Ring-billed Gull, Gosport, Hampshire, 25/11/2012

Weather forecast today is not good, a bit of sunshine early to turn to grey cloud and rain by lunchtime !

05.30 hours, we headed off to Hampshire.

Target birds
1. Ringed-billed Gull at Gosport
2. Black Brant Goose
3. Red-breasted Goose

Arriving at Gosport about 08.00 hours, a perfect blue sky.
No sign of a Ring-billed Gull

Next for the Black Brant,
There must have been 500+ Brent Geese at the first site, another 200+ at another, to difficult for me, a quick return to the car for me !  The chaps tried hard, but they could not find the BB.

Next to Farlington Marshes for the Red-breasted Goose, the weather has changed to dull grey cloud, looks like rain, (nearly as bad as yesterday), I did not bother to get out of the car ! I never got out of the car yesterday either, it was so bad !

Today is beginning to look like yesterday, a wash out !

The chaps get a distant view of the Red-breasted Goose

and then we moved on, a bit of an explore around,

seeing

Common Gull

Red-breasted Merganser, 20 +
Goldeneye, pair
Little Egret

then returning to Gosport to have another look for the Ring-billed Gull.

Kevin spots it immediately from the car park next to the cafe overlooking the lake, in with the Swans and a few Black-headed Gulls,
it is still dull and raining, straight into the cafe ! time for breakfast !

Breakfast finished, we wander down to the lake, the rain has stopped, the sky has cleared,


Ringed-billed Gull, adult w.

The light was changing by the minute, then the rain came again !

We had a look around another couple of local sites seeing another 4 Red-breasted Mergansers but the light was just to poor for a photograph.

The day was finished by 14.00 hours, a drive home in continual rain, I was home by 18.30 hours.

Red-throated Diver, North Norfolk, 3/11/2012

Forecast :  Rain all day in the South East !
Norfolk has the best chance of a bit of fair weather.

We arrived at Salthouse, Norfolk at about 09.00 hours to blue sky and pleasant conditions

At sea, Gannet, passing and feeding close in
Red-throated Diver, drifting by close in feeding, and more further out

Snow Bunting, 50 +  very flighty,

Redshank, Meadow Pipit 

Common, Black-headed and Herring Gull

Just beginning to enjoy the day ! when at 10.30 hours,

The weather changed to cloud and then intermittent rain, grey and dull !

We moved on stopping at Cley, a Peregrine over and Marsh Harrier quartering, a very brief visit to the closest hide, everything very distant, to be fair, most of our stay was in the Cafe, (Mick likes the cakes)

We again move on arriving at Titchwell about 15.00 hours, here the weather brightened, a walk out onto the beach, here again everything distant, photo opportunities 'NILL'

Shore Lark, Reculver, 28/10/2012

M.S., Kevin and I arrive at Reculver around 07.45 hours, there is no wind today, the sky looks good !

All ready in the car park, the East Kent boys, they are out in force, even Mr. SA has travelled all the way from his hide at Stodmarsh !

I am out of my depth with all these 'top lot' !
You never know, i will tag along and hopefully I may pick up a few tips ! !

I lag a bit behind, the light is perfect, I can't resist a Turnstone, then Brent Geese over, super start ! !

I kept an eye on Mr. SA's activities, I can see that he has located the Shore Lark with two Snow Bunting.

a few images (from several)

Snow Bunting

I break away and walk up to the lagoons hoping to find a Lapland Bunting, no show, lots of Brent Geese both at sea and on the fields.

Returning to the Shore Lark, M.S. and Kevin have gone to the cafe ! They are crazy.

time for a few more photo's of the ''Horned Lark''.

Returning to the towers, a pair of Northern Wheatear

the morning finished, now its time for breakfast

A superb day out ! !


Gulls and Common Scoter, Dungeness, Kent, 27/10/2012

Our day started at Reculver, arriving at first light about 07.30 hours.

I was having hopes of catching up with the Shore Lark, the Lapland or Snow Buntings ! !

No chance, the wind was very strong, straight from the north, cold, sea spray was being carried hard on the wind, the light was very dull !

No chance of me getting out of the car in these conditions (worse than Shetland)

Kevin had a couple of hours sea watching from the towers, he was not overjoyed when he returned to the car !

M.S. went out for a half hour, with camera ! and then came back 'moaning' !

I sat in the car until the Cafe opened, (and i drove from the car park to the cafe), very nice breakfast in Reculver !

Breakfast over, the conditions here at Reculver are not going to improve !

We head off for Dungeness, 12.00 hours, we are at the fishing boats on the point at Dungeness.
The wind is still blowing hard, intermittent rain and generally dull !  I was again slow getting out of the car but at least here at Dungeness you can take photo's of the Gulls !


Glaucous Gull, 3rd winter

Yellow-legged Gull

Black-headed Gull



Herring Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

As the afternoon has gone on, the light has got better, M.S. tells me a Common Scoter is further up the beach !

A Common Scoter is drifting from east to west, close to shore, feeding. At 'the point', the Scoter would then fly back east 200 metres, then drift back to 'the point' on the tide, occasional feeding. As we were watching, 3 more Common Scoters joined in, they continued this feeding habit, enabling a few photo's.

Common Scoter

16.30 hours, a full rainbow formed towards the east, the clouds came over, the wind strengthened, driving rain and 'run back to the car'.

***   Star bird today    'Common Scoter'

Smashing day out ! ! !