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

Trystan's world list 2019 (1 Viewer)

14.4.19

Feeling like the year is back on track after a very good day out with all targets and a few bonuses.

Firstly, a repeat of last weeks excursion to Budby.

269. (168.) Woodlark
270. (169.) Tree pipit - wasn't on the radar but tracked down a singing bird.

Attenborough

271. (170.) Ferruginous duck - very tentatively on the list given the behaviour of this pair. Unringed and fully winged, yes. Hanging round at the edge of the lake with the mallards, yes...
272. (171.) Little ringed plover

Potteric carr

273. (172.) Spotted crake - eventually put in a brief appearance in pursuit of a water rail. The second time I've witnessed this behaviour from this species.
274. (173.) Bittern - in some style with a displaying male crossing an open patch of reeds with a female following on. Probably the highlight of a very good day.

Swillington ings

Raced up here to news of a red-rumped swallow which turned out not to be. A strange individual, looked to be a regular swallow with an off white rump. An anomaly or a hybrid with house martin would be my guess.
Still managed a couple of year ticks before the day was done.

275. (174.) Ring ouzel
276. (175.) Little owl - Hallelujah, finally seen the drag line little owl.
 
Last edited:
21/4/19

Spurn

Decent day but very busy. Didn't manage to catch up with the elusive shore larks and dotterels and black redstarts had moved on.

277. (176.) Yellow wagtail
278. (177.) Whimbrel
279. (178.) Wheatear
280. (179.) Whitethroat
281. (180.) Grey partridge
282. (181.) Lesser whitethroat
283. (182.) Greenshank
284. (183.) Common sandpiper
285. (184.) Barn owl
 
28/4/19

Plans for a very early start at Attenborough for Savi's warbler went awry due to an alarm malfunction, arriving on the reserve about an hour later than planned.

Of course the warbler had been showing well but now, although reeling often, was doing so from cover.

With a goodly amount a sedge and reed warblers around, occasionally being miscalled, and the bird reeling less and less, by 8.30, I was not confident I'd seen the bird although others in the hide were adamant.

Decided to leave and continue with the day's plan, returning in the evening for another attempt.

Attenborough

286. (185.) Sedge warbler
287. (186.) Reed warbler
288. (187.) Arctic tern

Now over to Whisby where sadly, only 1 nightingale seems to be back. Upon arrival, the bird was giving a wonderful performance and I hope that it manages to find a mate.

289. (188.) Nightingale
290. (189.) Garden warbler

Langford lowfields

291. (190.) Grasshopper warbler

10 warblers seen today at this point. Returning to Attenborough next hoping to make it 11.

The tower hide was very busy, very creeky and very noisy making it hard to pinpoint the direction of the Savi's, still reeling intermittently. As the day visitor numbers reduced, the church bells started up and a mink sent the black headed gulls into a screaming frenzy but eventually everything settled down and as the evening progressed the bird became more and more vocal.

Eventually, the glimpse of a head at the base of a willow in the reeds, managed to get most people onto it but still not sure it was the bird, then up it popped another inch leaving no doubt we were watching a reeling Savi's!

Not enough daylight remained to try and snatch a 12th warbler by way of an Iberian chiffchaff nearer to home but left in very high spirits.

292. (191.) Common tern
293. (192.) Savi's warbler - 1st UK
 
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02/05/2019

Was all poised to twitch the Thorne moor red footed falcon yesterday when the weather turned sour.
Fortunately, as I had all my optics at work, a night heron turned up at Fairburn providing a welcome alternative.

Fairburn

294. (193.) Night heron - 1st Yorkshire

And really, first UK as my previous one was the tame individual in a park in Shrewsbury.

With no falcon reports and worsening rain, decided the Iberian chiffchaff at South kirkby was worth a punt and proved very easy to hear, although in quite dense vegetation, showed well eventually.

South Kirkby

295. (194.) Iberian chiffchaff
 
04/5/19

Did a bit of a Tour de Yorkshire today while avoiding the Tour de Yorkshire.

