Devon

On Wednesday July 22nd David and I birded at a woodland in East Dartmoor and then went looking for seabirds at Berry Head.

We started the day in a woodland area at the eastern edge of Dartmoor hoping for Pied Flycatcher and Mandarin Duck, but dipping on both these birds. The nest boxes for the flycatchers, many occupied just a few weeks ago were now empty with the bids having moved on. But the reserve's feeders were well stocked and I was able to add European Siskin, Bullfinch and Treecreeper to my 2015 bird list. I also had my best views for the year for Great-spotted Woodpecker and Marsh Tit.

Bullfinch

Coal Tit

Eurasian Siskin

Song Thrush

Great-spotted Woodpecker

Grey Wagtail

Marsh Tit

We then drove to Berry Head, just outside Brixham hoping for Guillemot, but these birds had already bred and the birds had returned to the sea. We also failed to find the hoped for Rock Pipit, but enjoyed seeing Fulmars again along with several Great Black-backed Gulls. Our day's final stop was at Labrador Bay where our target eluded us for some time, before we eventually found a good spot for them and I finally added Cirl Bunting to my UK list.

On Thursday July 23rd we hit a couple of spots for target birds before I headed back to Kantara. I took the bus from Exeter to Aylesbeare Common to repeat the loop from Tuesday evening, but this time seeing several individuals of the target species - Dartford Warbler. We then drove to the Otter Estuary and hiked along the river and up to the clifftops, finding several Shags but dipping for the second time on Rock Pipit.

Aylesbeare RSPB Reserve

On Tuesday June 21st I traveled to Exeter by MegaBus and after checking into my hotel met David at Aylesbeare RSPB reserve at 6:15 for some late in the day birding. A short wander around part of the reserve threw up three of the reserve's common heathland birds - Stonechat, Yellowhammer and Linnet - but it was the stop at the snake sheets that was the highlight if the day, with Slow Worm, Grass Snake and my lifer Adder all present as we inspected these spots.

Slow Worm

Grass Snake

Adder

After stopping for a cuppa at David's place we headed out to a spot where David had recently seen a Tawny Owl, a bird I had not seen for 30 years. We had no luck, but as we drove away I saw a bird fly from the road into a tree and this Tawny owl flew over our car as we drove past! We returned to the common to finish the day and were treated to the trilling of Nightjars and some clear views of these birds flying around just after sunset.

Oare Marshes, Sevenoaks and Rainham Marshes

On Sunday July 19th my brother and I spent a day in Kent with a walk around Oare Marshes followed by quick stops to get target species at Sevenoaks and at a park near Welling.

There were lots of birders at Oare Marshes many attracted by the return of the Bonaparte's Gull. We had tried for this bird without luck in 2014, but this time found it easily enough on a sand spit with Black-headed Gulls on either side.  The walk around the marsh yielded many waders - Lapwing, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Curlew, Whimbrel, Ringed Plover, Ruff, Dunlin and over 400 Black-tailed Godwits. The surprise for the day was a Garganey, clearly smaller than the rest of the ducks, seen as we neared the final hide on our loop.

The park in Sevenoaks yielded by two year birds. First Tufted Ducks and then after quite some effort Egyptian Geese. The final stop yielded a Ring-necked Parakeet some 30 seconds after we got out of the car.

Herring Gull

Reed Warbler

On Monday July 20th we went to Rainham Marshes with a couple of targets in mind, but the weather wasn't great. Reed Warblers seemed to be everywhere but we did not see or hear Bearded Tits as we walked around the reserve. However we did see both Common and Green Sandpipers in close proximity, and had a cooperative Common Kingfisher at the education hide.

Common Kingfisher

Marsh frog

Cley and Minsmere

On Monday July 13th David and I wrapped up our two day trip with two hours at Cley, a quick stop in Lowestoft and a short stay at Minsmere.

