The best bird in the first week on Scilly was a Red-eyed Vireo that was seen briefly on 10/10/2016.
Author Archives: pnbrown13blog
Scilly 2016
I drove down to Cornwall on 7/10/2016 stopping off at Fremington in Devon to see the Dalmation Pelican that has been seen in Cornwall/Devon for the last few months. Probably not a wild bird , but who knows, it was very distant resting on a sand bank. I then stopped at Davidstow Airfield to see a Baird’s Sandpiper, as this a disused airfield you can actually drive down the runways. Here are some photos of some of the birds seen in the first week on Scilly.
Baird’s Sandpiper
Subalpine Warbler
Wryneck
Sora
Whinchat
Black-necked Grebe
Lapland Bunting
Cley, Blakeney Point and Salthouse
Saturday looked like it could be a good day for a sea watch at Cley and maybe there would be a few migrants about. I arrived at Cley at about 8am and there was quite a few people already there. Best birds I saw were 2 Sabine’s Gull, Pom Skua (adult with spoons) Sooty and Manx Shearwaters and Arctic and Great Skua’s. At 10 am I decide to walk down Blakeney Point. There were a few migrants in the Plantation, Spotted and Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warblers, 3 Siskin and a Blackcap. There was also a Black Redstart inside the National Trust building. On the walk back to Cley i saw 3 Black Necked Grebe flying west along the tideline. There was a Red-breasted Flycatcher near Salthouse which I saw as soon as I arrived there.
Pied Flycatcher
Spotted Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Baird’s Sandpiper
11/9/2016 A visit to Upton Warren NR to see a Baird’s Sandpiper. My first visit to this reserve.
Baird’s Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Reculver
A trip to Reculver in Kent with unfortunately no sign of the Bairds Sandpiper I had gone there for. A Little Stint and Peregrine were the best birds seen but it was nice early morning walk.
Little Stint
Reculver Towers
Cambridge United 0 Luton Town 3
A good away day in Cambridge. A good pub the Fort St George before the game with nice real ale and lunch, followed by a riverside walk to the ground and a great victory.
Western Purple Swamphen
I had been at Minsmere RSPB yesterday after seeing the Honey Buzzard at Walberswick. I had left for home at about 12.30 and when I arrived home I found that a Western Purple Swamphen had been found a couple of hours after I had left, on a pool that I had looked at whilst there. I decided to have half a day off work today to go back and see it. Here are some pretty poor photos of it, I have also added a very poor photo of the Honey buzzard from yesterday. This could if accepted by the Records Committee be a first for Britain.
Western Purple Swamphen
Honey Buzzard
Redstart
This redstart has been visiting my garden for a week now.
Pectoral & Broad-billed Sandpipers
Another visit to the superb Frampton Marsh RSPB reserve. I had gone to see the Pectoral Sandpiper that had been found there yesterday. I managed to see this early morning and whilst I was there a Broad-billed Sandpiper was found. Although only the third Broad-billed Sandpiper I have ever seen it was the second I have seen at this reserve this year!
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Lapwing
Common Redstart
A juvenile Common Redstart was an unexpected visitor to my Dunstable garden tonight.
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