Swinemoor

been down to Swinemoor on the lat couple of evenings to have a look for the reported wood sand piper.
Went last night in a very cold Northe easterly wind, quite a few birds around including whimbrel, green sandpiper,little ringed plover, greenshank and the wood sandpiper.
Also single swift and a hobby.
Went again tonight in gentle winds and better light.
Not as many birds but the wood sandpiper still there also snipe, yellow wagtail, white wagtail and kingfisher.
Really pleased with these shots taken on a wonderful Spring evening.

Collard Pratincole

I had my second trip to Lincolnshire and faired marginally better than my last trip.
First I went for the tawny pipit at Tetney Lock and spent another 3 fruitless hours marching up and down looking for it.
The only consolation was some superbly coloured dotterel in the pea field long the side of the canal.
Then I went to Immingham for the collard pratincole. At first it was sat on a small island pretty close then it went hawking insects for about 2 hours giving some spectacular flight displays but making it pretty tricky to photograph.
I was very pleased with these results and could be tempted to go back tomorrow-unless something crops up at Spurn....

I have had a couple of half sessions at Spurn over the weekend. Friday's was a bit disappointing as I arrived late and there was not a great deal of stuff about. yesterday I got there for 6.00 and the morning was absolutely gorgeous-no wind the river was like glass and the air filled with birdsong. I started off on beacon Lane and there were 4 singing grasshopper warblers 2 of which were quite obliging and happy to sing in full view whilst I was only 10m away, There was also a few whitethroats and sedge warblers about and a single reed warbler. Then on to Beacon ponds where there was a few little terns a single sandwich tern and a grey plover.
News of a red rumped swallow crackled over the radio as did 4 shorelarks at Chalk Bank.
On the way back down I saw a single green hairstreak flying north down Beacon Lane.