Pecs 197

finally managed to get decent views of three of the Pectoral Sandpipers at Alkborough today and firmed up the 197 on the Scunny year list which must surely now top the 200 mark

spot the Pec with Dunlin in the shot above

Brown Shrike

a new bird for Britain but a bit far to count on the local list and a bit far off even for digi-scoping!

Gannet special

after a day of north-easterlies on the 23rd with not a single Gannet today made up for the lack of that species with 108+ at the bridge this morning; a juvenile Little Stint was a second overdue addition but a juvenile Sabine's Gull was only the second patch record following  a juvenile on September 13th 1993; today's bird quickly moved out into the murk of the Humber and disappeared before providing a photo opportunity ( and I still have not had a Kittiwake!); this takes the patch year list to 172 and the Scunny list to 196 but the latter should perhaps be 197 taking into account the fly-by Pec Sands at Alkborough this afternoon -- surely they will get tied down before long but with easterlies prevalent the patch is likely to miss out for the next few days

another Scunny addition

a most unexpected close encounter with a Quail at Alkborough added a species to the scunny area year list which I had missed all summer 194; 

New scunny birds

the day at Alkborough started well with a juvenile Honey Buzzard and got better with a female Redstart then it peaked when I picked up a Wilson's Phalarope; the trouble was it was 800m (measured on the map) from where I was viewing with a 27x50 scope in poor light and that tested my imagination! views from 100m confirmed the ID of this first for the Scunny recording area and a new bird for my UK self found list taking respective tallies to Scunny area total 278 Britain and Ireland self found 325 and British self-found 323; the Scunny area year list meanwhile moves on to 193

Honey Buzzard above form this morning's fly-by

Whinchat at last

after yet another search of the weedy fields of East Marsh a single Whinchat was eventually added to the local year list 169; one Opsrey was still around, a Hobby and 5 Common Terns but little else of note today 

raptor roll

after the first Honey Buzzard of the morning a flock of eight Ruddy Shelduck flew west; eight must be worth a tick! then the expected Osprey turned up and stated fishing; by the end of the day there had been at least three and probably four different Ospreys through with Hobby, Peregrine, Merlin, Common Buzzard, Sparv and Kestrel; in fact it has been a raptor hot weekend as Saturday produced Marsh Harrier and 3 Buzzards on the patch and a thermal full of 3 Red Kites, 3 Marsh Harriers and 3 Buzzards at Alkborough; adding the ducks and two raptors the tally jumps to 168 for Barton and 191 for Scunny

the Ruddy flock, the juvenile Hobby hunting the dragons and one of the Ospreys

HB

high expectations of a Honey Buzzard for the list this morning saw me out on the Humber at 06:30; should have had a lie in as the first bird did not come through until 09:32; a second followed and a third (see terrible pics) was low over Far Ings mid afternoon. 166 for Barton and 189 for the Scunny area with a Whinchat on the Saturday