yorkshire serin

Went to flambrough head in yorkshire on sunday to twitch the serin which has being about for 4 days, had to wait a couple of hours before it showed well for 10 mins, cracking little bird :) shame i left camera in car as i would have some cracking shots :( whilst waiting for the serin i found a firecrest in the nearby wood which most got onto, also in area 2 brambling.

Wader shots

Here is some shots of the waders in gateshead, godwit shot was hand held.

photoless day

4 black-tailed godwits were still at lamesley water meadows along with single meadow pipit, 20+ curlew, 20+ greylags, 100+ lapwing, 20 + teal, buzzard and a green sandpiper was here on sunday.
Shibdon pond held 100+ lapwing,40+teal, kingfisher, red kite, 60+ bh gulls.
Far pastures held water rail, kingfisher, 20+ snipe, willow tit and the juv peregrine was photographed here the other day, no photographs today :( lets hope something is about tomorrow to get the new lens out :0. Winter weekend in norfolk could be on soon? 10 parrotcrossbills at holt cp would be nice along with  two barred crossbill at lynford :) just need a rough legged buzzard and bewicks swan to be settled! Norfolk target birds will be:
Shorelark, hen harrier, golden pheasant, rough legged buzzard, bewicks swan, two barred crossbill, parrot crossbill?, black brant all new for year :)

Waders & Phalarope

Lamesley water meadows had 4 Black-tailed godwits and a Green sandpiper, lets hope they winter? South shields pier had a Grey phalarope which showed very well, well enough for me to try my new lens out again :)

New lens test

Where else better to test the new lens than far pasture with a bag of bird seed :) and here is the results, not bad for my first attempt :0 had to buy a new tripod and head to cope with the weight, i'm sure i'll get used to humping it about :( lets hope the extra weight is worth it for some better photography? we'll see!

Up North

Went to Bamburgh to dip the Bonaparte's again, but first went to Long nanny to dip the shorelarks :( don't know where this dipping streak has come from but it want to get lost :0 Whilst dipping at long nanny i had 7 snow buntings/60+twite/jack snipe. Bamburgh (stag rocks) had Med gull/velvet scoter/purple sandpiper x 50+/knot x 30+. Here's a few shots from today.

halloween shocker!

I knew today was going to be a dip when i thought of a title for my latest post whilst on my way to bamburgh for the bonaparte's :( i just didnt know how much of a shocker it would be :( the pager went "bonaparte's gull" stag rocks :0 just before i reached the bamburgh turn off on the a1, when i arrived at stag rocks i was told the bird had just flew off towards budle bay. Budle bay was where i headed and spent a couple of hours with no luck :( i then went back to stag rocks where there was still no sign of the gull, i decided to head off to seahouses for fishcake and chips :) when i got back to the car i got the call that the gull was back but had flew off again :( double dip. I spent another 2 hours at stag rocks watching bh gulls come into feed on the shore hoping the bonaparte's would return, but no luck. Lets hope the next twitch is a little better! Lol.