Torver Wood, Coniston, Cumbria

Wood warbler 2 singing
Tree pipit 10 singing
Redstart 1 singing

Year: 211 (Wood warbler, Redstart)

Houghton Green Flash, Winwick

A single dunlin was the highlight at the flash today.

Lesser Whitethroat

My first lesser whitethroat of the year was singing in a patch of gorse in south Cumbria. Year 209.

Red-throated pipit take 2

It was a much brighter and drier day today, so with a bit of free time on my hands I decided to have another look at the stunning red-throated pipit on Ludworth Moor. For the first couple of hours it was frustatingly distant, but eventually it flew calling over the border and into Manchester (thus making it's way onto my North West list), before flying back into Derbyshire and settling again, much closer and now showing exceptionally well. A cracking bird! Also today, a whimbrel flew over calling and four wheatears.

NW: 354 (Red-throated pipit); Year: 208 (Whimbrel)

Pearson's Flash, Wigan

Just a quick look over the flash during our bike ride today revealed a 1st winter drake long-tailed duck, my fourth in the north west this year! Also a singing Cetti's warbler.

Red-throated Pipit, Ludworth Moor

A stunning summer plumage red-throated pipit at Ludworth Moor on the Manchester / Derbyshire border was an unexpected addition to my UK list this afternoon. When we arrived it was showing at very close range, though it was walking through the juncus and often disappeared for several minutes, and the weather was awful, making photography all but impossible without destroying the camera. Later it showed more out in the open but at a greater distance. A fanstatic bird, well done to the finder.

UK: 408; Year: 207 (Red-throated Pipit)

Red-throated pipit and meadow pipit.

Extremely annoyingly, I had the camera accidently set on 3200 ISO when I took this photo which has made it very grainy. Doh!

Pennington Flash

Summer plumage black tern on the flash today, as well as three black-necked grebes and at least 16 common terns.

Year: 206 (Black tern)

Meare Heath and Ham Wall RSPB, Somerset

Thirty two years almost to the day after seeing my first Hudsonian godwit at Blacktoft Sands RSPB in 1983, today we headed down to Meare Heath, Somerset to see the third for Britain, and a very nice year tick it was I must say. On the way down we were worried that the bird may have gone for good following a message yesterday at 18:45 that it had flown off high to the west and not been seen again for the rest of the day. We were very pleased therefore to get positive news shortly after dawn that the bird was back, at which stage we were just 50 miles away. We got there at about 8.30am and the bird showed really well through the scope for a couple of hours, walking around and feeding. A bit distant for good photographs perhaps, but still a great sight. It flew a couple of times to allow us to see it's dark underwing. Nice!

After a walk around adjacent Ham Wall RSPB we went back for a second look and found the bird asleep in the middle of a pack of godwits. It didn't look much like waking up so we called it a day.

What a great place though. I reckon we had at least 8 great white egrets, saw 2 bitterns plus heard 3 others booming, at least 10 hobbies, drake garganey, several marsh harriers and lots of other goodies such as several cuckoos, garden warblers and zillions of cettis warblers. My kind of twitch!

Year: 205 (Hudsonian godwit, Garganey, Cuckoo)

Notice the grey head and neck of the Hudsonian and the dark underparts when compared to the summer plumage black-tailed godwit on the left. In many respects Hudosnian is like a cross between black and bar-tailed.

Unfortunately this photo is out of focus, but you can clearly see the dark underwing of the Hudsonian godwit in the middle of the photo.

This is how it would have looked if it had been in focus! Thanks to Dave Owen for the photo.

Great white egrets displaying. Notice the black bills. I've never seen great white egrets in full breeding plumage before, and in non-breeding plumage they have yellow bills which I am more familiar with. Great white egrets breed at Ham Wall and nearby Shapwick Heath.

Bittern.

Garden warbler.

Pennington Flash

We called in at Pennington Flash on our way home from Somerset and had excellent views of the summer plumage black-necked grebes.

Houghton Green Flash, Winwick

Following Saturdays male flava wagtail, there was a possible female blue-headed at the flash today. It's certainly got a very strikingly white supercillium. Also today a male yellow wagtail and a redshank.

Budworth Mere Yacht Club

Whinchat 1 male

Year: 202