The Mega~mouth!!!... County Tick No.3#!!...

By 'Mega~mouth' I aint refering to the extremely rare shark which was first discovered in 1976, I am, in fact, refering to that wonderful little warbler with the amazing loud call - the Cetti's Warbler!!!

The news of one being present at Monkmoor Pool (Monkmoor again here!!), yesterday got quite a few pulses raised!! The last county Cetti's was in the 60's, with possibly a report from Chelmarsh at a later date, we weren't too sure.... Anyway, there was one now, & it's a county mega!!!Even though I am currently working nights (yep! I'm still on 'em!!), I had a brief hours sleep before getting up & joining Dave to head off down to Monkmoor Pool. When we arrived a positive throng of birders were present (18 in total, I think, a variable mass twitch for Shropshire!!), incl. all the hardcore, The Guru, Big V, Mike, Damo, Rob, Andy, Geoff, Jim... to name but a few...

Ken, the finder (who actually discovered the bird back in October last year!!!), led the way to the far scrape!! Chiffchaff's were instantly picked up & were quite numerous... Then, from our left, the unmistakable burst of Cetti song!!!... Then a bird flew from the source of sound & in typical Cetti style vanished in the bushes!! Then Mike & myself in unision noticed a rich brown, large warbler on a branch directly on the water surface - the Cetti's Warbler!!!!...

My 3rd county tick for 08!!... The bird did a disappearing act then, which lasted possibly 30 or so minutes with one or two brief sightings around the scrape...

Luckily the snow stopped and the sun came out... I was stood with Dave, away from the throng, when the burst of song came again, this time close by, and there, in the nearest brashy area, out hopped the Cetti's in full view!!!I called around to everyone that we were on it, but by the time they joined us it had gone again.But in just a few minutes, this time directly ahead, Damo spotted it & this time it showed brilliantly to all, moving along low at first then working it's a way up a vertical branch & giving off it's brilliant call half way up... before flying over to another area of cover & vanishing again!!

Everyone was chuffed with the great views.... & as a bonus I added Ruddy Duck as a year tick & The Guru saw the female Ring-necked Duck was still on the main pool (plus he'd had a male Ring-neck that morning at ASF too!!! - cant be bad!!)

As I'm now fully charged, bollocks to sleep, I'm off for a few celebratory pints of Guinness!!!

The Shropshire 'throng' at the Monkmoor Cetti's twitch!!... You could barely move!!!... ;~p

Well, I guess it's spring?...

Still quiet aint it?... I have been birding, but have had little to really to put onto my blog worth reading!! I scored my 1st Sand Martin around the 16th I think?... But failed to see the LRP & Wheatear seen at VP the previous day ~ not that I'm too worried about either! ;~)As I'm currently back on night shifts, I do enjoy swinging into VP en route home. It's early, light & quiet! I do enjoy this time I have alone at VP. This morning, with the strong winds & rain last night I did think I'd found a 'new' bird in at VP, a rather splendid winter pl. Black-tailed Godwit!! But later I checked the log & it was present there yesterday... still, a nice bird tho!There were 7 Curlew present on the island with the Blackwit, also 2 Oystercatcher... A lone Sand Martin flew through and a solitary Redpoll in the top field, otherwise it was very quiet...Still, we have a blog entry my friends!!! ;~)

Hopefully one of these early starts will pay off with a decent bird dropping in?....

The lone 'Blackwit' at VP this morning ~ elegant bird I always think?....

And it's a lifer for me, & it's a lifer for him!!...

'Him' being Dave Western, my companion & driver for today!... Undetered by poor weather reports (in fact, the weather was lkay, clear skies, bright sunshine... just a biting wind making it feel like early March!!), we set off for Angelsey just after 7am this morning!!...

With a high tide visable we decided to pull over at Llanfairfechan en route for a seawatch. At first it appeared quiet then the first of literally hundreds of Gannets began to drift past... We counted well over 10 Red-throated Diver, with 5 sat together at one point!!.. Common Scoter were numerous, but distant. However, after such difficulty at my previous two visits, Red-breasted Mergansers were everywhere, easily 20+ seen!!... A single Rock Pipit flew over, a year tick for both of us!... A distant duck flying out at sea had a ring of Long-tailed about it, but like the 'possible' Eiders at my last visit, not seen well enough to be ticked!... However, I did manage to get Dave onto a lone, light phase Arctic Skua far out at sea... Onwards....

We arrived at Penrhos coastal park (just a car park really!!) around 10am, and we were literally, instantly onto a target bird for the day, just swimming 30 odd feet away was the adult Ring-billed Gull!!! A lifer for myself, a year tick for Dave. As a youngster behind us began to feed the ducks, the gulls got up and landed directly behind us, the Ring-billed perched on a low fence no more than 10 feet away, giving great photo opportunities!!!... Chuffed to bits, we moved onto Holyhead Harbour....

When we arrived, this was how the bird looked!!... Pretty damn good, but.....

..... Just moments later, he looked this good!!!!... Not often I can take a half decent pic, eh?!!? Two more profile typey shot type things of this great, showy gull!! (Typical yank ~ showing off!!)

