There was a Spotted Flycatcher at Kingsgate Park this morning, in between the two ponds. It was still there mid morning when Mark Coller went and photographed it.

Also there was a Canada Goose and 6 new cygnets for the resident Swans.

Fuerteventura Chat

I have been hard pressed for time of late and my blogging has fallen behind. Here are some photos from our April trip to Fuerteventura.

I managed to see most of my targets although I still need Barbary Falcon after here and Tenerife.

We stayed in Costa Calma which is ideally placed for the desert species. I saw both HOUBARA BUSTARD and CREAM COLOURED COURSER with our hotel still in sight (which might have been useful as I nearly lost the car a couple of times)

Houbara Bustard

Cream Coloured Courser

I also saw a party of four BLACK BELLIED SANDGROUSE here but the pictures were so poor that they weren’t worth posting.

SPECTACLED WARBLER were common around the area.

Spectacled Warbler

We took a few drives around the island and ventured up to the highest point where we saw a MONARCH butterfly. The whole place was over run with Barbary Ground Squirrels. This photo was taken when my son “accidently” spilled his crisps

(c) Mark Coller

Mark Coller has kindly let me have some photos from his recent trip to Hampshire. I went to look for this Rose Coloured Starling a few weeks ago on my way back from the Paddyfield Warbler but it had disappeared into a bush and didn’t come out for the hour or so I was there.

Mark had better luck with it being seen down to 10 feet from him.

Below are some shots of the Calshot Spanish Sparrow, which I did see.

(c) Mark Coller

(c) Mark Coller

It’s been too long since I posted on here. Work has been getting in the way. I havent had a lot of time for birding. However I have managed the odd twitch or two over the weekends. Since my last post I have celebrated my 40th birthday, and along with my other presents including a top quality tripod, I was given a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, which I actually ticked on the day.

I have had two further goes at the Pagham PADDYFIELD WARBLER, finally being successful on my third try. I didn’t manage a picture as it wouldn’t stay in one place for long enough so instead I have a photo of a male Reed Bunting, which showed for much longer than the warbler.

On the Yate front I have had a couple of Teal and singing Blackcaps. It can’t be much longer until the first singing Chiffchaff in Kingsgate Park.

Last Sunday while I was in Sussex (for the third time) Mark Coller found two maybe three singing male Yellowhammers on Chipping Sodbury common. This was most annoying as I still need them for a patch tick. I have tried a couple of times since with no luck.

Hopefully soon Chipping Sodbury common will start to turn up Redstarts and Ring Ouzels like last year. If it is half as good as last year it will still be good and hopefully something good will turn up to rival the Woodchat Shrike.

Last Saturday I had a free day so I went to Sussex hoping to see some of the rarities that had been about.

My first stop was Blackdown to look for the Parrot Crossbill. As soon as I pulled up I could see the assembled crowd. I made my way over and as soon as I got there a large flock of Crossbills flew in. Suddenly people were saying they were on it. I frantically tried to find it but couldn’t locate it. Luckily the chap next to me let me look through his scope to see it and eventually I got it in my own. I thought the bird was quite underwhelming compared to the pictures that I initially saw on Surfbirds. It was obviously the bird, it was larger and stockier than the others,bull necked, grey headed and had a larger bill. After a while the flock flew off, not to be seen again that day.

My next decision was whether to go to Pagham for the Paddyfield Warbler or head to Burpham for the Rough Legged Buzzard. The warbler had been elusive for the past few days so I chose the Buzzard. I made my way the The Burgh following the directions given to me via Twitter and parked up the top. There were a couple of local birders here already. I enquired as to where the RLB might be found and they directed me further up the hill. I accidently ventured into as farm yard and was told to “get off my land” in no uncertain terms.

When I got to the top of the hill I scanned and saw some Common Buzzards already up. Another birder was already looking and had briefly seen the RLB. A Red Kite appeared and drifted along the skyline. Suddenly a new Buzzard appeared and as it banked it was obviously white underneath. It had to be the bird, but it had drifted off back down the valley towards where I parked the car. I hastily walked back down and could see the guys I had spoken to were on the bird. I set up next to them and had cracking views for the next 10 minutes. The bird would soar and then hover. The underside was gleaming and I picked out all of the salient identification points at close range. Much better than the Crossbill. At one point I had it in the same field of view as a ringtail Hen Harrier. What an excellent spot for raptor watching.

