Caithness & Sutherland: April 2009.

Above: Ad female Surf Scoter, Dunnet Bay, Caithness - 25th April 2009.

Above: Adult Great-northern Diver, Sandside Bay, Caithness, 26th April 2009. GND's were present in every bay along the adopted patch (from just west of Strathy Point - Dunnet Bay), max 20 Dunnet Bay).

Above: Black-throated Divers, Melvich Bay, Sutherland, 26th Apr 2009.

Above: Long-tailed Ducks. 300+ in Dunnet Bay was the largest concentration I came across in late april, with much smaller numbers elsewhere, second highest count being 40 in Sandside Bay.

Other selected birds encountered during my time in Sutherland/Caithness in late April have been a distant, but excellent Rough-legged Buzzard watched through the scope for 40 minutes as it hunted along a ridge c5miles SW of Reay, at cNC935603 on 29th April. A female Marsh Harrier, which must be a notable bird this far north, near Melvich. The long staying drake Ring-necked Duck remained on Loch Calder, Apr 28th at least. 3 Arctic Terns in Sandside Bay on 27th Apr and a Little Tern on 28th April. A Slavonian Grebe on a suitable breeding loch for the past week, though I don't know if they breed this far north in Scotland and an 'older plumaged' White-tailed Eagle, green wing-tagged on the right wing, down to 50m briefly, but I didn't have my camera to hand!!!

Local birding: Little Gull, Brockholes Wetland LWT - 17th April 2009.

The tenth individual in the past two days and eleventh in total for the spring at the site thus far.

Local and NW birding - 16th April 2009.

A cracking days birding started with 3 Grey Plover briefly, a record site count for Brockholes of what is always a quality bird on the inland patch.

Above: 3 Grey Plover, Brockholes Wetland LWT - 16th April 2009.

with the intention of a prolonged session at Brockholes, I caved in some 4 hours in when Tim & Janet Davie arrived enroute to the Wirral for a Red-Rumped Swallow found by an old friend, Allan Conlin, on his local patch the previous evening.

The RRS ranged from reasonably close on a couple of occasions to very distant, but gave very pleasing scope views over a few hour period. Against a leaden grey sky and with an inferior camera lens, the images below are the best I could manage on a couple of occasions it came closer, but as always I look at it from the viewpoint that had I found the bird myself I had the record photographically documented regardless of the quality!

Above: Red Rumped Swallow, Carr Lane, Moreton, Wirral - 16th April 2009.

A reeling Grasshopper Warbler and a Common Sandpiper were both yearticks at the Swallow site.

Next was a visit to the excellent RSPB reserve at Inner Marsh Farm on the Dee Estuary, which did not disappoint.

Highlights were a drake Green-winged Teal, 3 drake Garganey and a colour ringed imm Spoonbill, whilst migrant yearticks were singing male Lesser whitethroat, singing Sedge Warbler and a Swift. A supporting cast included a ringtail Hen Harrier, 10 Little Egret, single Raven, 11 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Avocets, several Pintail and reeling Grasshopper Warbler.

Above: Spoonbill, Inner Marsh Farm, Cheshire - 16th April 2009.

The history of sightings of this Spoonbill as follows:

