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

What did you see in your binoculars today? (4 Viewers)

Two Eastern Screech-Owls progressing through the trees along the street above/behind the house (at the edge of town) at dusk, occasionally giving their descending (territorial?) call. One smaller than the other, possibly juvenile. The larger one caught a mouse and took it up to a branch to eat. Nicely seen despite very low light in the SLC 10x56. (I don't carry that routinely but had heard the owl(s) and seen one once over the last several evenings, so came prepared.) For some reason these owls are hardly ever reported on eBird here, as Great Horned routinely are.

For the record, another occasion when the big SLC was just right: on a ridge at 12,600 ft a week ago in sustained winds of 50-60mph, enough to be constantly mindful of stance to remain upright. My wife was carrying the 10x32 UV which was fairly useless due both to shaking and need to remove sunglasses, while the SLC 56 gave its usual easy walk-in view of the Colorado high country. Definitely my favorite bino now (in 15x also).
 
Two young Robins through Kowa BD II 6.5x32XD, both from different broods. One was still in juvenile mottled plumage but the other was half way to getting its red breast.

Lee
 
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (juvenile, I think) briefly resting on my balcony. Swarovski EL SV 8.5x42 and Nikon 500/5.6 PF on a D5300.

I don't see too many of these hereabouts, mostly magpies, Eurasian blackbirds and jays, robins and occasionally parakeets.
 

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Beautiful photo of an adult male sparrowhawk (the "musket" in falconers' parlance)! That must have looked spectacular in your binoculars!

Sparrowhawks pop up fairly often in London - I've often seen them soaring at low to medium altitude and disappear in spectacular near-vertical stoops after prey amongst the treetops/rooftops. You have a really good chance of seeing them if you have a decent observation point.

Roughly where are you based in London? Yesterday I had a wonderful view of an Eurasian hobby flying by very low at Lockwood reservoir, Walthamstow.
 
Patudo said:
Beautiful photo of an adult male sparrowhawk (the "musket" in falconers' parlance)! That must have looked spectacular in your binoculars!
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I hadn't realized musket guns are named after a bird.

Sparrowhawks pop up fairly often in London - I've often seen them soaring at low to medium altitude and disappear in spectacular near-vertical stoops after prey amongst the treetops/rooftops. You have a really good chance of seeing them if you have a decent observation point.
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I see them flying about quite often, but never on the ground or perched this far. He was close-by and binoculars were not strictly needed, but I didn't want to scare it away.

My wife's name is "Shaheen", which is the Persian and Indian name for the Barbary Falcon. I told her it was a courtesy visit from a relative...

Roughly where are you based in London? Yesterday I had a wonderful view of an Eurasian hobby flying by very low at Lockwood reservoir, Walthamstow.
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Hampstead, not far from the Heath. Camden council cut the tree tops in front of my balcony on the 4th floor so there is a lot more visibility, perhaps that was the draw for it.
 
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There are sparrowhawks to be seen around Waltham Abbey too, where the River Lee, canal and lakes near to Fishers Green are.
I've seen buzzards quite a few times soaring over Highams Park area.
Also there is a lovely family of Little Grebe on the Highams Park lake which show well early in the morning before the joggers start pounding (7x42 were perfectly adequate).
My favourite at the moment is a cheeky London wren that hops along our garden fence with all the nerve of the local robins. Caught him with my 10x44 at about 15 feet away yesterday, eyeball to eyeball.

My usual haunts are Rainham (which also gets Hobbys), Rye Meads(kingfishers) and the Fishers Green area, but I've been meaning to go to the local Walthamstow reservoirs which are only 10 minutes drive; just lockdown has got in the way a bit. Any advice on free & easy parking near the William Girling/King George area and best access point would be very welcome.
 
Numerous shore birds:
Several species of Heron, including the tri-colored.
Also a marvel of engineering, the Black necked Stilt.

When I came home, I was visited by a splendidly patterned Downy woodpecker. It was a Eastern female and she was working hard.
 
Two Elenora's falcon spent their morning hunting around my house. You could see the couple gain altitude and then chasing down what I imagine to be small passerines near the top of the pine-trees. Sometimes they were so close that with a 8x32 you could clearly appreciate the pattern of the feathers below the wings and also the features of their heads. They've been here already for many weeks and usually come in their hunting raids in pairs, from the nearby colonies in the coast of the island, some 10 - 15 km away. Such an splendid bird.

Later on, a lovely Mediterranean flycatcher (the local subspecies, balearica). It's been perched on a branch hunting for several minutes, always coming back to the very same spot, making observation a true joy.
 

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Yarrelli - WOW! That's why I wanted to visit your island, or Majorca, this autumn - but it will almost certainly have to be next year.

Charley, I've not visited those big reservoirs north of Walthamstow you mentioned, though no doubt they would be pretty interesting. There's a car park at the southern end of the Walthamstow reservoirs, at the southern end of Coppermill Lane. Rainham I've been to a few times and really enjoyed it - great views of hobbies hawking dragonflies and marsh harriers flapping over the marsh not far from the big hide, and flocks of black-tailed godwits and avocets. A wonderful place - just wish it was a little closer to me.
 
fazalmajid said:
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (juvenile, I think) briefly resting on my balcony. Swarovski EL SV 8.5x42 and Nikon 500/5.6 PF on a D5300.

I don't see too many of these hereabouts, mostly magpies, Eurasian blackbirds and jays, robins and occasionally parakeets.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the lovely photo, Dr. Majid. That is something I certainly cannot see in my neck of the woods. Evidently, high-end equipment really shines when placed in expert hands! I can imagine there are many more rare sights to see in your home country of Iran. Perhaps one day...
 
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I'm trying to think if I've EVER seen four "rare" birds in one day. I don't think I have. Three I was kind of expecting to see and one I wasn't.

