I wasn't expecting to do any birding this morning due to other commitments and parental duties, but the opportunity presented itself for a morning dog walk so I grabbed that opportunity around the neck and took Harry and Honey for a long stroll over Beer Head.
We got there at 08:30, leaving at about 10...
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| Looking east, the valley was covered in fog |
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| And looking west, plenty more fog that way too! |
The bushes were great value, containing lots of fresh-in Robins, Blackbirds and Goldcrests, a few Chiffchaffs and two Redwing. Absolute classic mid-October birding and proper soul-fulfilling stuff. A Ring Ouzel that started chakking from behind the Sheepwalk and then showed briefly was a really nice highlight, we never get many of them here. I didn't know at the time but Clive had seen it too from a different angle.
The sky was also busy, although passage was really high in the clear skies. Siskins, Linnets, Skylarks, alba and Grey Wagtails and Meadow Pipits were most numerous, with several Lesser Redpolls over too including a nice little flock of around a dozen.
There was one absolute monster vismig highlight though in the form of a Lapland Bunting north east at 09:30. I heard the 'chu' a couple of times first which got my attention, thankfully then followed by the classic rattle. As it shot through I quickly turned my camcorder on hoping it might have the reach to record some sounds from the bird, and am pleased to report it did!
It recorded plenty of Harry's mutterings too, as well as my following phone call to Clive who I figured was probably still somewhere onsite...
This is the and my first Lapland Bunting on patch for a staggering twelve years - twelve years to the day in fact! See here.
One of my better dog walks that was, for sure.
At the other end of today I had just enough time to give the Estuary a look late afternoon. Not as many gulls as I was expecting however there were still two goodies among them...
I first picked up the first-winter Caspian Gull just as it was taking off thanks to a dog flush on the near bank, however thankfully it landed again opposite of Coronation Corner. And oh my what a beaut...
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| A really big bird, but still with the classic Casp high neck and rounded head. Some of the biggest Casps can lose this and look all round beefy almost GBBG-like, but this the best of both - huge and classically Casp-shaped! |
The other brilliant thing about this Casp was its gait. From my experience not many Casps actually show the ultimate front-heavy full-nappy appearance, but this one was so front-heavy it could hardly even walk! A proper 'old school' Casp...
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| Just ridiculous! |
Shortly after this bird flew south at 17:30 (found it at 17:00) I picked up a sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull way up river. I still think it is probably a third-winter bird, but don't feel I can be absolutely sure it isn't an advanced looking second-winter. These awful photos probably won't help figure it out either...
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| The YLG is the only gull looking right |
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| One thing this pic does show is its brutish size! |
Also saw several Med Gulls (had 53 yesterday, there has been a big increase in these and Common Gulls locally since the easterly winds picked up midweek) plus singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover and Ruff.
What a thrilling day! Am really looking forward to the morning, when I am actually going out birding...
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