Saw about 85 species, the highlights being two lifers and catching up with a few birds I hadn't seen in a while:
LIFERS:
Wood Warbler - Tarn Hows Whitethroat - St Bees Head
HIGHLIGHTS:
Osprey - seen 4 times around Lake Bassenthwaite. 3 young seen at high-level viewpoint in Dodd Wood. CORKING, JAW-DROPPING close views seen through telescope of a parent Osprey catching a fish out of Bassenthwaite and then consuming it on a nearby fence post! Dipper - Juvenile and parent feeding along stretch of the River Greta that ran behind the holiday cottage Red-breasted Merganser - pair seen from bedroom of cottage Goosander - female on Bassenthwaite Black Guillemot - seen at St Bees Head Greenshank - 5 seen at RSPB Leighton Moss Spotted Redshank - Leighton Moss Little Egret - 6 at Leighton Moss Snipe - 1 seen from Eric Morecambe Hide, Leighton Moss Bullfinch - pair at Leighton Moss Siskin - 5 on feeding station in Whinlatter Forest Marsh Harrier - 2 at Leighton Moss Jay - 3 at Feeding Station halfway up to the Osprey viewpoint in Dodd Wood Nuthatch - 1 at Muncaster Castle, 2 seen from hide at Brockhole, Windermere
But the 'Tick Tock' Award has to go to one VERY reliable, regular Grey Heron. The bird would, without fail, turn up to perch on a dead tree trunk viewable from my bedroom window between 08:30 and 10:00. Every morning of our stay we saw it sitting on the branch enjoying leisurely preening sessions! Views from scope were VERY impressive! Can anyone else here claim to have seen a Grey Heron while eating breakfast?
Grey Herons were absolutely everywhere - 15 turned up to 'Heron Happy Hour' at Muncaster Castle. Wherever you turned your head, you could be sure of a sighting of a Grey Heron! They were in Derwent Water, Bassenthwaite, further up the River Greta, Windermere, Linskeldfield nature reserve, in flight over our car on our way to here, there and everywhere..... unbelievable!
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