Migrants!

Bit of a mixed week really, been birding pretty much everyday and nearly all day! Feel a bit guilty as I have a few things I need to catch up on which I need to do for various people (I know your reading!). Monday was a bit of a full on day, finally managed to see a Painted Lady butterfly while disgracefully twitching a Barred Warbler in Northumberland, I then headed down to Teesside for an evening stint but little of note was seen. Tuesday was also generally quiet but I did manage to get out on the evening I did miss the Broad-bill but saw it the next day, so on Wedensday I successful twitched the Broad-billed Sandpiper at Seaton Snook and then later saw the bird from Seal Sands but little else of note in the Teesside area so a visit to Bishop Middleham was more then fruitful; juvenile Mediterranean Gull moulting into 1st winter was more then welcome, as was the Red-crested Pochard first spotted by Michael M he was rather happy when I confirmed it was indeed a Red-crested Pochard, interestingly it means I have seen 2 in Durham in the same day after having seen 1 on Saltholme East earlier in the day. I went back to see the wader roost on the evening and it was quite spectacle with an extra 2 Black Terns thrown in for good measure and later on after I had left a Roseate Tern was seen. The Broad-billed Sandpiper departed high south around mid-evening but thankfully everyone had seen it by this point so there were no unhappy faces present.

 (Painted Lady - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

(Broad-billed Sandpiper - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

(Broad-billed Sandpiper - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

(Mediterranean Gull - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

(Mediterranean Gull - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

(Black Tern - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)

Thursday I was being 'idle', though popped out to check the local Lambton Flash and little was noted apart form good counts of Greenshank and Green Sandpiper. Friday was another day down Teesside but little of note; 3 Black Terns were nice as was the single Little Gull. On the waders side the best I could do was 10c Grey Plover but they were in summer plumage so all in all pretty good.

This weekend was more than productive, seawatch in the morning was really excellent! One of the best I have ever had, there was a constant movement of birds. Highlight was a Long-tailed Skua which flew in from the south, had a mess around offshore and flew north again, later on a Pomarine Skua was fantastic; a full on adult with 'spoons'. Interestingly little in the way of Shearwater passage with only 1 Sooty and a handful of Manx Shearwaters. Roseate Terns were on the move and there wast  good passage of Redshanks. A check of Lambton Pond was quite fruitful with a handful of Green Sandpiper and Greenshank being noted; then I headed down to Teesside for some more filthy rotten twitching. A rather showy Barred Warbler (for the species anyway) was excellent but it went to ground later on in the day and wasn't really seen again much just brief glimpses. A check of the Jewish Cemetery produced little other than 2 Wheatears and a rather vocal Willow Warbler.

Today Jack Bucknall text me to say he had what he thought was a Greenish Warbler early morning, so I headed up and by the time I had arrived it had been confirmed he played his recording made and showed me the pics. I was gripped, then some 4 or so hours later the bird gave itself up and I had really good views for about 30 seconds or so before it disappeared and I didn't see it again despite searching. Ohh, it's also good to know that a certain well known biking Northumberland birder is an avid follower my blog despite his very public hate for me because I won't give him a lift to see birds, nice one! Great week and great weekend.

 (Greenish Warbler - copyright Jack Bucknall)

(Greenish Warbler - copyright Jack Bucknall)

Until next time, Foghorn out!