A Mere duck?

News of a drake Common Scoter on The Mere early afternoon changed my after work plans for the sick bed and gave me just enough motivation to want to go and see it. And before you go on about me whinging about man flu again, let me tell you I've just been booked in to visit the hospital for tropical diseases and it appears that rather than just man flu it might be down to something I picked up in Southeast Asia! Anyway, life's never that simple though when doing a spot of twitching and my plan for a prompt finish at work was scuppered, as, whilst working at one of our 'wonderful little hamlets' I found myself trapped by an ongoing drugs raid. Fortunately, the barricades were lifted just before finishing time and I even managed to watch a cracking Brimstone butterfly 'floating about' whilst waiting.

The Common Scoter on The Mere this evening - all worth it for such a stunner!

Other birds at Old Moor early evening: Bittern 'booming' frequent, 4 Teal, Goosander, LRP, adult Med' Gull  and Common Tern.

The Spoonbill was still on Wombwell Ings early evening but a phone call from the Barnsley Blade at about 8pm told of no sign. Birds he did see: 2 Little Egrets, 2 Wigeon, Shelduck, 3 RP, 7 LRP, 7 Avocets, Ruff, 2 Dunlin, Wheatear.

Received an email today from Richie Patterson who had a cracking day at Langsett yesterday with 2 Cuckoos, Pied Flycatcher, several Wheatears and best of all a female Black Redstart at North America Farm. Thanks for that Richie.