Owen's Wildlife 2024 (3 Viewers)

[Owene]

March 14th

A couple of visits, punctuated by rain, to Aust Wharf in the hope of short eared owls. The rain probably made it impossible for the owls to hunt and the fact that the road was caked in a few inches of wet mud from yesterday's Severn Bore meant that you couldn't even park up and see out the showers as the road was closed at either end although the flood barriers were quite climbable. The second visit at the southern end did bring a perched up Merlin. Not a year tick but a much desired photo tick and great to see fairly close.

Estonia in 12 days time will hopefully provide some Owls

The Battery Point purple sandpipers were fairly near by and while I'd missed high tide it was a very high one and the rain was likely to put off the fishermen who led to my last dip so I gave it a go. I dont dislike Purple Sandpipers but the effort involved in year ticking them each winter is in no way commensurate with how cool they are. Anyway it was nice to watch one poking around in the seaweed,


156 Purple Sandpiper

Birds 156 Mammals 6. Herp 1. Butterflies 7 total 170 lifers 6

 

[Owene]

March 15th

Nice walk around near home today, enough sun to get my hopes up of butterflies and the only downpour was while i was near a cafe which helped.

No butterflies or wheatear, no sign of the little gull. New arrivals seemed to be limited to two sand martin, a heard only blackcap and some chiffchaffs in full song

157 sand martin





Birds 157 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 7 Total 171 Lifers 6

 

[Owene]

March 16th

Early trip down to Broadsands in devon to see the Little Bunting that had been attracted to the long running Cirl Bunting feeding site. It had been seen twice before I got there around 9, including about 10 minutes before I got there making me regret stopping for breakfast. A bit of a wait was bearable because of the lovely Cirl Buntings in regular attendance including two very nice males. Eventually one of the handful of watchers broke and announced he was going for breakfast joking that would bring the bird.

Pretty much as soon as he was out of hailing range the bird came down to feed. Earlier in the week it had been in with some reed buntings but there were no real confusion possibilities and it was great to take the bird in. I'd been told that it's habit of raising its tail made it stand out and that proved to be true. A very welcome lifer.

A quick scan of the bay brought a pair of Great Northern Divers before I headed to Aylesbeare Common.

Drizzly and breezy with no birds to be seen beyond a robin for about 40 minutes, was considering calling it a day when a pair of stonechat appeared. Then just like you get told in the books the Dartfords started following them. The male stonechat would leave a bush to feed and a pair of Dartfords shot out from hiding in the same bush to hde themselves instantly in whatever shrub the stonechat moved to. Only really saw them in flight but they did this 4 or 5 times before they'd moved too far from the path to watch.

A friend rang me on the drive up to say he was getting close to tying my year list so I got into action with a brief and somewhat embarrassing look around Paul Chapman's Clevedon patch after a day old ebird record of egyptian goose. No sign when I noticed a green winged teal on the news services at slimbridge and thought that would be a more respectable tick even if ebird wouldnt agree

No luck with the teal, despite slowly working through hundreds from various hides. Did manage a Ruff and very welcome Roe Deer photos before my favourite bird of the day an absolutely fearlessly tame and glisteningly iridescent Rook. I'm not sure i've ever quite taken in just what presence they have close up.

158 Little Bunting
159 Dartford Warbler
160 Ruff















Birds 160 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 7 Total 174 Lifers 7

 

[Owene]

March 21st

A slightly frustrating morning but at least it looks like its warming up so i'll try again this afternoon.

A dawdling walk back and forth along Cardiff Bay Barrage brought a white wagtail and a wheatear but the wheatear was largely sticking to the obscured seaward side of the rocks and was essentially a dot in the distance despite a lot of pacing back and forth. At one point it was flushed from there and flew up and over my head before going to land out of view further along the rocks. I guess its good that migrants have started to arrive and i'll definitely see plenty of wheatear but they are some of my favourite birds so better views would have been nice.

On the slopes between the bay and my house in penarth I had a blackcap singing away fairly close but had a few trees in the way and no views. again I'll see one soon but a view would have been nice.

161 northern wheatear

Birds 161 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 7 Total 175 Lifers 7

 

[Owene]

March 22nd

A rare patch of sunshine coincided with a dog walk. Only had my phone with me so the pics aren’t great but really enjoyed watching a comma. Hopefully the first of many butterflies on patch.

8 comma



Birds 161 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 8 Total 176 Lifers 7

 

[Owene]

March 24th

A walk around town this morning brought my first Brimstone of the year. Totally hyperactive, didn't see it settle once in the ten minutes we were in the vicinity. I do have some awful flight photos but there's not really much point.

There are some peacocks around but that'll probably be my last butterfly for a while as I'm off to Estonia wednesday morning where I think it will be even more wintry than here. Quite a few bird targets though, grouse and owls especially and a few more photo tick possibilities.

9 Brimstone

Birds 161 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 9 Total 177 Lifers 7

 

[Owene]

March 27th

In Estonia for 5 days birding starting tomorrow. Tallinn old town is lovely. Lots and lots of great tits.

