Anser Trips

Anser Birding Extremedura 8-12 April 2008 trip report

2008-04-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding Extremedura 8-12 April 2008

Little Bustard near Campo Lugar all images MJM

Great Bustard near Campo Lugar

Great Spotted Cuckoo at the Embalse de Guadiloba

Blue Rock Thrush, Penafalcon, Monfrague NP

Black Stork, Tietar Cliffs, Monfrague NP

Summary; Nearly all the expected species were seen, the weather at times was challenging and certainly made it difficult at times. It also aided us with some species. Species like Red and Black Kite, Cattle Egret, Nightingale, White Stork, Spanish Sparrow, Spotless Starling, Hoopoe, Woodchat, Crag Martin, Red-rumped Swallow, Rock Bunting, Black Redstart, Blue-rock Thrush, Azure-winged Magpie, Southern Grey Shrike were seen almost continually and in good numbers. We stayed at Jaraicejo with our friends Marisa, Petra and Luis at the Hotel Montefragoso and were looked after very well as usual.

8 April 2008 A travel day but en-route to Extremedura from Madrid as we drove into rain a Little Bustard flew over the road and a few other species were noted.

9 April 2008 A look at the weather conditions at breakfast convinced us to head South for some steppe/wetland birding. We had a quick look along a nearby ridge where the Griffon Vultures were heading out for the day. On the steppe near Campo Lugar the usual where shall I look next scenario was in place. 2 pairs of Montagu's Harrier, 3 calling Quail, 2 pairs of Lesser Kestel, Zitting Cisticola, Corn Buntings, Crested Larks, Hoopoes, Southern Grey Shrikes and a variety of other species were seen very well. Further up the road the Calandra Larks, Great and Little Bustards, Stone Curlews and Short-toed Lark were seen. The views were very good as there was no heat haze. A coffee stop nearby at Madrigalejo and we were soon watching c30 Red Avadavat, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Little-ringed, Kentish and Ringed Plovers, Common Sandpiper with 2 Pochard and 2 Teal on a reservoir. A Spoonbill rested in a field with the storks before flying off. Other waders in the fields included Green Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt. Marsh Harrier was also present.

Heading further south again to the La Serena area we saw a Short-toed Eagle and c12 Bee Eater near the Emblase de Zujar. It was very windy here and the highlights were Great Bustards and Collared Pratincoles. Returning via the same route to our hotel we stopped near Campo Lugar again for me great views but the highlight was a S.G Shrike impaling a large millipede on the barbed wire fence before moving it to the thorns.

10 April 2008 A route from Jaraicejo to Hinojos-Talavan-Caceres-Embalse de Guadlioba and back to base was productive as we dodged torrential showers. Again Little and Great Bustards were seen well, 6 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse flew over with two Little Bustard. The sandgrouse relieved themselves and by amazing co-incedence managed a direct hit on Dave Paynters hat. A stop at the Arroyo de la Vid gave us a pair of Black-bellied Sandgrouse over and some Thekla Lark views. Many of the pools for sheep drinking had pairs of Black-winged Stilt and Little-ringed Plover, perhaps grounded by the weather.

At the Embalse de Guadiloba the surprise find was the first record of Light-bellied (or any) Brent Goose for the interior of Spain (away from the coast) and even then it is a very rare bird in Iberia. More typical fare were 3 first-summer and two adult Great Spotted Cuckoo, 4 Collared Pratincoles, Pallid Swifts, Great Bustards, a Tawny Pipit and first summer Mediterranean Gull.

We were fortunate to find an Imperial Eagle nest complete with adults feeding a chick and the male succesfully hunting, it was a real treat to watch the tender way these predators look after their young and we caused no disturbance to them. The site is witheld for the welfare of the birds.

11 April 2008 Into the Monfrague NP for great views of Imperial, Booted, Short-toed and a Golden Eagle (the group, not me!) Griffon, Black (Monk) and Egyptian Vutures, Red-rumped Swallows, Black Stork on the nest, Otter and Fallow Deer, singing Woodlark, B.R Thrush, B Redstart, Rock Bunting and Hoopoes. At Tietar Cliffs a couple more Black Storks and raptors showed well in this sun-trapped part of the park. Nightingale, Sardinian and Subalpine Warbler sang.The Eagle Owls did not show for us during the afternoon but were present. We studied a group of Azure-winged Magpie in a sunny Cork Oak wood nearby before heading back through the park stopping off for Thekla and Black-eared Wheatears en-route. Back at Penafalcon the vultures were returning, 100+ were soaring overhead and our target bird arrived in style with stupendous dives, a pair of Bonelli's Eagles put on quite a show. A feamle Cirl Bunting showed on the roadside fence and a stop gave us lovely views of Woodchat Shrikes. Heading back into a sunny Jaraicejo we heard Bee Eaters and were seeing Booted Eagles and plenty of Black Kite.

12 April 2008 Leaving the hotel in the morning we were trying a wetland site at Embalse de Azutan. A Black-winged Kite hovered over an orchard next to the main road en-route and at the reservoir Marsh Harrier, 12 Nightingale, a showy Subalpine Warbler and 6 stunning Bee Eaters were seen. The afternoon (after large lunch at a hotel) was spent in the Sierra de Gredos. Exploring one or two sites gave us rather stunning views of the area. A Cirl Bunting sang from a TV aerial at the hotel/restaurant and more familiar species such as Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap and Dunnock were seen. Red Kites and Booted Eagles were seen regularly but we ran out of time. A Red Squirrel and hearing sharpei Green Woodpecker finshed up our birding for the trip before heading to Madrid and home.

Thank you to everyone that came with me to this lovely part of Spain.

Martin

Anser Birding Dorset and Hampshire 14-16 December 2007 trip report

2007-12-28T07:47:00.000-08:00

Purple Sandpiper at the Sandbanks Ferry, Dorset, 15 December 2007 MJMcGill

16 December 2007 Another boat trip, the ferry across to Studland and we tried again for divers. None were found in the large swell but 3 Velvet Scoter, 10 Common Scoter, 10 Black-necked Grebes, 25 Mediterranean Gull and other assorted birds that we had seen were present. Whilst waiting for the ferry I saw another Black-necked Grebe in Shell Bay, the 4-5 that we saw later from the boat meant that this was the most BNG's I have ever seen in one day in the UK. I reckon there must be over 30 in the area! A quick drive back to the Poole Harbour bird boat and we were aboard and ready for the cruise. Highlights were the 9-10 Spoonbill, numerous close flight and floating views of Red-breasted Merganser, Black-necked Grebe, Guillemot and Goldeneye but the fly past pair of Long-tailed Duck (adult male and female) and three on the water were the pick of the bunch. A great way to see the birds but on this day also a very cold one. The boat did a few sail pasts of the Brownsea Island lagoon to see the waders close up, a Peregrine was seen and a couple of Raven ending a good trip. It was time to head back home so we stopped at Ibley Water, Hants to add a few more birds and did just so to take the group tally to over 100 species, another search for the eagle in better weather again ended without a sighting but I think we were all pleased with the good birding.

15 December 2007 We began along the Poole Harbour shore road approaching Sandbanks and added a wonderful variety of birdlife to our trip list. The rising tide had pushed up a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwit with one in full breeding plumage, a flock of Dark-bellied Brent Geese also fed and 7 Knot, Turnstone, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Mediterranean Gull, grebes and mergansers were also seen from here. At the ferry we watched 3 Purple Sandpiper down to a few feet and crossed to Shell Bay where we found 4 Black-necked Grebe with 4 more in Bramble Bush Bay where a single Common Scoter joined the other duck. From the Studland car park we located a Velvet Scoter and more brents, conditions were rather extreme, very cold with a strong wind straight into our faces making it very hard to stop our eyes watering. A collective decision was made to head for Portland Harbour and the Weymouth area, we changed plans a few times on this trip to get the best birding out of it. At Ferrybridge on the Fleet we searched through a large flock of brent and found a Black Brant and 2 Light-bellied Brents among them. The former was rather aggressive and could be picked out on it's bullish behaviour. At least 6 Mediterranean Gull were also present. In Portland Harbour we tried to find some sheltered water near the island where Shag and Cormorant, Mergansers and a couple of brief auks were seen but we could not find any divers ( I learned later that they were all on the other side near Sandsfoot). A quick look from Chesil Cove and 4 Velvet and 50 Common Scoter were seen distantly on the sheltered sea. Time was slipping away so we tried Radipole Lake RSPB for Bittern with no luck but called in for Grey Heron for the trip list and t-shirt buying, this was a good move, 4 Bearded Tits showed brilliantly. A final fling at Lodmoor RSPB/Weymouth Bay and we then headed home to Bournemouth's Alum Chine where the guests were staying.

14 December 2007 Four of us left for Dorset and Hampshire and headed onto a rather exposed and windy south coast. A search for the White-tailed Eagle in Hampshire en-route was unsucessful due to poor visibility. A few Little Egrets were noted en-route along the chalk streams but it was not until we arrived at Upton CP and Holes Bay in Poole Harbour that the birds began to flow. A short stop to appreciate Red-breasted Mergansers and Goldeneye next to the road was enjoyed especially as we never left the warmth of the car. A variety of woodland/parkland birds were seen but the flock of 126 Avocet, 400 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Spotted Redshanks and numerous other waders and wildfowl kept us busy. A short transfer the the heaths of the Arne Peninsula and the still conditions and patience gave us good views of Dartford Warbler . We plumped for a views of Marsh Tit on the RSPB feeders as the are becoming harder to see in many places we also passed a number of tame Sika Deer before getting in place to wait for a dusk Hen Harrier. We did not see any harriers but learned that one was hunting just a fifteen minute walk away. We did however see a number of commoner species whilst waiting. This concluded our first day.

Atmospheric, dusk BeardedTit/Reedling or Babbler at Radipole Lake RSPB

15 December 2007

Anser Birding trip to Norfolk 15-18 November 2007

2007-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Which one is off side? The Wells Next the Sea football pitch is good for Dark-bellied Brent but can you spot the Black Brants?

Pomarine Skua at Salthouse
Sunset at Salthouse
Grey Partridge near Titchwell, it is hiding from a Merlin!
Lapland Bunting at Salthouse

15 November 2007 Four of us traveled to North Norfolk, three staying in Hunstanton and one in Burnham Deepdale. We plumped for heading straight to Wells Next the Sea for lunch with the waders, Shag and Brents in the harbour but only after stopping for to view Pink-footed Geese en-route. There were 2 Black Brant among the footie pitch Brents but a selfish photographer flushed the whole flock before we could all get onto them. With other species in mind we headed to Salthouse where a few Ruff, a flyover Snow Bunting,a pale phase Pomarine Skua (that flew a few feet overhead)and a Little Auk were all of much interest. The sunset was spectacular.

16 November 2007 A search from Hunstanton Cliffs produced a raft of 19 Fulmar, a Little Gull, a Red-throated Diver, 1000,s of Starlings arriving, a few Red-breasted Mergansers, a Marsh Harrier in off the sea, about 30 Common Scoter and 2 Eider. Moving along the coast we arrived at Titchwell RSPB, we passed some feeding Siskins before we walked out to the sea passing a Spotted Redshank en-route. A single Snow Bunting flew over and 7 Eider were on the sea, it was quiet out there. The beach was really busy with plenty of waders feeding close, until a dog flushed them all. The Turnstones were good value as they attempted to rob any pre-prepared mussels from the Oystercatchers. A female Goldeneye and Little Grebe fed in the saline pools as well as 3 tame Shoveler. The freshwater scrape had a variety of duck and gulls, 7 hardy Avocet and 10 Snipe. The boardwalk and hide only produced a Cetti's that was calling queitly. After lunch we left for Choseley Drying barns and did a tour inland. A male Merlin was found atop a hedge, a Buzzard also and a covey of 8 Grey Partridge were seen well. Further searching produced afew Yellowhammer and Red-legged Partridges but we eventually joined the coast road where 10,000+ Pink-footed Geese were enjoyed as they alighted and fed in a field next to us and walked ever closer before being pushed off by another car. A Ross's x Pink-footed Goose was also present as well as an immature Light-bellied Brent. We spent a long time with the geese here before enjoying more flight views of skeins overhead and a Barn Owl at Holkham, another showed well on the way home.

17 November 2007 We decided to head for Salthouse, on leaving we watched a pair of Whoopers come in off the sea and head inland at Old Hunstanton, en route we ended up stopping for more Pink-footed Goose views and on arrival quickly relocated the Pomarine Skua and a Purple Sandpiper. The sea was quiet but a party of 5 Lapland Buntings flew over and there were plenty of waders about. Three Snow Bunting were attracted to some seeds that were placed on the shingle ridge and a Lapland Bunting was located and showed very well near to us. A stop at a Kelling tea-room warmed us up again and we then headed for the broads. We discovered a Barn Owl hunting at 1230 and were fortunate to see another later on. A Buzzard was seen on a distant haybale and c30 Whooper Swans were seen in flight. A search of the geese produced another Light-bellied Brent plus Ruff, Dunlin, Lapwing, Turnstone and eventually Golden Plover in the fields. We were unable to find the Cranes in any of the nearby fields and failed to locate a reported American Golden Plover so went to the Stubb Mill roost where the ladies settled in to watch for the Cranes. At least 24 flew in at dusk so it was well worth the wait. (Note, turning at the bottom of the public road here is frowned upon, so no dropping people off)

18 November 2007 Another search from Hunstanton cliffs was rewarded with shelter from the lighthouse bushes and single Razorbill, Black-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Goosander (unusual here?) plus 12 Red-breasted Mergansers, 14 Fulmar, 2 Red-throated Divers, 3 Gannet, G.C.Grebes and a few more commoner species. A flock of 2000 Pinkfeet flew in behind us and we refound them in a field next to the town, a nice sendoff. A stop at WWT Welney as ever produced thousands of wildfowl, the Whooper and Bewick's Swans were around in their 100's and feeding in the fields but we did not locate the sat-track bird Blidfinnur that can be seen on the Super Whooper website. Stock Doves were also seen in the surrounding area and added Tree Sparrows and GSWoodpecker on the feeders. We had a last look at the Super Whooper Swans and then packed up for the journey home driving into rain, sleet and spray, how lucky we were for a dry visit to Norfolk. Great birds with marvellous views and some of the best winter birding in Europe.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 16-22 October 2007

2007-10-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 16-22 October 2007

All images by M.J.McGill

Summary; Six of us traveled to the South West to spend two nights in West Cornwall (Penwith) and four nights on the Isles of Scilly. We visited Lands End, most of the valleys between Kendijack and Porthgwarra and also covered the Hayle Estuary, Marazion/Mount's Bay and Drift reservoir whilst in Cornwall. On Scilly we walked around most of St Mary's (with some help from taxi's) and visited Bryher, Tresco, Gugh and St Agnes. We tried to see most of the migrants on Scilly but also spent time searching for our own birds. Both techniques proved fruitful, going to see other birders finds gave us great views of Blackpoll Warbler, Blyth's Pipit and Woodchat Shrike to name a few species but searching for our own gave us Pallas's Warbler and Firecrest as well as some very relaxing birding. Pasties, great views, seeing old friends and good company was the order of the day.

Wren at Marazion RSPB

Siskin at Cape Cornwall

In Cornwall we began by birding the Hayle Estuary where the highlight was the Spoonbill, the weather was rather poor but we gained great views of wildfowl and waders from the hide and causeway. At Marazion we missed the worst of the day's weather and added more species to our growing list. Further heavy and misty rain prevented any more birding so we settled in to our accommodation and evening meal at Cape Cornwall. On 17th we had a look before breakfast at the sea and quickly realised that things were busy, the SW wind had swung to the NW so the seawatching was good. After breakfast we walked out to the point passing our first two Siskins of the trip (we were to witness the arrival and migration of thousands of these little finches over the next week) and got comfortable for a seawatch. Thousands of Gannet, auks and hundreds of Kittiwake passed by close all heading S. We also logged an Arctic Skua, 4-5 Great Skua, 3 Balearic Shearwater, 3 Snow Bunting, 2 adult Peregrine at eye level and a few parties of Common Scoter (4;5. 0;1,10;2). The rest of the day was spent at the Cot Valley; 2-3 Firecrest down to a few feet as ever was a treat as was a Painted Lady. Many passerines were noted, Merlin was seen briefly before we headed to Nanquidno where Pied Flycatcher was a bonus. A visit to Land's End added 3 Chough and a pale Wheatear before popping in at Kendijack where we ended the day watching a Yellow-browed Warbler. The 18th did not offer any further seawatching so a pre-breakfast walk added Brambling and post breakfast we tried Porthgwarra, it was soon apparent that it was going to be a calm, sunny, clear and hot day. A bit of migration was in evidence, a flock of Skylark held a calling Lapland Bunting but it was not seen. Drift was quieter than usual except for a Clouded Yellow so a second visit to Marazion where we had lunch on the beach. The rest of the day was spent preparing to fly to or Scilly birding on St Mary's before dark. After dropping off luggage we jumped into a taxi and headed to Newford due to a male Red-breasted Flycatcher with red throat being reported. We did not see this bird so wandered off to Pelistry Lane where Paul and Len located the Woodchat between them. Very close views allowed us to see the plumage details well. A Merlin flew by. We worked our way back to Hugh Town birding as we went to end the day.

Juvenile Woodchat, Pelistry Lane, St Mary'sRed-breasted Flycatcher, Carreg Dhu, St Mary's
Blackpoll Warbler, Higher Moors, St Mary's

The 19th was spent on St Mary's in an attempt to see many of the birds that had been present for the past week. We began at the Garrison and waited a while for the showier of the two Blackpoll Warblers but it did not show! A walk around the defenses was very pleasant and the diving Gannets and passerines were great in the warm, sunny weather. We walked back up toward the North end of the island via the coast path around Penninis and added a few late migrants to the list, a Whinchat and a weedy field full of birds were the highlight. We had lunch at Old Town Church and saw part of a distant flock of Gannet feeding (estimates of 2,000+ with 30 Common Dolphin) on a bait ball of fish. We then headed to Carreg Dhu gardens where a Firecrest and Red-breasted Flycatcher entertained us, a sunny coffee stop followed at Longstones where we saw 2 Clouded Yellows. A stroll through Holy Vale to Higher Moors added a Yellow-browed Warbler and after a short wait a showy Blackpoll Warbler. We tried some other bushes on the trail for a Siberian Chiffchaff with no luck but the Blackpoll followed us giving more close views. We again wandered back toward Porthloo beach where a Black Redstart showed to us ending the day.

