Ravenglass 29 June

By train to Ravenglass on the NW coast.

From the train Shelduck, Oystercatcher, little  egret and Mute Swan.

Ravenglass has an interesting history. It's sheltered harbour made it the Romans' supply route to the North West frontier of the empire (ie Hadrians Wall). They had a big camp here and the ruins of the baths building still stand, along with the earthworks around the main fortress which, intriguingly, has not been excavated.

The village had a second golden age in the 18th C as a trading/smuggling route to and from Ireland, before the harbour silted up. 

Walking along the estuaries and inland I saw BH, Herring and LBB gulls, curlew, spotted flycatcher,  crow, jackdaw, chaffinch, blue and great tit, house sparrow, dunnock, chiffchaff, swallow, house Martin, meadow pipit, kestrel, buzzard, common tern, goldfinch, grey heron.

25

In Glasgow, Yellow-legged full and wren.

Belper

At the house and through the Scotches, Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Crow, Magpie, Chiffchaff, Blackbird, GS Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Robin, wood pigeon, feral pigeon

At Wyver Lane BH Gulls, Gadwall, Shelduck, Coot, Oystercatcher, Canada & Greylag geese, Buzzard, Mallard, Moorhen, House Martin, Great Tit, Tuftie

We identified Hedge Woundwort by the lane

Down at the Valley Gardens, all 5 Peregrines on the Mill, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Swift, Mute Swan (30)

SW London Seasonal Highlights

We finally had our second sighting of the Richmond Park Little Owl, and are now trying to take our dog walks there later in the afternoon to try to see the young too. We also saw a splendid Whitethroat there.

Also through dog walking, Leo chanced across birders on Putney Common looking at an Iberian Chiffchaff. 

When we heard about the Little Bittern at WWT Barnes, Leo headed down and got some great views of it in a willow. I got there the next day and had one good view as it flew across the reed bed, landed towards the top of a bunch of reeds and rapidly shimmied down and out of sight. Birders there told us about the optimal spot for viewing the kingfisher nest so we saw them too. Reed Warblers and Buntings were also much in evidence.

In our garden, it has been great to have regular goldfinches and dunnocks this year as well as the Robin, blackbird, jay, titmice and magpie families. Herons have made off with lots of frogs and an unexpected sudden splashy visit from a pair of mallards to the pond seemed to clear out lots of the frogspawn.

By early June, the stag beetles start taking to the air and we have to keep Spencer out of the garden at dusk to protect them.

Netherlands

On a visit to Keukenhof tulip gardens and cycle from there to the coast, the highlights were Sedge Warblers in the dune scrub and a Yellow Wagtail on one of the canals. Others were chiffchaff, grey heron, Jay, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, mallard, coot, GCG, Egyptian, Canada and Greylag geese.

Japan Feb 2016

Japan Birds

From the airport monorail, Coot, Mallard and 

Tufted Duck. Feral Pigeon of course.

In Zenkoji temple grounds Oriental Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow, Eastern Great Tit, Carrion Crow and Black Faced Bunting. 

Black Kite over towns and forests.

Starlings in murmuration at Obuse, with Common Buzzard close by.

Bramblings in the snow at Kenrokuen gardens at Kanazawa. First group high in trees and confusing from below as could just see white underparts and orange under wings, but later a group on the ground.

Goosander first at Shikawara but later literally dozens on the river down from Takayama, also Spot Billed Duck.

Skylark singing noisily on a tree at Shikawara. Japanese Wagtail piloting a car along the snowy street there.

There are rice paddies so there are Little Egrets.

Wigeon on the shore of Lake Ashi, and a solitary Osprey overhead. Great Cormorants there, distinctive by their white heads.

In a Tokyo park, White Cheeked Starling and a pair of Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers.

23

Ramsgate & Pegwell Bay

In recent weeks, Goldcrest and Egyptian Geese at Richmond Park.

Today at Pegwell, Brent Geese, oystercatcher, green woodpecker, magpie, crow, pied wagtail, dunnock, grey plover, shelduck, redwing, curlew, redshank, turnstone, great black-backed gull, blackbird, little egret, mallard, teal, bh gull.

Richmond Park 1 August

At long last we have found where there is a Little Owl!

