13th Jan

Off to try for the Humes again. Arrived at first light at the 'roosting bush' to get it as it awoke. Bloody freezing. Teamed up with John (Lucas) who was also one of the gathered hopefuls. Two hours and lots of chat later it still hadnt come out, so we decided to bugger off and look for the Richards. We didnt take long to pick it up as it was calling on arrival. It was behind the fenced off area but managed a few shots.

Feeling a bit more upbeat and warmer we decided to go back and try again for the Humes. On my first visit I had been told by the finder that the bird spent most of the day in the Caravan Park so we headed there.

After no more than 5 minutes we had found it calling in very low bushes amongst the caravans.

The thing was that it wouldnt come out. It was working the low bushes from within remaining out of sight, occasionally being seen super briefly or in a short flight before disappearing again. It managed to work its way right along to the end and then it stopped calling and that was that. Never managed to get a sniff of a photo. John had to get back but I was able to stay for another hour or so. I heard it a few more times but never saw it.

Tame Crow amongst the caravans

Distant fly-over Marsh Harrier

Quick look in at Radipole on the way back to mop up 6 ticks in one photo!

Off to Poole where the car was booked in for some work so left it at the garage and wandered down to the front.

Roosting Dunlin flushed from the breakwater

Ringed Plover also disturbed

Bumped into Joe Cockram at Baiter who was busily studying his Brents. Most had been flushed off, so he joined me for a dudey walk around Poole Park where we had some lovely birds!

Well thats enough wildfowl for one morning. Just couldnt bring myself to take a photo of the Greylags

7th - 10th Jan

Black-necked Grebe, Shell Bay

Longham Lakes

Ferruginous Duck, Blashford Lakes.

Asleep to the far right of the hide. Surely I can get closer than this

Had a wander off piste into the woods to get a closer look.

Blackwater Arboretum

For gods sake they're only Hawfinches.

Bullfinch now on the list!

Shell Bay

Somebody's back garden in Calshott

After peering into peoples gardens for over an hour with all the other "wierdos" once I had any sort of shot I was out of there.

Junk photos

Second attempt for the Dark-eyed Junco. Today the weather is much better (no trees falling etc).

I did actually see it on my first attempt but it was in flight after I had flushed it off the ground right at the other end of the plantation so no photos. Needless to say I was the only one to see it that afternoon as the gathered crowd remained loyal to the exact (and I mean exact) spot it was seen some 4 hours before. In fairness I think one person did wander some yards down the track although he may have been trying to find the rest room.

The bird didnt take long to show. Rather ironically the trees that had been blown over in the high winds had provided some perching facilities. Not all that near however but beggars etc etc

Flight shot!

A bloke working for a bird food company had arrived in his works van so that was handy. He put out a load of seed on another fallen tree and it wasnt too long before it was found

Managed also to get one digiscoped shot which shows a bit more detail

All the old dudes, waiting for news....(sing along)

Short of time as usual in winter with lots of survey work to do, had to limit this trip to 2 days so I aimed straight for Cley.

Red Kite somewhere in Cambridgeshire

Seemed to take forever to get to Cley, with no overtaking places on the lorry infested single lane roads of East Anglia. Finally arrived at around 10.30 to be greeted by huge swirling flocks of birds. Well that was just great. There were birds going in all directions. As suspected on arriving at the hides I was greeted by the usual 'it was here 10 minutes ago but all the birds were flushed' Yes I know! Wind on 5 hours and it turned out to be the only sighting of the day. What was more annoying was the flushing Peregrine wasnt seen again either so it clearly didnt make a habit of coming here.

Most time spent searching so not too many photos

Ruff + Dunlin

Leaning Wigeon. This was the only shot I could be bothered to take so have to use it.

Teal doing its wooden decoy impression. Yes I can see you.

Cold looking Lapwing taking me up to a BOU friendly 5 species for the year!

Day 2

After 2 cold and painful dips out of 2, peppered with countless encounters with completely clueless dudes (mostly at Cley, the car park was full and it was only a week day. Did I mention one showed me a photo of an odd looking Ruff and asked me if it was the Western Sand) I almost drove home that evening. But surely I couldnt give up that easily. I decided to give it to the next morning and if it didnt appear I would reassess the situation then.