Just one addition to the list so far though.

162. Hooded crow





Birds 162 Mammals 6 Herp 1 Butterflies 9 Total 178 Lifers 7

 

[Owene]

March 28th

Excellent first days birding in Estonia. Largely working our way out of Tallinn and southwest with regular stops

Excellent raptor watching, lots of variety on the Baltic and a flushed hazel grouse that managed to stop long enough for decent views before it disappeared.

Great numbers of birds that are special at home. Countless white fronts. Cranes in most fields. Yellowhammer the most common passerine. Just really fun birding with a mixed small group and a great guide.

Lots of fun checking geese. Very happy with lots of bean but didn’t get one I was confident was taiga.

First totally undeniably cat a cranes and barnacles too

Very sunny all day and lots of brimstones but I missed the only tortoiseshell

I haven’t taken many photos and don’t want to do back of camera so just phone shots for now.

163 white tailed eagle
164 golden eagle
165 rough legged buzzard +
166 yellowhammer.
167 hazel grouse
168 smew
169 tundra bean goose + phototick
170 snow bunting
7 red fox
8 red squirrel+
2 common toad.





Birds 170 Mammals 8 Herp 2 Butterflies 9 Total 189 Lifers 8

 

[Owene]

March 29

Another full day. Very drizzly first thing and bitingly cold on the coast at times but we managed a full days birding and even if we’ve probably missed our shots at some targets, can’t see us getting as many new species on any of the remaining days, it was still very successful.

Early on some coastal sites brought a few new common species for the trip/estonia list then a few attempts at woodpeckers largely fell flat. Did manage some nice views and a photo tick of middle spot, only had it flying away a few times in Romania. A few other sites came up empty but did bring some nicely different from back home marsh tits treecreeper long tailed tit and nuthatch. Not likely to be split or anything but nice to see the variation

At the next site Merlin started picking up Pygmy owl so our guide started mimicking it and we ended up with it perched overhead and staying in the vicinity for ages. Lovely watching it sing.

Black woodpecker wasn’t a target for me but did provide some record shots which I didn’t manage in Romania.

A bitterly cold cape was amazing for both sea ducks and migrants. In off Merlin, Flocks of hundreds of wood pigeon as well as herons and divers working their way up the Baltic.

A single stellers eider was fairly close in and we picked out a few velvets with the close in scoter. Hundreds of long tailed duck were a bit further out.

As dusk approached we drove around and then walked forest roads in the hope of mammals ural owls or nutcrackers. No luck but did get to see my first woodlark for a few years and the post dinner drive home brought a long eared owl. Very good days birding

Not sure what else the trip will bring. I think the trip list is already getting quite long but should have a few more good days birding


171 middle spotted woodpecker Phototick
172 tree sparrow
173 Pygmy owl
174 black woodpecker. Phototick
175 common eider
176 common scoter photo tick
177 velvet scoter
178 stellers eider
179 black throated diver +
180 woodlark + phototick
181 long eared owl






Birds 181 Mammals 8 Herp 2 Butterflies 9 Total 200 Lifers 10

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Great find, this tiny Owl!

Seems a fun and interesting trip.

 

[Owene]

Great find, this tiny Owl!

Seems a fun and interesting trip.

The owl was amazing. Watching it sing in the scope was a real highlight.

I’d highly recommend Estonia. Lovely country with good infrastructure, a real Scandinavian ikea feel to the place and the food has been great.

Loads of birds too. Maybe not that many we don’t get in the uk but in much bigger numbers and easily accessible.

 

[Owene]

Forgot black grouse. I don’t often make the effort in U.K. so first for a few years. 182 birds. 201 total

 

[Owene]

March 30th

Across to saaremaa island today to stay for one night. I guess it’s part of the trip to ensure stellers eider which we saw on the mainland yesterday so there’s not really any targets for us here

Great to see a flock of them here though and to see the (admittedly less impressive) female. Amazing close views of breeding plumage long tailed duck as well.

The sun came out enough for me to think about insects and lifting a few stones I came across a pair of smooth newts. I’ve never been lucky with newts in the U.K. so amazingly they were a tick.

Prior to coming here we’d made one stop where our guide lured in a white backed woodpecker. One of my main targets for the trip and great to see its streaky breast and subtle head plumage

The morning crossing of the icy Baltic brought gray but not ringed seal and good numbers of red throated diver.

Time for lunch now. Hopefully the sun continues. Brimstones have been flying again after a break yesterday and it would be nice to add another butterfly

183 white backed woodpecker
184 red throated diver
3 smooth newt

Birds 184 Mammals 8 Herp 3 Butterflies 9 Total 204 Lifers 12

 

[Owene]

Afternoon was a bit hampered by a massive sea fog late afternoon and by how succesful
we’ve already been. After 3 days my Estonian list is on 114 with the trip list 5 higher. Over the trip I’ve missed two would be yearticks. Goshawk a common redpoll but nothing disastrous and I’ve heard 2 of the other birds i’m just not counting heard only. The island doesn’t have quite a few otherwise common species and is really more of a sea watching location.

