Sunday, April 25, 2010

Productive migration-time outing to Barnes

A beautiful afternoon down at Barnes WWT.

Herring, Common, Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Common Tern, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Cormorant, Crow, Jackdaw, Robin, Reed Warbler (identified thanks to iChirp!), Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Coot, Pochard, Lapwing, Stock Dove, Blackbird, Moorhen, Great Crested Grebes doing the dippy display thing, Starling, Greylag, Sand Martin, Dabchick, Grey Heron, Common and Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Wheatear, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Great Tit, Parakeet, Chaffinch. I also tried using iChirp to alarm a Canada Goose by playing the sound of a Golden Eagle but it didnt work!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Madeira 3-10 April





Dawdling round the hotel gardens we found Macaronesian Blackcap warbling noisily, Macaronesian Blackbirds, Atlantic Canary in the palm trees and Common Terns plunging into the sea. Yellow Legged Gulls overhead.

On our first Levada walk, Madeiran Firecrest, Goldfinch, Madeiran Buzzard gliding over the trees and Macaronesian Kestrel on a lamppost.

At ponta da Pargo Lydia found us a linnet, and first Robins evident.

At Blandy's gardens we had good views of Madeiran Chaffinches (pictured).

Out beyond Canical, Bertholet's Pipits abound and we and we also had a great view of a Shearwater doing its thing. There were 3 Grey Herons out on the fish tanks.
A Little Egret on the river at Machico.

Porto Moniz lived up to its reputation with Shearwaters passing regularly and we were able to pick out Cory's, Great and Manx.

A turnstone on the rocks.

On the Levada walk above PM one enters Lauraceous forest and, sure enough, the Trocaz pigeon makes an appearance, several times seen way below flying over the treetops. The Chaffinches are absurdly gregarious on this stretch.