RSPB Frampton Marsh

A late April visit to RSPB Frampton always offers so much. With waders on the move, warblers arriving and the first juveniles leaving the nest, it is an exciting time. There were a few birds that were high on the list to see. A returning Black-winged Stilt that fledged from here last year was the main target and was picked up quite quickly despite the rain that was coming down. 

Close to the car park and in the lagoons were a Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Lapwings, and several Yellow Wagtails. What a great start, without putting in any effort. It almost felt like cheating. Usually you have to walk some distance and then also get lucky in finding your birds. Not at Frampton! There was even a Spoonbill that was awake and actually moving towards us rather than away. That is not normally the scenario with this bird. 

First year female Black-winged Stilt.

Spoonbill

Yellow Wagtail

Juvenile Lapwing

My first Swift sighting of the year, is always a great moment.

A Bumper Day on the Patch

Birding on a particular patch can be quite disheartening at times, especially when you see lots of good birds appearing all round the country. You're just hoping that one drops in when you are there and that will make you happy. Birding where I do at Woodford, straddling the Cheshire and Greater Manchester border, seeing a Linnet can be a good day, whilst on others it seems completely devoid of all life. I've had some very good birds here, and most have appeared at this time of year. Trusting my notes from previous years, I made a special effort last week to visit during my lunch breaks and after work. I was rewarded beyond belief.

In just one day I had found a male Redstart at lunchtime, followed by a female after work. Added to that followed a Yellow Wagtail and two male Whinchats. Also thrown into the mix were Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Stonechat and Barn Owl. I'd have been happy with this list if it was spread over 5 years, but to get them all in one day was really quite special. What's more the sun was out, and I was able to get some good record shots of them too.

I do hope this isn't all my luck used up, and that I can have more days like this on the patch in the weeks and years ahead.

Female Redstart (centre picture)

Male Redstart hugging the hedge

Male Whinchat with his back to us

Now facing us

This Yellow Wagtail was on the golf course, while I had myself behind some trees for cover

 Record shot of a Ringed Plover (left) and Common Sandpiper (right)

Wheatears and Wagtails in Norfolk

An Easter trip to Norfolk meant a very determined look for Spring migrants. There were lots I'd been looking forward to finding, and one on my list was the Wheatear. I'd looked a week or so earlier around my local area, but had not found any. We stopped in at Cley beach, as I'd often seen them in the fields here in previous years. Initially it wasn't looking promising, with only some Ruff, Meadow Pipits and a couple of Golden Plover of note. A bit more time spent scouring the ground and I noticed a female Wheatear hoping around. It was swiftly followed by a male. I was delighted to catch up with them again for the first time this year, and hope to see many more as we go through the breeding season.

Female Wheatear standing nice and proud.

The more colourful male.

Now, some birds you hope to find on your trip and others you just get very fortunate and stumble across. The Yellow Wagtail is a bird that I always hope that I come across during the year, but not one I ever go out expecting to find, unless there is some go info available on a particular bird. 

On this particular morning I was happy adding year ticks of Ringed Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit at a very quiet Salthouse, near Cley. Meadow Pipits and Linnets were keeping me company, and the odd Little Egret flew by, whilst the Oystercatchers made sure there was some sound in the air. I got back in my car very content, when I caught a glimpse of bird that I assumed was a Grey Wagtail. All I caught was some yellow as it hopped from the road to the fence line. As I focused properly I could see that it was in fact a Yellow Wagtail!! I stayed in the car and grabbed the camera. It was only a few feet away and I just let it do it's own thing while I snapped away. 

What a fabulous bird, and how lucky I was to be there at that time. The Early Birder does often catch the worm.

Yellow Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Seeing or finding a Yellow Wagtail each year is by no means a given. I don't often visit their habitat at the right time of year, which in hindsight I really should do. A friend of mine kindly let me know of a field where he'd seen up to seven birds. It was too good an opportunity to turn down, so off I popped to try and locate them. It wasn't long before I heard and then saw a couple land on a muck pile. There were plenty of insects to keep them occupied and feeding. I sat and watched for a good hour, which gave me a good opportunity to take some decent pictures.

 

I just love this vibrant lemon yellow colour.

Spurn - Migration Festival

It has been a while since I've been out and about. School holidays and other commitments do get in the way some times, but I try to make the most of the time I have when I can get out with the binoculars and camera. Last weekend was one of those special days, when weather, company and birds all come together in one place to make it memorable.
A 4:30am start saw my friend Phil and I heading to Spurn on the East coast. Arriving just after 7am we found our first good bird within minutes. A Spotted Flycatcher, which was joined briefly by a Redstart in the hedge.
Overhead was a constant stream of hirundines and hundreds of Meadow Pipits. Warblers were in very good supply, with Reed, Willow, Whitethroat, and Sedge in various places.

Some good sea watching turned up a couple for the year list in Black Tern and Red-throated Diver.
A Mediterranean Gull in a field was nice to see and there were plenty of waders on the mud flats. One that got away though was a Wood Sandpiper that was taken by a Peregrine moments before I could get into the hide. With 70 different species seen in the day though, I couldn't really complain, but I did feel a bit gutted about that Wood Sand. :(

This Sedge Warbler was in hand after being ringed and soon after released.

A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was one of many seen on the day.

Starlings were starting to gather on the power lines. A sure sign that Autumn is just around the corner.

A small party of Northern Wheatear were in this ploughed field at Kilnsea.

Willow Warbler

A Yellow Wagtail spent a lot of its preening in the sunshine.

Yellow Wagtail

This is a bird that usually crosses my path totally unintentionally. The last couple of years one has turned up while I was out on general bird watching days. This year, however I mad a concerted effort to seek one out.
Altrincham Sewage Works is place I used to go to some years back. In the Spring it is very good for warblers, Yellowhammers, and passing migratory birds and also an area where many come to breed.
One of it's main attractions for me is the Yellow Wagtail. It's usually found around the horse paddocks, and this particular bird was no different. Never easy to get close too, but with good field craft (as with most birds) if you bide your time and don't appear to be a threat, they will eventually make their way towards you. I don't like to push the boundaries and this bird wasn't playing ball, so I left it to catch flies. Maybe next time it'll come closer but it was great to see through the binoculars.

Such a vibrant looking bird.

Yellow Wagtail - Woodford

I had a little bit of excitement the other night on my patch, in the form of a Yellow Wagtail. I hadn't seen one this year and had put off several attempts to visit a well known spot where I could probably have seen one. So I was delighted that one turned up rather unexpectedly just a few miles from home.
I managed to see one here in the Spring last year and thought that was a one off. Maybe I just need to look more regularly.
Anyway, it's a cracking little bird and one I'm grateful to for popping in while I was there. The pictures are not great, as I was desperately trying to hide behind a hedge and keep out of sight. Add to that the excitement that was induced, I was a little shaky with the camera.