News broke around 20.00pm last night that a White-tailed lapwing had turned up at Woolston eyes in Warrington. This bird has been in Britain for a long time and has visited numerous counties. I couldn't get there, so I made plans to go with Fred Fearne and Malc Curtin for first light in the morning.
On arrival at 6.00am, the news came out that the bird had gone! We had already decided the night before to head to East Yorkshire for the day and ended up at Bempton Cliffs looking for the Black-browed albatross. After a two-hour wait, there was no sign of the bird, but there were plenty of other species to keep us occupied.
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| Tree Sparrows were in good numbers on the reserve |
Kittiwake
Gannets were in good numbers, and thankfully the bird flu doesn't seem to be this far south
Puffin
Moving on from Bempton Cliffs, we called in at a new site for all of us, Wykeham Forest raptor viewpoint, hoping to see Honey buzzards.
On arrival, it didn't take long before the raptors started to show; a Goshawk flew south and a Hobby put in a brief appearance. Then, over our heads, three Honey buzzards flew over us; best views I've ever had of these stunning birds.
What a great place to see these magnificent birds.
HAPPY DAYS!
A great day birding; just a shame the White-tailed lapwing wasn't seen. It turned up in the West Midlands and showed all day!