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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Julian I definitely recommend it. Wizz Air frequent and cheap from the UK if you would come via here and nothing really differing on arrangements compared to any mainstream destination. Now Euros and car hire as you would expect. A reasonable amount of the usual accommodation options by now I...
  2. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Definitely somewhere to go. 😀
  3. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    It was a birding trip not a listing trip. Just birding. No attempt to maximise returns or look for anything in particular. Never been to Poland - maybe one day...
  4. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Latvian Species List 1. Greylag Goose – four at Kolka on 19th May & around 100 at Lake Engures on the two dates visited – 19th & 21st May 2. Mute Swan – seen on all dates but highest numbers around 100 at Lake Engures on both 19th & 21st May 3. Whooper Swan – twenty two seen between four...
  5. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    23 May We were up and out at 5.15am for our final walk around the bushes and ditches at Kolka. Nothing unexpected in our final selection but my checklist of fifty species included ten Long-tailed Duck, eight Black-throated Divers, a male Red-backed Shrike, two Woodlarks, Pied Flycatcher, four...
  6. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    22 May This was our last full morning at Kolka. We would be able to grab some time tomorrow morning before heading back south to the airport but we would have some time pressures. We were out at 5.40am this morning and in a three hour wander, I recorded a checklist of 66 species. A...
  7. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    21 May We were up and out at 5.15am for the usual circuit. A strong morning’s birding revealed the usual species mix including a couple of Common Scoter, thirty Long-tailed Duck, Merlin, Woodlark, Treecreeper, Thrush Nightingale, three Common Rosefinches, thirty Crossbills and Serin amongst...
  8. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    20 May Today, we were going to get wet…. It turned out that we got very wet. Repeatedly. We were up and out at 5.30am and doing the usual circuit around the bushes and ditches at Kolka. By now the main species mix was familiar. However, highlight this morning was an immature male Red-footed...
  9. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Continuing to head south, we stopped in Roja in the hope of finding a restaurant for lunch. Finding one that was open proved futile. It seemed that the early season and perhaps a continuing hangover from the effects of the pandemic were limiting options. Whilst grabbing a coffee, a Common Tern...
  10. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    19 May A trip of this nature is clearly a bit of a lottery. Your returns depend upon the weather conditions but the reality was that we were hopeful of plenty of birds of interest irrespective of that. We were determined to give it our best shot. The alarm was set for us to be out at dawn. Both...
  11. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    18 May Latvia was a country with which we were familiar but no more so than Cafe birder who had almost lost count of his visits. We tried to tally the number as we chatted en route. 😊 He was not quite in double figures. We had last been away together in February 2020 just before the pandemic...
  12. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Corsican Species List 1. Red-crested Pochard – three sightings on the coast in wetland habitat 2. California Quail – around ten at Linguizetta site on 8th May 3. Common Pheasant – single heard at Dunes de Prunete on 8th May 4. Red-legged Partridge – two at the meadow below Col de Sorba on 7th...
  13. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    10 May 2022 Up early and checking out, a few birds were recorded as we left the hotel with Wryneck, Cirl Bunting and Serin part of the backdrop. As we descended out of the mountains, the usual Red Kites were overhead despite the early hour. We had decided if time permitted to grab some quick...
  14. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    We headed on to Gorges de la Restonica arriving at 11.35am. We spent over three hours working the valley stopping at various points and birding. For once, it did not prove very successful. Some nice views of Treecreepers and a Firecrest, a couple of Corsican Finches at the top of the valley and...
  15. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    9 May 2022 The day started at the hotel at 6.30am. The habitat there was excellent and a female Sparrowhawk and Serin were noted. We were under way by 6.45am and at Fort de Pasciola by 7.00am. In the best part of two hours, we had at least five Moltoni’s and four Marmora’s Warblers as well as...
  16. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    We headed further north along the coast and found a restaurant for a cold drink and lunch. After lunch, we birded further north along the coastal strip of L’Etang de Biguglia from 2.00pm. We started at the north end and travelled south along the coast stopping on several occasions finishing at a...
  17. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    8 May 2022 My companions tolerated a very early start. We were away from the hotel before 5.00am. Our back up California Quail sites were the Aghione area with sightings in 2021 and up to February 2022 (as at the date of our trip) – park about 42.112995 9.399046 & walk NNE along roads/paths to...
  18. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    I have now finished my Corsica write up but need to finish editing pics so day one for now..... 7 May 2022 The Corsican logistics were remarkably similar to our Cyprus trip with the fundamentals being Easyjet flights and Budget car hire through the Easyjet website. A friend had booked some...
  19. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Cyprus Trip Species List 1. Garganey – two at Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed-beds) 29th April 2. Mallard – up to twenty at Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed-beds) 29th April & 1st May 3. Ferruginous Duck – single at Akrotiri Marsh (Phasouri Reed-beds) 1st May 4. Black Francolin – at least six at...
  20. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    We had already recorded one Eleonora’s Falcon the day before but it was still nice to bump into another as we turned off the B6. A quick emergency stop gave us some cracking views. We checked out of our accommodation and set off with a plan to visit two more sites before heading to Paphos...
  21. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    1 May 2022 The final day started at Phasouri Reedbeds at Akrotiri Marsh at 5.45am. We were hoping for perhaps Baillon’s Crake or Great Snipe but a Little Crake and four Common Snipes were all that we found. A Ferruginous Duck was a nice addition to the trip list as were Common Sandpiper, Little...
  22. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    The next stop was Mavrokolympus Dam – north west of Paphos – where we arrived at 1.25pm. Here, over a three hour period, good views were secured of further Cyprus Wheatears at 34.856209 32.401399 and 34.857114 32.405569. Also, we had good views of further Cyprus Warblers at 34.858166 32.406766...
  23. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    January is pretty much my window to get this done before 2023 (hopefully) gets out of control... So I will do my best to crack on. Especially as Corsica next was my favourite WP trip of the year. 30 April 2022 We had found out the previous evening that the other British birders had seen a...
  24. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    Many thanks Chris
  25. Paul Chapman

    2022 Western Palearctic Trips

    The plan after breakfast was to return to Episkopi to search again for roosting owls. En route, the Rollers showed again as we crossed the valley and again in half an hour from 11.00am, we failed to find any roosting owls. A female Pied Flycatcher refused to be anything rarer. We decided today...
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