The Juvenile Birder

 Rare Scaup in Spring and Summer Wagtails! We arrived at around 2:00pm in hopes of seeing a rare duck Rob had reported to us. It was called a Lesser Scaup, much rarer than our native Greater Scaup. It was seen at RSPB Marshside (go to Wader Fest blog post to see location pin). We headed straight towards Sandgrounder's Hide and right outside were flocks of birders. I asked one of them where the bird was and almost immediately after, I managed to spot it. It looked similar to a Tufted Duck, yet lacked the tuft. Then, a drake Garganey flew in. There were also a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on an island. We then came back to the car, and I was thrilled I had just seen my first Lesser Scaup. Many people I met said it was highly unlikely this was an escaped bird as it had nothing wrong with it's feathers, hangs out mainly with the Tufted Ducks and hasn't got a ring on its leg. We then ended the day by driving down Curlew Lane (location pinned to post). After a bit, we saw a Yell

 Quick Drive to See a New Tick! We arrived at 9:00pm for an evening drive down Jacob's Lane (as advised by Rob). We got onto it via Moss Lane West. We turned left and examined the road and then pulled over to check the trees. We then turned and headed to the other side, passing Moss Lane West and Moss Lane East. We then ended up at a road called Blue Moor. We were looking for Yellowhammer, a bird I really wanted to see and something that would be a lifer. I then thought I saw a possible one but judging on how bad the light was and how many Goldfinches were around, I couldn't confirm it. We then drove onto Blue Moor and then an unnamed road. Present was a Buzzard and nearby was where I thought I saw the possible Yellowhammer go. With no luck, we then went for a final time on Jacob's Lane. Presently, I spotted one! I watched in amazement until it flew off. This bird by far gave me the most joy to see. An absolutely fantastic trip! 

 Knot in May and Nesting Arctic Terns! We first visited RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands at 12:00 in hopes of seeing some Spoonbills. We arrived only to hear that half an hour ago, the Spoonbill were chased of by some gulls at Border Hide, flying towards Wales. So, with our target Spoonbills gone, we then turned our attention to some Knot seen recently, also at Border Hide. We went straight there, meeting a birder who had written a book on the way. When we arrived at Centenary Pool, we spotted two Great White Egrets out on the pools outside the hide. When we walked in, we asked a man who let me look through his scope pointed at a Knot (a life tick). It was behind a huge flock of Black-Tailed Godwits along with three others. It was only in winter plumage, though the man said that the other day there was one in full breeding plumage. It at first was sleeping, then came woke up and waddled closer to the shore, and then finally went back to sleep. We also saw a female Marsh Harrier from Marsh Cov

  Hobbies Hawking and Bitterns Booming and... FLYING! We arrived at 3:00pm (after a brilliant day at RSPB Frampton Marsh) in hopes of seeing Hobbies. When we arrived, we trekked through a woodland and towards the RSPB area. We asked the RSPB staff at the welcome stand about the Hobbies and after a few seconds. He pointed one out as it flew almost above our head, then joined by another. That high, they looked almost like swifts with wider wings. The colouration was completely shadowed by the sun. He mentioned that they'd been Bittern flying from a viewing platform to the left of us up the hill, overlooking two reedbeds. We saw another Hobby fly past and could hear the Bitterns. We then waited about a minute until my first Bittern ever flew out of the reeds to the other side. Shortly followed by another. We then headed back, seeing a female Roe Deer close up and a pair of Great Crested Grebes. A short, yet phenomenal trip!

 Passage Sandpipers, Waders and More! We arrived early morning at 5:00 and headed straight towards the sea wall (overlooking The Wash). Temminck's Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper and Little Stint had been seen there. We went over, seeing some Dunlin in summer plumage, a few Common Terns and a Lapwing as it dive-bombed a Pheasant grazing. As we went on the sea wall, huge flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plover covered entire masses of islands. High tide had just come in while a Hare ran up on the path, paused, and then continued towards the sea. I scanned the islands when I managed to come across something. Feeding along the rocks was a breath-taking, summer plumage Turnstone- a year tick. It ran along and then flew off towards East Hide. A few more Common Terns were landing on islands while Brown Hares were being consistently seen running through the fields. We then made our way towards East Hide, spotting Sedge Warblers, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on the way. We went in and I scanned. Presen

