Wrynecks at Holland Haven Country Park

A text from Brian around 9.30 this morning to say a Wryneck had been found at Holland Haven CP, was all the encouragement we needed to make the 73-mile trip. The usual 90-minute journey along the A12 became two hours which was not helped by a minor accident and average speed cameras.

After feeding the parking meter, we joined a small group of birders standing along the fence-line looking down into the Dell. (A bowl-shape area that includes the toilet block) only to be told the bird had disappeared and had not been seen since 10.30. After ninety minutes of searching the area, Brian managed a fleeting glimpse of the Wryneck as it flew from a small bush close to the toilet block. Gradually the birders drifted away and we were left to continue the search alone.

With the dense scrub bordering the Dell, the Wryneck was proving very elusive to locate, we managed another couple of flight views but it would disappear as quickly as it had appeared! Two more hours passed before we finally managed to locate it sitting in a dead tree and to our surprise, there was a second Wryneck in the same tree! 

Brian's record shot showing both Wrynecks!

Spotted Flycatcher, Wanstead Flats

I visited Wanstead Flats on Friday looking to add Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat to my year list. I managed to locate a single Whinchat soon after arriving on-site, but I didn't have any luck connecting with any Spotted Flycatchers despite local info from Nick C.

I made another trip this morning after Nick had tweeted that he had found another Spotted Flycatcher in an area called the enclosure. After failing to find the bird in the enclosure I did a circuit of the area and shortly after returning I found the Spot Fly perched up in a nearby tree. 

Spotted Flycatcher

It was constantly being disturbed by joggers and walkers and eventually flew East across the playing fields towards the Oak trees of what I believe to be known locally as Esso Copse.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Frampton Marsh

Buff-breasted Sandpiper has proved a difficult bird to catch up with, having dipped at least three in Kent and Dorset in recent years. I did finally manage to see my first one at Scotney GP's last year. It wasn't the best of views, with heat haze and distance making viewing the bird more difficult than I had hoped for.

So when one was found at Frampton Marsh early Thursday morning, we made the 220-mile round trip mid-morning. Unfortunately, after four hours of searching, we failed to locate the bird, I had dipped another Buff-breasted Sandpiper! Worse was to follow when the bird was re-found an hour after we had left for home.

There had been intermittent reports of the continued presence of the Sandpiper during Friday and with heavy overnight rain forecast, we headed back to Frampton this morning arriving shortly after 7am. We began scanning the flooded pools North of the old car park, finding Spotted Redshank, Knot, Golden plover, Wood Sandpiper, Dunlin, Avocet, Ringed Plover, and Black-tailed Godwits. With no sign of the target bird, Brian walked to the sea wall and found the long-billed Dowitcher and his first Whinchat of the year. I had stayed at the viewing mound by the car park so we could cover more of the area from different angles. Eventually, the news we had hoped for came through, the Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been found. The birders who were scanning the pools from the sea wall gate suddenly shifted on mass and headed further along the sea wall to join several other birders looking towards a grass bank in the middle of the Flooded grasslands. We quickly joined them and after some general directions, the bird suddenly appeared from behind the long grass. it showed well albeit distant. It then took flight and headed towards the old car park before turning back and landing on another grass bank behind the sleeping Spoonbills. It was distant for photographs but allowed excellent scope views.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the grass bank

The photo below shows the distance the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was seen from, with the 360 hide centre-right, Mute Swans in the foreground and the Buff-breasted Sandpiper behind the line of Spoonbills on the left.

View from the sea-wall

Mute Swans feeding in a drainage ditch

Porthgwarra, Cornwall

Weather forecasts for Porthgwarra were looking very encouraging for Friday and Saturday. With that in mind, Brian hatched a plan to leave late Thursday evening and arrive on-site at first light. We arrived to find the car park already filling up fast. Leaving the car park we made the climb up and along the coastal path and managed to find a spot among the growing group of birders. It was a slow start, but the forecast was as predicted (Southerly winds with up to 50mph gusts). We put in a six-hour session and bagged our first-ever views of Sooty Shearwater along with Manx and Balearic Shearwaters. Several Bonxies passed through along with a single Arctic Skua.

The pinnacles at the sea watching viewing area

Some of the birders at the view-point

I think some of these birders actually live at these rocks!

The cafe at Porthgwarra

After some refreshments from the cafe, We spent the afternoon trying and failing to locate Cornish Choughs. Firstly along the coastal path at Porthgwarra and later at Lizard Point and Kynance Cove.

Saturday morning began with another session at Porthgwarra. But movement was much slower than expected and we only managed sightings of the same species we had seen the previous day. We left at 11am with a long journey home ahead of us. On the way, we popped into Labrador Bay hoping to see some Cirl Buntings. 

Labrador Bay

A short walk from the car park was rewarded with sightings of at least six birds.

Cirl Bunting

Stonehenge was on the route home and having never visited the site before I was pleased when we stopped for a short break alongside the attraction.

