On Saturday December 27th David, Jeanne and I covered the Country Club and Walnut Canyon section of the CBC circle. With only one Great-tailed Grackle recorded last year we started at the 'Asda' parking lot where we had 18 of these birds plus a number of House Sparrows, American Crows and common Ravens.
We scored well on waterfowl on Lake Elaine - 11 species which included the Ross's Goose reported ten day's earlier but which had eluded me on three tries near the Flagstaff Athletic Club, and a couple of female Hooded Mergansers. A flock of 50 Pinyon Jays greeted us at the far end of the lake and we scored well with small birds due to a house with well stocked feeders. Cassin's Finches had been around in high numbers in the fall and it was good to get them on our list. We added Northern Shoveler, American Coot and Great Blue Heron at Lake Humphreys before we got into some serious geese and wigeon counting on various fairways of the golf courses. Our final tallies were at 2200 Canada Geese and 850 American Wigeon.
We had our first Bald Eagles at the double ponds area - an adult and an immature being chased by crows, and saw what was probably the same pair perched by the Walnut Canyon Ponds a while later. A third eagle, another immature flew over while we were counting the ducks there. We had another 30 Pinyon Jays on our drive along Old Walnut Canyon Road, but we saw little but the expected Westen Bluebirds and Townsend Solitaires at the National Monument itself. Juncos were ever present along the road out to Cosnino, and we had a few Red-tail Hawks on our drive back into town.
The day ended, as it had begun, with birds of the lowest quality - 75 Eurasian Starling with pigeons and corvids at the Purina Plant. We tallied 38 species without too much of note.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Sedona CBC
On Monday December 22nd Barbara, David, Jeanne and I did the Coconino County section of the Sedona Christmas Bird Count. We began the day in cool temperatures but were in T-shirts at 65 degrees by the afternoon. We started with feeder birds in the Brewer Road neighborhood where numbers were down from a year ago but included my first Verdin in the county.
Driving to the end of the paved road on Schnebly Hill Road we birded the area by the trailhead finding several Juniper Titmouse - my first of the year! Stops at the Creative Life Center and Rio Sedona Trailer Park added several expected species including Red-naped Sucker and Common Merganser. The creek by Tlequepaque has several Mallard and American Wigeon.
We added a few more species on our stops along Highway 79 at Poco Diablo, the trail head at Back o' Beyond, the Chapel and Morgan Road but generally these areas were pretty quiet in the early afternoon. They may have been better earlier in the day and we should probably plan the day differently next year. We had 38 species this year.
Driving to the end of the paved road on Schnebly Hill Road we birded the area by the trailhead finding several Juniper Titmouse - my first of the year! Stops at the Creative Life Center and Rio Sedona Trailer Park added several expected species including Red-naped Sucker and Common Merganser. The creek by Tlequepaque has several Mallard and American Wigeon.
We added a few more species on our stops along Highway 79 at Poco Diablo, the trail head at Back o' Beyond, the Chapel and Morgan Road but generally these areas were pretty quiet in the early afternoon. They may have been better earlier in the day and we should probably plan the day differently next year. We had 38 species this year.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Chicago and the Wooded Island Bird Walk
We spent Friday December 19th and Saturday December 20th out and about in Chicago.
The birds were very different in winter than my previous visits. The iit campus alive with White-throated Sparrows, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Downy Woodpeckers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in October was nearly bird free in December with just a few crows and a Northern Cardinal seen. American coots were absent from the lake shore in the city, their place taken instead by Common Goldeneye and by Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.
We made a visit to the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in the suburb of Lemont and heard and saw many Blue Jays there. (I had been told that these birds were common in the area but not close to Lake Michigan.)
Pat picked me up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and we went to Wooded Island in Jackson Park for the weekly bird walk. This took us about half the time it takes in October due to the lack of birds. Although the water held many Canada Geese and a few ducks we saw few passerines. The locals were most impressed by a White-breated Nuthatch, but my bird of the morning was a small flock of America Tree Sparrows. We had just a dozen species in an hour and a half. This allowed time to go to Jackson Harbor which was also very quiet but allowed close comparison of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
The birds were very different in winter than my previous visits. The iit campus alive with White-throated Sparrows, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Downy Woodpeckers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in October was nearly bird free in December with just a few crows and a Northern Cardinal seen. American coots were absent from the lake shore in the city, their place taken instead by Common Goldeneye and by Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.
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| Common Goldeneye |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
We made a visit to the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in the suburb of Lemont and heard and saw many Blue Jays there. (I had been told that these birds were common in the area but not close to Lake Michigan.)
