The Juvenile Birder

Back at Spurn! We arrived at Spurn at around 8:00am after getting a lift from Dave. We parked at Kilnsea Wetlands and immediately made our way towards Beacon Ponds where a Stilt Sandpiper (which was a lifer) was reported. We reached a small huddle of birders and a kind birder let us view the Stilt Sandpiper through his scope. We then got onto the Stilt Sandpiper in our scopes and I managed to get a few digiscoped images of it through Dave's scope. The Stilt Sandpiper  seemed to be an adult and was hanging around with two Dunlin . It was rotating between both sides of New Bank but spent most of its time on the Kilnsea Wetlands side. While watching the Stilt Sandpiper, we also noticed a few Yellow Wagtails , a Sanderling , two Greenshanks and a very showy and dark-backed Common Sandpiper .  We then made our way back to the car where we met Bob Eckersley. While talking to him, we noticed a  Hobby hunting hirundines just across the field, from where we were standing. I could ...

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...

I Sika Here, I Sika There, I Sika Deer Everywhere! We arrived at RSPB Arne at around 9:00am, getting a lift there by Carl, and being accompanied by Kristian. We immediately made our way to Shipstal Point. As soon as we arrived at Shipstal Point, we scanned through the passing Sandwich Terns . Suddenly, Kris and Carl both called out saying they had a pale-headed tern. It was the Forster's Tern. I desperately tried to get on it but was unsuccessful, and soon enough all the terns flew out to sea. We waited for the Forster's Tern a bit longer, before deciding to come back at low tide for it. We then made our way to Shipstal Hide. Once we arrived at Shipstal Hide, I immediately noticed a lot of flying insects around the branches in front of the hide. I took a photo of them and asked an expert who identified them as Green Longhorns . A species of day-flying micro moth that normally flies in May. We also spotted two beautiful  Sandwich Terns in front of the hide, as well as a few Blac...

Northern Stars We set off at 12pm on a rainy day and arrived at Long Nanny at 3:15pm in hopes of seeing a first for Britain! We walked along the track to get to the farm, where the bird had been viewed from. We scrambled on top of a huge dirt mound in order to scan the fields. Then, a bird with a grey head, brown back, white underbelly and a striking yellow bill appeared in my view. It was the  Grey-headed Lapwing , a wader from Asia! I watched it in the cold and managed to get a decent record shot of it. Surprisingly there was no other birder in sight, I had this first for Britain all to myself! I felt very satisfied with my views and set off to Boulmer for another lifer, a Red-backed Shrike! We arrived at Seaton Point at around 4:20pm and walked towards where the bird had been reported. We met two other birders who said the bird got spooked by a Meadow Pipit, but should still be around. The longer we waited, the less hopeful we became. It was raining hard and was very cold. There...

  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 w...