I was going to spend a day at Spurn on Saturday and then work my way back home on the Sunday but I woke up with a lousy headache so cancelled my plans and stayed in. Gradually as the day wore on the headache lessened and by 7pm it had gone.
Looking at the pager I noted that a bird I have always wanted to photograph was still at Kilnsea, near Spurn plus a few other birds in that area, plus a long staying Long-tailed Skua in Notts that I thought I could possibly see ojn my way home. I did some sandwiches, packed the car and put my quilt in the back and I was away by 20:30 arriving at Kilnsea at 23:25. I parked the car and slept until 06:30am, awaking to a cold clear morning.
After a couple of sandwiches I was off to the area it had been reported and sure enough after about 15 minutes it was showing, but unfortunately in lousy light (06:50 and still more or less dawn). A couple more birders arrived but the bird flew over the other side of the path and into some brambles.
After about ten minutes it showed again, albeit about 70 feet away and here is a fairly heavily cropped photo of it. Definitely my photo of the day.
After that I went to the canal scrape to see if I could find the reported jack Snipe but no joy, only a Common one (which is still a bonus as they are cracking waders)
I decided to have a walk to Beacon Ponds, about a mile away) to see what was on there but just before I reached them my pager announce a stunning bird not far away from where I live. A Wilson's Phalarope. This I just had to go for so I abandoned everything else planned (apart from the Long-tailed Skua as I was going near it anyway) and set off back at 09:15am.
I arrived at a little placed called Newton and proceeded to walk the mile to where the Skua was being seen. I wasn't disappointed as it showed straight away, albeit at about a 2-300 yard range. far too far for any photos (although I took a few just for the record). After about half an hour there, hoping the bird would fly closer, I was off again to Upton warren after the Wilson,s arriving on site at 2pm. It took 45 minutes before the bird showed and it was a disappointing 200+ yards away, again no chance of a photo.
Still three cracking birds to see and also the photo I wanted (although not as good as Ii would have liked).
That brings me onto 258 for the year so far.
John