ROSS SEA TO BECOME THE WORLD'S LARGEST PROTECTED AREA

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GILROY BLACK TAILED GODWITS LOSE THERE HOME!

A flooded field next to Gilroy nature park on the Wirral has been drained by instruction from Wirral borough council.This site is internationally important for numbers of Black Tailed Godwits with numbers dramatically increasing over the last nine years into there thousands.
For further information about this please click on the link below and please spread the word on Twitter and Facebook and lets flood the council with complaints.
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BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF RARE BIRDS THIS WEEK IN BRITAIN 19th to 25th OCTOBER 2016

REVIEW OF THE WEEK CLICK ON THIS LINK
BY JOSH JONES

PHOTO OF THE WEEK 19th-25th OCT 2016

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RSPB-BITTERN BABY BOOM

The Bittern has experienced its most successful year yet for breeding, according to an annual national survey carried out by RSPB staff and volunteers.CLICK ON LINK

PALE LEGGED/SAKHALIN LEAF WARBLER- ISLES OF SCILLY

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BIRDGUIDES WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

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BIRDING AFTERNOON ON THE WIRRAL

I called in at Burton RSPB this afternoon and was rewarded with four Cattle egrets on the island pool in front of the reception.

Cattle Egrets

There have been five around the reserve the last few days. If I had been 10 minutes earlier, I would have seen the fifth bird, which had flown along with a Great White Eagle. Anyway, with time approaching high tide, I made my way to Parkgate. On arrival, I soon picked up a female ringtail, Hen Harrier, and a Peregrine sat out on the marsh.

 Female Ring Tailed Hen Harrier

As I was scoping the Peregrine, the prize bird appeared: the male Hen Harrier, one of my favourite species.

Male Hen Harrier

What a bird! The Hen harrier showed well and gave all the birders on site good views. Out of all of the UK's birds of prey, this species is the most intensively persecuted. It was an absolute joy to watch, and long may we all help this stunning species to thrive from persecution.

Little Egrets

Other birds of note were 2 Ravens overhead and a distant Marsh Harrier. Little egret numbers were well over 70, and then I gave up counting; they were everywhere. Who would have thought that our first record at Leasowe in 1988 would lead to these numbers in 2016.
If you ever visit Parkgate, there is a high tide birdwatch, which the RSPB organises. I have put when the next events are held on my blog.

Parkgate Marsh

SIBERIAN ACCENTOR-EASINGTON-SPURN

With five Siberian Accentors now recorded in Britain, I decided to head to Spurn after a long weekend of work, hoping to catch up with one of these mega rarities after seeing the first British record in Shetland.

Arriving at the back of the old school at Easington, I found around ten birders already present. I was quickly put onto the bird, which was foraging happily just a few feet from the fence—an incredible experience up close. This represented Britain’s second Siberian Accentor, a remarkable find by Lance Degan, and as I write, nearly 65 Siberian Accentors have been seen across Europe this autumn.

Britain's second Siberian Accentor 

While watching the accentor, news came through of an Isabelline Wheatear near the boatyard. A quick dash brought me to a ploughed field, where I managed distant but satisfying record shots of the wheatear alongside two Shorelarks and three Bramblings.

Issabelline Wheatear

Brambling

Driving around Spurn, the fields were alive with autumn activity. Fieldfares and Redwings swarmed the stubble fields, offering spectacular views of hundreds of birds feeding together. At the Bluebell car park, two Shorelarks were feeding nearby, another highlight of the day.

Fieldfare and Redwing

Shorelark

Walking around, it was hard to ignore the sheer number of passerines. Siskins were abundant, while Robins and Goldcrests seemed to be everywhere. A quick stop at the Crown and Anchor pub garden produced fleeting glimpses of a Yellow-browed Warbler and a Firecrest, though the blustery conditions made photography impossible.

Goldcrest

Sisken

The estuary was quiet at low tide, but I still picked up Reed Bunting, Wheatear, and a few Grey Plovers.

 Grey Plover

 Wheatear

Reed Bunting

Before leaving, I couldn’t resist photographing a familiar sign at Spurn—a nostalgic reminder of where I first saw my first Pallas’s Warbler many years ago, perched on top.

It was a truly magical day, packed with rarities and classic Spurn highlights. I left with a renewed appreciation for this remarkable site, hoping it won’t be long before I return.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK 12TH-18TH OCT 2016

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SOMERSET COMMON CRANE FOUND SHOT DEAD

News broke today [18 October 2016] that one of the Great Crane Project's most famous reintroduced Common Cranes was sadly found shot dead in late September CLICK HERE

SIBERIAN ACCENTOR MADNESS!

As I sit here writing this, a week after I was planning a trip to Shetland in the morning to see a Siberian Accentor, a first for Britain, astonishingly, a further three birds have been recorded on the mainland. The first individual was found on Thursday by Lance Degan at the end of Vicars Lane, Easington, East Yorkshire. The bird is still there today (Sunday) and has been seen by hundreds of birders, as the picture below shows.