The 20th was the day we decided to go for some off islands so a Brhyer/Tresco tour was opted for, on arrival at the fomer island we headed straight to Green Bay to try for an elusive Blyth's Reed Warbler, an hour or so in the area gave two views as it fed low in the vegetation and one flight view but not all of us got decent views. We retired to the Hell Bay Hotel for coffee and the views, Fieldfares, Siskins and Stonechats were showing off and then walked back to look for the Hooded Crow and Carrion Crow pair with hybrid young. They all showed for us en-route to the quay. A short hop to Tresco and we were soon watching a confiding Blyth's Pipit, 3 Black Redstart, Redwings, Bramblings (in a huge flock of Chaffinch) and a variety of wildfowl plus sleeping Spoonbill on the Great Pool. It was time to leave and catch the next boat home for dinner where we added an Arctic Tern.

Blyth's Pipit, near the school, Tresco

Common Greenshank, Lower Moors, St Mary's

Ruddy Turnstone, Porthloo Beach, St Mary's

The 21st saw us birding on St Mary's in the morning which turned out to be highly productive, we began at Porthloo Lane searching for the Grey-cheeked Thrush but soon headed for Porthhellick seeing 4 Black Redstart on the way and were all soon watching a Pallas's Warbler in the sallows. After enjoying this little gem we walked the Giant's Causeway/airfield coast path which was actually very quiet despite little aircraft activity. A coffee stop at Tolman and then to Lower Moors where we were watching Common and Jack Snipe plus one possibly two Wilson's Snipe at close range. A Greenshank also arrived and fed. An hour or two in this area was very relaxing, when we left a bit of drizzle had started, the first since traveling to the S West on the way down. A wander through Old Town was worth it as I discovered a feeding Pallas's Warbler along the lane which showed for all of us. It was hovering at the end of the leaves picking off insects and showing the lemon rump, wingbars and central crown stripe as it went. It turned out there were three on the island that day. A brisker walk across Lower Moors and taxi to the quay and we were on our way to St Agnes for the afternoon. A Spoonbill flew over the harbour as we left St Mary's. A prolonged search for Rose-coloured Starling on Gugh was not succesful other than it being lovely to be on a beach with a few other bird species, it was having a day off! The Parsonage had 3 Black Redstarts and a showy Yellow-browed Warbler and the beaches were full of common birds. Another boat trip back to St Mary's and the end of a good day.

Our last day was spent around the Lower Moors area, Yellow-browed Warbler, Jack Snipe and a few common birds were showing and we had the afternoon for shopping/sightseeing around Hugh Town before the helicopter flight back to Penzance. I tried for the thrush again with no luck but two Firecrest were very obliging. A good run home concluded the trip, thanks to all who came with me to the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall for their enthusiasm and company.

We recorded 113 species with Wilson's Snipe pending for 114. One regret was not checking the flock of 50+ Golden Plover that flew over the car at Shortlanesend and landed on the way down. My head and heart were telling me to find a place to stop and check them for American but the practical side (it was raining and a lot of traffic) made me carry on. The flock did hold an American Golden Plover!

Martin J McGill

Lesvos 10-17 May 2007 trip report

2007-09-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

All images of Lesvos and birds shown by Nick Goatman

At last I can publish the trip report for this destination, thanks to Phil Shepherd for writing it up in his usual style and to Nick Goatman for some rather excellent images. The heat of the day was used wisely if not a little frantically around the pool on some days, the food was a hit and the birding great. Thanks to all who went on the trip, I am glad you all got your target lifers.

Martin J McGill

LESVOS TRIP REPORT

10th - 17 May 2007

The Group:
Phil Shepherd (Driver/Guide)
Liz Tipper (Honorary mum/group stabiliser)
Dave Paynter (General oracle/font of all knowledge)
James Lees (Entertainment/aurally-impaired bird finder)
Mike Smith (Gentleman/Godfather)
Steve Owen (Chief Scientific Advisor/wry observer)
Nick Goatman (Best photographer/top ticker)

Day 0 – Gloucestershire to Gatwick
Wednesday 9th May
We took a phone call on the way to Gatwick from Richard Brooks (acknowledged expert on birding in Lesvos), who told us it hadn’t rained on the island for a year, that the wetlands had virtually dried up, and crowds of birders were jostling for position around what little water remained. Despite having this dose of pre-departure apprehension injected into the group, spirits were high. Phil and Dave then recorded a new experience on night one – sharing a bed at the Gatwick hotel, with Liz as chaperone.

Day 1 - London to Lesvos
Thursday 10 May
The outward journey to Mytilini, the island’s capital, went without hitch and to our relief Lesvos looked verdant as we flew in - not the scorched landscape we’d feared. The weather on arrival was perfect – clear and sunny, but not too hot. Our 9-seater Fiat Escudo was waiting for us and we were soon on the road heading west toward our base for the week at Skala Kalloni.

Forty minutes or so from the airport lies the island’s biggest reedbed at Dipi Larsoss. This site yielded Black Stork (1), Long-legged Buzzard (2), Falco sp. – probably Lanner, but too brief/distant to confirm, Black-headed Wagtails, Common Terns, Alpine Swifts, Olivaceous Warblers and an extraordinarily high density of Nightingales along the banks of the river that feeds the reedbed. A Marsh Warbler was heard amongst nettles.

We reached our hotel, Kalloni 2, late afternoon, drank the complimentary red wine and gathered around the map to agree a proposed itinerary for the week. Lesvos is a decent size (Greece’s third largest island) and supports a range of habitats. One week is only just long enough to visit its best areas. Everyone was keen to get on with some more birding, and a stroll around Skala Kalloni beach and the West River provided Little and Common Terns, Grey Heron, Kentish Plover, Stone Curlew, Crested Larks and more Black-headed Wagtails looking stunning in the evening light. The first (of many) Black-headed Buntings was singing merrily on a wire on the way back to the hotel giving most folk in the group a new species.

The lure of the hotel pool proved irresistible (particularly to Dave, James and Phil) and the habit of an evening swim was born. This habit was to become a predominant feature of the week.

Our first Greek feast was taken at the nearest Taverna to the hotel, Bar Enigma, before adding two more species to our list – the (in)famous tame White Pelican near the harbour, and Scops Owl heard calling near our hotel.

Day 2 – Kalloni area
Friday 11 May
Poor Mike had a terrible first night, spending the majority of it in the bathroom. Roommates Steve and Nick inevitably didn’t get much sleep either, so with a couple of bleary-eyed individuals and one recovering in bed, we set off for possibly the prime birding site on the island - Kalloni East River. We spent the entire morning exploring this area. Around the lower reaches we saw Curlew Sandpipers (some in full breeding plumage), Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Grey Plover, Moorhen, Great Reed Warbler, Common Tern and Little Tern. Water levels in the river were indeed very low and although bird migration was clearly still underway, overall numbers were relatively poor.

At the northern end of East River we found Black-winged Stilt, and around a nearby small quarry, Black-eared Wheatear, Bee-eater, Masked Shrike, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Sub-Alpine Warbler, a distant Cretzschmar’s Bunting and our first tortoise of the trip. Returning down the river we saw Little Egret, two distant Short-toed Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard and a female Little Bittern.

A long lazy lunch around and in the pool was very welcome and gave James the opportunity to inform us that his ears were blocked – this was to develop into a source of amusement for us for several more days. Mike had surfaced by now, but was still suffering and needed to sit out (!) the rest of the day. Nick went for a wander around the hotel and returned with another tick under his belt – an Icterine Warbler near the beach – and news of breeding Rufous Bush Chat just around the corner. We all got to see the chats, nesting in scrubby tamarisks, and also saw a Black Stork on West River.

Black Stork

Late afternoon/early evening was spent at the Kalloni Salt Pans. This site represents the largest area of open water on Lesvos and stays wet year-round. Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints were abundant, and along with approx 280 Greater Flamingos, Avocets with chicks, Black-winged Stilts, Ruddy Shelduck, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Egrets, Black and Whiskered Terns, Grey Plover and Turnstone, this is a excellent Mediterranean (albeit human-made) wetland. The adjacent fields produced Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Collared Pratincole, Red-rumped Swallow, Short-toed Lark, Red-backed Shrike, Stone Curlew (5, all found by Steve) and lots of Bee-eaters.

The very helpful guy, who could speak good English, working at the pharmacy in Kalloni negated our anticipated sign language session and sorted us out with some potions for Mike’s predicament. We found Mike in better shape back at the hotel, looking forward to getting some birding done tomorrow.

We ventured a little further towards town for tonight’s evening meal, finding a really nice place on the seafront. James had by now taken to pouring olive oil in his ears whenever the chance arose.

Black-headed Wagtail

Day 3 – Potamia & Napi Valleys
Saturday 12 May
Steve, Phil and a re-invigorated Mike made an early jaunt to the East River, adding Cormorant, Squacco Heron (at the ford) and a Harrier sp. to the trip list. Views of the harrier weren’t good enough to clinch its identity: it was a female Montague’s/Pallid type. Dave found a Squacco during his early walk to West River, indicating a passage of this species.

Today’s main destination was the Potamia Valley, a short drive west of Skala Kalloni – a very scenic and peaceful spot. We quickly found ourselves in high quality habitat watching Red-rumped Swallows, Red-backed and Woodchat Shrikes, Cirl Buntings and Sombre Tits. Short-toed Eagle, Buzzard and Sparrowhawk were seen along the valley ridges. The target species here is Olive-tree Warbler and we soon started hearing some singing from an area of likely looking mixed olive/oak habitat. Masked Shrike and displaying Sub-alpine Warblers were also here. Most of the group eventually got glimpses of this elusive bird, but James’ blocked ears meant he couldn’t echo-locate. With rising temperatures and a frustrated James, we headed back down the valley to the sanctuary of our wonderful hotel pool. We stopped en route to investigate a small reservoir (with lots of Little Grebes on it) and heard Orphean Warbler singing from the adjacent scrub, but couldn’t pin it down.

Dave, James and Steve treated us to a diving display at the pool through the afternoon. This activity had the added bonus of dislodging half of James’ problem – namely one earful.

Another known Olive-tree Warbler site is the Napi Valley, northeast of Kalloni. Climbing up through the hills past the traditional villages of Paraskevi and Napi, we saw Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Hoopoe amongst the olive groves, plus our first squashed glass lizard (a long, legless snake-like reptile) in the road.

Napi valley was very scenic and peaceful and we quickly found Rock Nuthatch, Black-eared Wheatear, Red-backed, Woodchat and Masked Shrike. Driving into the heart of the valley, we eventually located an Olive-tree Warbler nest site which had been described to us by other birders. We found the nest itself, and after a short wait, were treated to exceptional and prolonged views of this notoriously shy species.

Late afternoon raptor movement turned up Common Buzzard, Booted and Short-toed Eagle, with the unexpected addition of two Ruddy Shelduck circling the hilltops. Driving back towards Kalloni through the forested hills in the evening, we spied a distant falcon. We stopped and kept an eye on this bird which made its way closer and closer to the group and, to our huge delight, turned out to be a male Red-footed Falcon and perched amongst dead branches about 50m away. Stopping in Paraskevi village, James saw a Little Owl on one of the municipal buildings.

We ate out tonight in a souvlaki speciality joint near the village square in Skala Kalloni. The owner was a gesticulative soul, but got the night well underway with a round of free ouzos.

Day 4 – The Wild West
Sunday 13 May (World Migratory Bird Day)
We set this day aside for a grand exploration of the western half of the island. This is the drier side with a much rockier and relatively barren appearance. Our first stop was to scrutinise a squished bundle of feathers in the road which turned out to be the remains of a Nightjar. Leaving the olive groves and pines behind, we stopped again to examine another dead bird in the middle of the road. James got out and gave the peculiar crake-like creature a gentle tap with his foot causing it to spring to life and stagger away. James’ expert ID skills confirmed it to be a young chicken – fresh off the back of one of the poultry wagons that ply the island.

A quick stop at a steep-sided rocky gorge produced nesting and displaying Rock Sparrow, Rock Nuthatch and Red-rumped Swallows. Several falcons passed by high up, at least some of which were Eleonora’s Falcon. Blue Rock Thrush and Masked Shrike were seen here too.

At the road junction just prior to the remote, high and lonely monastery at Ipsilou, we found Isabelline Wheatear, whilst a short raptor watch produced Lesser Kestrel, Hobby, Goshawk and Marsh Harrier (plus Raven). A female Golden Oriole added some excitement amongst some nearby poplar trees.

An hour or so around the tiny monastery, perched up on a rocky outcrop, gave us great views of Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s Buntings, and a real bonus of two distant spiralling Griffon Vultures over the hills to the west. This is a rarity on Lesvos, and possibly only the 5th record. The hoped-for line up of migrant warblers and flycatchers at this spot didn’t materialise today - just one each of Willow Warbler and Blackcap were found. Woodlark and Orphean Warbler were seen by some of the group.

Calling in briefly at the petrified forest site en route, we arrived at the pretty and unspoilt harbour village of Sigri on the far west coast in time for lunch. From the café we saw Whiskered Tern and Shag fishing in the harbour, with Lesser Kestrel flying past, and a flock of Jackdaws (not common on Lesvos). A long and lazy lunch ensued, centred on fresh seafood, whilst watching a fisherman spend forever pulverising an octopus against the harbour wall. We had a quick wander around the village after lunch and found a beach now earmarked as a potential cooling-off spot for later.

Next we explored an area to the north of Sigri centred around Faneromeni beach. This is quite a remote part of the island and is renowned for its ability to host a heavy passage of migrants in the right conditions. Some later migrants were still passing through, most notably Squacco and Spotted Flycatcher, but we also saw Ortolan Bunting, several Rufous Bush Robins and a stream of Yelkouan Shearwaters offshore.

We returned to Sigri for an ice-cream stop and James, Dave and Phil gave in to temptation and went for a swim in the cool, crystal clear water at Sigri beach. The seabed here was dotted with sea urchins, the discovery of which sent James into comical swimming overdrive to keep his feet from the floor.

The final leg home in the evening took us through some wild country along the rough track between Sigri and Eressos. Dave found a superb Lesser Grey Shrike in a fig grove, but the highlight was being able to watch two male Little Bitterns right next to a purple Heron less than 20m from us in a tiny pool.

Feeling adventurous, we tried yet another restaurant in Skala Kalloni, this time right on the beach near the main square.

Day 5 – Achladeri
Monday 14 May
Today’s target was Kruper’s Nuthatch, and after breakfast we headed to the Achladeri area a short drive south and east of Kalloni. After a few wrong turns and the services of a friendly local, we pulled off the road into the area of mature Calabrian pines, near the army base, known to hold this species. We very quickly located a family group feeding busily, and enjoyed watching these lovely birds, plus other adults in the area, for over an hour.

Mid afternoon was spent lazing by the pool in the still glorious weather.

We stopped at the Inland Lake (a freshwater lake near the Potamia Valley) and tried again for Orphean Warbler near the reservoir here in the evening. The lake didn’t produce any waterbirds (though it was crammed with terrapins and marsh frogs), but we did see the warbler. We checked out Parakila marsh nearby just before dusk, hoping for crakes – no luck with those, there was a Water Rail with chicks and nesting Black-winged Stilts.

A major discovery was unearthed this evening in the form of the Ambrosia restaurant just off the square in Skala Kalloni. This place had it all – traditional (and cheap) greek food, run by a very friendly family, and plenty of free drinks! James and Phil diverted to the beach-front bar on the way back to the hotel, where Phil suffered an unexpected dent to his ego after being asked by the Athenian barmaid if he was James’ father.

Day 6 – Petra and the North
Tuesday 15 May
We took a pre-breakfast trip back to the Orphean Warbler site at the new reservoir in the Potamia valley, and Parakila marsh to try again for crakes with the sun behind us this time. Still no luck with crakes, but we saw Little Bittern in flight.

After breakfast we headed due north on the road to Petra. We stopped at the well-known lay-bys between Petra and Molyvos for Ruppell’s Warbler, finding a family group, plus Orphean Warbler and Blue Rock Thrush, all with a lovely coastal scenic backdrop. We took the rough track eastwards along the north coast towards Skala Sykiminia, and were soon intrigued by a sign for the hot springs at Eftalou. In need of a cool-off, a few of us went for a dip in the sea whilst others had a walk or some coffee, but curiosity got the better of us and the decision was made to investigate the thermal springs – a tiny building right on the beach housing a sunken ancient stone bath fed by hot spring water. Alternating between the hot bath and the cold sea every few minutes was an exhilarating experience to say the least, made all the more memorable by the fact the bath was shared with folk who had, shall we say, chosen Lesvos for reasons other than our own.

Further along this track we stopped at a gorgeous little café next to the beach for lunch. Liz, Dave and Phil tucked in to some wonderfully fresh fayre (no menu – just point) whilst others birded locally, finding Blue-headed Wagtail and Marsh Warbler. Passing through the extremely picturesque Skala Sykiminia on the coast, we then turned back inland and headed up into the hills above for some more raptor watching. Some birds were just too distant for confident identification (though some were more than likely Honey Buzzards), but we did better views of Short-toed Eagles, Buzzard and Long-legged Buzzard from a ‘bandstand’ structure at the side of the road.

We returned to base via Pelop and Stypsi, spent some more time at the pool, and then shot off on foot to West River when Steve broke news of a Spur-winged Plover there. This bird showed wonderfully down to 20m –a real highlight. Some small flocks of Rose-coloured Starlings had been seen over at East River, so we pressed on to watch these very entertaining birds feeding in a favoured mulberry tree.

Spur Winged Plover

The evening saw us back at the Ambrosia restaurant!

Day 7 – Vatera and Polichnitos
Wednesday 16 May
We set off at 6.00am heading south to Vatera on the south coast. We picked up breakfast from the bakery in Kalloni on the way and by 7.30am were watching Cory’s and Yelkouan Shearwaters in perfect light and warm, calm conditions from the headland just west of Vatera. This was James’ idea – and a very good one. One adult and one immature Audouin’s Gull flew close by, but the stand-out moment was when an adult Greater Flamingo came hurtling in off the sea! A White Wagtail was found picking its way around the rocks. After a round of coffees (which won the prize for silt content) at the harbour side café, we headed back north towards the salt pans at Polichnitos, seeing Sardinian Warbler (briefly) on the way.

