Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
LOL. You just showed up again to brag about your new optics, didn't you?
Sounds v nice, though. I bet you broke the other one deliberately.
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HE2's 2007 Birding Forays (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Helenelizabeth2
- Start date
LOL. You just showed up again to brag about your new optics, didn't you?
Sounds v nice, though. I bet you broke the other one deliberately.
davebenj
To old, Too tall, Too fat, Too bald.
LOL. You just showed up again to brag about your new optics, didn't you?
Sounds v nice, though. I bet you broke the other one deliberately.
Its just male jewellery Helen...
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Owly Progress
Yes! A short trip to Woodwalton Fen after work today. The sun shone, there was no-one about, it was blissfully beautiful and peaceful. Very little in the way of birds though (apart from one glimpse of a Marsh Harrier) until just before I got in the car. Scanning the field I noticed a little Brown blob on a broken down shed, got the scope out and there it was:
224. Little Owl
Just that Tawny I need now.
Yes! A short trip to Woodwalton Fen after work today. The sun shone, there was no-one about, it was blissfully beautiful and peaceful. Very little in the way of birds though (apart from one glimpse of a Marsh Harrier) until just before I got in the car. Scanning the field I noticed a little Brown blob on a broken down shed, got the scope out and there it was:
224. Little Owl
Just that Tawny I need now.
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Pesky tawnies, all hoot and no show
Nodoubt you have you fair share of Barn Owls over there on your fens etc, so wait till the Long Eared's and Shorties come in ..much more fun I reckon.
Well done with that Little Owl btw, they're fun too!
Matt
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
I wish one would wake me up - but only if it was going to do it visibly - heard is not enough.
Sorry about the trip, Keith. I was originally hoping to make it but with being away in Spain this weekend a trip last weekend didn't go down too well indoors.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Hello from Gibraltar! A very brief bit of wi-fi access in the Hotel Caleta.
Boy have I seen some good birdies in Spain. You are all going to be so jealous (well unless you've already seen them yourselves which of course you might have but even so I will have seen them more recently - so there).
Boy have I seen some good birdies in Spain. You are all going to be so jealous (well unless you've already seen them yourselves which of course you might have but even so I will have seen them more recently - so there).
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Helen Goes A-Wandering
So. 3 nights in Tarifa, 1 in Gibraltar. Visits to the Tarifa beaches, whalewatching trip, 4 or 5 raptor watch points, Bologna and La Janda (twice) and a wander round the Rock. Added quite a few birdies to my life list and had a thoroughly nice time. Full bird list to follow later and when I get round to it a few highlights from the trip. See below.
So. 3 nights in Tarifa, 1 in Gibraltar. Visits to the Tarifa beaches, whalewatching trip, 4 or 5 raptor watch points, Bologna and La Janda (twice) and a wander round the Rock. Added quite a few birdies to my life list and had a thoroughly nice time. Full bird list to follow later and when I get round to it a few highlights from the trip. See below.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Herons
Regular readers will know that I have a penchant for herons. And not only that, Dr Whitehouse has been kind enough to give me special dispensation to see them in any order I like.
*stunned gasps from audience.
No, really, I can give you the page reference.
Disappointing then that of the 5 heron species that I saw in Spain, the commonest ones gave me the most entertainment.
Yes, Cattle Egrets. It's the way they set themselves up in the fields, each with their own cow. I find it hilariously comical - made me laugh every time we saw them - you can imagine how annoying that became for the others in the minibus. But the best sighting was the cow which had not 1, but 2 Cattle Egrets, jostling each other by its side. I could imagine the accompanying dialogue: "That's my cow" "No, it's mine - yours is that one with blotch on its side" "It is not, this is my cow, I recognise the poo pattern on its tail" "It's my cow" "Mine" "Mummmm, Peter's trying to steal my cow again"
3 flying Night Herons were very nice too, though. As was the single Squacco Heron, displaying beautifully at the roadside ditch at La Janda. Grey Heron and Little Egret completed the 5.
Was hoping to make more progress with my heron obsession at the Nene Washes today but the Purple Heron just didn't hang around long enough for me. Maybe Dr W had told it that I hadn't seen Great White Egret yet?