The next morning was lovely and sunny and crisp and the scenery (to me anyway as I like it up here) was fantastic

East Bank

This bird was sat sunning itself on the roof of one of the hides

A morning in all the hides and a good scan of the many waders at Pats Pool (where nobody else had actually looked all day yesterday and this morning, too far to walk from the carpark and even if they saw it they wouldnt know it. Better to wait in the main hides so it can be pointed out) and there was again no sign.

Ah well, that was that then. With no Humes or Western Sand and the thought of meeting many more dudes in the future, I decided to call it a day.

What happened next could be called a stroke of luck but in hindsight some months ahead may have been infact a stroke of bad luck. In the day and a half I had been at Cley I hadnt even been to the Coastguards car park. A car park I had spent many happy occasions in the past, mostly discussing the great bird(s) (2 Slender-billed Gulls in 87) that we had just seen.

I'll just pop down there before I head back.

On driving down the beach road there was a guy leaning on his car scoping the flooded fields. Can I be bothered to ask him if he had any news? "No sign of the Western Sand I suppose."

He replied in the most casual manner you could imagine, "yes its out here" as though it had been there all day.

And here it is

Doesnt look very long billed here (think the grass is obscuring the tip)

But does here

After I had got a few digiscoped shots, the flock went much further away so didnt even have time to try and see the lower scapulars which is a bit of a crime really but thats what happens when you have to put the photographing first I suppose.

I was buzzing now and wanted more! A quick spin round in the coastguards carpark (a few less buildings than on my last visit) and it was off to Buckenham Marshes.

I arrived at the main track, scanned the fields and hey presto there was the Lesser White-front, feeding with the Taiga's. My luck was changing, this also could have proved a very awkward bird as they regularly moved around.

Problem was that it was about a mile away. So if you thought my Western Sand shots were crap just take a look at these beauties.

One of the criterions I wanted to impose on the yearlist was that all photographs would show identifiable birds. Now with the magnitude and clear difficulty identifying the Western Sand (first thought by very very good birders to be a Semi-P) I kind of relaxed it a bit on that one.

However a bird later and I am at it again.

Well its definitely a White-front of some description! That white really was how bright it came out on the photo. I havent touched it at all.

However, take a look at this photo. Is it my imagination or does this bird have a rather steep-foreheadedness and small billedness about it? I think it does so I am claiming that this falls just within my parameters! Hold on is that a yellow eye ring I can see there....!

Time was now definitely not on my side (it was nearly dark at 15.40 yesterday). But I had to try and get to Titchwell for the Coues's. On arrival it was a quick dash around all the local likely spots (tripping over a few dudes rooted to the spot on the way round) but to no avail. Did see some Lessers but didnt have the energy to lift the heavy camera in their direction.

Happy New Year!

I have been waiting for this for some time. Whilst I was doing some survey work last autumn in Kent I was just marvelling at how nice it was (a view point overlooking Northward Hill) and I thought to myself, I really should make an effort to try and see some more places (and birds) in Britain. It was during this period of quiet reflection (tea break - honest!) that the idea of a photographic year list was rekindled. Why dont I try (properly this time) to photograph 300 (or more) bird species in a year in Britain.

I am not entirely sure what happened on the 1st but on the 2nd I was out bright and early to nail the Humes Yellow-browed. Easy, its by post 13. Was it f**k, 3 hours later and not a sniff. Then as dusk began to fall there was a call, that's it, thats the bird. It was very active and very vocal but kept to the middle of the bushes. I managed to see it a few times but with the myriad of tiny branches everywhere I just couldnt get a lock on it. Ten minutes later, it and the light had vanished. An excellent start!

I didnt go home empty handed though.

Depending on your taxonomic bent there are 1 or 2 species here.

Some empty bushes

Firing range in the last throws of sunshine

Humber

This is the biggest flock of Golden Plover I have ever seen. It was near a Power Station somewhere near Grimsby

Wonder who put them up!

Up here for a few days surveying, not a lot of time for photos.

Road to Spurn was breached last night so no vehicular access. Luckily my surveying didnt include the Point!