Local Birding in August

My understanding is that the species is starting to find a foothold in this county, but I was still surprised and delighted in equal measure when I spotted 3 Avocet snoozing on the bank of the local river today (12th). I dashed over to the edge of the near bank to get photographs and managed to some extent although the light was poor, and the birds became increasingly flighty. Still, great to see them here – the first time for me ever. Less of a surprise but equally enjoyable was spotting an adult male Merlin on the same day hunting over the marsh down the road. (A fellow birder claimed this as Hobby, but this didn’t feel right to me.) Confirmation of its true identity came the following day (13th) when what was presumably the same bird was perched on a post on the far side of the estuary (where I have seen this species before, in fact), and distant photo record shots proved what I’d suspected all along. 

Whilst the draw of heading down south to see all the rarities my fellow birders were enjoying increased day by day (as it always does at this time of year), local birding on 23rd/24th produced my best ever views (and photos) of Whimbrel (on the falling tide). I also took images of commoner waders and a single Wheatear, some nice flight shots of Cormorant and Goosander and saw my first ever photographable Green Sandpiper from the conservatory - following a spell of unseasonably wet and windy weather coupled with high tides, which flooded the marsh. (I had noted this species before from home but either ‘heard only’ or very distantly on the river.) And this individual stayed a couple of days, which was a real treat, before the flood water eventually retreated.

The 25th brought more bad weather (rain and strong south-westerlies), but a three-hour spell at Herdhill Scar produced a brilliant Osprey that cruised overhead, at least 10 Sandwich Terns and a distant Skua that I think was Great Skua. Much of the time was spent huddled over my optics trying to keep the rain off them! (By the way, the photo of the Osprey here has had a background facelift.)