 Spotted Redshank and Egyptian Geese! We arrived at 5:30pm in hopes of seeing Spotted Redshanks and Ruddy Shelducks. We first walked round the back of the mere but didn't see much other than a Water Vole crossing the path briefly. We then stopped at Reedbed Screen where we saw two Reed Warblers as they defended their territory. We then arrived at Marsh Covert Hide. I asked someone who let me look through their scope to see a distant, yet stunning Spotted Redshank in summer plumage as it waded and foraged along a strip of green weeds. Also present was a stonking Ruff in breeding plumage, showing brown and blue colouration. On our way back, I saw a bird as it flapped its wings on the back of the mere. At first I thought it was a Ruddy Shelduck but upon closer examination I identified it as an Egyptian Goose, a first for me. A brilliant way to end then day.

  Terns! We arrived at 4:00pm after a trip to Foulshaw Moss CWT. We first got some info on where the hide was and headed straight there. Just a few minutes on arrival, I spotted some ducks on the water. I took a close look with my binoculars and managed to pick up a male Eider and a Great Crested Grebe. We continued down the coastal path that leads to the hide, enjoying panoramic views of the sea, wheatears as they flew from rock to rock and the comical sounds of Eiders. We then saw a tern dive down and catch a fish. I examined its beak and identified it as a Sandwich Tern, a life tick. We arrived at the hide. We met someone called Rachael who showed us a colony of Little Terns, another life tick. She then showed us a Ringed Plover on a nest as well as two others that were fairly close. Common Gulls and Black-Headed Gulls patrolled the predator fence surrounding the island as the occasional Red-Breasted Mergansers appeared within the hoards of Eider. Overall, a good day with a few year

  Owls and Summer Wildlife! (pic taken from webcam) We first visited RSPB Leighton Moss (for location, click 'Bats and Rare Ducks') at 6:00am with nothing in mind. We went to the Grisedale, Causeway and Lower Hide without seeing much. We then went past Lower Hide where we saw a Tawny Owl (year tick). We also saw some swifts (another year tick) at 7:00am on the Causeway. After a quick stop to the saltmarsh where we saw Bar-Tailed Godwits and Mediterranean Gulls, we headed to Foulshaw Moss CWT (location pinned to blog). We went straight towards the Osprey platform, keeping an eye on the boardwalk for lizards and adders as we walked on. We managed to catch a glimpse of an Osprey through a scope as it popped its head out of the nest from time to time, although it was quite a distance away. We continued along the boardwalk when suddenly I came to a halt. Without noticing, I was standing right besides a Common Lizard. We both stood still until the lizard dropped down. We then scanned

  Owls! (image from internet, didn't see Blue-Headed subspecies ) We arrived at 5:00 in the evening (after a successful day at RSPB Bempton Cliffs). As soon as we arrived, a couple pointed out a Little Owl by the old miner. We viewed as it sat in plain sight on a wooden post, not seeming bothered that we were less than three meters away from it. We then headed on, looking for the Wheatear that had been seen earlier. We had no luck. We then noticed that a group of birders had seen something. I quickly went over and two my surprise, I saw my first Yellow Wagtails of the year. They flew over, calling as they glided towards the fields. They said a male Whinchat had been reported on the fence in the distance but we couldn't find it. We continued along the path where the Black-Necked Grebes where, watching a Greylag Goose go into the canal with all its gosling. Just then, the movement of something diving caught my eye. It was a Black-Necked Grebe. There was a pair on each side of me.

 Seabird Galore (Including Mega Rare Bird)! We arrived at 5:00 in the morning in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rare Black-Browed Albatross. We talked to some birders who said they'd seen it from Staple Newk Viewpoint not too long ago. We headed straight down there when I spotted a Linnet as it yipped away in a bush. Not too long after, a Meadow Pipit showed brilliantly on a post before parachuting down. We continued down the rough track when we came to a sudden halt. Less than ten meters away was a female Roe Deer on the hillside opposite. In the meantime, we ignored all the seabirds and just targeted the albatross. When we arrived, we met a man who said he'd seen it briefly a few minutes ago. We waited for just a few minutes when a huge bird with black wings and a black brow appear right in front of us. Luckily, within just a few minutes of arrival, we'd seen the Albatross. It is thought to be the only Albatross in the Northern Hemisphere. They should be in the South