rayrochesbirdng diary: September 2009

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Peregrine Falcon Snettisham 26 September

Peregrine Falcon Snettisham 26 September

A pleasant early morning surprise, as the bird flew over Ken Hill Marsh, crossed Beach road, and landed in a ploughed field - where it then sat for over an hour and a half. Later in the day 6 Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk circling Holme Marsh together were impressive, in a rather quiet weekend on land and sea. Seawatching at Holme still managed to produce incoming Pink Footed Geese,Gannets, Guillemots, Great Skuas, Divers and single Manx Shearwater on apparantly flat seas. Ironically while I spent the week-end in Norfolk, a Leaches Petrel showed well throughout much of the 25th at Stewartby Lake in Bedfordshire - a site where I have also managed to miss Storm Petrel and Red Rumped Swallow !!

Friday, 18 September 2009

Seabirds Galore, The first Pink Feet arrive, Flyvatchers in the Hand and 6 Glossy Ibis in a Cmabridgeshire field !

With a change in the wind direction coinciding with an escape to the Norfolk Coast Seawatching produced amazing sights,with huge numbers of Gannets passing Holme, as well as impressive numers of Skuas and Kittiwakes.The large Shearwaters escaped me, but having missed one passing Leaches Petrel, the second had the decency to fly past my scope ! The sight of a Marsh Harrier, heading west over the Sea, and under sustained attack from both a Greast and Arctic Skua was completely unexpected - and would have made wonderful footage ! Manx Shearwater records tumbled in the day I watched 329 go past Holme, and the arrival of the first Pink Footed Geese was a welcome bonus.

Glossy Ibis Sutton Gault Camebridgeshire 17 September. 6 out of a flock of 7 birds. Amazingly, the birds were found in almost exactly the same location as the lone Ibis that appeared in Camebridgeshire in 2008. 2 Little Stints, 1 Dunlin at least 2 Hobbies and 1 Kingfisher also present

Spotted Flycatcher Holme 16 September - My first of the year !

Pied Flycatcher Holme 10 september. 2 ringed on the 10th and 1 on the 11th

Kingfisher Holme 10 September

Anything a Wryneck can do I can do too !! Quite content to sit in the hand, and displaying the twisting, snake like movement often performed by wrynecks

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

Stop Press : Pallid harrier in Cambs ..... and some waders at Holme ...

7 september. Breaking news of a male Pallid Harrier in Camebridgeshire meant a very sudden change of plans. A slightly nervous few hours,and the ineviteable standing in the wrong place, looking the wrong way etc eventually came good as a distant Grey blob on the ground.lifted into the air, turning into a stunning, near adult, male Pallid Harrier, gracefully quartering the fields in front of us !!! Not a lifer, as I had enjoyed close views of the juvenile Pallid Harrier in Norfolk at Winterton - but a very nice surprise to turn up on the doorstep.

Little stint Holme Beach 6 September - a nice addition to the Seawatching tally for the day

Curlew Sandpiper Thornham Harbour 6 September

Saturday, 5 September 2009

Ortolan Bunting Cley Wryneck Holme and a supporting cast ....

Ortolan Bunting Cley 4 september.

A lifer,and a rare bird these days the Ortolan followed on nicely from the Wryneck below. Another unexpected detour to Cley in wet and cloudy weather, remienicent of the Great Spotted Cuckoo - Except that the Ortolan was much more obliging !
A smattering of other migrants at Holme,such as the Pied Flycatchers, Wheatears, Winchats and stonechats have combined with some excellent seawatching days to keep the anticipation going.The daily and goup record for Shearwaters tumbled again, with at least 21 past in 1 group, and 22 Black Terns in a day was an impressive total malongside over 50 Great Skuas as well as lesser Numbers of Arctics.