Lesser Florican - August 2023

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Friday 16 February 2024

Recent Highlights

It's been, once again, a hectic start to the year with the usual January (pointless) panic to scrounge a decent number of species on the year list before the enthusiasm dwindles, plus work has been more busy than ever, although recent trips to Colombia and Iceland have been most welcome to keep me sane. 

On Jan 1st, along with Tim Squire, I recorded 117 species seen/heard, but since then it's been limited birding. The Northern Waterthrush in Essex was a brilliant UK tick and one that I didn't go for in 2011, so a superb grip back. 

In January, I co-led (alongside a local) the Santa Marta Endemics tour where we found most of the endemics, although today I've learnt a new species of antpitta has been discovered... doh! I then had a few days back home before leading an Iceland tour, which actually turned out to be more enjoyable than Colombia! 

Anyway, a few pics to showcase the year so far.

Santa Marta Antpitta

Orinoco Saltator

Rusty-breasted Antpitta

Santa Marta Screech Owl

Vermillion Cardinal

Santa Marta Woodstar

Humpback Whales

Barrow's Goldeneye - my only new bird in Iceland


Aurora






Sunday 31 December 2023

Olive-backed Pipit on Shetland - 2nd October 2023

During our break on Shetland back in early October, the dream was to always find something good, whether that be an absolute mega, or, a species rarely encountered in southern England. For this year on Shetland, it turned out to be the latter, but just so happened to be one of my favourite eastern vagrants.

It was a very windy day (no surprises), so Emily and I set about trying to locate an Otter. I thought Toft would be a good bet and after some searching, we located one swimming out along the distant shoreline. With this success, we then wanted to head to Esha Ness on the west coast, so diverting through central Mainland seemed the most sensible route. A quick look at one excellent garden near Sullom Voe found a young male Crossbill; thinking Crossbill could be a theme, a large conifer plantation at Voxter was too tempting not to stop at. No Crossbills (or anything for that matter) were found, so instead we diverted our attention to a small, walled garden, packed with Sycamores. 

We cautiously entered the garden, with me going through every likely mega that could be here and set about scanning the appealing understorey, only for Emily to casually say a pipit flew up from the ground in the centre of the garden. I had my suspicions on the most likely pipit it could have been, and despite being perched mid-canopy, I failed to find it initially. Ems stated it was most likely a Meadow Pipit, but when I eventually locked onto it, it was clearly a Tree/Olive-backed Pipit. The pumping tail was a good sign, as was the obvious and short white supercilium, but due to the angle, I couldn't make out any dark lateral crown sides. The ear spot, although present, wasn't conspicuous, so it was a relief the pipit flew back down to the ground and started rummaging amongst the leaf-litter... at this point, there was little doubt, as now the dark lateral crown sides, the black-white ear spot and lack of streaking on the mantle meant this could only be an Olive-backed Pipit. I fired off many photos and then enjoyed watching its elusive nature. The pipit then flew off around the garden, calling as it went, only to return soon after.

I found some signal and sent some pics off to Dave to make sure I wasn't losing the plot, and with thumbs up, the news went straight out. It was at this time we left the site and continued on our merry way to the west coast. 

Massive kudos to Emily for picking the bird up in the first place, something she does every time with me!




Olive-backed Pipit at Voxter

The walled garden at Voxter



Tuesday 26 December 2023

Christmas in Sussex

On Christmas Eve, I drove down to Dad's and stopped off at Rackham Woods, walked the lower track and scanned the brooks where seven adult Bewick's Swans were roosting and a White-tailed Eagle also flew over.

On Christmas Day, a short dog walk on Seaford Head and the Cuckmere produced a sublime first-winter Caspian Gull in the small gull flock, but the weather was fairly dreadful so I didn't look too hard for anything else. 

On Boxing Day, the same route, now armed with a telescope, produced the Long-tailed Duck on the scrape and a Green Sandpiper, two Avocets and a Spotted Redshank were on the west side. Afterwards, I went and saw the obliging Waxwings at Hailsham and on my way back to Alton I stopped off in Crawley and saw the 20 Waxwings there too, where it was also good to see Paul Marten.



Waxwings at Hailsham


Sunday 26 November 2023

Isles of Scilly - 22nd November 2023

Thinking the autumn was over, a Cape May Warbler surfacing during the off season on Scilly meant a slightly logistical twitch could be on the cards. The bird seemed settled on Bryher, so Jake, Ian and I arranged flights five days in advance and headed down on Wednesdsay morning to Lands End airport. 

A Black Redstart was a good start to the day and while waiting in the departure lounge, news filtered through that the warbler was still present... game on! The flight was on time and we landed a mere twenty minutes later on St Marys. Rob Lambert kindly drove us down to the quay and we were soon on our way to Bryher with a few others. 

Docking on Bryher, a few minute's walk up the beach to view a pittosporum, the Cape May Warbler gave itself up. Although it was always elusive here, when the bird flew down the beach and fed in the tamarisks, it showed incredibly and we enjoyed the warbler for a couple of hours.

