12/04/14 to 20/04/14.Stage 2 In Richmond VA. Bon Air Neighbourhood - a birders garden.

Saturday 12 April to Sunday 20 April
In and around McCaw Drive, Bon Air, Richmond VA


Most of what you read about below was seen from the house, mainly the rear garden or to give it the USA name the yard.  Almost as soon as we arrived the mood changed; the weather was much warmer with temperatures over 30 degrees C at the start and there were more birds to be seen in this suburban location.  Temperatures fell from Monday to Friday but they were still significantly higher than in Boston, MA.

• The state bird of Virginia is the magnificent Cardinal with it's bright red plumage and striking crest and it certainly did not disappoint.  This was by far the most common bird seen here all week - what a treat.

Cardinal
Library picture

• Almost as colourful was the Eastern Bluebird which showed up several times during our stay.  This was perhaps my favourite bird.

Eastern Bluebird
Library picture

• Several birds of prey flew overhead including Turkey Vultures

Turkey Vulture
Library picture

• and Black-headed Vultures.

Black Vulture
Library picture

•  We even had the Red-shouldered Hawk land on the ground at the bottom of the yard as well as give us splendid aerial views.

Red-shouldered Hawk
Library picture

Red-shouldered Hawk
Library picture

• As you can see from the picture below, the American Goldfinch is nothing like it's European counterpart but matches it's great beauty by virtue of it's lovely yellow colouration.

American Goldfinch
Library picture

• Other interesting birds included Purple Finches

Purple Finch
Library picture

•  and the almost identical House Finches

House Finch
Library picture

• the Carolina Chickadee 

Carolina Chickadee
Library picture

• the Brown Thrasher 

Brown Thrasher
Library picture

• the Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse
Library picture

•  and the Prairie Warbler seen on a walk with the kids and the dog on a nearby trail

Prairie Warbler
Library picture

The birds just kept coming and within days I had added 

• a White-throated Sparrow with it's characteristic white throat and distinctive yellow spot in front of the eye

White-throated Sparrow
Library picture

• the Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbird
Library picture




Blue Jay

Blue Jay
Library picture






the Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren
Library picture

•  and the Eastern Towhee  to my list.

Eastern Towhee
Library picture

• Woodpeckers are another of my favourites and I soon saw a female Downy Woodpecker in the nearest tree to the house

Female Downy Woodpecker
Library picture

This is the smallest woodpecker in the USA: it lacks the red spot of it's male counterpart.

Finally I can add the following birds to the list:

• a White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch
Library picture

The colouration is so different from the UK equivalent but it is still readily recognised as a Nuthatch.

 and

• a Gray Catbird seen when we all visited Agecroft Hall, an Elizabethan House, transported from the Manchester area in the 1920's 

Gray Catbird
Library picture

• Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron
Library picture

• One of my most exciting experiences was when I witnessed a flock of Cedar Waxwings fly into the large White Oak trees just to the rear of the house.  

Cedar Waxwing
Library picture

New species added to-date:
Carolina Wren
Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Turkey Vulture
Back Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
White-throated Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Bluebird   (10)
Purple Finch
House Finch
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Chickadee
Brown Thrasher
Downy Woodpecker
Prairie Warbler
American Crow
Blue Heron
Catbird   (20)
Eastern Towhee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Cedar Waxwing



I cannot believe the range of birds one can see in a simple garden setting.  The colour and the singing were a joy to experience.  No wonder I placed a couple of chairs around the garden at strategic points so that I could enjoy a true birding phenomenon.  Adam and Jean - you have a mini nature reserve here!

09/04/14 to 11/04/14 USA Stage 1 Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday 09 April 2014 to Saturday 12 April 2014
Boston MA
USA

We decided to spend a few days in Boston en route to spending time with our family in Richmond Virginia.  The colonial history of this region has always fascinated us so we fulfilled a long-time desire to visit the state capital of Massachussetts. In view of our tight schedule the best I could hope for was a little bird watching as a side event.

Without a car our birding experience was mainly around the harbour and Boston Common.  In all we managed to see a total of 14 birds a low figure but nonetheless one which included some great birds.





