Same as yesterday

Back over Rainham Marshes again this afternoon ,only for a couple hours to try and find something good, but it was just the same birds as yesterday. A Hobby showed well again over the new hill at the Colharbour lane end and that was about it!. Also I was told of the sad news that the Kingfisher nest had been destroyed by a Fox, which is a real shame for everyone who was enjoying seeing Kingfisher up close.

That's not in the script!

 The idea was to go the Dungeness for a bit of photography then on to Rye if the Terek Sandpiper was there and twitch it, but myself and Martin broke down in Maidstone, so the nice man in a yellow van brought us home after four hours from leaving the house. So, to try and salvage something from the day we went to Rainham Marshes RSPB. 2 Corn Bunting, 6 Hobby, 4 Ringed Plover, Common Terns and 20 Little Egret was the best we could do. Oh, and the Kingfisher from the hide through the glass was nice!

A quick Swift one then

Had a quick session over Rainham Marshes RSPB last night after work and things seemed  very quiet, well a part from the kids on motorbikes it was. Anyway, Common Sandpiper and 7 Turnstone which is quite a good record surprisingly for the site and a load of Swifts which I tried to photograph, not easy with my Sigma lens which isn't fast enough, so much so I want to get a new Cannon lens. So here are my best efforts.

 

Twitchers

I'm often asked 'whats's it like at a twitch' by some of  non birding friends. So here is a bit of an ensight to who goes along to twitches and what's it like. They all look normal to me, don't they?

some of the crowd 

Martin Blow turning up late due to going Ramsgate and not Margate, normal?

Barkings best Paulboy, normal?

Lee at the front with others

my favorite photographer Mick Southcott and Rich

And this is why we all turned up, Dusky Thrush. Not normal as to its rarity!

Dusky Thrush

Firstly you got to say well done to the guy who found  the Dusky Thrush at Margate Cemetery as he made about 1000 birders today unlock this blocker. So, when Paul rang this morning as I was running out the door for work, I had to wait till late afternoon till I got to  see this MEGA. I went down to Kent with Lee Brown and enjoyed great views, along with 150 other birders in the afternoon. It  was great to catch up with so many faces and many thanks to Mick Southcott and Rich on some tips about photography.

 

such a great bird to see and my bird of the year!

Minsmere

Here is the last set of photo's from the weekend and as I said in the last blog update that Minsmere is great and just down the road from where we were staying, so we had to go and see my favourite reserve. First up was the Spoonbill seen from the sluice gate but distant, Swallows showed well as always by the gate and a nice treat in the woodlands was a roosting Tawny Owl. And a Water Vole showed well by the path, just a shame the reeds were in the way but the wife thought it was smart too!. Yes, she would even like to go again to Minsmere, now that's a surprise!. Minsmere must be good.....

Up with the lark

I was up and out early on Sunday morning at Kessingland beach and kicked off with a female  Wheatear and 4 Ringed Plover straight away. A Peregrine zoomed through trying to catch breakfast at lightening speed. A quick glance at sea produced Med gull and 4 Kittiwake and then I made my way to the sluice where a Common Sandpiper flew down river. What surprised me was that I was the only birder over two mornings their, its got great habitat and  I can only think people are attracted to Minsmere more which is just down the road and why not. Mimsmere is great ,but although I didn't find anything good that weekend its worth trying some where different just in case the biggy is there!.

Ringed Plover

Like any birding father/husband who goes away for the weekend with the family its hard to juggle birding and keeping the family happy. So I just get up before they do and go birding and then do/go  where they want to and that keeps us all happy, simple!. This weekend we were in Suffolk and stayed near Kessingland and before you ask, I did choose it and knew the birding can be good there. Saturday morning was ok with 2 Yellow Wagtail, Barn Owl and this cracking Ringed Plover. It took some time for me to get close but I was patient and was rewarded with great views. I did enjoy myself that morning being so close, just me and the Plover. That's what it's all about for me!

Lakenheath and Weeting

We Couldn't of ask for better weather like we had in Lakenheath today with glorious sunshine the whole time we were there. The Red Footed Falcon showed well to all the crowd and 10 Hobbies did too over Joist Fen. With 2 Common Crane giving us great views and Cuckoo and 5 Booming Bittern and Greenshank it was hard to know where to show young George which bird he should look at as his only still new to birding and only 11 years old, but myself and Martin had fun showing my nephew the delights of birding. 15 ticks he got today, 15! those were the days. Then on to Weeting Heath for Stone Curlew in  the heat haze and a displaying Tree Pipit.

Common Crane

Cuckoo

 

Male Marsh Harrier 

Marsh Harriers

Rye

Went to Rye in Sussex for a family day out and had a really nice time and even managed a couple of year ticks with the always smart Little Tern and noisy Sandwich Tern .  A quick picture of  a Turnstone and then I had to be dragged a round the shops with the girls!

 

Turnstone

Little Tern

91

I've certainly had better weeks for photography than this week on the patch, but it's still been good bird wise. So therefore I can't complain too much due to the fact that I added Spotted Flycatcher on Monday night and today Saturday, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Garden Warbler, Kingfisher and a very elusive Grasshopper Warbler. Which most of the mentioned  I didn't even get a chance to grab a record shot, as they  were to far away or something was in the way, just like the photo below has a blurry twig in the way!. Oh well, no good photo's for the blog but I'm on 91 species for the year on the patch.

Blurry Whitethroat!