I've been having too much fun recently and the blog has started to slip behind. So here is what happened in July.
On Saturday July 4th, we paid a visit to Burton Mere Wetlands and then on to Anglesey, basically just to do a bit of birding. We managed to miss the ROSEATE TERNS at Cemlyn, but we saw a few bits and bobs.
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| juv Little Egret at BMW |
On Friday July 9th, we had our first county tick of the year; the much predicted Red-footed Falcon finally landed in Stoke-on-Trent of all places. News filtered out during the previous evening of one being photographed. I left the house at 05:00hrs but decided it was too cool for a Red-foot to be flying so I went to Westport instead. PJ, on the otherhand, popped up before work and found a cracking 1st summer male sat in a field. I was unable to pay a visit until 18:00hrs due to work. It was still present and showing nicely. And it stayed for a few more days. And things started to happen and things went out of control. And it slowly took over our birding lives. I've been asked why I haven't done a blog on the RFF yet. Maybe one day I will. I will tell the whole truth and tell you all of some of the goings on we witnessed. But until then, here one picture for you.
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| Our good friend the RFF |
I paid another visit to Fermyn Wood this year following last years excellent visit. Only a couple of hours of sun, but the Purple Emperors did show well again.
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| Purple Emperor almost wing two purple wings |
A routine visit to Westport on Monday 13th July became un-routine when I checked a bird flying away from me and over the lake. I was faced with the bizarre sight of an Avocet flying around the lake, all at 06:00hrs in the morning. I enjoy making phone calls at the time of day, and CJW was soon down in his slippers and dressing gown. My second, the 4th record for the lake and a lake self found tick for me.
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| Avocet at Westport. Both pics phone-binned |
Due to a request from GAS, we did some birding in Staffordshire on July 18th, and we ended up finding a 5th record for the county. The day started off well, with Red-footed Falcon and Hobby in the bag before 07:00hrs. We sat and rested at Blithfield in the Tad Bay hide sifting through the waders before heading onto Branston. And there we found our 5th record for Staffordshire.
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| Lesser Marsh Grasshopper - first record for the square and 5th for the county |
And so ends a quite bizarre month of July.
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| Who are you staring at buster? |
