The Birding Bug

It's been a solid 9 months since the last blog post and I can only apologise for inactivity - however it was a flurry of top birds that has given me back the bug for both twitching and blogging. Ever since dipping an American Robin earlier in the year (the less said about that the better) my luck has been in and I've had four successful twitches on the bounce - all of which I plan to document on here.

29/05/2022

The first of this series of birds rocked up on 29th May 2022. Having just finished my second year of uni, I found myself with some time on my hands for the first time in the while - which I planned to utilise by birding as much as possible. The day was intended to be a lazy one. I awoke with a lousy hangover due to some excess drinking the previous night - a standard procedure at uni - and I remained in bed until around midday. However, all was about to change when I received the update from Birdguides that the touring White-Tailed Lapwing had stopped off at Bickershaw Country Park in Greater Manchester. Having been what feels like one of the only birders to not see this bird (since it was at Blacktoft Sands for months) this really wet my appetite. Within 20 minutes I was out the door and on the way to the train station to try and see the bird. 

The journey was not to be straightforward however, with public transport being the only option (due to not having a car with me at University). As a result, I had to take a bus from Wigan after my train arrived to the site before walking for another 20 minutes. A stop off at Subway only served to heighten my stress due to what felt like the world's longest queue. Thankfully, I finally arrived at the Country Park after well over 2 hours of travel. However, the bird did the right thing and held tight during this time - offering some fabulous views.

White-tailed Lapwing                                                                     

The original finder of the bird was also on site and even mentioned to me that that was the first wader he'd had at the Country Park this year! What a remarkable bird for Greater Manchester. Due to being in a Country Park rather than a nature reserve, the possibility of the bird being flushed looked highly likely - especially with the masses of dog walkers and even people on quad bikers. At one point the bird was flushed and showed it's glorious wing patterns. Needless to say, it didn't stick around for too long and departed within the next few days - being relocated in the West Midlands shortly after. Thankfully, a kind birder gave me a lift to the station where I called it a day feeling relieved at having connected with my first 'mega'!

30/05/2022

The next day I was back at it again - the birding bug had truly got me gripped and I vowed to make an attempt to connect with the Lesser Scaup that had been present at RSPB Marshide for the past week or so. Once again, the twitch involved the dreaded public transport; a train to Southport followed by a bus to the reserve being necessary. 

Upon arrival at the reserve, the weather was dreadful, however it was evident that birds were plentiful. After being battered by the elements, I got to the visitor centre where another gentleman informed me that he indeed had the Lesser Scaup in his scope which was showing distantly on Polly's Pool. Gladly I looked through the scope and was able to tick off this lifer which was made all the more sweet by the bird that I dipped at Abberton Reservoir earlier in the year.

After seeing many Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Little Ringed Plovers for good measure, I decided to head on around the reserve. I stopped by at a viewpoint and simply waited a while. Many of the birds on Polly's Pool were raised by a bird of prey and as I looked around I set eyes upon a Tufted Duck with a pale back right in front of me - it was the Lesser Scaup showing at point blank range! Quickly I managed to grab a few photos through my binoculars as the bird preened in clear view of the naked eye! What a bird!

Lesser Scaup

After being treated to these views I headed on in the hope of connecting with a Curlew Sandpiper that had been reported earlier. I eventually made it to the Inner Marsh in the pouring rain.  A single other birder was there and he showed me an unusual bird in the scope that he had spotted - a Wood Sandpiper. My first of the year and an unexpected bonus to an already successful day - providing a great end to a long but highly rewarding trip in which I was gladly able to connect withe target bird. It seemed my luck was yet to run out...