Mellow yellow

 On Xmas Eve the birding world let out a collective scream. A very rare American yellow warbler had been seen in Kent just as everyone was settling down to a few days of family fun! Many tried to alter plans, delay lunch or just ignore it. Some brave souls went out on the 25th and 26th to see it but it was pretty elusive especially with bad weather. The timing combined with my car being poorly meant I couldn't even think about going for it. Stories started to appear of people spending hours for a few seconds of views or dipping it altogether. After the awful weather yesterday I finally had a window of opportunity to go for it. I got to the car park just after dawn. It was in an industrial estate next to the sewage works where the warbler spent a lot of time. I got chatting to 3 birders from Somerset and we agreed it was looking good - still, and a weak sun starting to poke through. A 10 minute walk along the river got us to the back of the sewage works where a dozen or so birders were already camped out.

The trees are its favourite area or more accurately the noelbit where you could it as in poor weather it stayed within the compound. I was getting set for a long wait and had coffee and sandwiches prepared. Within a couple of minutes though my new friend from Somerset heard it calling but didn't either see it or get in which direction it flew. Logically we spread out and covered 50 yards of river bank. I was in the middle and very quickly to my left the call went out of "its showing". We gathered up our gear and quickly located it preening in the hedge.

Everyone got onto it easily as the yellow plumage stood out amazingly against there monochrome hedge.

After the awful weather of yesterday it was clearly enjoying the sun and having a good go at getting its feathers into good order.

To be picky it was always slightly behind a brand h but hey, no one was complaining. For I guess 5 minutes or so we filled our boots with stunning views of it, and as good I suspect as anyone had had over the previous week.

It then decided it was getting a bit peckish so it flew off into the sewage works. A lot of us decided that it was a as good as it would get so we headed back to the cars just as the crowd was starting swell. It carried on showing throughout the day.

I headed off about an hour away to Abberton reservoir to do some year listing. I got a lot of new birds but mostly a long way off. The only ones with photos even remotely good enough to hare were a smart male goosander

a small family group of Bewick's swans

and a confiding kestrel.

A cracking start to the year taking me to 417 BOU libelist (having lost there redpolls) and a decent 67 on the yearlist with loads of easy ones missing.