An Eagle and Stilts!

21/06/14

What has this spring been like! Hot, muggy, you'd think you were in the Mediterranean, and I'm sure the birds did too!

With the appearance of a mobile but long staying Short-toed Eagle, multiple breeding pairs of Black-winged Stilt and now we hear of successfully fledged Bee-Eaters, it has been a summer to remember, whether you take that as a good or a bad thing.

Needless to say though, with a 3rd for Britain now touring much of the south coast, and one as highly impressive as a stunningly pale Short-toed Eagle, it wasn't too hard a decision to take up an offer and head down with a car full of the Next Generation Birders!

After a quick check of Sheepwash before catching my train, I then met up with Espen in Birmingham New street, before catching out next train out to Rugby for our base for a few hours, at Matt, our drivers house.

I have been on a twitch with both of these guys a few times previous and I have never missed a bird, so optimism was high (Baikal Teal, Ivory Gull). With our train having being cancelled, we arrived in Rugby fairly late on, and following a few preparation tasks, we chose to stay up and drink coffee rather than suffer the horrible feeling of  grogginess you get after only a hour or so sleep.

But, in the early hours, we started on our way down, and the miles passed...

Our final stop before heading for the current location of the Eagle in Ashdown forest was to pick up Josie from her house, which rather remarkably gave us our first bird of the day as we could hear a NIGHTJAR churring from the road outside the house!

With that bonus, we continued on, and before long the sun started to rise, illuminating the sky in red and purple.

It was a increasingly long and nervous wait as we pulled off the main roads and turned into small, overgrown forested road as we arrived near Ashdown, and then a large area heathland appeared from behind the tree's and the Gills Lap carpark appeared in view.

We set up our scopes and camera gear and waited....

A TURTLE DOVE purred from the opposite side of the road, one of the species I had hoped to catch up with on this 'southern' expedition, and following some fairly regular calling, 2 Turtles then flew up the road giving stunning views as they flew past with one in pursuit of the other. My only Turtle Doves this summer!

With the bird obviously not roosting in the open as it had done on a couple of occasions, we chose to have a look around, where we were entertained by a number of Tree Pipits, Garden Warbler, Stonechats and a colony of Heath spotted Orchid. All nice stuff, but upon returning to the crowd we only grew more anxious, there were now a large number of cars and birders present.

With it just starting to warm up, with a few of the suns rays beaming down on the heath, a shout from behind us had multiple people scanning onto a huge bird of prey which had just appeared over the ridge of tree's. Bright white, massive, but very distant, but no doubting this was the 2nd summer SHORT-TOED EAGLE!

A mass exodus of the car park followed as all the twitchers moved down the road to the opposite end of the heath, and soon enough, still distantly, the Eagle could be seen perched up on the tops of a few tree's!

A Woodlark on a tree next to us was almost ignored, but soon after the eagle took flight and flew along the heath, giving much better views, showing what a truly stunning bird it was!

It dropped onto multiple treetops, where a few digi-scoped images were possible, despite the distance.

 

 

The bird hunted back and forth over the heath, dropping down out of sight and at one time came up with a Snake, and proceeded to eat it on the wing!

 

Me and Espen lost the others, so we decided to move our viewpoint back towards the carpark as the bird was flying that way, but unfortunately, after a brief hovering session at closer range, the bird then moved to the other side of the heath where we watched it distantly in our scopes.

 

 

 

Having been watching the bird for nearing 3 hours, we agreed to head off to our next location, to a newly formed RSPB reserve where a pair of Black-winged Stilt had raised 3 chicks.

 

Even in its very early stages, you can see this reserve has huge potential, with the ever present Avocet's being on most of the pools, and Little Egrets dotted around. We moved our way onto the shingle beach, where numerous Sandwich, Little and a single Common Tern were flying. 6 Mediterranean Gull were also moving back and forth before an altogether bigger bird flew over as a rather impressive RAF C-130 Hercules flew over the reserve and out to sea!