Pat picked me up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and we went to Wooded Island in Jackson Park for the weekly bird walk. This took us about half the time it takes in October due to the lack of birds. Although the water held many Canada Geese and a few ducks we saw few passerines. The locals were most impressed by a White-breated Nuthatch, but my bird of the morning was a small flock of America Tree Sparrows. We had just a dozen species in an hour and a half. This allowed time to go to Jackson Harbor which was also very quiet but allowed close comparison of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
Sax-Zim Bog
We reached Sax-Zim Bog at 2pm on Monday December 15th giving us the best part of two hours to drive the Sax-Macdavitt-Zim-Admiral loop in search of Great Gray Owl. I had done this loop as part of a tour, on my own and with Rob and Virginia without success during the Sax-Zim Bog Festival in February. my wife and I saw a Ruffed Grouse, Rough-legged Hawk and Bald Eagle but again had lo luck with the owl.
We returned on Tuesday 16th for a second shot. Duluth had 3 inches of snow on Monday night and we drove through some flurries while driving up. We had a Harlan's Red-tail and a Rough-legged hawk and a Black-billed Magpie on our first loop before stopping at the south end of Admiral Road to have lunch.
We then drove the loop in the counterclockwise direction stopping to watch a red squirrel and some Black-capped Chickadees at the feeders. Heading down MacDavitt I saw a large bird flying low across the road and my wife saw where it landed. Finally a Great Gray Owl! And a very cooperative one who sat on his perch while we drove up close enough to allow some photos.
In all I must have driven the 18-mileloop 8-10 times - 150 miles of patient searching! Bird in hand we then drove to Meadowlands stopping at the feeders at the Welcome Center where we saw Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Common Redpoll.
We returned on Tuesday 16th for a second shot. Duluth had 3 inches of snow on Monday night and we drove through some flurries while driving up. We had a Harlan's Red-tail and a Rough-legged hawk and a Black-billed Magpie on our first loop before stopping at the south end of Admiral Road to have lunch.
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| Black-billed Magpie |
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| Great Gray Owl |
In all I must have driven the 18-mileloop 8-10 times - 150 miles of patient searching! Bird in hand we then drove to Meadowlands stopping at the feeders at the Welcome Center where we saw Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Common Redpoll.
Duluth
We stopped off at Canal Park for an hour on Monday 15th December and returned on Tuesday 16th. On Tuesday we also drove across the lift bridge to the airport at the end of Park Point.
Our target bird was a female Common Eider that had been seen in the harbor area on and off for a couple of weeks. A female Harlequin Duck had also been spotted a few days prior to our visit. But we had no luck with either bird - in fact the eider moved to the Superior side of the lake. Other than the resident Mallards and gulls the only thing seen at Canal Park was a single American Black Duck.
Our drive to the end of Park Point on Tuesday did not prove completely fruitless as we lucked upon a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings.
Our target bird was a female Common Eider that had been seen in the harbor area on and off for a couple of weeks. A female Harlequin Duck had also been spotted a few days prior to our visit. But we had no luck with either bird - in fact the eider moved to the Superior side of the lake. Other than the resident Mallards and gulls the only thing seen at Canal Park was a single American Black Duck.
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| American Black Duck |
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| Snow Buntings |
Wisconsin stake-outs
On Sunday December 14th my wife and I left Chicago and drove as far as Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The following morning, Monday 15th we drove to Duluth via a stop in Superior. We then retraced our steps on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th. Although our time in Wisconsin was only spent in getting from A to B we stopped ror a couple of stake outs.
We were successful first time around in Superior, although it took us a little time to find the right spot, and we found a female Snowy Owl sitting atop a scoreboard at the sports field at the middle school.
We had no luck at the Eau Claire stakeout on the way out but our timing on the way back was perfect. Arriving at 4pm we ran into three local birders and after an early glimpse at the Northern Hawk Owl one of them located the bird on a perch that allowed everyone the opportunity for photos.
We were successful first time around in Superior, although it took us a little time to find the right spot, and we found a female Snowy Owl sitting atop a scoreboard at the sports field at the middle school.
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| Snowy Owl |
We had no luck at the Eau Claire stakeout on the way out but our timing on the way back was perfect. Arriving at 4pm we ran into three local birders and after an early glimpse at the Northern Hawk Owl one of them located the bird on a perch that allowed everyone the opportunity for photos.
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| Northern Hawk Owl |
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Santa Cruz Flats
We spent a couple of hours on Saturday November 29th on the Santa Cruz flats. We saw a Loggerhead Shrike on the way to the Baumgartner/Wheeler/Fast Track/Greene Reservoir area, and on reaching that area saw total of 15 Crested Caracara.
We then headed to the sod farm at Pretzer and Tweedy but had no luck finding Mountain Plover, although we saw something in the region of 200 Horned Larks.
