UPTON WARREN ALL DAYER!!!!!!!!

1/05/10
well half dayer for me, was dropped off at around 2pm and left at 8:30c
i was here with my friend andy(the one i share my sheepwash visits too), we were dropped off and headed down to the flashes main hide, how 'f' in cramped was it in there, i had to sit at the back of the hide, the usual waders were around but a apir of ringed plover was a nice upton year tick,
tim had been in the hide since 4am and had knocked up a good range of good birds, allas all had left now.
Soon after a shout was up to say that the 1st summer MED GULL had just flew in, a bit of scanning and i was onto the bird at the back of the flashes(between 1st+2nd flash), were despite the distance all features could be seen.


even though not the best looking plumages of med gull, it still was a stonker and as always a pleasure to see,
as usual andy hadent got the bird so i got him onto it through my scope.
Martyn from the blurred birder soon arrived with a friend, a chat followed, mostly about turkey and how good it was.
the it got to the point that i couldent take any more and left for the moors with andy in tow.

a walk through the education reserve had a jay chiffchaff and the common woodland species.
into the west hide were i was met by upton regulars john belsey and dave walker, both knackered out after being up since very early, a few terns came in and out, and then i picked up the big orange plastic bird on the islands, ''Ruddy shelduck'', tim joined us and we chatted (and birded at the same time) after a period of not adding any species we decided to head over to the east hide, just as we were leaving we were told a friend was in the ''spider''(water rail/concrete hide).

Matt from the earlswood blog had came out for the day, he decided to tag along with us to the hide. the photographer i always see was again here but once again failed to get his name. the usual birdy chitchat followed, about a male whinchat matt had found that AM at earlswood and a white wagtail on the causway. then it moved onto how close the little stint, kentish plover and stilts were on holiday. nothing was added on the way to the hide, but once in the east hide we were treated to superb views of the ruddy shelduck(think my way, a unringed, fully winged, immaculate female ruddy shelduck in passage time following a major eruption of alpine swifts which come from the same basic areas as the shelduck,mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm)
a female teal was in amy's marsh as was a drake gadwall 4 OYC an LRP and an overly confiding common sandpiper.

we were joined by my dad at this point but the ruddy shelduck flew off as he was walking down the patch to the hide and all 4 of us left for the flashes later on.

a male blackcap was in the hedge outside the hide, we all met at the sailing centre, on the sailing pool 3 greylag geese were floating about, i looked up and there it was, the MED GULL was flying above us but flew straight to the moors and dropped behind the trees, a chiffchaff was singing, a scan of the mast produced the hoped for PEREGRINE on the smaller mast,

about 1/2 hour passed and the MED GULL flew back in landing quite close to the hide on the muddy island.

a little owl perched on the stump

now i like ringed plovers, but i also like little ringed plovers, but which ones better, only one way to find out, FIGHTTTTTTTTTTTTT............

see you after the break, LOL

MB