Gary Howard's birds and wildlife

 The news of  an Eastern Crowned Warbler -  Britain's first - broke around 10pm on Thursday evening and too late for me to organize a shot at it on Friday. As I arrived at work just before 8am on Friday morning James Hunter rang to say he and Andy Lawson were going soon and could I  join them but alas I had to wait..........

Barry Wright, John Tilbrook and I set off at midnight arriving in South Shields around 0530 and rather pleased to pass through some mist and fog en-route as we neared the site. It was cloudy when we arrived and we grabbed a couple of hours rest hoping that the bird had not departed.

 We joined a small crowd before sunrise at the foot of the cliffs in the quarry overlooking a tiny patch of scrub and sycamores. It looked so insignificant and doubts began to creep back into my mind. However, they were quickly dispelled when I got a quick glimpse of a warbler and saw an enormous supercilium, it was no yellow-browed! As the light improved we got a few more glimpses and then some longer looks, then clinching views - a crown stripe!

Nice to see so many familiar faces and catch up with a few old ones - and all beaming from ear to ear !

The Leas, South Shields and a very appreciative crowd of birders.

Eastern Crowned Warbler

We didn't leave South Shields until around 11am greedily lapping up extra views of the stunning Eastern Crowned Warbler. Eventually we dragged ourselves away and on a wave of euphoria headed south intending to bird our way home.

Around midday we arrived at Port Clarence where a roadside stop by flooded fields amidst the industrial sites yielded the hoped for Pectoral Sandpiper, Blue-winged Teal and a good selection of waders and wildfowl.

The weather took a turn for the worse and in increasingly heavy rain we drove south through Yorkshire, skirting the moors and then headed out along minor roads east to Bempton Cliffs. In torrential rain we joined a small group of birders behind the information centre to look for a Red-flanked Bluetail in a tiny copse. It showed very well, often quite close though the poor light and rain rendered photography a trial. I got a couple of record shots using ISO 1600!

How times change. Red-flanked Bluetail reduced to a member of the supporting cast.

What a great day.

Red-flanked Bluetail