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| Crested Caracara |
Friday, November 28, 2014
La Paz County and the Arlington area
On Friday November 28th we drove from Lake Havasu City to Casa Grande stopping to bird along the way. We stopped first at Parker Dam but found little of note and then from Parker we headed down Mohave Road past some agricultural fields. We saw many kestrels and red-tails along the way but our best birds were 9 Sandhill Cranes and 36 Cattle Egrets, the latter probably an ABA best for me.
We then drove from Parker to Arlington seeing few birds, the exception being a Prairie Falcon as we neared a roundabout as Arizona Highway 72 crossed US 60.
We spent an hour in the area around Arlington including a visit to the Lower River Road ponds which yielded 26 Great Egrets, 7 Snow Geese and 3 American Avocets. The drive itself delivered 4 Greater Roadrunner, probably 50 Gambel's Quail and at least 5000 Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in one mixed flock. A Belted Kingfisher sitting on a farm gate was unexpected and we were pleasantly surprised to find 3 Black Vultures in a roost of nearly 20 Turkey Vultures.
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
We spent an hour in the area around Arlington including a visit to the Lower River Road ponds which yielded 26 Great Egrets, 7 Snow Geese and 3 American Avocets. The drive itself delivered 4 Greater Roadrunner, probably 50 Gambel's Quail and at least 5000 Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds in one mixed flock. A Belted Kingfisher sitting on a farm gate was unexpected and we were pleasantly surprised to find 3 Black Vultures in a roost of nearly 20 Turkey Vultures.
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| Turkey and Black Vulture |
Thursday, November 27, 2014
Lake Havasu City
My wife and I started Thursday November 27th at Rotary Park in Lake Havasu City. The park was full of people but we found two California Gulls among the Ring-billeds, although we had no luck finding the Golden-crowned Sparrow among all the White-crowneds. The park had lots of doves including at least 25 Inca Doves.
After taking a one hour boat trip on the lake to Copper Canyon on the California side of the luck, we drove down to the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge for a two-and-a-half hour visit. I remembered seeing gnatcatchers here before and had been hoping for Blue-Grays, but having found birds of this type they responded to tape as Black-tailed Gnatcatchers!
But we had come looking for water birds and after seeing many Greater Scaup were able to find some Clark's Grebes among the many Westerns, and then after some searching to find a few Barrow's Goldeneyes among the Commons. But the bird of the day was a friendly Common Loon who stayed just a few feet in front of us at the floating platform for more than half an hour.
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| California Gull |
After taking a one hour boat trip on the lake to Copper Canyon on the California side of the luck, we drove down to the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge for a two-and-a-half hour visit. I remembered seeing gnatcatchers here before and had been hoping for Blue-Grays, but having found birds of this type they responded to tape as Black-tailed Gnatcatchers!
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| Black-tailed Gnatcatcher |
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| Common Loon |
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
New Yardie
In recent months there had been little bird activity around my feeders although I had suet feeders up and had been keeping my thistle sock and seed feeders topped up. But looking out the kitchen window on Tuesday November 25th I saw a small woodpecker on the suet. Although people in Swiss Manor get Downy Woodpeckers regularly in their yard, I had not seen one in city limits and had seen very few in Arizona - the last one was on a Mormon Lake CBC several years ago. This Downy Woodpecker was my second yardie of the year taking me to 96 yard birds.
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| Downy Woodpecker |
Local Chasing
With the end of the year approaching I decided to go for some local birds that had eluded me in 2014:
Saturday November 8th my wife and I spent a morning in Camp Verde. We started at the Western Screech Owl spot but the campground was busy and the bird not to be seen. We then drove to Bullpen Road and hiked around for a while in hopes of Rufous-crowned Sparrow or Crissal Thrasher, again dipping on both
I then spent veteran's Day, Tuesday November 11th looking for Juniper Titmouse at a very windy Walnut Canyon and for American Dipper at Cave Springs. I failed on both species leaving me at 0 for 5 on my chases!
My luck changed on Saturday November 22nd when I easily found two female Red-breasted Mergansers on Lake Elaine, and then after some patient searching the American Dipper cooperated for us at Cave Springs.
Saturday November 8th my wife and I spent a morning in Camp Verde. We started at the Western Screech Owl spot but the campground was busy and the bird not to be seen. We then drove to Bullpen Road and hiked around for a while in hopes of Rufous-crowned Sparrow or Crissal Thrasher, again dipping on both
I then spent veteran's Day, Tuesday November 11th looking for Juniper Titmouse at a very windy Walnut Canyon and for American Dipper at Cave Springs. I failed on both species leaving me at 0 for 5 on my chases!
My luck changed on Saturday November 22nd when I easily found two female Red-breasted Mergansers on Lake Elaine, and then after some patient searching the American Dipper cooperated for us at Cave Springs.
