Idle Valley

 

Lincolnshire

Beautiful warm and sunny day in Lincolnshire on Sunday. Nightingale singing at Whisby NR plus good numbers of Garden Warbler. Then onto Frampton RSPB where we saw Wood Sandpiper, Yellowhammer, Corn Bunting, Avocet, Lesser Whitethroat, Cettis Warbler, Ruff among other common birds

Whiskered Tern

Two Whiskered Terns were seen at Sandbach Flashes on Saturday morning. Also seen were Common Tern, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Little Ringed Plover. On way home at stop off at Marbury CP produced Garden Warbler

Terek Sandpiper, Garganey and Nightingale

Not a bad day out yesterday in warm sunny conditions. Got a pair of Garganey at Fairburn Ings. Then onto Covenham Reservoir in Lincolnshire where we had distant views of Terek Sandpiper. We finished off at Whisby for Nightingale and good views of Garden Warbler and then to Idle Valley where we failed to see Turtle Dove but saw a drake Mandarin Duck and had good views of Reed Warbler

1.                                 

Garden and Wood Warbler

Lovely morning in the woods near Sheffield provided singing Garden Warbler and a pair of Wood Warblers

Tree Pipit

Went over to Wharncliffe Woods this lunchtime in search of Wood Warbler. No joy but saw a close Garden Warbler singing which cleared off when I got my camera out! Several Blackcaps seen, heard a Cuckoo and a  Tawny Owl hooting. Managed to get a record shot of a singing Tree Pipit

Barred Warbler and Red necked Phalarope

Saturday 18th. August had myself and Dave off to Spurn nice and early. We stopped off on the way at Bank Island in Wheldrake where a Red necked Phalarope had been seen the previous day. No joy but a cracking spot consisting of some water and flooded fields. It was alive with Snipe and a Spotted Redshank was on view. Also several Greenshank and Green Sandpipers.
Onto Spurn we saw Reed Warbler, a cracking Garden Warbler, Sedge Warbler and a lovely female Sparrowhawk. The main target though was a Barred Warbler and after a lot of waiting around we had two brief flight views of the elusive bird confirmed by a couple of expert birders including Steve Webb who is allegedly "number one" bird spotter as he proudly told one of the Spurn staff birders!!
We were about to sack the day when the bird messenger came up with a Red necked Phalarope at Frampton. So off we went. What a superb site it is too. Hundreds of Black tailed Godwits, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ruff, Dunlin, Wood Sanpiper, Ruddy Duck and a fantastic adult Red necked Phalarope. A great day with two lifers for me and five for Dave.