Saturday 13 November 2010

Not Pied-billed....................

....................but equally spectacular!

Successfully told myself that I could not justify the time or money or carbon footprint of travelling to Rochdale, but unsuccessfully tried to avoid Hartlepool.  And pleased I did.

You cannot whack getting to a new location and first time and finding a birder already there and so seeing the quarry without delay.  Today was one of those days, with the Red-necked Grebe at Hartlepool Marina.

And the weather was breezy and sunny and clear and the views outstanding.  And what a spectacular place too!  Eight Red-breasted Mergansers on the water as well - which was nice!

And now the shitty-shotties:




7 comments:

  1. Oh bugger! I think you are counting these birds twice. I can't believe you didn't get RN Grebe off Stag Rock early in the year. All I added today was a dodgey Ross's Goose. I failed to get RC Pochard at Cresswell.

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  2. The Ross's is a belter! Nice one. My one and only RNG was 2006, distant, East Chev beyond the islands so today's was superb. The light was excellent and the views great. If it's there tomorrow, it's well worth a trip (78 miles return from Crammers). Better pictures here:
    http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=33013&page=498

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  3. It was just a bit far for my lens and diving too regularly to focus with the digiscope. Smart juvenile though.

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  4. The only thing with Ross's Goose is that it's not on the British list. So it's as dodgey as your Egyptian Goose. Off to Leighton Moss tomorrow on family birding trip. So I might pull one or two back on you.

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  5. I keep looking on here expecting to see 230 Green-Winged Teal.

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  7. Nope - 28/2/10 @ Druridge Pools.

    My quests for the year (Year Ticks remaining) are (and some are not possible/likely):
    American Wigeon
    Balearic Shearwater
    Bearded Tit
    Black Guillemot
    Bonaparte's Gull
    Buff-breasted Sandpiper
    Caspian Tern
    Firecrest
    Glaucous Gull
    Glossy Ibis
    Golden Eagle
    Golden Oriole
    Great Shearwater
    Great White Pelican
    Grey Phalarope
    Hooded Crow
    Iceland Gull
    Icterine Warbler
    Isabelline Shrike
    Lesser Grey Shrike
    Lesser Scaup
    Raven
    Red-breasted Goose
    Richardson's Canada Goose
    Roller
    Sabine's Gull
    Semipalmated Sandpiper
    Short-toed Lark
    Water Pipit
    White-rumped Sandpiper
    White Stork and
    The other Redpoll!!!!!!!!

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