Thursday 26 September 2013

Back in Business



It's been a tough summer without having proper access to the internet, I've had to try and use birdguides on my ancient old nokia. However, I am now back up and connected to the world. I have also relocated to Titchwell on the north Norfolk coast where I will be over-wintering.
So I thought I'd just upload a few photos of some of the best birds of my summer, starting off with a visit to the Farnes to see the Bridled Tern. Being a bird of the islands of the Caribbean, Indian and Pacific Oceans, the north-east coast must have been a bit of a shock! A stunning bird in a stunning location though, and of course I couldn't resist getting a classic snap of a Puffin, which in my eyes are equally as impressive.

Bridled Tern, Onychoprion anaethetus.

Puffin, Fratercula arctica.

Another highlight for me this summer and somewhat more recent was the Lesser Grey Shrike that arrived in Suffolk. This was a lovely little bird and showed very well for us in the half an hour we had before it started raining rather heavily. I managed two grainy shots, the first showing the long primary projection characteristic of this species.

Lesser Grey Shrike, Lanius minor.

Lesser Grey Shrike, Lanius minor. 

My final bird of this blog is a Wilson's Phalarope which kindly turned up at Cley during my first week here. A slender an energetic bird, it never stopped frantically feeding in the time I spent watching it. Here it is with a Ruff for comparison.

Wilson's Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolour.

And finally, a nice picture of me with my ringing highlight of the summer, a Cetti's Warbler caught during a lovely weekend spent on the south coast!