The Cley stop wasn't our decision as we had to wait for the reserve to open and then saw very similar birds to the ones seen along the coast at Titchwell. We did have good views of a cooperative Sedge Warbler, but a group of 6 Little Gulls picking insects off the mud was the highlight of this stop.

The drive from Cley past Yarmouth into Suffolk seemed to take forever, and after a two minute stop to see the Black-legged Kittiwakes at Lowestoft we arrived at Minsmere with only an hour and a half available for our visit. We didn't have time for much exploration, for a walk through the woods and short stops at a couple of hides. Three Brent Geese and a single Barnacle Geese on top of Greylags and Canadas gave us a 4 goose visit.

Greylag

Grey Heron

Hunstanton and Titchwell

On Sunday July 12th David and I made two quick stops - at Ouse Washes and Hunstanton - before spending several hours at Titchwell. The Ouse Washes stop, out of season for the reserve's main purpose, was a poor one in part because of the weather, and the stop at Hunstanton was mainly to give us a break. After tea and cake we went to the cliffs for the Northern Fulmars before continuing on our way.

We had three excellent hours at Titchwell with a dozen waders - including Rudd, Greenshank and Spotted Redshank - on the main lagoon and Northern Gannets the beach. As we began to head back to the reserve David spotted a couple of sea ducks. Closer inspection showed that these consisted of a female Common Eider and a Common Scoter!

But the highlight of the day, and a life bird, was a Spotted Crake. We were told about the bird as soon as we arrived, and the bird had emerged from the reeds twice in the day. We finished our visit with a 45 minute stay in the hide before the bird came out and headed around the corner. A stampede of birders from the hide may have pushed the bird deeper into the reeds, but after a short while it emerged giving good views.

Eurasian Robin

Lapwing

We drove from Titchwell to our lodging at the hostel in Sheringham, getting lost as we did the previous year along the coastal road, but getting luck with a Grey Partridge as we did so. Coming around a corner in the road we saw several parked cars and a group of birders watching two Barn Owls hunting in good light.

Spain - Wrap up

On Sunday June 28th we headed back to Valencia more or less the way we came, and again seeing White Storks as we headed into Zaragoza

White Stork

Our one stop on the way back was at Laguna de Gallocanta, a place famous for its wintering cranes - with 80,000 recorded in Februrary. Pau had been feeling bad about the lack of bustards on our second day and the area gave us one last chance of these birds. We drove around the fields for a while in considerable heat, and remarkable seeing three Quail, before we climbed a viewing tower. It took a while but eventually Pau found what had to be a Great Bustard, but a distant bird and seen through heat haze. We tried to get closer but the landscape did not allow this and so this bird gets penciled in as a lifer but one I will need to chase again.

I ended my trip with 161 species including 56 lifers. More species than I had anticipated. Pau was a true black-belt birder and knew every sound of every bird in Spain and had eyes so sharp to see a bird with the slightest movement. Not surprisingly I missed out on a few that Pau had seen - for example, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Blue Rock-thrush, Mistle Thrush and Lesser Kestrel. We had no rain, and too much hot sun. The trip was an undeniable success but I need to return someday in the winter months for Ferruginous Duck, Penduline Tit, Bluethroat and Balearic Shearwater. And I also need to find the two species of bustard that had been high on my wish list.

Spain - Day Seven

On Saturday June 27th, and with our target birds either in the bag or dismissed as being elsewhere, we spent the morning hiking in the mountains not far from the hotel.

We had stopped off the previous day to look for White-throated Dipper, and stopped at a new place also without luck. We then proceeded to a very busy trail head but were able to pass the families and get to a quieter spot. The highlights of the early part of the walk was a pair of Egyptian Vultures, several Rock Thrushes - so much closer than the day before - and a distant Alpine Marmot snoozing on the rocks.

