According to yesterday's report in NewsNight, they claim to suffer particularly from Polish and Lithuanian raptors...
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HE2's 2007 Birding Forays (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Helenelizabeth2
- Start date
Jos Stratford
Beast from the East
I think that is pheasants
though I might have made a spelling mistake somewhere along the line 
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Wow! That's brilliant! I think we should get up a petition to have them renamed Guardthecows over here. Or maybe Cow Bouncers? Cow Pwners? What do you think?
Hotspur
James Spencer
Whats a cow pwner? Is it someone that pawns cows?
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
What is the world coming to when you have to explain young person's internet terminology to the young?!? You need to stay in more, James.
Urban dictionary:
1. pwned
A corruption of the word "Owned." This originated in an online game called Warcraft, where a map designer misspelled "owned." When the computer beat a player, it was supposed to say, so-and-so "has been owned."
Instead, it said, so-and-so "has been pwned."
It basically means "to own" or to be dominated by an opponent or situation, especially by some god-like or computer-like force.
"Man, I rock at my job, but I still got a bad evaluation. I was pwned."
OR
"That team totally pwned us."
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
The Sea, The Cetaceans and The Seabirds
A short trip to Salthouse with the family today reminded me that I hadn't mentioned the seabirds in Spain yet.
Firstly, I should say that not only did I pick up a load of new birdies in Spain (and Gibraltar) but I was lucky enough to acquire a BF tick (brings me to 44, I think, only 156 to go to the target 200 - anyone not met me yet and wants to volunteer? ). Also on the tour was CWPBirder, West country birder, who as well as being a thoroughly nice chap, had a camera and knew how to use it. And was generous enough to share! So a few of his pics will be coming to illustrate the birdies.
Highlights of the gulls were a couple of flocks of Audouins on the beaches near Tarifa. Really beautiful birds and unusual for gulls in having really sweet, benevolent faces. The designer handbag of gulls, I think.
We were lucky enough to make it out onto the Straits on the first day we arrived, rushing to beat the winds forecast (correctly) for the rest of our trip. I love boats. The wind, the sun, the sea, the speed of the boat and then the excitement of the first fin. Followed by another, and more, getting closer and closer. And breaking the water right in the front of the boat - a group of Long-Finned Pilot Whales. We were surrounded for ages, a group moved in, moved out again, another group appeared, and then Dolphins joined them too. Striped and Bottlenose. It's hard to describe how special and awe-inspiring close views of cetaceans are. And the whole watching-them-watching-us-watching-them thing. If you've done it then you know how great it is, and if you haven't done it, then please do.
The various beach and sea trips also provided a number of good views of Cory's Shearwater flying like the waves. I'd seen them on the last trip but they just looked like another gull to me. This time I could see the shape, the flight, the colour, the similarity to other Shearwaters in their flight style. Lovely birds, beautiful fliers.
Dipped on the Balearics though, you'll be entertained to know. I only saw them once - too distant for me to have called them confidently. And on the subsequent days the sea was very quiet.
Thanks very much for the pics, CWP.
A short trip to Salthouse with the family today reminded me that I hadn't mentioned the seabirds in Spain yet.
Firstly, I should say that not only did I pick up a load of new birdies in Spain (and Gibraltar) but I was lucky enough to acquire a BF tick (brings me to 44, I think, only 156 to go to the target 200 - anyone not met me yet and wants to volunteer?
). Also on the tour was CWPBirder, West country birder, who as well as being a thoroughly nice chap, had a camera and knew how to use it. And was generous enough to share! So a few of his pics will be coming to illustrate the birdies. Highlights of the gulls were a couple of flocks of Audouins on the beaches near Tarifa. Really beautiful birds and unusual for gulls in having really sweet, benevolent faces. The designer handbag of gulls, I think.
We were lucky enough to make it out onto the Straits on the first day we arrived, rushing to beat the winds forecast (correctly) for the rest of our trip. I love boats. The wind, the sun, the sea, the speed of the boat and then the excitement of the first fin. Followed by another, and more, getting closer and closer. And breaking the water right in the front of the boat - a group of Long-Finned Pilot Whales. We were surrounded for ages, a group moved in, moved out again, another group appeared, and then Dolphins joined them too. Striped and Bottlenose. It's hard to describe how special and awe-inspiring close views of cetaceans are. And the whole watching-them-watching-us-watching-them thing. If you've done it then you know how great it is, and if you haven't done it, then please do.
