Prestdj
its good to be back
bempton has a train station so the train from hull i guess many years ago i did the train from blacktoft sands to bempton via bus and train just a thought
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Top 5 of 2021 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter ClarkWGriswold
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
The other thing to bear in mind is that it wasn't absolutely rock solid every day. I would suggest a stay of several days - you can visit Flamborough Head, Filey Brigg and maybe into the North York Moors for variety if it's not there when you arrive in the area. It's a great coast, let alone the hinterland.
John
Last edited:
ovenbird43
Well-known member
Heading down to south Texas in a few days, so I'll hold off on my list until then - although I'm only anticipating one lifer and a handful of ABA ticks, so I'd say at least my top three will not be dethroned: 'Akiapola'au, Palila, and White Tern. Could easily fill the rest with other Hawaiian endemics (cleaned up on the big island). The 'Aki was my most wanted, the only surviving honeycreeper species with such a highly modified bill. Palila makes second because it was a hard-won self-found endemic. And White Tern was simply spectacular (plus I'm a tern biologist by trade).
Just for fun, here's my non-bird wildlife top 5:
1. Moorish Idol - most wanted reef fish in Hawaii
2. Picasso Triggerfish - several seen while snorkeling in Hawaii
3. Luna Moth - found my first ever at its day roost, on another day finally had one come to my blacklight while camping at Natchez Trace State Park
4. Io Moth - came several times to blacklights at a few locations, simply stunning
5. Black Witch (moth) - small influx of this tropical species arrived after Tropical Storm Claudette, one flushed from my porch and landed at my neighbor's house. We're good friends with them so no issue with getting permission to refind for photographs.
Just for fun, here's my non-bird wildlife top 5:
1. Moorish Idol - most wanted reef fish in Hawaii
2. Picasso Triggerfish - several seen while snorkeling in Hawaii
3. Luna Moth - found my first ever at its day roost, on another day finally had one come to my blacklight while camping at Natchez Trace State Park
4. Io Moth - came several times to blacklights at a few locations, simply stunning
5. Black Witch (moth) - small influx of this tropical species arrived after Tropical Storm Claudette, one flushed from my porch and landed at my neighbor's house. We're good friends with them so no issue with getting permission to refind for photographs.
Attachments
Jonny721
Well-known member
Difficult to choose between multiple species for spots 2-5, but there was only ever going to be one winner.
1 - Black-browed Albatross, Bempton Cliffs, 30th June & 22nd August - One of my most wanted species in the UK, like many others I had unfinished business with this bird having endured a painful two-day dip at Bempton in 2020. My first visit on the 30th June however was quite unsatisfactory, as despite successfully connecting with the bird the views were always distant as it sat on the cliffs for hours, before taking off and flying straight out to sea and off into the distance. Hardly the point blank views I had been hoping for. Thankfully, a return visit in August produced a near-perfect performance as it flew around the viewpoint at close range for over half an hour, everything I had hoped it would be and more!
2 - Elegant Tern, Cemlyn Bay, 6th July - Terns are a favourite family of mine, with a particular softspot for Elegant after finding one unexpectedly in Donana in 2016. An after work twitch (actually all of the top 4 were!) the Cemlyn bird put on a great show for several hours, with the site itself acting as a superb backdrop.
3 - River Warbler, Ham Wall, 7th June - A real gem of a bird that exceed my expectations. It showed fantastically well singing out in the open at close range for long periods, and like the Elegant twitch the site and other species present provided a great supporting cast.
4 - Roller, Icklingham, 24th June - I don't need to provide much explanation for this bird's inclusion! A world tick and an absolutely stunning bird that performed admirably, the attached shot was phone-scoped to give some idea of the views.
5 - Lesser White-fronted Goose, Pilling, 31st January - Being demoted to Cat-E by the BBRC took the overall shine off this find a little, but it was still a hell of a shock when this appeared in my scope during a routine scan of a pink-foot flock back in January. Over five years since my last BB find, hopefully the gap to the next one is shorter!
All bar the goose came in a particularly manic 44-day period between mid-May and early July that produced 11 UK lifers including other megas such as Pacific Swift, Red-necked Stint and Oriental Turtle Dove. Non-bird highlights include my first Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats in south and north Wales respectively, and my first Glanville Fritillaries on the Isle of Wight.
