29/03/2023 Conwy, North Wales

Alpine Swift: With an influx of Alpine swift into the UK I have been hoping for a local bird to turn up, first was the one I saw on Sunday at Doxey Marshes, Staffs although this bird was extremely distant. 

Now there is this Conwy bird, a much more confiding and had the decency to hang around for a few days.

 

I only managed one half decent shot off the bird while it gave some good passes over the A55. The bird wasn't slowing down or hanging about while it whizzed over our heads and zoomed across the tree line and the industrial units. 

The bird would disappear for long spells as it covers a large range over the coastal town of Llandudno before reappearing over industrial estate. Apart from the bird it was also great to catch ip with Peter Sutton, Steve T and his better half.

14/03/2023 Dorman Pool Nature Reserve, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough

Coues's Arctic Redpoll: The night before I am due to work over in Middlesbrough again and I see that one of the redpoll subs I need has turned up close to where I will be.

Well, I set my alarm to go off early and headed out hoping to catch up with the bird.

When I arrived the bid was picked up at first light before flying off and no further sightings, alas I missed it before the first sighting. 

A short wait in the cold and the bird was re-found and it didn't take too long for it to show well, very well.

Redpolls are notoriously one the most difficult and challenging bird groups we can come across in Britain.  There are several subspecies with tricky and subtle ID features.

There are two forms of Arctic redpolls, split in to  Hornemann's (hornimanni) and Coues’s (exsillipes). 

Smaller than a Hornemann's but bigger than a lesser, with a white rump and paler plumage makes the Arctic's stand out as bright b bigger birds nest to its smaller cousins. 

The bird was with eight lesser redpoll which were very active across the area, they were regurally feeding on the ground and low in the shrubs and even visited a small pool giving great views. 

 

Another nice little bird Middlesbrough had to offer, lets see what next weeks trip up here brings.

13/06/2023 Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire .

Lesser Scaup: This trans-Atlantic vagrant that breed in northern and central North America in lakes, rivers, marshes, and wetlands with shallow water. It migrates for the winter to southern North America and northern South America where it can be found on lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and coastal bays.

And on occasion they turn up on our freshwater lakes and reservoirs. This individual has taken up residence on a large res in Oxfordshire for several weeks now and I couldn't resist the pull of a rare bird while passing.

The bird was associating with a large group of tufted ducks that were bobbing around in the most sheltered part of the res as the day I turned up was a very windy day, I thought I was going to get blown int the water while crossing the causeway. The bird showed well and came close at times, perhaps pushed in by the strong winds? Either way its. atop bird to catch up with. 

06/03/2023 Knarr Fen, Cambridgeshire

Common Crane: These magnificent birds are now breeding in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire and East Scotland, as well as populations in Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire. but rarely seen over my way. So, while working away with Gary Allwood in Lincolnshire and after finishing our first survey of the week we couldn't resist but to and see them.

A report of 37 cane wasps out early in the morning, but the report also said that all birds flew off when a tractor came to work in a nearby field.

I didn't think my luck would hold and they would return, especially as the late afternoon draw closer and the rain came in. 

While driving down the road towards were the birds were reported we had a barn owl quartering, and after a short wait all 37 carne are flying past and landed close to us in a recently tiled field to feed. 

06/03/2023 Attenborough Nature Reserve, Notts

Pallas's Leaf Warbler: An early start with the plan to meet Gary Allwood at Attenborough NR to see the Pallas's warbler that has taken up resentment along the hedges along the railway boundary. The bird showed soon as we arrived but was tricky to track as it was constantly moving and forging in the vegetation.  

These small leaf warblers are rare late-autumn visitors from Siberia, not many over winter in the UK. Although this winter aI've seen two now, one here and the other one inn Durham a few weeks back. 

These are great little birds, they are about as small as a goldcrest with olive green backs, distinctive bright yellow rumps and dark green heads, that are clearly marked with a yellowish cap stripe and a brighter yellow supercilia.

Pallas’s warblers can best be distinguished from the similar looking cousins the yellow-browed warbler (P. inornatus) by the stripe on their cap and their bright yellow rump.

Having got our fill of this smart little bird we moved on before starting our survey and stopped off at Sherwood Forest hoping for lesser-spotted woodpecker. We had a good search and spoke to some other around the area but failed to connect with any. 

Tawny Owl: Although we didn't see any any LSW's we did find the roosting tawny owl. Possibly the most photographed tawny owl in the UK right now with almost every other post on twitter showing the same sleeping owl.

A top morning with some great company and don't worry Gary mate, we'll nag the LSW soon enough.