NAAS Rim Lakes Field Trip
On Saturday November 15th I was one of six birders on a NAAS trip, led by Tom, who headed out to look or water birds n Lake Mary Road. We had two Common Loons on Upper Lake Mary before heading up to Ashurst Lake, which was full of ducks and coot. We had no luck finding anything too exciting at the southern end, but had 2 Surf Scoter and 2 Bonaparte's Gulls when we switched to the north. We also saw several Cassin's Finches.
We ended the trip at the Mormon Lake overlook where we saw several Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks but the treat of the day was a pair of Golden Eagles that cruised past us very close.
We ended the trip at the Mormon Lake overlook where we saw several Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks but the treat of the day was a pair of Golden Eagles that cruised past us very close.
NAAS Garland Prairie Field Trip
I joined a NAAS field trip to Garland Prairie on Saturday October 17th. Tom had led one the previous year and although this was not quite as successful, it is always a good place to look for raptors. We saw 7 Red-tailed hawks, 3 Ferruginous Hawks, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Cooper's Hawk and a Golden Eagle. There was little else of note except for a group of 10 Lewis's Woodpeckers.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Picture Canyon
My wife and I had made a trip to Picture Canyon on Saturday September 13th, but we had not seen too much. I made another trip three weeks later on October 4th, this time with Tom and Eric.
One big difference was in the number of Lewis's Woodpecker. We had 20, a big difference to the 1 we had in September. But otherwise we did not see much that was very different. Still lots of Chipping Sparrows along the creek; a Green-tailed Towhee in the same spot etc. And some baby Round-tailed Horned Lizards along the road.
We did find 3 Cedar Waxwings as we were nearly back at the car, my first in Arizona this year.
But the morning's highlight was not a bird, but a meteor. We saw a fireball streak across the sky, making no sound, around 8am.
One big difference was in the number of Lewis's Woodpecker. We had 20, a big difference to the 1 we had in September. But otherwise we did not see much that was very different. Still lots of Chipping Sparrows along the creek; a Green-tailed Towhee in the same spot etc. And some baby Round-tailed Horned Lizards along the road.
We did find 3 Cedar Waxwings as we were nearly back at the car, my first in Arizona this year.
But the morning's highlight was not a bird, but a meteor. We saw a fireball streak across the sky, making no sound, around 8am.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Glendale Recharge Ponds
After dropping my wife at Sky Harbor I went to the Glendale Recharge Ponds to spend a couple of hours looking through the birds in some excellent shorebird habitat. In all I had 13 species of waders including Stilt and Pectoral Sandpipers, new for the year. There was also some early waterfowl, including 3 Greater White-fronted Geese, but most of the ducks were in dull plumage. The one exception was a pair of beautiful male White-cheeked Pintails. Presumable escaped birds, but a couple of Pacific hurricanes had blown through in the previous week ...
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| White-cheeked Pintail |
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| Stilt Sandpiper |
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| American Avocet |
Walnut Canyon
There were many reports of Sabine's Gulls in Arizona in the first half of September. This included one that Tom found on the Walnut Canyon Ponds on Wednesday September 18th. I hd dno tiem to chase that day but went after my swim on Thursday morning and found it quietly sitting on the water on the far pond. Indeed the bird was so cooperative that I went back later that day with my camera. The bird had moved to the nearer pond but again stayed peacefully on the water.
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| Sabine's Gull |
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Glendale Recharge Ponds
After taking my son to the airport on Sunday September 7th my wife and I made a quick stop at the Glendale Recharge Ponds. For once the wet ponds were closest to the entrance and we were able to start looking through the waders (shorebirds) almost as soon as we arrived. A number of Western Sandpipers were scattered through the Least Sandpipers and I found a few of the larger Bairds. But the birds of the day were a pair of Black Terns - a long awaited state bird for me.My sixth state bird of the year.
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| Killdeer |
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| Least Sandpiper |
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| Long-billed Dowitcher |
Friday, August 15, 2014
Mercer Slough Nature Park
We spent Monday night in Renton, a suburb of Seattle. A cell phone tower next to the hotel had nesting Ospreys. We spent an hour and a half on Tuesday morning, August 12th at Mercer Slough ahead of our flight back home. We wandered around the reserve in light drizzle, and the birds were quiet. But we did see both Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees in the trees and a Swainson's Thrush on the forest floor. We go to pick blueberries that had sprawled from a farm onto the reserve.
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| Glaucous-winged Gull |
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| Osprey |
Whale Watching Pelagic
On Sunday August 10th we spent the day on a whale watching trip in Puget Sound that started in Bellingham and ended up as far north as Vancouver, British Columbia. As well seeing a small pond of orcas we had a reasonable day for pelagic birds - Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet - but alas no Tufted Puffin.
