The Juvenile Birder

Northern Success! We arrived at Druridge Country Park at around 8:30am after getting a lift from Keith & Dave. As soon as we got out of the car, we were greeting by around 120 Pink-footed Geese flying overhead, making their iconic call. I immediately began scanning the lake from the car park hoping to find my target bird. Whilst scanning, I was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers on the lake, something I didn't expect to see on an inland lake, but not too special as we were still fairly close to the coast. We then walked further round the lake towards a big crowd of birders, when a lone birder headed our way and told us that the bird had flown down to the other end of the lake. We then went back on ourselves, but once at the other end of the lake, we still couldn't find the bird, only a few Goldeneyes and two Little Grebes . While we were scanning through the birds, we found out that the bird had been seen again, near where we had parked. We quic...

 Another 3 Bite the Dust! image from mentor Rob from 28/10 We set off at 1.30am in hopes of seeing an Alpine Accentor. We arrived in Slaughden at around 7:00am. When we arrived, it was quite dark, so we walked towards Martello Tower and waited with the many other birders. We met birders Matt and George who told us there was a lump on a pipe in a crack at the tower. They said it was the Alpine Accentor because it roosted there overnight. It was around 7:13am so the light was getting better, making it easier to make out the bird. They let us look through the scope and I managed to get a good view of it. It was definitely the Alpine Accentor , with multiple people saying that, because we could make out the yellow on the bill, chestnut flanks, and the white spots on the wing. After enjoying it, it flew onto the roof and just before 7:30am, took off flying high away from us. We then looked for it for 4 hours knowing that it did this yesterday. We met some great birders including Rob K, ...

Nocturnal Scarcities and Dipper! We arrived at a spot on the River Kent just off of Nannypie Lane at about 7:00pm. We had a pin by Rob and first took a footpath towards the river bank where we saw all the typical river birds: Goosanders,  Grey Wagtail, Common Sandpipers and Grey Herons. This made me feel more confident that Dippers were around. We continued along the road which then came to an end and there was a gate leading to a footbridge which was shaky and high above the river. Although it was quite nerve-racking, we braved it out. We got superb views of the river birds with a Kingfisher even flying down river as it shot into a tree. Just then, a small songbird landed on a rock and started to preen. I looked through my binoculars to ID it but to my frustration, some people were walking on the bridge, causing it to rock and therefore not have a steady look. Luckily, as they walked off, the bird was still there and, to my delight, it was what I thought it was... A DIPPER! While ...

 Smart-looking Gulls and Mega Rare Bird! We first arrived at RSPB Leighton Moss where we saw Garganey, Eurasian Otters and Pied Avocets. We then met Rob again, from Sizergh Castle, who gave us some details on the Belted Kingfisher in Preston, which we had yet to see. We went there as soon as we got the details but spoke to some birders who said it isn't worth the £10 since its not there. The man, who was named Bob, offered his contact number to alert us when it appears again. We then arrived at WWT Martin Mere at 1:00pm where we saw two Mediterranean Gulls and some more Pied Avocets. Finally, we got a call from Bob and dashed back to Roach Bridge. At first we only saw a Common Kingfisher as it flew upriver and when we followed it, we saw the Belted Kingfisher. We also saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker and managed to slip away from paying the farmer. The Belted Kingfisher at first flew near the river, then landed on the lower branches above some rocks until finally perching for a while...

 Another Sight of the Electric Blue! We arrived at around 12:30pm in hopes of spotting some Goosanders and maybe even a Great Bittern. We headed straight to The Lookout which was Brockhole's main hide that overlooked a lake. We saw lots of Gadwalls, Mallards and Eurasian Coots but no Goosanders.  We then went over to the River Ribble and along the way we saw Reed Buntings, Eurasian Blue Tits and Great Tits on the feeders. We then spotted a large group of Mallards with two farmland ducks that had escaped. We identified them as possible Pekin Ducks. We also spotted a pair of Common Goldeneyes. Just then, the silhouette of a bobbing bird appeared close before zipping in a tree on the opposite side. It was a Common Kingfisher. Lastly, we heard the melodious song of a Cetti's Warbler. A short, yet memorable trip.

  First Sight of a Kingfisher! The first hide we entered was in the reedbed walk. The hide was called the Gordon​ Taylor Hide. A Carrion Crow and a Common Redshank greeted us on the roof of the hide. As we entered, we noticed that the Northern Lapwings were foraging along the bank. Two Pied Avocets were roosting in the muddy banks along the pond as well. Presently, a flock of Black-Headed Gulls got spooked by a Common Raven as it tried to attack their young. The majestic Grey Heron also gave a nice flyover as it landed in the distant pools. We continued our adventure by trekking in the opposite direction to the Ron Barker Hide. When we arrived, I was thrilled to hear that someone had a Common Kingfisher through the scope. I looked through it I couldn't believe my eyes. The blue gem showed brilliantly as it bobbed up and down on a post that was to the  right of the bridge that crossed the ditch in front of the hide. Shortly after, it flew off but was then spotted much closer on...