Autumn has dawned at The Scrubs

I feel terrible having neglected The Scrubs for so long this summer. I guess aside from not being around a lot recently I've also been a little depressed of late what with the current threats represented by the Mayor's Office, Transport for London and HS2. 

There's a another new threat in the shape of a music festival that is planned for September - right in the middle of the migration season. Most of the  local people are against it but alarmingly, there are some that are for it. What they don't realise is that there could be potentially thousands of festival goers trampling the habitat. Furthermore, once you let one lot in The Scrubs will be opened up as a being on the circuit.

One of today's two Whinchats

 Tales of woah aside, this morning's visit to The Scrubs was highly fruitful. I saw a couple of male Whinchat in the grassland. These birds were the earliest returning autumn migrant Whinchats on record on my patch.

A female Reed Bunting

 Four Swallows were unusual for this time of year but the best bird was a brief flyover Common Tern - our first in perhaps three years.

Meadow Pipit

Life goes on at The Scrubs and the good birds just keep on coming. I always live in hope that the armageddon that lies ahead for the site is not as complete as it promises to be.

MadBird Fair 12 - 15 June 2014

The MadBird Fair (Madrid Bird Fair) was the first of it's kind in Madrid and indeed, was a birdfair after my own heart as it was totally urban. It was free to enter for the general public and had the usual blend of optical, tourism and arts and crafts.

My role was to give a talk on urban birding. I felt embarrassed not being able to speak Spanish. In reality, I had a proper interpreter relaying my poor gags to the assembled Spanish crowd. Although feeling like I was speaking at a UN gathering the talk was very well received. I loved the talk and loved being at the Fair under the hot Madrid sun.

I can't wait to go to next year's MadBird - if I'm invited!

Madrid is a magnificent city

 The attentive Natalia, one of the organisers. She looked after me beautifully!

 My good friend, the delectable Vanesa Palacios from Extremadura Tourism

 Vanesa's last slide at her talk

 Some of my assembled crowd

 Around the fair

 Part of a marquee

 Not tons of people but it was still generally well attended

 A Spotless Starling in a nearby park

A immature Green Woodpecker of the soon to be split Iberian race

Meadow Pipits in June

Meadow Pipit with food

 I'm ashamed to report that I have hardly been to my beloved patch recently. In my own defence, I have been mega busy plus by the time morning comes I'm just too knackered to even consider opening my eyes, let alone get out of bed!

But on the few occasions that I managed to tip out of bed I was able to witness adult Meadow Pipits bringing food to their unseen young. I'm hoping that at least three pairs successfully bred. It was great to see them though. I always feel a sense of pride as well as contentment when I see evidence that breeding has occurred.

It's now early July and already I may be too late to see the fledglings being fed. By now, they are buzzing around looking indistinguishable from the adults. By the end of the month our population starts to thin out. By the end of August most of our birds have disappeared and some days we don't find any at all. By mid September the migrant Meadow Pipits begin to arrive with the odd Tree Pipit. On thee occasions in the past we were even lucky to find Richard's Pipits!

Anyway, I hope that I will be able to wake up early more often to enjoy my glorious patch.

A male Linnet 

TUB Tours: Speyside Tour Scotland 2014

Earlier in the month I led a tour for just one client around Speyside and Black Isle, fairly nearby north of Inverness. The idea was for him to clean up on the Scottish specialities. Seeing as it was early June we had missed our golden opportunities to see Capercaille and lekking Black Grouse. Added to that, the weather during our five day stay wasn't the best. But despite the disadvantages we still managed to bag over 100 species including beauties like Ring Ouzel, Ptarmigan and Dotterel.

We dipped on Crested Tit (although we may have heard them) and Scottish Crossbill. We based ourselves at the famous Grant Arms Hotel in Grantown-on-Spey near Aviemore and Loch Garten.

One of our favourite spots was Lochindorb, a large loch some 10 miles away from the hotel. We found some interesting birds there like a lone Pink-footed Goose amongst the hundreds of Greylags, Merlin, Redpolls and best of all a hunting Hobby one evening - a scarce bird this far north.

A great time was had on this trip. Come and join me next year!

 Lochindorb - our local patch

 Families of Greylags on Lochindorb

 The gorgeous Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms

 A male Ring Ouzel on the Cairngorms

 The house that has the best view in the world!

