Jack Snipe

I had set jack snipe as one of my target birds for this winter so with an afternoon off wrok I set off for canal scrape at Kilnsea.This was my second attempt at jack snipe this year.
When I got to the hide there was a small crowd fixated on a small patch of reeds to the left of the hide.
About 15m away there was a rather motionless jack snipe that 'had been in that position for the last 3 hours'.
I got a few shots of it as it was then after about an hour it began to feed, curiously bobbing along as it went.
A couple of times it came out in the open allowing for some decent shots.
The light was not good and coupled with its constant movement made a sharp shot a little difficult, however I was extremely happy with the shots.
Coupled up with some good company in the hide it made for a most enjoyable afternoon.

Red Flanked Bluetail

Although I didn't manage any shots, I thought this bird deserved a mention.
Went for a look around Holmpton yesterday dinner time and didn't see much apart from a couple of reed buntimg.
It was probably too blustery.
On the way back to the car I got an alert confirming a red flanked bluetail at the Crown and Anchor.
On arriving, the bird had been trapped and ringed and released near the canal scrape.
A quick dash along the bank to the crowd eagerly awaiting a re-appearance.
I waited just over an hour with no sign so set off back to the car (it was getting chilly).I had a quick look back at the last few bushes near the fence line and there it wa sat up on some dead brambles, the views weren't great but I watched it flicking about for a couple of minutes.Then a big crowd descended and it seemed to disappear.
It was good enough for me a proper Siberian mega.Superb.

Pat Haven & Spurn

I had a couple of trips at the weekend both early morning starts in glorious sunshine.
I had visited Pat Haven during the week and noticed a lot of waders congregating at the entrance to the lagoon at high tide, so it was here I headed on Saturday morning.
Being a relatively small tide it didn't reallly flood into the lagoon and after a mile and a half walk in semi darkness followed by a perilous walk over mud and weed covered rocks I was glad to get laid out on the rocks.
It wasn't long before the obligatory redshanks landed in front of me followed by a few dunlin.
There was plenty of birds feeding on the tide line and as it flooded they got ever closer.
Behind me there was a small rock pool and the birds were also landing on here as well, it was whilst I was looking in there that 3 little egrets landed about 10m in front of me.
Hardly daring to move I managed a few shots before they moved on to the next pool.
I think they were a little wary of me being there and felt more comfortable a bit further away.
By now it was nearly high tide and the waders were coming in thick and fast.
Flocks of redshank,dunlin and knot were whizzing above my head some only a metre away.
There was one solitary avocet and disappointingly no curlew sandpipers.
It was brilliant gettng so close to the birds without them knowing I was there.
On Sunday morning I headed off to Spurn and with no major rarities reported I had snow bunting as my target bird.
I started at the point at first, a couple of shots of the lapland bunting and some nice views of a juvenile wheatear on the Point beach.
Quite a few stonechat plus some common migrants but on the whole pretty quiet.
I went back towards the Warren in hope of seeing the barred warbler and almost immediately I was treated to very close but biref flight views.
It was here that I heard the news of a very obliging snow bunting along the cliff top and after a 5minute walk I found the bird on the cliff edge.
It was very obliging and looked pretty settled feeding on seed heads on the cliff top.
Pretty chuffed with the shots and a better weeked for photography than for the quality of the birds.
Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Wheatear

Lapland Bunting

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Little Egret

Greenshank

Greenshank

Avocet

Redshank