The pans were, sadly, all but deserted, giving us the perfect excuse to get back to the pool. Much expert diving from Dave and James enlivened the afternoon, before we headed back out to the Kalloni salt pans for some evening general birding. James and Nick spent time photographing a brood of Kentish Plover and the hilarious sight of a parent Black-winged Stilt brooding its young, with 8 tiny legs protruding from her belly feathers. Short-toed Lark, Tawny Pipit, Stone Curlew, two drake Garganey and Curlew were all seen. Phil had a close encounter with a glass lizard, mistaking it for a snake, panicking and running around squealing like a fool.

We watched some local men riding horses bareback around a track for some time before we moved off at dusk to try the grove of mature eucalypts just north of Kalloni for Scops Owl. We had tried this site a number of times already during the week, but this time after a few whistles a bird replied and flew into branches over our heads, showing at least as a silhouette for a several minutes.

Our final evening was spent, perhaps predictably, at Ambrosia.

Cinerous Bunting

Day 8 – Heading Home
Thursday 17 May
Realising that Chukar had evaded us; we drove up to the north end of East River before breakfast but were unsuccessful. We had a last look around Kalloni salt pans, checking on the wader broods from yesterday, and paid a final visit to the East River near the ford. Dave had wandered off from the main group and reminded us who’s boss by finding a Gull-billed Tern flying upriver.

Some last minute shopping and a final dip in that wonderful pool marked the end of a truly memorable and enormously enjoyable week on Lesvos.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Martin McGill for enabling this trip to happen, to say a big Thank You to the group for making the week such a great laugh, and to thank James in particular for his help in navigating us around the island.

Phil Shepherd

Iceland 7-22 August 2007 joint WWT/Icelandic/IWSSG expedition

2007-08-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

A selction of birds and views Iceland MJMcGill

European Golden Plover
....and chick

Lava sand beach and my reflection

Purple Sandpiper juvenile

Out of season Brunnich's Guillemot 20 August 2007
Merlin
Green and Yellow house neath the mountain

Gyr in a heatwave!

Saenatasel Traditional Turf House and farm (we stayed here!)
Glacier, Eiders and Icebergs
Arctic Terns and Icebergs
Steaming Lava field and myself

Summary I was fortunate enough to be part of the summer ringing expedition on behalf of WWT to visit Iceland arriving on 7th and leaving 22nd August 2007. This report is intended to show what species I recorded during my time there when I was not looking at a Whooper Swan. Iceland is a visually stunning country with large numbers of birds, it offers volcanoes, Geysirs, Icebergs, mountains, vast open spaces and skies and of course the sea.

I went in very good company with WWT Caerlaverock, Reserve manager Richard Hesketh (the finder of the the White-tailed Plover that so many birders enjoyed in June). We were joined by staff from WWT Castle Espie, Dr Kendrew Calhoun, Seamus Burns, John Small and the BBC Autumnwatch team (with the effervescent and enthusiastic Kate Humble) for the first part of out ringing and satellite transmitter fitting sessions. We joined an already assembled team of Icelandic researchers headed by Olafur Einarsson in the valley that leads down to the Skagafjordur.

After a week in this area we transferred to the upland area of Myvatnsheidi with Sverrir Thorstensen and our team (including Claudia Mischler, Snaeverr Orn, Georg Orn, Olafur Einarsson, John Small, Svenja and for one night Seamus Burns) and then to the Highlands of Jokuldalsheidi (Richard, Claudia and I with some additional help from Poula Rose and a full team for a day headed by Scarpian) before heading back along the East/South coast to count Whooper's over a couple of days to Reykjavik. All the Icelandic people I worked and spent time with were so friendly, helpful and kind making my time here memorable, I hope to meet them all again.

M.J.M with 'ol blue eyes' one of the 376 Whooper Swans caught and ringed in Iceland between 5-22nd August 2007 all images by M.J.McGill.

One of many juvenile Red-necked Phalarope on one of many pools in Myvatnsheidi
Female Harlequin (Harlequeen) on the River Laxa at Myvatn.
Arctic Skuas and Arctic Terns over an Iceberg at Jokulsarlon
Great-Northern Diver on Saenautavatn

Snow Bunting in the Jokuldalsheidi

Species list

To be completed......

Whooper Swan- over 7,000 counted on the South Coast at a moutling/feeding site. Seen in all study areas in large numbers and with large families, many had 4-5 cygnets.

Anser Birding Finland 7-13 June 2007 trip report

2007-08-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding Finland Trip Report, June 2007

Introduction
The trip was organised by Anser UK with one night’s guiding from Peter Uppstu and three days with Matti Sillanpää, the latter a Finnature guide. The main target of the trip was to catch up with the Finnish specialities, particularly the northern owl species. We spent our first night birding around the Tampere region with Peter, and the rest of trip was based further north in Oulu and Kuusamo with Matti.

Thanks to Graham for writing up this excellent trip report and for adding his images from the trip, it was great to hear that he had such a wonderful birding experience, I also enjoy Finland with every visit and find Matti and Peter to be superior guides, so helpful and friendly as well as being quite excellent birders. The trip was also boosted with the skills of the participants with Simon being particularly sharp as usual. Thanks to all who booked on this trip and to the guys who did the driving, a great shame I did not get to go this year; Martin McGill.

Thursday 7 - Friday 8 June 2007
We left Stansted on the Ryanair flight to Tampere and arrived in Finland at around 22.30 on the 7th. We quickly picked up the van and headed off to meet up with Peter Uppstu, who was going to show us around some of the best birding sites in Tampere. We met Peter around 23.30 and continued birding throughout the night. At Tampere there was more of a definable `night’ than further north, the sun did actually set here unlike in Oulu and Kuusamo, but with dawn almost immediately following dusk it was still entirely possible to carry on birding throughout the night.
First stop was Ylöjärvi; here we had our first Blyth’s Reed Warbler with a bird in full song but obscured. Hobby was hunting the fields and Thrush Nightingale singing from a distant copse. Finally a Corncrake was also seen extremely well down to a few feet having been lured closer.Then on to Lielahti, this was the darkest point of the night so birding was done in shadows with more listening than watching. Another Blyth’s Reed was singing and so was Marsh Warbler, a staggering mimic with over 20 other bird calls included in the song, including Bee-eater. Our first owl of the trip, Long Eared Owl, was watched briefly hunting while the ubiquitous Redwing and Fieldfare joined the dawn chorus. By 03.15 it was light and at Hömeenkyrö we had our best views yet of Blyth’s Reed Warbler with one bird singing in full view down to 3m. A nearby River Warbler was also in full song but showy it was not. Other birds here included our first Common Crane and Common Rosefinch of the trip, and on our departure those in the front of the van had a brief flight view of Black Woodpecker.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler

Sarkklanjörvi was the place to see Citrine Wagtail, two of our group had brief views of a probable, but the rest of us had to be content with the thunbergi Yellow Wagtails that graced the edges of the marsh. From here we returned to Leilahti, to see if in better light a Thrush Nightingale that had been in full song earlier could be made out from within the tangle where it sang. It was still singing and only an odd metre from the path, but still not visible. The adjacent lake had 2 superb Red-necked Grebe and our only Little Grebe of the trip. Birding stopped around 09.00 and after breakfast and a few hours sleep it was time for the long trip north to Oulu.

Friday 8 - Saturday 9 June 2007
We arrived in Oulu at 18.30 and met up with Matti, who was our Finnature guide for the next 3 days, and an absolute star. After introductions, itineraries were the main focus, and the news was that catching up with the owls should be our priority. Chicks had fledged and the vole population had begun to crash, which made Matti concerned that staked out birds could soon disperse. We decided to go for it and attempt all the owls that night.
First stop was Kenimaa in the Lapland region, we arrived at 22.00 and it didn’t take too long for Matti to locate the female Great Grey Owl that was nesting here, one juv was still in the nest and still looking very young, not showing any adult feathers. We watched the female in flight and perching up, never far from the nest - humbling, truly humbling. Still in Lapland, and this time in search of Hawk Owl. The juv was located first, all yellow eyes and white face flashes, with the female arriving shortly afterwards perching on top of a pine in that classic Hawk Owl pose and watching us intently.

Hawk Owl and Great Grey Owl

Back in Oulu the next owl was Tengmalm’s. At this particular nest site the chick had fledged and the adults were away. With amazing good fortune one of the group picked up the juv concealed within bushes just 1-2 metres off the ground, almost in adult plumage except for some down to the head and nape. Good one Simon. On a roll, we headed for our fourth owl, Pygmy Owl. With chicks still in the nest we just got the head sticking out of the nest box hole with this one, bright yellow glaring eyes with the sternest of expressions that any headmaster would happily die for.
Eagle Owl was nesting on the rubbish dump at Oulu and it didn’t take too long to locate the nest and the two juvs, but picking out the female who was sitting surprisingly close to the nest took us much longer. Other birds had begun to become active and we had our first Green and Wood Sandpiper of the trip as well as Little Ringed Plover. The tip was full of Baltic Gull (fuscus Lesser-black backed gull) and some of us had brief glimpses of probable Heuglin’s Gull.
At Siikajoki we had just one owl to go, Ural Owl. The nest box was empty but a mobbing Jay led us in the direction of the female, a beautiful bird with big black eyes and a deceptively gentle expression. While watching the female we stumbled on the chick that was well hidden in ground cover, still in downy plumage. We took a few quick photos and left them both in peace. It was time for breakfast and sleep. We had seen all of our hoped for owls. Life was good.

Back in the van by 15.00, we arrived in Kuusamo around 18.00; a brief stop at a lake just outside the town gave us our first Black-throated Diver and Smew of the trip and a large feeding group of Artic Tern and Little Gull.

Sunday 10 June 2007
Out birding by 03.00 in Oulanka National Park and our first stop was a walk up Konttaisnen. Northern Bullfinch fed around the car park feeders and Hazel Grouse were everywhere, not that we could see any, but the shrill whistles seemed to echo from every corner. Singing Brambling was in good numbers and Black Grouse could be heard too, along with displaying Green Sandpiper. It wasn’t long before we had our first Red-flanked Bluetail, singing from the tops of conifer. We had at least two males at this site. Some of us had the briefest of glimpses of what was probably Pine Grosbeak here. The views from the top looking out into the Russian taiga were mighty impressive accompanied by the calls of Three-toed Woodpecker some distance away.
At Virkkulan Tie (still in Oulanka N.P.) we had superb views of a male and female Black Woodpecker feeding along the roadside trees and then bounding over our heads. Two or three Waxwing sang from the same trees and a nearby lake held 2 Black-throated Diver and a pair of Smew. Northern Willow Tit fed amongst the conifers alongside Goldcrest (it was surprising how uncommon Goldcrest was). Our last stop was at Konttais-Järvi, the rogue Willow Grouse duly performed, attacking us all with sideways lurches and coming within centimetres. Once again, by 09.00 birding was finished and it was back to the hotel for breakfast and some of that precious stuff known as sleep.

Black Woodpecker

In the afternoon we visited Nissinvaara for Siberian Tit. A pair was nesting in one of the specifically designed nest boxes and one bird showed very well. From here we drove to Valtavaara, which is just opposite Konttaisnen, in Oulanka N.P. With more singing Red-flanked Bluetails, at least another two, we had our brightest bird yet. From the top we could watch Red-throated Diver on the lake below and admire the Russian scenery once more. One of our group flushed a female Capercallie from a nest while walking, and after giving her an hour to return and feel secure we returned and got close but obscured views of her incubating her clutch of nine eggs. Common birds at Oulanka included Crossbill, Redpoll, Brambling, Redwing, Fieldfare, Redstart and Common Rosefinch, with the odd Crested Tit whispering from conifers but always reluctant to show. Driving back to the hotel we had a family party of Whooper Swan, 2 adults and five chicks, on a small pool at Helilampi with Red-breasted Merganser, Little Gull and Artic Tern also present.

Capercallie nest

Monday 11 June 2007
Another very early start in the hope of catching up with displaying Broad-billed Sandpiper at Koujärvi, It did give bouts of the flight display call but remained out of view. Willow Grouse and Black Grouse could be heard and displaying Spotted Redshank gave some excellent views.
At Kurkijärvi those in the front of the van were lucky to see Siberian Jay fly across the road and into woodland. A mad dash out of the van and only I managed a few brief views before it dropped to the ground and was lost. After a tip off from a passing birder that nearby Oüjuslouma was worth trying for both Pine Grosbeak and Siberian Jay we headed straight there, but had no luck with either.
Next stop was Väkäranperä, a splendid male Little Bunting showed beautifully in full song with three Ruff on the nearby lake. On the drive back through Virkkulantie at least six Hazel Hen flew across the road in front of the van but none could be located when we stopped to search. Fortunately, most of the group had their best views of Hazel Grouse at Ivaara later on, with brief glimpses of Crested Tit here for a few of us. Back at Helilampi the Whooper Swan family were not being as photogenic as yesterday (now we all had our cameras ready). Birding stopped late afternoon as we made the journey back to Oulu.

Tuesday 12 June 2007
First stop today was Siikäjoki for Three-toed Woodpecker. Great views were had of the male and female making non stop sallies to the nest. One of my favourite all time woodpeckers, it is difficult to beat three-toed. In the same area we had our first Ortolan Bunting of the trip and also our first Elk, a mother and calf. A pair of Woodlark feeding in the open sandy fields was a good find, with other birds including Whinchat, Wheatear, Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Rosefinch. The bubbling of a Black Grouse lek could be heard here too. We had heard Black Grouse lekking at most sites during our trip but never managed to pick them up.

The lake at Oulunsalo, Papinjarvi, was without hyperbole simply enchanting. Maternal groups of Common Scoter tended to their chick nurseries and flocks of Little Gull elegantly scooped midges from the surface water. A pair of Black-throated and Red-throated Diver were also here with Smew, Red-breasted Merganser and good numbers of Goldeneye. Best bird for many was the juv Goshawk that decided to take a bath and then dry off on the bow of a fishing boat, superb. Equally impressive were the 500+ Common Crane feeding in the roadside fields at Kempele, Tupos.
From now on the birding was coastal. At the Hietasaari Terek watchtower we had no Terek but did have Little and Common Tern, Redshank, Ringed Plover and a large group of Baltic, Common and Argentatus Herring Gull. At Liminka Bay we did our first hide birding of the trip, and took part in a Finnish twitch, although the distant Great Egret was a not a patch on many of the other birds we had already seen that week. These coastal marshes were alive with displaying waders and the air was full with calls of Blackwit, Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Common Sandpiper. Wildfowl were in good numbers here, particularly Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler and there was a few wild Greylag too. Marsh Harrier quartered the reedy areas and we had more Thunbergi wagtails, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Ruff and Little Ringed Plover. Best birds for me here had to be the displaying Montagu’s Harrier pair.

Wednesday 13 June 2007
Our last day, and with just enough time to squeeze in a few hours birding for the long drive back to Tampere, Matti decided to stay with us to help us in the search for the elusive Terek Sandpiper ‘not as a guide but as a friend’. Back at the Hietasaari watchtower our luck was still out but we all managed to get some views of the Wood Warbler that had been singing here yesterday. From here Matti took us to another area in the more industrialised area of Hetasaari where Terek was known to hangout. First bird to be picked up was a Temminck’s Stint in full breeding plumage feeding along the rush lined edged of a small bay, and there on the opposite side of the same bay was our quarry, Terek Sandpiper. It was the last bird of the trip, and what a bird to end on.

Other wildlife
Brown Hare was probably the most common mammal of the trip, although Reindeer was reasonably numerous too, with many emergency stops made to allow family groups to pass nonchalantly across the road. Red Squirrel were seen at several sites, so was the odd Mountain Hare, but I was surprised that we only had the one sighting of Elk. The only other mammal was a single Red Fox.

With birds being the main focus of this trip chasing butterflies was low priority and there were several that got away as we focussed our attention on the birds that we had come to see. Green Hairstreak was at several sites and Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary was seen at Siikajoki. In the heat of the day we would probably be sleeping, so we saw few odonata except for the colony of White-faced Darter that was present in the small pool next to our cottage in Oulu.

Plant wise we didn’t keep a list but one of the group was good on the plants with a few pointed out, Artic Bramble being my own personal favourite.

Summary
Quite simply, you have to go. The owls will probably remain in my top ten list of all time great birding experiences, right through to my death bed.
Species List

Graham Jones 2007

Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Algarve, Portugal 18-26 July 2007

2007-07-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

The Dragonflies and Damsleflies of the Algarve, Portugal 18-26 July 2007, M.J.McGill

Small Pincertail, Ribera de Boina

During a 8 day family trip to the Western Algarve based in Alvor I managed to spend some time searching for dragonflies and damselflies. Before the trip I tried various searches to source info on odonata in this area but did not come up with much. I hope this report helps any future searchers.

I visited a number of sites just using my hunches and studying maps, and by arming myself with Nikon Coolpix 995 and 4500 plus Leica 32x 62 scope and Swarovski binoculars. For dragonfly i.d the Swarovski scopes and bins are the closest focussing. By taking images of the subjects I tried to i.d them without capture, inevitably a few got away but I did very well using this method. Many of the ribeiras were completely dried up but I found a few sites that were very good with good water quality. Dijksrta and Lewingtons Dragonflies of Britain and Europe made all i.d possible.

Broad or Scarlet Darter, Ribera de Boina

20, 22 and 25 July 2007 I visited the small clear stream of Ribera de Boina. A short twenty minute debut at midday here was great as there were so many species on show. The subsequent visits were around 1400-1600 and 1500-1600 and the temperature was much hotter. Many species were sheltering in shade. The water quality appeared to be good as found Water Crowfoot and a Water Vole. I noted 2-3 Red-veined Darter, 3 Scarlet Darter, 30 Epaulet Skimmer, 4 Southern Skimmer, Small Pincertail, 40 Copper Demoiselle and the highlight was watching a Western Spectre (Dusk Hawker) hunting along the shady stream by quartering and looking under the banks for prey. This beast was too quick to get any images of. The productive stretch was between KM markers 53 and 55 on the N266 S of Barracao. I also got images of what appears to be a Scarce Chaser and a damselfly sp that I have yet to i.d.

Male Copper Demoiselle displaying, Ribera de Boina

I checked a few other sites, one was further downstream at the bridge. This road leads west from the N266 to Casas Velhas?. More Copper Demoiselle (20) and both Red-veined (2) and Broad Darters (10) were noted as well as a few Epaulet Skimmers. It is the first left when heading N on the N266 after the roundabout that also offers the exit for Silves N124.

