Memory lane after a twitch for an off patch mega

My good friend AJ on Hayling told me yesterday, he was pretty sure he had photo'd Britain's fifth ever Semi-palmated Plover whilst I was watching the Yellow-browed Warbler and having missed the Dawlish bird in 1998, something said I should try for this.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that nowdays I do not generally twitch outside Berks any more, I used to do it quite a bit and enjoyed all of my last notable twitches;

• Sandhill Crane 3rd Oct 2011
• Marmora's Warbler 4th June 2010
• Eastern Crowned Warbler 23rd Oct 2009
• American Black Tern 31st Aug 2009
• Collared Flycatcher 2nd May 2009
• Crested Lark 3rd May 2009
• White-throated Sparrow 13th April 2009
• Brown Shrike 12th Oct 2008
• White-crowned Sparrow 12th Jan 2008
• American Buff Bellied Pipit 9th Oct 2007
• White-tailed Plover 7th June 2007
• White-billed Diver 3rd Mar 2007
• Pacific Diver 3rd Jan 2007
• Long-billed Murrelet 11th Nov 2006
• Killdeer 8th April 2006
• Grey-cheeked Thrush 20th Nov 2005
• Red Flanked Bluetail 19th Oct 2005
• Little Crake 17th Sept 2005
• Collared Pratincole 4th June 2005
• Trumpeter Finch 21st May 2005
• Masked Shrike 31st Oct 2004
• Western Sandpiper 9th Oct 2004
• Cream Coloured Courser 2nd Oct 2004
• Black Stork 21st Aug 2004
• American Robin 20th Dec 2003
• Lesser Sandplover 24th July 2003
• Black Lark 3rd June 2003
• Audouin's Gull 5th May 2003
• Lesser Kestrel 18th May 2002
• Little Bittern 27th Mar 2002
• Ross's Gull 8th Feb 2002
• Redhead 9th Dec 2001
• Snowy Egret 10th Nov 2001
• Green Heron 26th Sept 2001
• Rufous-necked Stint 22nd Sept 2001

And I did quite a lot in the late eighties so have some crippling birds ;

•  Bridled Tern 4th July 1988
• Ancient Murrelet 17th June 1990
• Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 9th July 1989
• Roller 3rd June 1989
• Tree Swallow 9th June 1990
• Nauman's Thrush 8th Feb 1990
• Golden-winged Warbler 12th Feb 1989
• Lark Sparrow 16th May 1991

So I am sure any of you who became twitchers after 1991 will find some of them painful to contemplate, but we had dips too by the way, bringing me back to the bird in question Semi-Palmated Plover.

I brought the family and knowing high tide wasn't until 10:00 we planned to arrive near then, but didn't leave until 09:45 in the end. As it happened it didn't show and the awaiting crowd dispersed, but when we finally arrived at AJ's house at 11:30, he was on site still and said over the phone "someone has claimed it, but even though I doubt it's an authentic claim, everyone is coming back"

On arrival we quickly established it was genuine and enjoyed an hour of watching it at about 150 feet range, before my son got fed up of palying in the nice soft sand and we all got hungry. There were of course the usual few who decided they must get closer than everyone else, but I won't talk about the stupid people today....so here are my best iphone shots

Yellow-browed Warbler at last

I continued my search for YBW at 09:30 entering DP at Colemansmoor Road over the most Southerly wooden bridge near the park and ride, then walking slowly along parallel with the A329(M) to Tufties Corner and up to the fishermans car park, then back along the South edge of WSL.

The one tit flock I did find had a lone Chiffchaff and as time was pushing on, I marched up the the other large wooden bridge where it crosses to Mortimer's Meadow and before I fully crossed the familiar call of Yellow-browed Warbler hit my ears, coming from the Alder right by the bridge, but hidden in Ivy.

