The Juvenile Birder

Tern Fest! We set off at 2:00am and arrived at Long Nanny at around 6:30am in hopes of seeing a rare, American tern Just from the car park, we heard a Whitethroat  and spotted a large, pale falcon hunting over a ploughed field, which was either an escaped, hybrid falcon or an aberrant Peregrine . We then walked over to Beadnell Bay Tern Reserve, spotting many Skylarks  and Reed Buntings  in amongst the dunes along the way. As soon as we arrived at Beadnell Bay Tern Reserve, we were struck by the copious amounts of noisy Arctic Terns , and it was great to see them nesting up close from the viewpoint We also spotted a brief Sandwich Tern  in amongst the terns. We then got great views of our target, the American Black Tern , as it flew around us, however it was too quick for me to be able to get a record shot. While we were waiting for the tern to re-appear, we met one of the rangers who pointed out the distant Little Tern  and Ringed Plover  nests, which were...

Another Cliffhanger! Image by @RobsBirding, not same bird We arrived at Filey at around 11:00am after getting a lift there by Carl. We had just come from Nottinghamshire where we dipped Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. As soon as we arrived at Filey, we immediately started walking towards Top Fields, where three Lapland Buntings had recently been seen. Along the way, I noticed a Fulmar  flying along the cliffs, as well as multiple Kittiwakes  far out to sea. Once we had arrived at Top Fields, we met another birder who was also searching for the Lapland Buntings. Suddenly, Carl called us over saying he had seen the three Lapland Buntings in flight. After a bit of waiting, we spotted the Lapland Buntings again in flight. They were much darker and longer winged than the Skylarks that were in the same field. After getting a few more brief flight views, I spotted what I thought was a Reed Bunting at first in the field, but I then realised it was a Lapland Bunting . We waited a bit longer...

 Temporary Tick! Image by @RobsBirding, not same bird We set off at 3.30am, picked up Dave and were taken to Fakenham by Keith. We arrived at around 9:00am. Our target bird was the Rustic Bunting, that had been seen here yesterday, however a Coues's Arctic Redpoll had been seen earlier in the morning, which would also be a lifer. Once we had arrived at the site, we scanned the crop cover at the far end of the field. The first thing that stood out to me was the large flock of Lesser Redpolls  feeding in the crop cover, as well as the numerous Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the surrounding fields. We also noticed many Red-legged Partridges  in the fields. In the crop cover were a few beautiful male  Yellowhammers . There were also a few Bramblings . I was very happy to see them after only getting brief views of them in the past. Suddenly, someone spotted the Arctic Redpoll in their scope, and they let me have a look. The Coues's Arctic Redpoll was sat on a branch, ...

Can't See Everything Every Time! We arrived at 6.45am at a private site for Golden Pheasant. We started wandering in the woods, looking for them. After a bit of searching, we saw one in someone's backyard, there was no netting in the yard. We were lingering around the garden to see if it flew or was ringed and we were going to knock on the house when we heard someone talking in the garden we had just seen the Golden Pheasant in. We walked towards the noise and saw a man calling something over. We asked him whether the Golden Pheasant was his pet or a wild bird and he then tells us that it is indeed his pet, who he had raised at put in his garden. He said its name was Cocky and he was trying to call it over to feed it. He also told us about how he had raised many Golden Pheasant in the past, but when he put them in his garden, they just flew off. This was because he didn't ring or clip his birds. After realising we were searching for plastic, we ended up leaving and looking ...

 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, ...

 Shrike! We arrived at 2:00pm after seeing some Turtle Doves to go to a reported Woodchat Shrike that has been seen in the area. As soon as we arrived, cars were parked all over the road and people with scopes were looking at something. It was like a jubilee party for a bird. There we met a young birder named Dan who let us use his scope like it was my own. We managed to see the bird and it had a particular liking to one gorse bush but did move about. A new tick! We stayed and admired the Curlew with chicks. Meadow Pipits also perched on the gorse, skylarks hovered and sung everywhere and linnets chirped as they did their flyovers. A short trip yet a great new tick!

  Gulls, Sandpipers and Partridges! We first set of for WWT Martin Mere, seeing a pair of Red-Legged Partridges on the way on Southport New Road in the fields. When we arrived, we headed straight for the UU (United Utilities) Hide in hopes of seeing Cuckoos but had no luck so we headed to the Discovery Hide in hopes of seeing a Ruff in breeding plumage. Just then, two small gulls with black heads were seen bobbing in the water before coming onto the bank. There were two adult Little Gulls in complete summer plumage. A new tick for me! We then headed for Newton Marsh by Clifton Business Center- location pinned to blog- in hopes of seeing a reported Jack Snipe Rob had told us about. We had no luck for Jack Snipe but did see a Wood Sandpiper really close up, about four meters away. Another new tick for me! There were also Avocets, Skylarks, Little Ringed Plovers and Common Sandpipers as well. Lastly, we went to RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands where we saw two Willow Warblers and a male Blac...

 Waders and Goosanders! ​We arrived at 6:30am hoping for a glimpse of a European Badger or Tawny Owl. We saw neither, but we did see something moving through the glassy surface of the lake, from the Causeway Hide. A dog European Otter was hunting out on the lake. The sun hit the lake, turning it almost pink. Little Grebes, Great Crested Grebes, Common Goldeneye and much more where out already. We went to the Lower Hide. We saw huge flocks of Greylag Geese with European Rabbits and Common Pheasants mixed in. We saw two juvenile European Otters playing before they parted ways. Common Snipe, Northern Pintail and Mute Swans. We went back and headed straight towards the saltmarsh, to the Eric Morcambe and Allen Hide. We were told it was a short drive away but it took more than an hour for us to find it. It was hidden, through a boggy dirt path and into a car park. We found it on foot. While walking to the saltmarsh, we saw a flock of Fieldfares in a field . It was our first time visitin...