Saturday 11th June 2011 - Tox Quarry and Blithfield

A rare solo trip out today as all the regular Clayhead members were unavailable. First stop was at the mighty Uttox Quarry. I snook in hoping no one would see me - but it was no problem as I was the only birder on site. I quickly found my target - a Red-breasted Merganser swimming about on the main pit. Looking directly into the sun gave only silhouette views, but its not a bad record for June.

Large Skipper

An arty silhouetted shot of the RBM at Tox

Then it was on to Blithfield. I went straight to Tad Bay where I was met with an ID poser. This is the view I was faced with.

I quickly went through all the white birds I knew and quickly eliminated a cygnet and a white goose. Eventually I managed to see a long leg and I was fairly certain as to what it was. All I had to do was wait for it to wake up and show me its beak, which it duly did.
GJM came into the hide and we walked down to the Forward Hide. Unbeknown to me, Sir Roger Broadbent was in the Forward hide going through the exact same processes and he came up with the same ID just after I did. We were fairly certain it was the same 2yr bird that was at Doxey recently.






Later on, an Osprey came over the bay and circled around briefly.