 

 

 

We continued along, and a party of Lesser black backed Gulls flew low over and area of dense sedge and weedy grass, and in doing so, up flew a strikingly black and white bird as one of the adult BLACK-WINGED STILTS flew up to mob them, and it was soon joined by its mate as they chased off these unwanted visitors, proving beyond doubt that they were still caring for chicks in that dense foliage! We just couldn't see them.

 

Elated at this brief, but very good flight display we waked up to a estuary mouth a little further up, which gave us a nice wader showing, with Little ringed, Ringed and Grey Plover all being present, alongside Lapwing, Dunlin, Turnstones, Redshank and a single Bar-tailed Godwit! We were also treated to some outstanding Little Tern flypasts here as they flew within 30ft of us as they headed back out to sea!

Away from Avian highlights, 4 Clouded Yellow butterflies were seen, including one which flew out to sea, but non of which landed for a photo.

 

We returned back to where we saw the Stilts, and enjoyed a few further brief views on the deck and in flight but with us all starting to tire, we decided to head somewhere where we could sit down and get some rest, so we dropped in Pagham Harbour.

Birdwise it was all a little 'samey', but also present here were a number of Little Terns, Sandwich Terns and again a single Common Tern, all of which were appreciated as  they flew across the waves of the sea.

With us all now fairly birded out, and with a still long drive back ahead of us, we decided to head back, after what was a great, but very tiring day.

Note to self- Always go to sleep before you go on a twitch, even if just for a short time!

MB

TURKEY!!!!!!!

My holiday in Turkey was amazing with my great spots, this will be a long post but i hope to keep you interested by photos and just plain curiosity, welcome to 'TURKEY, '2010''

We arrived in Antalya airport on the 8th, we departed to our hotel on a coach, we hadn't even left the airport before i had a life tick up, CRESTED LARK(world 207), not long after another lifer, a stonking male LESSER KESTREL(world 208). It turns out that this bird and a female roosted regularly on our hotel and was therefore seen most days.

Later that evening a stroll around the hotel grounds produced a WHITE SPECTACLED(yellow vented) BULBUL (209)

9th

Dawn broke and a quick look from my balcony produced a flock of swallow and sand martin swirling around above me, but quickly a much larger bird flew in, the unmistakable jizz of a swift, just huge ALPINE SWIFT......(210), the bird circled with the flock for a few minutes above the hotel but then flew away towards Antalya town..

Then it was down to the beech, a gull was flying up and down the beech but at first I was unable to identify it, but then I remembered i wasn't in Britain and i need to think outside the box, I took in all the features and came to the conclusion that the only bird it could be was a 1st summer AUDOUINS GULL (211), as it happened this bird hung around for the rest of the day but only reappeared briefly now and then, another lifer quickly followed as a winter plumaged GULL BILLED TERN(212) flew along the beach, 2 Crested lark were feeding on the beech around the sun loungers!!!!!, 3 White spectacled Bulbuls were around the grounds and a few swift hawked above

As the day closed to an end a few hundred swallow piled over west, but out at sea a big bird caught my eye, a very big bird, a pink FLAMINGO (213)flying east along the coast. the bird slowly made its way into the distance allowing me to watch it for about 3 mins, but too far out of my camera range..

2 RED RUMPED SWALLOW(214) flew over with the flock of swallow

10th

This day I up the beach, about 200m up the beach I stopped because 2 LRP were on a wasteground there, I followed, and was quickly led into a barrage of crested lark song, there were everywhere, in total 17!! of these birds were singing and gowd knows how many females were tucked up in there,

3 HOODED CROW(215 flew in and landed in the centre of the wasteland, 10 Gull billed terns were fishing ofshore and a flock of 6 LBBG(of race 'fuscus' eg baltic gull) flew over south with 2 Yellow legged gulls, 2 White spectacled bulbul were in the hotel grounds.

11th

A quick day this at 11am while sitting on a lounger by the pool a stunning HOOPOE flew over(216), later that day I visited the wasteground again with my stepdads camera and check this.....