The first birds we saw were Starlings and a couple of Herring Gulls.





However it was not too long before we spotted the first of many American Robins we were to see.



American Robin
Library picture

This bird is at least twice as big as it's European counterpart and is a really handsome bird.

The Red-winged Blackbird, a relatively common bird here, was a real treat for us.

Red-winged Blackbird
Library picture



 I have seen these before in Richmond but it still caused a stir with us.






The Dark-eyed Junco put in an appearance to add to our enjoyment.



Dark-eyed Junco
Library picture

The Black-capped Chickadee is so like the Carolina Chickadee.



Black-capped Chickadee
Library picture

Cormorants were different.  We saw the Double-crested Cormorant with their characteristic orange throat patch.



Double-crested Cormorant
Library picture

Last but by no means least was the Common Grackle with it's black and iridescent blue feathers.

Common Grackle
Library picture

Species List for Boston:
Common Grackle
Mallard
Canada Goose
Red-winged Blackbird
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Rock pigeon
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Red-breasted Merganser
European Starling
Dark-eyed Junco



Species count = 14

The half dozen or so American species made this short trip memorable.  The Double-crested Cormorant and the Black-capped Chickadee were new birds to me which was nice.  

Time to move on to the warmer climate of Virginia.  Temperatures here, at the end of their winter, were typically 6-8 degrees C whereas we  are expecting temperatures over 30 degrees C in Richmond.

01/04/14 Baikal Teal and Stone Curlew.

Tuesday 1st April 2014
Cambridgeshire and Norfolk Birding Day Trip

There is so much going on at the Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border that we just had to make a visit.  AK not available so PJ and I set off at 06.00 in perfect weather conditions.

The first stop had be Fen Drayton RSPB site to see the Baikal Teal, a very rare bird worldwide and not one usually seen in the UK.  This was the bird PJ most wanted to see on our recent Holland trip but we missed it by a matter of hours.  No mistakes this time, for there, at about 08.30, was the delightful duck, swimming out in the open some 50m in front of our hide.  The lighting was excellent, with the sun behind us, so we were able to enjoy almost 30 minutes of truly amazing views.  It was close to a group of Wigeon with Tufted Ducks nearby but it remained unfazed by their presence and carried on quietly going about it's business.

Baikal Teal
Library picture

 This Teal, like it's UK compatriot was very colourful but had a more angular shape in places.  It was a "lifer" for both of us and it was PJ's first new bird sighting in the UK for nearly 3 years - no wonder he was excited!


On the way to the hide I heard, then saw, my first Blackcap of the year; it was singing away in a tree just to the right of our path.

Blackcap
Library picture

Spring is really here! 




After watching the other birds on show we were soon on the road again, this time to the Ouse Washes at Pymoor to look for the American Wigeon and several Garganey that were known to be present.  Unfortunately we were unable to find either.  There were hundreds of Wigeon to be seen but despite our best efforts the American version eluded us or was not present at the time.

A little further along the Ouse we were again not able to find the Ring-necked Duck but we did see a pair of Garganey and a superb pair of Cranes, my third sighting this year in three different places!

Next stop was NWT Weeting Heath NR to see two of the three pairs of Stone Curlew that are this venue's speciality.  Again the views were excellent as the birds fed in the fields some 30m and 50m from the hide respectively.  

Stone Curlew
Library picture

This was a first this year for both of us.

Our final stop was at Lyndford Arboretum in Mundford where we hoped to see the elusive 2-Barred Crossbill but this proved not to be the case.



Overall a really good trip with a "lifer" each for PJ and myself, some special birds and a species count of just over 50.

