Lots of waders but not the right ones....

I've not been out twitching since Albert, partly with other things to do and partly because of the Summer doldrums. In August the number of rare birds drops before the Autumn migration gets going. With minimal interest in building a year list I've not been dodging around to get year ticks. Still, a nice day and the promise of a few good birds did get me out at 5.15 to drive to the Suffolk coast to Minsmere. Always a top reserve and lots to see. There had been both a pectoral and white-rumped sandpiper on show for a few days. Not really rare birds but nice to see although the lack of pictures on t'internet suggested, as can often happen there, that they were "distant".The morning got off to a bad start as I got into the car park and realised that I had forgotten the bag with my coffee and sandwiches in it. Not even a bottle of water for my breakfast which was, to say the least, a bit disappointing. The cafe didn't even open for another two hours so there was nothing to be done. I grabbed up my gear and headed off to the East hide. This has the advantage of being large, two storeys in height to give good views over the scrape, and having the sun behind you so the views are good. There were 5 or 6 other birders already in the hide, normal for here early doors as it attracts a number of locals. 

 It seemed quite busy with birds, a lot of gulls either loafing around or flying up when they got disturbed.

Minsmere also has good numbers of terns. They have finished nesting now but the youngsters and adults were still around, flying out to sea to fish or squabbling with other on the scrape.

Harder to pick out from their more common cousins were around half a a dozen juvenile little gulls. They ranged from the very young with their smart black-and-white colouration (yes this is cropped to death!)to near-adults showing off their diagnostic black underwings.

The  number of waders seemed to be quite low compared to sometimes I've been here and most of them were way back. It was clear that both the star birds were absent. Over about three hours in the hide, with a changing presence of birders scanning all corners we couldn't find any sign. 

We were kept amused though by a few ruff which came close enough to warrant having their photograph taken (or at least kept!).

They are extremely variable in both plumage and size (male ruff being noticeably larger than female reeve). As the day went on the number of non-birders in the hide grew so we were doing quite well on the education front as well. Surprisingly there wasn't an RSPB person in the hide so us "amateurs" had to take on the role of pointing out things of interest to less-knowledgeable visitors. All seemed very pleased to have things pointed out and explained.

Mnismere is always good for spotted redshank at this time of year. These are close cousins of the common redshank but have a more rangy look and a sharp, dagger-like bill. In breeding plumage they are unmistakeable, being black with white dots. The only one like was keeping well to the back of the scrape although three or four non-breeding birds did come into range.

You can see their more orange-than-red legs, that long, thin bill and a smart stripe over their eye. They also have a more grey than brown colouration and tend to be in a bit deeper water but that can be very variable!

The most numerous waders were black-tailed godwits 

and the iconic avocets.  I remember visiting in the 1970's with my parents and seeing them for the first time, when they were still pretty rare. They are still lovely to see although they now have colonised most of the south and east coast and breed in large numbers.

Again mostly distant were both ringed and little-ringed plovers. Quite a few were juveniles so they had obviously had a good breeding season.

The only wader to come very close was a common sandpiper, on the closest island to the hide. To be picky, it was shame that most of the photos are looking down on it rather than nicer eye-level shots but it did put on a good show, even if it was only a common!

Most of the ducks were in eclipse and a uniform brown! Minsmere does have a population of feral barnacle geese. True wild birds only really exist in Scotland, especially during Summer, but there are a  number of groups like these which, having escaped from collections, have decided it is quite nice down here! This pair had raised a good brood the year.

By 11.30 I was getting pretty hungry and thirsty as I'd still had no coffee or tea! I walked round to the west hide where the pectoral sandpiper had been reported. This is opposite where I had been all morning, but the two scrapes are not visible from both hides. The west hide is awful in the morning as you are looking straight into the sun. I could see waders but they were silhouettes and you couldn't with any certainty ID them. I didn't last long and headed for the cafe where a cup of tea and a sausage butty revived me. 

As ever at Minsmere a really nice day even if I didn't manage to connect with my two targets. A quick stop at the fish shop on the way home to load up with supplies and I was home by 3.30 for another cup of tea!

Third time lucky

I've had a good start to the year with jamming in on the northern mockingbird and getting four other lifers. Since the river warbler at Ham Wall the opportunity to get a good bird has dried up with the Sumer doldrums setting in. Everything changed at the end of June when Albert appeared. He is a black-browed albatross, wanderer of the southern oceans and very lost. He has been in the North Sea for 7 or 8 years spending most of his time in Germany but popping over occasionally to our shores. Most of those visits have been brief, notably to Minsmere in the tail-end of a storm and to Bempton cliffs for a one day visit last year. It wasn't a total surprise therefore when almost to the day after last years visit he appeared circling the cliffs at Bempton. For two days he appeared settled and showed really well amongst the hundred of gannets. On the 1st July myself and Judith set off early doors up to Yorkshire. Albert however had been seen flying out to sea the previous night so we wondered if the chance had gone. Unfortunately this proved to be the case. Albert was nowhere to be seen but we still had a lovely time photographing the seabird colony. 

