Red-backed Shrike at long last !

Buckton continued to produce the goods, but with a hell of a lot of effort ! May 28th produced a female Red-backed Shrike, a bird that I have had to wait a long time to get on my Buckton list. One spent two days here in September 2004, but I was off chasing a Cream-coloured Courser on the Scillies, before that there are records in 1975, 1977 and 1984 ! It was extremely elusive and may have been present since last Sunday when I glimpsed what was almost certainly a female RBS at point blank range before it vanished almost serpent like into the middle of a bush and didn't come out again. Either way it didn't matter as Steve pulled it out of the bag and the wait was over. It was again mega elusive and never came near the nets. Spotted Flycatchers peaked with four on May 28th Other birds over the last few days included my first ever Buckton Hobby on May 29th when raptors were also represented by Peregrine, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk!

A bit of birding on Flamborough produced a Marsh Warbler, Common Rosefinch (photograph above), Turtle Dove, Tree Pipit, Crossbill and another Red-backed Shrike (photograph above). Very frustratingly I had a reeling locustella which made me stop dead in my tracks down Old Fall Hedge but despite gathering a few observers together it didn't sing again and could easily have been a Savi's Warbler. Overall a very enjoyable few days, three new Buckton birds, a ringing tick and the spectacle of scarce eastern drift migrants in song.

Hip hip olais !

As the sat-nav inspired last post indicated, it was going to be a return trip to Buckton today and so it was ! A quick dash back through driving easterly lash with Steve Blain and the first bird that hit the net was the one we wanted - an Icterine Warbler in the cliff top dell! With 6 at Spurn today it was always going to be on the cards. The cliff top dell looked the part today and in a few years time when the willows thicken this is really going to pull in the birds. Other migrants included a Whinchat, Tree Pipit, 3 Spotted Flycatchers and late Fieldfares and Redwing. With more rain forecast overnight and the winds holding firmly in the east, tomorrow is set to be another rewarding day.

Turn around when possible

Went up to Buckton for two days, forecast good with E winds and a big rain front moving in the S - shame it didnt happen! guess what.... its coming tomorrow !

Made do with a Whinchat, 3 Greenland Wheatears, Greenshank, Long-eared Owl and nice views of seabirds hanging in the onshore winds.

Tawny owlberts !

Discovered a pair of juvenile beauties in the owl nest box in the garden, whilst checking the nest boxes for tit ringing this afternoon.

Red-foot foray

Third time lucky ! This handsome fella has remained faithful to Coronation Pit, Stewartby, Bedfordshire since May 10th.

Success with a pair of waders

Wood Sandpiper, Octagon Farm, Willington

Four miles and incoming

Spent most of the day today advising BAA on what to do with a 1st summer female Montagu's Harrier that is frequenting the grass strips adjacent to one of its major UK airports - an interesting day !

The following is a comment about this bird from raptor expert Dick Forsman -

This bird is a rather typical 2nd cal yr female Monty. This individul can best be identified by its head-pattern: The pale collar is far too broad for Pallid, there is a lot of white around the eye, and the dark ear-coverts spot looks isolated and does connect with bill and gape, as in Pallid. Most of the 2nd cal yr female Monties would look just like this one, and because of their prominent pale collar they are more than often mis-ided as Pallid. Also the body moult is typical of imm. Monty, with lots of new feathers on neck and upper breast, while Pallids tend to show very little moult, or no moult at all, turning upin spring in a nearly all-juvenile plumage.

This evening at Broom a 1st summer Little Gull and the Grasshopper Warbler is singing again.

Mediterranean days

The theme of the morning was Hobbies ! with four at Broom and two showing very well at Willington. The afternoon by contrast was decidedly Mediterranean yet again with a Hoopoe turning up in gardens at Flitwick and quite remarkably another individual found by a visitor on the reserve at the Lodge. A Whimbrel at Broom was a rather late May record.

Sing your hearts out !

A quick trip up to Buckton today produced very little despite the NE winds, on our return we called in at Broom and had good views of the Bar-tailed Godwit which was found earlier today. The Black Tern and 1st summer Med Gull were from Broom last week, the Long-eared Owl was at a site in Bedfordshire and the singing Swallow at Buckton.

Red-foot karma

Having only arrived home at midnight last night from an RSPB talk in Brighton and then getting up for the Broom morning session at 5am - today had to deliver some payback.

The early shift didn't produce much except a smart fly through Black Tern at 0730hrs and a Dunlin. I decided to have a quick look around Willington GP before returning to Broom - highlights being a calling Turtle Dove, singing Nightingale and a Common Sandpiper.

On my way back to Broom I noticed a farmer ploughing a rough field near Moggerhanger and suspecting nesting Lapwings I stopped and had a scan - not only Lapwings but also a pair of Oystercatchers - thirty minutes later both nests were found and saved as I persuaded the young farmer to kindly lift his machinery over the nests, which he did - payback was really on now !

As I approached Broom I received a text informing me of a singing Whinchat along the entrance track found by Martin. I joined Steve Blain and enjoyed good views of the moorland bound migrant - we were joined by Andy Plumb. I then went around to the main lake and began scanning the skies, almost immediately getting on to four distant high falcons in the same general area where I picked up the Montis last weekend.

Although all four were silhouetted, three were clearly hobbies but one just didn't fit and had a strong feel of a Red-footed Falcon (several of which had arrived in the UK on the high pressure system we are currently enjoying in recent days).

After a few seconds more viewing I called Steve and suggested he came round. Switching to my 60x eye piece I then watched the bird for a couple of minutes and then rang Steve again and told him to get a move on !

Steve, Andy and myself then watched the bird for a few minutes during which time we were joined by Lol Carmen, Bob Chalkley and Roy Nye who were amazed when we suggested we might be watching a Red-Foot !

The bird was now under continual observation but was always distant and high - although its completely different appearance and size made it rather easy to pick up from the accompanying hobbies. After a period of time and better views we confirmed it as a female RFF ! News was put out quickly allowing Martin and Matt to get the bird just in time as it gave its closest views overhead. Martin even drove down the track !!

The bird had a long tail 'pinched in' at the base and often fanned at the tip, dark grey upperparts, orange washed underparts lacking any obvious dark streaking, an orange head, a pale collar and facial patches, rather rounded wing tips - especially when in level flight when its profile strangely most resembled a kestrel, it had tail barring visible on the underside but lacking in the central pair which were uniform dark. Based on this the bird was aged as a 1st summer female - this was supported by primary moult to one feather on each outer wing finger.

Typical of all Broom fly thru's it started to gain height again and headed off NE.

Payback completed !

a bobby dazzler !

Jubilation and relief- "We are staying up, we are staying up" !

We did it, in true Wednesday fashion - a goal behind after ten minutes and a final score of the Owls 4 - Canaries 1. Another season is over, most importantly we stay in the Championship, at a time which hopefully sees the club at a crossroads with huge investment just around the corner.

Broom produced 3 Black Terns and a fly through Greenshank this am. The best bird of the day was a Temminck's Stint at the egg pit just north of Biggleswade - thanks AP/DOM. A quick exit from Sheffield and I was watching it in almost darkness at 8.20 this evening.

Thanks to Jen for being my football 'homeleg' driver for the past 9 months - the beers are on me. A bobby dazzler of a day !

entering a dark phase at Broom......

A big surprise at Broom GP this morning, a juv/1st winter plumaged melanistic male Montagu's Harrier. Present from 0715hrs to around 11am allowing most county birders to catch up with it.