IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY ....

G's birthday and he had Allsorts of treats.

Up early and sped of to Brotton in Cleveland to stand in the woods and wait for the Eastern Crowned Warbler to show itself. I mentioned to G that if the little bird emerged in trees down the slope they would be like a marauding herd of elephants crashing through the trees to get to it. And it was. I stayed well back on the fringe and soon enough the bird flitted through the trees towards me and I got good views. Though I had chosen a sturdy tree to stand behind as the herd veered my way. I took no photos of the bird as it was tiny and so is my camera, but took many of the crowd.

We then wended our way southwards to Grindale, and found the reported Rough-legged Buzzard. Very handsome and a new Lifer tick for us.

Between the two we had driven through Whitby, and the Halloween costumes and disguises were a sight to see. Here I've only noticed the children dressing up for trick or treat, but to see adults in all their magnificent finery waiting for the bus into Whitby at 11am was fascinating. Yes, I was the one driving past open-mouthed.

In the evening we went out for a delicious meal at The Angel where I spent the, answer to yesterday's Blip, £47.90 of 5 pence pieces. So all in all, G had a jolly good birthday in Allsorts of ways.