April 30, 2008
Camargue, Crau and Narbonne whistle-stop tour
Following a productive morning at the Etang de Scamandre, I went looking around the flooded rice fields in the Camargue. Many were devoid of birds, but those with the right water levels were teeming with gulls terns and waders (mostly Wood Sandpipers, chevalier sylvain). Mediterranean Gulls (Mouette melanocephale) were abundant and noisy.
Among them were a couple of Gull-billed Terns (Sterne hansel) - the answer to the recent 'quiz tern' entry.
Whiskered Terns (Guifette moustac) performed aerial acrobatics.
In the mid-afternoon heat a search for Spectacled Warbler at the Salin de Giraud was unsurprisingly fruitless, but I did come across about 40 Little Stints (Becasseau minute) feeding with the Kentish Plovers (Gravelot a collier interrompu).
A drive to Mas Chauvet (the wintering site for Richard's Pipits) yielded flight views of a Little Bustard (Outarde canepetiere), though the now howling wind made it impossible to hear my target Calandra Lark. 5 Wheatears (Traquet motteux) were sitting close together in the adjacent rocky plaine.
Last stop of the day was the Peau de Meau reserve, where a couple of Southern Grey Shrikes (Pie grieche meriodionale) were perched prominently.
Believe it or not, the big orange 'rock' in the centre of this photo is a male Lesser Kestrel (Faucon crecerellette).
The next morning was spent birding around Gruissan, unfortunately still in howling wind. In a sheltered spot on the hillside I got excellent views of a Tawny Pipit (Pipit rousseline).
Greater Flamingo (Flamant rose) flock with the impressive Narbonne cathedral in the background.
Pissevaches was pretty quiet save for oodles of Yellow Wagtails (Bergeronnette printaniere), a large flock of Sandwich Terns (Sterne caugek), 2 Little Terns(Sterne naine) and 5 Slender-billed Gulls (Goeland railleur).
An attempt to scan the beach for Audouin's Gull was aborted when I realised it was a nudist beach (shudder).
En route to Carcassonne airport, the viewpoint over the old citadel yielded a confiding White Wagtail (Bergeronnette grise).
Carcassonne from land...
... and from the air.
April 29, 2008
Herons galore at the Etang de Scamandre
Last weekend I paid my first visit to the Centre de Scamandre, an excellent (and free to enter) nature reserve at the south end of the Etang de Scamandre. It has recently come into the spotlight for hosting a growing breeding colony of Glossy Ibis (Ibis falcinelle), formerly a scarce nonbreeding visitor to the Mediterranean coast. The buildings aroung the visitor centre have breeding Tree Sparrows (Moineau friquet), and I was entertained by a pair of Hoopoe (Huppe fasciee) chasing each other around the rooftops.
Several dragonflies of the Gomphus persuasion were out and about, but I didn't have my field guide with me and am not sure the angle of this photo allows the ID to be clinched.
A Purple Heron (Heron pourpre) glowed in the bright sunlight as it flew past.
Halfway around the trail I began to hear the chatter of a heronry, which from the footpath appeared to be dominated by Cattle Egrets (Heron gardeboeufs)...
... with smaller numbers of Little Egret (Aigrette garzette).
The viewing platform nearby was a good vantage point for watching birds commuting to the colony, and I soon glimpsed the first of several Glossy Ibis...
... a single Night Heron (Bihoreau gris)...
... and a Brucie bonus flyover Caspian Tern (Sterne caspienne).
On the road running north to Gallician, I added Great White Egret (Grande Aigrette), Squacco Heron (Crabier chevelu) and a booming Bittern (Butor etoile) to the heron list. Lots of Grey Herons (Heron cendre) were feeding at the edge of the road. I surprised this bird as it was trying to digest an eel.
It flew to a safe distance, only for a second bird to fly in and attempt to steal its catch.
April 28, 2008
Disobedient ducklings
This law-breaking Mallard family ran the gauntlet of facing the wrath of the porters as they waddled across the grass at King's College Cambridge without permission. No respect, the youth of today...
