Friday 31 May 2013

My Portuguese birds!

Some views of the glorious countryside at Castro Verde.....



Male Stonechat

Alentejo list


Cattle Egret
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Heron
White Stork
Mallard
Griffon Vulture
Black Vulture
Golden Eagle
Iberian Imperial Eagle
Booted Eagle
Bonelli’s Eagle
Short-toed Eagle
Black-shouldered Kite
Black Kite
Marsh Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
peregrine
Red-legged Partridge
Moorhen
Coot
Great Bustard
Black-winged Stilt
Collared Pratincole
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed Plover
Lapwing
Sanderling
Yellow-legged Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Swift
Hoopoe
Bee-eater
Skylark
Crested Lark
Thekla Lark
Woodlark
Short-toed Lark
Sand Martin
Crag Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
House Martin
Tawny Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail iberiae
((Nightingale))
Black-eared Wheatear
Stonechat
Blackbird
Blue Rock Thrush
Sardinian Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Zitting Cisticola
((Savi’s Warbler))
Crested Tit
Iberian Grey Shrike
Woodchat
Azure-winged Magpie
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Spotless Starling
Golden Oriole
House Sparrow
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Serin
Corn Bunting
Rock Bunting

75 species

((heard))

Thursday 30 May 2013

The Alentejo, Portugal in late May

I really love the Alentejo Region of Portugal. Set between the Algarve in the south and Lisbon in the north, it really is a relatively undiscovered jewel. I was there for just two days for meetings sandwiched in between tons of birding.

Saw some great stuff including a Golden Eagle at its eyrie with two eaglets. It was amazing. The first Golden Eagle's nest I have ever seen. And as if that wasn't enough, I was taken to a secret location to see an Iberian Imperial Eagle's nest, again containing two eaglets. I felt so priviledged.

What a great birding region!
Black-winged Stilt
Hoopoe
Woodlark
A Crested Tit carrying food
TUB looking up!
Collared Pratincoles
Sanderling - an inland rarity
A drifting male Montagu's Harrier

Sunday 26 May 2013

Serbian Trip List

Long-eared Owl
A fantastic seven days wandering the Pannonian Plains. I can't wait for next year's spring tour. Give me a shout if you fancy coming with me!

Tour list


Black-necked Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
Great Cormorant
Pygmy Cormorant
Little Bittern
Night Heron
Squacco Heron
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
White Stork
Black Stork
Spoonbill
Mute Swan
Greylag
Mallard
Gadwall
Garganey
Pochard
Ferruginous Duck
Tufted Duck
White-tailed Duck
Marsh Harrier
Montagu’s Harrier
Long-legged Buzzard
Common Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Goshawk
Kestrel
Red-footed Falcon
Hobby
Saker
Pheasant
Moorhen
Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Lapwing
Common Sandpiper
Black-headed Gull
Yellow-legged Gull
Common Tern
Whiskered Tern
Feral Pigeon
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Turtle Dove
Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Long-eared Owl
Little Owl
Swift
Hoopoe
Kingfisher
Bee-eater
Black Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Syrian Woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
((Wryneck))
Skylark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Barn Swallow
House Martin
Tawny Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (Black-headed)
((Wren))
Robin
Nightingale
Common Redstart
Black Redstart
Northern Wheatear
Stonechat
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Barred Warbler
((Garden Warbler))
Blackcap
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Savi’s Warbler
Reed Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Great Reed Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Spotted Flycatcher
Great Tit
((Blue Tit))
((Marsh Tit))
Long-tailed Tit (caudatus – white-headed)
Bearded Tit
Nuthatch
Short-toed Treecreeper
Red-backed Shrike
Lesser Grey Shrike
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Raven
Starling
Golden Oriole
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Hawfinch
Reed Bunting
Ortolan
Yellowhammer
Corn Bunting

((heard))

122 species


Tuesday 21 May 2013

More reasons to hang out in Serbia

 The vista
 White Stork
 Black-necked Grebe
 Common Buzzard
A very blurred Barred Warbler

Monday 20 May 2013

The Serbian Spring Tour thus far

 Hot, idyllic days so far
 Quite a few Marsh Warblers
 Tons of Collared Doves
 Stacks of Bee-eaters
 A male Syrian Woodpecker amongst tripods and a dead female Red-footed Falcon
 A poor Rook chick that fell out of its nest in the rookery with our guide, Milan Ruzic
 Spotted Flycatchers abound
 There's plenty of Red-backed Shrikes
 A secretive Savi's Warbler
What we all came for - Long-eared Owls

Friday 17 May 2013

Back on the urban ranch

I've been so cold for so long this year in the UK. Indeed, ever since last October I have barely felt the rays of the warm sun on my back. This is mid May and it really does look and feel like March. Today was relatively dull with a quite fresh wind blowing.

Wednesday was even worse. I got to The Scrubs at 6am to witness the trees almost doubling over due to the strong winds. All of this occurred under a cold grey sky. I didn't even get out of the car. I sat there for a few minutes, convincing myself that there were no migrants to be found and that a warm bed was a better option.

It was.

Tuesday 14 May 2013

The final Latvian count

Yellow Wagtail

Black-throated Diver

Great Crested Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Cormorant
Bittern
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Heron
White Stork
Mute Swan
Whooper Swan
White-fronted Goose
Bean Goose
Greylag
Canada Goose
Barnacle Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
Shoveler
Wigeon
Teal
Garganey
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Scaup
Eider
Common Scoter
Velvet Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Goldeneye
Goosander
Red-breasted Merganser
Capercaillie
Black Grouse
Hazel Grouse NEW!
Red-legged Partridge
Corncrake
White-tailed Eagle
Osprey
Red Kite
Black Kite
Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier
Common Buzzard
Rough-legged Buzzard
Honey Buzzard
Goshawk
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Hobby
Merlin
((Water Rail))
((Little Crake))
Moorhen
Coot
Common Crane
Oystercatcher
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Wood Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
((Woodcock))
Snipe
((Jack Snipe))
Ruff
Black-headed Gull
Little Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-back
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Black Tern
White-winged Tern
Whiskered Tern
Feral Pigeon
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Turtle Dove
Cuckoo
((Tengmalm’s Owl)) NEW!
Tawny Owl
Nightjar
Swift
Hoopoe
Roller
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Wryneck
Skylark
Woodlark
Crested Lark
Sand Martin
Swallow
House Martin
Tawny Pipit
Tree Pipit
Meadow Pipit
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail (flava & thunbergi)
Waxwing
Dunnock
Robin
Thrush Nightingale
Bluethroat (red & white spot)
Common Redstart
Black Redstart
Northern Wheatear
Whinchat
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Fieldfare
Blackbird
Blackcap
Garden Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
((Grasshopper Warbler))
((Savi’s Warbler))
Reed Warbler
Icterine Warbler
Willow Warbler
Wood Warbler
Chiffchaff
Goldcrest
Wren
Spotted Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Pied Flycatcher
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Crested Tit
Penduline Tit
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Red-backed Shrike
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Brambling
Linnet
Mealy Redpoll
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Siskin
Serin
Crossbill
Hawfinch
Reed Bunting
Yellowhammer

165 species
2 lifers
((Heard))