Another go.

Ruff with Black-tailed Godwits at Marshside this evening.

 Well, the weather cleared a bit so I revisited the estuary this evening starting at Hesketh Out Marsh RSPB. Bit blustery but pleasant enough with several Tree Sparrows, 28 Avocets and a couple of Corn Buntings being the highlights. 

 Down at Marshside there were fewer Dunlin in front of Nel's (c.30) and nothing among them as far as I could see. John Bannon and I chatted about Honey Buzzards, Goshawks, Mull and the likelihood of him finding a Bluethroat in the morning as we watched the waders.

 The black and chestnut Ruff had the decency to drop in with the Blackwits for a while right in front of the hide. Super creature and interestingly a Reeve was also present tonight.

Otherwise much as this morning apart from 100+ Swifts and Reed Warblers singing away in the evening sunshine.

Marshside 31 May 2012.

Plenty of waders on Marshside 1 from Nel's this morning. 

Ruff on the Junction Pool, Marshside RSPB, 31 May 2012.

 Woke fairly early hoping to do another hedgerow survey for the RSPB at Hesketh Out Marsh this morning. Looked out the window: "Not gonna happen". Up and about so I drove down to Marshside where I spent over two hours watching waders alone in Nel's Hide.

Ruff on Marshside 1, 31 May 2012.

 There were many waders dropping in as the weather worsened, mostly Dunlin (at least 95 present, probably more) and Ringed Plovers (25+) with 3 Sanderling and a single Curlew Sandpiper (in summer plumage) joining the flock at times.
Otherwise the usual suspects included 2 Ruff in breeding finery, Avocets with chicks, 165 Black-tailed Godwits, plenty of Gadwall and a few Shoveler and single drake Pintail.
I left mid-morning as the birds took to the longer grass to preen and roost. No stints but they could easy be in the grassy tufts and hidden away. Nice to be birding on the estuary again; might go back later for some more.

One of the Sanderlings with Dunlin, Marshside RSPB 31 May 2012.

Ornithological period of austerity

Brown Hare on Rimmer's Marsh, Marshside 29 May 2012.

I think there's a phrase involving smacking a cow's arse and a banjo. Well, in birding terms I'd miss it at the moment too. Pretty quiet at Marshside again yesterday early doors although you just can't predict what will happen at this time of year. A calling Pink-footed Goose flying over the marsh first thing was a bit odd and there was at least a nice smattering of waders - Dunlins, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets and a seriously "ruffed-up" Ruff. Very handsome.

View from Nel's Hide, Marshside 29 May 2012.

Woodlark near Ipsilou, Lesvos May 2012.

 So, the last few from Lesvos for now ........

Red-backed Shrike, Napi Valley, May 2012.

 And a few of the Red-throated Pipits that graced the fields at the Kaloni saltpans on Lesvos in May.

Red-throated Pipits (above).

Bee-eater at the Kalloni Saltpan sheep fields, Lesvos May 2012.

Old Faithfull

Glossy Ibis with Ruff, Kalloni saltpans pool ("Old Faithful"), May 2012.  

Black Stork with Little Egret. 

 The pool near the salt works at Kalloni was a reliable site for a spot of good birding, whether it be an hour before breakfast, an hour before dinner or a full morning. We always saw plenty of stuff there ...... Broad-billed Sand's, Marsh Sand', Collared Pratincoles, White-winged Black Terns, Whiskered Terns or Bee-eaters and red-backed Shrikes on the wires. 

Drake Garganey. 

Slim pickings.

Male Whinchat, Dumfriesshire May 2012.

Another week of the spring gone with little to write home about apart from working in glorious weather in Scotland. Very quiet on the Solway apart from two migrant Spotted Flycatchers in the golf course copse at Southerness and singing Reed Warbler (scarce in Dumfries & Galloway) in the reed bed in nearby Gillfoot Bay.

"Sandstorm" at Mersehead, Dumfries & Galloway.

We spent the weekend birding the Southerness area, checking the local wader flocks at the point and on the Nith Estuary at Carse Bay. Plenty of Ringed Plovers and Dunlins but alas nothing more interesting than a couple of Sanderling amongst them.

Back on the Ribble this morning checking out Marshside RSPB (pretty quiet as far as I could see) when I bumped into Graham Clarkson. We teamed up to cover Hesketh Out Marsh (male Wheatear, 2 Greenshanks, 40 Avocet) and had just about finished there when the news came through that a Temminck's Stint was at Martin Mere WWT. Quarter of an hour later we were there, 'scoping a very distant small wader and rather more "gingery" than I was expecting having just seen quite a few in Lesvos of late (like the one pictured above). Must've been a trick of the light.

