13/09/2024 Rishton Reservoirs, Blackburn

Wryneck: These smart little woodpeckers are even more scarce here in the North West, so when this turned up I could't resist a local twitch. 

After arriving I ended up beside a group of guys looking through their scopes at the bird feeing on the opposite side of the reservoir. By the time I walked over I had told a dozen or so other birders who were looking in the wrong area where to go.

 

Following me our caravan of birders arrived, quiet footed and without flushing the bird, which remained for a long while posing on the rocks and feeding on the grassy bank.

Its such a privileged to get up close of personal with wryneck, their cryptic camouflage plumage and shy nature can make them particularly difficult to see at times. 

European-breeding wrynecks winter in Africa, returning to their breeding grounds at the same time as the cuckoo, giving the bird its old country name of the cuckoo’s mate. This bird would be on its way south back to Africa.

06/09/2024 RSPB Marshside, Southport

Wilson's Phalarope: A rare vagrant from America, and one of those slender, thin billed polyandrous (one female mates with multiple males) waders were the females are bigger and more brightly coloured than the males.

This bird was not a sexy plumaged female but a 1st winter bird that has spent the last two days on Junction Pool. When I arrived the light was terrible, from the screen you it was almost impossible to get anything but distant silhouetted record shots. 

But from Marine Drive the light was much improved and I managed to get these. OK, they could be better, but also could be a lot worse. 

Wilson’s phal breed in western Canada and the western United States. It is found on marshes, shrubby areas, and wet meadows, and during migration on salty lakes and mudflats in Central America. It winters in South America particularly on salt lakes near the Andes in Argentina.

01/09/2024 Spurn, East Riding of Yorkshire

Wryneck: Spurn is synonymous with the arrival of migrant birds from Scandinavia during the autumn migration period and is a standout area for its amazing track record of producing rare and scarce birds. 

Toady might not have thrown up anything mega rare, but its was one of those magical migration days. Every other bush and shrub contained a pied fly or lesser whitethroat and we managed to relocate the wryneck at the point. 

Pied Flycatcher: The point was dripping with migrant birds, there was a small dell areas that had over a dozen pied flied, spot flys whinchat, yellow wags, redstarts and wheatear all feeding in the shrubs and movng through the area.

Whinchat: Todays trip was the brain-child of Gary, who needed wryneck and after dipping several in the past he had his eye on this weekend it's probably one of the most eagerly anticipated weekends to connect with wryneck. 

Red-backed Shrike: We had a smashing day, which was topped off with a wonderful woodchat shrike near the Wildlife Trust visitor centre.