THICK BILLED WARBLER....BOOM SHAKA!!

October the 2nd and my biannual trip to Shetland got under way with a flight from Manchester to Sumburgh via Aberdeen. The team this year comprised Phil (Mr Wizzal) Woollen, Mark (Groucho) Payne, Matt (late riser) Meehan, new recruit Chris (Family Guy) Griffin and yours truly.
With such an odd ball bunch how could we fail not to find some mega birds...read on...

The day started well with a very showy (after i'd re found it) Pechora Pipit at Levenswick, Mainland.

We could not have parked the hire car much closer, what a great bird to get the trip list off to a flyer.

Oct.3rd and we venture over to Yell for a couple of goodies. On arriving at the stakeout garden at Mid Yell village Chris spots the Eastern Subalpine Warbler perched out in the open in its favorite Sycamore tree, good man. It then plays hide and seek for the next hour or so. This could turn out to be a good investment as there are rumors its about to be split (the Subalp not the tree)...cheers Mr Frontiers!

One in the bag so we drive round the corner and fail to relocate the Hudsonian Whimbrel seen yesterday at Seafield. I manage to find my first of many Yellow Browed Warblers of the trip, quiet possibly the commonest warbler on Shetland whilst we're there.

Oct.4th and after a thorough search of Wester Quarff no sign of Pampers Pointen's Brown Shrike we debunk to Hoswick. Its grim and raining, another YBW is found in Cliff House garden (honest it was) but not much else. If only I'd of played the right tape...Eastern Olivaceous there the next day!!!! bugger.

As we're beginning to lose interest cos the weathers naff a stop at the local shop is cut short when the news breaks of a MEGA!! just 4 miles away at Geosetter (yes we've already birded this day 1)...

We arrive at a leisurely pace (Mr Wizzal driving) and join a growing group of field watchers queuing for a glimpse of Britains 5th record of THICK BILLED WARBLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes for once we've hit the mother load, right place right time, there is a birding god up there. But Thicky seems to have other ideas and is being a real skulking barsteward. Time to send in the troops...

I wonder who that is?

more professional flushers are sent in

what's that guy got in his hand...a tape?

the crowds getting edgy and spooky (checkout the guy in blue)

Biggest gathering of birders on Shetland this year me thinks?  92 to be exact (get that BBA) on day one.

The THICK BILLED WARBLER does eventually play ball and I manage three flight views plus two brief perches, all far too quick for my camera unfortunately. Still to be there when a true mega has just been found is such an adrenalin rush that's why we do what we do. Awesome stuff.

The night is spent prayer mats facing east preying for clear skies and stars but to no avail Thicky devalues itself somewhat by showing (trod on more like) to the dirty twitchers from mainland UK the next day.

more to follow...

That puts me on 511 for Britain and 521 for UK/Ireland

TTFN

IBIS FEST

Autumn and there seems to have been an explosion of Glossy Ibis in the North West of England, is there some secret colony some ones not telling us about?
Over in Greater Mancunia at a wee place called Doffcocker (I kid you not) a flock of 4 juveniles have been delighting the locals ...

TTFN

BACK TO THE EMERALD ISLE

Twice in a week this is seriously big league stuff. The attraction this time another attempt at
 Eastern Kingbird (after the failed one last September) one of which has turned up on another of Ireland's famous islands namely Inishbofin.
I get myself on a 'charter', not a plane though, a boat. There's some seriously big hitters on this charter and spirits are high as we get news the Eastern Kingbird has been seen...we're 30 minutes away.

A misty dawn breaks over Cleggan Quay, Co.Galway

The 'big hitters' gather...

Our boat arrives and it's off to Inishbofin we sail...

After searching all over the island the 30 or so birders are knackered and by lunch time the pace is beginning to tell as our hopes are dashed..the Eastern Kingbird has done another over night yet again.

The earlier report was bollocks!! or is that erroneous?

So it's time to drown one's sorrows and hit the local hostelry for what Ireland does best...

a pint of the black stuff

All is not lost though as I contemplate another Guinness there's activity up the road...a Yanks been spotted!!

Someone's had a sighting of a Blackpoll Warbler a decent padder for the trip

Birders spread out in a bunch and scan the gardens just in case it's not something a little more tasty

Boom one Blackpoll Warbler pops up and shows really well to the gathered entourage of Irish/British/Euro birders seems to be a tick for most of the Irish guys...time for more Guinness me thinks!

twitch on!

Below a great account by one of Ireland's finest on the bird we really had come to see

https://www.facebook.com/anthonymcgeehan/posts/393031830824604:0#!/photo.php?fbid=393031814157939&set=a.167573230037133.33602.165798840214572&type=1&theater


That's my 7th Blackpoll in Britain and Ireland but who's counting.

Britain, Ireland and IOM  -  520

TTFN

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