harrier 1 female 

sedge warbler

reed warbler 

whitethroat 2

wheatear 1 female on hillside

green woodpecker hillside

spoonbill 

greenshank

spoonbill

great creasted grebe

wheatear

green woodpecker