The Juvenile Birder

 Found Myself a Patch! I have always intended to find a patch and have recently explored some potential sites. After browsing google maps looking for a place to patch, we found a place called Grimsargh Wetlands. We also saw that a Garganey was reported there yesterday. With it being quite local to us, and there being nothing to twitch, we decided to give it a try. We arrived at Grimsargh Wetlands at 10:30am and as soon as we got to the main viewing screen, we managed to spot the drake Gargane y straight away, fairly close on Island Lake. We also saw two Avocets  which were also reported on RBA yesterday. We then spotted two Great Crested Grebes doing their courtship display on The Mere and while we were watching them, I spotted a medium-sized bird with a striking blue wing fly across the lake and land in a tree. I had a look through my binoculars and saw that it was a Jay ! We watched it for a bit and then observed the species on both lakes. We spotted an Oystercatcher , a few...

  Mega Rarity and Passage Waders! We arrived at 5:30am at Wandale Farm to see the Turkestan Shrike, a mega rarity. To get there, we parked in the car park at RSPB Bempton Cliffs- location pinned to post named 'Seabird Galore (and Mega Rarity)'- and walked out past Staple Newk Viewpoint until we got to the end of the clifftop fence. On the way, someone let me get a nice glimpse of the Black-Browed Albatross as it rested on the cliff within the colony of Gannets. Opposite the end of the fenceline is a flattened out path through some crops. Walk through that until you reach the top of the hill. From there, you should see lots of birders and that's where you go. If the birders aren't present yet, then walk along the path on top of the hill. The farmer might have parked his car there and it's opposite that. If the car is also absent, then just go to the other side of the hill and then down towards an old barn. That's where we met up with a ton of other birders. We al...

 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...

  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...

 Wader Fest! We arrived at 4:30pm in hopes of catching a glimpse of the rare Black-Winged Stilt seen from Nel's Hide a few minutes ago. When we arrived, we saw it. To the right of the hide was a Black-Winged Stilt feeding far out on the flooded fields. We viewed it as it foraged besides a Curlew. Just as we were about to leave, a Ruff flew in and joined the flock of Avocets on the bank of the main lake. We then went to Sandgrounder's Hide where we saw a Little Ringed Plover, a first for me this year, at the bank of the pool; viewable from the screen outside. It ran along near the grass before laying down, camouflaged within the dry mud. Just then, a bobbing wader caught our eye. On the grass near to the Kingfisher Post was a Common Sandpiper, another year tick, foraging and then flying off. A brilliant way to end the day!

Mammals, Mammals and Plovers When we arrived, we headed straight down towards the Ron Barker Hide. We were fixed in a certain spot. Out feeding on the lake were many waders including Northern Lapwings, Eurasian Oystercatchers and Pied Avocets. A few waterfowl including, Common Shelduck, Mallards and Eurasian Teals joined them. Presently, a WWT volunteer said he'd just seen a Common Kingfisher dive in the water and fly onto a branch before he lost it. We came over and waited in case it came back. Just then, another gentleman in the hide reported to us of a Roe Deer by the lake. A deer would be a stunning sight to see so I rushed over and there it was! The majestic stag drank along the water's edge though was somewhat hard to view due to the direction of the sun. I continued scanning until the head of a weasel popped up. I alerted everyone and we had our eyes glued to the bridge until it came. The tiny, yet fierce, predator was a Stoat. I ran across the bridge and jumped into som...