As part of a full day of bird watching on the 3rd I drove to RSPB Titchwell Marsh in the afternoon, moving on to Thornham Harbour in the early evening. Spoonbills were at Titchwell, but Thornham stole the show with a spectacular display of waders, including at least a dozen Whimbrel, similar numbers of Ruff (some males in their spectacular breeding plumage) and at least eight other wader species. After 15 hours of wildlife watching I had recorded 94 bird species (88 seen).
Little Tern, RSPB Titchwell, 3 May
Whimbrel, Thornham Harbour, 3 May
Feeding Spoonbill, RSPB Titchwell, 3 May
I don't spend all my time wildlife watching, and from the 7th to the 14th my partner and I enjoyed a pleasant holiday in North Yorkshire and Northumberland. Even here, I had some great wildlife experiences, none more so than on the 9th when we drove up to upper Swaledale, passing magnificent scenery on the way. Having visited Tan Hill, which hosts the highest pub in England and which is famous for its snow-induced lock-ins in the winter (and for the nearby Red Grouse, which we saw on our visit) we stopped for more photography on the way back. No sooner had we got out of the car than we saw a flock of at least ten Black Grouse fly over our heads, landing near the top of a slope where six males started to strut their stuff in what I assume was a sort of half-hearted lek (a lone female was looking on). This was my first sighting of Black Grouse in England (I've seen them several times in Scotland) and was at the precise location where the authors of a book on the best places to see birds in Yorkshire (published in the 1990s) had recommended as the best for Black Grouse! Other highlights included a boat trip to Coquet Island, where we saw Roseate and Arctic Terns, as well as lots of Puffins.
Black Grouse, Upper Swaledale, 9 May
Roseate Terns on Coquet Island, 13 May
I did a reconnaissance walk to Paxton Pits on the 19th, in preparation for leading an RSPB walk there on the 23rd. I saw my first Kingfishers of the year, as well as an interesting raptor which, whilst looking like an over-sized Buzzard, was regularly emitting a very un-buzzard-like call. I took a few photos and, after closely examining the images, decided that this was very likely a juvenile Gyr Falcon (although Saker Falcon could not entirely be ruled out). There were no jesses visible (it was perched on a telegraph pole), but a ring on its left leg indicated that this was almost certainly an escape. An image of the bird is below. This bird had gone when we visited on the 23rd, but the (nesting) Kingfishers were still present.
Juvenile Gyr Falcon (Presumed Escape), Paxton Pits, 19 May
An RSPB Local Group coach trip to RSPB Titchwell Marsh on the 21st was notable in that between us we encountered an impressive 101 bird species, emphasising what a great month May is for watching birds. On the 25th I made my regular spring visit to Thursley Common (Surrey), looking for acid heathland birds and early dragonflies. Dartford Warbler, Tree Pipit and Woodlark were all added to my year list and I was lucky to both see and photograph rare Downy Emerald dragonflies at the Moat Pond. On the way back I visited nearby Oaken Wood, looking for and (eventually) finding Wood White butterflies.
Dartford Warbler, Thursley Common, 25 May
Downy Emerald Dragonfly in Flight, Moat Pond, Thursley Common, 25 May
My final trip of a very busy month came on the last day, when I drove to the Staffordshire Peak District with two targets in mind: firstly to escape the cool and cloudy conditions that had enveloped Royston and East Anglia for much of the month and secondly to see Pied Flycatchers at RSPB Coombes Valley reserve. I was only partly successful with my first target (the reserve remained cool and cloudy until the early afternoon), but at least a Pied Flycatcher showed up to brighten what was otherwise a rather gloomy day (and period).
Male Pied Flycatcher, RSPB Coombes Valley, 31 May
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