Everything aligned! My booked annual leave actually coincided with great insect weather, I set off to meet up with my family in Dorset handily finding myself with a hire car and time to allow for search for a couple of target butterflies. I stopped off at Shipton Bellinger on the Wilts/Hants border and walked the mature rambling hedgerows, a few other folks were also out looking which included a familiar face or two.

Parties of Chaffinch and Bullfinch were in these old hedges and mature trees with Great spotted and Green Woodpecker to boot.

Plenty of butterflies were on the wing, it didn’t take too long to find a Brown Hairstreak resting on the Blackthorn scrub but I only had a couple of minutes with it before it flew off. I didn’t find it or another in the next ten minutes or so but a friendly couple came over to say they had been watching one for 15 minutes or so, I could see they were on to something but didn’t want to invade their space.

The chap kindly walked back with me to where he had been watching it, sure enough it was still feeding on the bramble flowers, good to have a close look at this smart butterfly in great light. I took a few pictures but spent more time having a good look through my ‘bins’.

I enjoyed pottering about this place for an hour or two but was feeling pretty thirsty in the heat so headed back to the car for a drink. I had plenty of time and wanted to try my luck for Lulworth Skipper so plumped for one of the hotspots, next stop was Durslton Country Park. Once again some thorough searching soon revealed the busy little skippers in the meadows along the clifftop. I’ve been to this area a number of times before, it won’t be too long before I visit again.

I headed back inland to meet up with the family but stopped off a heath along the way and waited and hour for dusk, four churring males, wing clapping, calling females and a few close flypasts in fairly good light made it worthwhile. All in all a good day out in very good weather.

The next day I managed a bit of time in the New Forest but it was a bit too hot for birding, a few Tree and Meadow Pipit, Stoenchats and calling Dartford Warblers were noted, best of all were mating Keeled Skimmers. It was too hot so I scarpered for the shade of my sister-in-law’s garden and met up with the rest of the family again.

Sipping cold bottles of lager we managed to add a brilliant Hobby which was after hirundines and a Peregrine chasing Starlings to the breakfast list of Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel.

Back in Whitminster I had the rest of the week off to catch up with multiple jobs at home, the weather was still great. Local walks with bouts of work in the garden being the daily routine. A Coal Tit signalled the winter as it called at dusk.

On the 25th October I was clearing out the shed when I heard a Crossbill calling, stepping out I saw three large finches flying off SSW over the house with another settled in the tall Christmas tree in the garden, it also flew off over the gardens calling. Fabulous to record this species at home.

Red Admiral in the garden

 

On 26th  October a Jay was on the feeders when it, 5 Magpies, c30 Jackdaw and a Raven began mobbing something in the trees, a Cat was high up in the branches.

My last day off saw the weather turn for the worst but I was out and about before the rain arrived, c30 Fieldfare passed through Whitminster. Down on the Severn shore I spent itme with some other wintering arrivals…

Stonechat

Water Pipit

 

I had taken annual leave to look after my daughter during half term whilst my wife was away. A month or so before I was asked if we could go on a road trip somewhere so I suggested a few coastal localities. Cornwall was picked as the favoured destination so off we went.

The forecast was good and the weather glorious as we made our way to the SW peninsula, first bird of note was a sleeping Spoonbill on Ryan’s Field, Hayle Estuary, we never stopped, it was seen from the A30 as we passed!

Seeing as we were in the area I stopped at Treeve Common, Trevescan for a quick search for the Grey Catbird that had been about, it hadn’t been showing so we headed off to the picturesque valley of Porthgwarra for a walk with the dogs. This sheltered spot was ideal as it was warm and sunny so we pottered about stopping to look at birds and insects. After a stop for food supplies we popped back to see if the Catbird was showing and it was, the bird was very obliging giving prolonged scope views atop the brambles before flying towards us and diving back into cover, having seen this skulking species in the USA, I thought it best to accept the great views we just had. It looked very healthy and bright eyed and is still present at the time of writing on 27 October.

We had a nose from Land’s End before visiting Cape Cornwall where Chough’s and Gannet were the highlights and then on to another of my favourite valleys at Nanjizal to watch the sunset. We decided to head for Lanyon Quoit (remnants of a burial chamber, the remaining stone skeleton) to see the moonrise but not before spotting a roadside Barn Owl flying ‘through the moon’ along the way, this bird was near Pendeen. A good end to the day, we had run out of time so we left for our main destination on the Lizard, we were staying in Mullion. A top notch dinner and comfy room rounded off a delightful autumn day.