 Dippers

 Female Yellowhammer

 Male Yellowhammer

 Red Grouse

Slavonian Grebe

Species list

Black-throated Diver

Great Crested Grebe

Slavonian Grebe

Little Grebe

Cormorant

Shag

Grey Heron

Mute Swan

Pink-footed Goose

Greylag

Canada Goose

Shelduck

Mallard

Gadwall

Wigeon

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Eider

Goldeneye

Red-breasted Merganser

Osprey

Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Kestrel

Hobby

Peregrine

Merlin

Red Grouse

Ptarmigan

Red-legged Partridge

Pheasant

Moorhen

Coot

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover

Dotterel

Lapwing

Dunlin

Common Sandpiper

Redshank

((Greenshank))

Curlew

Black-tailed Godwit

Woodcock

Snipe

Black-headed Gull

Common Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-back

Great Black-back

Common Tern

Sandwich Tern

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove

Cuckoo

Swift

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Skylark

Sand Martin

Swallow

House Martin

Meadow Pipit

Tree Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Dipper

Wren

Dunnock

Robin

Wheatear

Stonechat

Song Thrush

Mistle Thrush

Blackbird

Ring Ouzel

((Blackcap))

Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

Goldcrest

Spotted Flycatcher

Great Tit

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Treecreeper

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Rook

Carrion Crow

Hooded Crow

Raven

Starling

House Sparrow

Chaffinch

Linnet

Redpoll

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Bullfinch

Reed Bunting

Yellowhammer

106 species

((heard))

TUB Tours 2014 Serbia Spring Tour - final count

A fabulous time was had by all in what is rapidly becoming one of my favourite countries. Serbia has some amazing wildlife and the locals are pretty amenable too. But the single thing I love the most about the country are its owls.

I can't wait for the winter tour in December 2014

 Female Ural Owl in her hollow stump nest site

 Out of the nest but keeping a watchful eye

 Barred Warbler

 Purple Heron

 Syrian Woodpecker

 Long-eared Owl

 Spotted Flycatchers

White Wagtail

Spring Tour Bird List 17-24 May 2014

Great Crested Grebe

Black-necked Grebe

((Little Grebe))

Pygmy Cormorant

Great Cormorant

((Bittern))

Little Bittern

Night Heron

Squacco Heron

Little Egret

Great Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

White Stork

Black Stork

Spoonbill

Mute Swan

Mallard

Gadwall

Garganey

Pochard

Tufted Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Goldeneye

White-tailed Eagle

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Short-toed Eagle

Marsh Harrier

Long-legged Buzzard

Common Buzzard

Honey Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Goshawk

Kestrel

Red-footed Falcon

Hobby

Peregrine

Moorhen

Coot

Pheasant

Avocet

Black-winged Stilt

Lapwing

Redshank

Greenshank

Black-headed Gull

Little Gull

Yellow-legged Gull

Black Tern

Whiskered Tern

Wood Pigeon

Collared Dove 

Turtle Dove

Cuckoo

Ural Owl

Long-eared Owl

((Tawny Owl))

Little Owl

Barn Owl

Swift

Hoopoe

Kingfisher

Bee-eater

Roller

Black Woodpecker

((Green Woodpecker))

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker

Middle Spotted Woodpecker

Wryneck

Skylark

Crested Lark

Sand Martin

Swallow

House Martin

Tawny Pipit

White Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail (flavissima, thunbergi & feldegg)

((Robin))

Nightingale

Black Redstart

Wheatear

Whinchat

Stonechat

((Song Thrush))

Blackbird

Barred Warbler

Blackcap

Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat

Sedge Warbler

((Savi's Warbler))

Reed Warbler

Marsh Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Icterine Warbler

Chiffchaff

Wood Warbler

((Wren))

Spotted Flycatcher

Collared Flycatcher

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Marsh Tit

((Long-tailed Tit))

Penduline Tit

Nuthatch

((Short-toed Treecreeper))

Lesser Grey Shrike

Red-backed Shrike

Magpie

Jay

Jackdaw

Rook

Hooded Crow

Raven

Starling

Golden Oriole

House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow

Spanish Sparrow

Chaffinch

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Serin

Hawfinch

Reed Bunting

Ortolan Bunting

Corn Bunting

129 species

((heard))

2014 Serbia Spring Tour in pictures Pt 1

 Red-backed Shrike

 Tree Sparrow

 Young Kestrels

 Young Long-eared Owl

 Spotted Flycatcher

 Golden Oriole

 Red-footed Falcon

 Tree Sparrow

Common Starling 

Red-footed Falcon

A stroll around The Scrubs

A few of the birds that stood still long enough for me to take a snap whilst I was taking a stroll around my patch this morning.

 Female Blackbird

 Male Linnet

Song Thrush