On Monday August 11th we visited the Seattle Aquarium where we got to see Cassin's Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets and Tufted Puffin at close quarters!
On Monday August 11th we visited the Seattle Aquarium where we got to see Cassin's Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets and Tufted Puffin at close quarters!
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| Orca |
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| Ring-billed Gull |
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| Tufted Puffin |
North Cascades National Park
We spent Thursday August 7th in North Cascades National Park. We had spent the night in Mount Vernon and so we were soon on the North Cascades Highway. Our first stop of the day was at a pick-your-own blueberry farm; an organic farm with its own shop featuring homemade ice cream. We stopped off for a treat both ways!
The National Park was beautiful but not very birdy. The bird of the day was a surprising group of 14 California Gulls on lake. But the days' highlight was a 4 mile hike through the forest to an alipine meadow where we sat for a while - plagued by mosquitoes - watching a Hoary Marmot and wtahcing and hearing Pika!
The National Park was beautiful but not very birdy. The bird of the day was a surprising group of 14 California Gulls on lake. But the days' highlight was a 4 mile hike through the forest to an alipine meadow where we sat for a while - plagued by mosquitoes - watching a Hoary Marmot and wtahcing and hearing Pika!
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| California Gull |
Anacortes, Washington
On Wednesday August 6th we spent some time in Anacortes, where my son was to spend two weeks in a summer program.On the drive there we had seen many Glaucous-winged Gulls flying around, not a bird I have seen very often but the common gull of the northwest.
We went to Washington Park in Anacortes where we saw Pigeon Guillemot and Marbled Murrelet in the sound, and a number of species of passerines in the wooded areas, including a Varied Thrush and a number of very dark Song Sparrows. As we were leaving the park a Black Oystercatcher flew onto a rock near the car park.
We stopped by the ferry terminal as we left Anacortes and found many Pelagic Cormorants nesting on the piers as I had researched earlier.
We went to Washington Park in Anacortes where we saw Pigeon Guillemot and Marbled Murrelet in the sound, and a number of species of passerines in the wooded areas, including a Varied Thrush and a number of very dark Song Sparrows. As we were leaving the park a Black Oystercatcher flew onto a rock near the car park.
We stopped by the ferry terminal as we left Anacortes and found many Pelagic Cormorants nesting on the piers as I had researched earlier.
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| Black-tailed Deer |
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| White-crowned Sparrow |
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| American Robin |
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Heading back
On Friday August 1st I headed back to Flagstaff having seen 121 species of bird in Europe - 120 in England and Rose-ringed Parakeets in Belgium.Of these 107 were new for the year and I ended July on 389 species for the year.
I added three life birds on my trip - Short-toed Eagle, Wood Sandpiper and Little Gull - and twitched and dipped on some others. The Black-winged Pratincole left the north Norfolk coast the evening before we tried for it (relocating to Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire where it was still being seen two weeks later); the Collared Pratincole was seen just minutes before our arrival at the Minsmere scrape but d was not visible while we were there. This bird was also around for at least another week. I am pretty sure I saw Wood Lark in the Ashdown Forest, but not certain enough for a lifer. I heard Cetti's Warbler and Stock Dove but did not see these birds.
I saw Common Frog, Red Fox, European Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Field Vole, Muntjac, Harbour Seal and Grey Seal on the trip, but despite looking for Adders in the Ashdown Forest, Suffolk heaths and then at two sites in Havering with David on July 29th this reptile continues to elude me.
I added three life birds on my trip - Short-toed Eagle, Wood Sandpiper and Little Gull - and twitched and dipped on some others. The Black-winged Pratincole left the north Norfolk coast the evening before we tried for it (relocating to Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire where it was still being seen two weeks later); the Collared Pratincole was seen just minutes before our arrival at the Minsmere scrape but d was not visible while we were there. This bird was also around for at least another week. I am pretty sure I saw Wood Lark in the Ashdown Forest, but not certain enough for a lifer. I heard Cetti's Warbler and Stock Dove but did not see these birds.
I saw Common Frog, Red Fox, European Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Field Vole, Muntjac, Harbour Seal and Grey Seal on the trip, but despite looking for Adders in the Ashdown Forest, Suffolk heaths and then at two sites in Havering with David on July 29th this reptile continues to elude me.
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| Six-spot Burnet Moth |
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| Carrion Crow |
Brussels surprise
I traveled overnight to Brussels on Monday July 23rd to visit my brother-in-law. On Tuesday morning, July 24th I did a number of tourist sites in Brussels including the royal palace. In the Parc du Bruxelles opposite I found a number of Rose-ringed Parakeets. I had trued for this bird in London but did not know there was a population in Belgium. I saw more of these birds in the grounds of the African Museam in Tervulen on Wednesday 25th.