Epaulet Skimmer, Ribera de Boina

Mating Epaulet Skimmers, Ribera de Boina
Southern Skimmer, Ribera de Boina

24 and 25 July 2007 The salt marshes and lagoon at the Abicada/Alvor area produced at least 10 and 20 Red-veined Darters on each visit.

Male Red-veined Darter, Abicada lagoon

25 July 2007 Only 30 minutes spent in the stream below the dam (Barragem de Arade) near Silves proved very productive. On arrival a hawker sp was on the wing but dissapeared by the time I parked. I found a male Emperor, 2-3 Small Red Damselfy, an Iberian Bluetail a few male Keeled Skimmers.

Iberian Bluetail, Barragem de Arade Male Keeled Skimmer, Barragem de Arade

26 July 2007 I visited the Quinta de Lago area and headed to a lake that I have birded at a few times before. I only had an hour before catching my flight home but managed to find a Black Pennant, Broad (Scarlet Darters), a hawker sp, Iberian Bluetail, a male Black-tailed Skimmer.

Black Pennant look for the large head, equals sign pterostigma and broad hindwing.

Anser Birding Extremedura 5-11 June 2007 trip report

2007-07-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Extremadura, Spain
June 5 - 11 2007
Lead Guide - James Lees
Co-Guide - Neil Smart

Monfragüe National Park

5 and 6 June
We landed in Madrid after an early morning flight on 5th, transferred to our nine-seat bus and stayed overnight ready for the morning. On the 6th we collected everyone and headed for Extremadura which was just under a three hour drive. Arriving at mid day, we allowed ourselves time to settle into the wonderful hotel near the National park and enjoyed our first taste of Spanish bocadillos. After lunch we headed straight out for the remainder of the day.

This first afternoon was spent in the world-renowned and stunningly beautiful Monfragüe National Park. En route, the group got their first views of Azure-winged Magpies and the very numerous Crested Larks. The group was dazzled by the sheer number of birds and found it very difficult to choose one to look at for any length of time. We spent the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the heat and watching 350 Griffon Vultures cruise over the spectacular scenery.

Also seen: 6 Monk Vultures, 2 Booted Eagles, 1 Short-toed Eagle, Black Stork, Southern Grey Shrike, 25 Woodchat Shrikes, 2 Hawfinches, Rock Bunting, Cirl Bunting, 15 Bee-eaters, 3 Alpine Swifts, 30 Crag Martins, 10 Red-rumped Swallows, 8 Blue Rock Thrushes, 12 Azure-winged Magpies and a single Blackcap. After a great afternoon of birding we retired to the hotel and enjoyed some more traditional Spanish food.

Griffon Vulture, Monfragüe J.S.Lees

7 June
An early morning visit to the Cerralbos Plains near Trujillo produced a stunning sunrise and a great selection of birds. A flock of 11 male Great Bustards was good enough but when they began displaying it was a real treat. In the same field a male Little Bustard stood on a boulder displaying his puffed-out neck across the plains. Three different female Great Bustards all had fairly small juveniles with them in the nearby fields. One field alone had over 100 Black Kites sat on the floor and at least 80 White Storks. We were then treated to good views of 7 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse and 7 Hoopoes. Also seen here: 6 Southern Grey Shrikes, 15 Calandra Larks, a female Montague’s Harrier and a calling Quail.

After breakfast we headed towards the Sierra De La Ortijuela Mountains. En route we had cracking views of a male Black-eared Wheatear perched on the roadside. In the Mountains we had at least 10 Monk Vultures and very close views of 6 Egyptian Vultures. We enjoyed some quite spectacular views and managed to add Subalpine Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Raven and Short-toed Treecreeper to the trip list.

The Mountains now behind us, we headed back on to the lowlands and soon came across a stunning roadside Roller. Upon leaving the main road we began to see many Azure-winged Magpies and some very close White Storks on their nests. To everyone’s delight, there was an even closer Roller and several Zitting Cisticolas feeding close to the track. After these wonderful birds came what had to be bird sighting of the day - a superb view of an adult Short-toed Eagle perched on a fence!

Roller Cjo de Hito J.S.Lees

We later arrived at Cjo de Hito and were very pleased to see that the farmers had flooded the area, creating an oasis for birds. Here we had great looks at 2 Whiskered Terns, 6 Black Terns, 2 Gull-billed Terns and 3 Collared Pratincoles hawking over the floods. At least 100 Black-winged Stilts, 1 Spoonbill, 30 Cattle Egrets, 100 White Storks, 3 Moorhens, 1 Green Sandpiper, 10 Yellow-legged Gulls and lots of Black-headed Gulls fed on the floods. In the trees behind us we had good looks at 5 Little Owls and 2 Marsh and a single Montagu’s Harrier floating over. Two Great Reed Warblers eventually showed very well, although we had all enjoyed listening to their loud song during the wait. We saw at least 14 more Rollers all feeding close to the track and nesting on the nearby pylons.

The route home took us across the Campo Lugar plains where we had 6 Great Bustards and a Marsh Harrier. And after a full days birding in the sun we enjoyed sitting outside the hotel with a nice cold beer and some olives. But even as we sat here we noted 4 Pallid Swifts amongst the nesting Common Swifts, and 2 Booted Eagles, 2 Red Kites, 1 Black kite and 6 Griffon Vultures flew over.

Talavan Plains - 8 June
En route we stopped for our picnic breakfast and watched two adult Spanish Imperial Eagles guarding their two nearly fully grown young on a nest. And we had very close views of roosting Griffon Vultures on the roadside pylons. Finally arriving on the plains, we were instantly greeted by one of many very showy Calandra Larks. Also present were 2 Short-toed Larks, 15 Bee-eaters and a Hoopoe on the roadside and a small pool held a Green Sandpiper and a Little-ringed Plover. We then had a stunning view of 2 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse close to the roadside. Amazingly enough, a European Tree Frog was found hopping around the ditch at the same location!

Further down the road we came across a Bee-eater colony and spent some time observing these fantastic birds. As well as the colourful Bee-eaters, we spotted a large Schreiber’s Green Lizard sunning itself by one of the Bee-eater’s nests and a flock of 150 Spanish Sparrows. These little sparrows were fun to watch while they went about their daily business. And finally, what turned out to be “bird of the trip”, we spotted a female Great Bustard who stood for nearly 30 minutes on top of a close ridge. This magnificent bird gave superb views through the telescopes and certainly left its mark on the group.

Great Bustard Talavan J.S.Lees

We spent most of the afternoon exploring the classic Spanish town of Trujillo. Of course, we still saw plenty of birds from the outdoor café tables including: 50 Lesser Kestrels, 10 Crag Martins, 4 Red-rumped Swallows, 8 Serins and 40 White Storks.
Most of the group decided to spend the rest of the late afternoon relaxing at the hotel. However, I went at on a recce to Casas de Miravete where I had some fine views of at least 5 Golden Orioles out in the open. Also at this location: a male Melodious Warbler showed well singing from an isolated bush, as did 6 Dartford Warblers and 10 Sardinian Warblers, 2 Woodlarks, 2 Thekla Larks, 2 Nightingales, 3 Hoopoes, 8 Stonechats, 1 Rock Sparrow, 50 Red-rumped Swallows and a Monk Vulture.

After dinner we spent an hour in the fields just behind the hotel where we heard 2 Red-necked Nightjars and a Scops Owl before darkness finally settled.

Monfragüe National Park - 9 June
Our day began with a picnic breakfast whilst watching Griffon, Monk and Egyptian Vultures roosting on the cliffs. While we waited for them to fly, we were very happy to watch 2 White-rumped swifts feeding in front of us with many House Martins, Crag Martins and Red-rumped Swallows. After spending good time watching these birds, we climbed up towards the castle and were rewarded with a Nuthatch and 20 Hawfinches feeding at close range on the path much to the delight of the group. From the castle we had good looks at Subalpine Warblers and Red-rumped Swallow. The real excitement was however the abundance of lizards including a stunning bright green Oscillated Lizard that showed very well while sunning itself. We also saw a Moorish Gecko and Spanish Wall Lizards. We then stopped at the large road bridge and had great views of Rock Sparrows and Alpine swifts.

During one of our daily coffee stops we managed to see 3 types of Vultures and a possible Bonelli’s Eagle. A small pond near the coffee house had many Iberian Pool Frogs and European Pond Terrapins and many Dragonflies. We then carried on to some higher and more open habitat where we had a pair of Black-eared Wheatears, 6 Thekla Larks and 4 Wood Larks. We also had some very close looks at 4 Red Deer and a flock of 7 Egyptian Vultures and were seen play- fighting in the air right over our heads. Further down the road, at Mirador de la Trajadilla, it was our privilege to see right down into a Black Kites nest when one of the adults was feeding two small fluffy young. Along with the Black Kite nest, this area also had several Griffon Vulture nests.

Our next stop was Portilla del tie`tar which was another good location to watch Griffon Vulture feeding young and flying over our heads. An adult Spanish Imperial Eagle also gave good flight views for 5 minutes and to the group’s delight a Black Stork flew by and began to thermal above us for some time.

We also saw: Great-spotted Woodpeckers, Cettis Warbler, Nightingale, Hoopoe, Bee-eaters, Dartford Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Serins, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Black Redstart, Mistle thrush, Grey wagtail, Stonechat, Woodchat Shrikes, Southern Grey Shrikes, Azure-winged Magpies, Jays, Spotless Starlings, Linnet, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Heron, Cattle Egrets, Mallard, White Storks, Booted Eagles, Short-toed Eagles, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Lesser Kestrel, and Raven.

After a full day in the National park we returned to our Hotel and enjoyed another pleasant evening birding from the bar and restaurant!!

Casas de Miravete- 10 June
After breakfast at the Hotel we returned to an area near Casas de Miravete and relocated the Melodious Warbler. The Warbler sang briefly before feeding over a large area of bright yellow and beautifully fragrant Spanish Broom. We also had a brief Orphean Warbler and at least 3 Dartford Warblers. Our excellent run of Egyptian Vultures also continued with at least another 3 individuals including a juvenile. Two Golden Orioles sang from the Cork Oaks and showed a few times and we had some good views of the ever present Woodchat Shrikes. On the Reptile front, a Spiny-footed Lizard was very obliging as it sunned itself under a Spanish Broom.

Returning to the Hotel for lunch, we sat outside and enjoyed some fine local food and some good lunch-time birding with Black Stork, White Storks, Griffon Vultures, Monk Vulture, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and Pallid Swifts all flying over the table! We then headed off on our final afternoon of birding. This time we headed to an area of plains just North West of Trujillo called Santa Marta de Magasca. Here we enjoyed very close views of Calandra Larks, Hoopoes and Southern Grey Shrikes on the roadsides. At one stop, there were 6 Montague’s Harriers in the same field including two stunning males. A little further down the road a stack of 60 Griffon Vultures, 1 Monk Vulture, 1 Red Kite and at least 70 Black Kites were a very welcome site.

While in this area we stopped by an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. On this one building alone there was a staggering 37 nesting pairs of White Storks! The roof was an absolute hubbub of activity and everywhere you looked storks were greeting each other and going about their daily lives. After leaving the storks, we encountered our first and only Snake of the trip as it made quick dash across the road and was visible for mere seconds. In the Cork Oak/Olive groves we had plenty of Azure-winged Magpies and a nice flock of 100 Spanish Sparrows and a single red-legged Partridge. The drive back to the Hotel added another Black Stork, 4 Ravens and a Booted Eagle.

The final evening was spent enjoying the local food and wine while discussing what was “bird of the trip”. This was a hard choice for everyone as we had seen so many excellent birds. To make things even more difficult, the views we did have were all well beyond our expectations. After creating a ‘short list’, (with great difficulty), the unanimous winner was the female Great Bustard at Talavan because it showed very well and it represented the trip perfectly. The best ‘bird spot’ of the week was awarded to Sarah who spotted the brilliant Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in amongst the tall grass and flowers of the plains. The whole trip was accompanied by very pleasant weather during the week with plenty of sun. In total, 105 species of bird were recorded on this thoroughly enjoyable trip.

Egyptian Vultures, Monfrague NP J.S.Lees

Anser Birding Upper Teesdale and Northumberland 13-17 June 2007 trip report

2007-06-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding Upper Teesdale and Northumberland trip report all images M.J.McGill

13 June 2007 I collected four of the group at four different but close locations in Gloucestershire and then our 5th and 6th in North Birmingham en-route. A couple of hours and comfort stops later we were looking toward the hills where Upper Teesdale beckoned. The weather was worsening from hot and sunny to cold, wet and wind, on arriving at Langdon Beck we stopped at a bridge to watch Common Sandpiper feeding among the boulders. It was now too cold for shorts so we donned our waterproofs and headed for a nearby farm to search for some of our target birds. This site is visited by Anser to appreciate the breeding waders of the area and we did just that! Lapwing chicks were found next to the path and the pairs of Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Golden Plover were all vocal in defense of their young. The luxuriant meadows were stunning and are full of Orchids and other flowers as the wader chicks were obviously hiding in this impressive sward we kept moving. Curlew perched on the walls, Golden Plover atop the boulders and Snipe were drumming overhead. A single Black Grouse flew over the top of the hill. A Wheatear was seen along a wall and a pair of Redshank had chicks, one of which ran along it until out of view. On reaching the farm a female Ring Ouzel gave an alarm call and fly-pasts and we soon realised that she had a nest. It was located in the wall of the barn so we moved off to a much less sheltered spot to scan the crag and slopes. Another female Ring Ouzel fed along with a few Wheatear but the weather was too poor for much else to be showing. We stopped at the Langdon Beck hotel to take advantage of coffee and a log fire to dry off. To finish up we parked the car and viewed from a safe distance a very rainy Black Grouse lek to find a lone male waiting for some attention. He also eventually gave up with the heavy rain so we left the area passing many Lapwing with chicks along the roadside.

Black Grouse in atrocious weather

14 June 2007 We headed straight to Seahouses to see about boats to the Farne Islands and arrived to be told of a fifty-fifty chance of going and to check back at 1200pm. We hang around the harbour and town buying provisions and birding until I checked the boat again and decided to book on the 1000 boat for an all day. A good move as we eventually (after the tide floated the stranded boats) got to the islands and landed on Staple and Inner Farne plus a full tour of the archipeligo. We got back at 4.30pm for tea and cakes in the cafe. The pictures show what birds we saw but as ever these islands provide one of the best birding experiences in Europe.

Guillemot and Razorbill on Staple Island

Puffin on Staple Island, Farnes

Guillemots on Staple Island

Sandwich Terns on Inner Farne Arctic Tern on Inner Farne Arctic Tern and chick in the courtyard, Inner Farne Puffins on Staple Island

We ended the day with a quick visit to Budle Bay at high tide where more Eider with ducklings and at least 9 Red-breasted Merganser were found.

15 June 2007 The weather was a windy but it was dry with sunny spells so I thought it best to cross the causeway to Holy Island (Lindisfarne) and to make sure we allowed time to get back before 1300. A quick stroll through the Snook and a scan of the beach offered 300 Starlings and Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Stonechat. Orchids were in abundance as well as Viper's Bugloss. We also realised that the sea was rather interesting so a relocation in the dunes, out of the wind and we set up for a seawatch. In less than 1.5 hours we had logged 1 Black-throated Diver, 1 Arctic Skua, 350 Gannet, 23 Sandwich Tern, 1 Little Tern, 25 Manx Shearwater, 40 Fulmar, 100's of auks and Kittiwake, 8 Common Scoter all passing south. A lunch/coffee stop and then check of the channel between the village and mainland added 3 more Little Terns, 12 Teal and dozens of Grey Seals. We returned across the causeway and then the rain began to fall again. A 40 minute drive to Amble to find the boat was not running to Coquet Island so we tried to scope the Roseate Terns from the coast car park. Torrential rain and an onshore gale did not help, we abandoned this idea after having lunch in the bus. The only option was to try Hauxley NR where a comfortable, heated hide was a saving grace. On arriving an Otter greeted us below the hide an showed for 20 minutes as it ate Eels and other fish.

Otter at Hauxley NR

I set myself up to scan the terns that were passing through or stopping to wash/drink en-route to, presumably, Coquet Island. They were all moving in the same direction and only one bird was carrying fish so I am unsure of what was happening. I logged over 500 Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns and checked every one for Roseate. A dark-phase Arctic Skua was seen chasing them over the trees. Everyone else continued watching the other wetland birds and the Otter. A displaying Ringed Plover was nice to see. We enjoyed the birding and shelter but eventually headed back after a quick check of East Chevington (Water Rail calling, Reed Warbler, Wigeon and GBB Gull added) to end the day.

16 June 2007 We woke to find the whole coast shrouded in sea-mist, it was not even possible to see the other side of the field at the back of the hotel. This was officially now the worst set of weather ever experienced on an Anser trip. After breakfast we drove very slowly along the local lanes with the windows down listening. We saw a few Teal on a roadside pool but soon found singing Yellowhammer doing their best to brighten up the day and encourage the sun out. At Seahouses the boats were not running, Coquet Island was off so a walk around Beadnell Bay was on the cards. The damp mist had not cleared and any hope of migrants was dashed when only the local breeding birds were seen. We could hear the tern colony and for a few minutes at a time it cleared to show Little Terns nesting among the hundreds of Arctics/Commons and when bathing in the Long Nanny a few Sandwich Terns. We returned to the car park where it was warming up and after a coffee got the news I was hoping for. After searching in the mist earlier and failing the male Red-backed Shrike was relocated and showed excellently as it chased Bees and other insects. It was mobbed by four species at one time, Sedge Warbler, Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting. Is must be ingrained for them to mob this species as they are unlikely to ever have had breeding pairs in their area during their lifetimes. Finally some luck.

Male Red-backed Shrike at Beadnell Bay

The afternoon was spent further south around the excellent Druridge Bay where at the pools a dark phase Arctic Skua was sat on the marsh along with Whooper Swan and 1st summer Mediterranean Gull. A Willow Warbler sang in the willow scrub. After birding at Cresswell Pond we returned to these pools for a reported Wood Sandpiper and Garganey but is appears they were flushed by a Barn Owl! Only a Common Sandpiper could be seen. Cresswell had 3 1st-summer Little Gulls among the terns and gulls. Shelduck had ducklings here and a few Ringed Plover were present. On the sea we found another tern chasing Arctic Skua, 200+ Common Scoter, 1 Manx Shearwater and many seabirds. A short stop on the way home gave us an active adult Spoonbill at Longhirst Flash.

