Not a lot to look at really is it !,but it did cause quite a stir by that I mean you couldn’t get in the public hide at Holywell pond on Saturday because of this little bird tripods and cameras everywhere its a pectoral Sandpiperthis is the best I could do with the photo’s as I had to Digiscope it because of the distance.

I just couldn’t resist it,it just kept eating away at me after hearing on the grape vine about the Glossy Ibis up at Druridge Pools.Wednesday morning its flask up,sandwiches made and off up to Druridge in great anticipation! found it first time (thats good for me).Spent a while watching a Greenshank and then a couple of Otters were feeding over on the far bank, by this time about 11/2 hrs had past and I was just about to collect my bits and bobs and try another hide when in flew the Ibis landing a long way off ,the only way I was going to get a photo of any sort was by digiscoping it.Twenty or so shots later and nothing of any note left me a bit dispondent just then a Grey Heron disturbed it and it landed in front of the hide just long enough to fire of 1/2 doz shots,prayers answered!!

Yes that’s right just looked out the window only to find it drizzling on ,should I or should’nt I !,do I risk a good sopping or not .Then the old saying comes to mind “if ya dont get out ya dont see now’t”and I am pleased I did now because Holywell Pond has been a bit quiet of late but not this morning.Quite a good gathering of ducks 70+Teal a few Wigeon,Gadwall,Tufted and the resident Mallards next up was a nice pair of Whooper Swans being chased around by the resident Mute Swan,down in the corner was Snipe dashing around feeding with a Black-Tailed Godwit stabbing away in the mud in front of the hide and just as I was about to leave in dropped a Curlew for a wash and brush up .Nice to see the Whoopers though.

A two day stopover at the moss proved to be a good move with a few photo’s of the elusive Bittern,as can be seen from the pics the rain was bleaching down in fact it got that bad we had to close the veiwing windows in the bird hide.You will notice a red ring on its leg this is the bird that was found starving at “Bamber Bridge” near Preston Lancs,it was nursed back to health and released on the Moss. The other photo is of a Little Egret which was hanging around at the time and becoming more common.

In fact these photo,s were taken through my kitchen window of a Sparrow Hawk on the hedge and waiting to pounce!!.

Holywell pond is a bit quiet at the moment,but I did manage a shot of a Black Tailed Godwit and a Little Ring Plover

A little further afield at St Marys Lighthouse on a lovely sunny morning I managed to capture these two juv Swallows being fed ready for their long flight to Africa.
Also at St Marys were these nice two Golden Plovers and a Redshank.

An evening lurking in the shrubbery dressed like Robin Hood caught this impressive creature

A trip around the pond this afternoon brought some suprising results, 1st was the Goosander then the Garganey (duck) later joined by a 2nd male the Cormorant was quite close giving itself a good preen when a pair of Common Sandpipers dropped in to bathe,pleased i had the camera.

Spent a few days at the Moss ,a bit of walking and birding combined. Here’s a few pics of the local wildlife

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A nice bright morning so i thought i would take the camera and have walk down to the pond 30+Greylags down by the public hide and a nice Curlew feeding in the field, then it was back up to the members hide to get a distance shot of a Pochard and a pair of great crested Grebe’s not being very cooperative also had a quick glimpse of the water-rail.