Myrtle Warbler and Red Flanked Bluetail Saves The Weekend!

Typical! The day I, Mike Booker, Dan Booker, Harry Ramm and Kevin McCoy head for the CHINESE POND HERON in Hythe, Kent the bird doesn't show for the first time since the news has been publicised and is still undoubtably in the gardens around the housing estate. To me this wasn't a surprise given the increase in observers  1.  Because it was  Saturday and 2. This bird could well be the real deal or as close as its ever going to get! Although these ardeola Herons are near enough impossible to tell apart in Non Breeding plumage, the Maroon feathering now forming on the crown, nape and neck certainly suggests this is indeed a CHINESE POND HERON it has also been suggested the age of this individual is a 1st Winter though its still certainly debatable whether its a true, genuine vagrant. All was not lost though because Mick Davis was on hand too cook us a fantastic fry up back at his place, top work Mick!

On the Sunday I headed up with Garry Bagnell and John Lees for the MYRTLE WARBLER in Co Durham. John picked me up at 11:20pm and we headed straight to Garry's. Although on most twitches I'm anxious I was quietly confident with this one... The bird had been present since the 27th of January (first being picked up in a big garden birdwatch) it has been happily feeding away on the suet stuffed in those coconut shells which implied to me and others its probably going to over winter though ironically as I write this blog post the bird has not been seen all day today! We arrived around 6am and got an hours kip by the time we woke it was early sunrise. We headed to the grassy area where you view the bird from and after a 15 minuet     wait I first picked it up in the tree line above our heads. All diagnostic features could be appreciated straight away including that dazzling lemon yellow rump and the distinctive check check call which was always a indication the bird was never far away. 

After we left the MYRTLE WARBLER and headed out of Co Durham we decided to head for the RED FLANKED BLUETAIL in the  Shire Valley, (a beautiful place) Gloucestershire.  The bird was first picked up on Monday the 3rd of February! Making it Britain's first recorded over wintering RED FLANKED BLUETAIL. It was only a 5 minuet wait before it put in an appearance happily feeding on the Mealworms placed down for it on a small lump of earth and grass. I managed to take a record shot through my I phone 4 but this 100% does not do this bird justice!

      (Red Flanked Bluetail Shire Valley)

This was a bloody good trip managing to see both target birds (two lifers for me!) and appreciating both of them. 

     (Looking down onto the Shire Valley)

P.S I know this is only my first blog post but I plan to keep them coming as regularly as possible.