Regular readers will know that I have a penchant for herons. And not only that, Dr Whitehouse has been kind enough to give me special dispensation to see them in any order I like.
*stunned gasps from audience.
No, really, I can give you the page reference.
Disappointing then that of the 5 heron species that I saw in Spain, the commonest ones gave me the most entertainment.
Yes, Cattle Egrets. It's the way they set themselves up in the fields, each with their own cow. I find it hilariously comical - made me laugh every time we saw them - you can imagine how annoying that became for the others in the minibus. But the best sighting was the cow which had not 1, but 2 Cattle Egrets, jostling each other by its side. I could imagine the accompanying dialogue: "That's my cow" "No, it's mine - yours is that one with blotch on its side" "It is not, this is my cow, I recognise the poo pattern on its tail" "It's my cow" "Mine" "Mummmm, Peter's trying to steal my cow again"
3 flying Night Herons were very nice too, though. As was the single Squacco Heron, displaying beautifully at the roadside ditch at La Janda. Grey Heron and Little Egret completed the 5.
Was hoping to make more progress with my heron obsession at the Nene Washes today but the Purple Heron just didn't hang around long enough for me. Maybe Dr W had told it that I hadn't seen Great White Egret yet?
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Yes, Cattle Egrets. It's the way they set themselves up in the fields, each with their own cow. I find it hilariously comical - made me laugh every time we saw them - you can imagine how annoying that became for the others in the minibus. But the best sighting was the cow which had not 1, but 2 Cattle Egrets, jostling each other by its side. I could imagine the accompanying dialogue: "That's my cow" "No, it's mine - yours is that one with blotch on its side" "It is not, this is my cow, I recognise the poo pattern on its tail" "It's my cow" "Mine" "Mummmm, Peter's trying to steal my cow again"
3 flying Night Herons were very nice too, though. As was the single Squacco Heron, dispalying beautifully at the roadside ditch at La Janda. Grey Heron and Little White Egrets completed the 5.
Brilliant stuff ..glad you enjoyed your travels.
But isn't there something missing? ..got the hang of that camera yet
Matt
redeyedvideo
It's like water off a duck's back!
Raptors, we want Raptors. One more day is all I'm prepared to wait. :t:
dj
dj
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Yes, Cattle Egrets. It's the way they set themselves up in the fields, each with their own cow. I find it hilariously comical - made me laugh every time we saw them - you can imagine how annoying that became for the others in the minibus. But the best sighting was the cow which had not 1, but 2 Cattle Egrets, jostling each other by its side. I could imagine the accompanying dialogue: "That's my cow" "No, it's mine - yours is that one with blotch on its side" "It is not, this is my cow, I recognise the poo pattern on its tail" "It's my cow" "Mine" "Mummmm, Peter's trying to steal my cow again"
3 flying Night Herons were very nice too, though. As was the single Squacco Heron, dispalying beautifully at the roadside ditch at La Janda. Grey Heron and Little White Egrets completed the 5.
Brilliant stuff ..glad you enjoyed your travels.
But isn't there something missing? ..got the hang of that camera yet
Matt
No. I haven't. I keep forgetting I've got it. I think I took about 3 photos all together and none of them were of wildlife.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
So, if I don't do the Raptor bit tonight do you dramatically explode or something?
redeyedvideo
It's like water off a duck's back!
I'll try.
If you're suffering from writer's block I'll give you a start ~ It's a black, no it's not it's red. Hold on.....Buzzard...
If you're suffering from writer's block I'll give you a start ~ It's a black, no it's not it's red. Hold on.....Buzzard...
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
I'll try.
If you're suffering from writer's block I'll give you a start ~ It's a black, no it's not it's red. Hold on.....Buzzard...
Actually, we didn't see a single Common Buzzard so that particular sequence didn't happen.
redeyedvideo
It's like water off a duck's back!
You mean you went all the way to Spain & dipped on Common Bustard? You might need to apply some artistic licence in your report then.
DJ
DJ
Jos Stratford
Beast from the East
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
By popular request - Raptors!
And, boy were there plenty of them ...
