Second Chance

Two weeks ago, I dipped the Finningley Black-winged Pratincole on the day England made it through to the Euro quarter finals. The bird had flown off twenty minutes before we arrived and wasn't seen again for five days. 

I hadn't had chance to try to see the bird since, until today, when on my return journey from Birdfair, I realised I'd be passing pretty close to the site. Birdfair was fab, with the day spent working on the Yorkshire Coast Nature stand, meeting old friends and making new ones, spending too much on new books and generally having a good laugh. Finningley was only 15 minutes out of the way so not long after leaving the A1 at Blyth, we arrived at Croft Road. Smiling birders were departing, which is always a good sign, and they shared the good news that the Pratincole was showing well, despite the cold, drizzly July weather. Sure enough, a few minutes later and we were watching this elegant bird walking around among a flock of Lapwings, loafing on a bund in the small lake. 

 

Black-winged Pratincole, Finningley, South Yorkshire 14/07/24

The bird was much darker, slate grey-brown above, than Collared Pratincole, with a shorter tail (not projecting beyond folded wings), long legs and dark mask being the most distinctive features, with only a small amount of red on the bill base. As usual, a really cool-looking bird and pleasing to see one in Yorkshire, my only other British sighting being in Norfolk way back in 2009.

 

Despite the poor weather, the bird seemed to grab a few insects off the flowering Ragwort, by jumping up, neck outstretched. The Lapwing flock was flushed a couple of times and the Pratincole flew round with them, looking very smart in flight, with black underwings, and a short white, dark-edged forked tail. We watched the bird for an hour before heading home. 

England are playing tonight in the Euro final, against Spain.This is our second chance to win the cup, so fingers crossed. As with this Pratincole, second chances do sometimes work out!

 

Wheldrake Spooner

Adam Firth found a juvenile Spoonbill at Bank Island first thing Friday morning. I had the afternoon off, so headed up there to see if it was still around. It wasnt, having flown off south before I arrived. As there isn't a lot of suitable Spoonbill habitat in the LDV at this time of year, I thought it could have dropped in at the pool on Wheldrake Ings. Or completely gone! Anyway, I headed down there and sure enough it was roosting at the back of the pool, occasionally waking up to preen. A bird of the year, this may well have come from the small breeding colony at Fairburn Ings, in West Yorkshire. Also present, three Green Sandpipers, heralding the autumn (!), a Hobby catching dragonflies and three broods of Shovelers. 

Another Good Tern

On a busy Saturday, my only chance of twitching the Finningley Black-winged Pratincole was when England men were playing in their Euro 'last 16' football match. I decided I could listen to the match on the radio, and see if I could get this really rare wader on my Yorkshire list. The bird was present right on the border between South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire but had been seen several times on the Yorkshire side of the border, so it was worth a go. Pratincoles are cracking birds too, and I have only seen one Black-winged before, in Norfolk, years ago. Unfortunately, this bird flew off into Nottinghamshire and disappeared completely, 20 minutes before James and Barry Byatt and myself arrived, so we dipped. 

A striking Caspian Tern was not a bad consolation and showed beautifully, loafing on the scrape amid the gulls and waders, and also flying about, calling like a deranged Heron. It headed off high into Yorkshire at one point, but dropped back in later on. 

Almost as good was an unexpected Turtle Dove that flew along the leafy hedgerow on the south side of the gravel workings. Other birds on the gravel workings included Greenshank, Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, two fine Black-necked Grebes and a singing Corn Bunting. The pratincole vanished until being refound in the same spot five days later (yesterday). And England won, getting through to the quarter finals. 

 

 

 

Showy Marsh

A recent visit to see a Marsh Warbler was a success with the bird giving great views despite the wind, singing from the top of an Elder bush. As usual, a frenetic song, threaded with mimicry, with the songs and calls of Great Tit, Blackbird, Swallow, Common Tern, Quail and Bee-eater all delivered with great skill.  There were undoubtedly other calls in there that I didn't recognise, perhaps of birds heard on the bird's migration or during the winter in Africa. 

Typically, a dull grey-brown Acro, with contrasty tertials and nice pale primary tips. A well-marked head-pattern with distinct pale supercilum extending well past the eye, with an obvious dark eye-stripe and a white throat.