Today's Species List:
Baikal Teal
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit
Blackbird
Buzzard
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Bullfinch
Canada Goose
Carrion Crow   (10)
Cetti's Warbler*
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Collared Dove
Common Crane
Common Pheasant
Coot
Cormorant
Egyptian Goose
Firecrest*   (20)
Gadwall
Garganey
Goldeneye
Great-crested Grebe
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker*
Grey Heron
Kestrel
Lapwing
Little Egret   (30)
Little Gull
Magpie
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Nuthatch*
Oystercatcher
Pied Wagtail
Red-legged Partridge
Redshank   (40)
Reed Bunting
Robin
Siskin
Shaveler
Song Thrush
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Stone Curlew
Teal
Tufted Duck   (50)
Wigeon   
Woodpigeon
probable Caspian Gull

                                                         *heard only




Today's species count is at least 53


Additions to 2014 UK Bird List
Baikal Teal   (184)
Blackcap    (185)
Stone Curlew   (186)

Addition to UK Life List:
Baikal Teal   (221)  out of sequence to correct an error on Excel spreadsheet.

29/03/14 Into Kent to "twitch" Garganey and a Hoopoe

Saturday 29th March 2014
Stodmarsh NR and a visit to Snodland


Stodmarsh NR

There have been many good reports coming out of Kent lately so I decided to make a visit.  Because the Albion were playing at home to Middlesborough this afternoon, it meant an early 7 am start to get to Stodmarsh on the outskirts of Canterbury to look for my first Garganey of the year before heading for Snodland near Rochester to see the "star turn" a visiting Hoopoe.  The Hoopoe would be a new bird for me so the excitement levels were running high.

At the Marsh Hide in Stodmarsh NR there were 6 Garganey and I soon spotted 5 of them, 2 drakes and 3 females/juveniles.  I had a particularly good view of a drake and 2 females swimming out in the open about 75m away.

Drake Garganey
Library picture

Female/juvenile Garganey 
Library picture

Objective 1 achieved with some ease and it wasn't even 10 o'clock yet! 

I also saw Marsh Harriers, a Sparrowhawk, a lovely Jay, Gadwell, Mallards, Mute Swans, Coots,  Lapwings, Chaffinches, Bullfinches, Blackbirds, a Song Thrush as well as many Black-headed Gulls.





Snodland near Rochester

I had a little trouble finding the site at Snodland but eventually I reached it only to hear that I had just missed the Hoopoe.  After waiting for over 45 minutes to see if it returned we were directed by other birders to a field by the edge of a wood a few hundred metres from where we were.  

There just 50 metres away from us was this awesome bird with it's real exotic looks and colour.  

Hoopoe
Library picture

This has to be the most unusual bird I have ever seen in this country and one of the most attractive.  As it fed on the ground little did it realise it had an audience of over 20 watching on gleefully.

I was so taken with this I hardly noticed any other birds, the only one was a lovely Mistle Thrush early on.





I managed to get home to change then get to the Brighton game only to watch as they lost badly.  Never mind - the birding was superb and I had a full and eventful day,


Additions to 2014 UK Bird List:
Garganey   (182)
Hoopoe    (183)

Addition to Life List of Birds:
Hoopoe   (249)

17/03/2014 to 24/03/2014 A Birding Miscellany

17/03/2014 to 24/03/2014   A Birding Miscellany

Monday 18th March 2014
Tenby
South Wales

I made the 550+ mile round trip to South Wales expecting to "twitch" the Great Spotted Cuckoo that had been around for over a week and showing well at Tenby,  South Wales..  I waited until 10.00 to get confirmation that the bird was around  before setting off on the near 5 hour journey.  

When I arrived and joined a group up from Cornwall the cuckoo had not been seen since 13.00 and despite a 3 hour search we were unable to find it again.  I had missed it by a couple f hours but the guys from Cornwall were a mere 5 minutes too late which was a tough call for them.  Since then there have been mixed reports with the bird disappearing for huge chunks of time.

Great Spotted Cuckoo
Library picture

This was a huge disappointment; the Great Spotted Cuckoo is delightful to look at and I was so close.  Never mind - maybe I will get another chance some day!




Tuesday 19th March 2014
My Patch at Churlwood in the Ashdown Forest

After yesterdays marathon to South Wales I decided to stay local and make a long overdue visit to my patch in the Ashdown Forest.  There were no surprises and the highlights included 5 Buzzards, a couple of Long-tailed Tits and a lovely pair of Stonechats.

