Oenanthe Birding Adventures - our blog

Goa, Day 1, 10 February 2012 - Baga area

2012-03-02T10:26:00.002-08:00

This trip wasn't a tour as such, more of a holiday and a crafty recce with a future tour in mind!

After a long and tiring journey we didn't arrive at our hotel (the Biera Mar in Baga) until 3am so we didn't make an early start on day 1!

The Biera Mar has the advantage of backing onto some prime marshland habitat and this can be viewed easily from the swimming pool and terrace bar area. Despite recent reports of the marsh being drained and building work meaning a serious degredation of the habitat I can't say I noticed. There we always plenty of birds to look at. On this first morning the wires held Malabar Lark (my only one of the trip), 2 Ashy Woodswallows, 30+ White-rumped Munias, the ubiqitous Black Drongos, 50+ Rose-coloured Starlings, 2 Chestnut-tailed Starlings, Indian Roller and White-throated Kingfisher while several Brahminy Kites and loads of Black Kites where floating about. It also quickly became obvious how common Indian Pond Herons are! The hotel grounds held Common Tailorbird and Purple-rumped Sunbird. A walk along the road north to Baga Bridge and then eastwards towards Arpora village then produced my first Jungle Mynas, Common Myna, Little Green Bee-eaters, Red-wattled Lapwings, Intermediate Egrets, Little Swift, House Crows (the first and last time I mention these as they are mega common!), Common Kingfisher, Indian Cormorant and Ring-necked Parakeets. On a side road I managed to get close enough to a pair of Purple Sunbirds to get some snaps and we also had 2 Indian Golden Orioles close to Baga Bridge.

Little Green Bee-eater

Jungle Myna

Common Myna

Black Drongo

Rose-coloured Starling

Common Kingfisher

Purple Sunbird

That evening, back on the hotel terrace a small shaded pool immediately over the wall produced soem great views of Cinnamon Bittern and White-breasted Waterhen whilst Long-tailed Shrike, Black-shouldered Kite and Greater Coucal were also close by on the marsh.

White-breasted Waterhen

Cinnamon Bittern

Yare Valley Geese, Posing Fieldfares and a Sawbill Influx, 7 February 2012

2012-02-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

I ventured out into the elements this afternoon and headed for the Cantley Marshes in the Yare Valley. Scanning the marsh from the footpath off Burnthouse Lane the Taiga Bean Goose flock was soon found and after some scanning back and forth the long staying Lesser White-fronted Goose was also picked out. Detailed scrutinisation of all the scattered geese revealed a single Tundra Bean Goose and totals of c80 Taiga Bean Geese and c240 White-fronted Geese. A ringtail Hen Harrier also moved through before I sought the warmth of the car again!

Driving into Pulham Market in the south of the county later in the afternoon my eye was caught by a large group of Fieldfares (c120) feeding in a roadside tree laden with berries. A quick u-turn and grab of the camera followed and I was able to get really close to them for some nice action shots.

I followed that by a short drive just over the border to Weybread Gravel Pits in Suffolk and despite the ever dropping temperatures I managed to eventually locate a redhead Smew and 15 Goosander (a great site count) amongst the large numbers of commoner ducks, Cormorants and Great Crested Grebes.

Having birded in laying snow with tempratures ranging from -1 to -4 today I'm glad we're off to sunnier climes in Goa tomorrow!

Kuwait Day 6, 2 February 2012 - Green Island, Pivot Fields, KABD and Jahra Farms

2012-02-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Our last day began with a return to Green Island and it proved to be our most productive visit yet. The single Hypocolious was located in it's favoured area and some great views were had by all. A pair of Ruppell's Weavers shared the same small palm at the Hypocolious and we even saw the latter pinch a date from a weaver at one point! Ruppell's Weaver has yet to be admitted to category C of the Kuwait list but a pair present for about 3 years now and nest building could indicate it may be tickable one day. A newly arrived Hoopoe, Red-vented Bulbul, White-cheeked Bulbuls and 30+ Starlings completed the passerines. The excitement wasn't over yet though because Bob had found a Swift Tern sat on a buoy in the bay which quickly became 2. A Caspian Tern and 4 Great Cormorants flew through before I turned my hand at photographing a nice close pale phase Western Reef Heron. Finished with that I stated to look for a Slender-billed Gull within photo range and the 3rd bird I looked at turned out to be an adult winter Mediterranean Gull. I called to Pekka not fully realising the rairity of this species. He luckily got some quick views as it decided to fly and wasn't seen again. This constitutes the 6th record for Kuwait and was our guide's highlight of the week!

Hypocolious, Green Island

Ruppell's Weaver, Green Island

Swift Tern, Green Island

Western Reef Heron, Green Island

Mediterranean Gull, Green Island

En route to Pivot Fields we called in at the airport briefly but failed to re-locate the Indian Roller. Upon arrival at Pivot Fields access was problematic due to it being 'the prophet's birthday' (any excuse!) but we were eventually allowed in for just an hour. A necessarily quick whizz round revealed 1 juv Greater Spotted Eagle, 5 Black Kites and 2 Hen Harriers. 30+ Northern Lapwings with 1 European Golden Plover, 2 Green Sandpipers on the crocodile pool and 1 Hoopoe which showed nicely. Larks were much in evidence with 350+ Skylarks in a a huge flock and scattered Crested Larks. 1 Daurian Shrike, 5+ Isabelline Wheatears, 1 Desert Wheatear, 1 Red-throated Pipit (heard only), 2 Chiffchaffs and a male Siberian Stonechat completed the picture as we dashed for the exit.

Hoopoe, Pivot Fields

Despite our reservations (mainly concerning our rather fruitless visit a few days before) we returned to KABD again next. Weather conditions were pretty bad with a lot of blowing sand but amazingly, within minutes of arriving in the likely area a single lark flew past the car and we managed to stop and locate it sheltering from the conditions behind an isolated clump of grass. When we edged closer it was id'd as a very welcome Dunn's Lark and the final piece of the jigsaw was in place for the group! Very shortly after that we saw 4+ Black-crowned Finch-larks which was the icing on the cake. Spending a little time driving around revealed a few Skylarks, Crested Larks and Desert Wheatears and a Red Fox crossed the track and moved quickly away.

Dunn's Lark, KABD

Black-crowned Finch-lark, KABD (copyright Pekka Fagel)

Our final site of our final day just had to be Jahra Farms. The species present were pretty much predictable but 30+ House Martins hinted at a little bit of a movement and another accipter teased us with several all too brief flight views. It eventually gave itself up as a male Sparrowhawk but photographs clearly show an orange eye and a wing tip pattern showing only 4 prominent primary fingers. All going to prove we have more to learn about the id of Shikra!

Sparrowhawk, Jahra Farms

The tour was over and had been a huge success, helped by hard work and with a little bit of luck thrown in!

Kuwait Day 5, 1 February 2012 - Jahra Farms, Mutla'a Ranch, Qasr Farm and Jahra East Outfall

2012-02-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

A delayed start this morning actually paid off as we made our way to Jahra Farms once again. Upon arrival we found an accipter sat high up in a tree almost alongside a Kestrel. Before we could get a scope on it properly it flew, mobbing the Kestrel before flying back to its tree but landing mostly out of view. Something about its swooping flight action looked promising but unfortunately we couldn't nail the id. A little while later, after checking all the trees in the vicinity and finding nothing we hadn't already seen on previous visits here I suddenly got onto an accipter flying over the heads of the rest of the group. Luckily Pekka had his camera to hand and snapped some records shots of, at last, a confirmed juvenile Shikra!

Shikra, Jahra Farms (copyright Pekka Fagel)

In very good spirits (naturally!) we went on to add Grey Wagtail to the trip list and had White-breasted Kingfisher, Daurian Shrike, Bluethroat and Ring-necked Parakeet. By the main carpark and mosque we also added Bank Myna to the ever growing list with 12 birds having just returned to the area of their breeding well.

White-breasted Kingfisher, Jahra Farms

Tour group Jahra Farms

Bob in pristine habitat! Jahra Farms

Grey Wagtail, Jahra Farms

We then got taken to a new site called Mutla'a Ranch, an isolated large area of mature date palms and other trees but despite looking good a thorough flogging of the area produced meagre returns of 2 Song Thrushes, 1 Chiffchaff, Pallid Swift and Sparrowhawk. This site has great migrant potential for the spring though.

Mutla'a Ranch

Back in Jahra again for afternoon coffee we decided to check the farms at Qasr to which access is now possible. Again, this area is similar to Jahra Farms so has some potential for the future. Today we had Sparrowhawk, European Stonechat, Graceful Prinia, Water and Meadow Pipits and Daurian Shrike. Best however (for local birders especially) was a great find of 2 Woodlarks feeding inconspicuously on a green patch of short crops.

Woodlark, Qasr Farm

Jahra East Outfall was the other spot visited today and in line with some of a recent spring visits it rather disappointed with just Hen Harrier (sadly shot at by local teenagers), 50+ Spanish Sparrows, 2 Chiffchaffs and loads of Greater Flamingoes out in the bay. With nearby large scale building developments encroaching ever closer the future of this site doesn't look very promising.

Kuwait Day 4, 31 January 2012 - Al Abraq, Jahra Pools and Jahra Farms

2012-02-06T02:21:00.000-08:00

The morning of our 4th day was dedicated to visiting the isolated farm of Al Abraq out in the western desert. On the drive out there we managed our first Black Kite of the trip and within a short space of time we'd arrived on site. Despite cold and windy conditions we thoroughly checked the whole area and had a very entertaining and educational morning. In an overgrown orchard area we quickly located the wintering Hume's Warbler and with a little encouragement from a recording it called back and showed very nicely. Also seen on our wander were Black Redstart, c3 Desert Wheatears, Chiffchaff, 6+ Song Thrushes, Robin and Cattle Egret. The next tactic here was to slowly drive a small area of green and irrigated cultivations on the edge of the farm which traditionally always attract plenty of birds. It proved a great idea with 8+ Water Pipits, 5+ Meadow Pipits, Tawny Pipit, 3 European Stonechats, loads of White Wagtails and surprisingly the first few migrant Yellow Wagtails. With perseverance and a lot of searching I got onto an odd looking heavily marked pipit and it was the bird we'd been hoping to connect with - a Buff-bellied Pipit of the asian race 'japonicus'. It was rather secretive in the vegetation but eventually gave itself up for some great views and photographs.

