Sanderling , Dunlin and Ringed Plover

A good move of waders this week.....high winds , driving rain and thick fog at Blackstone Edge all week until Friday evening when it was calm clear and sunny , 17 Ringed Plover , 9 Dunlin , 15 Sanderling ,  5 Common Sandpiper , 2 Curlew and 2 Little Ringed Plover ,we will never know how many waders moved through Blackstone Edge , but Friday ,Sat and Sunday were a great spectacle...

...LEO , Reed Warbler and Yellow Wagtail made for a great week locally.......

Bits and Pieces

 

Romania

Ickky

Hepatic Cuckoo

                                                          Hoopoe

                                                     Crested lark
 

                                                                 Palla's Gull

Hoopoe

https://ebird.org/lifelist?r=RO     E bird checklist ..I missed Bullfinch , Black Kite and Black -winged Pratincole which some of the others saw...197 species

Red -Footed Falcon

 

Red -Breasted Flycatcher

 

Romania 3

Black Winged Stilt and Temminck's Stint

                                     Red Rumped Swallow's

Romania 2

Icterine Warbler 

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Honey Buzzard

Long Legged Buzzard being chased by Rooks

Bee Eater

Short toed Eagle

White Stork

White Stork Massive nest , also breeding in here House Sparrows , Spanish Sparrows , Starling and Collared Dove...!!!!!!!!!

 

Saker Falcon

Not very good photos , but excellent views of both male and female sat on a pylon and flying around..
 

Romania ,

Sea Eagle being mobbed by a Rook

 This was my 3rd visit to Romania's Black Sea coast . based in VADU , it was in my opinion the best so far , with migration at its peak. Saker Falcon  was the bird of the trip for me with a male and female found on a pylon showing very well for all to see......After a storm on the 10th the next morning was memorable by the sheer number of migrants on the coast. Stood by a small area of scrub , I watched , Icterine Warbler(2) , Red Breasted Flycatcher (5) , Red Backed Shrike (3) Lesser Grey Shrike (1) , Blackcap (10), Willow Warbler (15 all different colours )Lesser and Common Whitethroat , Garden Warbler , LEO , Barred Warbler (2) Thrush Nightingale, (2) Collared Flycatcher (1) Spotted Flycatcher(20+)  and flyovers Bittern , Little Bittern (flock of 5) , Red Footed Falcon , Roller , Hoopoe , Marsh Harrier , Hobby, Cuckoo 5 (1 hepatic) , Great Black headed Gull (2) and calling Savi's Warbler , Paddyfield Warbler , Reed and Sedge...other highlights , Terek Sandpiper , Broad Billed Sandpiper , Marsh Sandpiper , Pied Wheatear and 18 species of Raptor ( inc 50 + Lesser Spotted Eagles)200 + Spotted Redshanks together.........and small Nightjar migration over the sea

Hoopoe a common sight in Romania

Pale phase Booted Eagle

Red Breasted Flycatcher a common breeder in local woodland and many migrants in the Vadu Area

 Male Pied Wheatear

                                    Roller common away from the coast with 25 + some days

                                       Isabelline Wheatear carrying food to nearby nest

All the Footmen..

 Last night at Hardcastle Crags ,I caught an Orange Footman  Eilema sorocula .

20 years ago when I first started recording moths locally there was only 1 species recorded the Common Footman , since then Muslin Footman , Red-necked Footman , Buff Footman , Dingy Footman , and Scarce Footman are all recorded in good numbers.

All the Grebes......etc

 Had a walk round St Aiden's today and Lin Dyke , its another world on the other side of Leeds , 

Superb Slavonian Grebe in summer plumage and Black -necked Grebes at St Aidan's , at least 12 singing Cetti's Warblers and a Booming Bittern which showed only briefly. Lin dyke had 6 Cattle Egrets , 2 Little Egrets , 1 Great White Egret and 5 Cetti's Warbler...With the Red-necked Grebe at Leeshaw , great Crested and Little locally , its been a good year for grebes.....

Common Scoter

 The other night at Bridestones I saw a distant flock of  duck aprox 130 + , they looked dark but they were distant , they did that typical duck moving over the sea movement where the ones at the back move to the front and then go out in straight lines and then crunch up in a tight flock ... If I would have been on a sea watch I would have  called out Scoter flock. I knew that Common Scoter had moved in late March but was not sure if this was just a one night thing and  have never looked into it tbh,..

 You generally find a small flock somewhere during the year on one of the upland reservoirs. 

 After looking  through the internet its pretty common for them to move in late March , April and May. I feel pretty confident they were Common Scoter and my first as a vis - mig bird...better to be cautious .

 Lots of SEO's about....as well

Bridestones and Frieston Shore