Bolton abbey

296. (195.) Redstart
297. (196.) Pied flycatcher
298. (197.) Wood warbler - a couple here, good to see them back after an apparent 2 year absence.
299. (198.) Cuckoo

Over to blacktoft in the hope of Montagu's harrier, dipping turtle dove but picking up corn bunting along the way.

Swinefleet

300. (199.) Corn bunting

Blacktoft

301. (200.) Swift

Did not stay as long as probably should have as tempted by the Bufflehead at Old moor - whether it gets accepted or not, I don't know. Managed to see it in flight a couple of times and no obvious rings.

Old moor

Bufflehead - apparently identified now as proven escapee so delisted
 
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06/5/19

Went for a mooch around swilly, hoping for positive news on woodchat shrike at long nab.

Instead, ended up twitching red rumped swallow in Derbyshire having given up on the shrike. By the time news of the shrike reached me I was about 150miles away and did not have the inclination to make that drive!

Swillington

302. (201.) Wood sandpiper

Weston on Trent gravel pits

303. (202.) Red rumped swallow - 1st UK

Then a detour across the peaks into Cheshire on the way home.

304. (203.) Dotterel
 
07/5/19

Tempted into an evening twitch at Long Nab. The bird had not been seen for about an hour so it was quite a relief when it emerged to show head and shoulders before once again going into hiding on the inaccessible side of the vegetation.

306. (205.) Woodchat shrike - 1st UK
 
09/5/19

If I thought the Woodchat shrike showed badly, the glimpses of Great Reed warbler this evening were something else again. Reliant entirely on the position of the call followed by brief movement, then call again.

May go back for better views at the weekend if it sticks.

Wintersett

307. (206.) Black tern
308. (207.) Great Reed warbler - 1st UK
 
12/5/19

Still feeling raw that 11 May was the one day this month so far I had unavoidable plans and lost 2 mega Yorkshire birds.

Spurn felt completely dead on the 12th but managed a couple of year ticks at beacon ponds.

309. (208.) Sandwich tern (Treating as split from Cabot's tern seen in Jamaica earlier in the year)
310. (209.) Little tern
 
18/5/19

Poor decisions I guess as chose to leave the stilt sandpiper having seen one last year, and went East in the hope of a decent fall.

Starting at Sutton bank for turtle dove, hoped for at least yesterday's bluethroat to still be around at flamborough. With poor weather, honey buzzard looked unlikely so headed straight to flamborough to find no trace of the bird while another was showing well at South Gare.

Salvaged a spotted flycathcer for the year and went hope deflated for the second consecutive weekend.

Sutton bank

311. (210.) Turtle dove

Flamborough

312. (211.) Spotted flycatcher
 
20/5/19

Picked up whinchat locally this evening, not much regular stuff left to pick up this year other than a few waders that I've bizarrely not crossed paths with yet.

Meltham

313. (212.) Whinchat
 
24/5/19

Playing it cool with the Baikal teal and letting it come to me, or slightly closer anyway.

Hornsea

314. (213.) Baikal teal - 1st Yorkshire

North cave

315. (214.) Temminck's stint
 
26/5/19

Pre-arranged Birdforum trip to Norfolk with a full car today. Good day with an impressive list of quality birds but the year ticks stubbornly refused to flow. Lakenheath was particularly disappointing with hobby and crane failing to put in an appearance. Lured to Titchwell by reports of purple heron, serin and a nearby bee-eater, not of which were around in the afternoon and won't even start on the Upland sandpiper report...

Weeting

316. (215.) Stone curlew

Titchwell

---. (216.) Grey plover
 
1/6/19

Fuerteventura

Will create a write up of how I get on, it the trip reports forum. Main targets are the chat, bustard and courser which would all be lifers. Also going to try for the less likely long staying dwarf Bittern.

No other lifers available but lots of other nice birds to hopefully catch up with. Birding will start in earnest from Wednesday when I get a rental car.

