Red-flanked Bluetail at Bempton Cliffs RSPB

Definitely not the best day to catch up with the latest in a seemingly endless stream of Flankers on the east coast of Britain. Having missed two at Spurn last week I was determined to add this latter-day mega to my stagnating Yorkshire list, but after celebrating Friday's ECW a little over-zealously (I always accompany a new tick with a soda or two), Saturday became something of a non-starter!

Saturday was the day though, despite the wind and rain. The little multi-coloured Asiatic tart had been dancing on lens hoods all afternoon but unfortunately wasn't in the mood for a repeat performance this morning. After going missing shortly before our arrival the bird was finally relocated three and a half wet and windy hours later in the bottom of a hedge two hundred yards back down the approach. This caused some rather typical twitching naughtiness on the very narrow road with some visiting puffin-botherers getting particularly riled (even more so when they found out all the puffins had disappeared - chased off no doubt by the rabid hordes!... :o/).

Anyways, to cut to the chase, the result is possibly the worst likeness of the critter you'll see - so bad in fact that I felt compeled to included a picture I made earlier (precisely twelve months earlier in fact) in north Norfolk, even though I didn't manage to capture the blue tail then either.

Never mind, the season will soon be over and I'll be back to stroking kingfishers before you know it!