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| Mute Swan |
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| Eurasian Coot |
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| Eurasian Blackbird |
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Oare Marshes and Cliffe Pools
On Saturday July 19th my brother and I headed to Kent to bird in a couple of spots - the lovely Oare Marshes and the RSPB Reserve at Cliffe Pools.
I was still missing a few possible waders and both Gray (Black-bellied) Plover and Golden Plover had been reported at Oare Marshes along with, what would be for some, a twitch bird - a Bonaparte's Gull. We spent an hour and a half at the reserve mostly in the drizzle and dipped on all these birds. But we saw lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and Redshank on the mudflats and Lapwing, Ruff and Common Sandpiper on the Flood.
Black-winged Stilts had bred at Cliffe Pools this year, although the young were predated, and I had some hope of adding this bird to my UK list. However local birders said that they did not know if the adults were still around. The pools were pretty disappointing although we had a close view of a Hobby chasing a Swift and a distant view of a Whimbrel on the mudflats of the Essex side of the Thames.
A long delay at the M25/A13 roundabout - we moved half a mile in one hour - forced us the long way home and we took back roads from Wennington to Langdon Hills. As luck would have it we found a couple of Red-legged Partridges on the road near Bulphan!
I was still missing a few possible waders and both Gray (Black-bellied) Plover and Golden Plover had been reported at Oare Marshes along with, what would be for some, a twitch bird - a Bonaparte's Gull. We spent an hour and a half at the reserve mostly in the drizzle and dipped on all these birds. But we saw lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Curlew and Redshank on the mudflats and Lapwing, Ruff and Common Sandpiper on the Flood.
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| Black-tailed Godwit |
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| Common Sandpiper |
Black-winged Stilts had bred at Cliffe Pools this year, although the young were predated, and I had some hope of adding this bird to my UK list. However local birders said that they did not know if the adults were still around. The pools were pretty disappointing although we had a close view of a Hobby chasing a Swift and a distant view of a Whimbrel on the mudflats of the Essex side of the Thames.
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| Black-headed Gull |
A long delay at the M25/A13 roundabout - we moved half a mile in one hour - forced us the long way home and we took back roads from Wennington to Langdon Hills. As luck would have it we found a couple of Red-legged Partridges on the road near Bulphan!
Norfolk Trip - day two
On Friday July 18th David and I started the day on the North Norfolk Coast before racing on a twitch to Minsmere en route home.
We left our YHA hostel accommodation at Sheringham in search of a twitch bird - Black-winged Pratincole - that had been at Stiffkey Fen. We soon learned that the bird had left the previous evening, flying high and to the west. Nevertheless Stiffkey was a nice place to bird, with the incoming tide pushing waders onto a lagoon. The best bird at this sight was Eurasian Spoonbill - although all ten birds were inactive.
Our next stop was Cley Marshes, one of the gems of the north Norfolk coast but one which held similar birds to Titchwell and Minsmere. I added Brent Goose (Brant) and Common (Mew) Gull for the trip but otherwise we saw the typical birds of the scrape - for example, Pied Avocet and Ruff. We stopped off at the beach area for a few minutes but the winds were cold and rain was in the air. Sea watching produced nothing, but we enjoyed a number of Sandwich Terns heading towards the roost site at Blakeney Point.
We had finished up at Cley much earlier than planned and spent some time wondering about our next step. We disregarded heading back through the RSPB Reserve at Ouse Washes for possible Garganey. It transpired that this was the new location for the Black-winged Pratincole, although the bird was nto seen until the following day! Instead we decided to head back to Minsmere on a twitch, this time for a Collared Pratincole which had been seen that morning.
Arriving at Minsmere we soon headed for the South Hide from which many birders had just left with tales of wonderful views of the rare bird. Alas we spent a long time in the hide, dehydrating by the second in the heat of the UK's hottest day of the year (low 30s C, near 90F) without luck. This bird was probably resting out of site and would, at some point, fly around for a while before settling again. We had dipped on two species of prantincole in one day!
Nevertheless Minsmere had some surprises for us - just four days after our first stop we had Ruddy Turnstone, Common Snipe, a fly-by Whimbrel and surprisingly Kittiwakes. We also had another close view of a Hobby.
We left our YHA hostel accommodation at Sheringham in search of a twitch bird - Black-winged Pratincole - that had been at Stiffkey Fen. We soon learned that the bird had left the previous evening, flying high and to the west. Nevertheless Stiffkey was a nice place to bird, with the incoming tide pushing waders onto a lagoon. The best bird at this sight was Eurasian Spoonbill - although all ten birds were inactive.