1 - Black-browed Albatross, Bempton Cliffs, 30th June & 22nd August - One of my most wanted species in the UK, like many others I had unfinished business with this bird having endured a painful two-day dip at Bempton in 2020. My first visit on the 30th June however was quite unsatisfactory, as despite successfully connecting with the bird the views were always distant as it sat on the cliffs for hours, before taking off and flying straight out to sea and off into the distance. Hardly the point blank views I had been hoping for. Thankfully, a return visit in August produced a near-perfect performance as it flew around the viewpoint at close range for over half an hour, everything I had hoped it would be and more!
2 - Elegant Tern, Cemlyn Bay, 6th July - Terns are a favourite family of mine, with a particular softspot for Elegant after finding one unexpectedly in Donana in 2016. An after work twitch (actually all of the top 4 were!) the Cemlyn bird put on a great show for several hours, with the site itself acting as a superb backdrop.
3 - River Warbler, Ham Wall, 7th June - A real gem of a bird that exceed my expectations. It showed fantastically well singing out in the open at close range for long periods, and like the Elegant twitch the site and other species present provided a great supporting cast.
4 - Roller, Icklingham, 24th June - I don't need to provide much explanation for this bird's inclusion! A world tick and an absolutely stunning bird that performed admirably, the attached shot was phone-scoped to give some idea of the views.
5 - Lesser White-fronted Goose, Pilling, 31st January - Being demoted to Cat-E by the BBRC took the overall shine off this find a little, but it was still a hell of a shock when this appeared in my scope during a routine scan of a pink-foot flock back in January. Over five years since my last BB find, hopefully the gap to the next one is shorter!
All bar the goose came in a particularly manic 44-day period between mid-May and early July that produced 11 UK lifers including other megas such as Pacific Swift, Red-necked Stint and Oriental Turtle Dove. Non-bird highlights include my first Greater and Lesser Horseshoe bats in south and north Wales respectively, and my first Glanville Fritillaries on the Isle of Wight.
Attachments
Last edited:
Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Congrats on the Palila. Our group missed that one. They're becoming VERY scarce.
Your 'Aki pic is better than mine, too. In my pics the bill is hidden.
Richard Prior
Halfway up an Alp
A second successive year with no trips outside France (apart from the odd half day just across the border in the countryside outside Geneva) so my top 5 are not as exotic as some!
1 Red- footed Falcon. A female hunting at dusk in early May was the best of my four new species for the Garden List this year, two of the three others (Pygmy Owl (heard) and Whinchat) breed within 1km of the house and the third (Collared Dove) about 7kms away at lower altitude.
2 Smooth Snake. A lifer which developed a liking for the warm temperatures under one of our outside doormats!
3 Aesculapius' Snake. Another new species for me which embarrassingly I had never heard of - down by the river near my mother in law’s place 5kms away, the biggest serpent I’ve seen in Europe!
4 Bonelli’s Eagle. A distant view of this rare French breeder over the spectacular Gorge du Verdon in the Southern Alps was my only addition to my meagre French List this year.
5 Grey Wolf. I described this sighting in the Birding Halfway up the Alps thread ( Post 148), after a brief sighting of one ( Caucasian subspecies) in Armenia in 2018 it was a thrill to actually hear and observe a group for a few minutes in the Verdon Gorge area. Judging by the number of attacks on sheep near us this year (and one wandering through villages down near Geneva this week) I suspect I’ll be seeing the species again before too long……
1 Red- footed Falcon. A female hunting at dusk in early May was the best of my four new species for the Garden List this year, two of the three others (Pygmy Owl (heard) and Whinchat) breed within 1km of the house and the third (Collared Dove) about 7kms away at lower altitude.
2 Smooth Snake. A lifer which developed a liking for the warm temperatures under one of our outside doormats!
3 Aesculapius' Snake. Another new species for me which embarrassingly I had never heard of - down by the river near my mother in law’s place 5kms away, the biggest serpent I’ve seen in Europe!
4 Bonelli’s Eagle. A distant view of this rare French breeder over the spectacular Gorge du Verdon in the Southern Alps was my only addition to my meagre French List this year.