Egyptian Vultures

Rock Thrush

 But the morning's highlight was seeing a group of Griffon Vultures feasting on a dead cow. This was straight out of a television nature documentary with the pecking order being reinforced by the more powerful birds, and some birds sitting well away from the action knowing their turn would be a long time coming.

Griffon Vultures

More vultures waiting their turn

Eurasian Griffon

Our hike ended at a great spot. After we scrambled through a narrow saddle we came upon a green, U-shapped glacial valley that was entirely different to the rocky landscape we had come up with its screes and boulders.

We stopped for lunch soon after getting back to the car and headed to a wooded spot where we were able to add a number of species to our trip list - including Robin, Nuthatch, Garden Warbler and Marsh Tit - and then stopped and this time found a dipper en the way back to the hotel.

Garden Warbler

On arriving back, I reminded Pau that Firecrest would be a lifer for me and one soon responded to tape, allowing good views even though it was involved in a tussle with a Blue Tit.

Spain - Day Six

On Friday June 26th we headed to the higher Pyrenees driving to altitudes in excess of 5500 feet and briefly crossing into France. The first part of the day yielded a Rock Bunting which was much more beautiful than its name suggested, and we eventually got to an area where we could see just how 'real' the mountains were. The area reminded me of the Rockies.

Rock Bunting

We spent some time in an area where many Eurasian Griffon Vultures were flying, and with many Yellowhammer, Northern Wheatears and Water Pipits. Eventually we found a Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush flying around some distant rocks.

Eurasian Griffon

Northern Wheatear

We then headed to an area with a very cooperative Ring Ousel, and then after lunch we headed into France hoping to find Alpine Accentor at a ski resort just over the border into France. We dipped on this bird, presumably they had headed to higher ground as the snow melted.

We drove back the way we came enjoying many of the same birds, and finally got close views of Alpine Choughs, birds that had been less visible than their noisy Red-billed cousins.

Yellow-billed Chough

Pyrenean Rock Lizard

Spain - Day Five

We began Thursday June 25th with another stop at El Planeron and waited in vain for more than an hour at a famous spot. There was no sound of any DuPont's Larks and we left the area without this one on our list

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Red-tailed Spiny-footed Lizard

We then visited the ruins of the town of Belchite, bombed during the Spanish Civil War, but we dipped for the second time that day, with Blue Rock Thrush not responding to tape. We then drove around Zaragoza and along a river valley towards the Pyrenees, with nesting White Storks being the notable sighting en route.

With the Pyrenees weather noted for its changeable nature we did not take a siesta and instead went out after my two main target birds for the second half of my trip. We were staying in precisely the right area for these birds, as indicated at our hotel entrance:

Lammergeier and Wallcreeper Sign

 We took a road, almost opposite our hotel, up to the trail that lead past the wallcreeper's wall, and immediately found a small flock of Citril Finch in the car park.

Citril Finch

Citril Finch

We hiked up the trail to the wall, and with our necks aching from staring at the wall top, a thousand feet above us, we hiked further up the trail to a nice spot to wait for a while. We saw a number of birds, as well as butterflies and orchids but then suddenly a Lammergeier came cruising past, to give me wonderful views of this fantasic bird.

Lammergeier

We stopped at the wallcreeper wall on our way down, but I was losing confidence in seeing one when Pau saw one high on the wall. The bird disappeared for a bit before reappearing and behaving the way I'd expected hovering/sitting on the sheer rock face and moving to higher spots on the wall. A second great bird for the day, and more than making up for the two dips in the morning. However the bird was far too distant even for a bad photo and I had to make do with one in the hotel's dining room!

Wallcreeper

But we weren't done for the day, after dinner we went owling, and drove to a spot that was new to Pau, but not to two British birders who were waiting at the spot when we got there.  We had lucked upon a European Quail while driving there, and as the skies began to darken I saw an Eagle Owl silhouetted against the sky and we watched as this bird and then a second flew off towards the setting sun. A Nightjar began churring just as we were leaving.

Eagle Owl