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

Trystan’s 2018 world list (1 Viewer)

7/4/18

After a disappointing afternoon I was not too hopeful about birding the same area the following morning. Although there was much more activity, numbers of species remained low, leaving the lowlands later in the day, I really revised my expectations from the trip in terms of both numbers and endemic/near endemic species.

293. (111.) White breasted nigrita
294. (112.) Western nicator
295. (113.) GREY TIT FLYCATCHER
296. (114.) Klaas' cuckoo
297. (115.) GABON WOODPECKER
298. (116.) Grey longbill
299. (117.) Tambourine dove
300. (118.) Green hylia
301. (119.) YELLOW CRESTED WOODPECKER
302. (120.) Little grey greenbul
303. (121.) Brown eared woodpecker
304. (122.) Yellow browed cameroptera
305. (123.) Cassin's spinetail
306. (124.) GREY HEADED BARBET
307. (125.) Red chested goshawk

Bonaberi (Douala)

308. (126.) Squacco heron
309. (127.) Wood sandpiper

Buea (Mt Cameroon area)

310. (128.) AFRICAN BLUE FLYCATCHER
311. (129.) MOUNTAIN SAW-WING
312. (130.) Dusky blue flycatcher
313. (131.) LUHDER'S BUSH SHRIKE
314. (132.) BANDED PRINIA
315. (133.) MOUNTAIN SOOTY BOUBOU
316. (134.) BLACK CROWNED WAXBILL
317. (135.) AFRICAN DUSKY FLYCATCHER
318. (136.) GREEN LONGTAIL
319. (137.) WHITE BELLIED CRESTED FLYCATCHER
320. (138.) Yellow billed turaco
321. (139.) Western bluebill
322. (140.) Yellow white-eye
 
8/4/18

Buea

323. (141.) Black necked weaver

Mt. Cameroon

324. (142.) Yellow fronted canary
325. (143.) Grey prinia
326. (144.) European nightjar - Asleep on a branch, we were hoping for it to turn out to be a more exotic species.
327. (145.) WESTERN MOUNTAIN GREENBUL
328. (146.) MOUNTAIN ROBIN CHAT
329. (147.) Oriole finch
330. (148.) CAMEROON SUNBIRD
331. (149.) CHUBB'S CISTICOLA
332. (150.) WHITE TAILED WARBLER
333. (151.) Black winged oriole
334. (152.) CAMEROON EVERGREEN FOREST WARBLER
335. (153.) YELLOW BELLIED WATTLE-EYE
336. (154.) BLACK CAPPED WOODLAND WARBLER
337. (155.) Grey cuckooshrike
338. (156.) Speckled mousebird
339. (157.) Northern double collared sunbird
340. (158.) SHELLEY'S OLIVEBACK
341. (159.) African hill babbler
342. (160.) BLACK BILLED WEAVER

After a pretty successful hike up the mountain, we camped for the night, with the last section to do in the morning to the tree line to look for Speirops and Francolin.

9/4/18

A promising start

343. (161.) YELLOW BREASTED BOUBOU
344. (162.) CAMEROON OLIVE PIGEON
345. (163.) MOUNT CAMEROON SPIEROPS

Then the rain came. We held out a while hoping it would stop but it quickly became a deluge and we retreated to camp. When the rain still didn't relent we had to give up and begin our 5 hour retreat down the mountain in treacherous conditions.

The evening produced a few more species on the trails around Buea.

346. (164.) Yellow whiskered greenbul
347. (165.) Green headed sunbird
348. (166.) RED FACED CRIMSONWING
 
10/4/18

Bad rain again in the morning and a whole day driving to Bamenda.

One bird added at the hotel.

349. (167.) African rock martin

11/4/18

Makron sacred forest

350. (168.) WHITE CHINNED PRINIA
351. (169.) Copper sunbird
353. (171.) MACKINNON'S SHRIKE
354. (172.) ORANGE TUFTED SUNBIRD
355. (173.) GREY HEADED OLIVEBACK
356. (174.) Black and white shrike flycatcher
357. (175.) BAMENDA APALIS
358. (176.) Baglafecht weaver
359. (177.) Yellow rumped tinkerbird
360. (178.) Double toothed barbet
361. (179.) Snowy crowned robin chat
362. (180.) Pied flycatcher
363. (181.) Variable sunbird
364. (182.) Grey headed kingfisher
365. (183.) Brown crowned tchagra
366. (184.) Spotted flycatcher
367. (185.) Red shouldered cuckooshrike