Desert Wheatear, Al Abraq

Al Abraq

Black-headed Wagtail, Al Abraq

Tawny Pipit, Al Abraq

Buff-bellied Pipit, Al Abraq

With the weather deteriorating we left Al Abraq and headed back to the bright lights of the city and once more to Jahra Pools. Migrants were clearly starting to move through as things were a little more lively than our previous visit. 9+ Marsh Sandpipers, Common and Green Sandpiper, 4 Little Stints, Dunlin and Avocet were new arrivals. 200+ Spanish Sparrows flew back and forth over the reeds, Bluethroat was again present as were Moustached Warbler, Graceful Prinia, Water Pipit, Black Kite, Marsh Harrier and increased numbers of Swallows, House Martins and Pallid Swifts. Along the back track a pair of Siberian Stonechats showed extremely well.

Siberian Stonechat, Jahra Pools

A quick look at Jahra Farms again, in the pouring rain was predictably unproductive. But we lived to fight anther day...

Kuwait Day 3, 30 January 2012 - Subriya Farm, SAANR, Jahra Farms and KABD

2012-02-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

Our main aim today was to spend some time at the Sabal-al-Ahmed Nature Reserve (SAANR) but first thing we decided to quickly check the nearby Subriya Farm. This proved rather fruitless with only Robin and Chiffchaff seen so we quicky reverted back to plan.

At the reserve gate we were informed that we were only allowed access for 2 hours due to visiting VIPs. Unfortunately this type of problem continues to be common in Kuwait but at least we did get in! So, it was a quick whip round to try to see the specialities before we had to get out. Firstly we stopped at a pretty unpromising looking piece of desert but our guide knew what he was doing and we quickly had some views of a male Finsch's Wheatear, 6+ Bar-tailed Larks and after a good wander round the vicinity Bob picked up a very welcome Hoopoe Lark. At the Tulha Oasis things were extremely quiet (in contrast to what it's like in spring) and even 2 distant accipters failed to give themselves up. Moving on there were plenty of Desert and Isabelline Wheatears scattered about as we headed to a large open wadi. Scanning the area from above John picked up 2 distant MacQueens Bustards which was a really good scoop. A Greenshank on a small flash in the wadi was less exciting! On the way back out of the reserve I got onto a trackside Asian Desert Warbler that showed nicely when encouraged by a recording and with that we departed the scene.

Another look at Jahra Farms followed but we once again failed to connect with a much wanted accipter. The fayre there was pretty much the same as previous visits with Song Thrush, Blackbird, Common Myna, Robin, Ring-necked Parakeet, White-breasted Kingfisher, Daurian Shrike and a coffee and read of the newspapers in McD's being pretty much it!

The rest of the day was spent at the sandy desert site of KABD where we scoured the large area from the vehicle and also on foot. Another male Finsch's Wheatear was by the main track and a few thinly scattered Desert and Isabelline Wheatears were seen but it was hard going. A small cultivated patch produced 1 Short-toed Lark, 4 Skylarks and a few Crested Larks before we called it a day.

Kuwait Day 2, 29 January 2012 - Green Island, Pivot Fields, Khiran and Fahaheel Park

2012-02-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

An 06.45 start saw us make the short drive back to Green Island this morning. At first the birding was slow there but after about 30 minutes I got onto the single wintering Hypocolious on the top of one of the buildings and when we'd located a wandering Bob and he'd also got some views we once again had a very satisfied group. This one was a bit of a bogey bird for them as they'd missed it on a spring tour last year. The usual bulbuls were also joined by a few noisy Starlings this morning and the Daurian Shrike was also still present.

Hypocolious, Green Island

Our next port of call was the ever popular Pivot Fields. This large area of watered arable crops never fails to have plenty of birds and is a real magnet for raptors. After a Steppe Grey Shrike close to the entrance we made a stop by the crocodile pool where we had some good views of a Moustached Warbler, White-breasted Kingfisher and a Green Sandpiper we moved out into the main crop areas for a lengthy drive round, birding as we went. Raptors were much in evidence with 4-5 Greater Spotted Eagles (all adults), a superb adult Eastern Imperial Eagle on a pylon and singles of Hen Harrier, Steppe Buzzard and Long-legged Buzzard. Passerines were represented by c5 Desert Wheatears, c8 Isabelline Wheatears, 40+ Water Pipits, 2 Tawny Pipits, Meadow Pipits, many Skylarks and several Crested Larks. Northern Lapwings numbered about 50 with 1 Curlew, 2 Cattle Egrets, several Starlings, 1 Hoopoe and 2 Daurian Shrikes adding to our growing trip list. A stop by the camel enclosure revealed 6 Namaqua Doves.

Eastern Imperial Eagle, Pivot Fields

After leaving Pivot Fields (the site is only accessible in the mornings) we drove south to the coastal resort of Khiran, stopping for a McD's coffee en-route (a habit that was to become a regular one during the rest of the week!). At a rather grim looking shallow wadi full of builders rubbish we soon located our target bird - one of only 2 known Persian Wheatears wintering in the country. A new WP bird for me. This was quickly followed by the other one just across the road in another small wadi, this time shared with a showy Eastern Mourning Wheatear. Isabelline and Desert Wheatears completed the set!

Wadi at Khiran

Persian Wheatear, Khiran

Eastern Mourning Wheatear, Khiran

With a little time to spare on the drive back to Kuwait City we opted to stop and check Fahaheel Park where we managed Black Redstart, c5 Water Pipits and a staked out wintering Woodlark while an adult Baltic Gull circled around the marine over the road.

Tour group, Fahaheel Park

Woodlark, Fahaheel Park

Water Pipit, Fahaheel Park

Kuwait Day 1, 28 January 2012 - Airport, Green Island, Jahra Pools, Manchester Club and Kuwait University

2012-02-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

We had an all British group comprising Bob Swann, John Boulcott and Bill Bailey for our first winter tour to Kuwait. Arriving at Kuwait International Airport on the morning of 28 January we quickly negotiated all the visa and baggage formalities, met our local guide Pekka Fagel and ventured out for our first birding.

Birding began rather sooner than we anticipated with an extraordinary piece of luck. Literally 2 minutes out of the airport Bob cried 'stop, I think there's a roller on that lamp post'. Squealing to a halt in a convenient lay-by we legged it back down the road to confirm it was indeed a roller - an Indian Roller! Considering there had been no sightings of the species since early December it really was some bird for the first one of the trip.

Indian Roller, Kuwait International Airport

A happy car load of birders then proceeded to Green Island (via a quick bag drop at our hotel) in the hope that the team's next target could be located. Sadly it wasn't to be as we failed with Hypocolious which probably had a lot to do with the fact it was the middle of the day. We did manage the resident Red-vented Bulbuls, the ubiquitous White-cheeked Bulbuls, 1 Masked Shrike, 1 Daurian Shrike and Common Sandpiper on the lake before we left the site vowing to return the following morning.

Red-vented Bulbul, Green Island

Daurian Shrike, Green Island

White-cheeked Bulbul, Green Island

Green Island

Next stop was the wetland reserve of Jahra Pools where a drive around the various reed-fringed pools produced sightings of 2-3 Bluethroats, 3 Graceful Prinias, c40 Spanish Sparrows, our only Turkestan Shrike of the trip, a singing (but not seen) Clamorous Reed Warbler, Marsh Harrier and Tufted Duck whilst Swallows, Pallid Swifts and a couple of House Martins hawked over the water.

Pallid Swift, Jahra Pools

Next came an extended stop at the wader hot spot known at the Manchester Club on the southern edge of Kuwait Bay. It certainly didn't disappoint. The boys in the group were very keen to get some close views of Crab Plover and they got them here as at least 175 fed along the shoreline. A sleeping Dotterel (a great local bird) was picked up amongst the large numbers of Lesser Sandplovers, Greater Sandplovers, Kentish Plovers and Dunlin. Present in smaller numbers were Terek Sandpipers, Redshank, Curlew and Little Stints with the odd Broad-billed Sandpiper, Greenshank, Whimbrel and Grey Plover. A true wader fest! Also here were several Heuglin's and Slender-billed Gulls, single Armenian and Pallas's Gulls, c8 Caspian Terns, several Gull-billed Terns, 5 Western Reef Herons and the spectacle of 5000+ Greater Flamingoes flying into the bay. Passerines included several Water Pipits and a single Desert Wheatear.

Crab Plovers, Manchester Club

Tour group, Manchester Club

We finished a superb first day with 4 House Crows and a couple of Ring-necked Parakeets at Kuwait University.

House Crow, Kuwait University

Back from Kuwait, 4 February 2012

2012-02-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

Just back from a highly successful winter tour in Kuwait with a very happy tour group.

In 6 days birding the highlights included Indian Roller, Buff-bellied Pipit (japonicus), Persian Wheatear, Finsch's Wheatear, Eastern Mourning Wheatear, MacQueen's Bustard, Dunn's Lark, Black-crowned Finch-lark, Swift Tern, Hypocolious, Crab Plover, Hume's Warbler, Asian Desert Warbler, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle and Shikra. Not to mention finding only the 6th Med Gull for Kuwait!

Full illustrated trip report to follow.

Indian Roller

Persian Wheatear, a new WP bird for me

Out and about in East Norfolk, 21 January 2012

2012-01-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

Having been rather office bound since the new year it was nice to get out for a bit today in East Norfolk. Not specifically birding but 2 Common Cranes over the car on the coast road between Horsey and West Somerton were rather nice. Then followed a long walk south from Horsey Gap to see the Grey Seals on the beach having passed a few 'clockwork' Sanderling en-route. Also seen today were Grey Wagtail and Marsh Harrier. Rather windswept but it blew away those office cobwebs.
Roll on some sun and warmth in Kuwait in a weeks time...

Ranworth Broad, 20 December 2011

2011-12-20T10:04:00.000-08:00

With a crisp bright day forecast it was off to Ranworth Broad this morning to check out the rare duck situation. Rather surprisingly the flock of duck weren't on the main broad but on the wide cut running right from the visitor centre towards the river. A scan of the flock revealed the Ferruginous Duck 1st then the Ring-necked Duck a couple of minutes later - bingo! They were a little too distant for photography but as I had a little compact camera with me I did attempt a little digi-scoping. The results below show why I don't do much of that any more!
Also of note - a Nuthatch was by the reserve entrance and a flock of c120 Greenfinches were near nearby Panxworth.

