Another lucky day:t:
I was sooo exhausted last night after my big twitch (see Eastern Crowned Warbler thread!), I can't even remember what time I went to bed, what with the clocks going back aswell!
Titchwell RSPB
Being as there had been a Slavonian Grebe off Titchwell for a few days in the week I decided to do a bit of seawatching to see if I was lucky for my year list! Beautiful sunny, warm day - tons of people at Titchwell, I couldn't even get in the carparks! Seawatched from 10.30amish to around 12.30am and saw
5 Red throated Divers,
1 Long Tailed Duck going west,
8 Eiders sitting on sea,
2 Auk sp.,
3 Great Crested Grebes. Flock of Linnets on the brackish marsh (noted in the book someone had seen Twite? in the same area) Around the Fen Trail I could hear Long tailed tits fairly close by so I mimicked them and within a minute had loads in the willow next to me included a few at arm's length - the closest one sat and looked at my inquisitively as if to say 'you look slightly bigger than me'!!! Flock of goldfinches went over and 'pished out' 4 chaffinches from the big willows near the wooden seat round the Fen trail.
Cley NWT
Parked at Old Woman's Lane and Pete Snook was there having a 'cuppa' and he decided to walk back with me to Dauke's Hide - Mission: Pectoral Sandpiper which I needed
for my year list and have lost count on how many times I have dipped out on them this year! Got in Dauke's and the Pectoral Sandpiper which 'had been directly in the front of the hide, had just been flushed by a marsh harrier' - I smiled... hmmmm here we go again:C Ian, a BF member was in here too and
had seen it - anyway we then went next door to
Teal Hide where
John Miller had just ID'd a
WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER!!!!!!!! 3.30pm Talk about jammy!!!!! Fantastic - Well done John:t: John got some photos and I got some records shots and I think Pete also got some video footage - will get him to send a link if he did. I then went out of hide passing Josh on the way in
to go back into Dauke's to let Ian know - but he had gone!!! Went back into Teal hide and we continued watching the WRS until a marsh harrier put everything up, John saw the white rump clearly as it flew and it appeared to head for the direction of North Hide. At the same time as all this going on
MY Pectoral Sandpiper had returned:t:
- who looked absolutely bootiful
in the sunshine! A fantastic end to an absolutely awesome weekend!!!
Walsey Hills and Forlan Wood
Nothing at all apart from a few robins, and great/blue tits. A Cettis Warbler burst into song. A large flock of starlings were swirling round over the marshes.
Daukes Hide - went back in to see if the WRS had returned but no sign. No sign from North Hide either from other local birders that had gone for a look.
Sat in car and had a doze as too tired to drive really and then cruised along the coast road to parents to show them my pictures of the
Eastern Crowned Warbler!
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
Note: John's picture of White Rumped Sandpiper, now on Surfbirds:
http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery9
AND
Pete Snook's Video!!!!!! Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjsFm1mq8LM