First Autumn Ticks - Spurn 21st September 2014

I was unavailable again on Saturday 20th September due to a visit to York University open day. Whilst travelling up, I received a text asking if I'd had a tick yet today. A quick check of my mobile revealed not one but two ticks for me on Spurn.

I was up early on Sunday morning and headed back up on the same roads for the second day running. I arrived at a very busy Spurn at 08:20hrs, parked in the field and then walked back up towards the road and all the birders that I had just driven past. There were small crowds all over the place and it was all a bit of a blur at first. The first crowd were watching the MASKED SHRIKE but that was not showing. Another group were watching a RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER and that wasn't showing either. 

Then two radio boys walked past. It soon became clear that the OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT was showing down at the Canal Zone. I decided to follow them, as I've learnt in the past at Spurn that it is best to see the newly found birds first. So I left the MASKED SHRIKE location without actually seeing it and headed down the coastal path. 

I was soon standing on the end of a large crowd staring at a bush, waiting for the OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT to reappear. Some soon got bored and wandered off, but I decided I did actually want to see something. There were bits and bobs going over, with a few Mipits and Skylarks and a single Tree Pipit. I even managed to scope the Masked Shrike from the path, but obviously it was a little bit distant.

 Masked Shrike by Mr Phil Jones

Then there was a bit of commotion to my left and there was pointing. Amazingly, the Olive-backed Pipit had crawled through the grass in front of us and popped up in the nearest bush, literally a few feet away. As I was so close, I was able to set my scope up before everyone crowded round. I just managed a few phone shots before it slunk back into the grass.

Olive-backed Pipit on Spurn. Shame Birding World has ended. Nowhere to send my pictures to now

I wandered back up towards the churchyard, but stopped at the end of the coastal path to look at the hedge opposite - the one bordering the main road. It was full of birds. The RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER was in this area but I never saw it. I did see two Pied Flycatchers, two Spotted Flycatchers, two Redstarts, two Whinchats and two Lesser Whitethroats (one was rung and apparently it was the Siberian Lesser Whitehroat. Good enough for me).

 

News of a BARRED WARBLER just above the Crown and Anchor pub meant a quick walk up the lane followed by excellent views of the Barred Warbler feeding in the hedge opposite. Then it was back to the coastal path and finally good views of the Red-breasted Flycatcher.

I returned to view the Masked Shrike again and then did a bit of seawatching, resulting in a Sooty Shearwater flying past. All in all, it was an excellent morning, and what could be better than a two tick trip. It was nice to add Masked Shrike to my English list and of course, Olive-backed Pipit finally on my Spurn and surrounding area list. Get in there!

 

 

 Masked Shrike at Kilnsea. 

I saw the Masked Shrike in Fife on 31st October 2004. I seem to remember that the month had been not a bad one.

 It started off with Western Sandpiper in Dorset

and then over to Scilly the next day for this

 Then a few days on Scilly mid month followed by a day trip later in the month for this poor devil

and ending with a British first in Fife. Wonderful days indeed. 

 The crowd on St Agnes for the CCC

Watching the Ovenbird on St Mary's

 

The Masked Shrike crowd.

     

Sunday 7th September 2014 - Slow start to Autumn

Last couple of weekends have been a bit busy, but I've managed to go out birding on Sundays instead of my usual Saturday. I've not left the county yet this autumn and just visited the local sites as per usual. After all, its better to be out birding on your local patches than just sitting at home waiting for the next charter flight to Fair Isle.

Here's a few pictures I've taken recently. 

This Heron was sat in the dead tree at Branston on 31st August

Calling into Blithfield on the way home saw three Turnstone. Above is a photo of just one. I wasn't quick enough to get all three

 This Blood-vein moth was seen on 7th September at the pits

 This Small Copper showed quite well in the beautiful autumn sun.

