GV

Finally a local year tick! Stunning juv Grey Plover at Bank Island this evening!

Drags

Usually dragonflies are a mid summer, no birds to look at, so I'll look at some dragonflies feature. However with blasting westerlies dominating September so far this is what I ended up finding c.5 female Red-veined Darters!

After flukely catching a female on 29th August on site we read a bit more about the criteria for them and managed to ID some today! 

Birdwise we had 83 Tufted Duck, 3 Chiffchaff and 2 Common Sandpiper. So decided to test out the macro function of the new camera.

And for those of you that don't have a clue but are still reading... 

Well I don't have a clue either really so I hope I haven't made a fool of myself!

If you fancy seeing some for yourself the ones today were along the bus road coming in from Heslington Church on the right before you get to any water bodies there is a small reedy drain/pool with vegetation around it and they were around there.

Also had a single male Black Darter in the same area.

Off to North Ronaldsay this week so hopefully the next post will be about birds!

Anyone fancy guessing species and age on this gull?

Changed the focus settings on my camera so should make flight shots easier now! Took far too many Woodpigeon shots today! But also managed Merlin and Hobby, but up early tomorrow so will post later.

Still impressed

How to nail a gull wing formula

Will hopefully come in handy in the winter!

More on the Panasonic

Cracking days birding, some shots from the new camera. Discovered the slow motion feature, more to follow on that!

Panasonic FZ-200

Got a new bridge/super zoom camera today, the Panasonic FZ-200, well chuffed with it! Took it for a play around the patch and here are some of the results. All in crap light! Most people seem to say bridge cameras aren't great for flight shots?! Looks like its going to be perfect for North Ron trip and getting shots of anything I'm lucky enough to find!

REDSTART

Finally, 167!

166

Finally connected with Wood Sand locally taking me onto 166 for the year list and only 5 for the record!


Good days birding in the LDV starting with the female Scaup still on Bank Island, then  Wood Sand, 2 Greenshank, 2 juv Garganey, 4 Dunlin, 4 Ruff, 3 Redshank, plenty of Golden Plover and Lapwing and a single Common Tern as well as a Water Rail sounding like a squeezed out poo....


Promising fields at Thorganby had dried out, but a stunning 2cy male Marsh Harrier perched then flying round up close made up for it!


However then this evening, see photos of this interesting heron in Ireland


http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/VinceBull/LargeUnknownBird9.jpg


However more interesting was this report


http://grumpyecologist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/crakey-change-record-books.html


WOW! How many in the York area this year?! Will a juv be found wandering round Wheldrake pool? PLEASE!