For a second I wondered if someone was playing a tape as it was really loud, I called Trevor, who was readying for his trip to Norfolk, then Richard, but no reply. So decided seeing the bird might be a good idea before I called anyone else.

It began calling again, then Richard appeared from Mortimer's direction and at the moment it left the Alder and flew high up into a bare Alder where Richard and I had a pretty good view of it, it's supercillium, wing bars and pale underparts all nicely visible. Then it moved back one tree flitted a bit, then back to the Ivy covered Alder and that it where it stayed until I left at 11:49.

I heard it moved to nearby Willows 12:05, so others got some views too.

All I can say is "194 for my park list, 131 for the year, excellent!"

still in search of YBW

With just 45 minutes available, I tried the Western fringes of DP today for YBW, around West of Bader Way and along the hedgerow of that side of Mortimer's Meadow....not much to say, just a Chiffchaff, but finding Sycamore trees on DP isn't easy either.

Still no Stonechat

With murky conditions, I thought it might be worth a try, so made a quick visit to LFGP to check for Stonechat, but I was not rewarded with one. I did hear Coal Tit nearby the green bridge, new for October, plus 1 Chiffchaff in the tit flock. Over the landfill, just a few Skylark, Redwing, 1-2 Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtails, plus a couple of handfuls of Teal and 1 Wigeon over, was about it.

10 minutes in the car park field was even more quiet, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Chiffchaff, plus one finch flock sp going South.

Time to invest in a really good camera?

A half hour visit to Bittern Hide while it tipped it down was rewarded with stunning views of a pair of Kingfisher, they sat for 7 minutes mirroring each others movements until the Moorhen pushed them off, sadly nearly all my iphone shots were blurred and this is the best I got

Pintail before rain

With heavy rain forecast, I knew this months bird walk might not be well attended, so those who chose not to come missed the birds of the day right at the start, when 4 Pintail (3m,1f) came in from the East.

The 4 birds followed the Emmbrook and look like they might drop onto LFGP, but they just kept on going North and out of sight. Only the second record this year and only the 7th October record ever, although 4 of those records have been since 2004. A count of 4 is the first time for a count above 3 in October!

A handful of Gadwall, 1 Wigeon on BSL, 1 Kingfisher, then a few Teal and 2 sightings of Kingfisher on Sandford. At LFGP more Teal, 1 Shoveler, 3 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail, another Kingfisher, then 5 late Swallows in the NW corner briefly, before heading West.

Milestone reached on my year list

I couldn't get out this morning until after 11:20, but when I did I spent an hour only in the car park field, so wasn't expecting too much to happen.

Ring-necked Parakeets were calling as usual, 2 or more Chiffchaff, 1-2 Meadow Pipit, 1-2 Skylark, a flock of around 25 Redwing going East.

As approached the stile, I could hear a Water Rail at the balancing pool, but didn't get onto it before it stopped 'picking'. As it was bright I headed to the usual landfill watch point as I could see Buzzard and Kite up.

4 different Buzzard including another quite pale bird were visible, then I got onto a Peregrine over Lea Farm itself and as it was circling slowly and consistently I made an attempt to catch a photo on my iphone, heavily cropped of course, the first is complete rubbish, but the second actually looks like a Peregrine.

Raptor presence soon died off, so I retreated back to my car and sat leaning in my boot as I often do to stop my back aching. I could see small groups of 4-8 Chaffinch heading WNW and about 25 in 15 minutes, then a flock of 'finch sp' South, could have been Linnet, but I didn't get enough on them. "5 more minutes" I said 3 times picking up 1-2 more distant Buzzard, then suddenly right overhead a Rock Pipit call and I looked up to see it flying SE, as it called again it, fluttered and then continued on SE....."glad I stayed another 5 mins" I said to myself.

This marks 130 on my year list, knocking my 129 in 2009 off my 4th highest total. And it was my first Rock Pipit since seeing and hearing 2 over off the tip 16th 2002, although I did have a probable over 15th 2010.