It was really nice to be back on home ground again - and not getting soaked!


Wednesday 18th March 2014
New Forest
With Alan and Shaun,  East Grinstead RSPB Local Group

Another out of county trip, this time back to the New Forest in Hampshire.  Friends Alan and Shaun wanted to see the Goshawks so I volunteered to drive them.  

I persuaded them to go really early - 06.00 so we could look for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Hawfinches, Bramblings and the Tawny Owl at Mark Ash Wood where Paul and I had fantastic success a couple of weeks ago.  However we saw none of these this time out - what a difference!

We were lucky with Goshawks at Piper's Wait; there were at least 3 displaying and we managed to get at least a dozen good sightings from 10.00 to 12.00.  Thanks goodness the main job was accomplished.

After a nice pub lunch in Nomansland we headed off to Blashford Lakes, a new venue for Shaun and Alan.  We managed to see the Red-crested Pochard, Goldeneye and the Goosanders which went down well.  Unfortunately the Mealy Redpoll had moved on and the activity at the feeders was feeble compared to the vibrancy Paul and I found earlier in the month.

A good trip, seeing the Goshawks, but nothing special as nearly all the added "specials" were not there any more!  Alan and Shaun, however, enjoyed the visit.




Thursday 20th March 2014
Ashdown Forest

There was no sign of the male Hen Harrier at the usual place this evening - I think it may have gone.  I will try again soon.






Friday 21st March 2014
Arlington Reservoir
With Sue, Chris and Anne

In lovely weather, we all strolled around the reservoir.  There were no special birds around but we did manage to see a White Wagtail in the field where the ponies were.


Monday 24th March 2014
Ashdown Forest

After getting some local advice from Alastair in the Ashdown Bird Group I got up early and joined Alan at 07.00 to look for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.  From the off we could hear it drumming but we had to wait until after 09.00 before seeing it.  The views were good, but brief as the bird moved on quickly.  This was the first time Alan had seen this bird in this country, after many years of birding. For me it was my second sighting this year!

I went back on 26th March with Sue and Alan N from our group.  The woodpecker could be heard drumming and came very close to us but we were unable to spot it.




I went to the usual place to look for the Hen Harrier at 16.45 and after 90 minutes it had not turned up adding further to my prediction that it has left the area and moved north. 


I subsequently learned that the Harrier is still around and was seen last on 28th March about 3.30pm which means it has probably been going to roost before I arrived.

16/03/14 Pulborough Brooks NR with the East Grinstead RSPB Group

Sunday 16th March 2014
Pulborough Brooks
East Grinstead RSPB March Outing

Part of a group of 15 members who enjoyed a lovely day out in fabulous spring weather at Pulborough Brooks.

Surprisingly I managed to get a year tick - a Green Sandpiper, albeit after much debate and the final adjudication of one of the reserve's staff.

Green Sandpiper
Library picture

Another pleasing item was the lovely view of the male Bullfinch which was by far the best one of 2014 so far.

Today's species list:
Great Tit
Chaffinch
Kestrel
Blackbird
Robin
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Goldfinch
Red Kite
House Sparrow   (10)
Shelduck
Little Egret
Wigeon
Jackdaw
Greenfinch
Mute Swan
Buzzard
Chiffchaff 
Green Woodpecker
Linnet   (20)
Bullfinch
Carrion Crow
Dunnock
Wren 
Rook
Pintail
Canada Goose
Lapwing
Teal
Shoveler   (30)
Mallard
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Black-headed Gull
Snipe
Avocet
Grey Heron
Green Sandpiper
Magpie
Goldcrest
Blue Tit   (40)
Corn Bunting
Great-sptted Woodpecker
Woodpigeon


Today's species count = 43

13/03/14 to 14/03/14. Northern France with friends

Thursday 13th March to Friday 14th March
France
With Chris W, Andrew K and  Christine H

While Paul took a holiday in Nepal we decided to go on our own over to Northern France for an overnight birdwatching trip.  This meant another 5 am start to get the early train to Calais from Folkestone and a subsequent drive south to the area where the battle of Crecy was fought by Henry II against the French and also taking in the area where the Battle of the Somme took place during World War I.

