OCD Again; July 2023

I'm still determined to complete last years Big Year by at least showing some photos of birds seen on my many days out. This time a brief summary of July's highlights.

Saturday 1st July; North Norfolk Déjà vu

A repeat journey, almost to the day, to Trimingham near Cromer to see a small breeding flock of Bee-eaters that had settled into a disused sand quarry for the second successive year. The RSPB marshalled site allowed for good, if distant, views of three of the rainbow coloured birds this time on a tad too breezy day. When year ticking, going to a set-up like the Bee-eater watchpoint is an easy way to add the tally. Shame they can't arrange one for a Capercaillie lek. Maybe one day they will.

Bee-eater

After the Bee-eater show we retraced our steps from a year ago, to Swanton Novers. Last year we had an amazing encounter with a female Honey Buzzard. This time we only managed a distant view of one. No photos.

Last years much better day is blogged here. As well as Bee-eaters and the Honey Buzzard, there's also a Temminck's Stint to enjoy.

Year List additions;

262) Bee-eater, 263) Honey Buzzard

Friday 7th July; Frampton Marsh RSPB

A visit to one of the best RSPB reserves almost always produces something good. This time we travelled to see a Red-necked Phalarope which showed well enough but again was distant. They are such tiny birds and you fear for them especially when Gulls are nearby but this one appeared to be keeping out of harms way.

Red-necked Phalarope

A really irritating chap in the East Hide, who will forever be known as the "Noisy Crisp Muncher" in the Old Caley memoirs, almost had me running out of the hide screaming. However, he redeemed himself by announcing, 'I've got an American Wigeon'. Not a year tick but nice to see regardless. I didn't eat any crisps for a whole day after the experience, and then I sucked on them silently. Nightmare.

American Wigeon

A short way from the hide was a pair of Black-winged Stilts and one of their recently hatched chicks. The lanky wading birds look both elegant and comical at the same time. I think they resemble the sartorial elegance of gentlemen in their long tailed morning suits. They'd look really daft in a matching hat so it's a good job that they don't have a black crown.

Black-winged Stilt

Of course there was lots of others birds to see, there always is at Frampton. In a longer blog, I could have aired a lot more photos but no time so here is a selection. My tale about the crisp muncher went down well with the Spoonbill.

Starling

Spoonbill

Ruff

Little Ringed Plover

Common Sandpiper

Black-tailed Godwit

Avocet

Year List addition;

264) Red-necked Phalarope

Saturday 8th July; Bean to Redditch

There has been a Tundra Bean Goose in the South-west Birmingham area for a few years. The fact that it stays in the same area all summer instead of migrating north with its mates, and that it enjoys the company of feral Greylag Geese, has completely ruined its credentials so it won't be included in my final year total although it is counted for now until I see a truly wild example later in the year. Wildfowl are a nightmare with regard to their true "wildness". On a very wet day, we nipped up to Arrow Valley Country Park near Redditch to see the bird for ourselves. It showed well once we'd tracked it down. Much too well.

Tundra Bean Goose

Far more likely to be wild, were a family of Little Egrets that huddled up in a tree overhanging the lake.

Little Egret

Year List addition;

265) Tundra Bean Goose

Sunday 8th July; County Ticking!

Our friend and county stalwart birder Tom, found a Black-crowned Night Heron on his local patch near Abingdon. Not a year tick since we'd seen two at Ossett in Yorkshire earlier in the year (read here) but we had to make the effort since it would be a county tick. I need to write my Oxfordshire list up but I think it numbers just over 240. The top Oxon listers have over 270. County twitches are always good fun.

Black-crowned Night Heron

Sunday 16th July; Napoleon Once More in Kent

Another of our seemingly annual trips, this time to the Oare Marshes near Faversham and to see the returning Bonaparte's Gull which has been spending its summer holidays there for almost a dozen years. When year listing, birds like "Bony" are a godsend and essential to build up the total.

We timed our visit to coincide with high tide, thinking that the Bonaparte's Gull would be feeding higher up on the banks of the River Swale estuary and thus closer to observe but we'd left it too late because the mudbanks were already covered. The birds were instead settled on the East flood, sleeping off the few hours when they couldn't access their food. Luckily somebody had already found Napoleon, asleep in the midst of a mass of Black-headed Gulls, Redshanks, and Black-tailed Godwits. Once discovered it was easy to recognise the smaller gull, with an actual black head and small black bill. It was almost the only bird not to have its head tucked away but even then it was definitely staying put for a while.

Bonaparte's Gull

We picked out a few Mediterranean Gulls, still uncommon in our own local area and some nice Common Terns. Adult plumaged Med Gulls are a delight.

Mediterranean Gull

Common Tern

Year List addition;

266) Bonaparte's Gull

Friday 21st July; Suffolk Lifer!

An underwhelming twitch for a mega rare Black-winged Kite (lifer #411) at Felixstowe is blogged up here. 'Nuff said!

Year List additions;

267) Black-winged Kite, 268) Glossy Ibis

Friday 28th July; Norfolk Year Ticking

Although there were still over five months birding left, there were plenty of good birds to add to the year list available. Norfolk was sporting a fair few of those so I set out a plan to add a few with a day out skirting the Norfolk coast.

The day didn't start well. We drove along a long unmade track deep in the Norfolk Broads to reach a pool at Potter Heigham where a Caspian Tern had been regularly visiting. We couldn't find the bird and left after feeling very uneasy about being there, since a mini-camp of some very odd folk had been set up close to the viewing point. We'd try our luck with a Caspo elsewhere.

We made our next stop at the well known and well attended Cley Marshes where we felt perfectly safe. Our target was the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher and we found it easily enough although it was distant, forced away from the proximity of the hide by maintenance workers trimming the long grass on the path to it. I've never managed to get a good photo of the species so will probably visit Cley next year when the bird returns again.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Next stop was just along the coast at Stiffkey. A Pectoral Sandpiper had been found at North Point Pools, a place we knew after twitching a Brown Shrike nearby a few years ago. The Pec' was feeding on the closest shoreline so offered very good views in stark contrast to many of the birds seen over the past few weeks.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Last destination of the day was to the RSPB reserve at Titchwell. This very well visited bird Mecca was very quiet now it was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. Our target bird, a Curlew Sandpiper took a bit of finding but eventually I found it. Once again though, it was distant and I returned without a photo. At least the Spoonbills felt sorry for me.

Spoonbill

Three steps closer to another Big Year.

Year List additions;

269) Long-billed Dowitcher, 270) Pectoral Sandpiper, 271) Curlew Sandpiper

Saturday 29th July; Arne-other underwhelmer!

A successful twitch but only after waiting for five hours and then the Forster's Tern flew in and promptly went to sleep. Read more here.

Year List addition;

272) Forster's Tern