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| Common Terns |
Our next stop was Cley Marshes, one of the gems of the north Norfolk coast but one which held similar birds to Titchwell and Minsmere. I added Brent Goose (Brant) and Common (Mew) Gull for the trip but otherwise we saw the typical birds of the scrape - for example, Pied Avocet and Ruff. We stopped off at the beach area for a few minutes but the winds were cold and rain was in the air. Sea watching produced nothing, but we enjoyed a number of Sandwich Terns heading towards the roost site at Blakeney Point.
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| Dunlin (summer plumage) |
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| Dunlin (moulting into winter plumage) |
We had finished up at Cley much earlier than planned and spent some time wondering about our next step. We disregarded heading back through the RSPB Reserve at Ouse Washes for possible Garganey. It transpired that this was the new location for the Black-winged Pratincole, although the bird was nto seen until the following day! Instead we decided to head back to Minsmere on a twitch, this time for a Collared Pratincole which had been seen that morning.
Arriving at Minsmere we soon headed for the South Hide from which many birders had just left with tales of wonderful views of the rare bird. Alas we spent a long time in the hide, dehydrating by the second in the heat of the UK's hottest day of the year (low 30s C, near 90F) without luck. This bird was probably resting out of site and would, at some point, fly around for a while before settling again. We had dipped on two species of prantincole in one day!
Nevertheless Minsmere had some surprises for us - just four days after our first stop we had Ruddy Turnstone, Common Snipe, a fly-by Whimbrel and surprisingly Kittiwakes. We also had another close view of a Hobby.
Norfolk Trip - day one
On Thursday July 17th David and I headed to the North Norfolk Coast.We drove from Basildon to Thetford for stops at the Lynford Arboretum and Weeting Heath, reached the coast at Hunstanton and then drove to Titchwell and Holkham.
Our first stop at Lynford Arboretum was intended as a spot to stretch our legs after the long drive but several birds were very cooperative. I had good sightings of Goldcrest (which I missed at the Ashdown Forest), Eurasian Siskin and Treecreeper but unexpectedly also saw several Spotted Flycatchers. I had only seen this bird once or twice before but got to enjoy the bird here, first high in the trees and later at eye-level.
The second stop, just a short drive away was to Weeting Heath which delivered our target bird - Eurasian Stone Curlew (Thick-knee). Several of these birds were visible from the hide, all standing so a careful search was not needed, but all quite distant.
A lengthy drive took us to Hunstanton in search of another target - Northern Fulmar. We had short glimpses of this bird from the cliff top on either side of tea, but a walk along the beach gave us close views of both sitting and flying birds. The muddy shore also held Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew.
In late afternoon we drove past Snettisham (an RSPB reserve best in winter) and Holme to the RSPB Reserve at Titchwell. The scrapes and hides were reminiscent of Minsmere and held many of the birds seen earlier in the week, but we added Little Ringed Plover to our list for my trip. We again got to enjoy Ruff in many degrees of moult.
We ended the day driving some back roads (yes we got lost) but did not find any partridge.
Our first stop at Lynford Arboretum was intended as a spot to stretch our legs after the long drive but several birds were very cooperative. I had good sightings of Goldcrest (which I missed at the Ashdown Forest), Eurasian Siskin and Treecreeper but unexpectedly also saw several Spotted Flycatchers. I had only seen this bird once or twice before but got to enjoy the bird here, first high in the trees and later at eye-level.
The second stop, just a short drive away was to Weeting Heath which delivered our target bird - Eurasian Stone Curlew (Thick-knee). Several of these birds were visible from the hide, all standing so a careful search was not needed, but all quite distant.
A lengthy drive took us to Hunstanton in search of another target - Northern Fulmar. We had short glimpses of this bird from the cliff top on either side of tea, but a walk along the beach gave us close views of both sitting and flying birds. The muddy shore also held Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew.
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| Northern Fulmar |
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| Northern Fulmar |
In late afternoon we drove past Snettisham (an RSPB reserve best in winter) and Holme to the RSPB Reserve at Titchwell. The scrapes and hides were reminiscent of Minsmere and held many of the birds seen earlier in the week, but we added Little Ringed Plover to our list for my trip. We again got to enjoy Ruff in many degrees of moult.
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| Ruff |
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| Ruff |
We ended the day driving some back roads (yes we got lost) but did not find any partridge.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Suffolk Trip - day two
On Monday July 14th David and I spent the day at Minsmere and Dunwich Heath, an area which delivered many of the birds we had expected to see.
