Saturday 17th September and another trip up to Hatfield Moors in East Yorkshire. A Juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been discovered on Friday evening and so it was an opportunity to see yet another North American wader close to home. Most British records of Buff-breasted Sandpiper are from Cornwall, Isles of Scilly or the Western Isles. […]
Sunday 11th September turned out to be quite a remarkable day. A new bird for Derbyshire and an American “Peep” on the Yorkshire Moors. News broke on Friday 9th September 2016, that a juvenile Pallid Harrier had been photographed on Big Moor in North Derbyshire. As seems to often be the case these days, the
Saturday 27th August and Glyn, Richard and myself visited two of my favourite Lincolnshire Reserves, Gibralter Point and RSPB Frampton Marsh. Gibralter Point was very much a visit of nostalgia, as I first went bird watching here some 40 years ago, when I saw my first Snow Bunting. The reserve is very different today, with new
I found this new 2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull at my local patch, this morning (21st August 2016). Staunton Harold Reservoir is a good place to find this species especially at this time of year. Late summer, early autumn sees Yellow-legged Gull migrating into Britain and birds are returning to their favoured wintering areas. Often young
Sometimes when its quiet on the national birding front, it can be difficult to know what to do, if in doubt, fall back on some local birding. Thats exactly what I did on Sunday 14th August, spending a few hours during the morning at the Derbyshire Wildlife Reserve at Willington Gravel Pits. It’s usually difficult
In recent weeks the RSPB Reserve at Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire has been a haven for waders, with several notable species being recorded. So we decide to head off there for the day on Saturday 6th August. It was a hot day and not altogether conducive for photography. Anyhow, there was a good selection of
On Sunday 31st July, news broke that a Purple Swamphen, better known as Purple Gallinule, had been discovered at RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk. Most of the previous occurrences of Swamphen’s in Britain, have been assigned to a subspecies other than the nominate race, as in the case of the Minsmere bird and these have all been
This morning at my local patch, Staunton Harold Reservoir, I eventually found several Common Sandpiper, they always move through in early August, a year tick. There were also 2 Little Egret; 1 adult Yellow Legged Gull in heavy wing moult and around 6 Common Tern. Also several vocal Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler calling