Birders books - Christmas recommendations

2011-12-17T04:02:00.000-08:00

With just a week to go till Christmas and those shopping days rapidly dwindling you may need some inspiration for those last minute presents for the birder in your life! Here are a selection of books we've particularly enjoyed which may just help. We've avoided actual field guides here and concentrated on readable tales and art books

Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufman
A wonderfully inspiring read of the birding exploits of a young Kaufman in 1960s America. If you read just one book of birding tales make it this one!

UK500: Birding in the Fast Lane by James Hanlon

Twitching tales of British birder James as he heads towards that magic 500 British list.

Arctic Flight by James McCallum

Some of the wonderful artwork in James's unique style. I had the pleasure of spending time with James in Norway in May and his paintings in this book are so evocative of this awesome part of the world.

Cutting Away, The Linocuts of Robert Gilmor

A marvellous book packed with prints of Robert's superb linocuts. I've had the pleasure of watching the man at work in his studio in Cley and the process to build up these images is painstaking and very clever

The Big Year by Bob Obmascik
A very readable tale of a US yearlisting competition from 3 very different birder's perspectives.

The Biggest Twitch by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller

The whole story of this couple's attempt to beat the world record of species seen in a year. All the ups and downs of a remarkable year.

Good news for the Blakeney Point Seals

2011-12-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

This report from Surfbirds reveals good news from the Atlantic Grey Seal colony on Blakeney Point, Norfolk. A spot that has long been a favourite of ours

http://www.surfbirds.com/sbirdsnews/archives/2011/12/bumper_year_for.html

Egg Thief Jailed

2011-12-16T03:44:00.000-08:00

Many of you will have seen or heard on the news of the 6 month jail term handed out to the UK's most notorious egg thief Matthew Gonshaw (49) of Cherrywood Close, Bow, East London. He was convicted of stealing and possessing wild bird eggs including species such as Golden Eagle, Peregrine, Osprey, Red Kite and Avocet.

Gonshaw's home in East London was raided by officers from the Metropolitan Police and RSPB Investigations unit on 2nd June this year. Nearly 700 eggs were found at the premises.

This was his fifth conviction relating to his collection.

In April 2001, he was caught raiding a golden eagle's nest in the outer Hebrides and fined £500. In 2002, he received a three-month sentence for stealing rare British species of eggs, but officers were unable to find his collection. In 2004, he was jailed for four months and fined £5,000 in Scotland for taking eggs and he was jailed again for six months in 2005 after being caught with more than 700 eggs.
We can only hope his latest sentence goes some way towards detering him from his disgusting addiction in the future but his history would seem to suggest otherwise. Let's all wish him happy Christmas as a guest of Her Majesty and hope it's not just the turkey's rear end that gets stuffed this year!

His photo is below. Keep an eye out for him on your local patch (though obviously not in the next 6 months!) and if you spot him deal with him in the way you deem appropriate!

Chew Valley Lake & Blagdon Lake, Somerset, 12 December 2011

2011-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

An extremely early start from Norfolk (3am!) had me at Herriott's Bridge on the south side of Chew Valley Lake by first light. I then spent the morning scanning the lake margins from here and Stratford Hide with very little to show for my efforts. The only birds of note were a single female each of Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Goldeneye, c70 Linnets, Grey Wagtail and a couple of Cetti's Warblers singing near the hide. Importantly there were no waders at all apart from a loafing flock of Lapwings. Things were not looking good.

Nice rainbow but no waders! Chew Valley Lake

As I entered Stratford Hide for yet another stint there was one other birder present, none other than Rich Andrews who said 'are you wanting to see the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper?' and then he went onto give me directions to where he'd seen it this morning at nearby Blagdon Lake! I hot footed it there as quick as I could to be greeted by some other birders including Keith Vinnicombe and informed that the flock had flown 10 minutes before I arrived. Jesus Christ! Keith took my number in case he found it again and I gambled and headed to the east end of the lake to search. Walking in from that end I soon found the flock of Dunlin (which even then flew and I had to wait for them all to settle again) and within a few minutes I picked out the very distinctive Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and my bogey bird was finally bagged! Moving closer I managed to get within 50 meters for some great views with local birder Nigel Milbourne and 2 of his mates. The flock also contained the 2 juvenile Long-billed Dowitchers as an added bonus. The lake also had 10 Bewick's Swans while a Common Buzzard was flushed as I walked back.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, copyright Nigel Milbourne

Long-billed Dowitchers, copyright Nigel Milbourne

The successful scene, Blagdon Lake

I decided to return to Chew Valley for the rest of the afternoon finding 2 Green Sandpipers in Heron Green Bay, Water Rail, Mediterranean Gull and [Black Swan] at Herriott's Bridge before heading into Bath for an impromptu overnight stay.

Norwich, 7 December 2011

2011-12-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

A typically mobile flock of Waxwings has been loitering around the George Fox Way/Wilberforce Road area in Norwich for a few days and today was the first chance I had to get along there. Luckily they were present on arrival in a single birch near the far end of the cul-de-sac. I just managed to count 26, take a few photos (not too easy in the very windy conditions) before they were spooked, had a long fly round and then promptly disappeared!
Winter has finally arrived - in more ways than one!

Cley NWT, Norfolk, 1 December 2011

2011-12-01T08:34:00.000-08:00

Have I seen a Western Sandpiper today?!
Or have others gripped me back and got Semi-palmated Sandpiper on their county lists?
A dawn start saw me up at Cley and within a short while of getting to Pats Pool/Simmonds Scrape the mystery peep was picked out amongst roosting Dunlin, Ruff and Golden Plovers. It quickly woke and prompty flew - damn! Luckily it was picked up again and watched on and off for a good hour and a half, at times pretty close in front of Dawkes Hide on Simmonds.
So? What is it? Western or Semi-P?
Well, this observer left with the impression that it was a rather long-billed Semi-P but RBA are now putting it out as a Western.
To sum up the birds seems to show:

Obvious palmations - a feature of both Western and Semi-P so no help really!
Some retained juvenile scapular feathers with a rufous tinge - Westerns moult before migration, Semi-Ps afterwards so this might suggest Semi-P but how much can moult be relied upon in a tranatlantic vagrant?
A long bill with a fine tip - maybe too long for a long-billed female Semi-P but there is overlap
The general jizz of being quite dumpy and short-legged - good for Semi-P?
Darkish ear coverts and crown (a quote in the hide - 'almost phalarope like')
Concave edge to 'arrowhead' on a least one of the rear lower scaps. This I didn't see in the field but have one one of Steve Gantlett's photos - if correct this would indicate Semi-P

So, inconclusive I'd say! BUT someone must presumably have something else for the messages to now be so certain it's Western. I, for one won't be complaining if it is!

BTW - the drake Green-winged Teal was also still present on Pat's Pool.

Links to some photos of the peep and the debate here and here

Western Sandpiper, Cley (copyright Ron Marshall)

Norwich, 23 November 2011

2011-11-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

The strange sight of a pair of Egyptian Geese on the Cathedral School playing fields in the centre of the city! I only had my iPhone on me so this is the only shot I managed to get.

Happisburgh, Norfolk, 9 November 2011

2011-11-09T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yay - a Norfolk tick in 2011 at last! I happened to be near Wroxham when Jus texted me about a Melodious Warbler in Happisburgh so managed to get there is double quick time. Despite having no bins with me I was lucky that a very kind Mick Saunt lent me his and within about 30 mins I got onto the bird and called it out as it hoved into view in the well vegetated garden. It showed well for 2 or 3 minutes even allowing some scope views before disappearing for a least 2 hours. Into the bargain 2 Black Redstarts were moving around the general area of the church while a Snow Bunting and 6 Redpolls flew over. 2 Brent Geese, c6 Goldcrests and several Redwings moving overhead made it a very enjoyable couple of hours.
Leaving aside the largely untwitchable Blakeney Point bird of recent years this was the 1st county record of Melodious Warbler since 1954!

A report of the finding and pictures can be found here

A small group of Norfolk listers at Happisburgh today!

Melodious Warbler, Happisburgh (copyright Punkbirder)

Norway, Varanger and the Arctic North - Trip report by Tormod Amundsen

2011-10-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

Back in May this year I was lucky enough to join a trip to Arctic Norway organised to promote birding in the Varanger area. I've already posted a trip report within this blog but the organiser and guide Tormod Amundsen has produced a great trip report himself and here it is:

http://blog.biotope.no/2011/05/varanger-birding-promotrip-may-2011.html

We intend running a trip to Varanger(aka the 'Accessible Arctic') in the near future so if anyone is interested please drop us a line.

Horsey, Norfolk, 27 October 2011

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Some point blank views of a very confiding 1w Daurian Shrike beside the coastal track between Horsey Gap and the Nelson's Head Track this afternoon. The bird paid no attention to the small group of birders and passing walkers as it fed actively on wasps from the top of brambles. At times showing down to just 4 yards!
The only down side was that I didn't have my camera with me!
This was the 1st county record since 1996 when there was one in almost the same spot.

A Common Buzzard was also seen over a copse by the coast road near West Somerton.

Boyton Marshes, Suffolk, 6 October 2011

2011-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

I could afford to be relaxed about this one having seen the South Ronaldsay bird 2 years ago but a Sandhill Crane is a Sandhill Crane after all so it would have been criminal to have let it pass by!
Upon arrival on Boyton Marshes it had flown south along the seawall so a 20 minute stomp later I arrived at the spot a few people were watching it from only for it to fly back past us and into the distance to the north. Eventually and after another even longer walk I managed to get within about 200 meters of this fine adult bird. High winds hampered photography but I managed to get a few passable record shots. Nothing much else of note there except 40+ Skylarks, Little Egret and a dodgy Bar-headed Goose. The latter no doubt a vagrant from the Netherlands!

North Norfolk day tour, 23 September 2011

2011-09-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

With all the birding action being in the SW or on the Scottish Islands at the moment we have very little to look at locally. Despite this we enjoyed a lovely day out with a friendly fun tour group along the North Norfolk coast. The highlights were Bittern, c25 Bearded Tits, 6 Curlew Sandpipers and a Whinchat at Titchwell. 4 Greenshank at Stiffkey Fen followed by Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank at Cley. Signs of the coming winter too with a couple of early Pink-feet and Brent Geese. All in all a very pleasant day in the sun seeing all that was available - you can't do much more!