 Branston was fairly quiet, so it was over to photographing butterflies again

As I was walking back to the car, this Spotted Flycatcher showed quite well

Sunday 24th August - Glossy ending to last butterfly trip of the summer

It was Bank Holiday weekend and I took to family to Filey and Scarborough on the Saturday. It was a gorgeous sunny day as well. This meant a rare Sunday trip out.  

PJ had suggested we go for the ADONIS BLUE as our next butterfly tick but last weekend was quite dull and windy. This Sunday however was slightly warmer and less windy, so armed with directions from our personal Butterfly Trip Organiser DK, we headed down into deepest Gloucestershire, to a site called Rodborough Common, south of Stroud. 

Rodborough Common

One thing we've found with our quest for the 56/59 British butterflies it that we get to see different parts of the the country, and this area was another one we'd never visited before. The actual bank took a little bit of finding due to us not locating a cattle trough where we were supposed to turn left. Fortunately, they had  internet in the area and we soon found our grassy slope.

At first, all we saw a few Common Blues and with no sun and breezy conditions, things weren't looking good. Then sharp eyed PJ spotted our target - an amazing shade of blue - sitting in the grass. The Adonis Blue really did stand out. We enjoyed excellent views and at one stage it was joined by a Brown Argus.

 

 

 

 

 

 Adonis Blue and a few Brown Argus photo's

As we were running up and down the bank armed with our collecting jars and butterfly nets, we received news of a GLOSSY IBIS at Blithfield. It was an easy decision to make as it was the first record for the site. We headed back north up the M5 and eventually arrived in Tad Bay. A quick sprint down to the hide and we were soon watching a rather splendid Glossy Ibis - another addition to my Blithfield list!

 

 

 

 

We were having a rather nice time in the hide, sitting with Staffordshire stalwarts Richard Powell, Frank Gribble and even the Clayhead's No1 stalker Ian "I seek them here, I seek them there, I seek those dastardly Clayheads everywhere" Burgess arrived. Then, a nice young couple decided to walk in the top of Tad Bay and proceeded to walk up the far side of Tad Bay. They disappeared into the bushes at one stage to possibly look for insects or beetles or flowers maybe but by this time they had managed to flush everything out of the bay. The Glossy Ibis flew off over towards Blithe Bay, but it was not relocated and presumably just carried on flying.

As a catch up, last weekend we stayed in Staffs again, seeing an Osprey, Black Tern and Whinchat at Blithfield and the female Garganey at Branston.

Tuesday 5th August 2014 - Aston Rowant NNR, Bucks/Oxon

Some of the very observant ones amongst you will know that I usually celebrate my birthday on 5th August. This year was no exception. Due to exemplary behaviour, I was allowed to skip work as well. This is due to the fact that I never went to school on my birthday, and so I still continue with the tradition and try to never work on it either.

I've recently started trying to get a tick on my birthday, a feat I've never achieved in Britain yet. I was successful a few years ago in Tenerife when I managed to clean up all the island endemics on my birthday.

This year, I decided to try for some butterfly ticks instead. Armed with information from North Staffordshire's butterfly site expert DK, I headed down the M40 to J6 and Red Kite country, to a reserve called Aston Rowant.

The original forecast was quite favourable, with a sunny morning forecast, but as I drove south, it started to rain. Rain isn't quite the weather for butterflies, but I carried on regardless. By the time I arrived it had stopped, but it was a bit windy and dull. And for the first hour, I didn't see too much.

But it warmed up and bit and the butterflies started to show. I did manage to see my three targets for the trip, Chalk Hill Blue, Silver-spotted Skipper and Brown Argus. And a pleasant day was had.

Chalk Hill Blues

Silver-spotted Skipper

My finger to show how small Brown argus are

Brown Argus

Also bumped into these two beasts. 

A Field Grasshopper

...and female Meadow Grasshopper

My British Grasshopper list now stands at 2.

A finally to August. What can it bring. Well, it's been quite good in the past locally in August. Two of the best birds found locally in recent times have been found in August, namely the Westport Lake Sabine's Gull and Ring-necked Duck. And here's two pictures for you all to remind you of those great August days.