Elusive Spoonbills

Spoonbill, Portugal, 2015 (Copyright T D Wright)

This is a Spoonbill. We've had 2 in the last 6 days visit BHM and the Axe. For some reason, they're proving very elusive for yours truly. I missed Thursday's because I had been and gone already and wasn't limping back for it. Today, however, the 2nd bird came & went before I arrived. After Tower Hide I even went up to Coly Common Hide from which I saw 2 Grey Plover on the scrape and a Brent Goose still with the Canadas. Plenty of Stonechat about today even along track to Tower hide. Where's that Siberian? Also lots of Chiffs & Crests at Colyton WTW so Firecrest soon I hope...

Deja Vu Birding Part One

I keep seeing the same things locally. (After my last post I went to see a doctor and the Anti-inflammatories have made me less sedentary). Lots of Chiffs & Goldcrests, lots of Mipits & Linnets & Stonechats along Cownhayne Lane. From Tower Hide, the Little Stint, Grey Plovers and Dunlin plus Snipe and another jacking Jack Snipe were all great but I'd like something new please. The diving ducks were absent from Borrow Pit Sunday p.m. and SM was disappointing generally. A walk along the Chine today did produce Blackcap but nothing else except Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Tits, Finches...

Butterflies Extra

Clouded Yellow, Extremadura, June 2016 (Copyright T D Wright)

Queen of Spain Fritillary, Extremadura, June 2016 (Copyright T D Wright)

Queen of Spain Fritillary, Extremadura, June 2016 (Copyright T D Wright)

I've finally gotten round to posting the rest of my Spanish haul for all you butterfly fans. I think the Clouded Yellow is the same one we get but there are some close relatives to it present in Spain I believe.Sorry the Lang's S.T.B. picture isn't better but it flew off...

Lang's Short-tailed Blue, Extremadura, May 2016 (Copyright T D Wright)

Novembirds

It always feels like a juicy bonus to get good birds in November with so little daylight to look for them in. For me especially just now it's difficult getting about as I'm suffering back and abdominal pain caused by whacking into a sunken drain whilst cycling - Ouch! But today I just had to visit Borrow Pit to see my first patch Pochard in 5 years of intense birding around Seaton. I vaguely remember seeing one back in the 1990s when visiting the area but that wasn't the same as today's as this wasn't my patch back then. Steve Waite must have creamed his coffee when he stumbled upon it this morning! Also, Ian had a McSpoonbill from Tower Hide today. All I've managed is to notice Mistle Thrushes and Grey Wagtails much in evidence in Colyton Churchyard and Seaton Marshes (St. Leonard's? St. Michael's?) Churchyard which seemed quite a coincidence. At Seafield Gardens just now there was no sign of any Black Redstarts although Bun had 3 there earlier in the week. I'm now planning to look for Firecrest at various local haunts - if I can still manage to walk...

A Quick Gander

I popped down to Tower Hide late on but all that was there was this lonely goose...

Lone Goose, Seaton, 01/11/16 ( Copyright T D Wright)

Eastern Black Redstarts

Eastern Black Redstart, Kent, 2011 (Copyright T D Wright)

Eastern Black Redstart, Kent, 2011(Copyright T D Wright)

Eastern Black Redstart, Kent, 2011(Copyright T D Wright)

Eastern Black Redstart, Kent, 2011 (Copyright T D Wright)

With so many E.B.R.s in the country this Autumn we must have a chance of one of these in the SW. I saw this one near Margate in November 2011 (if memory serves me well) and the beach/cliffs it was frequenting reminded me of Seaton Hole or Beer Beach! Wouldn't that be nice...Anyhow, I looked at Seaton Marshes yesterday and had Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Goldcrest plus I heard a single call which I think was a YBW. Not much from hide although apparently further up the estuary there was an Arctic Skua from Tower which is extraordinary. Poor thing was not in great shape by all accounts and was taken into care so not a happy ending (and not seen by me). Hope it gets set free soon...

Yellow-browed Pix

Yellow-browed Warbler, Dungeness, Oct. 2011 (Copyright T D Wright)

Yellow-browed Warbler, Dungeness, Oct. 2011 (Copyright T D Wright)

I'm sad to say I failed to photograph Friday's YBW. It was seen by others on Saturday & Sunday but frustrated a lot of people as it was in dense foliage a lot of the time. Here's a couple of pix I took a few years back just to break up the text! I also failed to photograph a Black Redstart which was being hassled by Pied Wagtails along Church Street, Colyton on Saturday. I last saw it on the roof of the Town Hall...