This morning I toured a number of sites in the Vale of Pickering that I am likely to be required to survey this year. A nice selection of farmland species were in evidence and it promises to be an interesting spring. A couple of pairs of Lapwings were already showing some signs of breeding behaviour. Other species included Yellowhammer, Linnet, Tree Sparrow and Song Thrush. A nice flock of Siskins included a number of singing males of which the bird pictured left was one. Buzzards continued to be in evidence as they begin re-establishing their territories. The bird below was photographed last week.
With the spring not too far away now my forthcoming survey work commitments for the busy spring period are starting to become clearer. This morning I toured a number of sites in the Vale of Pickering that I am likely to be required to survey this year. A nice selection of farmland species were in evidence and it promises to be an interesting spring. A couple of pairs of Lapwings were already showing some signs of breeding behaviour. Other species included Yellowhammer, Linnet, Tree Sparrow and Song Thrush. A nice flock of Siskins included a number of singing males of which the bird pictured left was one. Buzzards continued to be in evidence as they begin re-establishing their territories. The bird below was photographed last week. Yesterday a tour of a number of local sites was largely uneventful, although the Black-throated Diver remains in residence at Wykeham South Lake and there was a steady trickle of Sky Larks heading south along the coast or arriving from the sea. Finishing the day at the Holbeck car park on the south side of Scarborough it was as usual a delight to spend time with the Mediterranean Gulls that winter here. It won't be long before these are on their way to their breeding colonies and there were a couple of adults not far off full breeding plumage. A selection of images are shown below.
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Colourful, noisy, chaotic, a country of great contrasts with often shocking and disturbing poverty sometimes pressed up right in your face. It is frequently a challenging place in which to travel. However, there is always something to see and the wildlife is fantastic. Consequently I am always on the lookout for opportunities to visit this incredible country and my most recent visit took place in January. Indian is a country which has somehow got me hooked like no other and always leaves me wanting more. My first visit in 1991 was hard work. Great birding, generally friendly and welcoming people; a complete travel experience. Yet that first visit was just too much. Too much hassle. Too much poverty. Too much red tape. Too much like hard work. Too much diarrhoea! I left vowing never to return, and in 30 years of worldwide travel covering over 50 countries, no other country has left such a strong impact on me. However, despite the feelings engendered by that first trip I was tempted to return in 1998, a trip to Goa. A somewhat softer option compared to the rigours of the north, but I really did enjoy it. Three further trips in Goa and excursions through the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadil and I have become firmly hooked. I have been returning for varying lengths of time almost every year ever since with visits to far flung parts of the country including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat there are only a few states which have yet to receive my attention. My latest trip was as a guide for a small birding group covering the same itinerary that I opted for back on that first trip in 1991. I have traveled this circuit on half a dozen occasions now and it never ceases to inspire me. That said, the starting point in Delhi is not my favourite of destinations. Traffic jams abound and that most essential of items on an Indian car, the horn is put to constant use. Delhi has recently been confirmed as the world's noisiest city, with noise-levels such that people suffer from age related hearing degeneration a full 10 or 15 years earlier than would be case elsewhere in the world. But, whilst you may not move around the city very quickly, there is always something to look at, something incredible going on (at least to Western eyes at any rate). However once clear of the city and heading for the town of Ramnagar, gateway to Corbett National Park, you are passing through a flat agricultural landscape of the Gangetic Plain with fields planted with wheat, mustard and sugar cane. A few hours of this and that great Himalayan mountain range with soaring, snow-capped peaks begins to rise up. Gently rolling hills at first, with magnificent rivers characterised by braided, rocky strewn streams and those hills cloaked with forests