Colombia, Day 11, 31 July 2011 - Nuqui Village (Choco)

2011-08-28T09:22:00.002-07:00

We awoke to another humid morning and after breakfast at the lodge it was time to get moving - we had a busy day of travelling ahead and our boat was already waiting. With luggage packed in bin bags again we made our way out along the large inlet but instead of heading back to Bahia Solano we were flying out of the Choco region from the even smaller airport at the village of Nuqui. The boat trip to Nuqui wasn't without its seabird highlights. We had loads of Brown Boobies, a handful of Blue-footed Boobies and several menacing Magnificent Frigatebirds en-route and as we reached the land near Nuqui Brown Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great White Egret, Striated Heron and a Yellow Warbler. Nuqui village proved to be a real grubby one-horse town which we had the misfortune to have to stay in for several hours due to flight cancellations. In between visits to 2 cafes and the airport waiting area we did manage to winkle out a few birds. Variable Seedeaters, Bananaquits, Lemon-rumped Tanagers and Tropical Kingbirds were common and we also added new birds in the form of Rusty-margined Flycatcher and Grey-breasted Martin plus Barn Swallow, a Yellow-faced Tyrannulet and a distant King Vulture.

Lemon-rumped Tanager

Nuqui airport!

Nuqui village

Rusty-margined Flycatcher

Variable Seedeater

Our plane out of Nuqui

The remainder of the day was spent flying from Nuqui to Medellin, then a dash in Diana's minibus from one Medellin airport to the other and then a panic that we were going to miss our final flight of the day onto Bogata. Happliy it was delayed due to the same weather that had delayed our flight from Nuqui so we were able to make it back to the capital where we transferred to a rather luxurious hotel for our final night.

The following day we 'enjoyed' flights back to the UK via Newark, New York. Despite an overnight flight and a therefore missed nights sleep I just about managed to stay awake on the drive back from Heathrow to Norfolk!

Colombia, Day 10, 30 July 2011 - Parque Nacional Natural Utria (Choco)

2011-08-28T09:22:00.001-07:00

Utria lodge

Common Black Hawk

Choco habitat

Paul gets on with it while others complain and dither...

Choco habitat

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Great Antshrike

Pacific Antwren

Common Black Hawk

Bay Wren

Yellow-collared Manakin

Double-toothed Kite

Birding the Choco at Utria

Colombia, Day 9, 29 July 2011 - Parque Nacional Natural Utria (Choco)

2011-08-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

Blue and Yellow Macaw

Bahia Solano Airport

Our 'bus' Bahia Solano

Southern Rough-winged Swallow

Tropical Kingbird

El Valle village

Lunch in El Valle!

El Valle

Our boat, El Valle

Isabel and Paul, Choco boat trip El Valle - Utria

Sergio, Sveta and Vaughan, Choco boat trip El Valle - Utria

Utria lodge, Choco region

Stripe-billed Aracari

Yours truly, Utria, Choco region

Colombia, Day 7, 27 July 2011 - Reserva Natural de las Aves El Dorado, upper slopes

2011-08-28T04:48:00.000-07:00

Santa Marta Parakeet (endemic)

Sierra de Santa Marta

Yellow-billed Cacique

Santa Marta Bush Tyrant (endemic)

Collared Trogon

Birding the Sierra de Santa Marta

Golden-bellied Grosbeak

Transport Sierra de Santa Marta

local bus Sierra de Santa Marta

Yellow-crowned Whitestart (endemic)

Slaty-throated Whitestart

Paul and Sam, El Dorado Lodge

Colombia, Day 8, 28 July 2011 - Reserva Natural Mamancana & Isla de Salamanca

2011-08-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Roadside Hawk

Chestnut Piculet

Southern Beardless Tyrannulet

Panama Flycatcher

Birding Mamancana

Common Ground Dove

Red-headed Woodpecker

Pearl Kites

Scaled Dove

Breakfast at Mamancana

Yellow-headed Caracara

Chestnut-winged Chacalaca (endemic)

Magnificent Frigatebird

Large-billed Tern

Yellow-billed Terns

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Roseate Spoonbill

Cocoi Heron

Sapphire-bellied Hummingbird

Pied Water Tyrant

Yellow-chinned Spinetail

Isla de Salamanca

Ringed Kingfisher

Pied Puffbird

Ruddy Ground Dove

Russet-throated Puffbird

Wattled Jacana

Groove-billed Ani

Pied Water Tyrant

Baranquilla floods!

Colombia, Day 6, 26 July 2011 - La Tigre, Road to Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta & El Dorado Lodge

2011-08-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Yellow-tailed Oriole

Buff-throated Saltator

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

Breakfast at the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Birding the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Bicoloured Wren

Santa Marta Sabrewing (endemic)

Streaked Saltator

King Vulture

Dusky-capped Flycatcher

Santa Marta Woodstar (endemic)

Violet-crowned Woodnymph

at El Dorado Lodge

El Dorado Lodge

White-tailed Starfrontlet

Santa Marta Brush Finch (endemic)

Sparkling Violetear

Black-fronted Wood Quail (endemic)

El Dorado Lodge

Colombia, Day 5, 25 July 2011 - Sierra de los Nevados & Natural Parque Manizales

2011-08-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Our main destination for the day was to be the highland paramo habitat of the Sierra de los Nevados National Park above Manizales. Suitably attired in warm clothes we climbed the road in the minbus, stopping at intervals for a walk before moving higher up and doing the same. This tactic proved to be rather productive. Within the first couple of stops we'd seen Paramo Tapaculu, Brown-backed Chat Tyrant, White-throated Tyrannulet, Black-crested Warbler, Sedge Wren, Paramo Seedeater and Red-crested Cotinga. Further up we then stopped for a little longer and were rewarded with Pale-naped Brushfinch, Black-backed Bush Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager, Black Flowerpiercer and Viridian Metaltail. Top prize however was reserved for the rare endemic Rufous-fronted Parakeet of which we saw a small group on a hillside in the swirling mist. A large Great Sapphirewing came a very close second. Moving further up towards the reserve centre we had a roadside Stout-billed Cinclodes and then in a walk around the reserve centre and surrounding grassland enjoyed amazing views of 2 Tawny Antpittas and a pair of Plumbeous Sierra Finches followed by a Purple-backed Thornbill near the end of the road .

Black-crested Warbler

Sedge Wren

Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager

Sierra de los Nevados

Stout-billed Cincloides

Plumbeous Sierra Finch

Laguna Negra

Sergio, Laguna Negra

Tawny Antpitta

Common Tody Flycatcher

Flame-rumped Tanager

Golden-olive Woodpecker

Golden Tanager

Bay-headed Tanager

Montane Woodcreeper

Colombia, Day 4, 24 July 2011 - Rio Blanco & Manizales Sewage Works

2011-08-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Rio Blanco lodge

We awoke this morning full of anticipation of a whole days birding as we'd had a great tatser of the Rio Blanco area the previous evening. Following a traditional breakfast we ventured into the woods to the nearby feeding station once more. This time scoring with not only Brown-banded Antpitta again but also a fabulous Chestnut-crowned Antpitta. We then emerged back into the sunlight and after Golden-faced Tyrannulet and Blue and Black Tanager began a long walk up through the forest on the main track. One of the first birds seen was a colourful Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, quickly followed by Barred Becard, Grey-breasted Wood Wren and Russet-crowned Warbler. We then ventured past a local shop stopping to admire 2 passing Plumbeous Kites and onto another feeding station where we were quickly enjoying some great views of Bicoloured Antpitta. Today we were also to record Chestnut-naped Antpitta and Slaty-crowned Antpitta but sadly only calling.

Crimson-mantled Woodpecker

Chestnut-crowned Antpitta

Pale-edged Flycatcher

Bicoloured Antpitta

Masked Trogon

Brown-banded Antpitta (endemic)

Manizales

Back down on the track near the lodge we got some terrific close views of Cinnamon Flycatcher and Yellow-bellied Siskin on a wire fence bordering the bear enclosure! It had been a truly excellent day, we saw so many species it's hard to remember where they all were but the list contained Masked Trogon, Slaty Brush Finch, Grey-hooded Bush Tanager, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, Buff-breasted Mountain Tanager, Hooded Mountain Tanager, Lacrimose Mountain Tanager, Beryl-spangled Tanager, Blue and Black Tanager, Blue-capped Tanager, Black-capped Hemispingus, Black-eared Hemispingus, Oleaginous Hemispingus, Superciliared Hemispingus, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Scaly-naped Parrot, Band-tailed Pigeon, Golden-fronted Whitestart, Andean Siskin, Blue and White Swallow, Brown-breasted Swallow, Blackish Tapaculo, Rufous-crowned Tody Flycatcher, Emerald Toucanet, Pearled Teeerunner, White-banded Tyrannulet, Mountain Wren and Rufous Wren - phew!

Cinnamon Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Siskin

Blue and White Swallow

Speckled Hummingbird

Blue-winged Mountain Tanager

Scarlet-fronted Parakeet

Scaly-naped Parrot

Rio Blanco

That evening we were promised a real treat - a mega bird followed by dinner in a local restaurant by some thermal hot springs, hard to refuse! The bird in question was the magnificent Lyre-tailed Nightjar which breeds at Manizales sewage works, actually inside a noisy machine room! What a bizarre birding experience this was, first we saw a female and a fully grown chick on top of a throbbing machine drum and then, just when we thought we'd failed the male put in an appearance too! A Highland Motmot was also perched on railings at the sewage works. Sadly we'd all forgotten swimming gear so the hot springs had to be admired from the poolside but that evening the meal was delicious. Sergio's wife joined us for the evening which had another twist, Juan managed to have his mobile phone stolen after he left it on the restaurant table as we left. After a Tropical Screech Owl in town we dashed straight back but it had well and truly gone.