17 June 2007 We got up early had breakfast and had a couple of stops before stopping off at Leighton Moss RSPB. Our first stop was at Whittle Dene Reservoirs for Hobby and Osprey but both had departed. We did have lots of Yellow Wagtail including one pair feeding young. A Grey Partridge on the road before we got there was a bonus. We arrived at Leighton and parked at the visitor centre and then joined hundreds of other birders to watch the White-tailed Plover that had been present for a week. The views were distant but it was an impressive bird nonetheless, especially in flight. We also saw Marsh Harrier quartering the reedbeds here. After and hour or so we loaded up and arrived back in Glos for 1800.

Martin J McGill

Anser Birding 5-9 April 2006 Extremedura trip report

2007-06-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding trip to Extremedura 5-9 April 2006

This visit was arranged to take in the best of the displaying steppe birds including bustards, arriving migrants and breeding raptors. The whole area is outstanding, totally unspoilt and only a three hour drive from Madrid.

We all flew conveniently from Bristol to Madrid without a problem and after collecting transport headed off toward Torrejon el Rubio. A few species were noted but we waited until the next morning to really start birding. We had a late meal in the restaurante, relaxed with a drink and retired for the evening.

6 April 2006
After breakfast we headed straight for Monfrague National Park in slightly overcast conditions, the recent rain was not really expected but was actually very welcome later on in the week. Around the spectacular rock pinnacle Penafalcon and the Salto de Gitano we could not note down the variety of birds quickly enough. A few Woodchat Shrike, 4+ Red-rumped Swallow, 40+ Crag Martin, nest building Black Stork in a cave, 100+ Griffon Vulture, 1 Black Vulture, a pair of Rock Bunting, Black Redstarts, 2 pairs of Blue Rock Thrush, 10 Black Kite, numerous Serins and Linnets all entertained us. A flock of Cormorant flew over high.

The Bridge
A spectacular flock of 1000 House Martin hawked below with 3 Alpine Swift and 2 Rock Sparrow for company. Another Rock Bunting sang with plentiful House Sparrows and Serin.

Villareal de San Carlos and surrounds
A Crested Lark was around the restaurante along with many nest building Swallows in action, a pair of Egyptian Vulture and least 3 Black Vulture cruised over a nearby ridge. At one point one of the pharaohs Chickens went low across the road giving us great views. Red-legged Partridge was seen and heard calling, 2 male and 2 female Black-eared Wheatear chased around the boulder strewn slope. As a great comparison one each of the males was of the black and pale throated forms. In addition at least three Woodlark were in song.

The Dam
Our target was Crested Tit here but they only gave brief flight views. The pines held Serins, Short-toed Treecreeper, and a skulking Sardinian Warbler. Most impressive was the flock of 40+ Hawfinch that were feeding on blossom. Graham located a Red Kite and Booted Eagle over the southern ridge. A flock of 35+ Bee Eaters were hunting from the roadside with more Woodlark in song. A Short-toed Eagle hovered nearby hunting for snakes.

After lunch at the restaurante we headed off to look over the steppe areas for the afternoon. A stop at one White Stork colony added the usual Spanish Sparrow city underneath the nest structures. Dozens of pairs were found under each nest. Everywhere we went for the next few days we saw White Storks sat on piles of twigs with attendant spugs. Some storks nested on a rock on the ground building towers on which to perch their eggs on top. Other were on poles, some put out especially.

Embalse de Talavan
A productive stop a this little reservoir produced Crag Martin, Coot, Moorhen, Little and Great Crested Grebe, 6 Gadwall, 1 Zitting Cisticola, 1 Sedge Warbler, 20+ Calandra Lark, a sub adult Spanish Imperial Eagle (good GRC spot) Woodchat, 2 Cattle Egret, 1 Southern Grey Shrike, 1 Bee Eater and 2 Hoopoe. MJM spotted three Otters right next to the bus and they slid and spiralled through the water a drake Garganey nervously watched from beyond.

The Cuartro Lugares Steppe
It is worth pointing out now that the steppe is alive with birdlife. We ended up seeing 1000,s of singing Calandra Lark and Corn Bunting and Spotless Starling, Crested Lark, Hoopoe, Southern Grey and Woodchat Shrike were encountered in every likely spot. It is always a wonderful experience to see and hear so many birds without any other noise.

We located the following birds 4 Great Bustard, 2 Little Bustard, 3+ Short-toed Lark, 3 Black-bellied Sandgrouse, a total of 18 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.4 Montagu’s Harrier including a melanistic bird (bird of the trip for some), 1 Northern Wheatear, 2 Little-ringed Plover, White Wagtail, Merlin, Black Kite

We stopped on the way back to the hotel to view a Spanish Imperial Eagle nest atop a pylon. One bird was incubating and this brought an excellent birding day to a close. We had a great evening meal with some wonderful wine on Bob (as he had 24 lifers).

Another overcast start to the day and we headed south after breakfast to the southern rice fields. En-route we saw many Azure-winged Magpies, Hoopoe, a Great spotted Cuckoo and at another area of steppe a male Whinchat, a pair of Montagu’s Harrier, 20 Lesser Kestrel, 3 displaying Little Bustard and a total of 34 Great Bustard with two parties of 10 and 18. Both had males engaged in the full foam bath display, a stunning sight. At least two Quail were heard, 100,s of Calandra Lark, 2 Zitting Cisticola and Little Owl were all seen.

Embalse
2 Common Sandpiper, 6 Lesser Kestrel, Coot, 10+ Black-necked Grebe and 30+ Great Crested Grebe. We ate lunch at a nearby restuarante and as ever had some great coffee.

Ricefields
An injured Common Crane had been abandoned by its’ friends who were no doubt back in Northern Europe. At least 5 Southern Grey Shrike, a Great Egret, 6 Little Egret, 2 Cattle Egret, 3 Red Crested Pochard, 3 Pintail, Teal, Shoveler, 3 Pochard, 2 Greylag, 1 Shelduck, 2 Zitting Cisticola, 1 Water Rail, 3 Green Sandpiper, 30+ Red Avadavat (introduced Indian species) and 2 Tree Sparrow were seen around the large storage reservoir. A Collared Pratincole flew over and Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers quartered the fields. A minimum of 30 Stonechat also found this area to their liking.
A flock of 50+ Collared Pratincole were found hawking over one particular field and an Egytpian Vulture cruised over.

We spent the lunch and early afternoon in Trujillo to see the famous town and of course it’s Lesser Kestrel colony.

Refreshed we took a very scenic drive through the most amazing dehesa and steppe with not even any pylons around. A view of Trujillo in the distance was impressive and it soon felt like a safari. We were rewarded by three grounded Black Vulture waiting for a ewe to leave its’ dead lamb, Buzzards, Montagu’s Harrier, Mistle Thrush and the usual steppe species. A few European Terrapins were noted in one riverbed.

A return to one pre-visited site at the end of the day produced one of the best half hours of birding possible. A Black-shouldered Kite was found atop a fig tree and it was decided that we should try another track to get closer. As a pair of Booted Eagle displayed above a flock of 20+ Bee Eater hunted insects around the trees. The kite was showing well for everyone as it preened but we were distracted by a pair of Golden Oriole and 2 Great spotted Cuckoo as they chased around the bus. Back at the hotel another great meal and some good wine ended another day.

8 April 2006
We returned to the Cuartro Lugares steppe between Santiago and Hinojas as is was so close to the hotel and rewarding before and almost immediately discovered what was probably the same melanistic Montagu’s Harrier as we had seen previously. A walk along the road, a stop at a vantage point and driving along some farms tracks produced 5 male Little Bustard, 5 Great Bustard, 1000,s of Calandra and Crested Larks with stop at the riverbed to watch Thekla Lark displaying. A flock of 20+ Bee Eater were also present here. We also saw and heard Black-bellied Sandgrouse in groups of 2, 4 and 7. Two Tawny Pipit and 20+ Short-toed Lark were also noted. Griffon Vulture and Black Kite were ever-present we did see Black Vulture on the ground once again.

Monfrague
Another visit to this lovely area surrendered 100,s of Azure Winged Magpie, a pair of Subapline Warbler below the castillo, 2 Black Stork, 10+ Black Vulture, 100 Griffons, 2 Golden Eagle including a pair on the nest, 2 Alpine Swift, 2 Short-toed Eagle, 2 Egyptian Vulture, many Crag Martins, Blue-rock Thrush all seen from the castillo. An ice cream was a welcome bonus as it was very warm.

We visited the Griffon Vulture colony opposite the picnic area where Hawfinches nervously fed on the blossom. The vulture chicks could be seen clearly and a pair of Egyptian Vultures actually flew in and mated. An intimate moment shared through a Leica 27x 62mm scope!

Tietar Cliffs
This site gave another chance to see vultures on the nest with a back drop of Nightingales singing and sometimes showing and bursts of Cetti’s Warbler song. It was a warm afternoon so many birds were quiet.

Arroyo de la Vid
A quick stop as Cirl Bunting was singing but could not be seen. A Grey Wagtail fed on the stream.

An evening visit to search for more species was very productive. We stopped at one of the lay-bys and quickly picked up a male Cirl Bunting, a stunning male Orphean Warbler sang and showed within feet. It continued to show on and off as it sang. Two pairs of Woodchat Shrike were also present with 20 Bee Eater, 2 Red-rumped Swallow, 10+ Crag Martin and a showy Mistle Thrush. MJM heard a Wryneck also. As it got dark we birded from the Salto de Gitano but did have to compete with noisy tourists and perform a PR session for birds. The Eagle Owl called a number of times but did not show. After a patient wait with many species resting up for the night and bats active, Graham found the owl perched up on the rocky ridge giving memorable views. A great end to the day and although late we were able to enjoy a full meal afterwards.

9 April 2006
On the last day it was decided to drive through the Monfrague National park and out the other end to take in the sites and try for some more birds. At Tietar we had a Black Stork flying past at the hide and enjoyed views of Spanish Imperial Eagle on the nest. It even stood up and moved the eggs to give us great views. At least 500 Griffon Vulture, 3+ Nightingale, Blue-rock Thrush and a flock of Long-tailed Tits offered distraction. MJM watched an Eagle Owl fly from the crag and into a cave. A pale phase Booted Eagle soared over which drew the birding to a close. It was time to head off.

Embalse de Arrocampo
This stop was intended to add a few wetland birds to our trip and it did just that. Purple Heron were seen well but the Night Heron was a little distant. A Polecat type animal swam a long way towards then past us before crossing the track. A flock of 30+ Bee Eaters hawked insects. We had another slight distraction of bikini clad girls in waders (not dreaming, it really happened), they were also keen to see what we were watching which turned out to be a singing Savi’s Warbler in full view. A couple of Reed Warbler were also in song. Black-winged Stilts were seen from the bus on roadside pools.

As we had a little time to spare we stopped off at the Rio Alberches to check some likely habitat. At least 10 Blackcap, 3+ Nightingale and 2 Willow Warbler were seen and heard. A party of 5 Griffon Vulture flew over but the highlight was a male Penduline Tit calling and feeding on poplar buds. This was the last bird seen away from the bus or airport and concluded the tour and we flew back to Bristol.

M.J.McGill

Anser Birding Finland 7-12 June 2005 trip report

2007-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding Finland 7-13 June 2005 trip report
report by Mike King

Introduction
This trip to Finland was organised by Anser UK with three days guiding from Finnature Guide Toni Uusimaki. The main purpose of the trip was to find the Finnish specialities, in particular the owls. There were eight species of owl to be had - Short-eared, Long-eared, Pygmy, Great Grey, Ural, Tengmalm's, Eagle and Hawk Owl. Hawk Owl was the only one we were uncertain about, as there were no known sites this year. This was to be a two-centre break with time in the Oulu area before travelling north to the Kuusamo area and then returning to Oulu for some more relaxed birding before flying home. In the event, because it didn't get dark at all, it was extreme birding with only about 20 hours sleep all week. It was the longest day because from when it got light on the Tuesday we didn't see darkness again until we arrived back at Stansted on Sunday night.

Participants
Phil Abbott, Pete Cranswick, Steve Dark, Ernie Davis, Nick Goatman, Brian Heasman, Mike King, Martin McGill, Paul Marshall, Perry Smale, Neil Smart and Jeremy Squire.

Tuesday 7 June 2005
Weather: Warm and sunny
We left Gloucester mid-morning for Stansted Airport arriving early afternoon for the Ryanair flight to Tampere in Finland. We met with the four lads from Devon at the airport completing our party of twelve. The flight was smooth and uneventful and we arrived at Tampere at around 10pm local time. A Swallow flying around the terminal was our first Finnish bird followed by a roding Woodcock. We picked up the two minivans and headed northwards for Oulu, where we would be staying at Liminka Bay. The journey north would take around six hours with several rest and refreshment stops along the way. A few birds of note were seen along the way including singing Fieldfares at the first rest stop, a Short-eared Owl at Rantsila and then the first of many Hooded Crows and White Wagtails at Tyrnävä (Hoodies replacing Carrion Crows and White Wagtails replacing Pied in Finland). We also saw Elk at Tampere and Pikhala.

Wednesday 8 June 2005
Weather: Bright and sunny with some cloud and a cool northerly breeze
We arrived at the Liminka Bay Centre at around 6am. A few notable birds around the Centre included a Short-eared Owl, a male Pied Flycatcher, a singing male Ortolan Bunting and a couple of Whinchats. We were met by our guide Toni, a cheerful guy who was immediately apologetic that the rooms and breakfast were not yet sorted. He suggested we went out for breakfast and then went birding. We agreed readily and also that Great Grey Owl should be first on the agenda. He led us to a service area where we enjoyed the Finnish equivalent of an English fry-up. On the way here we saw our third Short-eared Owl being mobbed by a Lapwing and also three Ravens.
After this refreshing break we drove to a wooded area in Paavola where Toni led us a short distance into the pinewood. He pointed out to us the now empty Great Grey Owl nest and just a few moments later an adult Great Grey Owl was located. This was a big moment for me as it was my number one most wanted world bird. It was huge and stunning to look at. A moment later, after moving around quietly to find a better position, we realised we were within a few feet of two downy owlets sat on a rock. The difference in size was considerable. The warning grunts emanating from the adult made us quickly back off. I was able to get some great shots of the birds before we retreated to the vans.

We also had our first Willow Tit here, this northern race looking different to the British race.
Along the way to our next stop near Saarikoski on the road to Mankila we saw a male Hen Harrier and twenty Whooper Swans. We pulled up just before our destination when an owl was spotted sat beside the road in broad daylight. It was a Long-eared Owl, behaving nothing like we would expect at home. There were also two more Short-eared Owls nearby. At the site we had come to was an Ural Owl nest box and as Toni approached it we watched as an adult Ural Owl left the box and flew the short distance into some birch scrub. It resembled a large greyish, long-tailed Tawny Owl. He assured us we would get better views later. Also here we saw four distant Common Cranes, a ringtail Hen Harrier and heard a Black Woodpecker calling distantly. A Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary was here too.
Our next stop was to be near Hietalanoerä where there were two pairs of Pallid Harriers (a Finnish rarity). We immediately had stunning views of the silvery male Pallid Harrier as it quartered the fields. Eventually we saw a female as well. Other birds of note included a singing male Common Rosefinch (nice to see a red one) and yet another Short-eared Owl.
We left here at 11am and moved on to Ylipää near Siikajoki. This was another Ural Owl site. Toni first showed us the nest and then after a couple of calls to a Finnish friend he staggered everyone by picking out the Ural Owl perched amongst the treetops. Very impressive, he was proving to be an excellent guide and a very sharp birder. This time we enjoyed scoped views and everyone left satisfied. The mosquitoes had also found us to their liking and we had all become unwilling blood donors. Also at this site we saw male and female Redstarts, more Common Rosefinches, including a pair mating, and two Waxwings, nice to see in their natural habitat rather than supermarket car parks.

Moving on we stopped near Karinkanta where we enjoyed excellent views of a pair of our only Red-backed Shrikes of the holiday. We then drove to Varjakka where we experienced the by now unfamiliar feeling of dipping on a Three-toed Woodpecker. Here we did have a singing male Brambling, gorgeous in breeding plumage, a flyover Mealy Redpoll, several Pied and Spotted Flycatchers and on the sea 10+ Arctic Terns and three Red-breasted Mergansers. We travelled back to Liminka Bay arriving there at 5pm, here we would have three hours to unpack, freshen up and maybe grab forty winks before hitting the trail again at around 7:30pm.
We went to the Hotelli Vihiluoto for our evening meal, which for most of us was a reindeer steak, stuffed with cheese and Lingenberries and coated with breadcrumbs, very nice. After dinner Toni led us into the grounds where he played a tape for Blyth's Reed Warbler. A warbler, which was definitely a Reed sp, responded immediately but whether it was Blyth's or not we couldn't be 100% sure. Whilst here two adult Little Gulls flew over and nearby our seventh Short-eared Owl of the day was seen.

At 10:30pm in glorious sunshine we arrived at a wood near Saninjok. After a short walk we came to a Tengmalm's Owl nest box. After Toni had given the tree a light tap the female Tengmalm's Owl appeared at the entrance and peered at us inquisitively for half an hour providing a tremendous photo opportunity. After we had all packed up the cameras and were just leaving the male Tengmalm's Owl flew in and gave stunning close views.

After another short drive and a walk along a rally track through the woods Toni led us into the dark mozzie-infested undergrowth at 11:20pm. He played a short burst on the CD player and a Pygmy Owl shot towards him so fast he had to duck. This aggressive little character was probably no bigger than a sparrow. It perched up in a nearby tree calling and I managed a couple of record shots, but a much better shot by Paul Marshall is below. We were glad to be back in the van to soothe our bites after that and were soon heading back to Oulu to a quarry that was an Eagle Owl site. We saw another Elk along the way. Unfortunately the quarry was locked up so we had to try elsewhere.