A short walk around the island failed to find little else, but worse news of all was a tweet stating that flights from Lands End were currently on hold due to low cloud! We departed Bryher after more Cape May views (a Willow Warbler was also close by) and made our way up to the airport. It soon transpired that our flight had been cancelled and we would have to stay the night on Marys... the airport did a sterling job of finding us a self-catering apartment in Hugh Town. Thankfully, by the morning, despite the strong wind, flights were on time and it was a relief to depart Marys, where we then had to drive five hours back home. 

After the booby dip back in August, it was good to be back on winning form on twitching Scilly.




Cape May Warbler on Bryher


Sunday 19 November 2023

Veery, Orca & a Deaths Head Hawk Moth - Shetland 30 September 2023

Since my first visit to Shetland in 2012, I have desperately been trying to intercept a pod of Orca from the various headlands around the archipelago. I've had numerous near-misses and it felt as if my dream of encountering my first Orca (of any 'type') on Shetland wasn't going to come. 

This year, Emily and I spent 8 days here from 30 September, grabbing the train from Farnham and arriving into Aberdeen a mere nine-hours later, via Kings Cross. The journey was smooth, stress-free and importantly, on time. During our train journey, a Veery had been found on mainland Shetland and a pod of Orca had also passed the same site whilst the rare thrush was being watched... what a duo and perfect timing for our arrival the following day.

Anyway, after a sleepless overnight ferry journey (even with a cabin) we arrived, collected our vehicle and drove straight to the Veery, which showed straight away, but in damp conditions so any photos were poor. Situated along the Lunna peninsular and after securing some lovely views of the trans-Atlantic vagrant, we set out to check the various bays heading back south towards Lerwick. Whilst at South Nesting Bay, I was searching for White-billed Divers when quite astonishingly, a pod of Orca had been sighted off Ocraquoy, just to the south of Lerwick. With seatbelts securely fastened, I went into full rally mode and sped towards south Mainland. Being a Saturday, observers were out in force and updates were coming through on regular occasions.

Drifting around a corner, Em spilt coffee over her lap which added to the chaos, before we arrived at a decent viewpoint to the south of Cunningsburgh, making record time it seemed. Several others had arrived and rather nonchalantly, they explained the Orca were on view... WHAT!! Several panicked scans failed to find anything, until we realised we were looking too far out... they were in the bay below us!

Fairly soon, a huge sigh of relief marked the sighting of my (and our) first Orca and over the next 30-minutes, we were treated to an incredible and unforgettable performance. I knew bull Orca were big, but the size of the dorsal fin of each bull was crazy and beyond all expectations! There were eight individuals involved (the 27s pod) and they casually moved south until out of sight. After a quick celebration, we drove down to Leebittern and waited for the pod to come through. 

Well, they came through perilously close to shore, apparently grabbing a seal in the process, before continuing on their way towards Mousa Sound where despite running after them, slowly disappeared, but what a start to our time on Shetland!

Afterwards, and for a calm down, we went to Hoswick to secure a Yellow-browed Warbler for the trip list; twitched the Citrine Wagtail and Bluethroat in Lerwick, and whilst shopping for the week in Tescos, got news of a Deaths Head Hawk Moth just around the corner. I was desperate to ditch the shopping, but that was refused, so it was a tense wait to see this huge moth. 

We then drove to Walls and found our accommodation, a discrete cottage with sheep and chickens as neighbours and a friendly Hedgehog. It had probably been my best six hour period on Shetland!!





Orca

Bluethroat

Citrine Wagtail

Deaths Head Hawk Moth

our cottage

Veery

Tuesday 14 November 2023

Recent Bits

On Saturday 11th, I drove back down to Sussex, intending to have most of the weekend on the coast, but news of a Canvasback in Essex put pay to that. However, the little time I did have in county was spent at Coldwaltham Brooks where there was no sight nor sound of the possible Hume's Warbler. Therefore, it was down to the Cuckmere where from Harry's Bush, I could scope the Long-billed Dowitcher and the Spotted Redshank. I managed to get fairly close to the former, whilst stumbling across a few Scandinavian Rock Pipits.

It was then an early start at Abberton Reservoir, arriving at first light and avoiding the Dartford toll in the process! Jake and Ian soon arrived too and we played it lazy, until the Canvasback was located a mere 10-minute's walk from us. We soon got onto it and enjoyed respectable views of this mega bird. Also, I saw 35 Goldeneye, two Goosander and three Cattle Egrets!

It was most appreciated that a mega was only two hours from home for a change!

Canvasback at Abberton Res. -
look a little to the left of the Tufted Duck near centre


Saturday 21 October 2023

Cuckmere Haven: 20th October 2023

After dipping in torrential rain on Wednesday, it was back to Sussex on Friday where thankfully the Long-billed Dowitcher was found from first light and performed wonderfully for the time I was watching it. This being a very long overdue species onto my county list, now standing at 330.

It wasn't just the dowitcher though, as a Hawfinch and three Corn Buntings flew over, an Osprey was fishing at the scrape and a superb Ring Ouzel was located preening atop a sycamore at Foxhole Farm. I wish I had more time as the morning was full of promise, but alas I had to head back to work.

Long-billed Dowitcher