Birding: A Waiting Game!

Birding: A Waiting Game!

We started our trip by going to Brierdine (2hrs 45 mins away, we set off at 4.30am). We arrived there at 7:30am and immediately started scanning every tree and bush.  I was very worried about distinguishing between the Yellow-browed Warbler and the Hume's Warbler; Phil told me if you get a good view of a warbler, look at the wingbar. He said Yellow Browed Warber has two obvious wingbars while Hume's Warbler only has one obvious wingbar and a fainter one above. After searching in that area and listening out for the call, we were unsuccessful. We then met a birder who said he had seen this bird in the same place seven years ago. We followed him and other birders began arriving, they went to a patch of greenery that hosted a tit flock that kept doing circuits. Long-tailed Tits were the most abundant, but a few Goldcrests and one Chiffchaff were present, as well as a few Willow Tits which are a special species that breed here. We continued searching for three and a half hours, using the advice that Rob gave us about following the birders and looking out for the call. We didn't see much else, and the other birders felt it wasn't likely this bird was going to show, so we ended up leaving . We then went to Gosforth for some nearly guaranteed Waxwing.

We arrived at 11:50am and parked in an ASDA car park opposite the trees, where they were last seen. We crossed the road and scanned the trees by Gosforth Acadamy. Suddenly, we spot a starling-sized bird sat up high in a tree, with a funky hairstyle. It was a Waxwing! We watched it sit up high in a branch. The Waxwing then dropped into a lower branch for a few seconds, before flying across the road and over a building, out of view. It also called when it was flying, which I quickly memorised, as I heard the exact same call a few minutes later on the other side of the road. I looked in a tree opposite where we were and saw another Waxwing, this time feeding on some Rowan Berries. However, it didn't stay for long, as it quickly flew off.

image from eBird

Undefeated and forever hopeful, we went to Durham for another chance to get a lifer Hume's Warbler. We arrived at Whitburn Point NR at 1:00pm and made our way to the area it was seen. After asking everyone, about when and where the bird was last seen, it started calling. We rushed to the area where it was calling and waited, but it never came out. It was last seen at least two and a half hours ago briefly by a viewing screen. One by one the birders left, some felt it was too windy to show and others felt it just would not show. Rob told us about some water pipits which he knew I needed at Druridge but told us to try and stick with it, if I could. While all the birders were leaving, we were also very tempted to go, but we asked a birder named Andy, from Leeds, who said to stay put. He made the point that travelling anywhere now would only result in less light. We stayed and restlessly waited by the patch of trees it was last heard at. My mum/chauffeur was talking to Andy and facing in the opposite direction to the trees, which all the birders were all looking at, and noticed a small bird in amongst a flock that had just landed in the trees opposite. She told me she thought she had seen a Firecrest (which she knew I needed) but she really thought it was the Hume's Warbler but didn't dare to say it aloud. At first, I thought it was a Goldcrest, but after it turned around, I noticed it was indeed a warbler species. Using the ID feature about the wingbars that Phil told me about earlier in the day, I knew it wasn't a Yellow-browed Warbler. At 2.36pm we had finally found our target bird. I then let all the remaining birders know of it and they confirmed my thought. It was a Hume's Warbler! I was so delighted to have been able to re-find this Hume's Warbler with help from my mum and was able to identify it. I enjoyed watching it with my bins for a few minutes but failed to get a picture of it. On a high and not wanting the day to end, we tried going to Boldon for 32 Waxwing, there was little light left but we still tried. Unfortunately, we were unable to locate the Waxwing, so we headed home at 4:30pm.

Overall, a brilliant day with two lifers, Waxwing and Hume's Warbler!