Airport

---. (001.) Feral pigeon

Caleta de Fuste

317. (002.) Pallid swift
318. (003.) Southern grey shrike
---. (004.) Collared dove
319. (005.) Hoopoe
320. (006.) Yellow legged gull

2/6/19

321. (007.) Berthelot's pipit
---. (008.) Linnet

Walking south to Salinas del Carmen and back.

322. (009.) Kentish plover
323. (010.) Barbary falcon
324. (011.) Ruddy shelduck
325. (012.) Spanish sparrow
326. (013.) Squacco heron - supposedly rare/accidental but 2 seen flying from the shore to the golf course, then 2 more or the same 2 on the rocks in the evening with western reef egret, also have listed as rare/accidental so either I'm finding some very good birds or the status is incorrect.

Evening at Caleta

327. (014.) Cory's shearwater
---. (015.) Little egret

---. (017. ) Whimbrel
 
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3/6/19

Caleta de Fuste

Another walk down to Salinas del Carmen this morning.

---. (018.) Stone curlew - after spotting one, a scan with the bins revealed 16 in a loose flock.
---. (019.) Redshank
---. (020.) Raven
---. (021.) Spoonbill - remarkably 9 together on the rocks in the same area as yesterday's squaccos and reef egret.
 
5/6/19

Nothing new added on the 4th, excursion to Lanzarote doing tourist stuff but picked up a rental car in the evening.

Today headed south and worked back up at various stops.

La Pared area

329. (022.) Black bellied sandgrouse
330. (023.) HOUBARA BUSTARD - felt like I'd got the hardest one out of the way. Decent views fairly close.

Morro Jable

331. (024.) Plain swift
---. (025.) House martin
---. (026.) Kestrel
332. (027.) Monk parakeet - coming to perch in the tourists feeding them nuts. The barbary ground squirrels also take food from the hand here.

Some greylags in the harbour even dodgier than the Monk parakeets. Also a few species of fish including some rays.

Tarajalejo

333. (028.) Egyptian vulture - sub adult from the car

Barranco de la Torre

---. (029.) Buzzard
334. (030.) Spectacled warbler
335. (031.) Sardinian warbler

Salinas del Carmen

336. (032.) Trumpeter finch

Barranco de rio Cabras

Approaching from the bottom it proved impossible to reach the dam where the Dwarf Bittern has been but the area was still productive.

337. (033.) African blue tit
338. (034.) FUERTEVENTURA CHAT
---. (035.) Little ringed plover
 
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6/6/19

Tindaya

339. (034.) Lesser short toed lark

Very close views of 2 Houbara here too but not the desired courser. Walking the plains South of La Oliva also drew a blank.

Los Molinos

340. (036.) Black winged stilt
---. (037.) Coot
341. (038.) CREAM COLOURED COURSER - barely tickable bird scoped distantly across the plain North of the reservoir in heat haze. Very unsatisfactory and need to try for this species again.
 
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7/6/19

El Cotillo

Another Houbara of course. Stop, scan, drive, repeat.
Finally some movement and a beautiful Cream coloured courser in view. I had time to get out, set the scope up and watch as it was joined by 2 more birds.

What a relief. On the beach, a couple of unseasonal fuscus type Lesser black backed gulls and a Ringed plover by the lighthouse.

---. (039.) Lesser black backed gull
---. (040.) Ringed plover

Tindaya

Thanks to Nick (Wolfbirder) for his report and information

342. (039.) Red billed tropicbird - no long wait, two birds gave great views.

Barranco de rio cabras

Approaching from the FV20 to view the dam, another unexpected find here by way of a white stork.

343. (042.) White stork
---. (043.) Moorhen

No Bittern but will put some effort in, mornings and evenings now the other targets have all been seen.
 
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9/6/19

My vigil at the barranco has come to an end without success.

A couple of trip ticks to show for it.

---. (044.) Grey heron
---. (045.) Turtle dove
 

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