best day for years

really needed to try out my new binoculars a pair of meopta meostar 8x42 

there good 

 with a massive fall of birds all down the east coast on thursday/friday id usually go to spurn but recently found it a vast area to cover on foot, so headed to filey as its not a bad drive and quite close to other places 

walked along the south side of the ravine a cracking firecrest by the stone teeth circle i looked around no other birders so put it on birdguides

goldcrests everywhere along with 2 chiffchaffs and a male blackcap 

walked up to the top scrub 

really nice area fieldfares came over 

searched for the bluetail but no luck until a lady called me over......i joined about 6 birders in the top scrub and there it was a red flanked bluetail great birds 

checked the ravine again a chiffchaff but nothing else 

thought about bempton but headed for south landing which was a good choice 

dusky warbler briefly by the steps 

at the top it was more sheltered and quite a few goldcrests calling after a while i heard a yellow browed warbler call it took another 30 minutes for it to show 

i needed a toilet stop so headed to ywt center and after saw some benches at the side and sat down watching tree sparrows 

some guy said is this where the ringers are? i said dunno im just sat here! then it all got a bit surreal when a ringer turns up and starts doing what ringers do 

after what seemed like ages he brought out a treecreeper 

stunning

then the best of all something id been really wanting to see this weekend as ive not seen one for years......

my first was at sammys point back in 1988 and seen a few since 

dim wallace described it as the "the sprite with seven stripes"

yep pallas's warbler 

i was just inches away stunning bird 

bird of the day 

weekend

 not really been anywhere recently so deicided on a trip leighton moss which was the first place i ever visited when i started birding way back november 1985, very little change apart from the path from the center to the causeway 

first went to causeway sunny but windy and no bearded tits but a nice great egret from lower hide, 2 little egrets flew over as did 3 buzzards and 2 ravens 

upto 7 cettis warblers singing always a great sound

but 3 otters were a great sight on veiw for ages best of all was a marsh tit calling in the same place as my first decades ago 

then on to the main reserve..........it was a bit quiet not many wildfowl but some nice pintails and shoveler 2 juv female marsh harriers were playing in the wind, 4 water rails calling and a bearded tit called briefly 

then on to hest bank to try for the turtle dove something ive not seen for years, never a easy bird up north but looking back in my notes i use to see them at quite a few places in east yorkshire mainly blacktoft and spurn though have found 3 in calderdale in the 90's

this one was very tame feeding along the footpath by the car park and quite a few birders present shows how much the turtle dove has declined 

turtle dove

hest bank

teal 

leighton moss

called at redcar tarn on the way back but very few large gulls around, but always worth visiting 

after an evening of beer and music the morning saw us wake to rain and wind and by 930 we were off to st aidens............colette wants to see a bittern! having been astounded by the calling bird last year 

so arriving around 1030 we headed to astley lake only to miss it by 2 minutes!!! we headed over to where it had landed on lemonroyd, now colette has very sharp eyes and suddenley after 10 minutes said "whats this?" and indeed it was the bittern flying over to the western reed bed 

bittern

st aidens 

a very nice sight which we also saw 3 great egrets 1 little egret 4 red kites heard more cettis warblers and another water rail called 

lapland bunting

working today in rastrick kitchen fitting been a long week  

so im set up to cut the worktop masons mitre and a bird called overhead i got used to various sounds house sparrows and goldfinch make plus this afternoon bullfinch

this was more different a bit squeaky like a toy trumpet more higher pitched than snow bunting along with a prrrt prrt prrrrt sound 

great bird 

cloughton wyke saturday / sunday

 apart from a nice walk no migrants but always nice to see tree sparrows and yellowhammers along with 1 buzzard  afew stonechats 1 jay 3 chiffchaffs 

spent most of the time seawatching from 1400-1800

2 manx shearwater north 

2 whooper swans south 

5 brent geese south

96 pink-footed geese south 

5 red throated divers south 

auk sp many north/south

common scoter 1 north