Oriental Express

I cracked? Decided to take a trip down south with Dougie on Saturday with a feast of goodies on offer, or at least better than what was on offer here. Once off the Northlink we collected our hire car and made haste for the Oriental Pratincole at Frampton Marsh, for the best part of 2 hours it sat on a distant island but with the day disappearing as well as the light it took to wing and produced a fabulous aerial display, quality bird. Also around this cracking site was a Temminck's Stint and a Wood Sandpiper.

 

Next up was the Great Reed Warbler at Straw's Bridge Ponds, Derbyshire. After arriving on site in the early hours of Monday and a couple of hours kip it was over to what must be the smallest reedbed ever? It showed well though nearly always obscured.

From Derbyshire it was North to Yorkshire and Potteric Carr NR for the Iberian Chiffchaff. A very vocal bird which in part showed very well, it is a Chiffchaff after all.

A slight detour east next to Welwick for a very flighty Purple Heron.

After a well earned night in a Travel Inn it was north en-route to the Northlink. First stop Mussleburgh, Lothian were 2 drake Surf Scoters showed distantly with Velvet Scoter. Our final stop was in search of the drake King Eider on the Ythan estuary, Aberdeen. After a fair bit of searching we finally tracked it down resting on the far shore.

Also some of the commoner birds were rather nice to see.