Pallid Harrier

this bird has really tested my sanity over the last three days; a dash to Donna Nook on Tuesday revealed a Pallid Harrier shape into the murk with very few details visible but clearly a Pallid on jizz ; Wednesday the BBC weather dept cost me excellent views forecasting heavy rain all day that petered out by 13:00 -- I could have set off then but with a full day in prospect for Thursday it seemed foolish to waste the diesel and battle with half term seal watchers; so 05:00 Thursday and in position at Donna Nook at 06:30 -- cold windy and no bird by 11:30 when the rain starts -- a message that it has gone south at Gib -- expletives -- dash, can you dash on Lincs coast roads, to Gib and arrive 12:30 -- it was by then lost into the Wash -- after an hour drive round to Wainfleet for a better chance? colder and windier and then a call from John S via Kev its back at Gib and gone north-- flew past you while we were having a coffee!!!!! -do we head north up the coast or back to Gib - takes 40 minutes to get back to Gib through half term crowds and drivers going 25mph -- walk down to the Wash view point and a lady waving -- its just gone past south! watch it getting decent views as it moves quickly to Wainfleet and flies right over the spot where we were stood!!! -- more expletives then it turns and disappears over the embankment -- scanning suddenly its back over the saltmarsh and coming north -- brilliant views of all features so grab the camera it might be close enough for a pin prick shot -- dull as dull 2000 ISO and low and fast over uniform saltmarsh so pleased I managed any in focus -- stunning bird and pressure off until it settles somewhere for the winter in Lincs -- we can but hope

its been a long time SEO

we sort of took Worlaby for granted until it went and not had any Short-eared Owl sites since then really -- seems to be a total lack of voles over most of my sites this winter so only odd birds and not at great locations for access -- need to have a good look round as there must be some concentrations somewhere

Whoopers on the patch

this flock of 7 Whoopers dropped in on Sunday morning and stayed all day --

autumnal Greylags

Dusky frustration does on

When a new Dusky Warbler turned up at Gib Point on Monday afternoon it seemed like a chance of another photo? showing well early Tuesday by the time I got there needless to say it was the most elusive little blighter you could hope for so some rubbish records BUT -- a Dusky Warbler had been at Gib in the East dunes from the 14th to the 17th when it was trapped -- not seen again after trapping so a bird that appeared 1.216kms away by Tennyson's Sands on the 19th would be assumed as a new bird; indeed views seemed to confirm that it was unringed and in 90% of cases it would have gone down as different but as can be seen here it was in fact the same bird; how many times does this occur with rare birds and clearly with much less rare species like Yellow-browed warbler? just how much over counting does go on?

Northern creeper

after the goose fest wandered back to the Lincs coast to have a look for a Dusky Warbler apparently trapped last Thursday and still present Sunday -- in fact it was still present today but was the worst bird to actually see that I have ever come across though did get some decent brief views eventually -- of equal interest was the fact that a Northern Treecreeper had been ringed at the same site and I was keen to have a look at it but finding it in a lot of scrub was never going to be easy I thought but I chanced upon it pretty quickly though photos proved rather tricky in the dull light and mass of branches. twigs and leaves - a striking bird though -- Birding Frontiers Autumn put to good use

Pink-feet morn

an early start for the Icelandic breeding goose census on the Humber -- by chance what I assume was the majority of the upper Humber birds passed into Yorkshire so I managed to count both roosts from one spot -- presumably missed some but even so totals of 11,420 and 8200 total 19,620 forms the highest ever Humber total for this charismatic species -- 1000's of commuters passed by totally ignoring the spectacle and not a single birder -- add to the geese 1580 Avocets, 2200 Dunlin, 2200 Teal, 12 Pintail, 16 Shoveler, 2 Peregrines, 4 Marsh Harriers and a singing Cetti's Warbler making a pretty decent morning

Spurn when things don't work

very nice Pallas's Warbler but the least photogenic ever, constantly on the move and always hidden; Great Grey Shrike, nice views; American Golden Plover very good views no light and flight shots rubbish Firecrest nice bird no light -- good birds no photos -- on the positive side plenty of mystery bird shots for photo competitions!