We arrived at Minsmere around 10am where we immediately enjoyed Sand Martins (Bank Swallows) at the famous sand bank just outside the visitor center. We then spent about 3 hours on the loop around the scrape, stopping to visit the hides on the way round. We saw a (Common) Greenshank at the first hide and at the main hide had Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Dunlin, Ringed Plover. Three tern species were also present - Common, Little and Sandwich Terns - but the bird of the day was my lifer Little Gull. There were a dozen of the birds, petite gulls with a tern-like flight. At the Public Vieweing Point we saw a Eurasian Spoonbill - a new UK bird for me - actively feeding and were then lucky enough to have a long look at a perching Bearded Reedling as we headed inshore past the sluice gate.
After tea we headed back to the beach, this time turning left and going up the hill to the lighthouse where we saw a raft of 70 Common Scoter offshore. The 3 hour loop through heath and woodland delivered the target Dartford Warbler but not the hoped for Adder.
We arrived at Minsmere around 10am where we immediately enjoyed Sand Martins (Bank Swallows) at the famous sand bank just outside the visitor center. We then spent about 3 hours on the loop around the scrape, stopping to visit the hides on the way round. We saw a (Common) Greenshank at the first hide and at the main hide had Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Dunlin, Ringed Plover. Three tern species were also present - Common, Little and Sandwich Terns - but the bird of the day was my lifer Little Gull. There were a dozen of the birds, petite gulls with a tern-like flight. At the Public Vieweing Point we saw a Eurasian Spoonbill - a new UK bird for me - actively feeding and were then lucky enough to have a long look at a perching Bearded Reedling as we headed inshore past the sluice gate.
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| Sand Martin bank at Minsmere |
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| Eurasian Spoonbill |
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| Little Gull |
After tea we headed back to the beach, this time turning left and going up the hill to the lighthouse where we saw a raft of 70 Common Scoter offshore. The 3 hour loop through heath and woodland delivered the target Dartford Warbler but not the hoped for Adder.
Suffolk Trip - day one
On Sunday July 13th David and covered areas of Suffolk near Oulton Broad and Lowestoft, the Blyth Estuary and near Snape.
The day began with some heavy rain but this had mostly subsided by the time we reached our first destination at the northern end of Suffolk. We stopped at Carlton Marsh near Oulton Broad and picked up one of our target birds, and life bird for me, Wood Sandpiper. Although another target, Garganey, was present these birds swam too close to the near shore of a distant pond and I did not feel confident in calling the ID for what would be a new bird for my UK list. Black skies and some rain meant we did not loiter hoping for better views.
Our next stop was Lowestoft Harbour where we easily found our target (Black-legged) Kittiwakes. These birds were also distant, but further away at a pier south of the harbour.
We then headed south for a stop at the Hen Reedbeds close to Blythborough. We did not have target birds in mind but we found a large group of Mediterranean Gulls on the mud, and scanning further we found a couple of Red Knot among the typical waders.
A stop at the farthest hide produced a (mostly sleeping) Green Sandpiper. The contrast with the Wood Sandpiper seen earlier that day was clear. Back at the car park we took tea and scones to a viewpoint around 7:30 where we were treated to a Barn Owl as well as several of the much more expected Marsh Harriers. As we were leaving we heard the purring of a Turtle Dove and found the bird close to the road.
Our final stop of the day was at Blaxhall Heath. After checking into our accommodation at the local YHA hostel we went out before dark and enjoyed the churring, and a brief view of a Nightjar.
The day began with some heavy rain but this had mostly subsided by the time we reached our first destination at the northern end of Suffolk. We stopped at Carlton Marsh near Oulton Broad and picked up one of our target birds, and life bird for me, Wood Sandpiper. Although another target, Garganey, was present these birds swam too close to the near shore of a distant pond and I did not feel confident in calling the ID for what would be a new bird for my UK list. Black skies and some rain meant we did not loiter hoping for better views.
Our next stop was Lowestoft Harbour where we easily found our target (Black-legged) Kittiwakes. These birds were also distant, but further away at a pier south of the harbour.
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| Black-legged Kittiwake |
We then headed south for a stop at the Hen Reedbeds close to Blythborough. We did not have target birds in mind but we found a large group of Mediterranean Gulls on the mud, and scanning further we found a couple of Red Knot among the typical waders.
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| Mediterranean Gulls |
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| Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls |
A stop at the farthest hide produced a (mostly sleeping) Green Sandpiper. The contrast with the Wood Sandpiper seen earlier that day was clear. Back at the car park we took tea and scones to a viewpoint around 7:30 where we were treated to a Barn Owl as well as several of the much more expected Marsh Harriers. As we were leaving we heard the purring of a Turtle Dove and found the bird close to the road.
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| Hen Reedbeds |
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| Green Sandpiper |
Our final stop of the day was at Blaxhall Heath. After checking into our accommodation at the local YHA hostel we went out before dark and enjoyed the churring, and a brief view of a Nightjar.
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