Lakenheath & Hengistbury Head

Up with the Sparrow's fart this morning, arriving at an undisclosed site for Stone Curlews in East Anglia, which we got easy....

Then off to Lakenheath RSPB, where we picked up 2 Golden Orioles singing in the plantations on our way around the reserve. A drake Garganey flew thru, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harrier. 2 Common Cranes flew by. Being the little tramps Stephen and I are, we kipped on benches which felt like 10 minute, but actually was 2 hours...god knows what passing visitors thought...

2 Common Cranes flying low over the reeds. © Ashley Howe

Then we got bored again and decided to travel South, and by mid-afternoon we were at Hengistbury Head, looking for Serins, but there were no-sign of them. However consellation was recieved o nthe way home when a Honey Buzzard flew low over the Motorway heading North.

This Stonechat showed well East of the rangers' barn where the Serins apparantly were earlier. © Ashley Howe

Pennington Marshes & New Forest

After i enrolled at college we went down to Pennington Marshes just to see what we could see, but there was nothing of any interest.

It took abit of work to approach this Common Tern, but i got there in the end. © Ashley Howe

Home for tea, then Mr. Menzie and myself went back into the New Forest for Nightjars. Nightjars performed well but briefly at times, a Tawny Owl was in the area.

This Chaffinch posed well infront of a great sun setting in the Shatterford car park at Beaulieu Road Station. © Ashley Howe

New Forest, & Southern Kent

The morning started off well in the New Forest, for which sites i will keep as undisclosed for now. But Wood Warbler sung well, with Tree Pipit, Crossbill, Siskin, Woodlark, Tawny Owl.

Not an easy bird to photograph in the canopy, but this bird was constantly in song, and went crazy when, its song was played back to it. © Ashley Howe

Then moving to another site in the Forest, we went and got Crossbill, but there was no-sign of any Red-footed Falcons, hmmm i wonder which site this is? :-s These Crossbills with a variety of other common birds showed really well.

Male Crossbill coming down for a drink, and shoveling through a slection of cones on the deck, with Treecreeper, and House Martin also Showing well. © Ashley Howe

Back to another site, we ticked Honey Buzzard, Hobby, and several Buzzards over the woods. And after stopping at Eyeworth Pond where there was only one female Mandarin, the rest obviously off breeding. But some nice photography.

They might be as common as, but god Mallards are quality birds. © Ashley Howe

We thought we were using abit of initiative, and decided to go for the Terek Sandpiper in Kent. Once at Jury's Gap we realised there was good reason why know one had reported anything on it, simply the MoD were blowing the shit out of the place. Moving onto, Dungeness there was still nothing of any note, but there were some smart Yellow Wags knocking about.

Reducing myself to a two headed Sheep to photograph, thats poor. © Ashley Howe

At another site later in the evening we had a hunting adult Long-eared Owl, with a juvenile calling. At this site we also had Green Sandpiper, Garganey, Turtle Dove, Barn Owl & LRP. It was a late night by the time we got home!

Farlington Marshes & Burton Mill Pond

Stephen Menzie had eventually made his way from Liverpool to Southampton at around 2pm. The trip got off with a reasonable start, where we located what we think was a distant 1st summer Iceland Gull at Farlington Marshes, which would be an amazing Hampshire record even in winter! Let alone in Summer. Other than this Falrington was pretty quiet, adult Med Gulls were cracking birds at the same.

Bored, already we went to Burton Mill Pond in West Sussex, where the male Red-backed Shrike showed well. Although close at first, before i got my camera out, and Stephen managed to take a few before it flew up into bare trees and sing.

Heres one before it put abit of range between us and it. As you can see, and corker of a bird. © Stephen Menzie

Minsmere, Northrepps, & Ely

Another early start, being picked up by Ant, at some ridiculous hour of the morning alongside Dan, meeting Paul on the way in Surrey. Arriving at Minsmere at a slightly more reasonable time. We located the bird on song on approach easily with no further sign after that.

Pissing it down with rain, myself and Dan got bored, and headed off to the hides. LRP, and Little Gulls the only thing to show for it. While we were gone, the bird decided to show itself well but briefly.

Waiting several more hours the bird continued to sing, and just one brief view was had, before we got frustrated and left.

A Bee-eater came on the pager at around midday, and Paul needed, surprised it stuck around we went regardless. On arrival the bird showed very well at range.

My fifth in Britain now, and showed very well as range, catching bees, and regurgitating pellets. © Ashley Howe

Then heading South, stopping at Ely, Cambridgeshire, we successfully twitched the Icterine Warbler which was fairly mobile, but did show well at times. The bird was heard to mimic quail, blackbird, kestrel, sparrow, and goldfinch etc.

The day finished with a hunting Long-eared Owl.