5 Grey Wolf. I described this sighting in the Birding Halfway up the Alps thread ( Post 148), after a brief sighting of one ( Caucasian subspecies) in Armenia in 2018 it was a thrill to actually hear and observe a group for a few minutes in the Verdon Gorge area. Judging by the number of attacks on sheep near us this year (and one wandering through villages down near Geneva this week) I suspect I’ll be seeing the species again before too long……
All Lifers and all seen in Bulgaria, my only overseas trip being a quick visit to England to see our new granddaughter.
5) Small Bluetail Byala 02/08/21 Having spent many hours checking and photographing countless hundreds of Bluetails which all turned out to be Ischnura elegans I finally caught up with this delicate little damselfly in our tiny garden pond of all places. Still my only sighting of it to date.
4) Great Knot Pomorie 08/09/21 A first for Bulgaria and indeed the Balkans as a whole.
3) Freyer's Purple Emperor River Kamchia 11/06/21 I was delighted to find this beautiful species so close to home!
2) Long-billed Dowitcher Lake Atanasovsko 17/12/21 Not one but two gave splendid views feeding and resting in amongst a large flock of Teal. Another first for Bulgaria.
1) Corn Crake Byala 22/10/21 First place by a mile for me (despite two other Lifers in White-tailed Lapwing and Eider not even making the Top 5). I can't tell you how stunned and delighted I was to find this cryptic bird on my own patch (not 50 yards from where I found the Red-flanked Bluetail!). A brief encounter, I watched it and it eyed me up for a few seconds before it melted into the longer grass, but indelibly etched in my memory!
5) Small Bluetail Byala 02/08/21 Having spent many hours checking and photographing countless hundreds of Bluetails which all turned out to be Ischnura elegans I finally caught up with this delicate little damselfly in our tiny garden pond of all places. Still my only sighting of it to date.
4) Great Knot Pomorie 08/09/21 A first for Bulgaria and indeed the Balkans as a whole.
3) Freyer's Purple Emperor River Kamchia 11/06/21 I was delighted to find this beautiful species so close to home!
2) Long-billed Dowitcher Lake Atanasovsko 17/12/21 Not one but two gave splendid views feeding and resting in amongst a large flock of Teal. Another first for Bulgaria.
1) Corn Crake Byala 22/10/21 First place by a mile for me (despite two other Lifers in White-tailed Lapwing and Eider not even making the Top 5). I can't tell you how stunned and delighted I was to find this cryptic bird on my own patch (not 50 yards from where I found the Red-flanked Bluetail!). A brief encounter, I watched it and it eyed me up for a few seconds before it melted into the longer grass, but indelibly etched in my memory!
Attachments
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
Didn't know about the South Wales population. Is that a more recent discovery?
david kelly
Drive-by Birder
They are in Bridgend, maybe for 20 years.
Clemens, David. J.; Allain, Steven J. R. (2020). "New records of Aesculapian snakes (Zamenis longissimus) in South Wales, UK". Herpetological Bulletin. 152: 30–31. doi:10.33256/152.3031
David
Thanks David.
pbjosh
missing the neotropics
Haha fate is fickle! I’ve see. Probably 10 Rosy Thrush-Tanagers and probably heard 2-3x as many.
I have a friend who has seen Tiny Hawk like 5-6 times but not seen Semicollared or Bicolored. I’ve seen Semicollared 4-5x and probably 20+ Bicolored 🤣
BryanP
Little known member
Awesome!
So that means there’s at least 30 Rosy-thrush Tanagers around, there’s hope for me yet. I’ve seen Bicolored’s but missed the Semi-collared when I was last in Colombia.
What puzzles me is, after years of effort chasing a target bird, why they suddenly start showing up all over the place. It’s like they all got the memo that someone blew their cover and they all come out of hiding or something. 😉
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
2021 in Hong Kong was definitely a mixed year. I book-ended it by:
a) killing my year-old scope January, just as I was getting into digiscoping and, being out of a job, was not in a position to replace it, and
b) killing my camera in late October, when freelancing was paying enough bills to make replacement a long-anticipated pleasure.
In between, birding took me from one end of the city to the other, included the final parts of a fascinating 15 month night bird survey, and showed me once again how much pleasure common birds can give right on the doorstep. As with last year this posting will serve as a personal link to my widely distributed reports, which contain more details and more photos, but reflect several best aspects of birding rather than just my top five birds. Hong Kong lifers are in red.