Lyre-tailed Nightjar

Colombia, Day 3, 23 July 2011 - Otun Quimbaya, Balsora Lake & Rio Blanco

2011-08-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

Otun Quimbaya

The day began rather well and even before breakfast. I was standing outside our accomodation block talking to my partner Belinda on the phone when a Tropical Screech Owl flew right past me almost over my shoulder! After breakfast we ventured out along the track long track with Sergio. Birding was quite slow for a while but having said that we picked up an Emerald Toucanet and then a superb Cauca Guan clambering around in dense foliage. What bizarre enormous birds these are! We then enjoyed good perched views of another local speciality Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and then Torrent Tyrannulet flitting about by a rocky river. Collared Trogon, Dusky Antwren, Montane Woodcreper, Smokey Brown Woodpecker, Golden-olive Woodpecker, Grey-breasted Wood Wren, White-collared and Chestnut-collared Swifts, Orange-bellied Euphonia and Bronze-olive Pygmy Tyrant followed before we caught the local bus back down the track to a junction by a building. Around the flowering shrubs here were Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and Andean Emerald before we tore ourselves away and ventured down a side track towards 2 rivers. En-route we caught up with Giant Cowbird and Green Jay but our hoped for Torrent Duck was remaining elusive. Onward to a trout farm gave which us loads of Bare-faced Ibis, Cattle Egrets, a photographable Torrent Trrannulet, Highland Motmot, Black Phoebe and neck-breaking views of a Fawn-breasted Tanager. At the 3rd river stop we scored with our main target - a superb Torrent Duck - yay! Even this was usurped (in my opinion) by a mega White-capped Dipper spotted from a bridge.

Emerald Toucanet

Red-ruffed Fruitcrow

Otun Quimbaya

Birding at Otun Quimbaya

Bare-faced Ibis

Torrent Tyrannulet

Torrent Duck

Highland Motmot

Local bus, Otun Quimbaya

Black Phoebe

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Otun Quimbaya lodge

The middle part of the day was spent moving towards our home for the next couple of days - the lodge at Rio Blanco. On the way we had the opportunity to stop at the roadside Lake Balsora. The hoped for Masked Ducks were not in evidence but the habitat didn't look right for this species at all. Maybe a little got lost in translation but we did find what we'd assumed were Ruddy Ducks which have subsequently turned out to be Andean Ducks. It was a certainly a learning process! Also here were Pied-billed Grebe, Snowy Egret, Neotropic Cormorant and several Wattled Jacanas, one of which nearly got taken out in flight by a Bat Falcon!

Wattled Jacana

After a long trundle up another track we reached the superbly positioned Rio Blanco Lodge. It was clearly going to be a great couple of days! Whilst being warmly greeted by the staff and checking into our rooms it was hard to take our eyes off the balcony feeders and nearby flowering bushes. Buff-tailed Coronets were buzzing everywhere whilst a superb Tourmaline Sunangel was chasing everything off its territory. Green Violetear, Long-tailed Sylph and Speckled Hummingbird were usurped by a mega Collared Inca which really stole the show. In the area immediately surrounding the lodge we had a showy Masked Flowerpiercer, flyover Bronze-winged Parrots, Pale-vented and Band-tailed Pigeons, Black-capped Tanager and some great views of the rare Masked Saltator, a speciality here. We made a foray into the gloomy woods seeing Sharpe's Wren on the way until we reached a feeding station where we sat patiently while our host 'baited' a small clearing with worms. Within just a few minutes we were watching the endemic Brown-banded Antpitta and Stripe-headed Brush Finch at point blank range! To conclude a fantastic days birding a Short-tailed Nighthawk flew past the lodge as the light faded and then after dark we 'torched' a White-throated Screech Owl.

Tourmaline Sunangel

Collared Inca

Buff-tailed Coronet

Green Violetear

Masked Flowerpiercer

Stripe-headed Brushfinch

Brown-banded Antpitta (endemic)

Paul & Sergio, Rio Blanco Lodge

Looking west to the Pacific from Rio Blanco lodge

Colombia, Day 2, 22 July 2011 - KM18 Cloud Forest, Cali

2011-08-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

KM18 Hotel

We were up at the crack of dawn and while we breakfasted Black-billed Thrush and 2 Southern Lapwings sauntered about on the lawn outside! Our guide for the morning was late arriving so we put the delay to good use by doing some birding in and around the hotel garden. Early morning activity was excellent and we quickly notched up Blue-grey Tanager, Flame-rumped Tanager and Golden-naped Tanager in a flurry of activity. Sveta and I then positively identified Pale-footed Swallow as one flew over the hotel path giving close views. Our guide finally turned up and we began our walk along the track through the cloud forest. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and bird-filled morning for sure! Initially we clocked up Beryl Spangled Tanager, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Black-winged Saltator, Black-billed Peppershrike, Slate-throated Whitestart, Bananaquit, Orange-bellied Euphonia and then a Tropical Parula. We made a stop at a trackside finca which had hummer feeders and what a place! Hummers included White-necked Jacobin, Long-tailed Sylph, Brown Violetear and Fawn-breasted Brilliant, all at point black range! A feeding table stacked with fruit has a steady procession of visitors - Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden Tanager, Blue-grey Tanager, Flame-rumped Tanager, Metallic Green Tanager, Palm Tanager, Shiny Cowbird and an amazing male Red-headed Barbet while Eared Doves pecked about on the drive.

KM18 finca

Shiny Cowbird

Golden Tanager

Blue-grey Tanager

Saffron-crowned Tanager

Flame-rumped Tanager

Red-headed Barbet

White-necked Jacobin

Long-tailed Sylph

White-necked Jacobin

Brown Violetear

Further down the track we stopped at another property with feeders and this time the birds were closer still! Even allowing you to hold the dish as they fed inches from your face! This time we added Purple-throated Woodstar, Steely-vented Hummingbird and Buff-tailed Coronet. A pair of Golden-crowned Flycatchers were nesting in a plant pot on the balcony and a Tawny-bellied Hermit visited some flowers in the garden briefly. Woodland just along the track was also very productive with good views of Blue-winged Mountain Tanager, the endemic Multicoloured Tanager, Montain Woodcreeper, Red-faced Spinetail, Glossy Black Thrush, Three-striped Warbler, Green Honeycreeper, some fly-over Scarlet-fronted Parakeets, Hepatic Tanager and Ashy-throated Bush-tanager.

KM18 finca

KM18 Cloud Forest

Juan - KM18 finca

Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Three-striped Warbler

Blue-winged Mountain Tanager

KM18 finca

After reluctantly leaving the cloud forest we headed down into Cali for what turned out to be an excellent 3 course meal at a lovely restuarant in the city. While there we were treated to some wonderful hospitality from our hosts who were keen to hear what they could do to encourage eco-tourism to the area and how our trip was going so far. Thanks for a great couple of hours guys, I also learned a lot about Cali, Colombian culture and the food (which was undoubtedly the best meal of the entire trip).

That afternoon, trying not to drop off in the minibus we slowly made our way north towards Manizales. En-route we did clock up some good birds, especially as we passed through a low lying area of marshes and meadows where Smooth-billed Ani, Vermillion Flycatcher, Great Kiskadee, Black-crowned Night Heron, Southern Caracara and Snail Kite were the notable new birds. Outside Manizales we met our guide for the next few days Sergio Ocampo and enjoyed a coffee with him and his parents before heading onwards once again. After what seemed like an age we eventually reached the top of a long track and our accommodation for the night - the lodge at Otun Quimbaya. Paul and I checked into our shared room and after dinner (fish again!) we retired in readiness for another early start.

Vermillion Flycatcher

Colombia, Day 1, 21 July 2011 - Chingaza, Gausca Wetlands & La Florida

2011-08-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

This FAM trip was organised by ProExport, the tourist development agency for Colombia. It was all arranged at rather short notice through their office in London and despite the hurried nature of arrangements they did a very good job indeed. Flights from London Heathrow to Bogata via Newark, New York and several internal flights within Colombia were invloved in what was a real whistle-stop tour of this marvellous birding country. For the South American first timer like me the lure of the most species rich country on the planet and so many emdemics were too good to turn down! I'll include specific details within each daily report but I'd like to pay particular thanks to the following people who made the trip such a memorable one - Juliana Torres Netto, Juan Guillermo Perez, Sergio Ocampo, Diana Balcazar, Walberto Naranjo and Isabel Montoya. As it turned out there were just 4 of us on the tour and all from the UK - myself, Paul Roberts who guides for Oriole Birding and Vaughan and Svetlana Ashby from Birdfinders.

Our flights had finally arrived in Bogata the previous evening and we were lucky to be met by our guide for the first day Diana Balcazar. She quickly settled us into the nearby Marriot Hotel and made arrangements to meet pre-dawn for our first days birding.

Our main destination for the day was the upland area to the east of the city known as Chingaza. Stopping to pick Isabel up en-route we were high up in the misty hills just after dawn for a pretty mind-blowing start to our Colombian birding. Within minutes we'd located 2 Golden-fronted Whitestarts, Andean Siskin, Rufous-browed Conebill the first of many many Rufous-collared Sparrows and Great Thrushes and White-throated Tyrannulet. A fantatsic male Glowing Puffleg showed extremely well but also extremely briefly followed by a Black-crested Warbler and Tyrian Metaltail. Best of all were some superb views of the endemic Silvery-throated Spinetail. Further up and in true paramo habitat near the reserve centre Brown-bellied Swallows swooped, a Sparkling Violetear gave itself up and 2 magnificent Black-chested Buzzard-eagles showed beautifully. Misty and windy conditions were making things hard work but I managed to score with a brief Chestnut-crowned Antpitta and we also got Plain-coloured Seedeater, Plumbeous Sierra Finch, Superciliaried Hemispingus, Glossy Flowerpiercer and MattoralTapaculo. First prize in the looks stakes had to go the the small group of Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanagers - stunning birds!

Golden-fronted Whitestart

Glossy Flowerpiecer

Paramo habitat, Chingaza

Silvery-throated Spinetail (endemic)

Scarlet-bellied Mountain Tanager

Chingaza reserve visitor centre

Rufous-collared Sparrow

Plumbeous Sierra Finch

Gausca Wetlands

Our 2nd stop of the day was the small area of wetlands known as the Gausca Wetlands. Parking up in a small area of farmland and meadows we enjoyed an al-fresco lunch (lovingly prepared by Diana!) with Eastern Meadowlark, Great Thrush and a Sparkling Violetear for company. We soon finished our scoff and made the short walk down to the marshy area. Our target bird the endemic Bogata Rail was very quickly bagged, indeed we went on to record about 5 of these great birds. Also present were a pair of Southern Lapwings that flew aggitatedly around us for most of the time we were there, several Spotted-winged Gallinules, American Coot, a pair of Andean Teal, Black-necked Stilt, Ruddy Duck and a very welcome Noble Snipe.

