A rather scruffy Redwing that we caught in Iceland this year for referenceThe other day whilst walking from my halls of residence at Bangor university, on my way to my first lecture of the semester, a characteristic autumn sound rang out through my ears. 'Seep seep' and low and behold, a Redwing passed over rather high, but what happened next was rather shocking. Watching the Redwing fly over a nearby hall, it dropped suddenly for no apparent reason towards another building and headed straight for it! I was rather stunned when it flew directly into a student's window, bounced off and fell with a twisted action down to the ground and into a bush.
Now.. This may sound rather ridiculous to you but this is no joke! A brief investigation in the bush revealed no Redwing, however I opted for a few seconds look as the bird had landed below a student's room and they wouldn't have liked someone poking outsde there window at 8:40 in the morning I don't think.. I never went back for another look for the bird, with lectures literally from 9am straight through til 4pm each day, there wasn't time really. It may still be lieing there now or may have recovered but somehow I doubt it.
Further on, in my walk, another Redwing flew over, outside my lecture room, high again and kept on going.. It had me wondering what else had dropped in that morning..
Other news that has been on mind recently has been the several mega birds seen in Britain lately. The Alder flycatcher at Blakeney point in Norfolk and the Northern Parula in Tiree/Argyll. The Parula in particular being my no.1 bird to see In Britain and both birds could have been on my British list, but this year I opted to concentrate on university.. Both have now moved off and its back to looking for yearticks to catch up with my realistic target of 280 for 2010. Cheers for now.
Last night I recieved an important email from Kane, regarding Whooper swan research in Latvia! Having worked with whoopers out in Iceland this summer, I thought it neccessary to help out with this project. An on-going study is underway in Latvia, unfortunately the funds for this are running low for next year. The study is run by Dmitrijs Boiko, the co-ordinator in Latvia for this colour-ringing project on the whoopers..
Please then enter your mobile number into the black box and click it. Most importantly, you will need to add 0044 before your mobile number. Example - 00447893 657845, and then click the black box. The screen will then change and another box will appear like so, with your mobile number in the correct form. You will then immediately recieve a text message with a vote code. Please enter that code into ''Unikalais kods'' and click the black box again.
The screen will then appear with a green tick at the top of the page and you will have completed the voting. You will have successfully voted for the continuous research on the whooper swans in Latvia.
Since seeing my first Lapland Bunting back in May 2005 at Crosby Marina, was something really special. After a dash from Ormskirk to Crosby with Mr M Bridge, the bird showed well upto 5ft at times, but soon, the forecasted thunderstorm hit, the bird flew off high and we got soaked through to the skin. At that time I owned no camera, that was never to be the case again! I have never seen one since up until today!
Quickly relocating it, all birders had dissapeared and I had it to myself. It duly took flight again and in searching for the bird, I flushed another 3 Lapland Buntings from nearby, later getting exceptional views of them. I was soon joined by Zac, who had finally arose from his pit. Picking up the birds in flight shortly after, led us to an extremely confiding individual, that stood bold and brass on a grassy clump for about 5 minutes, 5ft from us; enabling mega views and great digiscoping opportunities!
Leaving them to it, we hit Conwy RSPB for the Grey Phalarope and we managed to see it, but rather distantly this time.. Time to call it a day I think as our feet and backs were starting to ache!
Time doesn't half fly when your having fun, as they say! After meeting up with Kane and 
A quick glance at my phone and a text off Alan Davies awaited. Hmmm...
Grey Phalarope under my belt! A fantastic looking bird and a great yeartick! Certainly one bird which I had hoped to connect with this year.. Presumed to be moulting from a Juvenile into a 1st-winter bird. Also seen included - Little stint and Greenshank.
At times the bird was showing on the water and on land as well, which I hadn't seen before. A Grey Phalarope on land and not making people dizzy; as is usually the case..
Deciding to have Tuesday and Wednesday this week free and just for twitching, was probably the best choice we could have made.. After seeing Whiskered tern and Red-Necked Phalarope in the last 2 days, I was rather intrigued as to what was going to turn up next!? 
On Tuesday morning, we awaited news of the Bobolink, sadly it had moved on overnight. However, the Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper was still up in Cleveland so we headed for that instead! A few hours later and a short detour with the sat-nav, we were stood on a small embankment overlooking a creek watching my 1st Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper!!! It was right next to Saltholme Pools RSPB, where I had had, in the last few months, a severe dip on a Broad-Billed Sandpiper - the sharpie sure made up for that though!
I do have to apologise for the shocking digiscoped picture, but the wind was blowing and trying to minimise the shake on the scope was unbelievable tricky. Anyway, that was one more bird to add to my yearlist and 242 for the year! Realising that I had now drawn with my 2009's yearlist total and it was only September 20th! Last year I finished on 242 and that was right up until December 31st!
