CactusD's List 2009 (1 Viewer)

[CactusD]

178. Garden Warbler

Picked up GW this evening, and thanks to the ID thread for confirmation: the only regular warbler I'd not seen yet this year; I believe they arrive later than the majority of other warbler spp.

Also had wonderful views, with some shots, of Buzzard returning to nest site with (decapitated!) rabbit, to be greeted by partner. Must have been dinner time, since arrival was right on cue at 6pm exactly!

Went out to attempt some decent shots of Corn Bunting on a good perch. Unfortunately disturbed by cyclist who stopped for a chat :C just as I was creeping up on the bird, so the shots of the song perch are unfortunately distant. Did pick up the Yellow Wags again, though. Will post shots later this evening when I've processed them properly.
Also encountered dog-walker who watched me taking pics then came up and told me he used to go 'nesting' in his youth, collecting eggs and sticking them in a box. Not good. :eek!::C:eek!:


Here are some pics:

[EDIT: Sorry about the gore LOL]

 

[CactusD]

179. Grey Partridge (pair!)

Had a walk over some local footpaths this afternoon north of Bodicote and was v lucky to find a pair of Grey Partridges scooting along some short grass before flying off into a nearby barley field. Not sure how rare these are in Oxfordshire, but they are difficult to see, so v. pleased. Had my first and only other sighting five years ago in Derbyshire.

 

[CactusD]

Scotland, 1st week in July

Just back from excellent week visiting in-laws in Ayrshire, Scotland, and we managed a few birding excursions while we were there. I'm pleased to say that I managed to find 8 new species for the year list, including two lifers! We saw 70 species in total, as follows, with locations (also including Red Kite and Pheasant from the train to London to catch the sleeper):

In and around River Irvine near Kilmarnock:
House Sparrow, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Herring Gull, House Martin, Blackbird, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Starling, Swallow, Carrion Crow, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Wood Pigeon, Great Tit, Wren, Treecreeper, Chaffinch, Robin, Skylark, Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail, Greenfinch, Jackdaw, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Coal Tit, Feral Pigeon, Magpie, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Mallard, Pheasant H, Common Buzzard, Long-Tailed Tit

No Dippers this time, though we've seen them before (ditto Mippit)

Trip to Bute:
Oystercatcher (year tick), Cormorant, Mute Swan, Curlew, Common Kestrel, Common Eider (year tick), Common Sandpiper, Black-Headed Gull, BLACK GUILLEMOT, Ringed Plover, Shag (UK tick), Gannet (year tick), Great Black-Backed Gull, Pied Wagtail, Common Gull (year tick), Hooded Crow, Sparrowhawk, Common Whitethroat, Rock Pipit (year tick), Sand Martin, Linnet, Northern Wheatear

Barassie and Troon
BAR-TAILED GODWIT (two)
Common Tern

Ayr Harbour and South Beach
Lapwing, Goosander (year tick)

Martnahan Loch
Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Reed Bunting

The Godwits were feeding in the surf on Barassie beach; saw Black Guillemot first at Wemyss Bay just as we got there for the ferry to Rothesay. I saw another in the scope from the ballast bank at Troon, and then had plenty more in Ayr Harbour: best views (and photographs) were had from the first Mariner's Wharf carpark on North Harbour Road opposite York Street - they nest in the harbour wall just below where I was standing.
Though there wasn't too much visible on the Loch, this site looks excellent for winter so we shall be returning at some point...

So, additions to year-list as follows:

180. Oystercatcher
181. Common Eider
182. BLACK GUILLEMOT
183. Gannet
184. Common Gull
185. Rock Pipit
186. BAR-TAILED GODWIT
187. Goosander

Some pics below (not too many since conditions were quite harsh, esp. with heat-haze on Bute, and male Eiders were in eclipse plumage); others in my gallery.

 

[CactusD]

A few more pics here, all taken on Bute.

 

[CactusD]

Here's a pretty poor shot of the Goosander at Ayr, with an Eider for company. There were two Goosanders, the other one on the rocks at the little River Doon estuary.

I'm getting pretty excited now since I'm homing in on my target of 198 for the year. I'm off to Greece next week, so here's hoping for one or two special new birds for the list. May also be visiting the folks in Derbyshire in August for a few days, so will aim to pick up Red Grouse and some decent shots of the Dippers at Lathkill Dale.

 

[CactusD]

Crossbills!

My wife and I were just on our way through our local park to the supermarket and saw and heard a flock of Common Crossbills passing through the pines. Very random, but another lifer, and year tick!

188. COMMON CROSSBILL

No pics!