colourrings :GYfG/BaL ringing place:NL Schiermonnikoog, Oosterkwelder 5329N-0609E
metalringnr :NLA .8048768 ringing age :nestling rec.no: 97995
ringing date:10-06-07 sexe :unknown found dead: - -
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
date country and site or reserve observer days dist sexe
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13-06-07 NL Schiermonnikoog Oosterkwelder RUG 3 0 km.
17-06-07 NL Schiermonnikoog Oosterkwelder RUG 7 0 km.
24-07-07 NL Lauwersmeer Jaap Deensgat H.& R.Oosterhuis 44 14 km.
05-08-07 NL Lauwersmeer Jaap Deensgat Eddie Douwma 56 14 km.
05-08-07 NL Lauwersmeer Ezumakeeg Eddie Douwma 56 17 km.
07-08-07 NL Lauwersmeer Achter de Zwarten Otto Overdijk 58 12 km.
12-08-07 NL Lauwersmeer Ezumakeeg Eddie Douwma 63 17 km.
07-11-07 GB Devon, Barnstaple River Taw David Churchill 150 755 km.
06-02-08 GB Devon, Chivenor Isley Marshes Roy Churchill 241 753 km.
22-03-08 GB Devon, Barnstaple River Taw BTO 286 755 km.
25-04-08 GB Kent Dungeness Tim Wright 320 461 km.
02-05-08 GB Norfolk Breydon Water Peter Allard 327 327 km.
04-05-08 GB Norfolk Berney Reserve Peter Allard 329 329 km.
07-05-08 GB Norfolk Breydon marshes Peter Allard 332 330 km.
15-05-08 NL Schiermonnikoog Oosterkwelder RUG TL 340 0 km.
19-05-08 NL Serooskerke Prunjepolder Mark Hoekstein 344 258 km.
01-06-08 NL Serooskerke Weversinlaag Hans Zegelaar 357 259 km.
03-06-08 NL Serooskerke Prunjepolder Sander Lilipaly 359 258 km.
13-06-08 GB Norfolk Breydon Water Peter Allard 369 327 km.
15-06-08 GB Suffolk Minsmere reserve Dave Fairhurst 371 349 km.
01-07-08 GB Suffolk Trimley Marshes Dave Langlois 387 382 km.
06-07-08 GB Suffolk Orford Ness Mike Marsh 392 358 km.
12-07-08 GB Suffolk Orford Ness Mike Marsh 398 358 km.
19-07-08 GB Suffolk Orford Ness Mike Marsh 405 358 km.
02-08-08 GB Suffolk Havergate Island David Fairhurst 419 355 km.
30-08-08 GB Norfolk Breydon marshes Peter Allard 447 330 km.
09-10-08 GB Devon, Chivenor Isley Marshes Robert Jutsum 487 753 km.
21-02-09 GB Devon, Barnstaple River Taw Stewart Beer 622 755 km.
08-03-09 GB Devon, Barnstaple River Taw Tim Jones 637 755 km.
05-04-09 GB Devon, Barnstaple River Taw Tim Jones 665 755 km.
13-04-09 GB Cheshire, Burton Dee estuary Paul David Shenton 673 619 km.
13-04-09 GB Cheshire, Burton Dee estuary Steve Seal 673 619 km.
14-04-09 GB Cheshire, Burton Dee estuary John Kirkland 674 619 km.
16-04-09 GB Cheshire, Inner Marsh Farm Bill Aspin 676 621 km.

Meanwhile, back at Brockholes, Cllr John F. Wright was fortunately in situ to document the arrival of first 4 Little Gull increasing to a record site count of 9 (7ads, 1adw, 1x2nd summer) as the afternoon progressed. Fortunately these stayed just long enough for me to fire off a record shot of the flock as they departed at 18:25.

Little Gulls (and Black-headed) Brockholes Wetland LWT - 16th April 2009.

A fitting end to an excellent day saw 7 Whimbrel and 44 Curlew to roost on the Main Pool in quite a raw E/NE wind by 20:40.

Local birding: Arctic Terns, Brockholes Wetland LWT - 15th April 2009.

Above: 2 Arctic Tern. Four in total through the site today: 2 briefly at 09:25 and 2 from 11:30-17:05 at least.

Below: 3 Pink-footed Geese

Also, an adult Kittiwake briefly and 2cy female Greater Scaup still present.

Common/Mealy Redpolls - East Lancs - 6th April 2009.

Some images by Pete Morris of a few of the 5+ Common/Mealy Redpolls currently visiting a private garden in the Longridge Fell area. Absolute crackers!

Above: Male Common/Mealy Redpolls

Below: male Lesser Redpoll.

Local birding: Brockholes Wetland LWT - 2nd & 3rd April 2009.

Above & below: Little-ringed Plover, River Ribble adj to Brockholes Wetland LWT - 3rd Apr 2009.

2nd Apr: 8hrs continuous scanning for Osprey in good visibility failed miserably for the target species, perhaps due to the easterly wind direction. 15 Common Buzzard in a single 360 degree scan was noteworthy. A pair of adult Med Gulls in flight over the vantage point, 1stw female Scaup and a single grounded Golden Plover onsite were other highlights.

3rd Apr: 3hrs Osprey scanning in hazy visibility from medium distance again drew a blank. A pair of adult Meds on No1 Pit inc. a metal ringed female.

Local birding: Osprey, Brockholes Wetland LWT - 1st April 2009.

The third Osprey for the site so far this spring, and my first of the year, appeared from the south at 15:45, fished the adj River Ribble for ten minutes, caught a Fish, then flew NE. Superb!