HE2's 2007 Birding Forays (1 Viewer)

[Helenelizabeth2]

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.

Hi, Alan. I checked our itinerary and we were at Cazalla on the Sat. On the Sun, partly because Cazalla had been so busy the previous day we tried out a couple of different watchpoints - El Algorrobo and La Pena - and then we visited Playa de Los Lances and La Janda (for the second time). I expect we passed on the road at some point. We didn't see any Bluethroats either but did see a large flock of Lesser Kestrels right down at the end of La Janda - after the bridge - on the Saturday. My Spanish Sparrows were seen in the same flock that you saw - I also only managed to pick out 2 (they were pretty flighty) but I'm sure there were many more.

There did seem to be less Griffon Vultures this time. We went for an early morning trip to the rocks above Bologna where they roost and watched them take off on Sunday morning but numbers were about half what we had seen there 2 years ago. And the numbers in flight over the various watchpoints also seemed slightly less.

We had a really enjoyable time and saw some great birds - I hope you did too.

Thank you very very much for the photos (gripped by your Short-Toed Lark btw - we only saw Crested).

Helen

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

A Long Awaited Tick

I love the birds you're not looking for, haven't thought about, haven't anticipated, that take you by surprise at a moment when you were doing something completely different.

This morning in the half light, on a back road out of Deeping, a brown bird flew into the hedge and out again, crossed in front of the car, settled in a tree and turned to stare at us:

230. Tawny Owl

Yay! Cracking view. Was celebrating the completion of the British owls, when Will pointed out that I don't have Snowy Owl, Scops Owl, Eagle Owl etc etc. Tell him they're not British owls!

More soon ...

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Staring in Bushes Makes You Go Blind

Well, it must do because when trying to read my Collins this evening, the letters seem a little blurry. And what else could be causing it?

In case you haven't guessed yet - I went to Norfolk today. Picked the lad up at 6am and got to Holkham about 7.40 - in time to see layers of Pink Feet flying off. I do love the Goose Roosts in Norfolk - it's one of the most dramatic volume wildlife spectacles we have to offer in this country. Yet, compared to the Starling roosts which feature in almost every programme Bill Oddie is in, they seem remarkably untelevised.

However, Geese were not the object of the visit, so once we'd scanned the flock for the Snow Goose (not there) and said hello to some visiting West Country pals, we headed off for the dunes and pines in search of wayward migrants.

On the dunes, a chunky pipit flew over our heads calling loudly and Will id-ed it as Richard's Pipit. I'm not ticking it because I didn't see it well enough to know it myself and, sadly, we didn't refind it on the beach.

Back in the pines, we fell in with a small group of people tracking a warbler which hopped up and displayed beautifully on a bush. Last year, I didn't tick this twice when Will called one due to my poor view, this year I saw it beautifully:

231. Yellow-Browed Warbler

We walked the rest of the pines staring at more bushes and tit flocks but no more special views of anything. At the end of the pines, we headed into the dunes, hoping maybe to find the landed Pipit. After scanning a load more bushes, a young birder came up to us and said 'I think I've seen a Subalpine Warbler'.

Mad scramble for the bush in question and a tedious one hour wait ensued. Will and I saw it again very briefly - enough for Will to be convinced and phone it in and then we went on waiting ... and staring ... and waiting ... and staring ... and waiting ... and staring. More people turned up. More staring. And then it flew out and into a new area and soon was in view, moving about through the brambles, feeding, sitting, moving about again. Seldom unobscured but all of it showing quite well at one time or another. A beautiful, grey-backed, peachy-chested:

232. Subalpine Warbler

We figured that might be enough bushstaring and went for a walk through the dunes hoping for a Wryneck and planning to eventually head to Cley for lunch and a Red-Necked Phalarope and Little Stint.

But the pager planned otherwise - Blyth's Reed Warbler at Salthouse.

Back to the carpark as fast as we could manage - allowing for the fact that I'd skipped breakfast and was flagging a bit by then. Snail's pace up the road behind the Norfolk Sunday traffic. Squeezed into the car park at Salthouses by being the only ones prepared to park in the middle of a lake. Rushed up the hill.

And stared at a bush. Stared some more. Stared again. And again. And still. And saw a few rustling leaves and a hint of something brown. And stared a lot more.

And went home. Just as well it was a great day before then.

 

[teamsaint]

staring in bushes has certainly given you problems, because you mean to have said 230: Tawny Owl rather than 130: Tawny Owl

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

staring in bushes has certainly given you problems, because you mean to have said 230: Tawny Owl rather than 130: Tawny Owl

Thanks, Tom, I certainly did.

 

[teamsaint]

jesus! you've even done a double post now! This and your obsession with Cattle Egrets and their cow selection is yet more evidence that you need to be sent to a mental home!

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

jesus! you've even done a double post now! This and your obsession with Cattle Egrets and their cow selection is yet more evidence that you need to be sent to a mental home!

Oh dear. Things are worse than even I thought. I am going to go for a lie down now.

 

[redeyedvideo]

I do love the Goose Roosts in Norfolk

On the dunes, a chunky pipit flew over our heads calling loudly and Will id-ed it as Richard's Pipit.

I know they say it like that but it's spelt roasts.

Did it give a shree-leep call? It's your's. :t:

Sounds like a great day out, a 3 tick day even, shame the banana bird didn't show for you but Sub Alp! Far prettier. (pretty |?prit?| adjective ( -tier , -tiest ) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome)

Dave J

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I know they say it like that but it's spelt roasts.

