2014 - Can I see 1000 species? (1 Viewer)

[Jon Turner]

SO. One of the Little Gulls I saw on Tuesday at Bowling Green Marsh has now been re-identified as a Ross's Gull. The two birds were clearly very different, but the talk in the hide was of how the moult can differ from bird to bird. There was a mention of possible Bonaparte's, but that clearly didn't fit. So I merrily went on my way....
Am I allowed to go:
601) Ross's Gull
I need all the help I can get at the moment. Might even go back, only seen one before, so it's not even a Devon tick!

 

[Farnboro John]

SO. One of the Little Gulls I saw on Tuesday at Bowling Green Marsh has now been re-identified as a Ross's Gull. The two birds were clearly very different, but the talk in the hide was of how the moult can differ from bird to bird. There was a mention of possible Bonaparte's, but that clearly didn't fit. So I merrily went on my way....
Am I allowed to go:
601) Ross's Gull
I need all the help I can get at the moment. Might even go back, only seen one before, so it's not even a Devon tick!

Go back. If you couldn't ID it at the time, you can't be sure you saw the right bird. After all, there MIGHT have been a second Little Gull just for the period you were there.

Top marks for honesty though! :t:

John

 

[Jos Stratford]

Am I allowed to go:
601) Ross's Gull

Would you feel content looking back?

 

[Jon Turner]

The pictures on the Devon Blog are certainly of the bird I saw on Tuesday. The Little Gull was indeed very different with dark developing on the head.....
I missed the Osprey on Tuesday and I need that too, so a return is on the cards, if I can get in the hide!

And yes I would be happy looking back Jos!

 

[Jos Stratford]

And yes I would be happy looking back Jos!

Then there is no issue :t:

 

[Jon Turner]

Then there is no issue :t:

Still fancy a second look though!!

 

[chris butterworth]

Ross' are always worth a second look. :t: Congratulations on breaking 600 John. It doesn't seem that long ago you were on 500, and wondering where the rest were coming from.

 

[Jon Turner]

Ross' are always worth a second look. :t: Congratulations on breaking 600 John. It doesn't seem that long ago you were on 500, and wondering where the rest were coming from.

Thanks Chris. I think I was a bit surprised that I had reached 600! However, I've just trolled through the thread and found that I omitted number 589! So the next one I add will have to take that number! Could be Nightjar or Osprey. I've finally downloaded my pics onto this machine, so I'll keep the thread alive by posting some photos of what I saw.

 

[Jon Turner]

New Zealand

Just to show it wasn't all birds, these are two of the three Bugatti's we saw doing a tour of New Zealand. I ended up in convoy with them for several miles after we had stopped for coffee! The other shot is of course an Australian Magpie.

 

[Jon Turner]

More NZ

There were other flying objects, this one needless to say near Queenstown.
2) Black-billed Gull
3) The ubiquitous Paradise Sheduck

 

[Jon Turner]

At or around Kaikoura

The 1.30p.m. boat trip was cancelled so I wandered around the headland and found a few of the regular suspects.

1) Kelp Gull
2) White-faced Heron
3) Variable Oystercatcher
4) Pied Shag

 

[Jon Turner]

Kaikoura

The next day's trip was, however on, so first get on your boat, then launch it!
Then see birds!
2) Wandering Albatross
3) White-chinned Petrel
4) Westland Petrel
5) Scrum for chum

 

[Jon Turner]

More from Kaikoura

1) Southern Royal Albatross
2) Lots of Spotted Shags
3) Northern Giant Petrel - not the most beautiful bird of the trip!
4) Salvin's Mollymawk
5) A NZ Fur Seal suckling it's pup.

 

[Jon Turner]

Still fancy a second look though!!

And so after gawping at the Short-toed Eagle for 3/4 of an hour, decided that as I've seen lots already this year and it wasn't about to fly till it was warm enough (my estimate 10a.m.) I decide to head back west, left there at 06.24, and arrived at BGM just as the Gulls started to arrive. First the Little Gull was picked out, then the Ross's. Only 2 Sandwich Terns, no sign of the Whiskered. Couldn't find the Osprey again (probably moved on) or any Terns at Dawlish Warren. Did see the lovely summer-plumage Slavonian Grebe near the old atmospheric railway shed. Then news of Bee-eater, followed by 5 Bee-eaters at Axmouth, so headed back there, and joined the small crowd not seeing them either! Lots of Yellowhammer though - not exactly a N Devon speciality any more.

So now we can all be happy that I've seen the Ross's Gull!

 

[Allen S. Moore]

And so after gawping at the Short-toed Eagle for 3/4 of an hour, decided that as I've seen lots already this year and it wasn't about to fly till it was warm enough (my estimate 10a.m.) I decide to head back west, left there at 06.24, and arrived at BGM just as the Gulls started to arrive. First the Little Gull was picked out, then the Ross's. Only 2 Sandwich Terns, no sign of the Whiskered. Couldn't find the Osprey again (probably moved on) or any Terns at Dawlish Warren. Did see the lovely summer-plumage Slavonian Grebe near the old atmospheric railway shed. Then news of Bee-eater, followed by 5 Bee-eaters at Axmouth, so headed back there, and joined the small crowd not seeing them either! Lots of Yellowhammer though - not exactly a N Devon speciality any more.

So now we can all be happy that I've seen the Ross's Gull!

That's good. It may just be me, but I wouldn't count anything that I wasn't 100% sure of.

Were Yellowhammers ever a N Devon speciality, and in what way? What has changed to make them not so any more? I am curious about your statement about the species, as they were numerous here in the Isle of Man when I was a lad, but they are now very scarce. The last ones that I saw were near Trondheim 2 years ago.

 

[chris butterworth]

Three Bugatti's? It doesn't matter how many birds Andre sees, that's got to be worth another 250 species on top of his final score ( at least ). :t:

 

[Jon Turner]

That's good. It may just be me, but I wouldn't count anything that I wasn't 100% sure of.

Were Yellowhammers ever a N Devon speciality, and in what way? What has changed to make them not so any more? I am curious about your statement about the species, as they were numerous here in the Isle of Man when I was a lad, but they are now very scarce. The last ones that I saw were near Trondheim 2 years ago.

Allen, when I first moved to N Devon (1979) I lived in Ilfracombe (if that's not an oxymoron!) and used to see several of them regularly, along the hedgerows on my way to work and back. Also a small flock used to feed outside my office window by the Leisure Centre in winter. I did see one near Croyde last year, and I think a few are still out at Hartland. But why? No idea. Food? Climate?
So no not a speciality but seen often each year.

 

[Jon Turner]

Three Bugatti's? It doesn't matter how many birds Andre sees, that's got to be worth another 250 species on top of his final score ( at least ). :t:

We were drinking coffee in a lovely roadside coffee shop when this group of older types came in to the table next to us. Without doing anything much they just seemed to exude money, and I read the emblem on the back of one of them that said 'Bugatti tour of New Zealand' or some-such. We went outside and there they were. What are they worth? I thought I saw one sold recently for millions!

For your delectation, here's the other one!

 

[Nutcracker]

What are they worth? I thought I saw one sold recently for millions!

What, they cost millions and you don't even get a roof over your head?? Useless! :-O

 

[chris butterworth]

What, they cost millions and you don't even get a roof over your head?? Useless! :-O

Cheap at half the price. Porn you can drive. :t: