Newport Wetlands, Gwent

Definitely after the Lord Mayor's Show, I called in at Newport Wetlands RSPB today, in the vain hope that the long staying Savi's Warbler would still be there, but no, as I suspected due to the lack of recent reports, it's gone, or at least not singing, which amounts to more or less the same thing.

Still, it was good to tick off another RSPB reserve, and I did hear at least six Cetti's Warblers, and saw a Green Woodpecker and a Whimbrel.

Female Pochard with chick.

Red-eyed Damsels at Leg O'Mutton

Red-eyed Damselflies are now out at Leg O'Mutton Dam, near Taylor Park. This is one of the few places in St Helens where you can see this species. I counted at least 20 today. Not such good news from nearby Paddock Dam, where much of the species preferred habitat of lily pads seems to have been removed.

This is a male.

This male and female are not mating. The male is laying claim to the female until she is ready to lay her eggs.

Let battle commence!

Eccleston Mere

Mute Swan 2
Gadwall 2 male & female
Kingfisher
Tufted Duck 7

Swans feed on vegetation on the bottom of lakes.

Houghton Green Flash, Winwick

Pochard 12 males
Yellow Wagtail 6
Tufted Duck 10

Eccleston Mere

Swift 100
Mute Swan 2 ads
Greylag Goose 10
Tufted Duck 7

Spectacled Warbler, Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk

Spectacled Warbler 1 singing male
Spoonbill 1 adult
Egyptian Goose 2
Marsh Harrier 1 female
Avocet 5

UK Life: 399; Year: 254 (Spectacled Warbler)

I didn't go with high expectations of the Spectacled Warbler. I'd seen them before, abroad, but never had great views, and they always seemed quite skulking birds. Also the illustration in the book seemed to suggest that it was little more than a small Whitethroat, almost indistinguishable in fact, except for the dark, almost black lores of the Spectacled Warbler, and the diagnostic song of course. Finally, the weather forecast was pretty grim for the whole country today, and I had visions of staring for hours at a distant bush in pouring rain, waiting for a fleeting glimpse of a skulking small whitethroat. Fortunately, the day turned out to be nothing like that.

We joined the group of 50 or so birders on the edge of the saltmarsh at Burnham Overy Staithe in bright sunshine to discover that the warbler was showing very well. So well in fact that scopes were rendered obsolete. The bird was gathering nesting material and building a "cock" nest, i.e. a nest with no female, and it was in a bush no more than about 10m in front of us. Every 2 or 3 minutes the bird would return to the bush with nesting material, disappear into the heart of the bush for a minute, before flying out and often perching up to sing just a few metres in front of us, or occasionally singing during its display flight. And what a smart bird it was, much brighter than I expected, with surprisingly obviously dark lores on a blue / grey head and with chestnut coloured wings.

Titchwell Marsh, Norfolk

Bearded Tit 1 male
Spoonbill 2 juveniles
Spotted Redshank 1 adult summer plumage
Cetti's Warbler 1
Red-crested Pochard 2 (male and female)
Marsh Harrier 2 females
Avocet 80
Greenshank 1
Little Ringed Plover 3
Bar-tailed Godwit 20
Black-tailed Godwit 40

Avocet

Male and female Red-crested Pochard, but do those chicks belong to the pair? We couldn't be sure, but there were no other ducks in the immediate vicinity,

Holme Nature Reserve, Norfolk

Spoonbill 4 (3 adults, 1 juvenile)
Avocet 5
Cuckoo 1
Little Tern 1

Eccleston Mere

Mandarin 1 female with chick
Gadwall 2

Red-necked Phalarope, Burton Mere Wetlands

Red-necked Phalarope 1 female summer
Black-tailed Godwit 200
Avocets

Year: 253 (Red-necked Phalarope)

Phalaropes are always cracking birds, especially females in summer plumage, but my heart sank when I heard it was from the Reception hide at Burton Mere because in the afternoon it's against the light, you're looking through a glass window rendering expensive optics meaningless and it's inevitably too far away for a decent photo. This photo was taken through one of the tiny gaps in the wooden fence at the side of the hide which eliminated the glass problem, but the other problems remain. I dread to think what it would be like if a mega turned up in front of the Reception hide. Imagine the wading equivalent of a Short-toed Eagle....

When I got there it had just flown in the direction of the Inner Marsh Farm hide which would have been ideal, but unfortunately it didn't appear to land there and soon returned to it's favoured spot. A great bird though!

The Gobbins, Islandmagee, Northern Ireland

Manx Shearwater 100 passing in groups of 20 or less.
Peregrine 4 chicks in nest
Puffin 20
Razorbill 300
Guillemot 500
Black Guillemot 10
Eider 10

Year: 252 (Manx Shearwater)

Peregrine chicks.

Eider with chicks.