Myanmar August 2015

Yangon
Oriental Turtle Dove
Oriental Magpie
House Crow
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Feral Pigeon
Common Myna

Heho
Black Shouldered Kite. Distant in a tree but later seen most superbly on the Palong walk.
Coppersmith Barbet

Inle
Chinese Pond Heron
Little Egret
Little Cormorant
Common Tailorbird
Greater Coucal
Cinnamon Bittern
Scaly Breasted Munia
White Throated Kingfisher
Burmese Shrike 

Kalaw train
Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker
Green Beeeater
Red vented bulbul
Vinous Breasted Starling
Pied Bushchat
House Swift
Indian Roller
Barn Swallow

Kalaw
Little Minivet
Striated Swallow
Ashy Woodswallow
Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher
White Browed Laughingthrush
Black Bulbul
Asian Koel
Black Drongo
Bar winged flycatcher shrike
House swift 

Plains & Mandalay
White Rumped Munia
Spot Billed Duck
Asian Palm Swift
Streak Eared Bulbul
Olive Backed Sunbird
White Throated Babbler
White Vented Myna

Bagan
Burmese Bushlark
Pied Cuckoo
Streaked Weaver
Plain Backed Sparrow
Spotted Owlet
Yellow Cheeked Tit
Grey Breasted Prinia

50!

South Africa July 2015

At Joburg airport: common Myna, Feral Pigeon and Pied Crow

At Hoedspruit Airport, Lilac-Breasted Roller, Grey Lourie, Southern Yellow-Billed Hornbill and Frok Tailed Drongo

In Vuyani: Greater Blue-Eared Starling, Dark-capped Bulbul, Green-backed Cameroptera, Blue Waxbill, African Green Pigeon, Blacksmith Plover, Cape Turtle Dove, Crested Francolin, White Crested Helmetshrike (flying round in small groups), Green Wood-hoopoe, Black-Headed Oriole, African Jacana, Egyptian Goose, Grey Heron, Red-faced Mousebird, Brown Snake Eagle, Green Backed Eremomela, Yellow-breasted Apalis, African Dusky Flycatcher, Brown Hooded Kingfisher, Red-billed Oxpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Yellow-fronted Canary, Bronze Mannikin, Southern Red-billed Hornbill, African Mourning Dove, Brubru, Sabota Lark, Dark Chanting Goshawk (sitting noble and proud on a fencepost), Red-billed Buffalo Weaver (who make the massive next colonies hanging from electricity pylons), Southern Black Tit, Golden-tailed woodpecker, Green-winged Pytilia, Kurrichane Thrush, Black-collared Barbet, Arrow-marked Babbler, Common Scimitarbill, Helmeted Guinea Fowl, Fiery-necked Nightjar (after dusk, sitting on the dusty tracks as we drove along then flying off just at the last minute)

Marabou Stork, Collared Sunbird at the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre.

On a day trip up onto the Drakensberg ridge: White Backed Vulture, Rock Kestrel, African Black Duck (flying), Verraux's Eagle, Red-winged Starling, Greater Double-collared Sunbird, Spectacled Weaver, Intermediate Egret, African Black Swift, Mocking Ciff Chat, Familiar Chat

Back into Moditlo/Vuyani: Southern White Crowned Shrike, African Fish Eagle, African Grey Hornbill, Bataleur, Bearded Scrub Robin, Long-billed Crombec, Hooded Vulture, Red-crested Korhaan, Spotted Eagle Owl

On a marvellous day in Kruger, Magpie Shrike, Natal Spurfowl, Common Ostrich, Three-banded Plover, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Black-backed Puffback, Crested Barbet, Laughing Dove, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Cape Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, African Pipit, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, Cape Wagtail, African Pied Wagtail, Black Crake, Black-crowned Night Heron, White Faced Whistling Duck, Goliath Heron, Striated HEron, Wate rThick Knee, Jameson's Firefinch, Hadeda Ibis, White Throated Swallow. 

Scotland - Loch Lomond

The last of the over-wintering Pink Footed Geese - we saw a flock thinking of landing at the Loch Lomond nature reserve, but they circled and flew off north - off back home we thought. But in fact when we got back to our cottage, there they all were in the field!

A big skein of Whooper Swans navigating along the loch from Inversnaid.

Golden Eagles from Inversnaid and Dollar. 

A Black Grouse lek - 3 males and 2 females near the Whangie car park...we'd had a 5am wake-up so delighted at our success.

Other notables: Curlew outside the cottage, heard first chiffchaff of the year (too early for Pied Flycatchers), Goldeneye, Goosander, GCG on the loch, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks on the hills, a Reed Bunting in the Ochills.

Nuthatch, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper, Pied Wagtail around the loch.

Eider, Redshank at Helensburgh.

Belper 1 Feb

Treecreeper on the Chevin

2 pairs of Goosander, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler on the lake.

At 1715 on a freezing day, first sighting of the Barn Owl emerging from Archery Woods and flying across the field to perch and survey.