We did get some nice island migration birding. 8 goldcrests to a small tree. 15 black throated divers in one bay. Loads of fieldfare and redwing so it was fun without too many new birds.

Fun just being somewhere different too. Birding in an abandoned soviet army camp as the fog enveloped us and walking out onto a tiny shingle spit with the Baltic on both sides and visibility almost zero.

Managed a photo tick of black throated diver while there was some visibility and getting trip/country ticks is still fun and this mornings lifer is still fresh

185 Slavonian grebe
186 razorbill
187 black guillemot
9 red deer


Birds 187 Mammals 9 Herp 3 Butterflies 9 Total 208 Lifers 12

 

[Owene]

March 31st.

Morning visit to the bird observatory at the southern tip of saaremaa island. Managed a wild boar and the worst record shots imaginable of common redpoll on the way.

Was great to spend some time in the biting wind watching small groups of passerines come in off the sea and take shelter in bushes in front of us.

Also great to see our first Baltic gulls. Very distinctive subspecies and a dozen or so eagles on the deck together

First tern of the year too which is always special. My favourite bird family

Ferry back to the mainland in a bit then more forest birding.

10 wild boar +
188 common redpoll + photo tick but truly awfully
189 sandwich tern

Birds 189 mammals 10 herp 3 butterflies 9 total 211. Lifers 12

 

[Owene]

Very enjoyable afternoon. Suddenly t-shirt and ice cream weather after some very cold birding.

Wheatear and swallow were exciting for our guide and our Estonian lists even if they don’t feature here

A lot of scanning tens of thousands of geese didn’t bring any new birds but has us in the right place at the right time for a lot of other stuff

For me small and large tortoiseshell were very welcome. Especially large although I have seen some of the mysterious Portland ones. Far too supercharged to get photos although there were a number of individuals.

A pair of grey partridge and low eagles being mobbed were fun to watch and then as we searched for clearer views of a totally white weasel (it’s Snow White fur almost glowed against the post thaw grass) an eagle crashed down into a bean goose.

Great views of it plucking it as it was mobbed by gulls and crows. A few crows even snatched bits of the kill.

Then our guide got a message and we got told we were going on a twitch. No info given so our imaginations ran wild. Turned out to be a nearby glaucous gull. Maybe not the target of dreams but it was quickly found and not a bird I expected to get on this trip.

190 grey partridge
191 glaucous gull +
10 large tortoiseshell +
11 small tortoiseshell
11 weasel +

Birds 191. Mammals 11 herp 3 butterflies 11 lifers 12 total 216

 

[Owene]

Evening drive around the forest. Plenty of woodcock. One arriving stork and very brief views of grey headed and black woodpecker. Tons of displaying snipe. That’s quite some noise and flight. That was great.

The highlight though was the guide impersonating ural owl and getting one to come to the edge of the clearing. Good but very brief scope views and ok bins ones perched and good as it flew away.

Fifth lifer of the trip. I said I’d be happy with 4 and overjoyed with 6 of the 9 possibles. I think 2 of my 9 really are impossible, we tried all the most recent hawk owl sightings earlier in the week and it’s been 10 days or so since one was reported. So 2 semi feasible targets left for tomorrow with a 630 skipping breakfast start. Was going to be 6 but I guess Ural owl was going to be our first target.

The two owls have definitely been the best of some quality birds.

192 woodcock
193 white stork
194 grey headed woodpecker
195 Ural owl

Birds 195 mammals 11 herp 3 butterflies 11 total 220. Lifers 13

 

[Frank van Drogen]

The highlight though was the guide impersonating ural owl and getting one to come to the edge of the clearing. Good but very brief scope views and ok bins ones perched and good as it flew away.

That sounds rather spectaculair!

Congrats.

 

[Owene]

That sounds rather spectaculair!

Congrats.

Thanks. It was a bit nerve wracking but really exciting. Amazing bird.

 

[Owene]

An excellent morning session. My Estonia year list is fast approaching my U.K. one with a session and a travel day to go. Not many padders left though. We did check out one pond for moorhen, I think our guide is conscious of the diminishing target list

We started in the forest, picnic breakfast after some earlier birding and I managed to find a female capercaillie sat atop a birch. Hardest target secured very early.

A few attempts at woodpeckers largely failed, hopefully revenge will be had this afternoon but nice views of crested tit partially made up for it. Finally got photos after previously seeing them in U.K. France and Spain

The geese scanning finally turned up a taiga after looking at thousands if not tens of thousands this week and a reedbed site brought good views of garganey and bearded tit as well as booming bittern and calling water rail. Not counting them but if I was then I’d be past my U.K. total. One of us saw an otter being seen off by some geese but I missed it unfortunately

Unaccompanied time and sunny walks off the track have been rare so I went for a wander from the guest house after lunch. Some nice beetles and a comma that looked a bit different from back home.

12 brown hare
196 capercaillie
197 crested tit + photo tick
198 willow tit
199 taiga bean goose + photo tick
200 garganey
201 bearded tit

Birds 201 mammals 12 herp 3 butterflies 11 lifers 14 total 227