On your bike

Did Wayne see the Black Stork yesterday? Well no instead he cycled 75 miles in torrential rain more on this at the weekend!

Alkborough Osprey

Got caught in torrential rain this morning but did see an Osprey go over the tower hide and then drift over the church ....

Honey Buzzard

Not often I'm in the right place at the right time but whilst stood on the Trent bank at Alkborough this morning I had a call to say that the warden at Blacktoft was watching a Honey Buzzard drifting over Reedness out to the estuary and yes there it was! Excellent scope views were had of this migratory rapture circling over the reserve for 3-4 minutes before drifting off out of view.  Other than that it was a very quiet morning at Alkborough but did have 3 Hairy Dragonflies on the pond at the fresh water reed bed end.
Back at home the pond is hotting up with lots of egg laying newts and Common and Large Red Damsels on the wing this afternoon.

Red-Necked Phalarope at North Cave, E Yorks

 

Owen Paterson strikes again!

First Badgers, then Ancient Woodland now this, is there no end to this mans talents!

dhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2013/dec/06/andrew-sells-natural-england

Another chance to spot the Broad-Billed Sandpiper

Back early at Alkborough this morning to see if we could find the Broad-Billed Sandpiper but it wasn’t to be so here is another little video taken last night.  Interestingly despite this being a scarce vagrant only Neil, Graham, Adrian and one other birder came. 

 

Broad-Billed Sandpiper, videoed at Alkborough Flats

 

Broad-Billed Sandpiper on Alkborough Flats

Another Broad-Billed Sandpiper at Alkborough, the second record since the bank was breached.  Showed with a small group of Dunlin and Ringed Plover for around half an hour before flying off high East.  As always at Alkborough viewing was immensely difficult and these digishots were the best of a bad bunch - video to follow.

Alkborough Flats Bird Race

That time of year again when we do our annual bird race against the clock - 24 hours to see as many species as you can.  Wayne decided to go green this year and completed the whole thing on his bike - I didn't, far too energetic for me and anyway do I really want to get up at 2am in a word no! So what was the total and what were the highlights ok the total was the highest we have reached on a bird race for a very long time a very respectable 98 and the highlights would have to be a pair of Common Cranes which drifted over the flats and went down into the Blacktoft reed bed at 7.30am, a Green Winged Teal and the final bird of the day a Glaucous Gull. An enjoyable day but a hard 18 hour slog for Wayne!