Birders queuing to see the Siberian Accentor

Britain's second Siberian Accentor 

On Saturday afternoon, another individual was found at Huntcliff in Saltburn, Cleveland, by Damien Money (PIC HERE). Incredible to think we are now on the 3rd bird in a week, and then today (Sunday) the MEGA alert went off again at Hendon in County Durham, where the 4th individual was found at the docks (PIC HERE). 4th for Britain in a week! Crazy! This was just a birders' dream bird this time last week! Watch this space, we could see five by tomorrow. 

UPDATED 26th OCTOBER 2016

As I sit here updating my blog this afternoon, another Siberian Accentor has just been found at Houbie in Shetland, which now makes this bird the 10th for Britain. Numbers of this species have also dramatically increased across Europe.

158 Siberian accentor's have now been recorded since the 4th-26th Oct: SWE(59), FIN(45), DEN(10), GBR(10), GER(7), EST(6), POL(6), NOR(6), LAT(5), LIT(3), and NED(1) INCREDIBLE!

UNPRECEDENTED INFLUX OF SIBERIAN ACCENTORS

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Birders in the queue at Easington, Yorkshire, to see the Siberian Accentor

 

YELLOW BROWED WARBLER-HOUGHTON GREEN POND-WARRINGTON

Passing through Warrington this morning, I couldn’t resist calling in to Houghton Green Pond to see the Yellow-browed Warbler found on Tuesday by Colin Davies. It had been years since my last visit, and I was immediately struck by how much the site had changed.

Houghton Green Pond

I met up with Colin while I was there, and it wasn’t long before we heard the warbler calling in some sycamore trees. Moments later, it flew into the willows in front of us, offering prolonged and excellent views—a real treat.

Yellow-browed warbler

This was a fantastic find by Colin on his patch, and it was lovely to return to the site after so many years. Other notable birds included a Green Sandpiper and 16 Wigeon, adding to a very enjoyable morning’s birding.

RSPB LAST CHANCE TO SECURE PROTECTION FOR BRITAINS SEABIRDS

The RSPB has warned that better protection at sea is critical if the decline of Britain's rarest seabirds is to be halted.CLICK ON LINK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK 5TH-11TH OCT 2016

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BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF RARE BIRDS THIS WEEK IN BRITAIN 5th to 11th OCTOBER 2016

REVIEW OF THE WEEK CLICK ON THIS LINK
BY JOSH JONES

FINDERS ACCOUNT OF THE SIBERIAN ACCENTOR-SHETLAND

Finders-in-the-field: Siberian Accentor on Shetland, a British first CLICK HERE
By Hugh Harrop and Judd Hunt

SIBERIAN ACCENTOR-SHETLAND

Yesterday afternoon, I was out shopping when I got a phone call from my birding mate Simon Slade. The moment he said “Siberian Accentor,” I knew it was a mega bird—a first for Britain. Twitch mode instantly set in. I rang my friend Sean Cole, and before I could say anything, he had arranged a private flight for us. Stress over.

The next morning came quickly. I boarded the plane with Sean Cole, Adrian Webb, and James Hanlon, flying to Shetland under clear skies. The aerial views over the islands were spectacular, and Sean kept everyone entertained throughout the flight.

Fair Isle

Sean kept us all entertained on the flight

Landing at Sumburgh Airport, we jumped straight into a taxi, and Chris Batty directed us immediately to the bird. The accentor had retreated into some nettles, and I waited anxiously. Nearly five minutes later, it flew onto the quarry face—and there it was. I could hardly believe my eyes.

For the next two hours, the Siberian Accentor showed brilliantly, foraging just a few metres away at times. It was a stunning bird, a true testament to the incredible journey it had made from northern Siberia, breeding on both sides of the Urals and wintering in southeast Asia, to appear in a small quarry in Shetland.

My first view of the bird

 

Sibetastic!

Looking from the quarry towards St Ninian's Isle

The surroundings were just as memorable as the bird. Looking across the quarry towards St Ninian’s Isle, the atmosphere was perfect, and sharing the moment with fellow twitchers, old friends, and like-minded enthusiasts made it all the more special. After taking one last look at the accentor, we headed to the Sumburgh Hotel for a celebratory pint, well deserved after such a monumental bird.

A monster of Sibe deserves a celebratory pint!

The boys had clearly celebrated the night before  

A quick check of Sumburgh farm and nearby quarries produced more highlights, including Lesser Whitethroat, Twite, Yellow-browed Warbler, Fulmar, and Goldcrest.

 Twite

 Fulmar

 Goldcrest

Lesser whitethroat

By the end of the day, we returned to the airport, all elated at having added a cracking new Siberian Accentor to our lists. A truly unforgettable twitch—a day that will live long in the memory of anyone lucky enough to witness it.

What a day!