On the way home 07-09/05/2018
07/05/2018 - Drove back to Musselburgh the way we come and had another look for the White-winged Scoter. This time the light was better and birds slightly closer in. Again the Surf Scoter was easy to detect, but on this occasion the distinctive extended pale flash behind the eye of the White-winged Scoter allowed us to pick it out from the Velvet Scoters convincingly - though it was nowhere near close enough for photography - so I've borrowed someone else's.
We made another stop near Hartlepool at North Gare, where a Hooded Merganser had been seen in the morning - but we couldn't find this bird.
We visited the nearby Saltholme RSPB reserve but by the time we got there we didn't have time to see the Ring-necked Duck before the reserve closed.
We drove on and after an abortive effort to find a B&B in the North Yorkshire Moors NP ended up staying in a B&B in Thirsk (The Poplars).
We visited the nearby Saltholme RSPB reserve but by the time we got there we didn't have time to see the Ring-necked Duck before the reserve closed.
We drove on and after an abortive effort to find a B&B in the North Yorkshire Moors NP ended up staying in a B&B in Thirsk (The Poplars).
08/05/2018 - Drove from Thirsk to Brundall. Had a wander around Strumpshaw Fen where we got good views of Bittern and year-ticked Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Hobby. Stayed with Ben, Lizzie and Toby and went out for a curry.
09/05/2018 - The weather was warm and a bit cloudy so Ben and I had set 3 135W MV traps at Strumpshaw and we were rewarded with 150 moths of 50 species including one new for me: Buttoned Snout
After seeing Toby off to school, Alison and I left for Carlton Marshes (near Lowestoft) in an effort to see an elusive American Bittern. We arrived at the viewing spot to hear that it had just done a fly-by. We gave it another hour, but there was no further sign, so we continued on our journey home.