April 24, 2008
Ladybirds galore in the Brecks (and a few birds too)
Yesterday we had a lab field trip on ladybird identification to the Brecks. In spite of the cold, rainy weather, beating the Scots pines was very productive and by the end of the day we had a logged very respectable 13 of the 26 large, conspicuous ladybird species found in the UK, plus these tiny Scymnus, one of the 20 smaller coccinellids.
One of the first ladybirds to fall from the trees was our largest species, the Eyed.
Here it is dwarfing an Orange and a Cream-streaked.
The Cream-streaked comes in two morphs, a 16-spotted form and one with 4 side-spots.
Face-to-face with an Orange ladybird
Pine ladybird was the most numerous catch of the day.
I almost missed this melanic form of the 10-spot hiding in their midst.
The Striped ladybird is interesting for having warning coloration to deter predators against most backgrounds...
... while being extremely cryptic in others (the lower 'bud' is, in fact, a Striped).
Here's the exotic Harlequin doing a less good job of blending in.
Among the less regularly seen species were this Larch ladybird...
... and the treetop-dwelling 18-spot.
Of course, I managed to squeeze in a little Breckland birding. A few Woodlark were singing in the stratosphere, but fortunately the Tree Pipits were more obliging.
Here's one performing its amazing parachuting display-flight.
A couple of Stone Curlews were lurking in a sheep-field - always a fun species to see.
Back at the field station, the weather had brightened up, and love was in the air for these mildew-feeding 22-spots and 2-spots.
The ladybird line-up was completed with one each of 7-spot and 14-spot.
13 down, 13 more species to go!
Cambridge miscellany
I was delighted to spend much of my 30th birthday with Davis birding buddy Marcel and his fiance Elham on the tourist trail in Cambridge (King's Chapel, cream tea at Fitzbillies). During our pub lunch sitting on the terrace by the river, we were entertained by this smart Grey Wagtail.
My bike ride to work takes me alongside some fields and past some small reeded ponds, which from time to time are frequented by this Kingfisher.
A black squirrel is often foraging by the bike path through the astronomy lab.
The university farm provides an opportunity to see some arable birds close to the city centre, such as Red-legged Partridge and Kestrel.
The meadow next to the Genetics field station is excellent for cowslips.
Among the many insects feeding on the weeds around the field station were these smart irridescent flea beetles.
In an attempt to get Ring Ouzel on my county list, I tried the Devil's Dyke, a frequent stopover site. No joy with this species, but 150+ Fieldfare were hanging on.
The ancient hedgerows make it attractive to Yellowhammers...
... and it was great to hear a couple of Corn Buntings giving their jangling territorial song.
At least 10 singing Willow Warblers were present, as well as my first of the year Lesser Whitethroats.
Heading out to the Cam Washes at Upware, I came across a pair of Egyptian Geese.
The washes themselves were holding a good variety of ducks (still no Garganey), while waders included 4 Avocet and 2 Oystercatchers.
Almost birding in the south of France
I must be getting old. I went sightseeing with some non-birding friends in Aigues Mortes and Arles, passing along the edge of the Camargue in peak migration season, and I didn't even take my binoculars! Nonetheless I noted Black, Whiskered and a single Gull-billed Tern (Guifettes noire et moustac, Sterne hansel), Wood Sandpipers (Chevalier sylvain) and heaps of other shorebirds in the flooded ricefields next to the road. Many hirundines and Common Swifts (Martinet noir) were hawking over the Rhone in Arles, under the watchful eye of a Hobby (Faucon hobereau).
A stroll up the Pic St Loup yielded quality rather than quantity bird-wise, the highlight of which was this hunting Short-toed Eagle (Circaete Jean-le-Blanc).
Local breeders were in full song, including Redstart (Rougequeue a front blanc), Nightingale (Rossignol philomele), Firecrest (Roitelet a triple bandeau), Cirl Bunting (Bruant zizi), Crag Martin (Hirondelle de rochers) and Sardinian Warbler (Fauvette melanocephale). Subalpine Warblers (Fauvette passerinette) were particularly abundant.
