Poking in pits

I did make comment about "you guys standing by your pits and waiting for waders" while I hit the hills and got the proper birds up there, but hypocritically decided to try Grovebury for two easier needed Gulls on Sunday. This proved to be worthwhile with SFYT two full summer plumage Black-tailed Godwits dropping in and three Yellow-legged Gulls on the boom, one of which is illustrated here with colour rings. A probable Marsh harrier got away though as a bird coming towards me almost out of the sun was lost from the scope view and frustratingly could not be refound, presumably dropped down somewhere. Will be back in the pits of course for Med and potential waders, but rather be finding Wryneck in a few weeks time...

GH

Thought I had blown this one too. Today, I flushed one out of a ditch at Myers Farm near Potton. I must have visited this site 20+ times at dawn and dusk looking for them, so can only assume that this one was on migration. Saw it well in flight, then it started to scold me from the dense herbage.

So following CS and YG at Tetworth on Saturday and GH today, I am now on 128 self-found, zero-carbon (136 total) - the only list that really matters to me. Game on Messrs Bashford and Grimsey (although I suspect Mr Lynch will be right in the mix when he updates his total).

Tetworth is sure to score me some ticks this autumn...

ATB,

DOM

Wybo WeBS wonders

My last WeBS count of the month.  An Arctic Tern among the many Commons (video'd and frozen for your viewing pleasure), and, as far as I can see, an adult Yellow-legged Gull.  Appeared to be paired with a Lesser Black-backed.

Class act

He may have been doing a little less birding of late but Martin P shows us how it's done and pulls out a corker at Stewartby Lake!

"I had just completed my first scan through the gull roost at Stewartby Lake when I happened across the same "little grebe" just beyond the middle of this large lake as I reported for Wednesday evening. It was 6.25 and this time I looked at it properly! The clue on Wednesday was, of course, that it was alone toward the centre of the lake whereas Dabchicks here generally hug the fringes. It was clearly blackish grey and smoky white with an erect neck and slopy dark crown descending below the eye - classic BLACK-NECKED GREBE!  Unsurprisingly, it was too distant and too gloomy to attempt a thro' the 'scope shot of the BNG at Stewartby Lake.

 Yellow-legged Gull

Wheatear

My pocket Lumix around with me is paying dividends! After Wednesday's Stonechat and Whitchat shots at Woburn Road Wetlands, Kempston, here are a couple of shots of the Northern Wheatear and Yellow-legged Gull from y'day evening. I've even got the A421 roadsign in one shot in proof of location!

It always pays to have something handy in you pocket when you find something unusual whilst out birding!"

Not only Grimsey can do gulls...

Many, many gulls on the airfield tonight.  Among them, a fine adult Yellow-legged Gull - maybe a couple of juvs but will spare the public those shots.  Also another adult gull with pale yellow legs which would be great to call a Caspian but I need a second opinion...