 

[CactusD]

In and around Delphi, Greece, 16th-22nd July

As previously mentioned, I spent some time in Greece this last week. I was at a conference staying at the European Cultural Centre, at the western end of the modern town of Delphi, famous for its world heritage site and home of the ancient Greek oracle.
Although birds were not plentiful and were often skulking (some of which are currently subject of debate in the ID thread), it was definitely quality over quantity. Below I list the birds I saw, with rough numbers, and a key to location. Updates possible after other IDs confirmed.
Key:
B= from bus from airport - agricultural land before heading into the mountains
D= Delphi Archaeological sites
G= grounds of conference centre
T= in the town
C= cliffs above

House Sparrow (B, D, T), Feral Pigeon (inc. pure Rock Doves D), House Martin (B, T), Yellow-Legged Gull (B), Collared Dove (B, G, T), White Stork (3 seen, B), Barn Swallow (everywhere), Hooded Crow (B, D), Cirl Bunting (G, T: plentiful, inc. flock of 12), Subalpine Warbler (G + D?), Chaffinch (D, G), Spotted Flycatcher (D, G: plentiful, inc. very close views), Great Tit (G), Red-Rumped Swallow (G: plentiful), Olivaceous Warbler (G), Crag Martin (C), Woodchat Shrike (D, G, T: at least 5 seen), Western Rock Nuthatch (D, G, T, C: *the* bird of Delphi), Hoopoe (D, G), Eastern Bonelli's Warbler (G), Blue Rock Thrush (D, G, T: plentiful), Black-Eared Wheatear (D, plentiful), Common Kestrel (D, T, C: at least one pair), Lesser Kestrel (C: at least one pair), Lesser Whitethroat (D, G), Common Swift (T, C), Bonelli's Eagle (C: one viewed over foothills of Parnassus from top of Kaki Skala stairway), Willow Warbler (D, G), Greenfinch, Blackbird (D: not common), Sombre Tit (D: two individuals seen), Short-Toed Eagle (C: one seen soaring above site and perched on crag), Tree Sparrow (T: one seen), Jay (couple seen, D), [Italian Sparrow: one or two seen; no clear-cut Spanish Sparrows]

Hence:
189. White Stork
190. Cirl Bunting
191. Spotted Flycatcher
192. Western Rock Nuthatch
193. BONELLI'S EAGLE
194. Sombre Tit
195. Short-Toed Eagle

I'll post some snaps later.

 

[CactusD]

Also add:
Rüppell's Warbler (D) - see the ID thread for discussion.

Here are some pics (OK, but only used my short travel lens): Cirl Bunting, Rock Nuthatch, Spotted Flycatcher, Short-Toed Eagle, Woodchat Shrike

 

[CactusD]

One or two more:

Red-Rumped Swallow (sorry, best shot I have), Blue Rock Thrush (commoner than Blackbirds, even in the town), Tree Sparrow, and the disputed warbler which is prob. a juvenile Rüppell's Warbler

 

[CactusD]

And a couple of butterflies:

Swallowtail and Scarce Swallowtail

 

[CactusD]

Still three to get to equal last year's list! Hopefully I'll get to the UK coast in a couple of weeks and hoover up one or two glaring omissions.

 

[CactusD]

Triumph: Target Breached!

Just back from an excellent week visiting parents in Derbyshire; on our first or second evening there I heard some close screeching from the back of the conservatory so went to fetch a torch, which I suspected (correctly) were Tawny Owls. A pair was heard calling, and I found one of them sitting on top of a nearby pine tree! We’ve known that they’ve been around for a while, but this was the first time I’d ever actually seen one. It glared at me for a while before flying off: very impressive. We also saw a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker in the ash tree in the garden, so excellent evidence of breeding (nuthatches breading there earlier in the year, but none seen there this time). We took a trip just up the road to Lathkill Dale to get shots of the Dippers, which duly obliged (though lighting conditions were not ideal because of the overhanging trees and heavy shade; the pic below was one of the few where the bird appeared in the light).
We then had a couple of other longer-distance excursions: next, on Wednesday (5th August) we visited Anglesey, going to South Stack, where, though we’d missed the Auks by a week, we did get good views of the Kittiwakes, and close views of the Choughs and Ravens, the former of which I hadn’t seen for about 15 years.
Next we decided to go to Cemlyn Bay, and had excellent views of the Sandwich Tern colony (no pics: incredibly windy!); we also found lots of Curlews there and some Turnstones; we also found a couple of Sandwich Terns fishing in the Menai Strait off Beaumaris while we were enjoying a fish supper (and not letting the attentive Herring Gulls enjoy it).

Finally, on Thursday (6th August) we took a trip to Leighton Moss in Lancashire, where we had our best ever views of Greenshank, and I had a very fleeting view of a flying Bittern. Cracking views of juvenile Marsh Harriers also. Great stuff.