The pattern of his previous forays across to our shores seemed to be happening again and he was gone back to Germany. The following day though he was back, patrolling the cliffs and sitting with the gannets, with whom he seemed have a rather fractious relationship. 

I couldn't resist another go so on the following Saturday I had an even earlier start. This time I was with Paul from Maple Lodge and the chat made the journey up go by fast. We got to Bempton by 6.45 and the car park was almost full already. Some of our contacts had already seen Albert and posted about it so we were hopeful. We didn't stop for tea or breakfast and yomped down to the viewing area at New Roll-up. We'd missed him by 15 minutes. Almost as we were pulling into the village of Bempton he flew out to sea and was lost from sight. We waited rather despondently till after lunch but there was no sign of him so we headed back. The seabird colony was lively again and I added common scoter to my year list but the constant stream of tweets with crippling photos didn't help the mood.

He hadn't gone back to Germany though and quite soon was back again. He seemed to be dropping into a pattern. Roost overnight, show early doors, disappear during the day and reappear late afternoon. This was interspersed with days when he wouldn't show at all, presumably out at sea fishing.

For various reasons I couldn't go for a couple of weeks despite seemingly every birder in the land connecting at some time. Finally I had a chance to go. I maximised my chances by booking a room locally to give me two days and set off about 3 on Tuesday morning. Predictably the traffic was very light and I got to car park by 6.30 or so. With so many having seen him, the car-park was reasonably empty, only twenty or so cars.  No time for coffee so I grabbed my gear and yomped down to New Roll-up viewpoint where 8 people were training their 'scopes on the gannet colony. "Any sign?" I nervously asked."Oh yeah, he's on the cliff. You can see him in my 'scope". Result! On the third go I'd finally connected with Albert.

This is the view of where he was perched on a wide-angle shot. The gannet colony is on the cliffs above the arch. This was strictly 'scope view time.

With my biggest lens and no cropping in you can just about see him, the bird with a dark back centre of the frame.

Bit of cropping and there he is! He's a bit bigger than the gannets around him, with a charcoal-black back, giant yellow beak and that lovely eye-stripe giving him his name (black-browed not Albert!). 

As the time went on a few more people arrived and got onto him. It was surprising how easily he could vanish if he turned round and looked straight at you. For about half of an hour he did nothing apart from stand up and shuffle around if the squabbling gannets came too close.

We had decided that he was going to be having a duvet day and had got distracted by a juvenile peregrine and a kestrel perched on the cliff below us.

 Suddenly a shout went up "he's flown". Without anyone noticing Albert had gone from his perch. "Quick, everyone scan the cliffs". It took us a few seconds then he was located drifting around the cliff face.

He was still a long way off but in flight he stood out easily from all the gannets. The black-back, long white underwings edged with grey and a vey different flight pattern. Much less flapping, much more gliding.

He seemed like he was trying to land a few times but cross gannets didn't seem to agree with that. Occasionally he would drift out to sea but kept circling the arch.

Finally he headed off out to sea and landed some way out. Lots of happy faces amongst those on the cliff as we all relaxed and had a celebratory coffee/ sandwich/ cigarette. Talk started to move towards what to do for the rest of the day. Suddenly two of those who had been paying attention called out that they thought he had returned. He had come back and was perched in almost the same place as before.

This time he didn't stay long. He flipped off the rock face and flew out down the coast towards Flamborough. 

I tracked him as far as I could with my 'scope but eventually the haze and mist swallowed him up and he was gone. The first photo I had was timed at 06.44, the last at 08.42 so almost two hours with the great man. I waited around till about 4.30 but there was no more sign of him. Quite a lot of people turned up through the day including one man who got to the carpark about 8.30 but stopped for a tea and a bite to eat before heading down and missed him by minutes. 

I spent most of the time photographing the assorted seabirds, although the colony was noticeably quieter with no auks on the cliffs now.

Gannets were the stars of course, including some very confiding ones picking nest material from right below our feet.

Mostly though it was a selection of adults and juveniles flying past the cliff top,

or squabbling away in small groups.

There were still quite a few very fat and fluffy chicks sitting on the cliffs as well though I didn't see any being fed!

Apart from the gannets there were a lot of kittiwakes, especially the beautifully marked juveniles, and fulmars flying around.

A great day all round. A superb bird and one I had almost given up on seeing after two long-range dips. A good crowd as well, feeling much more like an old-fashioned sociable twitch with good chat throughout the day. Rounded off with a nice pint and a pie in a local pub before an early night. What could be better?