Thursday 9 June 2005
Weather: Cloudy with sunny periods
It was now a new day, still daylight and we were still going. After Toni had talked to other guides we found ourselves on the A86 in Oulu, we weren't sure what we were supposed to be looking for as Toni was in the other van. However when we pulled up Toni told us there was an Eagle Owl atop a lamppost on the central reservation. We walked along the embankment and gained scoped views of this huge cat-like owl. Two Woodcock flew over whilst we were watching. We arrived back at Liminka at 2am and fell into bed. Most of us had now been on the go for 40+ hours without any proper sleep other than a snatched nap here and there.
At 6am we were back on the road and returning to the woodpecker site at Varjakka. Within minutes this time Toni had located a male Three-toed Woodpecker, a stunning bird, which showed really well and was much larger than several of us had imagined being about Great Spotted size. We drove down to the quayside for a quick look before moving on and were rewarded with a Grey-headed Wagtail, three Red-breasted Mergansers, six Goosanders, two Goldeneye, a Whooper Swan and six Arctic Terns.
Our next stop was the oil terminal in Oulu, which was terminally ugly. However this grotty piece of waste strewn habitat produced excellent birds. The best of these was a displaying Terek Sandpiper, which perched beautifully on top of a stick before anyone had a camera set up. Also here we had a brief Temminck's Stint, two Little Ringed Plovers, a Ringed Plover, two Oystercatchers and a male Wheatear. We also saw Brown Hare and Rabbits here.
After this little interlude Toni dropped his car off at his house and joined us in the vans for the journey north to Kuusamo. On the journey north two Common Cranes were at Kifina, a Wood Warbler and a Red Squirrel was at the services at Pudasjarvi and we also saw 50+ Reindeer, the first of many. Mmmm! Reindeer!
We stopped at Taivalkosk, which was a Black Woodpecker site and also had an outside chance of Hawk Owl, but we saw neither. New species here included Common Crossbills and Tree Pipit and a male Redstart showed well.
Next stop was a landfill site near Kuusamo. Here the star bird was a second-year Siberian Gull heuglini, which Toni showed us. There were also many Baltic Gulls f.fuscus, a Great Black-backed Gull and a drake Teal were new for the trip. There were many Hooded Crows and Ravens over the tip, a Grey-headed Wagtail flew over and a male Cuckoo showed well on a post.
Next a stop for Siberian Tit drew a rare blank with only a pair of Willow Tits being seen. This was followed by a stop by a lake, which was excellent as we had cracking views of five pairs of Velvet Scoters in breeding plumage, the sort of views you would never get on a seawatch. Also here were ten male Goldeneye and a drake Smew.
A final stop by yet another tree-lined lake produced two singing male Little Buntings, one seen and a second further away heard.
We checked in at our hotel where we would be overnighting. After a rest, a shower and a good meal we were heading back out at 7:30pm. From a nearby forest road Toni quickly located a gorgeous singing male Rustic Bunting. A classy bird.
We drove on to Lake Kovajarvi where we joined up with another birding group to make another attempt on Hawk Owl. In the event it was a failed attempt but the lake was very good for waders, the best of which was a singing Broad-billed Sandpiper, but sadly it remained out of view. We then took the long haul towards Valtavaara Ridge near the Russian border. En route we saw three Little Gulls on a roadside pond, another Short-eared Owl and a Fox. Toni stopped eventually after much checking of the map and declared that we were in the right spot at 11pm. Minutes later a Hawk Owl was spotted atop a fir tree. Cue much celebration, as we became the first Finnature-led group to achieve all eight owl species this spring. We watched it for over an hour as it remained on top of the tree, occasionally being mobbed by Redwings. An added bonus were seven lekking male Black Grouse in the field behind us.

Friday 10 June 2005
Weather: Cloudy with sunny periods
Another day arrived with Hawk Owl becoming the first bird of the new day. Four Black Grouse remained too. We left then for the long drive back to the hotel. We stopped at Konttainen a known site for Red-flanked Bluetail and Siberian Jay on the way, but neither of them was obliging. We passed Mountain Hares and more Reindeer on the way back.
We dragged ourselves out of bed at 6am after only four hours sleep and piled into the vans for the journey to Iivaara (see pic on left- RFB at the top). On the way a Black-throated Diver flew over the car and another Red Squirrel was seen. After parking up we ascended first the boardwalk and then an ever-stiffening climb towards the summit. A singing Goldcrest was new for the trip and half way up a female Capercaillie burst from cover and flew away. As we cleared the top and descended a short way down the other side Toni said he could hear a Red-flanked Bluetail singing. Soon we found a beautiful male singing it’s Redstart-like song from a treetop. It reminded me a little of an American Bluebird and looked very different to the bluetails I have seen in Britain. On the descent we saw our first bright Northern Bullfinches of the trip and then we heard Hazel Grouse whistling thinly. It was glimpsed by one or two of the party but not me. Shortly afterwards we realised that Martin had briefly had two Pine Grosbeaks while we searched for the grouse, which were the only ones of the holiday. We returned late to an excellent breakfast at the hotel.
After breakfast we travelled back to Konttainen, seeing another Red Squirrel and more Reindeer on the way. Siberian Jay eluded us (and just about all other parties) again but I did get some nice shots of Northern Bullfinch.

We travelled on to Kansallispuisto Oulanka National Park. Toni took us straight to a nest box near the visitor centre where Siberian Tit was nesting and it duly gave excellent views within minutes. In the trees behind a male Parrot Crossbill showed well feeding two juveniles. Leaving the visitor centre we travelled a short distance to a forest road where we could hear Hazel Grouse but not see them again. Then at the next stop most of us managed short but tickable views of a Hazel Grouse in the undergrowth. Moving on we came to a café on the Russian frontier. There was a Red Squirrel on the bird table as well as a pair of Common Rosefinches. Toni showed us the rare Fairy Slipper Orchid, which grew in the café grounds.

We had to leave the café and start the long journey back to Oulu then. As we rounded a bend we ground to a rapid stop when bizarrely a pair of Hazel Grouse were right in the middle of the road. Everybody gained wonderful views of this usually shy game bird. The journey south became a procession of failed attempts at turning up the very elusive Siberian Jay, but all to no avail. At Sarkelä we saw two pairs of Waxwings, a Honey Buzzard and a Great Grey Shrike (found by Martin). Soiperoisentie produced no more than two Cuckoos and that was that, no Sibe Jay this time. As we approached the Hotelli Vihiluoto for our evening meal at around 8pm we saw a Marsh Harrier from the vans. We bid Toni goodbye at this point, we were sorry to see him go, he had been brilliant, but in return we had taught him some new English words. After a nice Salmon supper we returned to Liminka Bay where at last we got a reasonably early night – except for those who went birding, me included. From the tower we saw all the usual suspects as well as the first Shovelers, a Marsh Harrier hunting, 13 Spotted Redshanks in breeding plumage, a Whimbrel was calling but remained unseen, two Snipe were displaying and as we returned to bed a juvenile Long-eared Owl was doing the “squeaky gate” call from a small copse. A pair of Elk were also out in the bay.

Saturday 11 June 2005
Weather: Very warm and sunny with high clouds
I was up again at around 5:30am and out by 6am. I went straight down to the tower hide and spent a couple of hour’s quiet birding. The first Coot were seen, as were Pintail and Redshank. Snipe were displaying all around, both Marsh Harrier and Short-eared Owl were hunting, 100 Whooper Swans were out in the bay and a male Common Rosefinch showed well. I returned for breakfast and then we hit the road at 9am. We drove the short distance to Liminka Sewage Farm where as Toni had promised a Thrush Nightingale was singing. However it was a couple of hundred yards away on private land, so frustratingly it wasn’t seen. The small pond was excellent and held a breeding plumage Slavonian Grebe, some female Goldeneye with lots of ducklings, and there were flyovers by a couple of Marsh Harriers, two Common Cranes, seven adult Little Gulls and nearby a Short-eared Owl was displaying and a young male Common Rosefinch was singing. A breeze hampered photography here. The next stop was Papinjarvi, which was a little disappointing, but the lake there did have three pairs of Common Scoter and a Common Sandpiper. Next we tried another pond in Oulu, which was a Blyth’s Reed site, but although we saw a Reed sp again we couldn’t be sure it was Blyth’s. Another lake was checked and we found four female Goosanders with 12 young collectively. The next lake at Pyykhojarvi had an amazing flock of c600 Little Gulls, nearly all adults, the mass calls of the birds was memorable. Also here were 25 Arctic Terns and three Baltic Gulls. On leaving here to return for lunch we saw a male Hen Harrier from the vans.
Following lunch it was a free afternoon, several of the boys just wanted to sleep but the rest of us went to the tower. An adult White-tailed Eagle had landed on a field in the bay and remained all afternoon, occasionally flapping its huge wings. We also had an Osprey, three Marsh Harriers, two males and a female, a Goshawk and 65 Common Cranes.
At 5:30pm we all went out again first to the peat bog at Lintujarvi. Male Marsh Harrier and Camberwell Beauty butterfly were seen from the vans. At the bog a Hobby was seen, an Osprey caught a fish, two drake Smew were out on the water and masses of Black Darter dragonflies flew around.
We then all succumbed to the delights of an XL Star Burger, except Ernie and Martin probably wisely. Next carrying a little more weight we checked another of the bay’s tower hides from where we saw wild Greylags. At this point we split up for the first time, the Devon/Wales contingent went off to buy beers to take back and the Glos boys went for some more birding, after we had bought beer. We checked both Blyth’s sites to no avail and at the second four Finnish girls made Jeremy an offer he couldn’t refuse (but he did). Then we had a final look at the Oil port but could not find the Terek or the Temminck’s, just all the other species we had seen before.

Sunday 12 June 2005
Weather: Warm and humid with some light showers
At midnight we joined up with the other lads again and drank beer around the campfire until the early hours. Even this was disrupted with more birding when a Caspian Tern was found in the bay from the tower; most of us went to look.

At 8:40am I was back in the tower for the last time. The tern had gone, as had the eagle but all the usual suspects were seen. Nick and I found a Camberwell Beauty near the boardwalk as we returned to pack, this started a minor twitch. I was well pleased, as it was my first.
The long journey south started then, both groups had decided to make their own ways back to Tampere airport. We saw an Osprey near Onkineva, a pair of Whooper Swans with three cygnets at Nurmesperä, before stopping beside the lake at Vuonlahti at 2pm. This was inspired because here we had five Black-throated Divers, a Red-throated Diver and two Red-necked Grebes all in summer plumage and a female Goldeneye with 14 ducklings and another Baltic Gull. We made one final stop at another National Park where we failed to find anything new and got sent packing by the fiercest mozzies yet. The other group managed to add a booming Bittern and a Lesser Whitethroat to the trip list.
We all met up at the airport for a pleasant flight back to Stansted arriving 25 minutes early. We had totalled around 150 species between us and had all had several life ticks, in particular those magnificent owls.
Species Lists
Not all of the species were seen by everyone and I may have missed out one or two common ones.

Bird list
1. Red-throated Diver
2. Black-throated Diver
3. Great Crested Grebe
4. Red-necked Grebe
5. Slavonian Grebe
6. Bittern (Heard only)
7. Whooper Swan
8. Greylag
9. Shelduck
10. Wigeon
11. Teal
12. Mallard
13. Pintail
14. Shoveler
15. Tufted Duck
16. Common Scoter
17. Velvet Scoter
18. Goldeneye
19. Smew
20. Red-breasted Merganser
21. Goosander
22. Honey Buzzard
23. White-tailed Eagle
24. Hen Harrier
25. Marsh Harrier
26. Pallid Harrier
27. Goshawk
28. Sparrowhawk
29. Common Buzzard
30. Osprey
31. Kestrel
32. Hobby
33. Peregrine
34. Hazel Grouse
35. Black Grouse
36. Capercaillie
37. Pheasant
38. Coot
39. Common Crane
40. Oystercatcher
41. Little Ringed Plover
42. Ringed Plover
43. Lapwing
44. Temminck's Stint
45. Broad-billed Sandpiper (Heard only)
46. Snipe
47. Woodcock
48. Black-tailed Godwit
49. Whimbrel
50. Curlew
51. Spotted Redshank
52. Redshank
53. Greenshank
54. Green Sandpiper
55. Wood Sandpiper
56. Terek Sandpiper
57. Common Sandpiper
58. Little Gull
59. Black-headed Gull
60. Common Gull
61. Baltic Gull (fuscus)
Siberian Gull (heuglini)
62. Herring Gull
63. Great Black-backed Gull
64. Caspian Tern
65. Common Tern
66. Arctic Tern
67. Feral Pigeon
68. Stock Dove
69. Woodpigeon
70. Collared Dove
71. Cuckoo
72. Eagle Owl
73. Hawk Owl
74. Pygmy Owl
75. Ural Owl
76. Great Grey Owl
77. Long-eared Owl
78. Short-eared Owl
79. Tengmalm's Owl
80. Swift
81. Black Woodpecker (Heard only)
82. Great Spotted Woodpecker
83. Three-toed Woodpecker
84. Skylark
85. Sand Martin
86. Swallow
87. House Martin
88. Tree Pipit
89. Meadow Pipit
90. Grey-headed Wagtail
91. White Wagtail
92. Waxwing
93. Wren
94. Dunnock
95. Robin
96. Thrush Nightingale (Heard only)
97. Red-flanked Bluetail
98. Redstart
99. Whinchat

100. Wheatear
101. Blackbird
102. Fieldfare
103. Song Thrush

104. Redwing
105. Mistle Thrush
106. Sedge Warbler
107. Blyth's Reed Warbler (almost certainly this species)
108. Lesser Whitethroat
109. Garden Warbler
110. Willow Warbler
111. Wood Warbler
112. Goldcrest
113. Spotted Flycatcher

114. Pied Flycatcher
115. Willow Tit
116. Siberian Tit
117. Crested Tit (Heard by Toni)
118. Coal Tit
119. Blue Tit

120. Great Tit
121. Treecreeper

122. Red-backed Shrike
123. Great Grey Shrike
124. Jay
125. Magpie
126. Jackdaw
127. Rook
128. Hooded Crow
129. Raven
130. Starling
131. House Sparrow
132. Chaffinch
133. Brambling
134. Greenfinch
135. Goldfinch
136. Siskin

137. Linnet
138. Mealy Redpoll
139. Common Crossbill
140. Parrot Crossbill
141. Common Rosefinch
142. Pine Grosbeak (MMcG only)
143. Northern Bullfinch
144. Yellowhammer
145. Ortolan Bunting
146. Rustic Bunting
147. Little Bunting
148. Reed Bunting
Mammals
1. Elk
2. Reindeer
3. Fox
4. Brown Hare
5. Mountain Hare
6. Rabbit
7. Muskrat
8. Red Squirrel
9. Mouse sp.
Amphibians
1. Common Frog
Butterflies & Dragonflies
1. Large Skipper
2. Large White
3. Small White
4. Blue sp.
5. Gatekeeper
6. Orange Tip
7. Camberwell Beauty
8. Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
9. Black Darter
Thanks
Our thanks must go to Toni Uusimaki, our excellent guide, who showed us all bar one of our target species.
Thanks must go to all the guys that did the driving (and I didn't) for which the rest of us are very grateful.
Finally thanks to Martin for his organisation of the holiday. © Mike King 2005
The Gloster Birder http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/

Anser Birding Norfolk and Suffolk 23-27 May 2007 trip report

2007-06-01T01:03:00.000-07:00

Anser Birding Norfolk and Suffolk 23-27 May 2007 trip report

Golden Oriole basket nest at RSPB Lakenheath/Hockwold Fen

Avocet at Minsmere
Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint (wing strectching) at Titchwell RSPB

23 May 2007 The guides on this trip were Martin McGill and Neil Smart. It was a hugely sucessful tour, thank you to all who have contacted me with such kind words, if I could just use one line then it would be.....a very big thank you to you and Neil for the best holiday I have ever had, Len.

It was a pleasure to be on this tour as everyone was so enthusiastic about birds and there were one or two new species for all. To see the same genuine level of satisfaction from Iberian Chiffchaff and Montagu's Harrier says it all, keep on birding guys.

We set off from Gloucestershire at 0730 numbering a group of 10. We travelled to Lakenheath/Hockwold RSPB stopping at a couple of rest breaks en-route. The weather was very warm and after seeing Hairy Hawkers and Four-spotted Chasers at the new visitor entrance we were quickly hearing and watching Reed and Sedge Warblers plus Common Whitethroat and Reed Bunting along the river. A few Banded Demoiselle were also noted. Birds noted on our visit included 3 singing male Golden Oriole and a female, we were lucky enough to see the nest (but the location will be kept a secret), 4 male Garganey in various moult stages and the clicking call was heard, 3+ Hobbies, the breeding Common Cranes were heard but kept a low profile in the marshes, 2 Turtle Dove, 2 Cuckoo and a selection of wildfowl on the washes. We spent nearly four hours birding this site. We drove to our hotel, settled in and enjoyed the evening meal (quickly for those who requested the viewing of the Champions League final, bad luck Jim) while those wanted an early night headed off to their rooms.

24 May 2007 After a 0700 breakfast we headed straight for Minsmere RSPB and on nearing the end of our journey we stopped to enjoy Nightingale in full song along with displaying Turtle Doves, breeding Great Spotted Woodpecker and Yellowhammers. On arrival we made our way to the busy Bittern hide where patience and careful manouevers got all the Anser guests a seat with a view, the continual presence of Marsh Harriers in the air was a joy to see, the 17 pairs in the area show just how successful they can be with a bit of help. Not a moment went by on the reserve when you could not see one on the wing or perched atop a post or bush. Neil picked up a Purple Heron for the whole hide to enjoy in flight and a variety of species were seen from here including Sand Martins, a few calling fly by Mediterranean Gulls and the busy throng of a rich wetland habitat. A booming Bittern was all we had as reward for the time we put in for this reedbed foghorn. A distant Red Kite, Water Rail and Kingfisher were also seen.

The next stop was the Island Mere Hide which was also very busy but again we settled in to eventually watch the busy activity of all wetland birds. A number of Bearded Tit sightings led to everyone seeing them well as they hurried back and forth feeding young. We had a bit of lunch at the centre and then worked our way around the scrape hides and beach. The large colonies of Avocet, Common Tern and Black-headed Gulls provided great viewing as the former and latter had young. Neil and the group spent much of the time sifting through the scrape birds while Martin continued a solo vigil for a Bittern sighting, a couple of Purple Heron views were the only reward and after all the effort it was Jim Sines who picked up a Bittern flying over the reedbed that all managed to see before it dropped into the reeds again. A few Little Terns were also present on the scrapes and beach but the 4 pairs of breeding Mediterranean Gulls were a real treat to see among their commoner relatives. At least three Ringed Plover were seen on the scrapes but they were devoid of much in the way of passage birds.

