Avez-Vous un Cuppa?

After finishing my final assignment for University mid morning, I noted on my pager that 3 Black Terns had been reported at Cropston Reservoir. So before handing in my assignment I nipped over to Cropston to see the terns. Arriving at the dam, I met up with Paul (one of the Groby crew) as he was scanning the reservoir. Straight away I picked up a couple of Black Terns flying around the reservoir and then I noticed a couple of smaller terns as there flew past. I knew straight away that there Little Terns due to there size and build. I shouted to Paul to get on terns which he did, and then I scanned through the other terns feeding over the reservoir, and noted that there was 2 adult Little Terns , 3 Black Terns , up to six Arctic Terns and a single Common Tern just feeding off the dam. As this was a good count of Terns I phoned the news out. Watching the Terns for the next half an hour, the majority moved off when the weather improved, but the Black Terns did stick around until the e...

Red-rumped Swallow twitch. Yesterday Morning at around 8.15am I got a phone call from Rob Gill who was at Watermead CP North and he had found a Red-rumped Swallow in the mobile hirundine flock. At this point, panic struck in as I knew that I couldn't get out of work until mid-afternoon at the earliest, so I thought, bugger, shite, stuck at work!! I phoned and sent text messages around to let my birding mates of the discovery of the Red-rumped and then got back to dealing with the day job. Checking my Birdnet pager and Birdguides on the ward computer at regular occasions, to make sure the bird was still there, it wasn't until after three pm, that I finally left the hospital. As Watermead CP is not that far from the General Hospital, I finally arrived at the "Pec Pit" opposite the Hope and Anchor pub just after 3.20pm. It took me a few minutes to locate the bird as it flew over the gravel pit feeding with the other hirundines, but was relieved that the bird was still ...