Next day was again sunny so we explored the nearby Poldhu Cove (Cetti’s Warbler and Chiffchaff ), Lizard Point (six White Wagtails among the Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits and we saw Rock Pipits galore). We had a great walk looking through common birds for migrants and checking the pond at Housel Bay and then headed for the Croft Pascoe Pool near Goonhilly. Sadly the wind was blowing and very strong so our intended target- the rare Vagrant Emperor dragonfly never showed, plenty of Common Darters but not quite warm enough for the larger species. We had been checking the sheltered spots wherever we went for this species hoping to find our own as a mini invasion was on.

An afternoon at Gweek Seal Sanctuary was interesting as well as the seals we saw Little Egrets, Kingfisher, 4 Greenshank and 12 Redshank on the adjacent estuary creek. Another quick stop at Stithian’s Reservoir offered a number of wetlands species, I’d never seen the water levels so low here. This was our last stop of the day before heading home.

I was surprised to see a late Whinchat at WWT Slimbridge on 21 October, the warm sunny weather certainly helped this and any other outbound migrants to linger. An even bigger surprise was seeing it collect a bur and fly off to another spot with it, I presume to feed.

 

 

 

 

 

A short break to Dorset with my wife and daughter allowed time at the marvellous Fontmell Down nature reserve DWT. I managed some great views of Silver-spotted Skippers as well as numerous other chalk downland butterflies. At least six were noted with three seen scrapping it out at one stage. 2/8/2018.

Blandford Forum

Little Egret taking time out from fishing near the weir.

 

Although the Dorset trip was curtailed by my illness, the home rest did deliver my first ever garden Garden Warbler, a singing juvenile checking out the blackberries.5/8/2018. The first singing bird noted locally (personally) was back in May after heavy rains, it was down at the Stroudwater canal.

July 2018

Dominated by the heatwave, it’s perhaps been better to look for insects than birds but I can ignore our avian friends.

23rd

Having only seen one in the spring at WWT Slimbridge, it was great to kick off autumn passage with this juvenile Wood Sandpiper while I went about my work.

24th

We are heading for peak Green Sandpiper time around the scrapes at WWT Slimbridge

 

25th- My first Small Red-Eyed and Emerald Damselfies of 2018 were on the WWT Slimbridge reserve.

 

I’ve actually landed at Madrid’s Barajas airport on many occasions but was always Extremedura bound.  Soon after collecting a car or minibus I was out on the road and skirting around the city on the way to the famed birding destination or returning via the scenic Sierra de Guadarrama on the way back. Madrid was a long overdue visit so my wife and I booked a weekend trip. We used public transport and walked many miles about the city and parks. Tired legs and aching feet needed regular intakes of ‘fuel’, the tapas culture is a great excuse to stop for a while to replenish your energy levels. The food didn’t disappoint, we carefully searched out suitable venues and menus which was all part of the fun. We visited some of the historical sites including the Museo del Prado. The urban environment offers wildlife experiences, there’s no way I would ignore any creatures or birds that might show up.

Saturday 20 January

After having a nose at the huge Atocha station with it’s indoor tropical garden we had breakfast, the first Black Redstart (a male) of the trip was hopping about outside the station entrance and confiding Magpies were numerous, they are everywhere. Interesting to see other nationalities photographing them with their smart phones. Visiting other sites along the way we walked through the city and stopped at a small garden, Jardin del Principe del Anglona. The berry trees on the roadsides attracted squabbling Blackcaps and Blackbirds and in the garden, a singing Serin.  With more sightseeing we found ourselves in the Parque de Oeste only to find the cable car was closed for repairs. It wan’t a problem, we walked on to the destination of Casa de Campo, a large area of heath land park west of the river, once a former royal hunting ground.

Among the first birds noted at the park were Chiffchaff and Great and Blue Tits, it was impossible to ignore the introduced Monk Parakeets that fly noisily over the streets of the city and gather in the parks. They demand attention and if nothing else are fun to watch but may have a negative ecological impact. A party of c20 Tree Sparrows and Great spotted Woodpecker were also noted, a visit to the lake found it completely drained, I scanned the puddles and mud in hope of waders but only Black-headed Gulls were present.

Sitting outside a cafe we had the parakeets for company whilst we enjoyed the mild weather and a coffee. Moving further into the park more Black Redstart on the south facing slope plus Robin and Stock Doves. A few Iberian Green Woodpeckers were hopping about and allowed close approach as did couple of Short-toed Treecreeper. We walked through the park as the sun came out, more Chiffchaff and a few Chaffinches were along the stream as we made our way toward the Metro station. If you’re using public transport and short of time, this is the wildest of the parks and well worth a visit, hop of at Lago Metro station and do a loop of the park, apparently not the place be after sunset though.

