Falco Subbuteo etc......

Fungi-Helvetica coreus.

An all day visit to MSQ again today saw some great sightings enjoyed over the 8 hours on site,which included a superbly confiding 2nd calendar year Hobby which perched in some waterside willows giving cracking views.At least 4 birds were seen today,all immature 2nd calendar year birds,watched hawking St.Marks  flys as in previous visits.Other nice sightings included superb views of Garden and Reed Warblers and a Spotted Flycatcher showed nicely in the plantation,with a single Dunlin watched feeding along the edge of one of the islands and 8 Common Buzzards mewed and performed overhead.Insects were well represented by my first Slender-ground Hoppers of the year,the afore-mentioned Dragonflys in my other blog http://www.stevesdragons.blogspot.com and a handfull of Green-veined White,Orange Tip,Peacock and Speckled Woods,with my first Small Copper of the year in the heathy area.Also observed today was a nationally scarce Fungi,Helvetica coreus,which was a new species for myself.So another fruitfall visit was had today,along with some decent weather again.

White-winged stunner......

After a 3 hour visit to MSQ this morning and early afternoon,very little was seen apart from 5 Sloe Bug,my first of the year and the weather was a total contrast to yesterdays lovely sun and warmth,being cool and overcast.So after this brief visit i travelled home,when after a few hours i got a text from Mr C,saying that an adult Iceland Gull was on the 'Patch' at Bonby Carrs.So i dashed off to add this stunning bird to my local patch list.It was watched on arrival,loafing and preening along with its commoner cousins on the wet fields giving great views of this gorgeous gull.The fields are looking in real good nick at the moment,with short vegetation and plenty of water,so no doubt more good birds will be found and the local Lapwings and Shelduck seemed to be happy with it.This bird was the first adult i have seen for a few years and also the latest personal record of the species,as by now it should be well on its way back to Greenland and thinking of breeding.Also seen today,was a single male Wheatear on a pea field between Barnetby and Bigby.

MSQ again.....

Egg-laying female Brimstone.

Egg-laying female Brimstone.

With some nice and much warmer weather than yesterday,i headed again for this cracking reserve and enjoyed a great 5 hours seeing a good mix of birds and insects.Highlights from the avian world included some nice views of a singing male Garden Warbler,one of my favourite warbler species with their lovely liquid,rambling song,a couple of Kingfisher,single,singing male Cuckoo and 2 Barn Owl at their nest box.Several Common Buzzard were also seen overhead and a female Sparrowhawk was also seen,carrying prey and all the common migrants and resident breeding birds were all in fine voice.But today,it was insects which took centre stage at last,with 2 species of Damselfly being seen(See my Dragonfly blog) and 5 species of Butterfly which included 2 male Orange Tip,3 Peacock,5 female Brimstone watched egg-laying,4 Green-veined White and a single Speckled Wood.Other insects observed today included my first Alder Fly's of the year and a single Oiceoptoma thoracicum.A great day out again at this cracker of a reserve.

Messingham Sand Quarries......

A few hours out this afternoon before the deluge tomorrow,saw a fairly cold and overcast reserve.So as the weather has already suggested,pretty poor for insects and still no Odonata species.Thankfully i managed a few nice sightings which included my first 3 Garden Warbler for the year,1 Common Sandpiper feeding around the bottom islands and a lovely flash of electric blue as a Kingfisher dashed by with a fish in his or her bill and promptly perched up to devour its lunch.Other species which were in good numbers were the hirundines,with a good mixed flock feeding over the main lake,with a few Swifts mixed in with them and a distant Cuckoo occasionally called.Non bird sightings comprised of a handfull of Common Frogs and large numbers of Adela Reumurella swarming around the hawthorns on the reserve.An enjoyable few hours,but hope the weather is going to change for the better soon.

Flamboro' revisited.......

Common Seal,South Landing.

Some people watching a rare dickie bird.

North Landing.

North Landing,from the clifftop car park.

South Landing.

Another visit to this birding mecca today provided us with another great days birding and wildlife watching,this is what we saw.The main reason we had come today,was so that Chris could catch up with the stunning 2nd calendar year 'Ficedula' Flycatcher that has been present for the past week.At first it was difficult to get to grips with,but later put on a star performance,with it sitting in the open on a branch in the sun,fantastic!.While watching this stunner,we had several good birds,well i did anyway,a single Tree Pipit being rather elusive and was only seen as it perched in a sycamore before disappearing,a 'Ringtail' Harrier,presumably Hen,i only saw the arse end of it and surprise of the day,a single Bearded Tit,south calling,an amazing record!.A walk round this migrant trap provided us with stunning views of a yearling Common Seal just above the beach,which was promptly rescued and he or she swam away quite happily,a great sighting and a total of at least 5 Spotted Flycatcher our first birds of the year,which showed brilliantly and a single Whimbrel calling as it passed overhead.After refuelling we made the short journey over to the opposite side of the headland to North Landing and walked all round to Thornwick Pools.The reason why we had come, was to see a Wood Sandpiper,which showed very nicely as it picked insect prey delicately from the mud,a lovely bird and again our first for the year.Another first here was a single,singing male Sedge Warbler and on the walk over we had managed a couple of very smart Wheatear and couple of Stonechat.Also certainly worth a mention was the myriad of seabirds seen on and off the cliffs,with a steady procession of Gannets making their way back to Bempton after their fishing sorties,thousand of Auks which included Guillemot,Razorbill and Puffins and also masses of Kittiwakes,the latter watched collecting seaweed in the small bay at North Landing as the tide and wind battered the seaweed off the rocks,a great sight to watch.So this spectacle,coupled with fantastic rareities and stunning scenery made for a great day out and a big thanks to Chris for driving.

South Landing Stunner.......

With the prospect of a full week off to recover i made the decision to go over to Flamboro' this morning straight from work for the 'Ficedula' Flycatcher at South Landing.Amazingly on arrival there were only another two birders present,for what could potentially be not only a first for the British Isles,but also a first for Europe!.Any way down to business and after what seemed like an eternity of staring into the ravine,we at last got our first glimpses of this stunning bird.On first appearance it looked immediately brighter than your normal run of the mill Pied Fly,with a huge wing patch,large white patch on the forehead and velvety black upperparts.There was a very slight hint of a rump patch,being dirty brownish in colour and with really,gleaming white underparts,making for a very contrasting looking bird.I watched it on and off for the next 3 hours as it sallied for insects,sometimes being lost as it darted about after its insect prey and we were slowly joined by other visitors to see this cracking bird.Regardless of the outcome,this bird is certainly worth seeing and the 50 mile journey was well worth it.Other birds seen while on site included a single male Brambling,no doubt confused by the freezing weather today,a couple of Siskin,5 Blackcap and about 20 Chiffchaff.Overhead a single Merlin dashed south over the ravine and a handfull of Puffins were seen distantly on the sea.A very enjoyable few hours with this stunning little bird and well worth the drive over straight from nights.