The Lincolnshire Bird Club

What a way to start the month! The high tide yesterday morning was absolutely incredible... I genuinely didn't know where to look and in the end had to go into the office to calm down. I couldn't decide between sifting through the 100+ flava and alba wagtails (at least one blue-headed type in with them) on the sea bank and grassland, scanning the saltmarsh to pick anything out among the thousands of gulls, 3 Short-eared Owls and 6 Marsh Harriers feeding on small mammals, hopping from clump to clump of waders resting on isolated high marsh, picking through the thousands of small calidrds on Roads Farm or grilling the godwit flock (two thousand +) on South Scrape.
While I was dithering about what to do there were greenshank, spotted redshank, common, green and wood sandpiper calling overhead as they came off the marsh. There were only a handful of birders down there unfortunately as there could have been anything hidden away. Just not enough time to look at and enjoy it all. Non-wetland bonus bird was the cracking Redstart in the paddock behind the car park, my first for the reserve.
If you're reading this before 10 am on Wednesday the 2nd then there's still time to pop down to the reserve and enjoy it for yourself.

Another absolute blinder of a day where we escaped the showers and the birds were fantastic once more. The tide was once again the star bringing birds in close and in god number. Highlights from the sea bank were the 100+ flava and alba wagtails moving among the cattle (reports of 150+ flavas across the reserve), Wood Sand and Greenshank showing exceptionally well on the corner of Marsh Farm below the Saltmarsh View Point, several point blank Ruff, Marsh Harriers quartering the rising tide, at least 4 distant short-eared owls then an 'oooh-aaaah' point blank stunner that flew over the sea bank at eye level. Earlier visitors scored a Hobby that scattered everything in pursuit of breakfast having near misses of Swallow, Dunlin and Little Stint before finally catching up with an unfortunate Meadow Pipit. A Kingfisher and Water Vole were also good fleeting finds on Roads Farm.

So that half an hour takes us to open up time and I had to nip off and chat to our contractors who are installing pipes to improve our water control systems. There will be a little to-ing and fro-ing on the scrapes this week with tractors and excavators but Roads Farm is looking good and South Scrape will still hold birds.

Other bits ad bobs about include at least 5 Wood Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank, Little Stint, Spotted Flycatcher and several Willow Warblers towards Tabs head, Merin, Peregrine and Hobby around late afternoon and several sightings of Turtle Dove throughout.

Bird of the day was also the most elusive. A Wryneck was found in the little cattle corral on the left of the path to East Hide. Was seen briefly before being spooked and then last seen around 2pm.

May try and get there on Friday, as I'm off to Cornwall for a week on Saturday. What time tide-wise would be best?

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Not sure off the top of my head Katherine but if you have a look at the 'Frampton Sightings - August' thread or any of the weekly sightings blogs, there is a link to Tabs Head tide times in there.

Highlights from the reserve today have been Black Tern and a good seawatch by Paul Sullivan included 3 Long-tailed Skuas that rested on sea for a while, 12 Bonxie, 13 Arctic Skua, 10 Fulmar, c.500 Gannets. If you want a quick recap of the reserve sightings and a look forward of what to look for, then you can find this weeks blog here

The digger on site is having no adverse affects on our bird life. Another great day on the reserve though nothing new in. Here's the days sightings map, with peak counts of Little Stint at 3 and Spotted Redshank at 2. The juvenile Black Tern is still on the Marsh Farm reservoir and a closer look revealed a ring on its right leg. If anyone gets chance to have a close look, please try and piece together a number and we can trace it. The highlight of the South Lincs Local Group cruise was a Sandwich Tern bashing Bonxie.

A quick look at the forecast for later in the week shows a big high pressure system building over Scandinavia from Thursday onwards.... get to the coast!!

Well there's no doubting today's highlight, unfortunately it was only a highlight for 4 of us Ed Mackrill and I simultaneously got on a absolute pristine winter/non-breeding Wilson's Phalarope (our 32nd wader species for the year) from the 360 Hide at about 10:45. After some incredulity and some backward and forward 'is it - isn't it' we were happy with the id and I tried to put news out and call people asap. Alas there seem to be a few doubter online who wished I had taken some pics rather than get news out but I'll happily stick to my guns and always try to get others on to great birds than dilly dally with trophy shots. Ed and I were in the hide with 2 other visiting birders who also got on the bird and instead of making detailed notes or trying for record shots Ed darted out of the hide to shout for others while I tweeted and texted and called as quickly as I could. Unfortunately the bird walked around the back of the island, showing off some very distinctive legs, and was lost to view. We assumed it would then reappear on the other side as it was making pretty good tracks. A longer than expected wait and it still hadn't appeared. Ed headed off to Mount Hirons for a better view while I stayed in the hide to wait some more. After no movement I left some birders in the hide and went to find another angle. While Ed and I are sure it didn't fly of, the fact it wasn't seen in the same spot or at all for the next 8 hours means it must have snuck off when our view was obscured. Really sorry that we couldn't relocate it or at the very least keep an eye on it in the first place for visiting birders. Consolations were to be had in the forms of a stunning fresh juv Red-necked Phalarope (our 4th of the year), a juv Temminck's Stint (also our 4th of the year), the juv Black Tern (ALSO our 4th of the year), 2 Spoonbill, 2 Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Merlin, 3 Wood Sandpipers, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Turtle Dove, 200+ Linnet, Whinchat and Pied Fly at Tabs Head (c/o Paul Sullivan). Fingers crossed the Wilson's reappears on the reserve or elsewhere in Lincs for you all to enjoy.