9 Crested lark were here and many were singing:

(note the rusty underwings and tail pattern)

The Hooded crow flock was now on 4:

A Lesser whitethroat with pale 'spectacles' was in a hedge and 3 White spectacled bulbul were again in the hotel and the 2 Lesser kestrel roosted on the roof

now it goes quiet for a few days:

12th

The only birthday surprise was a flock of 41 Yellow legged gull which flew west offshore, a few Red rumped swallow flew over and a White spectacled Bulbul was around

13th

The 3 Bulbul were again about and one each of Crested lark and YL gull flew over but the highlight was the (re) appearance of an Alpine Swift, annoyingly while I was eating my tea in the hotel restaurant.......

14th

Starting to get used to the normal stuff now, the 3 Bulbul again, 5 Crested lark, 1 Lesser kestrel, 2 White wagtail and a YL gull

15th

Bulbuls again. not much else....

16th

I walked further up the beach than before and it reaped rewards, I found a lake where for the rest of the holiday most of my birding was situated....

2 PURPLE HERON were quickly spotted flying east offshore and 3 Gull billed terns were fishing offshore, a few Yellow legged gulls flew over, and then my attention turned to the lake, loads(20c) LRP were plastered up the shore and Reed warblers were singing everywhere, the odd Sedge warbler and the song of many Crested lark (again 20c),

An adult BALTIC GULL flew east back to its breeding grounds, walking over the ridge of a sand dune three strikingly black and white birds were flushed from the waters edge(no idea they where there), got me onto 3 BLACK WINGED STILTS(217), the birds flew a short distance behind another dune and landed where the birds shown superbly for ages at extremely close range

I moved to an area with the sun behind me and look at these beautys:

while in the exitement of the stilts i quickly latched onto 5 'egrets' which had just taken flight from further up the beech, the birds flew west towards were i was standing and after a minuite they had gone from egrets to SQUACCO HERONS(218):

(a bit overexposed but they are squacco).

Now with the lake done i decided to go up the path which follows the west side of the lake which turned out to be a good idea with a good load of warblers.......

8 Lesser whitethroat were hopping about on the path but one seemed more secretive hopping in and out of grass,in the shadows of a wall. I fired off a few shots and passed it off as another whitethroat and walked on. I got into a shade patch and looked at my images, the bird on the monitor shown pale legs and a pinkish throat with white 'moustach', oh my god, i looked back at the area the bird had been in and it was still there, a female SUBALPINE WARBLER(219) OK, not the stonking male I was after but who cares, and the photo in question, here it is:

(the moustach stripe can be clearly seen on other pics, but note all the other pro-subalpine features)

With 4 species of warbler i was on a roll with a great OLIVACEOUS WARBLER(220) which gave point blank views as I was changing my battery, it then flew off into the grounds of the adjacent hotel and wasn't seen again. about a hundred metres of path later I turned back as all the warbler activity was centered around the reeds, I got back and a 'grey warbler' landed on the hedgeline, my mind quickly changed from Blackcap to RUPPELL'S WARBLER(221) the second i latched onto it, it obligingly perched on the hedge but into direct sunlight.....

As the light was dying I doodled back to the hotel watching Gull billed terns and YL gulls flyby......

17th

Back up to the lake had me watching a superb flock of 10, yes 10 Black winged stilts.

I scurried off to the Ruppells site and look what greeted me......

The male Ruppell's warbler showed well at a metre or 2 range in a trackside bush, but other warblers were hard to come by 4 female Subalpine warblers were on the roadside bushes, as was a female blackcap, i headed back to the lake where i was just in time to witness 11 Mediterranean Gull fly east offshore, I have never seen more than a lone med so to see a whole flock was mindblowing........

14 Gull billed terns quickly followed.

I spun on my heels and look at the lake, 2 waders were on the near shore, right next to each other, I gained a closer look and this is what i saw:

A male KENTISH PLOVER(222) feeding with a moulting adult LITTLE STINT. WOW, my kind of birding, they often fed around each other and shown superbly well, 2 super little birds.

