Sunday 1st September

Long-tailed tits have made a couple of further brief appearances on the feeders.  Disappointingly, the flowering of the buddleia I replanted after it collapsed in the side passage has only attracted a few whites.  The weather has been quite windy, so visits from painted ladies, speckled wood and others have been fly pasts.

Last Friday I did a slow ride along the Derwent to the gym and back.  The idea was to look out for some interesting areas that might provide sightings.  Perhaps it was a little too late in the year, but it produced distinctly limited success. Just after the cycle tracks split there was a good stand of thistle where there were half a dozen painted ladies nectaring. A little further downhill a several oaks have been planted, which might make it a good area for purple hairstreaks once they have grown a bit.

Stopping along the Derwent above the site of the Crowley dam, a kingfisher went by in a flash, notable for the fact I haven't seen one for a long time, probably several years.

This Friday the Naturewatch group went to Cresswell Pond, Druridge Pond and finished briefly at Hauxley Reserve. At Cresswell there were a few ruff though not in summer plumage and, in the distance, a number of scaup. Most birds were far away sheltering from the wind but some nearby lapwing occasionally demonstrated their flying skills. There was a suggestion of a lesser yellowlegs, but I doubt if this will be confirmed.  To me it looked like a sandpiper.

Tree sparrows - and company

We didn't stay long at Druridge where it was very exposed - but not before seeing some black-tailed godwit and a couple of massive red admirals sheltering in the nettles. At Hauxley there was a good number of tree sparrows visiting of feeders and a few gadwall visible from the cafe, at first confusing us by their dark appearance in the mixed light. I was pleased to be the first to spot a deceased yellow underwing moth, a little egret and a single meadow brown on tree foliage, the few other butterflies being speckled woods. From the west hide we could also see more gadwall, some shovelers nad some brightly coloured little grebe.

These were just the sighting that caught my attention.  There were several others.

Little Grebe

Large red admiral

15th June

Minsmere on short break in East Anglia. An incredible visit, in that I sighted virtually every bird I wanted to see in the minimum amount of time.  Bearded tit, the main target appeared within 40 minutes of arriving, along with reed warbler.

I pretty much expected to see an avocet from the East hide but to see one ten yards out immediately on entering staggered me a bit.  Soon I added spoonbill and flamingo along with various others (that actually interested me less!) thanks to the guidance of one of the RSPB staff. These were: black tailed godwit, gadwall and spotted redshank.

I not only heard but saw cetti's warbler on the way to the bittern hide, where marsh harriers were in action. The occasional bittern was on the move and visible in flight. And then a squadron of hobbies moved in with a spectacular display to feed on the pond dragonflies.

I didn't see the little egret but on moving to the last reed hide, clearly heard a water rail.

Not much was happening in the woodland so I decided to return to the north wall to see if I could improve on the bearded tit sighting, and sure enough a male appeared briefly on the very edge of the reeds.

Many of these spots were aided by wardens and experienced watchers nearby, but eleven first sightings on the same outing has to be a bit special.