During the 3 days we were in Tarifa we made plentiful visits to the various raptor watchpoints in the area, some packed with other birders, others quieter. On the 15th and 16th there was a huge number of birds in the sky, streaming over the Straits. No rarities but plenty of variety - we took in Black Kites, Black Storks, Egyptian Vultures, Griffons Vultures, Honey Buzzards, Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles, Sparrowhawks, a single Peregrine and a Hobby.
This trip was a repeat of the one I made 2 years ago that got me into birding. That time, the raptors were over my head in more ways than one. Having never really looked at birds at all, I listened to the leaders describing the differences between the soaring specks they were looking at and thought 'Yeah, right'. This year, it all made sense. By the end of the trip I was even getting 90% reliable in calling them. And I loved it - trying to get to know Honey Buzzards on the basis of seeing 2 in the UK is pretty hard - doing it by watching 50 of them fly one by one, slowly and closely, over your head is a much better bargain. Of course, I'll forget everything I learnt within a fortnight but at the moment I am shit-hot on raptors. |=)|
Raptor of the trip, though, was not a migrant. We made 2 trips to La Janda in search of Black-Winged Kite - on the first trip we dipped, despite it being seen not long before we got to its favourite irrigation boom. On the second trip we headed for the flock of distant Lesser Kestrels and within minutes the leader had picked up a grey blob on the boom. Was it? Yes, it was. Lovely views, perched and then flying. And then after 10 minutes it was joined by a second one.
An atmospheric early morning trip to Bologna to watch the Griffons launch themselves off the rock, relived one of the moments that so inspired me last time. You knew it wasn't a subtle Little Brown Job that got me into this, didn't you? Nothing short of a cartoon character hunched on a rock soaring off on huge wings, craning its evil scavenging neck, could have penetrated my early resistance.
The raptor pack was completed by the Harriers at La Janda - Marsh and Montys. Again, the sheer number of Montys equalled what I'd see over here in 5 years probably. So, I also came home feeling that I know these a little better.
That enough raptors for you, Dave?
And, boy were there plenty of them ...
During the 3 days we were in Tarifa we made plentiful visits to the various raptor watchpoints in the area, some packed with other birders, others quieter. On the 15th and 16th there was a huge number of birds in the sky, streaming over the Straits. No rarities but plenty of variety - we took in Black Kites, Black Storks, Egyptian Vultures, Griffons Vultures, Honey Buzzards, Short-toed Eagles, Booted Eagles, Sparrowhawks, a single Peregrine and a Hobby.
This trip was a repeat of the one I made 2 years ago that got me into birding. That time, the raptors were over my head in more ways than one. Having never really looked at birds at all, I listened to the leaders describing the differences between the soaring specks they were looking at and thought 'Yeah, right'. This year, it all made sense. By the end of the trip I was even getting 90% reliable in calling them. And I loved it - trying to get to know Honey Buzzards on the basis of seeing 2 in the UK is pretty hard - doing it by watching 50 of them fly one by one, slowly and closely, over your head is a much better bargain. Of course, I'll forget everything I learnt within a fortnight but at the moment I am shit-hot on raptors. |=)|
Raptor of the trip, though, was not a migrant. We made 2 trips to La Janda in search of Black-Winged Kite - on the first trip we dipped, despite it being seen not long before we got to its favourite irrigation boom. On the second trip we headed for the flock of distant Lesser Kestrels and within minutes the leader had picked up a grey blob on the boom. Was it? Yes, it was. Lovely views, perched and then flying. And then after 10 minutes it was joined by a second one.
An atmospheric early morning trip to Bologna to watch the Griffons launch themselves off the rock, relived one of the moments that so inspired me last time. You knew it wasn't a subtle Little Brown Job that got me into this, didn't you? Nothing short of a cartoon character hunched on a rock soaring off on huge wings, craning its evil scavenging neck, could have penetrated my early resistance.
The raptor pack was completed by the Harriers at La Janda - Marsh and Montys. Again, the sheer number of Montys equalled what I'd see over here in 5 years probably. So, I also came home feeling that I know these a little better.
That enough raptors for you, Dave?
Jos Stratford
Beast from the East
Oh gawd, shudders the birding community of Peterborough, as it wakes to the multiple reports of raptors weird and wonderful soaring over the fair city. :-O
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
You're not suggesting that wasn't an Egyptian Vulture I saw flying off to roost at the pit earlier, are you?
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