Heading south again, we didn't get home till the early hours, and I was knackered!!

Hurst Spit

I managed to get down to Hurst mid afternoon, to find that the bird was particuarly elusive in the Maize field, and hadn't been seen for a while now. There was a few birders remaining, with the majority having ticked it earlier in the day. It wasn't long before it was located the other side and within minutes was watching the bird at fairly close range.

The could easily go missing, lowering it head and legging it into and up the next forrow without a trace. After a while i thought it was rude not to get a record shot as it continued to move further into the field.

Look at this for a shot, clearly a record, my first county tick and lifer combined in a while. (c) Ashley Howe

Beachy Head

I was umming and arrring about this one!! The pager mega'd just before i had to go to work...hmmm what to do aye....

i made some calls while i was at work, arranging lifts for the second i had finished, having passing off some in the mean time. 19:00 and i was with Dan and Ant again, bouncing our way along to East Sussex.

We arrived shortly after 20:30 and i got my first flight glimpse of the RIVER WARBLER immediately, followed by te bird singing. Very brief views were obtained of the bird both in flight and in vegetation, which was stalked relentlessly and never given the chance to get up and sing the way it clearly wanted to.

We last heard it sing at 21:45 in near darkness, where the bird was still fairly mobile, (dont worry we stood well back from it to avoid any further disturbance).

Sula Sgeir

Haha!! i had it really, just decided not to tell anyone ;-) (c) Ashley Howe*

*Please note that this picture was a photo of another photograph from below deck, there i've told you now, so i dont want anybodt being a twat about it!

We arrived at the outcrop 15 minutes late of schedule in thick fog, and i was feeling like death-warmed up. Combined with minor sea sickness (for the first time ever) and minimal sleep over recent days.

A rock covered in shit!! haha but what a place, the outcrop before and after the fog came again (c) Ashley Howe

To cut the long story, short. And as everybody probably knows. We didn't see the Black-browed Albatross. Nor anything else for that matter! Bonxies were plentiful, but much less Arctic behind traulers. Stormie and Manx Shearwaters occasionally...

However birds following the boat at times allowed decent photo oppertunities:

A selection of photographs from the boat, starting from the top: Fulmar (top 2), Kittiwake, Grey Seal, Bonxie, Gannet, Kittiwake (c) Ashley Howe

Back in Ullapool Harbour probably the best bird of the trip was found. An Iceland Gull, probably a second summer, as there seemed to be afew grey adult feathers appearing on the back of this individual.

This Iceland Gull surprisingly brightened up the day (c) Ashley Howe

Continuing to drive South after that, we stopped briefly at a Layby, and immediately had a male Ring Ouzel, a nice addition to the trip list.

No work required at all, just sat there for a split second and could hear it from the car. (c) Ashley Howe

Edinburgh - Ullapool

(28/05/08) An early start again, dipping Temminck's Stint in the rain at Musselburgh wasn't preferably the best start to the day. Then we went and picked up Pierre from the airport again....once we had discovered there were at least 4 different Costa Coffees in the airport....

We began our journey North, with nothing really worth of note, there were no Slav Grebes breeding at a site this year, but on a breif visit to Lochindorb on our way through. Still raining heavily throughout, a reaonable excuse not to get out the car. But we did manage to tick off a distant summer plumaged Black-throated Diver, a fishing Osprey and Red Grouse...hey at least it was something for the trip list.

Continuing further North we got to Ullapool in good time...BORING!! A brief search around the area got us Fulmar, Grey Seal, Black Guillemot, Shag. But nothing to really get any of us excited.

Eventually boarding the trip began, and after continuous briefings and safety chacks, followed by tea, we bwere well on our way. Bonxies were the only half-decent thing i saw before i went below deck for the night.

The mainland from the boat heading out into the 'Minche?' from the boat. (c) Ashley Howe

Almondell & Calderwood Country Park

(27/05/08) Since I had to get to Edinburgh to meet Keiran for the Albatross Twitch the only (cheapest and convenient) flights available were around midday. Keiran picked me up from the airport and we went straight for the Red-footed Falcon at the country park just East of Livingston. This is apparantly the 1st twitchable bird for the county.

On arrival, it took abit of walking around before we found the right viaduct....(we went to the wrong entrance duhh) but bloody hell, this is by far my best Red-foot. Showing well from the viaduct, looking down, although in a vegetated tree, rather than the obvious bare deadens that it had been showing even better till Corvids mobbed it.

it's a shame this beast wasn't in one of the dead trees, but still showed very well, appeared comfortable in this area. (c) Ashley Howe

A few drinks at the pub, Fish and Chips...and then dosing in a hostel with ten other random blokes for the night (but for only £12!!) wasn't too bad.