After dinner we headed back to the coast where a quick stop on the Blyth estuary confirmed the lack of passage. We headed for Walberswick for Grasshopper Warber and found one singing but even this bird could not compete with the Navy helicopter training offshore so we and it gave up. A Tawny Owl called as we walked back in the dark. A short drive to Westleton Heath and we immediately heard churring male Nightjar and 3 Nightingales in the still, warm moonlit night, perfect setting, temperatture and weather.

25 May 2007 We left the hotel after breakfast and headed for Colney near Norwich where we located the long-staying Iberian Chiffchaff which was in full song and view. This is still a very rare bird in the UK and has attracted many visitors not least due to it being a first for Norfolk. Everyone enjoyed this little bird who at the time of writing is still singing away. We left for the Great Ryburgh raptor watchpoint but whilst there a cold front carrying rain arrived and the hot weather duly dissappeared. At least 4 Buzzard and 4 Hobby were seen but alas no Honey Buzzards showed. The weather changed our plans and after a coffee stop at Creake Abbey (where we saw a male Marsh Harrier) we ended up at Titchwell RSPB. The passage waders were great here with 2 breeding plumaged Curlew Sandpiper, a Little Stint, flocks of Dunlin, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling and a Little-ringed Plover on show. Small groups of Little Gulls popped in to the scrapes with adults, second-summers and first-summers all resting or feeding. The scrapes were very busy for wildfowl with Shoveler, Wigeon and Pintail all being seen among the Gadwall and Mallard. Two Spoonbill flew over with perhaps another feeding on the scrape on our return walk. A Bittern was booming from the reedbed and of course Marsh Harriers were seen again. The sea held flocks of Common Scoters and Gannets and Fulmar were also noted. A fledged Great Tit was on the path as we neared the visitor centre which we placed back in the bushes. The rather cheesy photo of me was taken by Len Ingram.
After a large dinner we tried a few different spots for Barn Owl without luck and finally another place at Holme for Grasshopper Warbler where everyone got scope views of a reeler in the fading light. A plesent end to the day.

26 May 2007 Neil looked after the group from the pre-breakfast birding trip to dropping off in the evening after dinner at 1030pm and all had a full day packed with birds. Martin travelled to London fulfilling a promise of taking his son Joseph to Wembley Arena seeing Bristol Rovers beat Shrewsbury 3-1 and clinch promotion to League 1. Many of the group enjoyed watching Barn Owl hunting near to their accommodation first thing and this was followed by a 0630 start with Neil taking in a couple of male Montagu's Harriers at an undisclosed site. The site also held calling Quail, male Marsh Harrier and singing Lesser Whitethroat. After breakfast Neil took the group to Cley NWT reserve where passage was more in evidence. Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Ringed Plover were all among the other breeding waders of which Avocet had chicks (one on the path!) more wetland warblers were seen including Cetti's. The Marsh Harriers performed along with some great views of Bearded Tit. One of the highlights on this visit was a Temminck's Stint showing on the Eye field and the long walk around the reserve was worth it.

The afternoon was spent on a Bean's boat trip from Morston to Blakeney Point where the seals were seen very well to a few feet and landing on the point offered views of the tern colonies. Little, Common, Arctic and Sandwich Terns were all seen and compared. Some winter birds were still in evidence with 5 Eider including an adult drake and 9 Dark-bellied Brent Geese plus 3 passage Turnstone. After the trip a return to the Montagu's Harriers rewarded all with 2 males and a female, the calling Quail and 2 Grey Partridge plus the farmland bird supporting cast that included Corn Bunting. The slight communication problem with text was resolved with the Devon girls adding these birds on their trip list.

27 May 2007 The atrocious weather caused us to head inland to the Brecks where we arrived at the excellent NWT Weeting Heath visitor centre and were soon enjoying Stone Curlew (male and female brooding 2 chicks), Neil located a Woodlark on call which showed very well on the ground in front of the hide, Green Woodpecker, Linnets, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Lapwing, Chiffchaff and Blackcap were also heard or seen.

Stone Curlew at Weeting Heath NWT

The weather conviced us that WWT Welney would be the best place to visit and to have lunch. From the hides the fluctuating water levels had caused problems for the breeding birds but the Black-tailed Godwits were again displaying after having the nests flooded out. Many Lapwing, Redshank, Avocet, Black-headed Gull and Common Tern were busy on eggs and a Yellow Wagtail was heard and a few mobile Little-ringed Plover were seen. We ended the trip here and headed back to Gloucestershire arriving at c1830. Thanks to all who came on the trip for their company and enthusiasm, it is much appreciated. Let me know if there are any ommisions for editing in this report.

Martin J McGill

Anser Birding Extremedura 3-7 April 2007 images part 2

2007-04-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

Collared Pratincole Embalse de Guadiloba, Extremedura

White Stork nesting on chapel, Vegas Altas, Extremedura
Griffon Vultures waiting for thermals, Penafalcon, Monfrague NP, Extremedura
Griffon Vulture heading out for the day, Castillo de Monfrague, Extremedura
All images by M.J.McGill

Anser Birding Extremedura images 3-7 April 2007 part one

2007-04-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

Male Black-eared Wheatear, Eagle Owl with chicks, Male Rock Bunting, Male Savis's Warbler and mating Griffon Vultures in Monfrague NP and (Savi's) Embalse de Arrocampo Almaraz. All images by M.J.McGill.

Anser Finland/Azure Tit 9-10 March 2007 trip report

2007-03-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Anser Finland trip report 9-10 March 2007

Eight of us left for Stansted at 0100 and flew out to Finland via Ryanair. We arrived at Tampere later than expected and quickly organised our car hire before picking up Peter Uppstu just outside the town. We headed straight for Uurainen and arrived at the snow-bound car park in the village. The first feeders were next to us in the garden where we were allowed to park, Crested and Northern Willow Tits were a welcome distraction. We split up each with walkie talkies to cover the feeders at each house. After ten minutes the Azure Tit arrived on a feeder at no.69. It fed for a minute or two but only myself and two other British birders got on it before the rest of the party got there. It flew off as they arrived and didn't re-appear for what seemed a long time. It showed briefly and again dissapeared, despite it snowing I was sweating now but eventually we all saw it many times as it went to and from the feeders. Peter and I got talking with a local girl who lived 1km from where we were watching the bird, she was interested in what was going on and I explained why we were there and how we had not even had breakfast, had drove overnight and straight from the airport. About 40 minutes later she came sledging over the hill with coffee, sandwiches, biscuits, paper cups and all the provisions that a group of Eurobirding nutters could need. I also managed to try out the sledge a few times and enjoyed myself immensly but for some reason the others were more into the coffee and the bird!
I forget her name at the moment but it was a such a kind gesture and she was offended when I offered to pay and had to trick her into taking a payment, we were all very grateful. She is pictured handing out provisions below. After everyone enjoyed the bird we headed off to try to fit in some more species but ran out of light. We drove around the forest tracks NE off Tampere listening for owls and were rewarded with 2-3 Tengmalm's calling for a mate. Eagle and Pygmy Owl were also heard recently but the drizzle was probably affecting their behaviour.

We arrived in Tampere, ate in a Turkish pizzeria and retired to our budget hotel at 11.00pm to try to get some sleep. Up again at 0530 and off to look for more birds. We made a u-turn on the main road to access a missed service area entrance for breakfast and the occupants of car number two saw two Hazelhen on the track next to the car. We had breakfast then tried to see them again but there was no sign. We then saw a Black Woodpecker fly over the car and were all soon watching it in a clearing and perched up on a lone standing tree. Our main target was Siberian Jay so we pressed on to the forest. The tracks were heavily snowed up but we got through and saw a male Black Grouse that flew across the road from the birches. A male Capercaillie was located adjacent to the cars and gave us great views before eventually flying off. The jay stakeout gave us more tits, Common Crossbills, Northern Bullfinches and Siskin were noted. No sign of the jays.

Heading back to Tampere we saw three Whooper Swans, first spring arrivals on some open water. A garden feeder was our next stop and we eventually saw a male Grey-headed Woodpecker as well as Yellowhammers and Redpolls. Peter made many calls and we decided to try for Sibe Jay at another site. We were met by one of the forest conservationists who took us to his feeding station and two Siberian Jays performed on/off for us for 20 minutes. Treecreeper and Great spotted Woodpecker were also seen as well as the tit species again. Back on the road and we decided not to try for Willow Grouse and to head for Pori for the Steller's Eider. We saw this bird well near the seawall and also added Goosanders, White-tailed Eagle, Glaucous Gull (four in the bay) and c30 Waxwing. We had a flight to catch so had to leave. More Waxwings were seen from the car and a Ural Owl flew across the road on the way. We said goodbye to Peter, caught our flight and arrived in Glos at 02.20 on Sunday morning. A stop at Cambridge services added Barn Owl.

I had a great but tiring time with all that went. Thanks to all seven chaps that joined me for this trip for your company and in donating over 120 euros to the ancient forest protection charity that the last 7-8 pairs of Siberian Jays so rely on in this part of Finland. Lets hope they can stop the felling. Please e-mail if you have spotted any omissions or mistakes, I am still a bit tired so there must be some and will edit it if possible in future.
Special thanks to Peter who worked hard for us, was so good humoured and taught me how to speak in English a bit better.

Siberian Jay image by Neil Smart all other images M.J.McGill

A Finnish nurse tending to the patients Crested Tit on a feeder
Northern Willow Tit
The female Steller's Eider near Pori

Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 images part 3 (courtesy of Richard Tyler)

2007-02-15T06:28:00.000-08:00

Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 (all images by Richard Tyler)

Eagle Owl near Kaliakra
White (asleep) and Dalmatian Pelican, Atanassovo
Dalmatian Pelican at Atanassovo
Caspian Gull at Lake Shabla
E.White-fronted Geese at Durankulak

Anser Birding Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 trip report

2007-02-15T03:23:00.000-08:00

Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007
Sunrise at Lake Durankulak; this site holds tens of thousands of Red-breasted and White-fronted Geese every year but this winter was the mildest on record. The goose flocks had already peaked in January and departed in numbers. We used the hedge to stalk the goose flocks that are leaving the roost to feed in the adjacent fields where we did manage to get close to our target birds.

Red-breasted Geese dawn flight images plus E. White-fronted Geese. Also Red-breasted Goose among the Whitefronts.
Summary; A group of ten travelled to Bulagaria via Gatwick to Varna on a British Airways flight. Our main aim was to see the goose flocks with time at the end to find some local specialities and the pelicans and wildfowl further south, also to have a good time. Three nights were spent staying in Kavarna at the Hotel Solenkov with the last night at hotel Favorit adjacent to Atanassovo near Bourgas. We birded many sites which are mentioned with the birds in the report.

4 February 2007 We were met by our guide Peter Ivanov and bus driver and headed off for Kavarna for our evening meal and to relax in the bar of our hotel ready for the next day.

5 February 2007 An early start in the dark saw us arriving at a snow covered area next to Lake Durankulak (3km south of the Romanian border) for the geese, it was bitterly cold but nearly all of us were prepared (Bob was the exception, keeping out the cold with whisky from the night before did not work and his thermals were still in his room). We found 2500 E. White-fronted and 11 Red-breasted Geese as well as 20 Whooper Swan, 40 Eastern Greylag, 5 White-tailed Eagle and a huge Hen and Marsh Harrier roost as they departed for the day. We visited Lake Shabla, Cape Kaliakra and Bolata Valley, Cape Shabla (eastern most point of Bulgaria) , Kosmos and Krapes and recorded many species including 2 first winter Mediterranean Gull, 1 female Goldeneye, 2 Red-breasted Merganser, two Merlin, female Goshawk, up to six Syrian Woodpeckers, 150 Calandra Lark, 1 Crested Lark, 1 Firecrest, 3 Hawfinch, 1 Caspian Gull and a Penduline Tit.

6 February 2007 A repeat visit to many of yesterdays sites gave us larger numbers (60 Red-breasted and 4500 E. White-fronted Geese) and better views of the geese. A Saker Falcon was also hunting the lake. A drive around local roads near the Romanian border added a few more species with Northern Grey Shrike being the pick of the bunch. At Lake Shabla a single Ferruginous Duck was a welcome addition to the list. A search from the various coastal headlands rewarded us with small parties of Yelkouan Shearwaters numbering 30 birds in total. Other notable birds/counts for the day included 7 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 White-tailed Eagle, 24 Hen Harrier, 50 Buzzard, 14 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Little Owl, 4 Syrian Woodpecker, 800+ Calandra Lark, 27 Crested Lark, 2 Black Redstart and 200 Corn Bunting. The day ended with great views of Eagle Owl during daylight. A Lesser spotted Woodpecker was also found at the same site.

7 February 2007 We drove south stopping off wet forest and a forested ridge before heading to the main lakes around Bourgas. It was a great day for woodpeckers with the first site at Baltata and the hills at Goritsa producing 4 Grey-headed, 1 Green, 6 Great Spotted, 4 Middle Spotted and 4 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers as well as Short-toed Treecreeper and Nuthatch.
We tried another wetland site at Tankovo but it was being drained!, the fields and vinyards around were productive with Common Buzzard, Long-legged Buzzard and a Rough-legged Buzzard with a Goshawk for company. We had lunch looking over the sea at Aheloy and watched 16 Slender-billed Gull, 2 Red-necked Grebe, and close Black-throated Divers as well as our first 2 Pygmy Cormorant of the trip. The saltpans at Atanssonovo and the reed fringed lake of Vaya (Burgas) gave us 2000 Pygmy Cormorant, 3 White Pelican, 335 Dalmatian Pelican, Sandwich Tern, 2 Great White Egret, 1 Little Egret, 1000 Shelduck, 4000 Pochard, 16 Avocet and 300 Yellow-legged Gull (seen daily but our best day yet for this species). We also popped in to have a look at the city Peregrine on a large hotel in the centre.

8 February 2007
Our last day of birding began with Cetti's Warblers calling next to the hotel, we drove to Lake Vaya (Burgas) to search for the White-headed Ducks and eventually located 149 in a tight raft but not before watching the pelicans emerging from the mist and the Pygmy Cormorants leaving their roost. Also at least four Smew were found on the lake as well as thousands of Pochard and other wildfowl. A search to see if Ruddy Shelduck had returned to a sand pit nesting site proved succesful with a pair seen and heard well. We also visited Lake Mandra and the Poda BSPB (Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds) reserve which was glorious in the warm sunshine. A pair of Stonechat were also noted today as well as 7 Green Sandpiper at Pomoroa, Bob saw a Spoonbill from the bus at the Poda Reserve but was on a busy stretch of road and hidden in the reeds so we did not stop. We visited Ytata reserve near Varna where plenty of waterbirds could be found but nothing new to add to the trip. This concluded the trip and we flew home from Varna back to Gatwick.

Thanks to all involved for their enthusiasm and great company. Special thanks to Peter Ivanov for being such a knowledgable guide and sharing all with us.
Martin McGill

Anser Birding Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 images

2007-02-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 images part 2 M.J.McGill.

Dalmatian Pelicans at Atanassovo, Bourgas

The Dalmatian Pelicans were great to watch as many were displaying and very active. At least two White Pelican were found among them, see the trip report in future for further images.

Pygmy Cormorant and Coot on the Poda Reserve; we saw thousands of these birds flighting to and from reedbed roost sites and feeding around the vast lakes.

Long-legged Buzzard near Lake Mandra; we saw at least five individuals during the trip. At one point we were watching this species with Rough-legged and Common Buzzard for good measure.

Eagle Owl in it's cave hideout, Cape Kaliakra. This bird took some finding, thanks to a very much under the weather but alert Richard Tyler it was found in good light.

Anser Birding Bulgaria bird images 4-8 February 2007

2007-02-10T11:45:00.000-08:00

First set of images (M.J.McGill) from the Bulgaria 4-8 February 2007 Anser Birding trip.

Crested Lark near Durankulak
Middle Spotted Woodpecker
Slender-billed Gull
Black-throated Diver
Northern Grey Shrike

Anser Birding Mediterranean France trip report; The Camargue, Les Alpilles and La Crau

2007-01-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Les Paradis/Salin de Badon area at dusk.
Camargue skies are always impressive. Can you spot the flock of 7 Common Crane flying into view?

All images by M.J.McGill.

Wallcreeper at Les Baux en Provence

Lesser Flamingo (x 3) with Greater Flamingo flock near Saint Maries del la Mer

Alpine Accentor at Les Baux en Provence

Black-necked Grebe at La Romieu, Camargue. This species is very numerous in the area, thousands winter around the etangs and along the coast.

We travelled to the area to seek out the many speciality birds that occur. The unique habitats offer many species their only home in France. During our visit we were unfortunate to experience bitterly cold and strong northerly winds which had an effect on the birds and our comfort. It was so cold at times we could only bird in sessions and used the car as a hide. The first and last days were mild, warm and sunny, a huge contrast to the 23-25th period. Despite this we had sunny, dry days and the images above show we still had non-stop quality birding. Thanks to Jacky, John, Eve and Graham for their enthusiasm on this trip. We recorded around 115 species as a group during the visit.

22 January 2007 We flew from Bristol airport and arrive ina mild and calm Nice in the afternoon. As soon as we left the plane flocks of Crag Martin were buzzing around the terminal. After sorting the transport we had a look over the mouth of the River Var. A number of species were seen with many of the typical birds one would expect on show. Black Redstart, White Wagtail and Yellow legged Gull were present.