1) Best birding day - Mai Po, Tuesday 28th December
An overcast afternoon at Mai Po produced two Hong Kong ticks - in the shape of Northern Goshawk (no pic) that has been very difficult to connect with, and American Wigeon (both 3rd HK records) , plus a resighting of a self-found Grey-headed Swamphen (11th HK record) which was topped off with four fabulous Pallas's Gulls with varying strength hoods amongst the Heuglin's Gulls less than 50 metres from the new Boardwalk Hide.
2) Best twitch - Brown Noddy, Eastern Waters
A boat trip out to Hong Kong's eastern waters in the hope of relocating HK's third Brown Noddy the morning after the heartbreak of the Euro 2021 final. We did find it and it showed superbly in the most wonderful setting. Honourable mentions for HK's first Ryukyu Minivets, on the third try, which was my only global lifer of 2021, and HK's second (and first twitchable - the first has a bizarre story) Lapland Bunting, which also produced a popular shot of the HK twitching scene.
3) Best photo - Pacific Reef Egret, Power Station Beach, Lamma, and Black-crowned Night Heron, Discovery Bay (equal first)
Two very different experiences - the Pacific Reef Egret came at the end of a long and mostly birdless trek across Lamma Island in search of spring migrants. It was hunting the small fish drawn to the outfall from a manky stream and allowed me not only to get really close, but also several opportunities to get the settings right to take some BiF shots as it hunted. The Black-crowned Night Herons hang around the park five minutes walk from home. Like many park birds they are highly habituated to human disturbance and the bird in question allowed me within 10 metres as it wrapped up its last hunt as the sun rose. The Pallas's Gull gets an honourable mention, as do the Black-headed and Black-faced Buntings from San Tin (competing hard for the 2021 Birder's Bird award), the Japanese Paradise Flycatcher from Po Toi, and the Pygmy Wren Babbler from my old patch at Ng Tung Chai.
4) Best self-found bird - Pallas's Reed Bunting, San Tin (no pic)
While the Grey-headed Swamphen was the rarest, I'd seen one in the summer and a couple of others before in Hong Kong. Two other contenders - Hill Blue Flycatcher on Peng Chau and Black-headed Bunting at San Tin (pic below) - relied on judicious application of the "correct identification" principle - rule 6 in the Punkbirder Self found rules, and lacked the thrill of unexpected discovery that a proper self-found should deliver. I've chosen the Pallas's Reed Bunting at San Tin as much for the prelude - carrying on birding after I fell in a fishpond and killed my camera - as for the bird, an elegantly pale male, itself.
5) Best use of technology - Brown Fish Owl, Shek Mun Kap
Having had a largely disappointing series of 15 monthly night bird surveys - a 2-hour downhill walk between the Po Lin Monastery and Shek Mun Kap -I was delighted to confirm that an unknown call above Shek Man Kap on my January survey was indeed a Brown Fish Owl, by comparing the call with a one that was posted on Youtube from elsewhere in Hong Kong a few years earlier. The same post also shows a ridiculously distant and dodgy pic of a Eurasian Eagle Owl, the sonogram that enabled me to nail Brown Bush Warbler as a self found Lantau patch tick, which followed my shortest ever twitch the same day for a Pale-footed Bush Warbler just behind my block.
Bonus item 1 - Best non-bird wildlife moment
Burmese Pythons are Hong Kong's biggest snake. There's a spot in the northern NT where up to six have been seen on one day as they come out to enjoy the winter sunshine. Having seen them both this winter and last winter has been a real treat, but the best moment was digiscoping a rat's eye view of biggish python making its way in my direction.
Cheers
Mike
a) killing my year-old scope January, just as I was getting into digiscoping and, being out of a job, was not in a position to replace it, and
b) killing my camera in late October, when freelancing was paying enough bills to make replacement a long-anticipated pleasure.
In between, birding took me from one end of the city to the other, included the final parts of a fascinating 15 month night bird survey, and showed me once again how much pleasure common birds can give right on the doorstep. As with last year this posting will serve as a personal link to my widely distributed reports, which contain more details and more photos, but reflect several best aspects of birding rather than just my top five birds. Hong Kong lifers are in red.
1) Best birding day - Mai Po, Tuesday 28th December
An overcast afternoon at Mai Po produced two Hong Kong ticks - in the shape of Northern Goshawk (no pic) that has been very difficult to connect with, and American Wigeon (both 3rd HK records) , plus a resighting of a self-found Grey-headed Swamphen (11th HK record) which was topped off with four fabulous Pallas's Gulls with varying strength hoods amongst the Heuglin's Gulls less than 50 metres from the new Boardwalk Hide.
