Saturday 28 July 2012

Common Terns, Preston Dock, 22nd July 2012

My first visit to the Dock since the juvenile Iceland Gull was in residence,
was to see the growing Common Tern colony that breeds there. Most birds
had well grown chicks, some just on the wing.











This juvenile's primaries are still growing.

Monday 16 July 2012

Montagu's Harrier, Champion Moor, July 2012

An excellent find for Graham and Russell on their quest to twitch a feral
Duck. A routine scan of Champion Moor produced brief, distant views, of
a Harrier...
After a frustrating couple of hours the bird showed itself well enough and the
news was duly texted out. I saw the bird myself on it's first day (11th) at a
range of one kilometre and returned at the weekend for better views.












It flew that way!

To my knowledge, this is the first record in East Lanc's and a very popular bird it
proved to be.

Monday 9 July 2012

Bempton rspb 8th July 2012

A trip out to photograph seabirds at Bempton with some members of Burnley
Photographic Club meant no driving for me! We arrived to find the coastline
covered in a thick, sea mist, that took around two hours to clear. While waiting,
i photographed the Tree Sparrows in the reserve car park.





When the mist finally cleared, Bempton, as always, allows for superb views of the
breeding birds.






Herring Gull


A great Skua was a surprise







Monday 2 July 2012

Common Sandpipers and Grey Wagtail, July 1st 2012

A family of Common Sandpipers on one of the Gorple Reservoirs gave
very close views as i hid behind the dam wall this weekend.








Two chicks were feeding quite happily on the overflow, like fluffy copies of the adult
birds.



Little-ringed Plover was present too.

A superb, male Grey Wagtail was catching flies on a grassy area, littered with sheep
droppings.