This is the first time I've walked up in the springtime, and the wildflowers were fantastic.
A large millipede crossed our path.
Plenty of aerial thrill-seekers were taking advantage of the relatively good weather, and from the top we had eye-level views of gliders and para-gliders.
Biggest suprise of the trip was a group of 6 Little Bustards (Outarde canepetiere) seen as my plane was about to take off from Montpellier airport.
April 16, 2008
Fantastic Fulmars at Hunstanton
On the way back to Cambridge we made a fish and chips stop in Hunstanton. The clifftop here provides awesome views of the nesting Northern Fulmars. I took many hundreds of photos, the top 10 of which are below.
Other clifftop residents showed equally well in flight, including this hunting Kestrel...
... a display-flighting Feral Pigeon
... and Black-headed Gull
Visible migration was in evidence, with Sandwich Terns on the beach, a stream of Meadow Pipits over, plus a few Swallows and Yellow Wags.
North Norfolk wildfowl
Being mid-April, I was suprised to see good numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese still present. One flock gave excellent views in the saltmarsh around Brancaster Bay.
I was surprised to pick out this Pale-bellied Brent Goose among them.
Soon after another 100 or so individuals flew in to join them.
Amazingly, one of the birds that landed closest to me was a Black Brant - the trifecta of Brent Goose subspecies from Siberia, Greenland and North America, all in one flock! Note the darker back and belly compared with the dark-bellied bird in the background.
A few Pink-footed Geese were still hanging on (note a couple of feral Egyptian Geese in the background of the first shot).
The only seaducks of note were a handful of Common Scoter and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers off of Brancaster beach. Most of the regular breeding and wintering ducks were still present. The pools along Lady Anne's Drive at Holkham offer excellent viewing opportunities for the commoner species. A smart drake Shoveler and Shelduck posed for me close to the road.
North Norfolk shorebirds
The saltmarshes, flooded fields and beaches along the north Norfolk coast path are excellent year round for waders. Among the most abundant saltmarsh birds were Redshanks and Curlews.
Turnstones and Oystercatchers allowed close approach as they foraged among the mussels.
Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits were moulting into full breeding plumage - note the difference in bill length between the two species.
None of the Grey Plover I saw had attained the black belly that gives them their American common name.
Even the non-birders were excited to get good scope views of a pair of Avocets.
Out in the fields, many Lapwings were display-flighting and giving their 'Pee-wit' calls.
A weekend on the North Norfolk coast
I just got back from a fantastic weekend in Norfolk, based in Pear Tree Cottage, Brancaster Staithe.
The top-floor bedroom has a fantastic view over the saltmarsh towards Scolt Head Island - scoping the marshes from here produced a variety of marsh birds, the best of which was a Black Brant tucked in among the Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
It was also an excellent vantage point for digiscoping birds landing in the back garden and neighbouring chimney:
Since the majority of the party were non-birders, the bulk of my birding was conducted along the North Norfolk coast path between 630am and 10am - no rest for the wicked! At least I got Brancaster beach more or less to myself.
Shorebirds and wildfowl were obviously the most prolific species present - more on those in a later post. Migration was in full swing, and I recorded the 3 common hirundines plus my first Yellow Wagtails and Sedge Warblers of the year. This White Wagtail was feeding among the golf balls at the Brancaster golf club.
Contrast with this female Pied Wagtail photographed from the cottage, and a male at Holkham.
The resident birds were also limbering up for the breeding season. Reed Buntings and Wrens were singing along most of the length of the coast path (sadly a gorgeous male Bearded Tit was too mobile to capture on film).
The freshly-moulted Meadow Pipits were looking smart.
Watching Marsh Harriers displaying overhead is always a treat.
The world's worst bird book?
While browsing in the gift shop at Holkham, I came across the 'Pocket Spotters' guide to the birds of Britain and Europe. If including the word 'spotters' in the title page didn't set the alarm bells ringing, one of the species pictured certainly should have...