Did it give a shree-leep call? It's your's. :t:

Sounds like a great day out, a 3 tick day even, shame the banana bird didn't show for you but Sub Alp! Far prettier. (pretty |?prit?| adjective ( -tier , -tiest ) attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful or handsome)

Dave J

It did but I didn't really know what I was hearing. Stop trying to persuade me to tick things I'm not ready for! My ticking integrity may be the only thing I have going for me as a birder.

The SubAlp was very pretty indeed (though apparently I have to stop saying so as I am upsetting those who have never seen one ) and the Blyth's was no doubt very dull. And probably not even a Blyth's anyway.

 

[turkish van]

The SubAlp was very pretty indeed (though apparently I have to stop saying so as I am upsetting those who have never seen one )

Not Andrew, surely?

 

[halftwo]

Crackin day HE2, great read, ta.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

Not Andrew, surely?

Not on this occasion. Andrew has been very silent so far and yet surely I must have offended on the order of something today?

 

[redeyedvideo]

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

Dave J

It did but I didn't really know what I was hearing. Stop trying to persuade me to tick things I'm not ready for! My ticking integrity may be the only thing I have going for me as a birder.

I'm only trying to justify my predictions. . I saw my first Barred Warbler in that Granborough Hill bush & dipped a Thrush Nightingale there too. The field just inland yielded my first Richard's Pipit & Shorelark. Happy days. B


Dave J

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I'm only trying to justify my predictions. .

Dave J

Is 1 out of 3 better than would be expected by chance? I have forgotten how to do those statistical significance calculations.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I feel no shame!

Yes, I do think that local patchworking and solo big country birding are better for you and everyone should do them, but ... twitching is very good fun! Well, it is when the sun shines and your mates are there and you get good views of the bird and there are other things in the vicinity to make your long journey worthwhile.

And all those things were true yesterday in the North country.

Of course, the downside of there being lots of people is the fact that there's a large audience when you make an idiot of yourself. So when I arrived, located the spot it had last been seen in and then said 'Is that it?' to what turned out to be a Blue Tit, it would have been rather nice if there had been less than 200 people present at the time. In my defence, I was staring straight into the sun and couldn't see anything other than a small bird moving but, still, just as well I didn't have any credibility in the first place.

Not an easy bird to see and lots of people there with restricted views from some sides but nevertheless I got 5 good glimpses, 2 of them very close and more than enough to feel happy that it was a:

233. Brown Flycatcher (lifer)

Thanks to everyone who organised the parking and access.

Second twitch of the day turned out well too - Shrikes are the ultimate easy twitch - always seem to be posing nicely on the tops of bushes and this one flew about a lot as well giving lots of nice views of:

234. Isabelline Shrike

From there we decided to nip over to Spurn Point to see if we could catch up with the Siberian Stonechat. It didn't look very far on the map but, of course, turned out to take hours along a very slow road with lots of tractors and slow-moving queues. Great place when you get there, though. A long, thin spur of land, sea and beaches on both sides, covered in gorse and other scrub. Must be really good in the right conditions. Unfortunately, we didn't have a long time left to spend - we located a Stonechat at the reported spot but remained unconvinced that it was Siberian (well Will did anyway, I tried hard to string it but he kept me in check).

This weekend I might be a good girl and do some patch birding to make up for it or I might be a really bad girl and make an early morning jaunt to Holkham for that other Shrike if it sticks around. Who knows.

 

[edenwatcher]

I think you need several weeks of patch birding to atone for this one ...

Rob

 

[matt green]

...or I might be a really bad girl and make an early morning jaunt to Holkham for that other Shrike if it sticks around. Who knows.

Go for it H2

It's Shrike city on the Norfolk coast at the mo!

Matt

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I think you need several weeks of patch birding to atone for this one ...

Rob

Clearly you are trying to usurp Dr W's role as my birding conscience. But really I have no need for more than one of these. I think you should groom yourself for the role of birding absolver instead. Try turning up and telling me that everything I have done is absolutely ok and I am following longstanding birding tradition. No-one's got that role at the moment.

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

I'd like to put myself forward for the role of reminding you of what a 'local patch' is. The local bit means it's not in Yorkshire or Norfolk, unless you happen to live there. Which you don't. The patch bit requires that you visit this site on a regular basis, and not just on the odd occasion when there isn't anything in Norfolk.

I shall be hoping for detailed notes on a well studied Dunlin this weekend.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I'd like to put myself forward for the role of reminding you of what a 'local patch' is. The local bit means it's not in Yorkshire or Norfolk, unless you happen to live there. Which you don't. The patch bit requires that you visit this site on a regular basis, and not just on the odd occasion when there isn't anything in Norfolk.

I shall be hoping for detailed notes on a well studied Dunlin this weekend.

You are so harsh. All the good local patches are taken. And the one I had adopted last year is too scary - full of dogwalking types from the rough side of town. And there is actually not much point in me reporting interesting things from a local patch because no-one believes me anyway.

However, I have already decided that I am not doing a year list next year so I am giving some thought to where to go locally. I will keep you posted.

Oh, and another thing. I have just realised that you, Dr G and Edenwatcher, who are the principal exponents of patchbirding all live by the sea! It's easy to be a patchbirder when you have access to the patches that you have.