Rye House and Amwell

Today I went to Rye Meads and Amwell with Fowlmere Bullfinches. I saw two Kingfishers with close views over three hours. They were both males (because of their stubbier and red bills) and they seemed to be fighting over fishing ground.

Snowy Owl and Hooded Merganser

I went to see the Snowy Owl in Cornwall. We walked around the moors, mostly seeing his head. We also saw the Hooded Merganser at Radipole but it might be an escape.

Here is a water colour of the Owl, mostly as I saw it...

Norfolk

Today I went to Norfolk and saw: Lesser-grey Shrike, Yellow-browed Warbler and Red-necked Phalarope.

Ouse Washes and Ouse Fen

This is a Common Darter.

     

I also saw Wigeon, Marsh Harriers, Little Egrets, three Green Sandpipers and four each of Little Ringed Plovers and Ringed Plovers.

Baird's Sandpiper

Today I went to Paxton Pits and saw a Baird's Sandpiper.

Cley Sea-watch

Went sea-watching on a cold, wet, windy, summers day.

Here is a list of what we saw over the sea...

Red-throated Diver - two summer plumaged birds (possibly same one) close offshore.
Gannet - many.
Cormorant - many.
Oystercatcher - many.
Grey Plover - one west.
Knot x c.18.
Bar-tailed Godwit x 12.
Whimbrel.
Curlew/Whimbrel x 2.
Redshank x 12.
Greenshank x 4 west.
Turnstone - many.
Arctic Skua x 8 (5 dark, 3 pale), including one pale bird swimming close offshore.
Pomarine Skua x 2 (dark), one close in west, the other east.
Kittiwake - west.
Black-headed Gull - many.
Common Gull x 2.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - many.
Herring Gull - many.
Greater Black-backed Gull - many.
Common Tern - many.
Sandwich Tern - many.
Gull-billed Tern? - a possible flew west at c. 5pm!
Guillemot - 35 (plus several unidentified Auks.)
Swift x 2.
Swallow x 8.
Pied Wagtail x 2.
Common Seal

Skomer

I went to Skomer and saw Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Gannets and Fulmars. We also had close views of a Harbour Porpoise, Grey Seal and Common Lizard and we also saw a Peregrine, Raven, Rock Pipit, Wheatear, Stonechat and Whitethroat.