Sunday 8 May 2016

Western Bonelli's Warbler, Gibraltar Point

With news of an Alpine Accentor being found at Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire yesterday, we decided to change our planned trip to Norfolk and head for Lincolnshire instead. It was more in hope than expectation, and upon arrival at 6.30am the signs were not looking good.As we drove along the entance track towards the car park several birders were already making their way back to their cars!
We stuck it out for an hour or so and then decided a stroll around the reserve was warranted. As we returned to the car news broke of a Bonelli's Warbler having be found. Having joined a group of birders it was soon heard singing from a Sycamore tree, but the bird proved much more difficult to actually see. It flew from the tree and was eventually re-found in the scrub behind the second car park and would allow much better views. The calls identified the bird as a Western Bonelli's Warbler. The locals were saying it was a first for the county! An added bonus here was the presence of several Green Hairstreak Butterflies, my first sighting of this species.

Green Hairstreak


From here we reverted back to our original plan and headed for Choseley in search of Dotterel. Having pulled of the road shortly before the drying barns we began scanning the field to the West and quickly found several Dotterel feeding relatively close by. A more thorough search produced a count of twenty four birds!

Dotterel


A brief stop at Titchwell was rewarded with views of two Wood Sandpipers on the Thornham side of the main path. A scan of the Freshwater Marsh added two Temminck Stint and a single Little Stint along with Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper.
The walk back towards the reserve centre added another year tick when a Whinchat was seen perched up on a wire fence.

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