Kristian's Wildlife Blog

After just about catching up with the Baird's Sandpiper at Meols on the Wirral last night, I came home to find news that a Grey Phalarope had been found at Elton Reservoir, only 20 minutes from home. The light had already gone by this point, and I wasn't massively confident it would stick until today. I finished work and dashed over to Elton, a bit concerned there had been no reports for about six hours of the bird. However, as soon as I arrived a very kind couple by the sailing club gave me directions and within seconds I was watching it in the centre of the reservoir. Distant but unmistakeable! Over the next half an hour or so I moved around the reservoir, hoping to get a bit closer, but it stayed resolutely towards the middle, alternating between periods of feeding and resting. I definitely can't complain though, it's been a proper bogey bird for about a year now, and I never expected it to be a local site that it turned up on!

Several months back, Austin, Carl and myself booked a long weekend on the St Mary's on the Isles of Scilly, with the aim of going on a few pelagics trips. This was off the back of several reports of Scopoli's Shearwaters, though as the time grew nearer we hoped the Red-Footed Booby that had been lingering on Bishop Rock lighthouse would stick around! Day 1 - Thursday 24th We drove down early Thursday morning, setting off from Manchester at about 1am and arriving in Penzance just after 7am. I'd been to the Scillies only once before, last October to twitch the Blackburnian Warbler. I was already looking forward to the Scillonian crossing, the wildlife seems to start as soon as you leave the bay at Penzance! Within the first 30 minutes the numbers of Manx Shearwaters was already racking up, and the first of many Common Dolphins were showing extremely well close to the boat. As we entered more open water, I soon started to pick out my first Cory's Shearwaters - I shamefu...