23 January 2007 The day was spent in the marshes as we systematically worked our way around the Camargue National Park. Our first birding stop was to look through the flocks of buntings and sparrows near Villeneuve. 100's of Corn Bunting and Tree Sparrow were a treat to see, a Blackcap was in sub-song next to the car. Around the vast Etang du Vaccares and adjacent marshes we noted Great, Little and Cattle Egrets, dozens of Marsh Harrier, our first flocks of Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes. As ever the views of Greater Flamingo are spectacular here.
At La Capelliere we found our target bird, Penduline Tit feeding on phragmites and heard 2-3 more in the willow carr. We headed off to view Le Grenouillet marsh and soon discovered the first of many Sardinian Warbler and Stonechat and lots of wildfowl. Another viewpoint at Mas Neuf gave us great views of a hunting Merlin but the wind was keeping the regular Long-legged Buzzard on the ground and out of view. A coffee and comfort stop at a rather smoky cafe in Albaron did add a Great Spotted Woodpecker to the list. We drove to vantage points along the western shore of the Etang du Imperiaux where the thousands of Greater Flamingo revealed three smaller and brighter Lesser Flamingo among them. I have seen this species breeding among them on Etang du Fangassier in the past and up to 10 have been noted this winter. Up to 10 Red-breasted Merganser were also fishing/displaying here along with 800+ Avocet. A Wild Boar appeared on the saltmarsh and flushed some of the birds, a pack of hunting dogs were in pursuit with many hunters appearing later. The animal seemed to give them all the slip. Heading along the shore we picked up at least three stunning breeding plumaged Slender-billed Gull with the Black-headed Gulls. The wader flocks consisted of Redshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin and a couple of Little Stint. The Etang du Consecaniere was very rich in birds; 300+ Red-crested Pochard sheltered from the wind, one of which was a leucistic bird. A Spotted Eagle hunted over the tamarisk zones but did not show to all of the group, Marsh Harriers were always on view. The digue wall at Saintes Maries de la Mer allowed more close views of grebes, 5 Sandwich Tern and confiding Crested Lark as well as more flamingo and waders. Another short drive and we were attempting to bird at the Petit Camargue etangs of Scamandre and Charnier. It was too windy for passerines so scoping Charnier was the only option. At least three distant terns fed by picking of the surface, they may have been Whiskered or Common but they were not Sandwich Terns. One of the largest Coypu (established rodents from S America) of the trip was seen along the road. At Quartret a flock of nine Common Crane flew in to feed on the stubbles. We headed for Salon de Badon to see what would fly in to roost and were rewarded with eleven Common Cranes and 30 Greylag.

24 January 2007 We began the day at an extremely cold Eyguieres airfield, viewing was very difficult as the wind was blowing straight into our faces. Flocks of Lapwing and Starling fed but it was clear that no birds would be seen easily if at all in these conditions. The Etang du Entressen area was busy with Yellow-legged and Black-headed Gulls and the nearby rubbish tip and plain of La Crau had up to nine Red Kite together on the wing. A flock of 40 Serin was a nice boost, some very bright males were among them. The plain had Southern Grey Shrike, a Peregine on a kill, 40 Golden Plover and two Little Bustard. The latter were seen well in flight. At Mas Chauvet a Northern Grey Shrike was a good find. The town and castle of Les Baux porvided the scenery and Wallcreeper, Alpine Accentor, Blue-rock Thrush and Black Redstarts plus three flowering Giant Orchid. Nearby at La Caume we had great views of Firecrest and Crested Tit. The day ended back at the airfield but only five Golden Plover and three very hunched and low-lying Little Bustard were noted.

25 January 2007 Back in the marshes of the Camargue we spent a full day exploring and added Kentish Plover, Spotted Eagle (brief views for GCM and MJM), Spotted Redshank, Goshawk, Cirl Bunting Water Rail, Booted Eagle as well as many more commoner birds and views of species already seen.
A return to the roosting area of Salin de Badon at dusk gave us another male Hen Harrier, 7 Common Crane, 300 Greylag and the two Bewick's Swans.

26 January 2007 A final look at La Crau was enjoyable as the wind had dropped and it was not cold. A Green Woodpecker and 5 Rock Buntings made it well worthwile. A twitch was undertaken to attempt to see the second Green Heron for France, we dipped and could not find it as it had moved to a different area of Berre l' Etang. Red-necked Grebe, dozens of Black-necked Grebes, Common Sandpiper, Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were all enjoyed in the sun but it was time to go. Great views of Firecrest and Crested Tit in the service area on Autoroute du Soleil rounded up the trip. The sun was warm and the wetaher mild as we left France, what a shame about the cold blip!

M.J.McGill

Anser Birding trip Islay- Inner Hebrides 4-9 December 2006 (addtional report)

2006-12-16T01:57:00.000-08:00

Islay part 2; all images by John Martin

I was unlucky to miss out on taking pictures of the two Richardson's Canada Geese due to poor light and aircraft disturbance but John Martin who was on the island at the same time did get some images and is kindly allowing me to put them on the site, thanks John. I have made no changes to them. The top two are of the Bowmore/Gartbreck Richardson's Canada Goose Branta canadensis hutchinsii and the bottom one is of the Gruinart flats parvipes/taverneri.

Anser Birding Islay- Inner Hebrides 4-9 December 2006 trip report.

2006-12-13T12:24:00.000-08:00

Anser Birding Islay-Inner Hebrides 4-9 December 2006 trip report

Summary; Eight of us travelled from Gloucestershire on the 4th stopping off overnight at Carlisle Travelodge to break up the journey. The weather was horrendous driving up with heavy rain and strong winds but we arrived at Kennacraig Ferry terminal at 1200pm having had a relaxed if somewhat damp run up from England. The crossing was fine with no problems caused by the recent gales but seabirds were much in evidence. We stayed in Bowmore on shore of Loch Indaal for four nights with the main focus being the major goose flocks that winter here. We never had to go far to see and hear thousands of geese. A total of 104 species of bird were recorded from the ferry crossings and on the island with one special species included on the journey home. The geese were fabulous and as always harboured vagrant Canada Geese. To help to understand these birds better have a look at the link below and study the very helpful images.www.oceanwanderers.com/CAGO.Subspecies.html I did my best to try a few Islay Malt whiskies with Bob Radford if only to keep him company, the 1968 Bunnahabain (£10.50 a dram) was an experience but I enjoyed the 17 yr old Bowmore and Bruichladdich malts very much indeed. We managed to see 6 of the 8 distilleries.

5 December 2006 The journey out of West Loch Tarbert produced many Eider, 7 Black Guillemot, 9 Guillemot, 30 Razorbill, 1 Leach's Petrel (MJM only) 6 Kittiwake, 11 Great Northern Diver, 5 Red-throated Diver, 2 Slavonian Grebe and a male Hen Harrier on Jura as the boat pulled into port. We enjoyed our first views of Greenland White-fronted and Barnacle Geese as we drove across the island to Bowmore. Rafts of Scaup were also visible on Loch Indaal but the light was fading and we headed off to check in.

6 December 2006 A female Merlin was along the shore of Loch Indaal which is where we began the day. At least 20 Light-bellied Brent, 5000 Barnacle Geese, 2 Pink-footed Geese, 3 male and a female Long-tailed Duck, 20 Red-breasted Mergansers, common waders that included 2 Bar-tailed Godwit and 4 Knot, a Great Northern Diver, male Common Scoter, 3 Slavonian Grebe, 5 Rock Pipit and 700 Greater Scaup could be seen from a short strectch of shoreline. The sun was shining and the birding was excellent, a great way to begin a full day of birding. We carefully drove around the bay and lanes to Loch Gruinart enjoying outrageously close up views of the two common goose species along the way.

On RSPB Gruinart flats we discovered our first Canada Goose species, we reviewed the features carefully, it was larger than the accompanying Barnacle Geese and we thought it to be a Lesser Canada. This was confirmed by the RSPB sightings noticeboard in the visitor centre afterwards. On returning home I studied the bird further as I thought it to be dark and it showed a dark line on the underside of the chin in the field which divided the white chinstrap. This would be more indicative of Taverner's Canada but the two intergrade anyway. The staff there have had all winter to study it and would have seen it many times over but I found it all very interesting.

Lesser/Taverner's Canada Goose ? Branta canadensis parvipes/taverneri Images by M.J.McGill

We also logged 2 Chiffchaff, Chough, Reed Bunting, Grey Wagtail and 30+ Rock Dove as well as more common waders and wildfowl around Gruinart Bay. Roe and Red Deer were also seen. A sunny lunch stop with coffee outdoors at Bruichladdich produced a few surfing Light-bellied Brent (they turned into the waves to ride them), 5 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Ringed Plover, a Redshank, 1 Red-throated Diver, a Great Northern Diver and 15 Common Scoter. A Common Seal was also playing with kelp in the bay. Off Port Charlotte 4 Great Northern Diver and 100 Common Scoter were the highlights with a further small gathering of 1000 Barnacle Geese with 2 Light-bellied Brent in the fields.

Back at Loch Gruinart we added more common species of birds like Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare, Little Grebe, 20 Golden Plover and Moorhen. A further search of the Barnacle Goose flocks revealed the wintering Richardson's Canada Goose from the Ardnave road. This small, neat creature was a real bonus and showed well to all before taking flight when a light aircraft flew over. The sound of so many geese taking flight is very memorable, it was great to look for this bird among the Barnies reminding me of searching for Lesser White-fronted Geese among the European White-fronts at WWT Slimbridge.

7 December 2006 At dawn we headed to the rubbish tip at Gartbreck and discovered a hunting Barn Owl along the way. This bird performed well whilst looking for it's last meal of the night. As the light levels increased a couple of first-winter Iceland Gulls were seen on the tip. While everyone was watching the gulls I was drawn back to the geese where a search of another huge flock of Barnacle Geese and Greenland White-fronted Geese gave me another Richardson's Canada. After studying it's markings it was generally agreed that it was a different bird to the Gruinart bird. What another great start to the day.

At Bowmore Pier we watched both types of Guillemot, Shag, Red-throated and Great Northern Diver, a Common Scoter, Slavonian Grebe, Red-breated Mergansers, Eiders and a close female Long-tailed Duck. Hot soup and coffee at the local cafe was most welcome after this particular session. A drive to Port Ellen and resulting seaseach gave us our closest views of Red-throated Diver yet plus a couple of Razorbill and another Great Northern Diver. We checked Loch Kinnabus for diving duck but only 6 Tufted Duck were present, however the Greenland White-fronted Goose flock here was very memorable due to the scenery and a male Merlin sat atop a post for us to study at leisure. A check of Loch Skerrols was unproductive except for more wonderful geese. Whilst scoping geese along the lanes a Landover pulled up with two young ladies who told us of a recent White-tailed Eagle sighting at Ardnave/ Killinallan, we headed straight to the latter site but the weather was so bad we gave up. We spent the rest of the afternoon at Gruinart until dark birding from the hide.

Loch Indaal and the Bowmore distillery with Barnacle Geese roosting in the foreground. M.J.McGill

8 December 2006 We retuned to Killinallan to search for the reported White-tailed Eagle. A flock of 130 Twite, 3 Chough, 3 Buzzard, 50 Rock Dove and a female Hen Harrier were all seen well but a distant eagle was more likely to be a Golden. A party of 10 Sanderling fed on the beach. We had coffee at Loch Gruinart RSPB and searched unsucessfully from the hide for Otter and Green-winged Teal for 30 minutes whilst Graham collected some shots of geese. Thanks to all of the group for their co-operation in his short photo expedition which made him so happy. A few saw a male Hen Harrier from this spot. Back to Bruichladdich for lunch where 31 Purple Sandpiper were now feeding but a power cut meant no coffee. Cheese from the Isle of Mull with Arran oatcakes were a pleasant distraction but we still managed to keep on birding. A drive along the edge of Loch Gorm was led by a male Hen Harrier and a flock of c35 Whooper Swans and duck fed in shallows. Bob saw a Golden Eagle as we drove up the hill. A hunting Merlin chased a Skylark over Kilchoman Church but a Jackdaw intervened and the show ended. Continuing around the loch another Merlin and a female Hen Harrier hunted, thousands more geese fed and flew over. We drove out to Ardnave Point and counted over 20 Chough, 150 Twite and a flock of Pied Wagtails. Only six Tufted Duck were present on Ardnave Loch. John Martin who was also on the island phoned with news of the Richardson's Canada in the fields where we saw the first individual.

9 December 2006 We arrived at the ferry in blustery conditions and had great views of Red-throated Diver, Black Guillemot and Rock Pipit from the boat. A quiet start to the crossing changed into non-stop action on entering West Loch Tarbert. 41 Great-Northern, 7 Black-throated and 22 Red-throated Diver, 3 Slavonian Grebe, Red-breasted Mergansers, Eiders, 1 Gannet, Kittiwakes, the three auk species and a few other commoner species.

We detoured via Callander on the way home and saw the magnificent male Barrow's Goldeneye in the company of 5 Common Goldeneye on the flooded river Eas Gobhain. They were all swimming strongly against the torrent and coped easily whilst feeding underwater.

Islay rainbow over Killinallan, we saw many each day sometimes doubles and always very vivid. A great trip with so many memorable images, if you have not guessed so far I like geese.

An additional report will be added to the trip report page to supplement this one and complete the Canada Goose story as of 16/12/06.

Anser birding trip to Lancashire 2 to 4 November 2006

2006-11-18T07:41:00.000-08:00

Pink-footed Geese near Pilling, Lancashire 3 November 2006 M.J.McGill
Ruff at WWT Martin Mere 2 November 2006 M.J.McGill
Male Snow Bunting at Fluke Hall/Pilling 3 November 2006 M.J.McGill
Glossy Ibis at Fluke Hall, Pilling 3 November 2006 M.J.McGill

Anser birding trip to Lancashire 2-4 November 2006

2 November 2006
Six of us travelled to the north-west in glorious weather to view some of the best reserves in the area. On the way up we stopped off at a service area then headed to Sandbach Flashes where a male American Wigeon had been seen a couple of days before. We searched the Eurasian Wigeon flock but it was not present. A few hundred wildfowl and a flock of Lapwing were also feeding or roosting in the sunshine and a group of c10 Ruff fed among them. A party of Tree Sparrows was a welcome sight. This broke the journey up nicely before we headed off to WWT Martin Mere.

At Martin Mere we arrived with fresh news of the Glossy Ibis that had been touring the county for a few weeks being present on the mere. As we entered the hide it became apparent that it had gone. Thousands of wildfowl and waders could be seen with about 60 outrageously tame Ruff feeding just feet in front of the hide. The Whooper Swan flock was feeding and roosting on the mere along with flocks of Pink-footed Geese and every duck species you would expect, a single Ruddy Duck bobbed around among this busy scene. On the various feeders we saw many Tree Sparrows. After lunch we visited the Ron Barker hide where we logged at least 3 different Marsh Harriers and a female Merlin which initially had a kill. Near to the hide a pair of Stonechat busily fed among the weeds and the marshes from here held more wildfowl and waders. A Kingfisher flashed over the hide as we left. To end the day we returned to the mere where more views of the many birds were enjoyed along with a Peregrine and the harriers.

3 November 2006
After picking everyone up we got onto the motorway and drove up to the northern coastal parts of Lancashire. In a flooded field at Fluke Hall near Pilling we were treated to 200 Whooper Swans, 2 Bewick’s Swans, the Glossy Ibis and a variety of duck. A Little Egret was seen in flight with Grey Wagtail, Siskin and flocks of Tree Sparrows also logged.

At a nearby car park a male Snow Bunting proved to be extremely confiding despite being flushed by birders and dog walkers. We had tea at a café and viewed the slipway at Knott End on Sea. A male Eider was sleeping with Turnstone, Redshank and a number of waders fed on the mudflats. We decided to leave these until the next day to get better views.

A drive around the fields at Pilling soon rewarded us with great views of c 700 Pink-footed Geese in the maize. A Barnacle Goose was also found as was a Barnacle x Pinkfoot hybrid. We called in at Lane Ends but it was not very fruitful, only the distant Little Egrets were noted in the tidal creeks. A short drive to Leighton Moss RSPB and after soup and sandwiches we walked through the wood to the public hide. Nuthatch, Marsh Tit and Bullfinch were all notable as we passed the feeders. At the public hide a flock of Pochard that was scanned by MJM held a female Ferruginous Duck. It was mainly sleeping at the far end of the mere among the other diving duck. Other birders in the hide said it was an escape with a ring so it was played down and basically ignored. On arriving home the next day I found that the escaped bird was a male, indeed it was ringed and very tame but was actually present on Hodbarrow RSPB in Cumbria. The female Ferruginous was reported on the 5th from Leighton Moss, the day after we had seen it! As of 24 November this bird has been seen at Pine Lake and is thought to be a possible hybrid (Ferruginous x Pochard) several examples of which have occured in Gloucestershire in recent years.

A Snipe slept on the edges of the pool and Gadwall were fairly numerous on the mere. We left the hide to watch the gritting tables for Bearded Tits. Two were calling regularly from the reeds and gave very brief views or flight views. They were reluctant to come out as one or two folk were a bit noisy. A further two were seen flying over us and dropped out of sight. After the evening meal we attended a great talk by Graham Clarkson RSPB on the wildlife of Marshside.

4 November 2006
We began the day with a quick search of the lanes near to Martin Mere and the groups accommodation, we were rewarded with 13 Corn Bunting and a covey of Grey Partridge. The tide was due to come in so we headed off to Marshside RSPB to catch up with roosting waders. We parked up and walked out to the edge of the estuary where thousands of roosting waders could be seen along with huge numbers of Wigeon and Shelduck. The few perches available on the vast saltmarsh held up to three Merlin which dashed around us after the many Meadow Pipits and Skylarks. Flocks of waders flew past to join the roost. A distant raptor enticed us to get closer and turned out to be a female Hen Harrier. A visit to some of the hides at Marshside rewarded us with thousands of Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin and a few other waders along with massive flocks of Teal and Wigeon, Pintail were also present in good numbers. A female Goldeneye that was seen in flight earlier was also bobbing around in this busy scene.

Another stop for a hot drink and a snack (hefty Lancashire style) in a stylish Southport coffee shop followed before we headed out onto the Southport pier. The views of feeding waders as the mudflats became exposed were excellent. Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Redshank, Knot and Oystercatcher were all benefiting from this very important habitat. A quick stop at the main hide where many Black-tailed Godwit were feeding preceded the group becoming the first official visitors to the RSPB’s latest purchase, Hesketh out Marsh, there are big plans and a big future for this development. On our visit we noted a flock of 2500 Pink-footed Geese, Marsh Harrier and c50 Whooper Swan but we were fortunate enough to relocate a Rough-legged Buzzard that had been found less than an hour before. This concluded the birding for the weekend and we returned to Gloucestershire in good time. Thanks to Graham Clarkson for sharing his local patch and wonderful knowledge of the wildlife of the area (and for putting me up) and to Neil Smart for sharing his knowledge/scope. Special thanks go to Bettie, Wendy, Pam and Kate for coming along on this trip and for enjoying their birding so much, great to see.

PS I am slightly envious of the large flocks of Pink-footed Geese that can be seen and heard from Graham’s back bedroom/living room/kitchen etc! I hope we may be able to repeat this trip in 2007.

Martin J McGill

Welcome

2006-11-18T02:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new Anser Brirding: Trip Reports diary.

Soon we'll be posting details and photos of the holidays and trips we have taken.

Please check back soon