Couldn't find eight Spoonbills but Nat did find this! any ideas anyone was a fair old size I can tell you!

While my car was unserviceable Darren kindly took us down to Somerset (few weekends ago) for the Little Bittern nice weather great views of Bittern in flight and nice views of Hobby too, as for the Little Bittern what a pain that bird was! six hours stood waiting for a five-second-flight view! Not an easy bird it’s on the list….. Just, but a good day out.
With my car fixed last week I decided to book Friday off work and spend a long weekend with Nat in Norfolk. We left Thursday after I finished and headed straight to my mate Peps place in Fakenham.
Friday morning we were up and off to Lakenheath I’m never optimistic when I visit this place in regarding to seeing Golden Oriole (Couldn’t get down when adults were feeding young in nest)
Though luck was on our side we had brief perched and flight views of both male and female bird in the three hours we were there, so was happy with that great views of Bittern in flight too (Doing well with Bittern sightings this year)
Was a glorious day and the Americans were making the most of it at nearby RAF Lakenheath with good numbers of F-15 Eagles blasting skywards nice! Spent rest day in general area then that evening had a pleasant walk on Hunstanton cliff tops.
Saturday
That night we were camping at Weybourne so after setting up our tent we went back to
Cley and missed Spoonbills again! Gob smacked we retired to pub for some great local guest ale.
Sunday we decided to give Cley a miss visited a few none birding sights. Had a look for Montagu’s Harrier but no sign did have cracking views of Barn Owl though as it flew right past us.
Ended day at Titchwell was hot and heat haze wasn’t helping nice to see the Red Crested Pochard still about with five young in tow.
Really was an enjoyable long weekend and great to be mobile again!

ps thanks Peps for the use of your Norfolk pad!

Sunday 7th

When the Black Winged Pratincole turned up in Kent last month I was twitching that’s for sure but cause of one thing and another I couldn’t or didn’t make enough effort to get there! By month end bird had gone so I thought that was that however a few days later it turned up in Norfolk on a Sunday of all days! All that following week I kept checking news on the bird I even had an offer of a lift during week but could get time off work at such short notice (Thanks all the same Rob)
Saturday 5th came round but I had my partner’s sisters wedding to attend!! There wasn’t much of a night do planned so I had perfect excuse to leave at a decent time ready for the early alarm call question was would the bird stick till Sunday also the weather was a factor…. In June!! Forecast gave impression it was going to be a wash out and bird had tended to move to different spots during its stay in Norfolk so I wasn’t expecting it to be an easy one.
There was no rain as expected on route down and we had cracking views of hunting Barn Owl right at side of road a convenient lay-by meant we were able to watch bird for a good ten minutes some of the time at very close range. Great start to day
Now If someone said to me Saturday that by nine am Sunday morning we would have seen the bird and be sat in our favourite café at Burnham deepdale tucking into full English breakfast I would have laughed but that’s just what happened!
By 8:30 we were hurriedly joining the small crowd, one guy kindly put my scope on to bird and I was surprised at how close it was showing, I had a smile from ear to ear and the on coming rain did nothing to spool me mood! Bird was sat doing very little but was showing well and looked well in the scope. Fifteen minutes later the rain came so we went for breakfast. Half hour later we were back at same field this time the bird was showing well in flight too, very nice!
We spent some time at Cley had couple of Spoonbills and two little Stint for the year, visited a few other places before seeing the Pratincole for the third, by now weather had closed in and it was throwing it down, with no sign of stopping so we left for home late afternoon. Great bird great day!

Cracking Woodchat Shrike West Yorks 24th May digiscoped by Darren AP Ward.

Woodchat Shrike Calder Wetlands West Yorks May 24th
digishot by Darren AP Ward

Well what a weekend Yorkshire had two weeks ago birdwise! Terek Sandpiper (All to briefly) Melodious and Marsh Warbler, Red Footed Falcon, Buff Breasted Sandpiper, Collared Pratincole, Whiskered Ternx3 and Woodchat Shrike!
On Friday 22nd May the county was quiet and with Norfolk having a few birds on offer, including Collared Pratincole that’s were lads and myself decided to spend the day. Sadly the Pratincole had flown just before we got to Cley, or maybe not so sadly as it turned out! Still the weather was nice and there was till plenty to see, we spent rest of day birding with Joe and Sharon
Cley held Sandwich and Little Tern & a Spoonbill (Asleep may I add, which is just how Darren likes his Spoonbills!!!) all year ticks for us.
Next stop Salthouse had a singing Nightingale close by and Turtle Dove calling too. Meanwhile a stones throw away we had cracking and prolonged views of Male Montagu’s Harrier quite close too even perched up on hedge top, two females were also seen.
Day in Norfolk ended at Titchwell I finally managed to get Red Crested Pochard on my Norfolk list… err don’t laugh! Its taken me many attempts & no I’m not joking, Bittern was seen in flight, hobby was also seen and nice views of Reed Warbler, yes me missed the Pratincole but a very enjoyable day.
However it didn’t end there just past Newark we had news, the Collared Pratincole had headed North form Norfolk and turned up at Swillington Ings in West Yorks we thought it was wind up at first till official news came threw! Panic set in of course was a Yorkshire tick for us all, those last few miles are always the worst and time wasn’t on our side but just after 8pm there we were along with a sizeable crowd and there sat on the Island was the bird we had gone to Norfolk for the Collared Pratincole! You couldn’t make it up could you!
Next morning we had a lie in after a few beers to celebrate the previous days events, made myself a drink switched computer on Whiskered Tern Swillington Ings! Unbelievable, not long after Nat and myself were off, as soon as we arrived we were straight onto two Whiskered Terns, brilliant another Yorks tick in the bag! Plenty of familiar faces on site, it was turning into quite a weekend.
We then left to spend day in York with Nats parents hadn’t been there that long when I received news of yet another Yorkshire tick up for grabs Woodchat Shrike Calder wetlands near Pugneys, several hours later (which dragged by!) we were leaving York and on route thankfully the bird had stuck all day and we enjoyed great views and it was all smiles as we chatted with Darren who we had met for second time that day and also caught up with Joe and Sharon who had also chased up for the Pratincole after we left them in Norfolk.
Not a weekend many will forget in a hurry I’m sure.

16th May
Darren and myself spent day at Spurn was a good day out and we had a good laugh with some familiar faces, sadly the birding was very frustrating, the Thrush Nightingale was only heard (But not by us) and never seen there were four Icterine Warblers in and around the Spurn area and was a case of chasing them round, in end we came across a singing bird Darren got a half decent sighting but I fared worse and although I saw it views were so poor I didn’t count it on the year list. Pied and Spotted Flycatcher showed nicely and had decent views of Cuckoo. Bird of day was
Temminck's stint which we saw on way home at North Cave