2) Best twitch - Brown Noddy, Eastern Waters
A boat trip out to Hong Kong's eastern waters in the hope of relocating HK's third Brown Noddy the morning after the heartbreak of the Euro 2021 final. We did find it and it showed superbly in the most wonderful setting. Honourable mentions for HK's first Ryukyu Minivets, on the third try, which was my only global lifer of 2021, and HK's second (and first twitchable - the first has a bizarre story) Lapland Bunting, which also produced a popular shot of the HK twitching scene.
3) Best photo - Pacific Reef Egret, Power Station Beach, Lamma, and Black-crowned Night Heron, Discovery Bay (equal first)
Two very different experiences - the Pacific Reef Egret came at the end of a long and mostly birdless trek across Lamma Island in search of spring migrants. It was hunting the small fish drawn to the outfall from a manky stream and allowed me not only to get really close, but also several opportunities to get the settings right to take some BiF shots as it hunted. The Black-crowned Night Herons hang around the park five minutes walk from home. Like many park birds they are highly habituated to human disturbance and the bird in question allowed me within 10 metres as it wrapped up its last hunt as the sun rose. The Pallas's Gull gets an honourable mention, as do the Black-headed and Black-faced Buntings from San Tin (competing hard for the 2021 Birder's Bird award), the Japanese Paradise Flycatcher from Po Toi, and the Pygmy Wren Babbler from my old patch at Ng Tung Chai.
4) Best self-found bird - Pallas's Reed Bunting, San Tin (no pic)
While the Grey-headed Swamphen was the rarest, I'd seen one in the summer and a couple of others before in Hong Kong. Two other contenders - Hill Blue Flycatcher on Peng Chau and Black-headed Bunting at San Tin (pic below) - relied on judicious application of the "correct identification" principle - rule 6 in the Punkbirder Self found rules, and lacked the thrill of unexpected discovery that a proper self-found should deliver. I've chosen the Pallas's Reed Bunting at San Tin as much for the prelude - carrying on birding after I fell in a fishpond and killed my camera - as for the bird, an elegantly pale male, itself.
5) Best use of technology - Brown Fish Owl, Shek Mun Kap
Having had a largely disappointing series of 15 monthly night bird surveys - a 2-hour downhill walk between the Po Lin Monastery and Shek Mun Kap -I was delighted to confirm that an unknown call above Shek Man Kap on my January survey was indeed a Brown Fish Owl, by comparing the call with a one that was posted on Youtube from elsewhere in Hong Kong a few years earlier. The same post also shows a ridiculously distant and dodgy pic of a Eurasian Eagle Owl, the sonogram that enabled me to nail Brown Bush Warbler as a self found Lantau patch tick, which followed my shortest ever twitch the same day for a Pale-footed Bush Warbler just behind my block.
Bonus item 1 - Best non-bird wildlife moment
Burmese Pythons are Hong Kong's biggest snake. There's a spot in the northern NT where up to six have been seen on one day as they come out to enjoy the winter sunshine. Having seen them both this winter and last winter has been a real treat, but the best moment was digiscoping a rat's eye view of biggish python making its way in my direction.
Cheers
Mike
Last edited:
foresttwitcher
Virtually unknown member
Nice summary of your year Mike.
I hope you weren't as close to the python as it looks!
I hope you weren't as close to the python as it looks!
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Thanks Pete. Being stuck in Hong Kong helped me to remember how much good birding there is in a pretty small area.
As for the python - Indeed not! I shot this segment through my telescope/iPhone from 10 or so metres away, enabling this clip from a safe distance that did not disturb the snake. They are pretty docile in winter and with no natural predators once they get this big they have plenty of confidence. Even the smaller ones I saw a couple of weeks ago were not worried by my presence.
Cheers
Mike
As for the python - Indeed not! I shot this segment through my telescope/iPhone from 10 or so metres away, enabling this clip from a safe distance that did not disturb the snake. They are pretty docile in winter and with no natural predators once they get this big they have plenty of confidence. Even the smaller ones I saw a couple of weeks ago were not worried by my presence.
Cheers
Mike