Lunch at Gausca Wetlands (copyright Diana Balcazar)

Great Thrush

Southern Lapwing

Our final birding destination of a packed first day was the lake and marsh of La Florida on the edge of Bogota and close to the airport. This curious place is a sort of country park and had been closed for over a year due to flooding. Some negotiations by Diana did the trick though and the gates were soon being unlocked for us. Personally I found the site to be a little disappointing but by now we were all pretty tired and hot so that undoubtedly had something to do with it! Birds we recorded here included Lesser Goldfinch, Band-tailed Seedeater, American Coot, Black Vulture, Tropical Kingbird but sadly we couldn't find Apolinar's Wren which inhabits the reedbeds here but is becoming increasingly difficult to find. A White-tailed Kite from our minibus completed birding for the day. I owe a HUGE thankyou to Diana for being such a great guide and good fun company! I'll always remember the dances we had every time we got a new bird!

American Coot

The remainder of the evening was spent in transit - flying from Bogata to the city of Cali where we were met and transferred to the lovely western Andean lodge/hotel at what is known as the KM18 Cloud Forest (due to it being 18km out of Cali). Even in darkness as we arrived you could tell that we'd have birding on our doorstep the following morning. After dinner we pretty much collapsed into bed!

July 2011 update

2011-07-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

A quick update with a few notable local sightings before I head off to Columbia for 2 weeks:

7 July 2011 - 2 Little Owls near Pulham Market
10 July 2011 - Little Egret over the A140 near Eye, Suffolk
14 July 2011 - Female Montagu's Harrier quartering fields in Pulham St Mary
19 July 2011 - 18 Common Crossbills and the first Graylings and Migrant Hawkers of the year, Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk

Isle of Sheppey and Cliffe Marshes, Kent, 4 July 2011

2011-07-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

During a weeks holiday in London, Kent and Sussex with my son Henry I wanted to visit these 2 sites in North Kent to try to see a couple of new damselflies for my (nearly complete) British dragonfly list. Luckily I was successful at both sites. Firstly we went to a pool under the A249 Sheppey Bridge where a coupled pair of Dainty Damselflies were quite quickly found. Apart from that the pool held Black-tailed Skimmers, Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damselflies and Common Darters.
Later in the day after a walk in the North Downs and a visit to Rochester we ventured out on to Cliffe Marshes from Cliffe village. After a long hot walk we eventually found the spot (the directions I had were rather misleading!) and here I managed 2 Southern Emerald Damselflies, a male and a a very obliging female. Emerald Damselflies and Emperor Dragonfly were evident here too.

Later in the week we saw loads of Marbled Whites and several Dark Green Fritillaries in the South Downs between Brighton and Lewes.

Dainty Damselfly pool, under Sheppey Bridge

Southern Emerald Damselfly, Cliffe Marshes

Loddon, Norfolk, 8 June 2011

2011-06-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

I called in at this site as I was passing to see if any 'chlorantha' Bee Orchids have emerged. Thankfully, after looking for while I was able to locate 2 plants of this scarce form of Bee Orchid. Only 2 plants though which is way down on the usual numbers here. Maybe indicative of the extremely warm and dry spring we've had.

For my guided orchid/butterfly/dragonfly days out click here

Bempton Cliffs, 3 June 2011

2011-06-04T05:04:00.000-07:00

A very enjoyable but long day trip up to Bempton with James Emerson and Cathy Thomas from Norwich. Despite frustratingly slow traffic and road closures in Lincoln we eventually arrived on the Yorkshire coast at about 11.00. A Corn Bunting sang as we drove the lanes on last couple of miles to Bempton. As ever at this great site the seabirds are in your face as soon as you reach the clifftops, really easy birding!Cathy soon had her much wanted Puffins with several loafing about on the sea at the base of the cliffs and then a lovely closer one on a cliff ledge. All the usual Gannets, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars were whizzing about and going about their daily business. The combination of sun and a dark sea made for some good photographic opportunities. A quick visit to the feeding station on the edge of the carpark revealed loads of Tree Sparrows with plenty of juveniles prompting the question 'why are they so common here and so scarce back in Norfolk?!'

A stop at Hornsey Mere on the way back proved to be a waste of time so cutting our losses we decided to head back into home territory and dropped in at Narborough Railway Line as we passed. No skippers to report here though, just some Common Blues, the 1st Meadow Brown of the year, a Common Lizard and a few Pyramidal Orchids just starting to poke their heads up.

Congratulations on your engagement guys, I had no idea!

Arctic Norway, Day 7, 12 May 2011 - Batsfjord to Kirkenes

2011-05-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Now, today was supposed to start with a breakfast and leisurely 10 minute drive to Batsfjord airport to start the journey home. What actually happened was a little different. Halfway through breakfast Tormod comes in to announce our flight from Batsfjord to Kirkenes had been cancelled due to illness in the crew and we had no option but to drive it in the minibus and hope we had enough time! A few minutes later we were in the bus with bread in hand and 'enjoying' a rather quick drive over the snow covered roads of the central Varanger Peninsular! 200 Snow Buntings were a blur from the window and then I got onto a Ptarmigan close to the road which luckily most people managed to see. It was going to have to be something exceptional for Hans to stop the bus as we were is so much of a hurry! And special it was when Ruud shouted 'stop the bus - Hawk Owl!' We all scrambled out and feasted our eyes on this beauty in the same area we'd been looking a few days previously. Amazingly another was then seen on the roof of a house a few miles further on. Never had the saying 'every cloud has a silver lining' been so true!

As a postscript we made our flight with time to spare.

Hawk Owl, Tana Valley (copyright Hans Ueli Grutter)

Reindeer, Varanger Peninsular

Varanger Peninsular

Arctic Norway, Day 6, 11 May 2011 - Kongsfjord, Batsfjord and Syltefjord

2011-05-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

What a start to the day breakfast at the Kongsfjord Guesthouse was. Never did I think I'd see the day when a group of dedicated birders sit down to eat Herring Gull eggs! And jolly good they were too! The locals in Finnmark collect these eggs in a legal and sustainable way it being a tradition with it's roots in necessity that goes back a long long way.

Asa at Kongsfjord Guesthouse with her Herring Gull eggs! (copyright Martin Garner)

The first couple of hours of the day were spent walking around the headland to the north of the village. Our main target was Gyr that use this area as a hunting ground from their breeding cliffs inland. Eventually it paid off and we all got some great views of this superb bulky falcon hanging and gliding in the wind by the western cliffs. We even thought we had another but it proved to be a 'tundra' Peregrine that dashed past over our heads. Actually a rarer bird here than Gyr! 3 Twite also flew over calling and around the guesthouse building Snow Buntings twittered and flitted around.

Kongsfjord with a Gyr on that distant rock - honestly!

Kongsfjord

Birding Kongsfjord

Snow Buntings, Kongsfjord (copyright Martin Garner). The left hand bird is a Siberian bird of the race vlasowae

Leaving this special place was a bit of a wrench but leave it we had to because we had a date in nearby Batsfjord. On the way were yet more Snow Buntings, 2 Red-throated Divers, a couple each of White-tailed Eagle and Rough-legged Buzzard and then a Merlin dashed it's way onto the trip list. And so, to Arctic Tourist at Batsfjord http://www.arctictourist.no/ and our date with the Barents Sea - a 4 hour, 70km pelagic on an oversized dinghy out into arctic waters which quickly earned the nickname 'The Blue Fulmar Pelagic'! After donning out all in one arctic suits things began quietly in the harbour with Glaucous Gull, Black Guillemots, Purple Sandpipers and Common Eiders. Out beyond the harbour however things began to get rough and seasickness kicked in for some! We estimated the swell to be between 10 & 12 feet which made for some wet passengers! The birding was amazing though, soon we were surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of Fulmars of which about 80% were blue phase birds varying from slightly dark to very dark. Conditions for photography were awful but between us we did manage a few decent shots. Added to that were a White-billed Diver, loads more auks including 2+ Brunnich's Guillemots and 2 Little Auks before we headed round a headland to the east and into Syltefjord. This is the home of a huge Kittiwake colony and the worlds most northerly Gannetry so we were quickly right amongst them all. Hunting the Kittiwake colony were 3 more majestic White-tailed Eagles. When we'd had our fill we motored the final 15 icy minutes back to the tiny harbour in Syltefjord and were welcomed into the boat owner's cabin for a BBQ meal and warming rum. A good job too because we were all soaked, freezing and hungry! Even the drive back round to Batsfjord wasn't without it's highlights. This was the first day of the year the road had been opened and when we drove though a cleared snowdrift between ice walls twice the height of the minibus we could see why!

Togged up and ready to go...

The 'Blue Fulmar Pelagic'

'Blue' Fulmar, off Batsfjord

Black Guillemots, Batsfjord Harbour

'Blue' Fulmar, off Batsfjord

Glaucous Gull, Batsfjord Harbour

Here is a Youtube video by Hans Ueli which gives a nice flavour of of our 'Blue Fulmar Pelagic' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RXQPg0Lo7Y&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Sytlefjord Road

That night we chilled in the Polar Hotel in Batsfjord http://www.polarhotel.net/polarhotel/ (pun intended!) thinking our birding for the trip was over. But as we found out in the morning - it wasn't quite yet...

Arctic Norway, Day 5, 10 May 2011 - Vardø to Kongsfjord & Kjølnes Lighthouse

2011-05-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Martin joined us today after a flight in the previous evening. With news that the coastal ferry known as the Hurtigruten wasn't an option due to high seas we needed to make the drive to Kongsfjord. This meant going back along the shores of the Varangerfjord to Vararangerbotn and then heading north along the Tana valley. This of course gave us some birding opportunities en-route. It seemed a shame not to stop in Vadsø as we were passing so we had another gawp at Steller's Eiders, this time with several Long-tailed Ducks.

