Spoonbill

An adult Spoonbill was an unexpected surprise find during an afternoon of birding around a very windswept Bishop Middleham today.
First seen on Stoneybeck Lake it later relocated to Castle Lake.
It's the first record of Spoonbill on the ground at Bishop Middleham, there was a record of a flyover bird on 15th March 2008.

Spoonbill on Stoneybeck Lake battling with the strong westerly winds.

While watching the Spoonbill young Andrew 'hawkeye' Kinghorn spotted this family party of Roe Deer.

Two pictures after the Spoonbill moved on to Castle Lake providing superb views from the hide.

Other birds of note at Castle Lake included 7 Dunlin, 3 Ringed Plover, 1 Redshank, 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Wheatear.

One of today's seven summer plumaged Dunlin.

And finally it's always entertaining to see which of these two passionate County Durham birders arrives first to twitch another bird for their yearlist!

(Bishop Middleham patch tick #138 Spoonbill)