Cut a long story short I googled my old Zenit camera, a 12XP. Something I had used once back in the 90s and since either lost or thrown away. It was a tank but did see me well through my walking trips through Europe back in the day. I then came across something that caught my eye. A Zenit Photosniper (Or Fotosnaiper). It just screamed 'boys toys' to me. I had to have one. Its an interesting story if you care to look into it. Anyway a few trawls through ebay and within a week I had one. An...
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Another year I looked for flamingos unsuccessfully. They are a little group of juvenile birds that have appeared in the last two years in the fall, but they are elusive from me. I was on the exact date were they were seem last year but even so I was not successful, but it is obvious that going in the walk with family I wasn´t the more extreme birder for look for in all river bends.
Anyway I saw a large number of coots as usual, but fewer ducks than last year, perhaps because some northern...
There is a great variety of waders species and families, and these birds have adapted to an equally impressive diversity of natural habitats to eke out a living for themselves. Sadly though, without exception every one of these habitats is under threat from the actions, whether direct or indirect, of the human race. http://www.waderquest.org/2014/11/habitat-loss-and-waders-intertidal-zone.html
Miralrío is other pond in the Southeast Madrid Regional Park. As all of the ponds in this park is the result of flooding and recovery os sand pits for building. This one is very buried in the field and less walkable than other ponds in the area, which together with its location next to an industrial estate, makes it more lonely. Which is positive for the tranquility of birds. In fact there is a place choosen for sleeping for the herons. The first thing I saw was a couple of groups of...
Earlier this month to celebrate our wedding anniversary Elis and I decided that we should pay a long overdue visit to the RSPB reserves of Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore in Lincolnshire. By coincidence a Grey Phalarope had been there all week, would it stay and be the icing on the cake?
We didn't however go straight to Lincolnshire, we got a bit side tracked and ended up in Norfolk at Burnham Norton, the attraction being a Steppe Grey Shrike, but that seen we were soon on our way again...
Another year I looked for flamingos unsuccessfully. They are a little group of juvenile birds that have appeared in the last two years in the fall, but they are elusive from me. I was on the exact date were they were seem last year but even so I was not successful, but it is obvious that going in the walk with family I wasn´t the more extreme birder for look for in all river bends.
Anyway I saw a large number of coots as usual, but fewer ducks than last year, perhaps because some northern...
What with all the talk of a Pallid Harrier down at Steart I thought I had better take a look. For some reason I wasn't very enthusiastic about all this. I'm not a Twitcher. The EFRS is not about trying to tick things off although I will be the first to admit I do have a wish list but thats not the same thing. I overheard stuff like "Yep I've seen it so now we can go". What!! Look around you, there's far more to Steart than ticking one bird off in your book.
Read the rest at EFRS.co.uk
The day after I went to other hunting state near Cabañeros National Park. Fortunately a public road cross this forest, then you can cross it and look for animal. At first I only saw some birds like, great Tit, Stonechat or this far away azure-winged magpie.
But in the end I found what was looking for: fallow deers. I have seem them in this forest three years ago: buck,doe and fawn.
I saw several birds of prey and of course, one of them was the cinereous vulture, tipical Cabañeros National...
Hello there folks. I have opened a blog detailing my birding adventures mainly in Saudi Arabia and the UK but pretty much wherever I go.
Check it out;
irishbirderabroad.blogspot.com
To celebrate the second anniversary of the commencement of Wader Quest we are holding an Anniversary Prize Draw. Anyone signing up as an ordinary, family or life sponsor one month either side of the anniversary on the 1st of November (October 1st to November 30th) will be entered automatically into the prize draw which will be made on the 1st December 2014. The prize is a splendid pair of Optictron 8x30 T3 Trailfinder...
This fall I went back again beside the fence of a game state adjoining Cabañeros National Park. First I saw a grown up fawn alien yet to the rutting. He soon followed her mother. It was with a small group of other females. A little further I began to see the males. Some with a harem, young males with antlers still unbranched and bellowing single male adults.
More in
http://birdingmanzanares.blogspot.com.es/
I've said it before- I'm not a twitcher. There are many reasons for this- the impracticalities of having a full time job and exceedingly- full time family mean any non- local birding I do has to be on my designated 'birding' days.