that are home to the wildlife which is the principle reason I return time and time again. Entering the magnificent Corbett National Park always inspires. The first of the parks to be set up and protected by Project Tiger this area is home to an impressive 200 or so Tigers and a wonderful array of birds. Limited to moving around the park by open-top vehicles called Gypsies it can be a bit frustrating, but you soon find an excellent selection of birds and mammals and have a good chance of finding the iconic Tiger. Highlights on this most recent trip included a Brown Fish Owl dozing on a branch in the early morning sunshine, a diminutive Collared Falconet perched high in a tree on the forest edge, a Changeable Hawk-eagle having just finished its meal of an egret and of course the three Tigers we saw plodding slowly across the track in front of our vehicle. Moving on to the hill station of Nainital the increased elevation brings you in range of a different selection of birds and with magnificent views of the distant, snow-covered peaks of the high Himalaya this wonderful area provides a fine array of superb birds. Quiet spells are interspersed by periods of dynamic activity as mixed feeding parties of birds move through the trees, fast-flowing streams and rivers are home to gorgeous White-capped Water Redstarts and Spotted Forktails. Precipitous grass-covered slopes attract the globally threatened Cheer Pheasant, whilst wheeling flocks of Altai Accentors can be most confiding. Dropping back down onto the plains this classic itinerary takes in the world famous Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur, whilst a visit to this part of India would not be complete without a visit to the incomparable Taj Mahal. For the wildlife enthusiast there is little not to like on this itinerary. Superb opportunities for seeing some of the most wonderful birds and mammals on the planet plus a bombardment of rich experiences unlike no other country in the world. Simply fantastic. This latest trip was with Birdwatching Breaks and a birding trip report can be found here. If you are interested in visiting India then I am available to arrange and guide birding trips throughout the country, so contact me for more details. A sizeable flock of Bramblings have been present at Cockmoor Hall (north of the village of Snainton) since early December at least. As I had to head into Pickering today, I stopped off on my way home in order to have a look. At least 14 were still present, feeding on the beech mast close to the road and I managed a few pics during my short stop there.
Christmas Day dawned with beautiful clear blue skies and strong sunshine. So with an hour spare before the festivities kicked off I took the chance to have a look at Wykeham Lakes. Pretty quiet there with a drake Goldeneye and a few Tufted Ducks the only interest. Continuing around to the west side of the lakes, I paused for a smart male Brambling at Hutton Buscel Carr and enjoyed some nice views in the bright sunshine. A bit further along the road some greyish brown blobs in a bush attracted my attention and on raising my bins I realised they were in fact a flock of nine Waxwings. Always a treat they lingered long enough for me to get a few pics before they flew off towards Ings Bridge. An unexpected and very welcome treat on a Christmas morning. Also from the Christmas period a pic of a Mediterranean Gull which as usual can be relied upon at the Holbeck car park on the south side of Scarborough. One of five birds present just before Christmas.
As we near the end of 2013 here is a selection of the more memorable birds I have seen in 2013. Or at least those that I managed to get decent photos of! On Tuesday I spent a day in the company of Frank, a visiting birder from Philadelphia. In lovely sunny and fairly calm conditions we visited a range of sites in the Scarborough area with the aim of finding a wide range of species and hopefully finding a few new birds for him. With the short winter day offering under eight hours of birdable light, we began on The Carrs at Flixton just after 8am. Here, as the sun came up we were treated to nice views of a Barn Owl hunting over the fields. The River Hertford hosted a few Teal, Moorhen and a briefly seen Water Rail, whilst a Little Egret cruised west overhead. Flocks of Lapwinsg and a few Curlew were flying about in the distance. As we returned back towards the village it was evident that there were good numbers of Blackbirds present, with a notable count of at least 60. A few Redwings posed nicely - a new bird for Frank. A Lesser Redpoll and a few Goldfinches and Tree Sparrows were also seen well before we moved on to Flotmanby. Here we had distant views of some Eurasian Wigeon, but there was little to detain us.