Sabga hills

368. (186.) Northern black flycatcher
369. (187.) Red necked buzzard
370. (188.) NEUMANN'S STARLING
371. (189.) Red cheeked cordon bleu
372. (190.) Thick billed seedeater
---. (191.) Peregrine
 
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12/4/18

Lake Awing

373. (192.) RUWENZORI HILL BABBLER
374. (193.) AFRICAN STONECHAT
375. (194.) ELLIOT'S WOODPECKER
376. (195.) YELLOW BISHOP
377. (196.) Pectoral patch cisticola
378. (197.) BANDED WATTLE-EYE
---. (198.) Little grebe
379. (199.) African cuckoo
380. (200.) BIOKO BATIS
381. (201.) White bellied tit
382. (202.) BLACK COLLARED APALIS
383. (203.) Preuss's weaver

Baba II

384. (204.) BANNERMAN'S WEAVER

With no trip to Kupe, we were able to afford a second attempt at Lake Awing after missing out on a few difficult birds. We tried again the following day with a little more success.

13/4/18

Lake Awing

385. (205.) AFRICAN BLACK SWIFT
386. (206.) Black shouldered kite
387. (207.) BANGWA FOREST WARBLER
388. (208.) BANNERMAN'S TURACO
389. (209.) Red rumped swallow
390. (210.) FOREST WHITE-EYE

Still chasing a few mountain specialities/endemics our guide took us further north east to Oku. Along the way we picked up:

391. (211.) Mottled swift
392. (212.) Tawny flanked prinia

Disappointed that Moutain wagtail was also seen by some of the group but not shared. Would have been a lifer.

14/4/18

Lake Oku

393. (213.) CAMEROON GREENBUL
394. (214.) GREY CHESTED BABBLER - A big relief for the few who managed to get onto it
395. (215.) Honey buzzard
396. (216.) MARTIAL EAGLE

We aimed to reach Kumba before 6pm when the road is closed as part of a curfew. On the way back to Bamenda we had:

397. (217.) CABANIS'S BUNTING
398. (218.) Western plantain eater
399. (219.) Grey kestrel

Unfortunatley, we were then held at one of the checkpoints on the N6, and were not permitted to continue without escort. This entailed a one and a half hour delay waiting for a commander from the town of Mamfe to arrive. Instead he sent some more soldiers and we were escorted to the base in Mamfe, made to wait another hour, then told it was too dark and unsafe to continue on our journey.

It was pointed out that had we not been held against our will and taken where we did not want to go, we would have already been in Kumba.

Anyway, we did manage:

400. (220.) Narrow tailed starling - while waiting at the checkpoint.

We had to wait overnight at a hotel in Mamfe, then wait for an escort to Kumba which entailed packing 5 soldiers into our already uncomfortable vehicle and setting us back on our journey by 5 or 6 hours in total, arriving in Limbe long after the best birding of the day.
 
15/4/18

Mamfe

Every cloud has a silver lining, and so as the holiday came to a close, another lifer in the hotel gardens of a hotel we were never intending to stay in.

401. (221.) GREEN THROATED SUNBIRD - ssp crossensis

By the time we reached Limbe, there was very little happening. The main target was the Yellow casqued hornbill. Only myself and one other group member managed to see a single female of the species briefly.

402. (222.) YELLOW CASQUED HORNBILL

And on the pier:

403. (223.) Whimbrel

I am hoping I may be able to add a couple of species to this list pending some research on the net and some pictures taken during the trip of both Cameroon olive greenbul and Ayer's hawk eagle but otherwise, that concluded the trip.

Disappointed with both the number of species and the missed endemics this trip. Somewhere to revisit in the future perhaps!
 
14/4/18

Lake Oku

404. (224.) AYRE'S HAWK EAGLE - confirmed from photo

8/4/18

405. (225.) CAMEROON OLIVE GREENBUL - didn't see this well but confident based on range and habitat against the other possibilities.
 
22/4/18

Meltham

Only time for a quick walk this afternoon. Hopefully will get back to UK birding and catch up with some spring arrivals next week.

406. (147.) Willow warbler - around in reasonable numbers
 
27/4/18

Nothing like a few warblers to give your year list a summery feel. Pity the weather had other ideas. I feel a bit like I have my own personal cloud following me round at the moment.