Hence:
196. TAWNY OWL
197. Chough
198. KITTIWAKE
199. SANDWICH TERN
200. Ruddy Turnstone
201. BITTERN

And that breaks last year's record already! B B :king:
Below are one or two pics to mark the visits:

 

[CactusD]

And some more shots:

 

[CactusD]

And, briefly, a list of the birds we saw last week. Parents' house near Matlock unless otherwise indicated:

Blackbird, Swallow, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Magpie, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Coot, Canada Goose, Black-Headed Gull, Mallard (last 4 all Bakewell), Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Wren, Robin, Bullfinch, Starling, Treecreeper, Long-Tailed Tit, Common Swift, Kestrel, TAWNY OWL, Tufted Duck (Cromford), Chiffchaff and Lesser Black-Backed Gull (Newhaven), Great Spotted Woodpecker

Additionally:
Walk to Bakewell from Rowsley through woods (where previously we'd had Redstart, but not this time): Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Willow Warbler, possible Willow Tit, Blackcap (at least one pair), Garden Warbler, + Pied Wagtail, Rook, Feral Pigeon, Cormorant approaching/in Bakewell proper

Over Haddon/Lathkill Dale: House Sparrow, House Martin, Moorhen, Dipper (1 seen), Grey Wagtail, Green Woodpecker (my first ever in Derbyshire), Raven, Pheasant

South Stack, Anglesey: Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Chough, KITTIWAKE, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat

Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey: Oystercatcher, Buzzard, Ringed Plover, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Curlew, Common Sandpiper, SANDWICH TERN, Mute Swan, Turnstone, Shelduck, Redshank

Leighton Moss RSPB: Lapwing, Greenshank, Marsh Harrier, Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon, Great Crested Grebe, Black Tailed Godwit, BITTERN, Sand Martin, Nuthatch

Total of 79 didn't seem too bad for early August. Spotted Redshanks were not spotted at Leighton Moss; no sightings of Bearded Tits or the Ruddy Shelduck either (though the latter prob. escape). But it's a good place which we'll be back to for the Tits at a more productive time of year.

 

[CactusD]

Early Autumn on the Isle of Bute

After the doldrums of later August, I’ve finally got round to recording some more birds!

Living as we do about as far as possible in England from the sea, it was very good for my wife and I to get away for the weekend to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, on the West Coast of Scotland, for a friend’s wedding. Birding was not the main priority, therefore, but we managed to pick up quite a few, including one or two excellent life ticks. The Firth of Clyde was certainly more productive than back in June when we last visited.
We were on Bute for 2 days, and also had a stop off in Kilmarnock on the way back, where I got to pick up one or two common birds to round off the list for the trip with a total of 60. Quality not quantity here, we thought, especially since we had just missed our Auks on our trip to Anglesey in August.
Highlights of the trip were of course the lifers, and the year ticks, which were: Manx Shearwater; Common Guillemot; Great Northern Diver (year tick); Red Breasted Merganser (year tick); and Razorbill; also great seeing Black Guillemot in winter plumage: very different from the glossy black of just a few months ago.

Hence, for the year list,

202. MANX SHEARWATER
203. COMMON GUILLEMOT
204. Great Northern Diver
205. Red-Breasted Merganser
206. RAZORBILL

Here’s the full list, including locations and rough numbers where relevant:
Feral Pigeon, Herring Gull, Mute Swan, Lesser Black-Backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Jackdaw, Grey Heron, Magpie, Starling, Buzzard (lots on Bute: six or seven sightings separate, inc. one of three birds together), House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Shag (plenty about in and around the Firth of Clyde), Eider (ditto), Gannet (one or two spotted from Wemyss Bay and from our hotel overlooking the Rothesay bay), Black Guillemot (singles and small groups sometimes seen bobbing up and down off shore, with one quite close to the ferry pier at Wemyss Bay); Manx Shearwater (small group of about 3 seen flying in and around the Firth of Clyde and Sea Lochs); Common Guillemot (first one seen at Wemyss Bay quite close to shore – much darker in winter plumage than Black Guillemot – then a larger group swimming close to the ferry on the way back to Wemyss Bay), Oystercatcher, Curlew, Turnstone (large groups in the seaweed on the shoreline around Rothesay), Redshank (only one or two seen), Pied Wagtail, Black-Headed Gull, Great Northern Diver (year tick, one single in Winter plumage seen from ferry), Greenfinch, Hooded Crow, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Song Thrush, Red-Breasted Merganser (year tick – party of 5 seen near shore on road to Rubodach), Wren, Robin, Chaffinch, Common Gull, Rook, Goosander (2 females offshore at Craigmore), Blackbird, Goldcrest, Mallard, Cormorant, Swallow, Teal, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe, Greylag Goose, Pheasant, House Martin, Collared Dove, Canada Goose, Wigeon (a nice chocolate in eclipse plumage), Razorbill (one spotted amid the flock of Common Guillemots), Coal Tit, Kestrel, Great Tit, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Sparrowhawk

Photos below:

 

[CactusD]

And some more of the Auks:

 

[CactusD]

I know I've been a bit quiet lately, but work has been very busy and there have been few opportunities to get out and about.
I had a walk around the local patch today, and though the weather was lousy, there were some good birds to be seen. The pair of Buzzards was about, as was a female Kestrel, and three Stonechats - a new bird for the patch. Also had my first Fieldfares of the autumn. Yellowhammers were out and about as usual, along with Skylarks and Meadow Pipits.
Some pics below (Kestrels are in the gallery also)

 

[CactusD]

One or two more shots from today:

 

[CactusD]

A trip down to the local reservoir this afternoon produced little, but I did get shots of the cormorants, and found another stonechat.

 

[CactusD]

Another Cormorant shot here: