Two Barred Warblers and Pinkfeet arrival!!!

Barred Warbler, Dell Hide in front of 'Fred's Pool', HBO.

Arrived Holme Reserves at 9.15am.

Beautiful, sunny day but quite cold due to the NW winds. Had a good look round the back of the pines to have a final look for the Arctic Warbler, but no sign at all - Connor was also looking. A couple of goldcrests appeared, wren, usual tit flock, but not alot else. Walked round to observatory and had just sat myself down on the seat in the sunshine when Jed called out 'Barred Warbler' just in front of the Dell hide (just in front of 'Fred's Pool' as my father and I always called it affectionately, as Fred Britton built it). The Barred Warbler gave brief views through the gaps of the wood panels to right of the hide, but you can't photograph through these, so I dived into the hide to get the hot seat and I sat there from 11.00am when I first saw the Barred Warbler until 1.35pm - this paid off as I got some decent shots at 11.49am although all shots had annoying pieces of grasses/reed in front of the bird! Lots of Coal Tits and Goldfinches on the Feeders, several chaffinches, hedge sparrows, a moorhen and a pheasant added to the scene. My first skein of Pinkfeet arrived in blue skies flying east at 12.35pm as I sat in the hide. The warbler seemed to disappear, so I gave up waiting for better shots and walked round to the observatory where a lady called Jo alerted me to 7 Common Buzzards circling round in the blue skies at 1.40pm. Photographed a beautiful Migrant Hawker by the Obs. pond (someone tell me if I am wrong!).

Goldfinch, Dell Hide in front of 'Fred's Pool', HBO.

Coal Tit, Dell Hide in front of 'Fred's Pool', HBO.

Pinkfeet flying east over Holme Bird Observatory.

Migrant Hawker by the pond at Holme Bird Observatory.

Walked back to NOA carpark via The Firs to say hello to Pat and buy a bar of NWT chocolate! Bumped into Dave Holman who had come to look for the Barred Warbler.

Redwell Marsh Hide - nothing at all of note apart from a few Teal and a Hare - in fact I have never seen so little here!

Hare at Redwell Marsh Hide NOA, Holme.

Visited to my parents and was kindly given apples and tomatoes from the garden. No phone signal here at all, so didn't realise until I got a few miles along the coast road that there was a Barred Warbler at Warham. Trundled along (well kind of!) the A149 and parked at Stiffkey Campsite carpark and recognised several familiar cars here! On route to Stiffkey I observed several skeins of Pink footed geese. Made my way west along the path to approx. 100 yards past the whirlygig, to find a handful of birders including Eddie M. and Carl C. watching a VERY elusive Barred Warbler - the light was shockingly bad now BUT I very luckily got some record shots! Every so often it would pop out to eat some elderberries and then dive back in to the thickest part of the bush! Saw it intially at around 5.15pm and then very good views at around 5.50pm.

Barred Warbler, Wareham Greens, Stiffkey.

Cley Coastguards with other regulars for a last minute seawatch just in case a Fea's Petrol flew past!!!! (Ha ha!) Nothing was seen apart from a few terns going west. Enjoyed the last of my chocolate and a sandwich.

On the way home I dropped a birthday card in to Pete S. - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE!

Arrived home 8.45pm.