At Ganton we worked some fields where crops have been sown for the benefit of finches and buntings. Here there were at least 57 Yellowhammer, ca 15 Reed Buntings, plus small numbers of Tree Sparrows, Chaffinches and nine Lesser Redpolls. An sizeable flock of Fieldfares numbered at least 140, whilst other species of interest here included Stock Dove and some more flocks of Lapwings. Cockmoor Hall near Snainton was our next stop and here we were treated to some wonderful views of Bramblings along with a variety of commoner tit species and three Treecreepers. Our drive through Troutsdale yielded Bullfinch and then the Forge Valley feeders produced close views of Nuthatch and Marsh Tit plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker. After grabbing a hot drink and a quick bite to eat we visited Wykeham South Lake where White-fronted Goose, Goldeneye, Pochard and Common Buzzard were the main items of interest. The afternoon was spent along the coastal strip where a quiet Long Nab produced Skylark, Red-throated Diver and our first Grey Heron, Redshank and Oystercatcher of the day. At Scalby Mills we enjoyed getting close up views of the Eurasian Wigeon whilst the commoner gulls were also present in good numbers. Our final stop of the day was the Holbeck car park on the south side of Scarborough. Here as expected we soon located several Mediterranean Gulls, whilst on the calm seas we could easily pick out Common Scoter, Shag, Cormorant and a distant view of the Great Northern Diver that has been present for a few days now. With a respectable total of 70 species seen during the day, including a good number of life birds for Frank, it had been an excellent and most enjoyable exploration of the Scarborough area. I am scheduled to lead a tour to south-eastern China for Birdwatching Breaks in November 2014. This is a tour I greatly enjoyed leading last year and am keen to return. If you are excited by the prospect of encountering mouth watering species such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper, flocks of Siberian, White-naped, Hooded and Red-crowned Cranes, Oriental Storks, Pied Falconet, vast flocks of geese plus Baikal Teal, Scaly-sided Merganser and a host of buntings, thrushes and other gripping species then this could be the trip for you. The trip report from the 2012 tour can be found here. Details of the itinerary can be found at the Birdwatching Breaks website. If the dates of the Birdwatching Breaks itinerary don't suit, then I am planning a private group tour running from 23rd November into December. If you'd like further details of the private tour, then contact me directly at [email protected]. I am just back from a most enjoyable and relaxing week on the Portuguese Algarve, where Julie, myslef and a couple of friends were based in a villa on the outskirts of the small town of Tavira. This was not a birding trip as such, and I just spent an hour or two each day pottering around the environs of our villa or visiting the salt-pans just outside Tavira itself. Cloud and drizzle on our arrival seemed to have caused an arrival of Pied Flycatchers and a few other migrants and with very little effort I chalked up a bird list of 88 species (see below) during our one week stay. I enjoyed spending some time with the camera and a selection of images are included in the gallery below. List of species recorded
1. Mallard 2. Gadwall 3. Cormorant 4. Cattle Egret - Small numbers near the salt pans. 5. Little Egret 6.Grey Heron 7. Spoonbill - Up to 15 at the salt pans. 8. White Stork - Odd singles. 9. Greater Flamingo - Up to 49 around the salt pans. 10. Osprey - A single carrying a fish at the salt pans. 11. Short-toed Eagle - A single near the villa. 12. Booted Eagle - A group of four over the villa one afternoon with at least 11 the next morning. 13. Kestrel 14. Black-shouldered Kite - Slightly surprised to see a single between the villa and the town of Tavira. 15. Water Rail - At least three at the salt pans. 16. Moorhen 17. Oystercatcher 18. Black-winged Stilt - Easily seen at the salt pans. 19. Avocet 20. Stone Curlew - A single flew over the salt pans. 21. Ringed Plover 22. Kentish Plover - Up to 30 around the salt pans. 23. Grey Plover 24. Knot - Up to 8 at the salt pans. 25. Sanderling 26. Turnstone 27. Dunlin 28. Curlew Sandpiper - Up to 40 at the salt pans. 29. Little Stint - Up to 12 at the salt pans. 30. Sanderling 31. Common Sandpiper 32. Redshank 33. Greenshank 34. Black-tailed Godwit 35. Bar-tailed Godwit 36. Whimbrel 37. Curlew 38. Black-headed Gull 39. Slender-billed Gull - A single adult flew over the salt pans. 40. Mediterranean Gull - Up to 60 at the salt pans. 41. Lesser Black-backed Gull 42. Yellow-legged Gull 43. Sandwich Tern 44. Collared Dove 45. Little Owl - Fairly common around the villa. 