... and to add insult to injury, here's another heinous ID.
April 11, 2008
4 years on...
This blog is 4 years old today - doesn't time fly? I'm afraid I have no stories to share of adventures in far-flung places this time round, but rather a reminder of how encounters with ordinary birds in ordinary surroundings can still be extraordinary. While wandering through the gardens of Peterhouse in central Cambridge, I saw a cock Pheasant foraging in the flower beds right next to the path. I dashed back to grab my camera, by which stage he'd moved onto the lawn with his missus.
In spite of seeing them many thousands of times, I had never noticed that they have spurs on the backs of their legs.
I squatted down on the lawn to get some low-angle shots, and amazingly he started walking towards me, constantly making a low clucking call. I fired off a bunch of photos for as long as my cycling-worn calf muscles could stand, the best of which are below.
Pheasants are one of those introduced species that are widespread enough in all of the countries I've lived in that you just stop looking at them, in spite of their size and the amazing array of colours and patterns on their feathers. And yet, were an immature Siberian Blue Robin (essentially a drab small brown bird) to show up on the Norfolk coast tomorrow, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Birding, it's a funny old game...
April 10, 2008
Cambs bike birding
In an effort to fight off the flab as 30 approaches, I've been trying to get out and about on my bike as much as possible. A couple of weeks ago I cycled up the River Cam to the washes at Upware, stopping in at Milton Country Park. The sunshine was sending the local breeders into a frenzy. This pair of Great Crested Grebes were doing their head-bobbing display.
A male Sparrowhawk glided low overhead.
The sunshine provided nice photo ops for some of the common waterfowl.
This Black Swan was on the Cam just south of the washes - are they breeding yet?
The washes held a few waders (Redshank, Lapwing, Snipe, Oystercatcher) and a good selection of wildfowl, though not the hoped-for Garganey.
My first 7-spot Ladybird of the year was doing little amongst the nettles.
Fly-bys included a calling Redpoll, Mute Swan and the increasingly common Little Egret.
Down in the south of Cambridge, I connected with a few remnant Brambling near Addenbrookes, though none stuck around for photos. In the scrubby field behind Cherry Hinton pits, Robins were singing and Meadow Pipits were display-flighting.
I took my camera along on my regular running route to Grantchester hoping to photograph the singing Yellowhammers, though a noisy tractor put paid to that. I did manage a posing Blackbird and a flyover Kestrel.
Back in the centre of town, I'm frequently hearing male and female Tawny Owls close to Peterhouse, where a Grey Wagtail also appears to be holding territory.
Following yesterday's gorgeous weather, I took my bike out to Long Drove Cottenham. About 200 Fieldfares were still hanging on in a loose flock.
A couple of Lapwing pairs were display-flighting in the fields, and I flushed a Green Sandpiper off of a ditch. Highlight of the ride came at 7pm when this Barn Owl ghosted across the road in front of me.
Pelicans in the snow: a strange day in London
A friend's 30th birthday drew me down to London last weekend, where it was snowing! In central London! In April!
The other big surprise was when the coach I was on was stopped by the police, only for the Olympic torch (carried by Steve Cram, I think), masses of policeman, and even more pro-Tibet protestors, to swarm past.
I spent much of the afternoon in St James's Park: not every birder's cup of tea, but it's always fun to see the ornamental wildfowl up close and personal.
Unlikely bedfellows: Common Eider and Fulvous Whistling Duck.
An unusual view of a Ruddy Duck - I had no idea they stuck their legs out horizontally (like fish fins) to navigate under water.
This early-nesting Coot was hunkered down against the snow showers.
2 flyover Ring-necked Parakeets were my first in St James's Park, as was this drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker.
This Carrion Crow shows the relatively common aberrant white wing flashes.
A Grey Heron and a prime piece of real estate.
Grey Squirrels, a source of endless fascination to the visiting tourists.
Snakeshead fritillaries.