2 SERIN(223) flew over into the grounds of the hotel where I from now on often saw them...

Then a monster of a tern flew in, a big red beak, short tail, CASPIAN TERN,(224) omfg, this thing was huge as it flew along behind a boat in an east direction, the bird then overtook the boat and continued its flight towards greece

For the last time I turned around and looked for warblers with no extra species added, I walked the road back to the hotel and stopped next to a river where a Common sandpiper landed directly in front of me a metre away, I took a series of shots of the bird unaware of me, but the shot i am going to show is the one where I realised I was there and called and flew off.

18th

Back again, to the lake for yet another day of surprises, a promising start when a Red rumped swallow flew over, I climbed the dune where the stilts were but there was none but instead it had been replaced by a wheatear, in flight the wheatear was so striking it was unbelievable, all brow with that typical wheatear tail superb, it was an ISERBALINE WHEATEAR(226), it was actively feeding around me and seemed unperturbed., after a few confirmation shots i left it on its own.

The 3 Serin landed in the hotel grounds. working my way up the lake I saw 4 heron flying in, NIGHT HERON(225), they circled above the reeds for a bit then landed in a pool among the reeds(which I later found)

There was little going on on the lake so I headed behind the lake, where a surprise was in store,

I saw a movement in the sand ahead of me and it turned out to be no less than a SHORT TOED LARK(227)it blended in so well in with the sand I almost trod on it.

As I said the Night herons were relocated,

2 GRACEFUL PRINIA(228) were lurking about in the reeds and also 2 un-id'd warblers which I still need to show somebody, a turtle gave me a fright when I stumbled upon it( not literally) in the scrub, a bird then popped up on a bush some way away, I locked my camera onto it and yessssssssssssssssssssssssss,

Bogey bird gone.......

A stonking, immaculate, pristine summer plumaged RED BACKED SHRIKE(229), I have been waiting to get one of these since the one on the patch a few years ago(grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr), and for it to be a stonking male it was a great feeling, what a bird.....

The bird flew a short distance and disappeared, although a flock of 7 White spectacled bulbul was slight compensation, the usual Hooded crows and Gull billed terns, Crested larks were seen, but also 1 Meadow pipit and a Tree pipit

19th

A day trip, the coach ride between the places was best, loads of Red rumped swallow, a Sparrowhawk, a load of Yellow legged gulls, but the highlights were a LONG LEGGED BUZZARD(230) which flew low over the coach in the country, a LESSER GREY SHRIKE(231) which was seen within 100m of the ll buzzard atop a bush, a dark morph HONEY BUZZARD which also flew across the coach but nowhere near the other buzzard site, and finally 2 WHITE STORK which were feeding in a flooded field near a coca cola distribution place near Antalya

20th

4 White spectacled bulbul, 1 Gull billed tern and a Lesser ketrel,

21st

An early morning trip to the shops rewarded me with a immense flock of 14 GREAT EGRET(232) which flew in off the sea and flew north on its migration into Europe(or elsewhere),

A male SPANNISH SPARROW(234) was singing near the front entrance, and what a different song it is, easily recognizable from house sparrow.

Later that evening a rufous female RED FOOTED FALCON(235) flew over in a NW direction(as was most of the passage throughout the holiday) , 7 Red rumped swallow also

22nd

A Little egret flew over, the Spanish sparrow was singing all over the site being very mobile today. 5 Red rumped swallow flew over, a very large movement of Swallow today consisting of 700+ birds all moving to the west

23rd

The Spanish sparrow was still holding territory and 5 YL gulls flew over, a flock of 4 GLOSSY IBIS flew over at c 11am off the sea, and later that evening we were on the beach, and 2 SPOONBILL(236) flew east.

That night(well the next morning at 1am) we were shipped out back to Britain on a rescue flight, we were stuck in turkey for an extra 5 day's but with great weather, great birds and everything free, who's complaining..........

And when we got back to britain it was raining HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

MB