8 September 2009

Eastern Reef Heron

Eastern Curlew

Bush Stone-curlew

Australian Pelican

Black-fronted Dotterel

7 September 2009 - Cairns, Australia

Beach Stone-curlew

Rainbow Lorikeet

Pied Imperial-pigeon

Peaceful Dove

6 September 2009 - Cairns, Australia

Masked Lapwing

Magpie-lark

Helmeted Friarbird

Figbird

Double-eyed Fig-parrot

11 May 2009 - At home

Have just found time to update the blog - finally. The Bearded One has been sunny his ageing buttocks on Lesbos for a couple of weeks, doubtless seeing masses of fantastic birds! He'll doubtless call me shortly to see what's turned up whilst he's been away. How do I tell him that there's been: Brown-headed Cowbird (3 days), Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Western Sandpiper (6 dyas), Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Collared Flycatcher (4 days), Crested Lark (5 days), Hudsonian Whimbrel, Little Bittern, Black-winged Pratincole (in Kent), Solitary Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Franklin's Gull, 2x Black Ducks, White-winged Black Tern, Whiskered Terns, Bee-eaters, Marsh Sandpiper, Iberian Chiffchaff, etc, etc - not to mention all the Cattle Egrets, Purple Herons and Black kites....

Welcome back John!

10 May 2009 - New Hythe Lakes

Breakfast in the back garden produced this Buzzard flying overhead - a welcome and very overdue species for the garden list.

Had a walk with the rellies round the lakes - a few butterflies and this caterpillar were the only things of note though the amount of warblers calling was a welcome diversion from nattering about family matters.

My first attempt at Bat photography was poor - though the evening was brightened up by the odd appearance of three Common Sandpipers chasing each other in teh fading light (8.55-9.10pm!).

6 May 2009 - East Malling Research Station

A quick lunchtime walk produced a few nice sightings - regretably this was the first such outing (to look at small stuff) so far this year around my place of work.

Speckled Wood trying to avoid being seen!

Fox cub - one of three seen at the den.

Green-veined White's put on a good showing.

Including this mating pair.


Highlight for me though was the appearance of several Large Red Damselflies - nice.

1 & 2 May 2009 - Portland, Dorset

Flippin eck! Mega-alert: Eastern Bonelli's Warbler on Portland - time to leave work... Or at least I wanted to, but it was Friday afternoon and I was in The George Public House wishing a colleague farewell as he departed for the new HQ in Warwickshire. I gave my speech and threw him his presents before finally cracking and driving to Portland. With very heavy traffic we encountered delay after delay and finally we arrived at 8.05pm - 30 minutes after the bird was last seen. Oh well, I guess that answers yesterday's question!

An overnight in a hotel provided us with another opportunity for the Warbler - had it been present. Instead we had to console ourselves with the wonderful Collared Flycatcher (picture by Steve Nutall) in an apple tree, before finally heading for home.

A brief stop at Radipole enabled us to get a plumage tick on this very tame duck - wild, it is certainly not - we had it down to less than 3 feet!

30 April 2009 - North Yorkshire then Dungeness

The day started badly as I'd had travelled the day before to North Yorkshire for a conference - that I was involved in organising. I had thrown my bag on the bed only to hear mega-alert go off - Creasted Lark at Dungeness. I'd only left Kent at 3.45pm that afternoon.

With news of the Crested Lark still showing this morning I was a little distracted when the boss first suggested I leave the conference and head south. I thought he was joking the second, third and forth time he suggested it.... But as I'm being made redundant in July, when he mentioned it a fifth time. I took him up on the offer!

After setting the conference in motion, I set myself in motion and by 1.50pm I was at Dungeness watching the Crested Lark. Also say Adrian Kettle who was a year tick for me - I hadn't seen Adrian since the Alder Flycatcher.

Since my little son arrived in October 08 only two new birds had arrived in the UK and I'd seen them both - just wonder how long this run of good fortune isgoing to last....

Image is from the Dungeness Bird Observatory website - surely one of the best images of the Lark there is?

24 April 2009 - Ditton Quarry

23 April 2009 - Holly Hill

A lunchtime visit to Holly Hill was an attempt by Adam and myself to get Green Hairstreak, Grizzled and Dingy Skipper.

And we also found a moth (which I'll have time to look up in the book one day!).

20 April 2009

After communting round New Hythe lakes for a wee while this adult Whooper Swan visited Bradbourne House lake. I am in no doubt whatsoever that this is a feral or previously captive bird - yes, I'd like it to be the genuine thing, but I'd only be kidding myself. I've heard some people claim the New Hythe bird as good - but it certainly doesn't tick my boxes to get itself on to my site list. A shadow in the nostril can make it sometimes appear as though there is a black mark half way up the front edge of the yellow - a close up shows a bit more of the detail.

18 April 2009 - Kinloch, Scotland

Managed a wee spot of ringing in the garden. 75 birds over the week - not a bad effort. 5 Siskins ringed plus one that alreday had an aviculturalist's ring on it - very strange.

17 April 2009 - The Hermitage, Dunkeld, Scotland

Wanting a better walk to test our little one's buggy we ventured out to The Hermitage in pursuit of waterfalls and easy footpaths. A superb site on a lovely hot Scottish Spring day.

Mountain Bumble-bee (Bombus monticola). ID based on key in Edwards & Jenner (p 40-41) - but comments appreciated.

Tiger beetle spp. - not sure this is the same baest that runs across the sandy dunes and heathland of Southern England. These chaps, and there were loads of them, seemed considerably smaller than Green Tiger Beetle. But who knows? Not I.

Fly spp on conifer - was there no end to the entomological excitement to this day...?

And then, just as we got back to the car, I located a Dipper's nest, complete with Dippers.

I left to Wiff to return to the car, I readied my camera and took a few test shots. I took a couple of pics of the birds and then my batteries ran out. Bollocks!

16 April 2009 - Kinloch, Scotland

One Roe Deer seen at the back of the garden just as sun was starting to rise. Three Roe Deer were seen on two other occasions - a nice garden tick!

15 April 2009 - Ardler, Scotland

A visit to a relative of The Good Lady Wiff produced these plants growing on a remote roadside - I know not what they are.

Any help much appreciated.

14 April 2009 - Loch of Lowes

Decided to get up early (4.30am) to attempt Otters at Loch of Lowes after the Warden said that a pair had a holt at the bottom of the 'Osprey tree'. The early morning light was beautiful.

75+ Sand Martins flew out of the reeds at 5.45am.

Little grebes were calling away and enjoying the visitor free reserve.

A bit more surprising was the appearance of a pair of Long-tailed Ducks. A nice bonus, even though the notice board later indicated they'd been around for a while!

The views were no less superb as the sun rose and created a mist above the water.

The Red Squirrels by the visitor center were fun - and just as charismatic as ever.

And the Otters - no chance!

13 April 2009 - Glenshie, Scotland

Went up Glenshie on a quest to see what the scenary was like in Spring. The snow had nearly all melted which was initially disappointing - until we realised it was revealing the Mountain Hares looking rather conspicuous in their Winter attire..

With their relatively short ears, these beasties certainly looked more like white rabbits than hares!

12 April 2009 - Scotland

Early in the first morning of this week-long holiday in Scotland I saw a feline spp leg it across the garden. I said to the neighbour that I'd taken a snap of her moggy, "No", she replied, "No one's got a cat round here..."

However, despit the desire to see a Wild Cat one day in Scotland, this feline has to be relegated to Category C - definately a feral cat, but from where, no-one knows.