Lesvos hotel birding.

Bee-eaters at the Cristou River mouth, Lesvos May 2012.

Few random shots from the latest Ornitholiday's Lesvos tour showing some of the "common" birds around the hotel. We stayed at the Kalloni Bay this year with this handy platform in the car park that overlooked the marsh.

Squacco Heron.

View over the marsh from the hotel tower hide.

Purple Heron on the marsh at Skala Kalloni.

And some roadside birds near the hotel: Black-headed Wagtail, Crested Lark and Black-headed Bunting.

Ribble Montagu's Harrier.

Another half-decent morning. I was BBS-ing at RSPB Hesketh Out Marsh early doors today and just moving the car along Dib Road when a familiar shape came across the track in the form of a male Montagu's Harrier. Jumped out the car to watch this fine bird heading west towards Banks, no hunting and appeared to be losing height. Quick call to see who else was out surveying the salt marsh and luckily Graham Clarkson picked the harrier up heading out to the NNR, harried by gulls and Corvids. Nice yesterday near Martin Mere, better still on the Ribble today.
Not much to report from HOM apart from a pair of Arctic Terns carrying fish (maybe from the Longton breeding colony) and a few Common Terns.
Finished the morning with a session at Nel's Hide, Marshside where there were at least 5 Curlew Sandpipers (one about to take off pictured above) and 3 Little Stints with 150+ Dunlins. Single Ruff, LRP and Whimbrel on the marsh with the usual Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks.

Little Crake

Male Little Crake at Metochi Lake, Lesvos May 2012.

 With water levels at Metochi Lake a little high prior to the Ornitholiday's tour to Lesvos, there had been few reports of any crakes. We paid a couple of visits to Metochi during our week on Lesvos, seeing Little Crakes on both occasions. The dawn visit was however by far the best with this male showing very well on the opposite bank in the early morning light.

Ribble Spot' Flys and nearby Monty.

Spotted Flycatcher in the Meladia Valley, Lesvos May 2012.

Finally had a bit of decent local birding this morning starting on the sandplant at Marshside where four or five Wheatears darted around the peninsula and a couple of pairs of Eider and some Knot and summer plumage Grey Plovers on the mudflats. Up to six Spotted Flycatchers and a female Whinchat on the golf course bordering the reserve along with plenty of Whitethroats, Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.
The marsh was buzzing with hirundines and Swifts, lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets with small groups of Dunlin scattered here and there. 
Lesser Whitethroat singing from the willows in the car park and my walk to the hides to look through the waders was halted by a message from Graham Clarkson telling me of a male Montagu's Harrier near Martin Mere. Lucky I was still near the car as fifteen minutes later I joined Graham who was watching the Monty from lanes bordering the reserve. We enjoyed this most graceful of raptors, hunting over the fields and being mobbed by Lapwings for quarter of an hour or so before it disappeared to the SW.
Marsh Harriers and Peregrine were seen in the same area.

Buntings, waders and shrikes

Male Cretzschmar's Bunting below Ipsilou, Lesvos May 2012.

 Had a chance for a bit of local birding over the last two days. Not much moving through the Ribble patch at the moment so filled my time trying out a bit of "digi-binning" on the local Corn Buntings (one of 3 pairs on Longton Marsh). Few more Swifts around now, two pairs of Whitethroats, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Wheatear and 2 very late northbound Siskins this morning. The Avocets (2 pairs) are still around too and there were 2 Common Terns and a single Arctic Tern on the River Douglas this morning.

 Family parties of Long-tailed Tits reminds me that spring is turning to summer and there's even a well-grown Lapwing chick in a conveniently fenced off area on the marsh - these ones weren't too pleased to see Millie yesterday afternoon.

 After a stroll around Longton I spent a couple of hours on the coast this morning going through the Dunlin flocks with the tide at Southport. Must've been 3000+ with smaller numbers of Sanderlings, Ringed Plovers, Grey Plovers (smartly summered-up), Barwits and a few Curlews. A single winter-plumaged Curlew Sand' was all I could find and no stripe-headed, bill-kinked goodie unfortunately. Still time?

Corn Bunting on Longton Marsh (Lancs) this morning.

 Onto better things ......

Male Black-headed Bunting in the Meladia Valley, W. Lesvos May 2012.

A bush-full of buntings and one female Red-backed Shrike. At one time there were 30 Black-headed Buntings in this bush in the Meladia Valley in western Lesvos!

One of the 50 or so Red-backed Shrikes in the Meladia Valley.