The weather was warm with no breeze but, unfortunately, this meant a lot of coastal mist for some of our visit.  There were several highlights and these are itemised below:-

At Le Parc du Marquenterre, a nature reserve near Abbeville we saw a spectacular display by over 40 Spoonbills as they flew over the lakes to roost in the nearby trees.  Many others were seen all over the reserve either feeding by the lake or roosting in the tall trees near the visitors centre.  This was the first time I had seen more than a single Spoonbill and the memories will linger long.

Spoonbills in flight
Library picture

 Equally impressive were the White Storks which were in even greater numbers.  Many were nesting in the same high trees and they moved all over the reserve to get food etc.  A particular feature for me was the bill "clapping" between courting couples which reminded me of the wing clapping of the Nightjar.

White Storks in flight
Library picture

White Storks
Library picture

 While walking round the reserve we came across several White Wagtails which added to the ambiance of the situation.

White Wagtail
Library picture

 We were particularly keen to see the 2 Night Herons that were on the reserve and after some difficulty we located them in the low trees around the pond.  They were barely 30 metres away but such was their camouflage that we nearly missed them - despite their huge size!

Night Heron
Library picture

 Our star item was the Crested Tit which we found at the end of our visit in the tall trees by the visitors centre.  This was a "lifer" for me and one I only expected to see in Scotland when Sue and I visit in May of this year. The views were really good and quite prolonged really.

Crested Tit
Library picture

Earlier we had visited the forests near Crecy to look for Black Woodpeckers and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers.  Although we had modest success we were after better views so we resolved to return on Friday for another look; unfortunately we fared even worse.

On Friday, after our unsuccessful visit to the forest, we moved to Bonnelle, just outside Sailly Bray, where the highlight was superb views of the Short-toed Treecreeper.  Sue and I looked for this in the parks of Amsterdam but we never found any so this was a really nice turn of events.  Another "lifer"!

Short-toed Treecreeper
Library picture

Our final treat was the Crested Lark we found in the sand dunes at Stella Plage.  This was a long shot that Andrew wanted to try.  His research had indicated that the bird was there but the dunes extended for miles and we thought our chances were slim.  Not so - within minutes we had our sighting and for over 30 minutes we enjoyed lovely views as the bird moved around.  This was my third "lifer" of the trip so I was particularly happy.

Crested Lark
Library picture

What a trip!  A species count of around 70 including some cracking new birds, 5 species of Butterfly with Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, French Blue??, Peacock and Brimstone and at least 5 Hares at Stella Plage.


Species List:
Nuthatch
Skylark
Avocet
Peregrine
Magpie
Shoveler
Pochard
Meadow Pipit
Chiffchaff
Black Woodpecker   (10)
Middle Woodpecker
Chaffinch
 Robin
Woodpigeon
Buzzard
Blackbird
Great Tit
Carrion Crow
Rook   
Long-tailed Tit   (20)
White Stork
Whooper Swan
Mute Swan
Little Egret
Great Egret
Spoonbill
White Wagtail
Teal
Wigeon   
Mallard   (30)
Starling
Tufted Duck
Pintail
Lapwing
Oystercatcher
Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Crested Tit
Night Heron  
Grey Heron   (40)
Cormorant
Coot
Moorhen
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Shelduck
Black-tailed Godwit
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose. 
Crested Lark   (50)
Greenfinch
Song Thrush
Dunnock
House Sparrow
Stonechat
Wren
Cetti's Warbler   (heard)
Collared Dove
Ringed Plover
Goldcrest   (60)
Goldfinch
Crested Tit
Short-toed Treecreeper
Marsh Harrier
Mediterranean Gull
Corn Bunting
Ruff



Species count = 67



Accommodation inc. breakfast  (£45):
Ibis Budget  Le Treport les Bains
Avenue Pierre et Marie Curie
80350 MERS-LES-  BAINS
France
Tel +33(0)  8 92 68 08 15

Very good - impeccably clean and super breakfast.



Well worth the time and effort and for a total cost of just over £100.00