WILSON'S WARBLER....KA BOOM!!

Friday night and I'm chilling at home when at 10.30pm ish the phone went ballistic...the boy is on the West coast of Ireland and the 'A' team are mobilizing. Fred's pissed, Mark's on Angelsey already and Gregsy is on the other side of the world. Sorry John but Twitch On!!!!
Having picked up Fred and later Mark en route we boarded the Stena 2.30am sailing from Holyhead to Dublin. Eurotwitch on as Malc would say. Old school listers one and all we bedded down for the night time voyage in the truckers lounge...hardcore!!
We arrived in Dublin bottom's intact and blitzed across the country on the superb new motorway system paid for by the eurozone (us Brit tax payers) our target the island of Dursey stuck on the end of south west Co.Cork and a mere cable car ride away...cable car!!!

Arriving with two minutes to spare we luckily managed to jam our way onto the last cable car for the morning (next one four hours later) our luck held as one of the locals gave us a lift to the boy and saved us a four mile hike.

The garden at the south end of Dursey Island acts as a magnet to migrants and has played host to some of Ireland's most mega rarities like Ovenbird. 

The wait begins in the cloud enshrouded garden. Thirty or so birders including four crews from the UK and the only four British crews to make the morning cable car scan the shrubbery for the latest blocker from the US.

After what seemed like a life time Wilson decided to perform to its gathered group of admirers. Trying to get a photo though was a serious challenge as Wilson never stayed in one place for long enough for the auto focus to do its business plus the garden was virtually fog bound.

Wilson's Warbler a first for Ireland and a second for the WesternPal (I think?)

What a great twitch all we need to do now is walk back the four miles to the cable car...

Bizarre but that's Ireland for you. We grab a quick brew and bag of chips then warp drive it back to Dublin...ferry to Holyhead...drop of Mark then Fred and home all in 27 hours what a mega twitch.

I just love it when a plan comes together... cue the'A'Team music...

TTFN

BOOM!! AGAIN

Saturday the 7th as per last blog post I took some photos of a rather tasty gull that landed on Neumann's Flash with a huge flock of LBB Gulls (60+)...I mistakenly thought it was a Yellow-legged Gull and posted a piccy of it.
Cue Mr Kinsella who thought otherwise...its a CASPIAN GULL!!!! is it not.
I showed Mr Pointen (one of my work colleagues) who thought similar. He passed the photos on to several well known bird news monkeys...they thought the same.
Now with such backing and thumbs up I do believe I can claim the bird as the patch's first ever record of Caspian Gull, an adult by the way and long overdue. Actually rarer than Stilt Sandpiper on Neumann's unbelieveable.
here's some of the photos I took..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Not a classic I'll grant you that but it ticks all the boxes.

The one thing you don't see is the long pale yellow legs as it never set foot on dry land unfortunately.

The p10 primary with the big white tip is visible though and YLGs at this time of the year should be moulting these so I've been informed, Caspos do not.

 

 

 

TTFN

 

 



 

 

 

BACK TO NORMAL WELL NEARLY!

Another weekend and all attention is over at Spurn with its migration festival in full swing.
Cheshire still has the mega wader but its done a dirty on us and gone down the M6 to Sandbach for the flashers to enjoy.

Heres another piccy of the boy...

Out this morning hoping to find something (like I should have done last week ..doh!!)

The Ruff flock (6) from Haydn's Pool and one of the Green Sandpipers seem to have moved down onto Neumann's Flash and were briefly joined by a passing flock of 4 winter plumaged Dunlin  before they were spooked by a Sparrowhawk. Probably the same bugger that flushed the Stilt Sandpiper to Sandbach.

STOP PRESS

Out and about en route shopping and doggy duties so I nip into the flashes and checkout Malc's just found Wheatear and find two cracking Whinchats sat up on the middle fence across desert like Ashton's flash..get in!! the Wheatear was there as well.

Sorted as we say in Mancunia! we should hold our own Migration Festival what?

TTFN

BOOM!!...

Lightning does strike twice as the patch is graced by our second (and Cheshire's second)

STILT SANDPIPER

Found by Mr T and id'd by Mr B the Curlew Sandpiper that I went to see for the patch year list turned into something more special. BOOM what a stonker!
A moulting adult to be precise so it might not even be direct form the USA but a wandering Euro bird maybe.

Time to phone...text....tweet....email....jump with joy!!!........get in!

The locals in jovial mood as the news spreads and people from all over start arriving.

On the 'viewing' mound its difficult to tell the birders from the trees...surely its time for a trim up there?

A 47th record for the UK if it gets accepted by the BBRC and CAWOS (whoever they are?)

My 198th patch bird...getting close to the 200 club.

TTFN

SPECSAVERS SEAWATCH

After all the fuss has died down from last Sundays infamous seawatch off Pendeen, Cornwall it still wrangles me that how in gods name did we miss such a cosmic mind fecker of a seabird as Red-billed Tropicbird....oh yes I was there!!!!!
The incredulous look on everyone's faces as the 'finder' nonchalantly wandered up the path from the rocks below and proclaimed he'd just photographed a RBT...25 BLOODY MINUTES AGO??? and then basically ran off. Bizarre or what?

Just before that fateful moment 08.45, I'd just taken a few record shots of the seawatching crew in action....

25 souls searching in vain for a mega seabird unaware its about to flyby under their noses

The view out towards the rocks off Pendeen where we were watching a feeding flock of Storm Petrels

Post RBT flyby and the hopefuls debunk to Sennan Cove just in case the biggy flew into the bay...alas no!

We tried round at Cape Cornwall but to no avail the mega gone to where ever who knows?

One last try before the agonizing drive home beckons...

All we can do is hope there's another, as Big Al would say...

TTFN

CATTLE EGRET

A welcome visitor to Frodders t'other day was this rather obliging adult Cattle Egret initially found by Groucho I think whilst searching for yet another dodgy duck (Marbled Teal) down on no.6 tank.

Also on show at bird fest no.6 tank...2 Black.necked Grebes and a rather nice Ruddy Shelduck (unringed and fully winged) good for a year tick what! Frodders looking good for some wader action as well, so watch this space or your pager actually.

TTFN

EARLY MORNING HERON

Work had me bombing down the M1 t'other day so I couldn't resist a quick peak at the
 1st summer Night Heron that's been on show at Thornton Reservoir in Leicestershire.
Arriving very early on site I had the place to myself, well no other birders were present just the usual morning keep fit? enthusiasts carrying water bottles around the reservoir...weird people!
Found the boy doing what Night Herons do best...skulking in the reeds fishing (hiding from the lycra brigade more like)...

Moving to the other side of the reservoir to get a better view and the sun behind me I got the following shots, all phone-scoped...

Not bad at all methinks...what a cracking bird and all before breakfast.
A boost to the seriously 'come of the rails' year list. Looks like the Doc has it in the bag (not that he's year listing of course).


TTFN