The various beach and sea trips also provided a number of good views of Cory's Shearwater flying like the waves. I'd seen them on the last trip but they just looked like another gull to me. This time I could see the shape, the flight, the colour, the similarity to other Shearwaters in their flight style. Lovely birds, beautiful fliers.
Dipped on the Balearics though, you'll be entertained to know. I only saw them once - too distant for me to have called them confidently. And on the subsequent days the sea was very quiet.
Thanks very much for the pics, CWP.
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
redeyedvideo
It's like water off a duck's back!
You haven't mentioned Black (Monk, Cinereous) Vulture, shall I keep waiting? B
Dave J
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
You haven't mentioned Black (Monk, Cinereous) Vulture, shall I keep waiting? B
Dave J
Wait as long as you like. Just don't hold your breath while you're doing it.
Steven Astley
Well-known member
Sounds fanatastic, really tempted to do some birding in Spain myself next year. Without a guide I will find many distant raptors in flight tough.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
You definitely should - it's a great place. And there are lots of local guides who you could hire while you are out there to give you a bit of a crash course if you needed it.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
A Day on the Rock
The last bit of my trip to Spain was a day and a night in Gibraltar. Not a part that I was looking forward to at all - the first time it was interesting because I hadn't seen Gibraltar before but this time, knowing it was a tiny rock with too many people and way too many cars on it, I wasn't as keen.
It had its good points, though. We took the cable car up the rock to raptor watch (nothing much to see), then walked back down again, rendezvousing with the rest of the group at the Botanic Gardens at the foot of the rock. A short wander round here brought me 2 new warblers, Melodious and Sardinian - both very nice, detailed views. But the sought-after, highlight species wasn't a bird, it was a butterly - the Two Tailed Pasha. We had fleeting glimpses of a number of them on the rock and throughout the gardens, then finally arrived at a spot where there were about 4, 2 resting obligingly with their wings closed, displaying the truly beautiful underwings. See photo from CWPBirder below. One of nature's patterns that makes even agnostics like me pause to consider the possibility of intelligent design.
The following morning, before catching our flights, we went for a dawn wander up to a clearing on the rock where we heard a weird screech we supposed was our target bird - shortly after it came into view and displayed well, eventually hopping onto a wall in full view: Barbary Partridge. 2 more appeared when we went for a walk further up the rock and we followed that with a visit to the ringing station. Two birds in the nets: a Sardinian and a Subalpine Warbler and a chance to see them in the kind of detail you just couldn't get in the wild. Made me reflect how your understanding of a bird is built up from so many different views and occasions - hearing them, seeing them distant, seeing them close, seeing them roost, feed, walk, fly, rear young, fall prey to something etc. And now another completely different view - seeing them in the hand, watching the ringer blow the feathers to show the subcutaneous fat, looking in detail at the feather lengths. Really fascinating stuff.
The last bit of my trip to Spain was a day and a night in Gibraltar. Not a part that I was looking forward to at all - the first time it was interesting because I hadn't seen Gibraltar before but this time, knowing it was a tiny rock with too many people and way too many cars on it, I wasn't as keen.
It had its good points, though. We took the cable car up the rock to raptor watch (nothing much to see), then walked back down again, rendezvousing with the rest of the group at the Botanic Gardens at the foot of the rock. A short wander round here brought me 2 new warblers, Melodious and Sardinian - both very nice, detailed views. But the sought-after, highlight species wasn't a bird, it was a butterly - the Two Tailed Pasha. We had fleeting glimpses of a number of them on the rock and throughout the gardens, then finally arrived at a spot where there were about 4, 2 resting obligingly with their wings closed, displaying the truly beautiful underwings. See photo from CWPBirder below. One of nature's patterns that makes even agnostics like me pause to consider the possibility of intelligent design.
The following morning, before catching our flights, we went for a dawn wander up to a clearing on the rock where we heard a weird screech we supposed was our target bird - shortly after it came into view and displayed well, eventually hopping onto a wall in full view: Barbary Partridge. 2 more appeared when we went for a walk further up the rock and we followed that with a visit to the ringing station. Two birds in the nets: a Sardinian and a Subalpine Warbler and a chance to see them in the kind of detail you just couldn't get in the wild. Made me reflect how your understanding of a bird is built up from so many different views and occasions - hearing them, seeing them distant, seeing them close, seeing them roost, feed, walk, fly, rear young, fall prey to something etc. And now another completely different view - seeing them in the hand, watching the ringer blow the feathers to show the subcutaneous fat, looking in detail at the feather lengths. Really fascinating stuff.
