Sorry no blog yesterday. I went to Spurn and got a Snow Bunting Brit tick and 3 lifers, Black Brant, Pomarine Skua and and Little Auk. I watched a Little Auk come off the sea and join a flock of Starlings flying west up the Humber. This information came in very useful today.
After Vis Migging for two and a half hours I did a circuit of Wintersett Res
and had an hour to kill before lunch so I decided to go round Anglers CP,
because I'd read on Twitter that 62 Little Auks had been seen as far as the
Humber Bridge .... so maybe.....
While scanning the lake, I picked up a very small black and white bird diving in the middle at the northern end of Anglers CP. Little Auk???? Nooo!. It can't be....started shaking, tried not to panic. It was diving continously and difficult to relocate. I picked it up again and phoned Paul (Fitzy), who'd left forty minutes earlier, and told him what I'd seen. I then stewed for a very long and difficult twenty minutes trying to relocate it, and keep on it while he drove back. When Paul arrived I told him the bird was flicking its wings as it dived, which got him excited . However, it took a further ten minutes to find it before he could finally confirm what I'd thought. LITTLE AUK - MEGA! I jumped for joy for a minute, phoned Pete Smith (who had to come back from Spurn), and then put it out on Twitter.
The bird continued diving and then made a short flight over towards the east bank, where it started diving again. Fortunately the wind was in the right direction to drift it back to us, which took 30 minutes. It then performed really well and was down to ten metres at one point. Eventually it made a long flight towards the southern end of the lake. I'm not sure if anyone picked it up while it was down there. It wasn't seen for the next hour, but at last someone scoping from the south bank picked it up again towards the northern end where it was still diving. At about 15.00hrs it got out onto the edge of the lake and then settled down under some rushes to rest.
(There was then an unfortunate incident when a questionable birder was getting too close to the bird, standing right on the waters edge within 10 feet. He had a scope, so could have watched from the opposite bank like everyone else. He was reluctant to leave it and said the bird needed taking into care, but having been with the bird for nearly four hours I knew it was tired and needed to rest. It wasn’t exhausted, its wings were not splayed.and it was alert. I told him a decision would be made at dusk. He was shamed into leaving when I got my camera out.)
About fifteen minutes after that the Little Auk was pushed back onto the water after being disturbed by a crow. Luckily it swam/drifted near to where it had originally been found. It came out onto the edge and huddled under rocks. I was surprised how small it was. I left it with three observers at 16.30hrs. They stayed until dark and then decided to take it into care. Later, James tweeted the bird "was rather plump and fairly aggressive when picked up, so had plenty of fight" Graham tweeted "with gull roost, crows and foxes there was little chance of it surviving overnight, so apologies to those who didn't get to see it, but it will be at BBSG meeting tonight, then off to the east coast in the morning."
While scanning the lake, I picked up a very small black and white bird diving in the middle at the northern end of Anglers CP. Little Auk???? Nooo!. It can't be....started shaking, tried not to panic. It was diving continously and difficult to relocate. I picked it up again and phoned Paul (Fitzy), who'd left forty minutes earlier, and told him what I'd seen. I then stewed for a very long and difficult twenty minutes trying to relocate it, and keep on it while he drove back. When Paul arrived I told him the bird was flicking its wings as it dived, which got him excited . However, it took a further ten minutes to find it before he could finally confirm what I'd thought. LITTLE AUK - MEGA! I jumped for joy for a minute, phoned Pete Smith (who had to come back from Spurn), and then put it out on Twitter.
The bird continued diving and then made a short flight over towards the east bank, where it started diving again. Fortunately the wind was in the right direction to drift it back to us, which took 30 minutes. It then performed really well and was down to ten metres at one point. Eventually it made a long flight towards the southern end of the lake. I'm not sure if anyone picked it up while it was down there. It wasn't seen for the next hour, but at last someone scoping from the south bank picked it up again towards the northern end where it was still diving. At about 15.00hrs it got out onto the edge of the lake and then settled down under some rushes to rest.
(There was then an unfortunate incident when a questionable birder was getting too close to the bird, standing right on the waters edge within 10 feet. He had a scope, so could have watched from the opposite bank like everyone else. He was reluctant to leave it and said the bird needed taking into care, but having been with the bird for nearly four hours I knew it was tired and needed to rest. It wasn’t exhausted, its wings were not splayed.and it was alert. I told him a decision would be made at dusk. He was shamed into leaving when I got my camera out.)
About fifteen minutes after that the Little Auk was pushed back onto the water after being disturbed by a crow. Luckily it swam/drifted near to where it had originally been found. It came out onto the edge and huddled under rocks. I was surprised how small it was. I left it with three observers at 16.30hrs. They stayed until dark and then decided to take it into care. Later, James tweeted the bird "was rather plump and fairly aggressive when picked up, so had plenty of fight" Graham tweeted "with gull roost, crows and foxes there was little chance of it surviving overnight, so apologies to those who didn't get to see it, but it will be at BBSG meeting tonight, then off to the east coast in the morning."
An amazing set
of coincidences combined to make it one of my luckiest days yet. My first, self found mega. WHOO HOO!!!
Here's a great set of photos by Paul Meredith.
Here's a great set of photos by Paul Meredith.
%2Bsmall.jpg)
%2Bsmall.jpg)
%2Bsmall.jpg)
%2Bsmall.jpg)
Other than being a FIRST FOR WINTERSETT and the first Barnsley Area twitchable Little Auk for 40 years, I'm not sure of the stats/dates of Little Auks in the area. Could someone who knows please add a comment. Thanks.
Here's a link to a 7 second video of the Anglers Little Auk, by John Gardner. http://vimeo.com/111328074
7 comments:
Excellent account Ang and a great find. A nice little bonus in store for John Baxter who has it in the new species draw!
Fifteen records between 1974 and 1995 to my knowledge. There have been others in South Yorkshire but none since 2007.
Records are:
1 Wath Ings 29/10/74
1 exhausted West Melton 3/12/78.
1 picked up Darfield 20/3/80
1 Underbank Res. 8/2/83.
1 found dead North America Wood, Langsett 27/2/83.
1 Broomhill Flash 6/11/84 found dead Edderthorpe Flash 7/11
1 found dead Stocksbridge 7/11/84.
1 Broomhead Res. 5/2/85.
1 exhausted Wentworth 2/11/86.
1 long dead under wires Wath Ings 6/1/88.
1 Midhope Res. 1/11/88.
1 W Bretton Lakes 14/11/89.
1 picked up New Lodge, Barnsley 4/11/90 died 5/11.
1 exhausted Barnsley town centre 26/10/91
1 High Green 2/11/95.
Congratulations Angie, you deserve that!
Thanks all. The Mega-ness is just starting to sink in. Wow! What a bird for my first self found mega for Wintersett and I'm so glad all the team got to see it.
Congrats Ange, dedication rewarded
Great stuff. All the best for future birding.
Well done Ange - The First Lady of Birding. Estupendo,muy bien.
Post a Comment