Big clear out overnight None of the headline birds from yesterday remained but we still had Black Tern, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Turtle Dove and Spoonbill so not a bad haul. A fuller list of sightings and their locations can be found on today's sightings map. A
high pressure system is now sitting over Scandinavia so there may be a chance of some drift migrants on the coast. May well be worth a trip down to Tabs Head if you're visiting over the weekend. Also keep an eye out round the feet of our cows and sheep for Yellow Wagtails. Lots around at the minute and looking fantastic and very variable. Surely a Citrine isn't too much to ask for?

Unfortunately the good weather is not exactly what we're after at Frampton. Having an easterly wind is wasted when the skies are blue But we are't going to grumble as it was a glorious day to be out and about. South Scrape was heaving with birds and passage waders were still to be found. At least 2 Wood Sandpipers (maybe even 4), Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Greenshank and Spotted Redshank were well spread across the site. The Visitor Centre enjoyed a raptor half hour with a young male Marsh Harrier quartering the car park field and ten minutes later a Hobby zoomed around the reedbed, plucking dragonfies and terrifying finch flocks, enthralling visitors lucky enough to be in there at the time.

A belated weekly round up from Frampton here

Sightings maps from Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th.

Birds of the day at Frampton were the three Crane's that cruised over the reserve at about 17:15 and headed SE over the salt marsh. This is the 2nd record for the reserve and fantastic sight indeed, even close enough to get a photo with a phone! Was only on the reserve at the end o the day so not sure what else was seen but had several Pintail, Wood Sand, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank (maybe a Temminck's Stint) and 250+ Wigon on Roads Farm grassland.
I was down at Freiston this morning getting the rotary ditcher set up to rejuvenate the grassland down there. No Whinchat in the crops at the south end unfortunately but it was looking great and loads of seeds ready to be feasted upon. The lagoon however was another matter. Absoutely rammed with birds. A couple in the hide said they were pretty sure they had a Pectoral Sandpiper on the saline lagoon yesterday afternoon so worth any locals having a nosey in the next day or two. Unfrtunately as I moved round to get a better look at the calidrids they started to leave so didn't get as much grilling time on them as I would like but there was at least 1 each of Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint in there. Also singles of Spotted Redshank, Grey Plover, Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwit tucked in among the collective thousands of Black-tailed Godwit, Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Redshank, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. Siskin movement was notable too with several birds over throughout the morning. Upon arrival it was starting to drizzle and several hundred hirundines were around the car park including the stunning leucistic Swallow that Ian had at Cut End yesterday. John and I both saw it again down the far end of the grassland as the dither was doing it's thing (If you're not sure what the ditcher's 'thing' is, have a look here and if your curiosity is piqued then come and see it in the flesh at Frampton on Wednesday or Thursday) Interesting that it hadn't moved on overnight. Will it be there tomorrow? The only other thing to add at Freiston is the Hobby that went zipping through the Swallow's and martin's a few times.
A heads up to locals just to make sure you have a look where the ditchers been when you visit. The machine flings out soil and broadcasts it over a wide areagiving birds the opportunity for easy pickings. When we've used it in the past there's been an increase of Starling, Ruff, Golden Plover and Wheatear presence in the vicinity so check through them all for something interesting.

Best bird today was a juvenile Black Tern, feeding on Roads Farm grassland along the sea bank late afternoon. Also on site were 3 Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and a trickle of Siskins heading inland most of the morning. The rotary ditcher (see yesterdays post) is doing a great job and with a bit of water East Hide will be better than ever! We're also improving the grassland adjacent to the road too. With all the spoil exposed make sure you have a look over the weekend for bits feeding on the fresh tossed turf.

Well that's the last of the big machinery on site. The rotary ditcher has done its thing and will be leaving us first thing tomorrow. It's done a great job so we should see some improvements to the habitats throughout the year. Best bird today was a fly by Great White Egret that headed past Paul Sullivan and down towards Tabs Head and a Pied Flycatcher was still in the hawthorns. The Wigeon numbers are up and above 350 and a single Swift and several Siskin were overhead during the day. Two juvenile Turtle Doves were around Marsh Farm barn and there was a report of Scaup in the VC when we closed down but we aren't sure where they were seen....