19/10/2024 Flamborough, East Riding of Yorkshire

Pallas's Leaf Warbler: I've been looking forward to a some twitching all week, It's been a busy week of site work and I panned a trip back to  the East Riding of Yorkshire for some rare eastern birds with Kris Wade and Marcus Workman.

We arrived at Flamborough and was greeted with some persistent rain, but things soon brightened up with one of the showiest Pallas's warblers I've had the advantage to watch. The bird was furiously feeding in the bushes next to the lighthouse. 

These are great little birds, they are smaller than their yellow-browed leaf warbler cousins, perhaps the about the size of a goldcrest. With distinctive markings include two pale wing stripes, bright yellow rump, orange-yellow eye-stripe and pale yellowish stripe on cap.

They breed all way way over in Southern Siberia, with some populations breeding in areas to Finland are around the Altai Mountains. 

Black Redstart: This smart looking black red that was feeding on the lawns within the lighthouse garden was also a nice bonus, but we dipped the Radde's warbler.

We then made our way down to Bempton and was given the run around by the red-flanked bluetail before it gave up and showed itself. 

Red-flanked Bluetail: The blue tail was very active and going missing for long periods as it ranged between the 'dell' and the small coppice within the car park, the same area the pale-legged was that I saw a few weeks back. 

Great day out lads, really enjoyed it. 

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. 
 

22/02/2023 County Durham

Hawfinch: Back again and another pre-work trip to the North East hoping to improve on my photos of the hawfinch I saw up here a few weeks back and to try my luck with the Pallas's warbler, second time lucky!

My first stop was for the Pallas's leaf warbler which was still present along the hawthorn hedge east of Willington sewage works. Then for the hawfinch at Bishop Middleham that was showing particularly well this morning. 

Let me start with the hawfinch first, my second visit to Bishop Middleham and the row of hornbeams off Fortmarts Lane. 

The bird was present as soon as I arrived, but this time there was now crowed of birders, no large group of camo-clad toggers and no sound of camera shutters firing. 

The bird remained high in the hornbeam feeding on the seeds before descending to the lower branches and the reach of my lens!

The lack of onlookers and crowds possibly encouraged the bird lower and to give much better views than I had the other week I when I saw it.

My net stop was to Newfeild and to the Pallas's leaf warbler which was still present along the hawthorn hedge east of Willington sewage works. Similar to the hawfinch this bird as also been present for several weeks.

Pallas's Leaf Warbler: I dipped the bird whenI came over a few week ago, so to nail it down and even have it calling was great. 

22/10/2022 Spurn, East Riding of Yorkshire

Red-flanked Bluetail: After seeing the photos and reports coming out of Spurn one the last few days I was keen to go have as try myself, so when Carl got in touch offering a lift with Kris I could't say no. 

We arrived shortly after sunrise and and our main plan was to connect with a Pallas's leaf warbler and the bluetails that have been around for a few days.

Bluetails breed in Siberia and usually overwinter in south east Asia but a small number come to western Europe each year.

We saw both bluetails, the first near Vicars Lane which were were lucky enough it see it get rung, a fanatics experience to see one in the hand. 

Firecrest: The other bird had been foraging in a ditch at the back of a Easington playing fields. This bird was remarkable, bluetails were once a very soughtafter, very rare bird but are now now basically annual visitors to the UK, although only in small numbers

We dipped the Chalk Bank Pallas's but picked a lovely little firecrest. Closely related goldcrests these are the UK's smallest birds, they are tiny creatures that are slightly smaller even than a wren.

Black Redstart: We also spent some time with a large crowed at the church in Easington as we waited for the OBP to drop in, a tricky bird and one we failed to see. Although we did get a nice black-red in the grounds of the church, our second one of the day after finding one at the south side of the breach. 

Pallas's Leaf Warbler: Another extremely tricky bird that we did mange to connect with was the Pallas's along Vicars Lane. A small, short-tailed and extremely active warbler with well-marked plumage. Has well-defined pale median crownstripe.

A great day out overall, with some fantastic eastern birds and some great company.