46. Tawny Owl - A pair heard calling at the villa. 47. Great Spotted Woodpecker 48. Hoopoe - Just two sightings of single birds in flight. 49. Swift - A single with a flock of hirundines. 50. Woodlark - Singing near the villa. 51. Crested Lark - Common 52. Sand Martin 53. Barn Swallow 54. Red-rumped Swallow - Small numbers included several over the villa. 55. House Martin 56. Yellow Wagtail - Just odd sightings including individuals of the forms flava and flavissima. 57. Grey Wagtail 58. Redstart - A couple near the villa. 59. Stonechat 60. Whinchat - A single near the villa. 61. Wheatear - Odd birds around the salt pans. 62. Robin 63. Blackbird 64. Fan-tailed Warbler (Zitting Cisticola) - Fairly common. 65. Garden Warbler - Small numbers around the villa. 66. Blackcap - Singles on a couple of days around the villa. 67. Whitethroat - One near the villa. 68. Sardinian Warbler - Abundant. 69. Willow Warbler - Singles near the villa. 70. Western Bonelli's Warbler - A single in the garden of the villa. 71. Chiffchaff - Odd singletons. 72. Pied Flycatcher - The drizzly conditions on arrival were doubtless responsible for up to 20 around the villa then. Numbers declined during the week with just odd birds present by the end. 73. Spotted Flycatcher - Singles on two days. 74. Long-tailed Tit 75. Blue Tit 76. Great Tit 77. Southern Grey Shrike - One at the salt pans. 78. Short-toed Treecreeper 79. Azure-winged Magpie - Common although tricky to photograph. Often in large flocks (up to ca 30). 80. Magpie 81. Jay 82. Spotless Starling 83. House Sparrow 84. Common Waxbill - Odd birds around the villa. 85. Greenfinch 86. Goldfinch 87. Serin 88. Corn Bunting Most of my local recreational birding takes place at Long Nab. I have recently begun a new blog dedicated to my birding along the Scarborough Coast. This can be found at Long Nabber.
I also conduct regular bird monitoring at Potter Brompton Carr for Potter Brompton Farms ltd. A blog covering the birds of that area can be found here. This blog will be updated with news from tours for Birdwatching Breaks and other private guided birding trips. Forthcoming tours include trips to Northern India and Tunisia & Algeria. Find out more at the Birdwatching Breaks website. With the overnight rain persisting into Wednesday morning I was pretty slow in getting out into the field. I had to go into Scarborough, but decided on a quick check of the new viewpoint at Wykeham South Lake was in order. This proved to be a worthwhile move as a Little Tern flying over the lake was a very nice surprise. Disappointingly it didn't linger long and after about five minutes it departed high to the north-east. It remains a surprisingly rare and erratic visitor to the Scarborough Birders recording area. Since 1970 there have been just 17 records involving 27 individuals in the area and of these just two have been in the spring, illustrating its rarity in the area. Continuing with my plan to head into Scarborough, I was on my way into town when a text from Steve Wignill gave me news of a Red-backed Shrike, so a further diversion found me at Scalby Beck, but disappointingly there was no sign of the shrike. Two Redstarts were clearly new in, but with other things I really need to get done I had to leave. Predictably the shrike reappeared after I left, but with other commitments dealt with I returned in the late afternoon to enjoy some nice views of this very smart bird. A couple of record shots are below. It may come as a slight surprise that Red-backed Shrike is more regular in the area than Little Tern with at least 40 previous records in the area. So after a most enjoyable day it was back to moorland surveys on Thursday morning. A pretty typical selection of North York Moors birds were recorded on the moors east of Scaling Dam although things were generally pretty quiet. The highlight of the morning here was a Hobby flying over heading east. On my way home I dropped in at Long Nab, where Nick Addey had found a Red-backed Shrike yesterday evening. I soon found it and enjoyed some nice views of this individual which was frequenting the ringing site and feeding well. A singing Sedge Warbler was also present, not a regular species here.
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AuthorFreelance ornithologist and tour leader based in Scarborough, N Yorkshire. Archives
January 2023
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