Iberian Green Woodpecker Picus viridis sharpei with Magpie, Casa de Campo

We stopped to enjoy a smart Hoopoe near the station for a time then boarded the train heading back into the city for museums and a sunset drink in Plaza de Santa Ana , a good night out in the city followed.

Hoopoe Upupa epops (south side of the Casa de Campo)

Sunday 21 January

The Jardin Botanico was opposite our hotel, breakfast was taken at an adjacent cafe and we sat outside in the sun, welcome blue skies and warm temperatures with a few Stock Doves, screechy parakeets and other folks for company. Having pre-booked tickets for the Prado it was going to feature at some point but the weather was so pleasant this ended up be the only part of the day that we spent indoors. A great walk through the Retiro park added a party of eight White Storks as they flew through low heading north. I heard Iberian Green Woodpecker call and noted a few more Short-toed Treecreeper and a few Mallards on the ponds, two Black Swans were not of wild origin. A Red Squirrel bounded across to spend time licking sap from a tree.

Red Squirrel, Retiro Park

 

Our wandering took us back to the city centre for lunch in the sun drenched Plaza Santa Ana where another large flock of White Stork circled overhead. The park lured us back for the afternoon, it was glorious and the warm 19-20c temps made it feel like a spring day, just what we needed to see out the day and wrap up my birding opportunities for the weekend.

If visiting Madrid I’m sure it possible to record a large number of species, the nearby Sierra is super, a car hired for the day with add numerous species to a visit. Further research may reveal this trip is possible with public transport, worth a punt if you’ve got time. Martin.

Short-toed Treecreeper, Retiro Park, Madrid

Spotless Starling, a few were seen and heard singing about the city and parks.

 

 

Two juvenile Shag came as a surprise on the R. Severn on such a calm and sunny day, three Grey Heron, Little Egret, Kingfisher and a Great-spotted Woodpecker that flew high south down the estuary, it was reluctant to cross the water. Dozens of Red Admirals were also migrating S down the estuary.

Two juvenile Shag over the Severn

 

I watched these birds follow the shore until they cut inland toward Frampton on Severn. Subsequently checking Townfield Lake just after midday I managed to relocate them close to the shore but they flew very soon after due to a succession of gunshots. A dark ‘creamcrown’ Marsh Harrier flew over the lake and headed SE.

Bob Radford and I set off in good spirits during a horrendous Friday afternoon trip to Lancashire, it was a six hour journey! We made the effort to visit the NW to catch up with Graham and Jeremy at the formers home and have a night out in the excellent Burscough Bridge public houses. On Saturday we had tickets to join the travelling ‘Gasheads’ (Bristol Rovers supporters) at Boundary Park, home of the Latics (Oldham Athletic). Bob is an avid Oldham fan so we had some fun with the football banter. All of us could have done with an earlier bedtime!

After a highly favourable 0-2 win for the Pirates (Bristol Rovers) we dropped Graham and Jeremy back, had a snack and said goodbye, Bob and I made a late decision to head to the East coast so we booked a room in Hull, ate an Italian meal and settled down for a much needed early evening. We stayed at the functional Gril Campanile Motel, had a continental breakfast surrounded by Blackbirds, tits flocks and Goldcrest and were soon on the road early for Kilnsea, We parked up in breezy sunshine and took a look at the sea. 2 drake Eiders and 4 Gannet went N, Red-throated Divers were heading S.

We briskly walked the three miles from Kilnsea to Spurn Point seeing various birds on the way, the light would be better on the way back so we didn’t linger. At the point we searched the Sea Buckthorn and dunes for the interesting Stonechat reported the day before. This active bird could well be a Stejnenger’s Stonechat, a far eastern representative of the Saxicola group. Initially it was hiding, we spent the time scanning the Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests, Reed Buntings and watching thrushes such as Redwing and Fieldfare drop out of the sky.

Putative Stejnenger’s Stonechat at Spurn Point
I was struggling to digi-scope this mobile bird, there were plenty of photographers present that will undoubtedly produce detailed images.

Eventually the Stonechat re-appeared and gave us good scope views but it was always on the move, it often towered into the sky to catch flies and never stayed on one perch for long as it ranged the sheltered side of the point. After a good hour or so with this busy bird we wandered back along the peninsula birding along the way. Apparently droppings were collected for DNA analysis, this and the hundreds of photographs taken should help identify the origin.  Dark-bellied Brent Geese, scores of waders, a Northern Wheatear, Great Tits, Blackcaps and commoner passerines were all noted. It was generally quiet especially compared to recent weeks here. Back at Kilnsea we put or feet up, had a brew and a cake in the Blue Bell Café and decided to start back for home.

A very enjoyable sociable weekend with a bit of birding thrown in, thanks to Bob for all the driving and good company throughout.