and a male Vagrant Emperor obliges

three female Red-veined Darters and 2 or 3 Vagrant Emperors at Rimac today increased the Lincs incursion count but this male was most welcome; after flying around within 4 feet of us catching insects it landed in the grass and allowed close approach --

Black-winged Pratincole in Lincs

was about 4 miles from my car trying to get to grips with what was almost certainly a Vagrant Emperor at East Halton Skitter when I got the dreaded phone call - thanks Anthony -- 50 minutes later back at the car but almost as soon as I set off the back wheel starts making some pretty awful noises -- hoped it was just a. stone in the back plate but after 10 miles I decided to go home then after. big bang and another noise it seemed to be OK -- thus late to the party and missed all the close fly-bys with rain setting in early at 15:00 it never did anything much after then until I left at 17:10 -- cracking views but just a dot in the camera and with heat haze as well never going to be anything other than ropy shots but a welcome Lincs list addition after missing the Gib bird by 10 minutes

Vagrant Emperors at Donna Nook

it took about 90 minutes before we found one of Chris's Vagrant Emperors but it landed in the open on the beach, first images, presumably a poorly marked male then we had at least 6 individuals and possibly up to 10 in the next 3 hours over 3kms of dune -- surely if we can find that many in such a small area they must be being overlooked elsewhere on the east coast -- second set of images a female taken after a torrential downpour

Red-veined Darters at Donna Nook

thanks Chris A, should have been there earlier but following a call from Chris arrived at 11:00 in search of Vagrant Emperor --a successful visit and avoided the downpours -- second place in the day's ode stakes at least 9 Red-veined Darters, females as well as males and an immature male -- selection here -- always difficult to get a clear view through grasses on the dunes with the big lens --