Wilsons Phalarope - Bishop Middleham, Co. Durham - 16th Aug 2007

Following fairly distant into-the-light views at the first attempt around midday, a second attempt late afternoon resulted in excellent scope views of this moulting adult Wilsons Phalarope on an excellent scrape/pool at Castle Lake. Plenty of wader mud ensured plenty of birds present including 5 juv Greenshank, 4 juv Ruff, several Dunlin and Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and a nice adult Yellow Wagtail. Between the two visits, a seawatch off Hartlepool Headland produced four species of Tern (Sandwich, Common, Arctic & Little), plenty of Kittiwake offshore, a light passage of Manx Shearwater > N and 2 Arctic Skua.

Sutherland and Caithness - Aug 2007.

Some images from another week working in the Highlands. Birding highlights included Sooty Shearwater and good numbers of Storm Petrels off the North coast (Portskerra - Dounreay), a Golden Eagle Fest and Juv Black-throated Divers on an inland loch. whilst other highlights included good views of three Otters together and a lifer in the form of a superb Basking Shark off Portskerra. More images to follow.

Black Stork - Alaw Estuary, Anglesey, Gwynnyd - 1st Aug 2007

The journey down to Anglesey was marred by a hour spent in gridlocked traffic close to the Menai Bridge. Upon arrival at the site at c19:00hrs, we discovered the bird had been flushed from a nearby creek by a photographer minutes before. However, it was still a quality bird despite the distance and the unexpected onset of poor weather. This was only my 2nd Black Stork, the previous being at Leighton Moss way back in 1989!