A SUPERB red-necked phalarope was the highlight of a rather quiet September.

This striking little wader was seen from the viewing screen at Lingham Lake, Nosterfield, and represented only the fourth local sighting.

First reported on the 27th, it was last seen in the early morning of the 29th, but many local birdwatchers failed to catch up with the bird.

The phalaropes are one of those unusual bird families where the sexual roles are reversed.

The males incubate the eggs and raise the young, while the brighter females compete for mates and generally have a good time!

Other wader passage was rather quiet, although Nosterfield picked up a reasonable selection of species, including avocet, bar-tailed godwit, curlew sandpiper, grey plover and a fine flock of 38 black-tailed godwits.

Birds of prey were also unremarkable, although hobbies were seen over County Hall, Northallerton, and Nosterfield, and marsh harrier and ospreys were reported at The Stang and Nosterfield.

In addition, evidence from the project to radio-track some of the ospreys breeding in Scotland is showing how regularly they use this area, particularly on their southern migration.

This year, three females were tagged and two of these ended up on the Swale to the west of Northallerton, and were present for a number of days at the end of August and in early September; the other female was just to the south of Thirsk.

Despite this, I didn’t have any reported sightings of these individuals, which shows how even large spectacular birds regularly pass through this area unnoticed.

Other sightings of note during September included little egrets at Kiplin Hall and Nosterfield, a red-crested pochard and Egyptian goose on Lingham Lake, and two twite, garganey and stonechat at Nosterfield.

October can be one of the more interesting months for rarer birds. One species to keep a look out for is the glossy ibis. This species has never been recorded in this area, but there has been an unprecedented influx to Britain this autumn. This has brought flocks of birds to Southern England and small numbers to Northumberland and North-West England, so there’s just a chance a wanderer may appear at one of the local waters.

From a distance, these birds look rather like a dark, longlegged curlew, but close-up, and in good light, the iridescent colours of its feathers are quite beautiful.

Finally, a reminder that the third year of survey work for the British Trust for Ornithology’s Bird Atlas project will shortly be kicking off. Full details can be found on www.birdatlas.net, or telephone the co-ordinator on 01842-750050.