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Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Foulweather Birding
Isn't it ironic when your ideal day beside the sea changes from a calm and sunny summer's day to a wild, stormy sea with ice-cold winds sweeping in off the sea bringing torrential rain and hailstones?
Thank heavens for the shelter at Cley - now that the bank is lower and with a bit of elevation afforded by standing on the seats, you can get a great view of the sea whilst still managing to hold your body steady enough to look through your scope and without getting more than a very minor soaking. And yesterday, I was lucky enough to be there with the lad and witness an influx of close seabirds, Arctic Skuas by the shedload, Little, Sandwich and Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes, Wigeon, Red-Throated Divers, Manx Shearwater and a few very welcome ticks:
225. Sooty Shearwater (Lifer)
New to me and plenty of them so that I got some great views
226. Long-tailed Skua (Lifer)
Lovely group of 3, towering elegantly
227. Great Skua
Quite a number of these - some very close.
While we were there the pager announced the presence of something nice on Simmond's Scrape so we adjourned to the Visitor Centre and walked up to the hide for nice views of a juvenile, swimming:
228. Grey Phalarope (lifer)
which restores my Phalarope orders - having been chastised for seeing Wilson's before Grey, at least I now have all 3.
Coffee in the visitor centre was followed by more seawatching. I love those kind of seas, wild and exhilarating. Wish we could have stayed all day but duty called before we were able to add Sabine's Gull to my life list. Towards the end of our stint, Will spotted a Leach's Petrel clinging to a wave - I got on to it for a few seconds, enough to see a tiny dark bird hugging the water but I lost it without gettting a good enough view to feel I can tick it. Another time, hopefully - at least I know the size and form that I am looking for now. Hoping to go back on Sunday.
Isn't it ironic when your ideal day beside the sea changes from a calm and sunny summer's day to a wild, stormy sea with ice-cold winds sweeping in off the sea bringing torrential rain and hailstones?
Thank heavens for the shelter at Cley - now that the bank is lower and with a bit of elevation afforded by standing on the seats, you can get a great view of the sea whilst still managing to hold your body steady enough to look through your scope and without getting more than a very minor soaking. And yesterday, I was lucky enough to be there with the lad and witness an influx of close seabirds, Arctic Skuas by the shedload, Little, Sandwich and Arctic Terns, Kittiwakes, Wigeon, Red-Throated Divers, Manx Shearwater and a few very welcome ticks:
225. Sooty Shearwater (Lifer)
New to me and plenty of them so that I got some great views
226. Long-tailed Skua (Lifer)
Lovely group of 3, towering elegantly
227. Great Skua
Quite a number of these - some very close.
While we were there the pager announced the presence of something nice on Simmond's Scrape so we adjourned to the Visitor Centre and walked up to the hide for nice views of a juvenile, swimming:
228. Grey Phalarope (lifer)
which restores my Phalarope orders - having been chastised for seeing Wilson's before Grey, at least I now have all 3.
Coffee in the visitor centre was followed by more seawatching. I love those kind of seas, wild and exhilarating. Wish we could have stayed all day but duty called before we were able to add Sabine's Gull to my life list. Towards the end of our stint, Will spotted a Leach's Petrel clinging to a wave - I got on to it for a few seconds, enough to see a tiny dark bird hugging the water but I lost it without gettting a good enough view to feel I can tick it. Another time, hopefully - at least I know the size and form that I am looking for now. Hoping to go back on Sunday.
Hmm, well, I suppose at least you sensibly avoided seeing Sabine's Gull. That would really have put you in the dog house. That's a lot of Long-tailed Skuas. I assume you've seen Pomarine previously?
Are you bit of a fan of seawatching now?
Are you bit of a fan of seawatching now?
redeyedvideo
It's like water off a duck's back!
Tick away, what else could it have been? Process of elimination and all.
229. Leach's Petrel
Dave J :t:
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
I knew I'd be in trouble about the Poms. Ah well. How dull life would be if I was never in trouble about anything. Just for future reference which gulls am I supposed to see before I see Sabine's?
I've always been a big fan of seawatching. I must admit that really wild seas are slightly more watchable when there are 3 brick walls around you though - it was nice to be able to look without shaking.
Helenelizabeth2
What?!?
Thank you. But I have to pretend to have some morals about something.
And anyway I'm going to see another one on Sunday - I can feel it in my bones.Users who are viewing this thread
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