A guy saw some American Avocets YESTERDAY which of course are rare for the area. I gathered up my stuff and headed to the spot. Avocets were not to be seen. I did see an anhinga, roseate spoonbill, a black-necked stilt, and unexpectedly an immature white ibis all rare for the area! Great afternoon of birding!
 
yarrellii said:
Later on, a lovely Mediterranean flycatcher (the local subspecies, balearica). It's been perched on a branch hunting for several minutes, always coming back to the very same spot, making observation a true joy.
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One of our very favourite species is the Med Flycatcher's close relation, the Spotted Flycatcher. We learned about this species when we visited Suffolk in the UK for the first time in 1972 and we mentioned our love for this species to two brothers who were staying in the same guest house as us and who also were birders.

The youngest of the two brothers said that the gardens of the guest house and of the house next door had Spotted Flycatchers in them and that the best way to find them was to listen to their voices which are very distinctive and, he said, sound just like 'squeaky wheelbarrows'.

Imagine our excitement on the very next day when we heard a sound just like this, coming from next door's garden, just when we were going to get on our motorcycle. Instead we stealthily crept towards the fence between our guest house the the property next door and then we stood on tiptoe to look over the fence and sure enough, there was a gardener pushing a wheelbarrow with a squeaky wheel!!

But we saw Spotty Flies later in the week and we love to see them whenever we can and have seen them as far south as Mallorca and as far north as the west coast of Scotland.

Lee
 
Evening birding isn't normally something I do around me as birds don't seem too active, but I went out with my 8.5x42 ELs and stopped in a field viewing a roe deer. It wasn't phased and I watched it for a while as the light faded. Still no birds and I was ready to move on but took a scan of the field and to my delight saw a badger. Then 2 more. Without the binoculars I couldn't see a thing and would never have spotted them, but with them they were clear and a real pleasure to watch. Then a hare joined them that again I'd not have spotted without the binoculars and I really appreciated how active the twilight hour is and how important good binoculars are to see it.

I thought birds wouldn't feature but then a great racket of bird noise was audible though so dark I couldn't see anything. With the binoculars a fantastic murmeration of hundreds of jackdaws flying in to the wood to roost on the boundary of the field was visible.

A memorable walk and an eye opener as to the wealth of wildlife that can be seen with binoculars as the light goes down.
 
30+ Maguari Storks in a kettle then lazily drifting southwest over the city toward the interior, looking a bit out of place with multistory residential blocks as the backdrop. Also a pair of Harris's Hawks being relentlessly harassed by a pair of Cattle Tyrants. Small time drama among the urban birds here.
 
Arthur Red Rod said:
Thank you for the lovely photo, Dr. Majid. That is something I certainly cannot see in my neck of the woods. Evidently, high-end equipment really shines when placed in expert hands! I can imagine there are many more rare sights to see in your home country of Iran. Perhaps one day...
Click to expand...

Your North American sharp-shinned hawk is really similar to the males of our Eurasian or Northern sparrowhawk though! Do you get to see them, or any of the other Accipiter hawks, regularly? I have to admit I'd love to see the North American subspecies of the northern goshawk - they're such a different looking bird to those in Europe.

pbjosh - urban Harris hawks - wow! I had no idea that they were an urban bird in your area (though as they're one of the most intelligent raptors, I guess I shouldn't be surprised!) - the times they've featured in TV programmes have always been in connection with arid regions like the US Southwest. Do you have resident peregrine falcons (ssp cassini) or wintering ones in Buenos Aires too?

Regards
Patudo
 
Patudo said:
pbjosh - urban Harris hawks - wow! I had no idea that they were an urban bird in your area (though as they're one of the most intelligent raptors, I guess I shouldn't be surprised!) - the times they've featured in TV programmes have always been in connection with arid regions like the US Southwest. Do you have resident peregrine falcons (ssp cassini) or wintering ones in Buenos Aires too?

Regards
Patudo
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Harris's Hawk is urban in many places from Tucson, AZ to Argentina. And it really is quite urban here, it's in the thick of the city, circling around sky scrapers and the like right down town.

As far as Peregrines go, I've seen them from the apartment a couple times, and at the local reserves a number of times, but only ever wintering northern birds. I've never seen a cassini in this part of Argentina, should be more to the S or in the Andes. There are austral winter records of Peregrine in and around Buenos Aires - when in theory migrants shouldn't be here. Just a quick perusal of eBird, though, and the few I saw still looked much like migrants and not cassini.
 
Patudo said:
Yarrelli - WOW! That's why I wanted to visit your island, or Majorca, this autumn - but it will almost certainly have to be next year.

Charley, I've not visited those big reservoirs north of Walthamstow you mentioned, though no doubt they would be pretty interesting. There's a car park at the southern end of the Walthamstow reservoirs, at the southern end of Coppermill Lane. Rainham I've been to a few times and really enjoyed it - great views of hobbies hawking dragonflies and marsh harriers flapping over the marsh not far from the big hide, and flocks of black-tailed godwits and avocets. A wonderful place - just wish it was a little closer to me.
Click to expand...

Took your advice when visiting Walthamstow Wetlands today, driving to park as suggested in Coppermill Lane. Walked up to the Centre and half way up towards Lockwood, round and back.
Looking for a Hobby but no raptors; however I love the way young birds are less skittish. Extremely close up views of a standing Little Egret and Common Tern, also saw a nice Whitethroat and family of Long Tailed Tits.
Next time I'll try to park near the Lockwood entrance and concentrate on the northern area with less bicycles and people.

Took 12x50 Leica UV+ which helped ID the more distant gulls and ducks. Friend had Viking 8x42 though he spent more time photographing the industrial architecture with his 'new' Pentax LX. Very enjoyable day
 

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