SW London December

Barnes WWT
Wren Parakeet Shoveler Tufted duck Blackbird Grey heron Coot Mallard Lapwing Pied wagtail Jackdaw Green woodpecker Moorhen Black headed gull Wigeon Robin Starling Canada goose Greylag goose Mute swan Chaffinch Great tit Blue tit Jay Lbbg Teal Pochard Gadwall Crow

Richmond
Fieldfare, Kestrel, Meadow Pipit, Stonechat

Derbyshire and Yorkshire

On Saturday, a Peregrine on top of the mill at Belper, then out to Carsington for ‎Gadwall Teal Wigeon Pochard Coot Moorhen Tree sparrow Blue tit Chaffinch Dunnock Marsh/willow Tit Canada goose Lapwing Little grebe Tufted duck Cormorant Great crested grebe Great tit Robin Jackdaw Crow Coal tit Mute swan Blackheaded gull Mallard Wood pigeon Collared dove Kestrel magpie House sparrows Starling Gold finch

And on Sunday at Heslington East, Common Gull, snipe, pochard, kestrel, mallard, black headed gull, coot, moorhen, dab chick, greater bb, herring gull, wood pigeon, heron, crow, tufted duck

Botswana

We managed to start our eagerly-awaited birding in transit at Jo'burg aiprort with Common Myna, Rock Dove, Grey-Headed Gull and Pied Crow.

After the short flight to Maun, in and around the Maun Lodge hotel we found Fork-Tailed Drongo, Blacksmith Lapwing, Fiscal Flycatcher, African Jacana, Lesser Seedcatcher, Red-Eyed Dove, Dark-Capped Bulbul, African Plam Swift, Laughing Dove, Purple Heron, African Pygmy Goose, Little Egret, Scarlet-Chested Sunbird, Grey-Backed Cameroptera, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Southern Red Hornbill, Burchell's Starling, Squacco Heron and Lilac-crested Roller.

Our first outing was North beyond Moremi via Mababe: Brown Snake Eagle, White-Browed Coucal, Bateleur, Red-Crested Korhaan, Tawny Eagle, and Black-chested Snake Eagle.

We camped and did game drives around Khwai: Wattled Crane, Helmted Guineafowl, Rufous-bellied Heron, Egyptian Goose, African Openbill, Grey Heron, Grey Lourie, Southern Black Tit, Southern Ground Hornbill, Red-billed Spurfowl, Pearl Spotted Owlet, Meyer's Parrot, Great Egret, Snegal Coucal, Black-crowned Night Heron, Swainson's Spurfowl, Spur-winged Goose, African Sacred Ibis, White-backed Vulture, Crowned Lapwing, Hooded Vulture, Spotted Thick-knee, Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Bennett's Woodpecker, Southern Grey-Headed Sparrow, Golden-breasted Bunting, Emerald-spotted Wood-dove, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Black-winged stilt, Red-billed Oxpecker, African Darter, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Reed Cormorant, White-faced Whistling Duck, Greater Pained-Snipe,  African Spoonbill, Slaty Egret,  Double-banded Sandgrouse, Brubru, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Cape Turtle Dove, Dwarf Bittern, Red-billed Quelea, Magpie Shrike, Chinspot Batis, Blue Waxbill, Squacco Heron,

Next outing was to the Okavango Delta: Little Bee-Eater, Africa Mourning Dove, Grey-rumped Swallow, Burchell's Sandgrouse, greater Honeyguide, Red-billed Firefinch, Jameson's Firefinch, Groundscraper Thrush, White-bellied Sunbird, White-browed Scrub Robin, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill.

Then the journey to Haina, on the edge of the Kalahari. White-Browed Sparrow-weaver, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Tawny Flanked Prinia, Cape Crow and Common Ostrich.

On our long day in the Kalahari, Marico sunbird, Sabota Lark, Short-clawed Lark, Black-shouldered Kite, Rock Kestrels patrolling Desolation Valley, Lappet-faced Vulture, Capped Wheatear, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Ant-eating Chat. Back at the campsite, Green-winged Pytilia, Violet-eared Waxbill, African Red-eyed Bulbul.

At Nata, including a drive out to the salt pans, Yellow-bellied Greenbul, Lesser Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Double-banded Courser, Cape Shoveler, Cape Teal, Little Grebe, Greater Kestrel, Eatern Clapper Lark, Great White Pelican, Western Cattle Egret, African Grey Hornbill, Cape Glossy Starling.

At Kasane campsite: Marabou Stork, Greater Blue-Eared Starling, Verreaux's Giant Eagle Owl, African Scops Owl, Village Weaver, Lesser Striped Swallow, Red-faced Mousebird, Yellow-billed Kite, Green Wood-hoopoe.