More than this, though, is that I prefer birding in context- if I want to see a rare bird, I prefer to see it in its natural environment, not exhausted, disoriented and blown off course by a gale. Added to the expense involved and the horror stories from some...
Birds of prey are difficult to photograph. They are really smart and wouldn’t allow someone getting into the hide under their sight. That’s why we had to get up early and sneak into the hide in the dark. To avoid the early start we decided to spend the night in the vicinity of one of the vulture photography hides in the Eastern Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria. This reduced the time for traveling and we had an hour extra sleep in the morning before the photography session.The evening before the...
Last week of the summer in Gargantilla del Lozoya
In the last week of summer I saw a butterfly on the garden of the house in which I was in Gargantilla del Lozoya, in the mountains near madrid, he was possibly a female Great Banded Grayling. The birds of the day were the flycatchers.
More in
http://birdingmanzanares.blogspot.com.es/
First things first- I hate golf. Despise it, it provokes homicidal rage in me. Mark Twain called it a good walk wasted, but her was being too gentlemanly. Boring, elitist, environmentally- destructive- its a 'sport' that won't last a day when i become world emperor.
Whats this to do with a big day out? Well, my first big day out since July was scheduled to be to Loch of Strathbeg and its environs. I had printed the birdtrack lists, I had checked the tide times (that should have been...
At the end of September I was on a 'regular' holiday in Sardinia. Very pleasant it was to. Lots of sun and wine and coffee and pizza and mountains and sea. All to a very high standard. Only one bad cup of coffee all the time I was there. And I like my coffee!
As I say it was a regular holiday but when I unpacked I was shocked to find I'd inadvertently put my 70D and bins in my suitcase. Wondered why it was so heavy! Oh well since I had them with me I may as well make the best of them.
Read...
The mist was thick as I cycled down out of Glastonbury on my last day of holiday. Thoughts of the crystal clear waters of Sardinia* where still in my head. I wasn't disappointed by this change in weather. I love contrasts. Bring it on I say. If it was always baking hot sun all year round it would be boring. So on I peddled knowing the sun would break through later. The enchanted wood was in flux. The leaves where raining down with a constant trickle. Just before the wood starts I looked to...
I looked for birds with the zoom from the pier of Taragoña to the west side of the cove. I couldn´t see nothing from Neixón to Punta de Sar. From Punta de Sar to the highway bridge I saw 24 yellow-legged gulls and 60 lesser black headed gulls, and four grey herons.
On the side where I was and on the left side of the pier I only see a lesser black gull, a female redstart and three sandpipers in the head of the pier.
On the right side of the pier 10 yellow legged gulls and a lesser black...
Steart has still got me buzzing at the moment. Its all this flooding and new hide business thats doing it.
I plodded along the river Parrett admiring the weak hot chocolate colour of the incoming water.
The usual flocks of gulls milled about and a few Little Egrets were hunting intently along the slippery shore.
I took a left and had a wander along the new pathways. Its all very civil (ideal for EFRS bikes actually).
Suddenly a streak of white flashed right in front of my nose. . . . ...
http://greatbritishbirdhunt.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/week-22-17-09-2014-birds-spotted-2.html
Last outing was a dual solo effort with us both going our separate ways. Today it was back to a twin seater flight. Well we both went to Steart in the car! A four seater to be precise but never mind.
We're impressed with what's happening at Steart. We still haven't done the full extent but we're getting the idea. Jutting out into Bridgwater bay there is both the shore line and Parrett estuary to get your teeth into. This began at Combwich a lovely little village with a nice air of isolation...
Three sandpipers on a rock at the tip of the Merced. Here is the first, here the other two and here the three at the same time.
A black redstart female was passing by also while a cormorant was drying its wings under the sun beside a yellow-legged gull.
Also curious are these granite boulders that fall off of the softer rock in which they are and the remains of an old salting factory I continued toward Pozo Negro in Boiro and despite there were not neither herons or egrets I could see...
Here's my latest update. Enjoy :)
http://greatbritishbirdhunt.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/week-21-07-09-2014-birds-spotted-3.html
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