Hunt The Celeb's.

There's little purpose in this post, other than to point out a failure to find the birds. 

Against my better judgement, I decided on a 'Hunt The Celeb's' on two dates, there having been a selection in the Heysham Harbour area recently, with a list including....

Glaucous Gull
Iceland Gull
Little Gull
Mediterranean Gull
Shag
Brent Geese

Chough 

Wednesday 24 January was my first failure date. The session started in good style and an encouragement to move on to my hunt at Heysham Harbour, when I soon found the Chough and Stonechat at Half Moon Bay. But 2 hours later, and in pretty difficult windy conditions and a gust almost blowing me off the south wall and into the sea at one point....I found bugger-all.

The hunt on Tuesday 30 January for a repeat 2 hours at Heysham, also had the same miserable 100% failure rate when again I found bugger-all. Imagine, not one bird from seven possibles, despite constantly grilling, including in excess of 300 mainly Black-headed/Herring Gulls at Red Nab/Outfalls/Harbour. Ironically, this day ended as the first attempt had started on 24 January, when I went to see the Chough and Stonechat, and found them both again within 15 minutes of arriving at Half Moon Bay.

  

Wot No Birds & No Piks

Most of lifes rewards can be found in birding....that's my take on it anyway.

Christmas Birding....Noel, Noel!

Bewick's Swan Marc Heath   

I snatched four hours on Christmas Eve out of the busy holiday build-up and was rewarded by finding 4 Bewick's Swan and at least 80 Whooper Swan off Moss Lane, another 2 Bewick's Swan were with Mute Swan, with c.70 Pink-footed Geese and c.40 Greylag on Jeremy Lane.  

At Cockersands I covered Crook Farm to Bank End in the cold westerly howler which wasn't anything to call enjoyable along the headland, but I noted 2 Rock Pipit off the car park at the lighthouse. Good but insignificant numbers of waders had escaped into fields from the 10.10m tide and howling wind including Golden Plover, Lapwing, Curlew, Redshank, and Oystercatcher.

Twite Jan Larsson

Between the Caravan Park and Bank End I encountered at least 20 Twite, 3 Reed Bunting, and 3 Snipe came up off the marsh displaced by the tide, and a local Kestrel seen.

On the choppy Conder Pool, following several attempts at accuracy my best count was of 8 Little Grebe, 4 Goldeneye, 10 Tufted Duck, a Red-breasted Merganser, and a Little Egret, a Spotted Redshank was in the creeks.

And finally....The 'Christmas Bird Award' goes to....

Glaucous Gull. Chris Batty.

A juvenile Glaucous Gull found on Preesall Sands at Knott End yesterday.

Thanks to Marc/Jan/Chris for more excellent photography on Birds2blog. Also my thanks for the brilliant new header of the Little Owl. Richard watched this bird take to the roof when it came on to rain, it promptly spread it's wings to take a shower. Another excellent observation of bird behaviour which fascinates me.

Hope everyone is having a good Christmas break.

Save Our Forests....

....and some other 'bits'.

During another lull in my birding I'm confident this gap filler on Birds2blog will be of interest to everyone who visits here so please take a look at Save Our Forests and consider signing the petition please.

Linnets. John Bateman

Two of the 34 Linnets I counted yesterday which seem to be the remnants of what has been some interesting observations of the set-aside at Cockersands where the numbers of Linnet/Greenfinch - and on one occasion a Brambling on 27 October - have fluctuated over a period of 'several' weeks and which reached a peak of at least 100 birds on two dates in Oct/Nov last year. Thanks for the pic John, you may be interested to know the only urban Grey Wagtail I know of visited our humble garden this morning after a long absence, though I know it has been seen by you recently John, on the other hand....is there more than the one bird? 

MEGA NEWS.

A Slaty-backed Gull has made an appearance at Rainham Marshes in London and put in a brief show again today at 12.20pm but as I write has not been seen since. Now I'm most certainly not the one qualified to make too many comments about 'gulls' it being an area where I 'fall down' in my moderate qualifications as a birder, but what I do know about this bird is this....

It is a large white headed 'gull' which breeds on the western coast of Alaska but which travels widely during the non-breeding season. It is similar in appearance to two other 'gulls' namely the Western Gull and the Glaucous-winged Gull. The species is a first for Britain with only one previous record in Europe, having been seen in Latvia and Lithuania.

If you can appreciate some good humour you'd better take a look at 'ID of the Slaty-backed Gull' HERE but be warned if 'strong' language offends you....STAY AWAY.