On our Chobe trips: Double-banded Sandgrouse, African Skimmer, Crested Francolin, Spur-winged Goose, Striped Kingfisher, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Hooded Vulture, Wire-tailed Swallow, White-fronted Bee-eater, Wattled Starling, Long-toed Lapwing, Black Heron, Collared Pratincole, Intermediate Egret, African Pipit, African Sacred Ibis, Goliath Heron, African Pied Wagtail, Water Thick-knee, Giant Kingfisher.

Finally, at Victoria Falls, Red-winged Starling, Trumpeter Hornbill, Collared Sunbird, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Black-backed Puffback, Grey-heaed Bushshrike, Tropical Boubou, Bronze Mannikin, Retz's Helmetshrike, Black-crowned Tchagra, Purple Roller, collared Plam-thrush and Black-collared Barbet.

Red-crested Korhaan

Southern Ground Hornbill

Pearl Spotted Owlet

White-browed Coucal

Pied Kingfisher

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Dwarf Bittern

Jameson's Firefinch

Blue Waxbill

Pale Chanting Goshawk

Black Shouldered Kite

Kori Bustard

Violet-eared Waxbill and Green Winged Pytilia

Meyer's Parrot

Double-banded Courser

Water Thick-knee

Trumpeter Hornbill

Texas Days 5/6/7: Laguna, Aransas, Rockport

Day 5

We decided to try Laguna A again as it wasn’t too far off our route up to Rockport. It wasn’t as special as on Tuesday, but we got great views of the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo’s Yellow Bill and or Nighthawks. And I caught up with Leo’s Bobwhite sighting.

We were excited to hear that the girl at the desk, who has been living here since May, saw her first Ocelot by the side of the road just the previous evening.

So after a couple of hours we hit the long straight road and kept going till we reached Corpus Christi and the Texas State Aquarium, which sits in the shadow of the USS Lexington – a huge Aircraft Carrier museum. It was a real culture shock to spend $40 on a pretty average aquarium, in amongst crowds and have a dreadful snack bar lunch, after getting used to paying $3 to have a whole nature reserve to ourselves.

We made good our escape and headed on to Rockport, a delightful community right on the sea with a nice shabby hippy feel to the old town as well as some stunning homes. The beach here is apparently Texas’ only official clean beach, so we cooled off there – watching Pelicans, Least Terns and – exciting – Skimmers overhead.

Harris Hawk

Crested Caracara

Yellow Billed Cuckoo

Brown Crested Flycatcher

Olive Sparrow

Turkey Vulture

Northern Bobwhite

Black Vulture

GT Grackle

LB Thrasher

B Cowbird

Common Nighthawk

Rockport

Black Skimmer l t

Red Tailed Hawk

Laughing Gull

Least Tern

Day 6

The big expedition to Aransas.

As we approached the reserve we saw a family of Wild Turkeys and, though it was hard to appreciate against the light, a Painted Bunting. We got a bit mossy-bitten there but that was just a taste of what was to come. On the next 2 short walks we were bitten to death by mossys. Hardcore nature this – sweating away in 100+. surrounded by mossys, chiggers climbing the long grasses and poison ivy to avoid too (with us not sure what chiggers or posion ivy actually look like!).

There weren’t actually many birds around, though we did get a much better view of a Painted Bunting.

The greatest excitement was of a reptilian nature. We were walking long a path and saw a gator floating in a pond by the path. We stopped to photograph and after about a minute Leo spotted that its mate – 7 feet long – had emerged from the undergrowth in front of us. It lay down in the path and looked at us. Leo was confident that lactic acid build-up would prevent it charging us, but it was tense nonetheless. After a period, it stood up and walked muscularly into the pond.

Leo spotted something 

American Alligator

Painted Bunting

Red Tailed Hawk

Wild Turkey

Aransas

American Alligator

White Tailed Deer

Wild Turkey l t

Painted Bunting l t

Red Tailed Hawk t

Black Skimmer

Willet

Scissor Tailed Flycatcher

Caspian Tern

Lesser Yellowlegs

Great Tailed Grackle

Northern Cardinal

Laughing Gulls

Great Blue Heron

Tricoloured Heron

Great White Egret

Day 7

The lady in the local bird –friend shop had given us a map showing local birding sights so we decided to try a few of them before heading off to the airport.

Cape Velero was rewarding – good views of a Swainson’s Hawk and a forensic identification of a Semi-Palmated Sandpiper. 

SemiPalmated Sandpiper