After a bit of a search I located a lone summer plumaged Black Guillemot... after a bit more time I managed to get Dave to see it!!... ;~) Just another Rock Pipit of note here so we moved onto South Stack!!...

Still very quiet here, but quite good numbers of Fulmar on the cliff, 1 Great Northern Diver flew past & I got onto 3 Guillemot out at sea. Just 1 Chough seen & only a hybrid 'Hoodie' (not ticked by Dave!!)....

We were making our way to Red Wharf Bay when I got a text from Rob Smallwood asking if I was going for the Hoopoe nr. Llanwrst?... I wasn't exactly sure where the location was, but thanks to Rob & Phil Woollen I soon had the directions to the site ~ big thank you to both you guys!! ~ there was little deciding to be made as this was a lifer for Dave.... we were on our way!!...

Indeed, the pager directions weren't brilliant, but after asking a few locals we eventually found the old mine & parked up! The bird had been showing just minutes previously, so we joined 2 other birders & made our way along the track to 'ze spot!!'

After a good half hour and no sign, things didn't look good... this was made worse when a birder over the far side waved us across, he was pointing down into the valley!!... Again we moved further around (through a soaking bog & I only had my trainers on!!), & once again we waited... & waited!!... Nothing!!

Then!! The bird was showing back where we were previously stood (literally to the spot!!)... After a mad dash & a few frantic moments searching we were onto the Hoopoe!!, as it fed behind a clump of gorse!! Luckily it eventually moved out into the open & we were treated to some excellent views... My 3rd Hoopoe in the UK (both previous birds in Shropshire), but a lifer for Dave!!!

A selection of photo's of todays Hoopoe nr. Llanrwst, or is it Llanwst?... or Llanwyst?... Oh I dunno, it's just off the B5106 anyway!!... & of course, it's a cracker of a bird!!... & it's on my year list too!! ;~p

The drive home was very relaxed as we were both pretty damn chuffed with a great days birding... Dave has gone home for a sleep, I've now got a night shift to do!! Oh what joy... but I aint too bothered, 3 year ticks, one a lifer, cant be bad!! ;~)

Waders at Mire!!...

It was a post with news of a year tick which prompted a visit to Mire Lake lunchtime today.... When I arrived the wind was, well, pretty bloody strong, so the scope was getting a fair battering (for this reason, just bare in mind it's hard to digiscope!! ~ as you know, I'm already soooo sh*t hot at it!!)....

A good collection of birds on such a small area, fair flock of BH Gulls, maybe 200 odd, with the odd LBB & Herring in amongst them... At least 4 Redshank around the pool, 2 Oystercatcher and after a search 2 Green Sandpipers ~ my target bird, as it's a year tick, and do I need a few!!...

Couple of Gadwall & quite a few Teal. At least 3 Grey Wagtail also....

Apologies for such a brief write up, but it's Friday, I'm off work & I'm in a rush to get down the pub & on ze lash!!!....Mire Lake today.... It can produce some pretty damn good birds y'know?... Not today tho!!...

Even for me, two shite pictures of Green Sandpipers, in the upper, he's behind the BH Gulls, the lower, it's the blob on the shoreline ~ I have reached a new level in crap!!

One of the few Grey Wagtails around the lake today, a fave bird of mine, pretty lil' thing's, aint they?....
One of at least 4 Redshank at Mire Lake today.....

**PLEASE NOTE: Mire Lake is on private land & permission to bird on here MUST be sought beforehand!!**

It's a bit of a struggle....

It's a struggle to place an interesting blog entry anyway!!.... I haven't disapeared, nor jacked in birding, or given up on my blog! It's just that there aint much to write about at the moment! I've not had much luck birding the last 3 or 4 weeks really, in or out of the county! (Dave & myself had a dire day in Staffs the other week, dipping every single target bird!!)...

But as I'm currently back on nights I've been stopping off at VP every morning, so here, to relieve the non-entry boredom, is a brief write up of my last couple of visits.... In all honesty, in aint much more interesting than nothing!!...

Typical cold mornings, but bright & clear, & arriving in time to watch 3 Curlew fly out of the main pool. 2 Bullfinch were very confiding both mornings in the car park & Great Spots can be heard drumming now in Cound Stank wood! On the pool the Shelduck is still present, as are the 2 Oystercatcher. Small numbers of Teal, Shoveler, Pochard & Tufted Duck, with 2 Pintail this morning.

A frosty start in the top field today.... & yes, it was as quiet as it looks!!!.....

The top field remains painfully quiet, however the North field faired slightly better with a flock of c.60 Fieldfare, a few Redwing & 100+ Starling, joined by the odd BH Gull & a lone Stock Dove. 2 Song Thrush were in the meadow & Marsh Tit were easily picked up in the car park area also. Only Nuthatch of note in this general area also...

Sunrise over the meadow & a very poor shot of the Fieldfare's feeding in the North field!!...

And I'm afraid that's it!!... But with spring en route things should pick up (& get more interesting!!), very soon!....