I decided that as my luck was holding I would try Pagham after all. I got there and was told that the bird had showed briefly earlier, It was by the tyres by a bush, miles away. i didn’t give it long, thinking even if i did see it, the views would have been poor. Walking back to the car I did see 2 Spotted Redshank (above) and some Grey Plover (below)

At last some decent Yate/Chipping Sodbury birds to blog about. The Dipper has reappeared on the River Frome at Chipping Sodbury. It is best viewed from the bridge crossing the river down the bottom of Mill Lane, next to Brook Cottages. Also reported here were 3 Kingfishers,2 Grey Wagtails and a Sparrowhawk.

I popped up there yesterday and photographed the Dipper, not the best photo though.

The Shoveler remains in situ on Kingsgate Pond along with a pair of Gadwall. The Tufted Ducks have relocated to Coopers Lake. Also on Coopers Lake yesterday were 2 drake Teal, the first for a couple of years and only the third time I’ve recorded them on the patch.

Having never seen a Caspian Gull before I took the trip up to Stubbers Green nr Walsall hoping to see one. I spent plenty of time preparing, learning the id features and hoping that I could pick one out.

I got there early in the afternoon and there were plenty of gulls loafing about on the shore and on the lake. It didn’t take long to find an adult Caspian Gull. Everything I wanted to see was there. Long,straight, greenish bill,beady eye,spindly fleshy coloured legs. The gleaming white head made it stand out from a distance. I couldn’t have asked for a more classic example.

After a while the Iceland Gull arrived and I was able to capture both Caspian and Iceland Gull in the same photograph.

(c) Wilf King

(c) Mark Coller

I still haven’t photographed the Kingsgate Park Shoveler. I won’t bother now as Mark Coller and Wilf King have done it for me. Not only that but the photos are a shed load better than I would have got anyway. So the plan for the future is to not photograph anything, winge on the blog and see what I get !!

Mark has also let me have some photos of Black Headed Gulls at the park, including an albino looking bird that might make you double take if you were still half asleep in the morning.

(c) Mark Coller

(c) Mark Coller

(c) Mark Coller

(c) Lin Kendall

There seems to be 3 Kingfishers wintering on the Yate patch at the moment. 2 at Kingsgate Park which are being seen regularly (not by me though) and 1 at Yate Common.

The Yate Common bird sits out on the handrail on the small wooden bridge by the pond. Yate Common regular Lin Kendall supplied me with the above photo of the bird.

Yate birding notched up a level or two this week with 5 Canada Geese on Coopers Lake rather than 1.

I was going to try and post a picture of Kingsgates returning drake Shoveler but it hides whenever I go there with my camera.

Only a week after the Junco it was back to Hampshire again. This time to try and see the Spanish Sparrow.

I left Yate at  6:30 and after a good run down arrived in Calshot at around 8:30. There were plenty of people heading back to their cars so it waa obvious that the bird had been showing.

I parked at the pay and display which was free because it was out of season and made my way back up the road. When I arrived I was told that the bird was in the usual hedge but had flown over the houses into the gardens.

I waited for it to return and at one point I turned around to find myself face to face with a TV camera. I hope that I wasnt on TV somewhere because I would have looked more gormless than usual.

Eventually the bird was relocated in the car park of the village hall which was doubling as the “Spanish Sparrow Cafe” Good views were had as it sat in the hedge chirping away. I’ve read on some forums that the call is distingishable from House Sparrow. I must admit that i struggled to hear a difference. here is a short video of the bird, the call can be heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D3ewrvSAH4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

On the way back up I popped in for a Black Throated Diver at Elling. I saw it but the views weren’t to good as it was quite distant and the sun was in the wrong position. Also here was a Common Sandpiper and 2 Kingfishers.

I am going to try and get out and about around the Yate patch this week and see if I can rustle up anything decent. it has been hard going of late with the best I can muster being a drake Shoveler and some Tufties.