Fairburn

407. (148.) Whitethroat
408. (149.) Blackcap
409. (150.) Cetti's warbler
410. (151.) Sedge warbler
411. (152.) Reed warbler
412. (153.) Spoonbill

Cuckoo somehow managed to slip away unseen.

Swillington

---. (154.) Common swift
413. (155.) House martin
---. (156.) Swallow
 
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29/4/18

Able to twitch a bit further afield with a car full of people, and more promising weather forecast for Sunday, we decided to try for the long staying White winged scoter.

Not the best start dipping black grouse on the way up but things improved thereafter.

Musselbrough

---. (157.) Red breasted merganser
414. (158.) Velvet scoter
415. (159.) WHITE WINGED SCOTER
416. (160.) Gannet - surprised not to have this on my list and I think I may have overlooked it from a previous trip.
417. (161.) Surf scoter

Aberlady bay

---. (162.) Whimbrel

North Berwick (No shortage of Gannets here but strangely could not find Razorbill)

418. (163.) Kittiwake
419. (164.) Puffin
420. (165.) Sandwich tern

Druridge pools

421. (166.) Garganey

Cresswell pond

422. (167.) Glossy ibis
423. (168.) Wheatear
 
30/4/18

Last day of 'recuperation' before going back to work. Substituted rain for gales at Swillington this morning.

424. (169.) Common tern
425. (170.) Lesser whitethroat
 
04/5/18

Meltham

Finally some decent weather for an evening walk.

352*. (171.) Cuckoo
426. (172.) Whinchat
427. (173.) Little owl

*adjusted due to earlier change.
 
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06/5/18

Was not optimistic about connecting with American bittern as reports have been scarce and often heard rather than seen. With three in the car, we committed to trying anyway and managed two brief views of the bird swimming within an hour of arrival, the first of which was scoped.

Carlton Marsh

428. (174.) Hobby
429. (175.) Bittern
430. (176.) AMERICAN BITTERN

Frampton

1st report of Short toed lark sent us in the wrong direction, decided to bird frampton for the afternoon although there wasn’t much left on site compared to what has been reported through the week.

431. (177.) Little gull
432. (178.) Curlew sandpiper
 
Omission - hopefully the last

11/4/18

Sabga hills, Cameroon

433. (223.) Northern fiscal
 
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12/5/18

With wood warbler now very unreliable in the Bolton abbey area, a change of tactic this year.

Ladybower reservoir area

434. (179.) Woodcock

Padley gorge

435. (180.) Wood warbler
---. (181.) Pied flycatcher
436. (182.) Redstart
437. (183.) Tree pipit

Then back to Ladybower for a failed try at mountain hare

438. (184.) Garden warbler

A memorable moment also worth mentioning was having ring ouzel and cuckoo in the same tree in the same scope view.
 
13/5/18

Commitments meant a small window of opportunity this morning.

Thurstaston

439. (185.) IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF
 
20/5/18

Not that much around this week, still managed to dodge a couple of good birds, most notably Montagu’s harrier.

Blacktoft area

—-. (186.) Yellow wagtail
440. (187.) corn bunting

Blacktoft

441. (188.) Bearded tit

Broom hill flash

442. (189.) Red necked phalarope
 
27/5/18

A while since I had two UK ticks in a day, with a great supporting cast too.

Long Nab

443. (190.) Subalpine warbler (1st UK)
444. (191.) Icterine warbler (1st UK)

Flamborough

445. (192.) Temminck’s stint
446. (193.) Razorbill
447. (194.) Dotterel

Blacktoft

448. (195.) Montagu’s harrier
 
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28/5/18

Swillington ings

449. (196.) Black tern

Spurn

450. (197.) Little tern
---. (198.) Common sandpiper
451. (199.) Red backed shrike
 
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29/5/18

Enjoying my time off work, decided to upgrade my recent Iberian chiffchaff to a Yorkshire tick, then take a walk on the strid. With the chiffchaff in the bag, my plans were ruined by the news of my most wanted bird, Quail showing on the bowling green at Hartlepool headland.

452. (200.) QUAIL !!!

Then tied up a couple of plastic loose ends.

Hartlepool

453. (201.) Rose ringed parakeet

Adel dam

454. (202.) Mandarin duck
 
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31/5/18

My winning warbler streak came to a close today, dipping the Savi's at Spurn. Apparently heard a few times early morning but nothing all afternoon, probably, it will be back this evening but I couldn't stay that long.

Consolation came by way of:

455. (203.) Golden oriole

Though even this was only seen flying away.
 

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