2012: year of the birds
10/01/2012
After a weak year last year, I want to make a decent stab at the magical 200-bird year list. Hopefully I'll have some competitors to keep me motivated.
I have only had one trip out so far, resulting in a modest starting total of 39. Only highlights being a pair of Chiffchaffs at Donmouth.
Anyway, let the race commence!
Thom
Ythan and Cromarty Field Trip
16/06/2011
After 5 days packed full of wildlife spectacles, I have emerged with a mere 1 new species for the year. Seen on 3 different occasions in 3 different places, the 5 Ospreys were my only addition. Aside from that there were numerous Bottlenose Dolphin encounters, one evening produced Soprano Pipistrelle Bats and both of our native Seal species made an appearance.
Fingers crossed now for the White-Winged Scoter up the road tomorrow!
I'll update again then.
Thom
First Ythan Visit of 2011
24/04/2011
With all of Aberdeenshire's accessible rarities turning up at the Ythan, it seemed only right that now would be the time to go for the first time this year.
Although we missed out on the Bonaparte's Gull and Whimbrels that had been kicking around, we did see a flock of at least 30 Little Terns fishing within a few metres of us, a minimum of 240 Seals (Common and Grey) basking together, and finally, the King Eider.
The day held numerous easy year ticks including my first Willow Warblers, Bar-Tailed Godwits and Yellowhammers of the year. Other highlights included a hunting Peregrine, a female Wheatear and a White Wagtail.
Overall a productive day, which has left me on 100 for the year.
Thom
Buda, Buda, Buda! Pest, Pest, Pest!
16/04/2011
Had an incredible trip to Hungary with Ruth last week. Although the species list only reached 39, there were some unforgettable moments.
From the train to Budapest from the airport I picked up 7 easy birds, highlights being Hooded Crow and Kestrel.
Our first full day saw us end up on Margaret Island. The lack of greenery in Budapest means that the island is an absolute mecca for birds. I more than doubled my trip list in just over an hour there. We walked to within a few feet of a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, and there were copious amounts of Tree Sparrows, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. We even saw a few Red Squirrels!
Undoubtedly though, the highlight of the day had to be a Hawfinch that Ruth spotted flying up to a low branch in front of us as we were sitting on a bench. Typically, it posed beautifully until I got my camera out, at which point it flew off.
The birding went quiet for a few days after that, with only a Nuthatch causing any excitement, aside from bizarrely stumbling across a Ring-Necked Parakeet! Apparently London isn't the only large city that is harbouring a population of these noisy green blighters!
Our second last full day entailed a train ride to Lake Balaton, the largest lake in eastern Europe. It was absolutely magical there. We got great views of Marsh Harrier, Great White Egret and Raven from the train, as well as a good number of other species such as a surprise fly-by Merlin.
When we arrived we went for lunch at a local restaurant and were blown away, not only by the £3 pizzas and 70p pints of local beer (both of which were fantastic!), but also by a swarm of Black Redstarts fighting over a small number of females.
We then had a very close encounter with a Little Egret that was fishing in a shallow bay. It allowed us to get nice and close, and as a result we decided to give her a nickname. We went for Margaret the Egret in memory of the day of the Hawfinch!
Thom
Learning from old mistakes...
28/03/2011
Today, we went to shamelessly twitch the Short-Toed Treecreeper at Landguard NR. After 2 and a half hours standing around with no more than a single glimpse of what was supposedly the bird flying between dense bushes. As we headed back to the car I was distracted by a gorgeous male Black Redstart and went after it with the camera. Despite failing to acquire a decent shot, it did hold us up long enough to be called over by the twitch brigade.
It turned out that the Treecreeper had been caught in a mist net. We were then met by the warden who gave us an up-close view of what ultimately was an unremarkable bird.
Thom
Last Trip before Easter
20/03/2011
After a miserably quiet walk round my usual Donmouth route on Friday, I decided to have another nip round first thing this morning.
I took my scope out for the first time since Christmas and managed to pick up Guillemot, Red-Throated Diver, Stock Dove, Red-Breasted Merganser and Long-Tailed Duck. The first three of these were year ticks. I managed to take a couple of reasonable snaps too, which can be seen both in the gallery and also on Birdguides.
Looking forward now to a migrant-packed trip to London next week.
Bring on the birds!
Thom