At last Rock Thrush ( Lifer )

Thanks to Brian Jimmy & I finely meet up with the long staying Rock Thrush.
Fighting with my heart & head, the Heart says drive the 360 mile round trip back to Gwent in Wales or as the head kept telling me over the last  couple of weeks don't be stupid it's too far for this old boy to drive, so when Brian says lets go back & get you both a lifer we jumped at the chance.
It takes us 3 hours & we arrive at 7.30 am.
About a mile walk to to the 3rd quarry is done at pace & it's smiles all round when we see the Thrush only a few yards in front of us to give Jimmy & I a nice lifer at last, we dipped a couple of weeks ago so this is sweet.
The bird has been here a few weeks now but over 100 birders showed up while we were here about 5 hours in all.Now for the long drive home but this time we have smiles on our faces 720 miles to bag this bird, when you look at it in black & white it is really mad what we do to see a bird but so much fun is had so there is the reason we do it.

Rock Thrush

Brian in happy mood waiting for the Thrush to come close, maybe thinking of the long drive home

American Wigeon at Rutland. Willow Tit at Kelham

On Sunday we hope that the Scops Owl will be found & reported  in Ryhope, so we head up to Rutland so if the Owl shows we will be half way up to Durham & can shoot off there.
After last weeks big dip we don't want to go that far without it being seen.
So a nice early visit to Rutland to look for the American Wigeon.
We park up & head to pool 2 and find Smew hide and once inside we find the Wigeon without to much trouble.
A cracking little  bird to see & only the second one we have seen, the first being in Devon a few years back.With no news of the Scops Owl we head towards home but stop off to try once more to find a Willow Tit having tried at Kelham a few times already this year & dipped we hope this time will be the one.
Brian headed off to do his own thing as he has already ticked Willow Tit while Jimmy & I watch from the hide where the feeders had been filled & plenty of birds were feeding but it's it a long time nearly 2 hours before we get a very short view of a single Willow Tit as it lands on the tree behind the feeders but never came onto the feeders & was gone very quickly but we got a good look at it for a year tick.
While here a Kingfisher kept landing on a couple of posts to give great views & a pair of Green Sandpipers landed near to us & a Snipe was also seen.
So a very pleasant weekend that got me four year ticks.

Willow Tit

The American Wigeon

American Wigeon

American Wigeon Wigeon

The friendly Kingfisher

Green Sandpipers

Wilsons Phalarope & Long-billed Dowitcher at Oare Marsh.

A quick bonus trip to Oare Marsh after Brian finished work See's us arrive around 2 o'clock.
We find the reserve packed with birders looking over a pool packed with flocks of Golden Plover & Black-tailed Godwits also Turnstones, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Red & Greenshank,3 Little Stints,2 Curlew Sandpipers,a few Ruff the place is just packed with birds.
We are not here to long when we find the long staying Long-billed Dowitcher that only I needed for a year tick & then the reason for our visit when the Wilson's Phalarope flies in & lands very close to us for a great view of this funny little bird.
This is the third Wilson's that we have seen the other two being found on the Isle of wight & one at Vange in Essex. So another year tick that we all needed made for a very nice afternoon indeed.

The Wilson's

Wilson's Phalarope

                                                                           

Long-billed Dowitcher

A horrible dip ( Scops Owl ) Sunderland.

We take the decision to travel 260 miles that takes us four & a half hours on a rainy morning up to Sunderland where the Scops Owl has been seen most days over the last few days.
Thinking that we must be mad but still looking forward to seeing the Owl that would be a lifer for all of us.
We found the town of Ryhope without to much trouble & parked off road not far from the under pass that led us to many birders with glum faces as the Owl was no where to be seen.
After 4 hours & with hardly any sign of the sun we have to give up on the Owl & also missed out on a Barred Warbler that had been reported.
Only good thing about being here is meeting up with Geoff  & John after to long a time without seeing them.
Brian has visited North Yorkshire a few times over the years for work things so knows the area well & he takes us to the Moors just outside Harrogate & Jimmy & I pick up a year tick when we see some Red Grouse wandering about the moor.
Next we head to Bolton Abbey for another tick when we see a couple of Dippers on the beautiful fast flowing river that runs through the grounds of the abbey, Brian always tells us about this being a lovely place & now we have seen it for ourselves.
So Brian rescues the day for Jimmy & myself with a couple of ticks but never got anything tick wise out of the day & had the job of driving us home that took nearly six hours in horrible weather so a big thanks to him.
We nearly turned off  half way up to Ryhope & head to Kilnsea where we would have got a few more ticks but the draw of the Scops Owl was too much so no regrets.