HE2's 2007 Birding Forays (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Whitehouse]

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?

The basic rule with Sabine's is not to see one before I do. Which might be tomorrow. But then again it probably won't be.

 

[redeyedvideo]

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.

My first Leach's was being attacked by Herring Gulls on the beach at Hunstanton. By the time I'd run down the steps to rescue it, there it was gone. I don't know what the moral is in this story but take it from me H, a chance missed is a chance gone forever. Best of luck for Sunday, too early for Little Auk I suppose?


Dave J

 

[turkish van]

The basic rule with Sabine's is not to see one before I do. Which might be tomorrow. But then again it probably won't be.

Back up a bit there mister, could this be a bird Helen sees before you do? Even after all your decades of birding?

Oooh! Helen, you realise this is serious - go get that Sabine's!!

 

[redeyedvideo]

Oooh! Helen, you realise this is serious - go get that Sabine's!!

Juv Kittiwakes don't count by the way. :t:

Dave j

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

My first Leach's was being attacked by Herring Gulls on the beach at Hunstanton. By the time I'd run down the steps to rescue it, there it was gone. I don't know what the moral is in this story but take it from me H, a chance missed is a chance gone forever. Best of luck for Sunday, too early for Little Auk I suppose?

Dave J

At least you saw it while it was still alive - think how maddening it would be to see it a second too late when it was dead and untickable. (Don't be silly - what do you mean 'put the welfare of the birds first'. )

I think it might be too early. Shame because Little Auk would be lovely - and a lifer. When there was the Norfolk influx last Nov/Dec I was studying for exams and never got to go and see one.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Back up a bit there mister, could this be a bird Helen sees before you do? Even after all your decades of birding?

Oooh! Helen, you realise this is serious - go get that Sabine's!!

Oh dear - I hate a challenge. Now I will either not get out on Sunday or all the Sabine's will be gone.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Juv Kittiwakes don't count by the way. :t:

Dave j

Hopefully I got quite good at juv Kittiwakes on Wednesday - there being very many of them. Still, there is my memory problem. And Sunday is a long way away ...

 

[redeyedvideo]

Hopefully I got quite good at juv Kittiwakes on Wednesday - there being very many of them. Still, there is my memory problem. And Sunday is a long way away ...

Would you settle for Richard's Pipit, Red-throated Pipit or Thrush Nightingale instead?

No? How about Pied Wheatear or Red-flanked Bluetail then?


Dave J

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Would you settle for Richard's Pipit, Red-throated Pipit or Thrush Nightingale instead?

No? How about Pied Wheatear or Red-flanked Bluetail then?


Dave J

Maybe not the Pipits (don't tell anyone but I'm a little bit bored by Pipits). But t'others would be nice - are they your predictions for the weekend or am I out of touch with today's sightings?

 

[will bowell]

It was a bit surprising not to see Pom yesterday, in fact I didn't see Pom last week either when I was at Cley (when I got a Sabs on the Monday and Tuesday ... and a Leach's then as well) and the conditions were good then as well (tho not as good as yesterday).

Little Auk's reported off various parts of Norfolk today.... only a few though....


Will

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Little Auk's reported off various parts of Norfolk today.... only a few though....
Will

Well, don't be greedy, how many do we need?

I have this awful feeling that it's going to be calm, sunny and warm on Sunday. Are you keeping your fingers crossed it's not?

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Numerical adjustment

I'm halfway through transcribing my list onto a spreadsheet and just noticed that my numbers went astray and I used 153 twice. Hence I need to add one in, so:

229. Grey Phalarope

I hope I don't get a little further in and realise that I missed a number out and have to readjust back again.

 

[redeyedvideo]

How about Pied Wheatear or Red-flanked Bluetail then?


Dave J

are they your predictions for the weekend or am I out of touch with today's sightings?

Predictions of course. :t: Good luck tomorrow.

DJ

 

[Barred Wobbler]

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).

Helen, we almost met! I was walking past the Hotel Caleta only last Wednesday (19th), before we went off to our second (and very windy) La Janda visit of our trip (Just back from Spain this afternoon). We were at Cazalla watchpoint, Tarifa beach and La Janda on Sunday 16th as well.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Predictions of course. :t: Good luck tomorrow.

DJ

Well your Bluetail turned out to be good, didn't it? I don't know if it's been refound since it's release, though. I'd love to see one of those.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Helen, we almost met! I was walking past the Hotel Caleta only last Wednesday (19th), before we went off to our second (and very windy) La Janda visit of our trip (Just back from Spain this afternoon). We were at Cazalla watchpoint, Tarifa beach and La Janda on Sunday 16th as well.

What a shame. I don't think we saw you at La Janda or the beach but there were so many people at the watchpoint that we might have overlapped. It would have been great to have scored another BF tick while I was over there. Have you written a trip report anywhere - I'd love to hear how others got on. Who were you with, Alan? Solo or on a tour?

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

European List

Just updating the list with the birds added in Spain and Gib:

Europe List = British List +

15 Cory’s Shearwater
16 Night Heron
17 Black-Shouldered Kite
18 Black Kite
19 Egyptian Vulture
20 Booted Eagle
21 Short-toed Eagle
22 Lesser Kestrel
23 Black-Winged Stilt
24 Kentish Plover
25 Pallid Swift
26 Crested Lark
27 Melodious Warbler
28 Sardinian Warbler
29 Short-toed Treecreeper
30 Woodchat Shrike
31 Barbary Partridge
32 Spanish Sparrow

Now I just need to work out what the heck my British list is (made complicated by the fact that I can't find the notebook I kept my 2006 list in at the mo - aargh!).

 

[Keith Dickinson]

Spanish sparrow is a separate species Helen so get it ticked.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Spanish sparrow is a separate species Helen so get it ticked.

Thanks, Keith.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

What a shame. I don't think we saw you at La Janda or the beach but there were so many people at the watchpoint that we might have overlapped. It would have been great to have scored another BF tick while I was over there. Have you written a trip report anywhere - I'd love to hear how others got on. Who were you with, Alan? Solo or on a tour?

We arrived fairly early at Cazalla on Sunday 16th, arriving about 10 o'clock and there were only a few Spanish observers there when we arrived and I managed to grab a spot sitting on a rock right on the edge of the slope. I was with my (almost non-birding) wife and we got there just as a Honey Buzzard was coming through at head height. A few more followed and there was a good passage of short-toed eagles, booted eagles, Egyptian vultures and loads of black storks. I counted a flock of 84 of them assembling and passing through just after we arrived.

Depressingly low numbers of griffon vultures typified the trip.

After a while I noticed it got very noisy and that a trip bus had discharged a flock of French birders and their vociferous, and presumably non-birding partners who stood around in a heap behind us discussing all sorts of stuff at a high level of decibels. I wondered if this had anything to do with the fact that the birds that had been passing by at arms-length were now much further away. I did manage to get some nice shots of a booted eagle that settled for a while away to the left, but by mid-day I decided to get away from the crowd and see what was going on at the beach and La Janda.

I never got a squacco heron this time, but I did get a black-shouldered kite and managed with much pereseverance to pick out a Spanish sparrow or two out of the flock along the canal. No bluethroats in any of our several visits and surprisingly few lesser kestrels, judging on previous visits at this time of year.

I only got back from Spain late this afternoon, so I've not had time to put any kind of report together, but I'll see what happens over the next few days.

I've attached a few pics from La Janda and Gib.