Avocet collection

 a selection from Alkborough this past week - the yellow flagged birds are from Teeside one and Lancashire (3) a new connected breeding locality for the Flats. 

colour ringed male Hen Harrier

sometimes you think of a photographic plan and dream of a result that you just know will never happen but today Santa must have come early; I set up in the hope of getting a passing shot of the male Hen Harrier at Alkborough as it left its local roost but by 08:00 I had clearly missed it, not really unexpected but it was a lovely morning though still pre-sunrise -- photographing a passing Marsh Harrier that was far too distant and with nil light I glanced right and saw the male Hen Harrier at point blank range -- panic fire first focus later at 6400ISO and still getting 125th second they were never going to be great! then to my total amazement my dream of it landing on a fence post came to pass and it just sat there for almost 3 minutes while I fired off a lot of shots, dropping the ISO to 1600 and shooting at 1/60th second -- it was only when looking at the shots that I realised it was colour ringed on the left leg Black with OW in white -- thanks to John W for rapid info to the effect that it was a bird ringed at Langholm, Scottish borders, in 2016 making it a 3CY or third winter if you prefer -- I must try dreaming a bit more often

colour ringed Spoonbill

iphone 5C with Swaro ATX95 scope

17 year old Black-tail

located this colour ringed bird today -- amazingly the 6th colour ringed bird I found in 1996 ringed in the Wash in 1995 --

15.08.95	Rd Terrington
16.8.96	Killingholme
27.10.96	Killingholme
10.12.98	Pywipe
19.12.98	Pilling Lane Lancs
22.08.01	Holbeach, the Wash estuary, Lincolnshire , E England
29.10.03	Réserve Naturelle du Marais d'Yves, Charente-Maritime, W France
14.11.03	Réserve Naturelle du Marais d'Yves, Charente-Maritime, W France
27.02.04	Swale estuary, Kent , SE England
09.08.06	Snettisham, the Wash estuary, Norfolk , E England
31.03.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
03.04.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
07.04.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
12.04.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
13.04.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
02.07.07	Snettisham, the Wash estuary, Norfolk , E England
21.09.07	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
23.10.07	Killingholme
03.09.08	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
06.09.08	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
27.01.09	Swale estuary, Kent , SE England
29.01.09	Swale estuary, Kent , SE England
28.03.09	Medway estuary, Kent , SE England
18.10.09	Killingholme
26.10.09	Killingholme
15.11.09	Killingholme Pywipe
18.03.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
25.03.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
27.03.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
04.04.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
05.04.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
07.04.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
11.04.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
21.04.10	Medway estuary, Kent, SE England
25.10.10	Killingholme
29.09.12	Killingholme

Colour ringed Dunlin

this adult Dunlin arrived at Alkborough last night with 8 small tundra type Ringed Plovers (the RP in the photo is a nominate bird that arrived later in the evening) ; it was the only Dunlin there and amazingly was colour ringed with Metal//WY //GflagW  -- from the Euro cr web site this should be a bird ringed on the Tagus estuary in Portugal but we await full details - presumably ringed in winter where has it spent the summer?