Long-tailed Duck, Vadsø

Steller's Eiders,Vadsø

We notched up more or less the same species as before along the shore of the fjord. White-tailed Eagle numbers were down to just 15 in the spot from yesterday but nearby 2 gorgeous Otters entertained us just offshore. We couldn't resist another stop in Skallelv village where the feeders now hosted 4+ Arctic Redolls, just 1 Mealy Redpoll and presumably the same male Brambling as yesterday. Our long drive gave us another Shorelark, c300 Snow Buntings, 3 Rough-legged Buzzards, a close-up Red Fox and loads of Reindeer before a couple of unsuccessful searches for Hawk Owl in the Tana valley as we headed north towards Kongsfjord.

birding in the Tana Valley

Arctic Redpoll, Skallelv

Red Fox, Varanger

After checking into the lovely Kongsfjord Guesthouse http://www.kongsfjord-gjestehus.no/html/welcome.html and having a very late lunch of reindeer meatballs we all headed back to the bus and made the 30 minute drive west to Kjølnes Lighthouse for some seawatching. This area was the furthest north we ventured and truly felt like it was on the edge of the world! Nothing stood between us and the North Pole except miles of icy sea. Seawatching in the lea of the lighthouse was excellent. Not necessarily for variety but certainly quality and volume - 1000+ Fulmars of which c70% were 'blue' phase birds, 4 Arctic Skuas, 6 White-billed Divers, 2 Glaucous Gulls, c6 Brunnich's Guillemots, several Puffins, a Gannet and many Black Guillemots.

Glaucous Gull, Kjølnes Lighthouse

Kjølnes Lighthouse

near Kjølnes Lighthouse

Oystercatcher, Kjølnes Lighthouse

Tormod enjoying his dried fish! Kjølnes Lighthouse

Seawatching, Kjølnes Lighthouse

Back in the welcoming warmth of the guesthouse we were warmly welcomed by Asa and treated to a superb dinner of cod followed by baked apples and plenty of wine.

Kongsfjord

Arctic Norway, Day 4, 9 May 2011 - Varangerfjord (Ekkerøy - Vardø) & Hornøya

2011-05-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

After a DIY breakfast at our cabin at Ekkerøy we made our way further east along the fjord birding as we went. Frequent stops along the road were very productive. Top marks to Hans for several sudden stops and hasty reverses! Over 30 White-tailed Eagles in the same small area (concentrated on what must have been a carcass of some sort) was some sight as they wheeled over the road, nearby ridge and foreshore. Another sudden screech to a halt as I called Willow Grouse and we went on to enjoy 3 of these great birds by the roadside (2 females and and fantastic male). Other roadside birds included several Tundra Bean Geese, c6 Arctic Skuas and on the water 8 Steller's Eiders, 1 Velvet Scoter, 3 Common Scoters, 7 Tufted Duck, c10 Long-tailed Ducks and scattered Common Eiders and Red-breasted Mergansers. No wonder it took us ages to get to Vardø!

Pink-footed and Tundra Bean Geese, Varangerfjord

Tundra Bean Geese, Varangerfjord

White-tailed Eagle, Varangerfjord

Willow Grouse, Varangerfjord

Birding the Varangerfjord tundra

Before reaching Vardø we called in at the small village of Skallelv where some feeders in a roadside garden were certainly drawing in some hungry birds. We spent an extremely enjoyable hour here watching and photographing an Arctic Redpoll, c6 Mealy Redpolls, c10 Snow Buntings and a stonking male Brambling. Also in the area were a number of Greenfinches, a solitary Northern Wheatear and a small group of Steller's Eiders looking good on an floating ice flow.

Arctic Redpoll, Skallelv

Brambling, Skallelv

Mealy Redpoll, Skallelv

Skallelv

Snow Bunting, Skallelv

Reaching Vardø (as far east as Istanbul apparantly!) we checked into the Vardo Hotel http://www.vardohotel.no/index.php?lang=eng early and had some lunch. From the hotel we clocked up c8 Black Guillemots, Glaucous Gull, 2 White-tailed Eagles and several Purple Sandpipers in the harbour before boarding the boat http://www.vardohavn.no/ which would take us on the short trip to the island of Hornøya and its famous seabird cliffs. We'd only just got off the boat when Tormod found our only King Eider of the trip, a 2nd summer drake. The next 3 hours on the island were a complete auk-fest in a squally snow blizzard! Simply thousands of Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills and top of the wanted list Brunnich's Guillemots whizzed around with huge numbers of Kittiwakes. A White-tailed Eagle fliew in and demonstrated how it hunted Kittiwake chicks (flapping its wings by the cliff ledges to blow the poor chicks off!). A couple of Ravens cruised menacingly by as did a 1yr Glaucous Gull. Then a 2nd Orca was spotted by Ruud, this time closer and even breaching - wow!

'bridled' Guillemot, Hornøya

Brunnich's Guillemot, Hornøya

Glaucous Gull, Hornøya

Great Black-backed Gull, Hornøya

Kittiwake, Hornøya

Puffin, Hornøya

Raven, Hornøya

Razorbill, Hornøya

Shag, Hornøya

White-tailed Eagle, Hornøya

Here is a Youtube video by Han Ueli showing some of our adventures around Hornøya and Vadso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9DOLp3SAfs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

After a rather rough boat crossing back we just had enough time to wander to the edge of town for some evening birding by Vardø Fortress (the most northerly fortress in the world) where 4 Glaucous Gulls loafed on the tideline and we added Skylark and Shorelark to the triplist.

Dinner at the hotel that night was accompanied by a pint of the local beer - Mack. But at £9 a pint it would be the only one I had!

Arctic Norway, Day 3, 8 May 2011 - Nesseby, Vadsø & Ekkerøy

2011-05-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

This morning began with another unusual breakfast ingredient - pike! Following that I had a short stroll while we were waiting for the minibus to leave. In the area around our guesthouse I found a female Lapland Bunting and a group of c10 Waxwings flew through trilling noisily.

Our first scheduled halt of the day was at Nesseby church which is at the base of a small headland sticking out into the fjord (and famous for once hosting a fly-by Soft-plumaged Petrel!). Today there was nothing quite so exotic but nonetheless a bird that was close to the top of my wanted list - Steller's Eider was present and c35 individuals loafing on an island off the western shore was the first encounter of many with this attractive and very special species. The usual Common Eider were present in good numbers together with a single Shag, several Kittiwakes passing, 2 Waxwings, 3 White-tailed Eagles soaring overhead and finally 2 Arctic Skuas harrassing the Kittiwakes.

Kittiwake, Nesseby

Nesseby Church

Continuing east we soon reached the town of Vadsø and made a beeline for the harbour. This spot has to be the Steller's Eider capital of the Western Paleacrtic! We saw and photographed at least 250 even though a single Coot was more to Tormod's liking as it is a scarce brid up here! About 80 Tundra Bean Geese were also seen in the area as well as numerous Common Eiders, several Red-breasted Mergansers and 3 Rough-legged Buzzards on the approach to the town. We then had lunch of cod in the only hotel in town where we were all treated to hand rubbing (!) from a very attentive restaurant manageress! Back out into the cold again and we headed for the nearby headland of Vadsøya for a wander and search for migrants. This was a great spot where we were lucky enough to find 2 Arctic Redpolls, a group of 8 Lapland Buntings (including a nice showy male), a single (even more showy) Snow Bunting, c30 Greenfinches, Redwings and a Tufted Duck.

Birding Vadsøya

Common Eider, Vadsø

Common Gull, Vadsø

Hooded Crow,Vadsø

Lapland Bunting, Vadsøya

Snow Bunting,Vadsøya

Steller's Eider, Vadsø

A brief stop near the village of Golnes gave us our first Velvet Scoter and a nice group of c40 Purple Sandpipers.

Purple Sandpiper, near Golnes

Purple Sandpipers, near Golnes

Our overnight stop was at the island of Ekkerøy. This island is connected to the mainland by a spit and road. First things first though, we made a roadside stop just beyond Ekkerøy where we managed a snow white Arctic Hare as Redwings sang from the tops of stunted birch trees and an out of place Chiffchaff sang briefly. Back at Ekkerøy we had c50 Knot, Redshank, Whimbrel, Snipe and numerous Kittiwakes gathering nesting material from the beach and taking it back to their breeding colony where we enjoyed their antics when a roving Raven nabbed one and proceeded to eat it on a tideline rock! Best of all however was a fairly distant Orca picked out in the fjord and scoped well. This was a new one for me and very welcome indeed. To complete the picture were c15 Black Guillemots loafing offshore with a single Long-tailed Duck.

Our accommodation on Ekkerøy was in 2 lovely cabins http://www.ekkeroy.net/en.html and due to the remote location outside caterers had prepared a lamb pasta dish which we all hungrily devoured. For me Ekkerøy had a wonderful atmosphere with the cabins having displays of local history in old photographs including tales of burning of local witches!

Ekkerøy accommodation

Ekkerøy

Redwing near Ekkerøy

Arctic Norway, Day 2, 7 May 2011 - Kirkenes, Pasvik, Munkfjord and Varangerbotn

2011-05-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

With caviar for breakfast at the Thon Hotel, Kirkenes things got off to a good start. That's more than can be said for the local 'caramel' cheese though - yuk!
Early morning birding in Kirkenes yielded a few Common Eider, 2 Red-throated Divers and Kittiwake and then as we left town our first White-tailed Eagle and Raven.

Our main destination for the day was the large forested valley of Pasvik which extends south with Russia on one side and Finland on the other. We made several stops at a mixture of woodland and taiga sites in the morning and early afternoon. The birding was quite slow at times but with work we managed to amass a decent list and some very good sightings. Top of the pops for me was a lovely group of 3 - 4 Siberian Tits which we pursued through the snowy pine forest. While doing this I stumbled upon a singing Parrot Crossbill which allowed some point blank photos as I stood at the base of its tree. Other interesting passerines were a couple of Willow Tits, c8 Bramblings, 2 Waxwings, Reed Bunting and loads of Fieldfares and Redwings (the latter singing which was a new experience for me). At a stop by a large lake we were able to pick out 3 Whooper Swans, Goldeneye, 5 Common Cranes together with Greenshank and Spotted Redshank. Taiga Bean Geese and Red-breasted Mergansers were seen in several scattered locations. We then enjoyed an al fresco lunch of reindeer stew at Birk http://www.birkhusky.no/ before heading north again and towards the mighty Varangerfjord.

Lunch at Birk, Pasvik

Parrot Crossbill, Pasvik

Siberian Tit, Pasvic (copyright Steve Rogers)

Rough-legged Buzzard, Pasvik

Polluted Russia from Pasvik!

