Mid-summer blues I am afraid hence no real activity here. Wader numbers are starting to build up now with large numbers of knot and godwits. There has been a cracking summer plumage curlew sand for the last week and there was 6 spotshank this afternoon. It should only be a matter of time now before and good wader, probably a pec, turns up.

14 crossbills over the garden on Sunday was a nice surprise although there has been a small movement along the coast in the last couple of weeks.

After only just getting back from our Colorado trip, our next one is already planned. This one is a bit bigger - we are off to NE India in February next year. Very different to our last few trips, all the birds, culture and scenery will be very different. The trip still has a few things to confirm but we will be going to the famous Eagles Nest and into the foothills of the Himalayas. It will be a bit of an adventure especially as we are going with Dave and Mandy who are infamous for having something go wrong!!

Just got back for a manic weekend at Minsmere with Adam, Hayley and the boys. After building their new climbing frame on Saturday (rewarded with nice views of white admiral, brown argus and purple hairstreak), I got a few hours on the reserve on Sunday morning.

Despite the lack of recent rain, the scrapes were looking good. 3 spoonbill and a couple of juv med gulls were present but no sign of any roseate terns that had been around. The 'lucky pool' on the south levels had 10 little gull, 3 spotshank and 5 greenshank including a colour-ringed bird. It was also nice to see several broods of lapwing and redshank around the reserve. Scanning the moulting gadwall paid off as the fudge duck was sleeping with them although it is a pretty grotty individual. The highlight however were the bitterns. At least 4 indivuduals were feeding in various places around the mere with at least one doing a couple of flights around the pool. Back in the garden, we had at least 50 crossbills over in small flocks during the morning.

Found an icterine warbler singing on the reserve today...nice

An awesome morning ringing on Sunday. By the end of the session we had ringed 88 new birds are re-trapped 40 including a 48 bird net-round that used nearly all our bird bags! Mainly young birds (probably 85%) with dunnock, blue tit and blackcap making up the numbers. A net across one of the barns on site produced 14 swallow including 2 re-traps from 2010 and 2009 and a couple of fledged youngsters. Ringing in the garden has been very quiet with only 4 birds caught in about 8 hours of trapping over the weekend, however, a fly-over turtle dove (garden tick 92) on Saturday afternoon made up for it

Finally got round to sorting out some more pictures out.

Male western tanager - imagine what Big Garden BirdWatch could be like with these on your feeders!!

Stellers jay - cool birds

Ferruginous hawk checking out a prariedog town

Caspian tern

Male chestnut-sided warbler. Only the 3rd to be rung at the Chatfield State Park ringing site, operated by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and the 2nd this year. It certainly makes ringing exciting when you have yellow warblers, Swainson's thrushes, yellow breasted chat and an array of flycatchers to handle!!

Still not managed to get any more holiday snaps sorted - need some more wet evenings!

The reserve has been looking awesome at the moment now the water levels are dropping. Last Friday we had a reserve record 706 black-tailed godwits and yeaterday evening there were 350 blackwit, 300 barwit, 200 knot, 12 spotshank, 8 ruff, 4 green sands, 3 LRP and 3 greenshank - and it is still only June!!

Finally got out ringing on Sunday after nearly a month and there was ton of birds. 90% were juvenile robin, dunnock and tits although a new juv great spot was nice. By the end of the morning we had rung 75 new birds and re-trapped 12. Also found out that a greenfinch that I caught in the garden in April was ringed at Holme NOA 3 years ago.

Moth numbers are on the increase. Cloudy and warm conditions last Tuesday produced 83 moths of 41 species. Beautiful hooktip was a new species for me.

The first selection of images from our Colorado trip.

Broad-tailed hummingbird

Clark's nutcracker

American robin

Northern flicker

Townsend's solitaire

Bullock's oriole

Mountain bluebird

American avocet

Violet-green swallow

Fantastic birds, amazing scenery, Colorado is highly recomended as a destination for anyone. Still got a touch of jetlag but getting back into the swing of things now.
Final total of 189 birds (with one still pending further investigation) which wasn't bad considering the flycatchers and sparrows were a nightmare to ID. Got loads of photos (ca800!) which need to be edited but I will attempt to put on the highlights in the coming days and weeks.

Top 5 birds

1. Broad-tailed hummingbird
2. Clark's nutcracker
3. Mountain bluebird
4. American avocet
5. Mountain plover

Were very jammy with a few difficult species especially the mountain plovers. The first day we found 3 outside the main area while looking for upland sandpiper and then the next day we had an adult with 2 chicks! - not bad considering there are less than 10,000 birds and only one of two places where they breed! Also got lucky with pine grosbeak, three-toed woodpecker (flushed from the side of the road), rosy-finches and white-tailed ptarmigan.

More to come soon