The bird showed well on and off, often flying round over the pools for 20 minutes and then coming to an island in front of the hide to have a rest and a bathe and then flying off for a feed once again. It did at one stage fly off and disappear due a Peregrine that shot through, but duly returned.. Not much else around the reserve, but a report of a Buff-Breasted sandpiper had us ready to race off but that also flew off high south, a few mintues later after being found..
Disastrously, we tried getting to Bromborough train station where I could catch a train back home, as I planned on staying at home for the week once I had put all my stuff into my room at univeristy. However, the line from Chester - Liverpool was shut so we went back to Rhyl where I caught another train back to Bangor and came home the next day, somewhat tiring as you will find out! 
On the way home it was too tempting not to stop at Leighton moss where there were 2+ Black terns. Whilst Mr and Mrs Bridge went and some lunch, I nipped into Lilian's Hide to find both terns rather distance and hunting the flies over the far side towards the Lower hide. So with a rather sore leg, I hurtled over to the lower hide from Lilian's hide along the road and through the wood in less than 20 mintues.. Arrived in the Lower hide, took a few photos and moved off. Then walked the route to the Public hide and all this was done in under an hour, as well as photographing the terns. 
Just another matter that I would like to clear up: The moth pictured below is rather beautiful, but the I.d of it is still not been solved.. I haven't had much time free so anyone have any ideas as to what it is? Comments more than welcome...
Over the wooded area a Hobby shot through after the last remaining Swallows.
Since the last post, with the wet walk around 'Doach woods', the holiday has finished and I am back in the rather wet north-west; so I shall give a brief update in a few more posts for the last few days of the holiday..
After a day of continuous rain, the sunset back at the farm where we were staying, was rather promising - could that be the last of the rain?
{Inbox 1} - The email read...
A quick lunch stop and time to head for Corsewall point for a few hours of seawatching. {NW wind at 18mph} A nice Stonechat in the car-park was a surprise and several Wheatears on passage in the surrounding fields. Time to pick a nice spot with a 180 degree round view - the seawatch began.. Unfortunately Mr M Bridge had only brought his bins away with him on holiday, so it was down to me to find whatever was out there in the Irish sea.
Ferries were continuously travelling back and forth from Ireland, with many seabirds following them, which improved the chances of something different, but sadly no sooties were picked out. Maybe on wednesday when the next seawatch is due? 
It was soon time to call it a day and with a Great skua on my yearlist at last, I was quite intent with my efforts. It was September and I was wearing gloves.. Next investment though is a new stand as the one pictured below has had it's days, a foot and several parts missing, although about 10 years old, it has done me well..
A meal in the evening, followed by several glasses of wine and a slideshow of the icelandic pictures to Elaine and Charlie {The folk that own the farm in which we are staying at, friends for 10 years now!} It was time to hit the sack and pray that my efforts regarding my re-sit exams in late august had paid off. Update in the next few days..
The following morning, myself, Ciaran and Kane went to set up one of their feeding stations ready for this winter. A secluded site with a lot of potential. Nettles were cut down with a net pole, several branches lopped out of the way and it soon became a rather interesting net ride. Cereal fields at the back and woodland all around, it sure looked the part. You can more or less see where the feeding station will run.
After finishing helping them with the feeding station, it was time to go and have a look for 3 Black terns {1adult+2 Juvs} at Seaforth LWT. After spending an hour looking for them, both on Seaforth and Crosby, it was clear that they had most likely moved on. Yellow wagtail and a 1st-summer Little gull over Crosby was rather nice, with the odd Common tern, but still no more yearticks since the Wryneck at Spurn point.
Arriving around 11am, a quick peek in the hide around the canal area revealed a Golden plover that was showing ridiculously well, an opportunity not to be missed!
A walk along Beacon lane revealed much of the same migrants but in good numbers. The whole of East yorkshire was forecasted with extremely strong easterly winds and as you can imagine, more or less every bird had it's head down and out of the wind. However, a secluded garden down beacon lane harboured several Spotted flycatcher and a ringed Juvenile Blackbird, but despite my best efforts to get a digiscoped shot of the bird's leg, the bird flew off and out of sight.
As the day drew nearer to an end, it was time to hit the Crown and Anchor pub in Kilnsea for a pub meal and a pint of guiness. A quick 15 mintue watch in the car-park and surrounding trees revealed there to be many sheltering Spotted and Pied flycatchers plus the odd Redstart.
It wasn't until 7:30pm when all hell broke loose. After finishing our meal, a last minute look in the car-park to see if we could pick anything else up. Mike comes pelting over asking if I needed Wryneck for my british list! The answer was an abrupt yes and why and it turned out that a Wryneck had been mist-netted at the Warren and was due to be released there at 7:50pm. Racing across the car-park, past a few folk having a nice leisurely pint and jumped into the car quite literally, hurtled down to the warren, shortly followed by a juvenile Wryneck!