Our route north took us along the south shore of Munkfjord with frequent shouts for Hans to 'stop the bus' for things such as 3 Harbour Porpoises, Common Scoters, Red-throated Divers and Rough-legged Buzzards. At one scheduled stop a scan of the shallow waters and low laying island produced our only Iceland Gull of the week, several loafing Arctic Skuas, Black Guillemots and c15 Goosander. Finally we reached the head of Varangerfjord and our first views of this famous huge fjord.

Above Varanger

Birding above Varanger

A short stop at a waterside hide at Varangerbotn added a few species to the triplist - Dunnock, Curlew, Redshank, Pintail and Shelduck before we headed to our overnight accommodation by the shore of the fjord at Nesseby http://www.varjjat.com. Here I was lucky to get a lovely twin room to myself (despite me saying there was plenty of room for someone else) and avoided one of the 2 caravans which were reportedly freezing! Dinner that night was a great BBQ and beers by a roaring fire. While eating and generally being merry Nigel bolted out of the door and within seconds had thrown himself on the grass outside. What on earth was going on?! All was revealed when he returned with a vole in his hand to show us all - impressive reflexes or what?! There was still time for Nigel to pick out a stunning summer plumaged White-billed Diver on the water and c8 Bar-tailed Godwits before we retired.

The facilities on offer at Nesseby!

Accommodation at Nesseby

BBQ dinner at Nesseby

Arctic Norway, Day 1, 6 May 2011 - Kirkenes

2011-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

This was a week long trip to Northern Norway organised and funded by http://www.linken-nh.no/ The aim being to promote the area for visiting birders and tour groups. Before I start this trip report with all the details of this arctic adventure I'd like to extend a huge thanks to all who made it happen. An excellent job was done in promoting this wonderful area. Special thanks must go to Tormod Amundsen who was our very able and likeable guide throughout. Tormod's dedication and hard work are an inspiration. Thanks also to Hans our driver for the week for putting up with our constant cries to stop the bus for birds and his very welcome coffee and cakes! Also worth special mention are Sinikka Ruotsalainen who did all the behind the scenes organising and booking and Kate Utsi who works to champion tourist development in the area http://www.varanger.com and even joined us for a little birding in Varanger. Not forgetting the other people we met along the way from guesthouse owners to restaurant managers. Without exception we were treated with kindness and welcoming.

Day 1 was mostly a travelling day with flights from Heathrow to Oslo and then on to Kirkenes (pronounced 'Sherkenes') in the far north and close to the Russian border. It was at Kirkenes airport that we all met. The group consisted of a mixture of British, Swiss, German and Dutch birders from tour operators to magazine editors and even a wildlife artist which made for a wonderful mix. The friendliness of everyone made this become a very special week. The list of names goes like this:
Steve Rogers, James McCallum, Colin McShane, Nigel Jones, Martin Garner, Han Ueli Grutter, Jorg Kretzschmar, Ruud van Beusekom and Andre van Loon.

The trip had almost a surreal start - within minutes of welcoming handshakes we were in the minibus and being whisked down the road. Only a couple of miles down the road we stopped, raced up a rocky slope and scoped a huge Brown Bear on a snow-covered slope on the other side of the road! We were staring at each other in amazement! The event was something of a local attraction with a group of about 20 people watching the spectacle as the bear guarded a reindeer carcass in a hollow. Steve was able to get this great photo even in the fading light.

Brown Bear, Kirkenes (copyright Steve Rogers)

That evening we stayed at the Thon Hotel in Kirkenes, ate a late dinner and watched Long-tailed Ducks whizz past through the picture windows. This place truly lived up to its tag of 'Land of the Midnight Sun' as this photo taken from my room window at the stroke of midnight proves.

Kuwait - Day 6, 10 April 2011, Green Island, Jahra Farms, Doha Spit, Sulaibikhat and Jahra Pools

2011-04-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

The last day of the tour and time to visit the one remaining site we'd not yet been to - Green Island. Brian's visiting friend Andy joined us for the morning as Brian was at work. Upon arrival we were greeted by the all too familiar unhelpfulness of Kuwaiti gate security who insisted we could enter until 08.00. To kill an hour or so we decided to check the nearby seafront area and were glad we did because a splendid male Cinereous Bunting was found along the promenade with an Ortolan plus a pale throated Black-eared Wheatear and the usual Common Mynas. Eventually we we granted access and quickly located our main target species - Red-vented Bulbul with its much commoner cousin White-cheeked Bulbul. Several migrants were found, mainly around the bottlebrush trees near the entrance which were alive with c30 Lesser Whitethroats from which we managed to find 1-2 Eastern Orphean Warblers, 1 Barred Warbler and several Blackcaps. Around the island were also a Hoopoe, 2 Redstarts, Tree and Red-throated Pipits, Masked Shrike, Woodchat Shrike and a couple of Pied Wheatears. Of great interest were also a nesting pair of Ruppell's Weavers which are now in their 2nd year and hopefully destined for category C! The numbers of Grey Hypocolious passing through were hugely impressive with the group notching up 39 individuals.

Cinereous Bunting, near Green Island

Common Mynas, Green Island

Eastern Orphean Warbler, Green Island

Laughing Dove, near Green Island

Ortolan, near Green Island

Redstart, Green Island

Ruppell's Weaver, Green Island

White-cheeked Bulbul, Green Island

With migrants around we opted for a check of Jahra Farms next. Amongst the usual pipits and wagtails were c8 Redstarts, a male Semi-collared Flycatcher (presumably the same as on 5th as it was in the exact same spot), singles of Masked Shrike, Grey Hypocolious, Grey Wagtail, White-breasted Kingfisher and best of all a lovely 1st summer male Rock Thrush. As usual Bank Mynas, Cattle Egrets and Squacco Herons were also in evidence.

Cattle Egret, Jahra Farms

Grey Wagtail, Jahra Farms

Rock Thrush, Jahra Farms

Next up was a return visit to Doha Spit for another gawp at the waders. The species were the same as the previous day but it was interesting to note that the numbers of Lesser Sandplovers had dropped to about 200 whereas Curlew Sandpiper numbers were significantly up. Osprey was seen once again as was a single Asian Desert Warbler , a dark throated Black-eared Wheatear and a couple of Lesser Crested Terns.

The group had not visited the little local nature reserve at Sulaibikhat yet so we made a very quick stop here as we passed. A male Menetries's Warbler was a very welcome new bird for Andy who also had a White-throated Robin. Also seen were Graceful Prinias and the only Common Whitethroat of the week (race icterops).

As our final port of call for the whole tour we all agreed on Jahra Pools once more. We were greeted by a newly arrived Turtle Dove along the entrance track whilst waders included c8 Red-necked Phalaropes, c5 Wood Sandpipers, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank and 2 Marsh Sandpipers. Baillon's and Spotted Crakes were seen once again whilst 3 Glossy Ibis circled in and at least 2 Grey-headed Swamphens strode around between the reeds. Passerines included a female Bluethroat, Siberian Stonechat, a singing Moustached Warbler, Southern, Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes and to end a memorable tour a Penduline Tit picked out by the German guys in the fading light.

Grey-headed Swamphen, Jahra Pools

Siberian Stonechat, Jahra Pools

Turtle Dove, Jahra Pools

Our HUGE thanks to all our 2011 tour members and our friends in Kuwait for making it another highly successful and enjoyable trip.

Click here for a great selection of photos by Austrian birder Seppi Ringert

Kuwait - Day 5, 9 April 2011, Al Abraq, Doha Spit, and Jahra Pools

2011-04-26T08:04:00.001-07:00

With migration conditions looking good we headed out west to Al Abraq once again. En-route numerous shrikes in roadside bushes hinted of things being on the move. A flock of 18 Grey Hypocolious was a great sight on the edge of the desert whilst other migrants included a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, 1 'magna' Bluethroat, 2 Rufous Bush Robins, 1 Masked and 2 Woodchat Shrikes, c4 Redstarts (incl 1 samamisicus), Grey and Yellow Wagtails, Water, Tree and Red-throated Pipits and our only Spotted Flycatcher of the tour. Chiffchaffs were exceptionally numerous and included several Willow Warblers, a single Eastern Olivaceous Warbler and another good candidate for Mountain Chiffchaff which unfortunately didn't show well enough to be nailed. 24 Squacco Herons circled overhead every now and again and up to 3 Sparrowhawks had us checking carefully for Shikra.

Grey Hypocolious, Al Abraq

Hoopoe, Al Abraq

Red-throated Pipit, Al Abraq

Sparrowhawk, Al Abraq

Willow Warbler, Al Abraq

Squacco Herons, Al Abraq

At Albraq (copyright Reija Heinonen)

After the long drive back we decided to call in at Doha Spit on the west side of Kuwait Bay. This was a new site to our tour participants and for the wader enthusiast is very entertaining indeed. The variety and number of waders here is always impressive but today the place really excelled itself. Well over 1000 Lesser Sandplovers harboured c50 Greater Sandplovers with smaller numbers of Kentish and Grey Plovers. Dunlin, Turnstone and Little Stints were also numerous and with diligent scanning several Whimbrel and Curlew Sandpipers, c5 Sanderling and c6 Broad-billed Sandpipers were picked out. Very impressive to European birders were the numerous Terek Sandpipers which are always impressive. Greater Flamingoes, c30 Caspian Terns and singles of Caspian Gull, Western Reef Heron and Osprey were also very welcome. Passerines are never numerous here due to the habitat but 2 lovely Asian Desert Warblers were watched well after being found by Henrik as well as 2+ Desert Wheatears.

Asian Desert Warbler, Doha Spit

As a fitting end to the day we opted once again for Jahra Pools. Water levels were up on our previous visit but despite fewer waders there was still plenty to keep us all amused until sundown. All 3 crakes again plus 3 Glossy Ibis, both Marsh and Montagu's Harrier, 1 Marsh Sandpiper amongst several Wood Sandpipers and our only Red-rumped Swallows of the week picked out from the numerous Sand Martins. 2 Ortolans showed very nicely by the path whilst a Sedge Warbler showed followed by a singing Moustached Warbler that didn't! A surprise Grey Hypocolious was picked out in the reeds and both Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes, Garganey and Little Grebes completed the list.

Daurian Shrike, Jahra Pools

Ortolan, Jahra Pools

Pied Wheatear, Jahra Pools

Red-rumped Swallow, Jahra Pools