Search for a photogenic Kingfisher

Having promised to take my friend to seek out a Kingfisher to photograph today I could not go to North Wales to dip or otherwise a Royal Tern.The uk life list will have to wait!

Promises are promises (eeek) still I think it is on its way North so Lancs is relatively easier to get to than NWales coast! Talons crossed for Seaforth!


So to Little Marlow GPs via M40 - lots of Red kites to cheer me up!
A long walk around the Little Marlow GPs....seeing lots of Tern activity including a first for my friend young Terns(unable to fly yet), beautiful water lilies and finallyafter armies of Canada Geese (mixed ages) Lapwings a plenty - several GC Grebes including one busy building a nest, Coots various ages, Mallards similar, lots of woodland birds including a Garden Warbler that would not show! Finally I spy a KF land on a branch in the distance - and manage to get Pat on it before it flew landed on another branch on another tree and then fly over the water and away!

We decided on a walk beside the Thames as we could not go where te bird had gone and it didn't return.....

An angler had tod us of a Farm with a lake where there were 4 KF.at White Waltham....well we tried to find it without any real directions ( if we had the name of the farm we could have found it,I have now on the net!) and failed. There is always Lavell's Lake I thought - yes 2 years ago daily KF but now - nope.
However I ran into local patch worker Alan and that was pleasant and Pat got photo's of GCGrebe pair and one young another first for her - the 2 week old stripey headed beauty being fed fish by the parents!

When we were at the local country park enjoying cold Pea and mint or Watercress soup she showed me a small wabler she had taken a lovely photo of...yes a Sedge Warbler ...Alan had said he had seen Reed Warblers and Buntings today but no sedge well there it was!Another new bird for pat!

I will post up pics when I receive them.

Thinks one really needs a nest site with fledged young for KF photos.....its really a tricky assignment! Maybe we will have to return to Wakehurst.

Come on Royal Tern I need you to show somewhere accessible for a trip on Wednesday early morning.....

Reached the 250 Year Birds

Just been sorting out the lists!

Kent and Sussex still need to be entered at some point on Bubo Listing.

256 for the year so far.....missed some really obvious birds....like Dotterels - some i will have to wait for on their return from their breeding sites....and some I need to seek out like the Spot and Pied Fly's - Wood Warbler, so a trip to the Forest of Dean called for I think...doesn't help that i am not planning on a Scotland Highland trip this year (may change my mind as I do love it up there!)


some sea watching is on order!

Some Waders also to be sought out!

Looking forward to two weeks on Shetland in the Autumn...might find a rare or two!

I have enjoyed watching the Garden Birds in my garden this year as the feeders are a defo attraction for busy mum and dad birds! At the moment my tree gets filled with fledglings.The Swifts continue to scream over my house daily and its lovely watching them feeding.

(Wonder if that Ruddy Shelduck off Crossness counts or not?)

A twitch that wasn't

On Monday - Royal Tern on the pager! Couldn't go on the Tuesday. Awaited news with a slight tremor. All geared up for a long trip to N Wales - on Tuesday the bird didn't show, so I didn't go -a twitch that wasn't!

Mates of mine on their way back from birding in Northumberland via Norfolk for a raptor or two were having bets on when I was leaving and when arriving and having a laugh at my expence - so when we met up last night for a spot of Roding Woodcock and Nightjar hunting the laugh was on them!

Weather a slight factor as it decided to rain before we left and then as we arrived...nowt to stop the Nightjars! Nice healthy numbers churring and several flying - one right over us. A reasonable sight of a roding Woodcock but one of us dipped apart from the tail from in the wood !

Nice pint in the Red Lion.

A bit of a breather blogwise.

Long time since my last blog...well its been busy - between birding, electioneering, having hassles with the pc.....

I have seen Polecats in UK - not far from London!
Been collecting lifers of the Pratincole kind.
Visiting Kent, Sussex, Surrey and the Home counties with a trip to Norfolk, Devon and a very brief visit to Lancs (sorry Pauco but I didn't know we were going to do a diversion from Yorkshire!)

No time to blog!

Oh and a half term Friday visit to Wakehurst Place - on a day that turned into a scorcher -
secret target bird - a Kingfisher for my friend who had never seen one and wanted to photo one..which we saw and she got a record shot of...before we really admired the gardens...if you havent been Trish you'd enjoy it!

the day that the M25 ground to a halt and we had to go cross country to get home -a feat of navigational skills that I was proud of!

All pics are Pats.