Stonehenge

I ended the trip with a lifer and five-year ticks for my efforts.

Sandpipers Galore in Norfolk

This morning we headed for Cley Marshes, with the main target being the Pectoral Sandpiper that had been present since the 3rd of August. The majority of sightings had seen the bird on either Pat's Pool or Simmond's Scrape. We started our search from Teal hide which overlooks Pat's Pool. The light conditions made viewing the scrape difficult, but we managed to pick the pectoral Sandpiper out feeding among a group of Ruff.

We had heard about a new scrape that had been created by the Holkham Estate and we were only eight miles away from it. Upon arrival, the scrape looked perfect for waders, and so it proved. There were at least 12 Wood Sandpipers, 9 Spoonbills several Green and Common Sandpipers along with 2 Greenshank. If these new scrapes are managed well I can see them attracting plenty of good birds.

New scrape at Wells

Wood Sandpiper

Wall Brown

We finished the day at Titchwell, where we added our fifth Sandpiper species of the day when a Curlew Sandpiper was found feeding with Dunlin.  Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers were all present on the Freshmarsh along with nineteen Spoonbills several Bearded Tits and a Water Rail.

Semipalmated Sandpiper and Pacific Golden Plover, Norfolk

The plan this morning was to spend the morning at Titchwell and try again for the Semipalmated Sandpiper. As we approached the reserve, news broke, "Adult still distantly on freshmarsh from path by Island Hide." We made our way along the path and began scanning for the bird. There were plenty of Dunlin present, mainly adults but with some juveniles among them. A single Curlew Sandpiper was a welcome addition to the year list when it was found feeding among the Dunlin and Godwits. After a lengthy scan, the Semi P could not be located. Then news came through that the earlier report was, in fact, a Common Sandpiper.

High tide was forecast for around 9am, so we walked to the Parrinder Hide, where the light and viewing conditions were much improved. Several scans through the flocks of Dunlin, Godwits, and Avocets failed to locate the Semi P. Avocets were present in huge numbers, and when another flock of 25-30 birds flew in, they put all the Dunlins up into the air. Shortly after they settled back down on the marsh, the Semipalmated Sandpiper was found among them!

Semipalmated Sandpiper

We also had the pleasure of spending some time chatting with Gordon Hamlett, author of the "Best birdwatching sites guide to the Scottish Highlands," A book that proved invaluable on our first trips to Scotland and continues to do so.

Shortly after midday, we decided to make our way to Breydon Water, hoping to locate the Pacific Golden Plover. We parked in the rugby club car park and started the 2.5-mile walk along Angles Way towards the pumphouse. We were walking at a quick pace, but halfway along the footpath, we came to a halt when Brian spotted a Swallowtail Butterfly! I had tried and failed to see these on several occasions in the last couple of years. Admittedly, I hadn't made great efforts to visit at the right time or picked the warmer days. It flitted from flower to flower and then briefly came to rest on the footpath.

Swallowtail Butterfly

We walked on and eventually reached the pumphouse. A further 100-150 yards beyond this point, we could see a small group of birders. They all had their scopes pointing towards a horse field South of the River Yare. After some general directions from the other birders, I had my first-ever views of a Pacific Golden Plover in the scope. It was roosting in the company of two  European Golden Plovers. It awoke briefly and allowed for some excellent scope views as it walked a short distance before returning to its slumber. So another lifer and another species that comes off the dipped list.

Pacific Golden Plover

Two great days of birding, producing five-year ticks and a life tick, with the added bonus of my first-ever sighting of a Swallowtail Butterfly.

White-rumped Sandpiper, Frampton Marsh

June had proved very productive. Iberian Chiffchaff, Black-headed Bunting, Subalpine Warbler, Lesser Grey Shrike, Black-winged Pratincole and Little Bustard all seen. The run had to end at some point and it did. 

Today was our first birding trip for three weeks and we decided to head for Titchwell hoping the Semipalmated Sandpiper had stayed overnight. We arrived around 8am and scanned the Freshmarsh hoping the Semi P would drop-in. High Tide an hour later saw a sizeable flock of Knot join the Spoonbills, Spotted Redshanks, Dunlin, Godwits, Ruff already present. We scanned the Freshmarsh for the best part of three hours but failed to locate the target bird.

When news broke of two White-rumped Sandpipers present at Frampton Marsh we decided to head off along the A17. After parking the car in the old car park, we had excellent scope views of one of the White-rumped Sandpipers having walked no more than a yard from the car! 

White-rumped Sandpiper

A walk along the sea-wall searching for Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints proved less productive as the cows had walked straight across the marsh and flushed everything. We headed back towards the car park and managed excellent views of the Summer plumaged Long-billed Dowitcher. 

Long-billed Dowitcher

Heading back towards the reserve centre we managed to locate the pair of Black-necked Grebes with their two chicks and also located a Little Stint feeding along a muddy spit for another year tick.

The Semipalmated Sandpiper at Titchwell was reported later in the day, but we were closer to home than Titchwell when the news was spotted.