A Little Swift ray of sunshine in Cheshire

A quick phone call this afternoon from Big Al Orton to tell me there was a Little Swift at New Brighton had me dashing down the A51 to Chester to pick the Motorway up 50 minutes later i was enjoying great views of the super Little bird in some awful weather i swear ive been sea watching there in November and felt warmer

Rosy things in Rhos-on-sea

A phone call from my friend Mike inviting me out for the day saw us heading over to the Welsh coast to see the adult Rose-coloured Starling at Rhos-on-Sea.  We have both seen plenty of juvenilles of this species but never an adult so we were keen to add it to our list.  We arrived on site at 10.30am and within seconds the bird was on the feeders in the garden at Marine Drive.   It behaved in an ultra aggressive manner towards any other bird trying to use the feeders.  We watched the bird for about an hour and then decided to have a couple of hours at the Little Tern colony at Gronant, a first for Mike but not for me and Scruffy.  

The "usual suspects" were showing well at Gronant, but for me it was my first visit to the coast since getting back from Spain and it seemed strange watching Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Lesser/Great Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls instead of Yellow-legged Gulls and Crested Larks. 

 Rose-coloured Starling

 and another

 another

 last one

 Mike and Scruffy

 Meadow Pipit

Reed Bunting

Hondo Petrola Lagoon round up

Ok- Here's a quick photographic round up of our last couple of days birding around El Hondo and the Petrola lagoons.  We have now been back in the UK for about a week and are working on the Spanish Pyrenees Trip report which will be online in the next few days.  

The Scottish Highlands Trip report is also a work in progress and will be available to read on the website within the next week. 

If you have enjoyed following our blogs over the last 3 months whilst we have been in Spain and would like to know more about next years dates or for more information on any of our future tours you can email us here.

 Squacco Heron

 Ringed Plover

 Black-winged Stilt

 Purple Heron

 Whiskered Tern

 Little Owl

 Black-necked Grebe

 Crested lark

 Great Tit

Cirl  Bunting

Spanish moon moth

Just sat having a beer with dad after a long day birding, more details and pics tomorrow but for now, what do you think of this beast we are sharing our table with!