July to August Catch Up

Due to general laziness, I haven't been keeping up to date with my year list on here, so below is a list of what I've been for over the past few months.

11th July - White Winged Black Tern - Rother Valley Country Park (209)

14th July - Sabine's Gull - Carr Vale Nature Reserve, Derbyshire (210)

26th July - Broad Billed Sandpiper (211), Pectoral Sandpiper (212), Curlew Sandpiper (213) - Frampton RSPB

7th August - Greenshank (214) - Frampton RSPB

15th August - Nightjar - Kelling Heath (215)

19th August - Spotted Crake (216), 2 Egyptian Geese, 2 Green Sandpipers, Corn Buntings, Golden Plover, Bar Headed Goose, 7 Greenshanks, 7 Dunlin, Yellow Wagtail - North Cave

30th August - Western Purple Swamphen, 12 Spoonbills - Alkborough Flats, Lincs - Not yet countable

4th September - Sooty Shearwater (217), 3 Manx Shearwater (218), 2 Arctic Skua (219), Black Tern, Kittiwake, Purple Sandpiper (220)

15th September - Redstart (221)

20th September - Buff Breasted Sandpiper (222)

22nd September - 3-4 Yellow Browed Warbler (223) - Flamborough. 2 Whinchats (224) - Bempton RSPB

6th October - Eastern Crowned Warbler (225), Bluethroat (226), Greenish Warbler (227), Arctic Warbler (228), 2 Yellow Browed Warbler - Bempton RSPB

13th October - Paddyfield Warbler (229), 2 Shorelark (230) - Flamborough

Photo with thanks to Richard Willison

Arriving home having gotten drenched through to the skin in the torrential rain up at Flamborough for the Paddyfield, I was getting myself sorted ready for school pick up, when I experienced a bit of a "headless chicken moment". Whilst plugging my phone in to charge, I was checking through Facebook, when I noticed  a message in the Rare Birds Group, "Siberian Accentor - Easington"!! Thinking that I had misread it and it was relating to the earlier bird from Shetland, I checked again, then my phone went crazy, 2 phone calls telling me of the news, from Phil and Sean, followed by the Mega Alert from RBA!! Slightly panicky now as I had about 15 minutes to wait before the kids finished school, how could I work this?!

With Amy already booked into school club, it was just a case of convincing Toby that he really would like to see a second for Britain and he would thank me for it later, if and when, he started birding!! After a bit of bribery, a trip to Toys R Us promised, we were on our way through the rush hour traffic to Easington. With constant updates on the continued presence of the bird, it was looking to be a case of if I could make it before dusk.

Fortunately, we were able to cut the expected journey time and we arrived to a relatively small crowd getting point blank views of the SIBERIAN ACCENTOR (497, 231)

19th October - Isabelline Wheatear (232), Grey Wagtail - Easington Boatyard. Siberian Accentor - Easington. Black Redstart (233) - Bluebell Caravan Park. Great Grey Shrike (234) - The Triangle.