randombirder

On the 28th July, news broke that a pair of EUROPEAN   BEE-EATER were breeding on the Isle of Wight.  This represented only the sixth attempted breeding record for the UK.  Of these, only two pairs have successfully fledged young with the last being back in 2002 when a pair nested in Durham.  A number of spring sightings had been recorded around coastal areas but despite their gaudy iridescent plumage, they can be notoriously difficult to pick up in flight. Having only seen Bee-Eaters abroad, I was keen to witness a piece of ornithological history here in the UK. The breeding site is on National Trust land that has been heavily potected from the archaic, covert and idiotic threat of potential egg collectors.  To neutralise this risk, the NT in co-operation with the RSPB have established a watchpoint allowing the public to enjoy these enigmatic birds from a safe vantage point. They are doing a great job. The personal challenge was to negotiate an epic journey to the site by

Sunday afternoon, it's another lovely summers day and a convivial lunch at a quiet pub with friends in Islington.  Ignoring culinary sensibilities on such a balmy day, the roast dinner served up hit the spot perfectly as did the chilled white wine that flowed far too freely.  In this hot weather, mild inebriation was setting in. The afternoon passed with inane conversation, the volume of our utterings rising with each alcoholic sip.  We stumbled out of the pub by late afternoon.  A quick glass of wine at a friends house, sat around pondering our next move. The four of us evidently unable to make any sensible decisions.  Half an hour later we were singing kareoke at Lucky Voice on Upper Street, mics in hand, silly oversized wigs obscuring our senses, and our moment to destroy all of our favourite songs. Monday was a grey day. Around ten days have passed since I last visited the patch.  It was a new day, lovely, warm, and I felt good. The reservoirs were beckoning me in and so

A super hot day with plenty of wildlife on offer at Rainham Marshes.  Birding highlights were four Avocet , three Black-Tailed Godwit , a single Whimbrel , two Green Sandpiper , and a Greenshank .  A family of Bearded Tit were active around the Dragonfly Ponds with a couple of individuals seen darting in and out of the reeds. Butterflies were plentiful with a Painted Lady that came to rest along the path towards the Woodland Discovery Zone, and a couple of Holly Blue preferring the shady areas of scrub.   Gatekeeper , Red Admiral , and Peacock , were active around the wildlife garden. Dragonflies whizzed around the pools, Ruddy Darters illuminated the small ponds, Brown Hawkers zipped around the trees towards Woodland, and the Emporer Dragonflies ruled the reedbed. A Grass Snake slincked through the pond by the Purfleet Hide.  Mint Moth Marsh Frog Grass Snake Ruddy Darter Araneae sp. (TBC)

Cycle to Stratford International, train to Faversham, cycle to the Oare Marshes.  Birding without a car is tiring, and not having secured my tripod properly, I was ready to throw the damn thing into a ditch as it relentlessly smashed against my knees as I pedalled like a mad bloke down to the reserve.  Arriving sweaty, blowing like a whale, I made my way up to the foreshore where the adult summer BONAPARTE'S GULL  was indulging on a mudflat buffet, skipping along the swampy foreshore.  A lovely little gull complete with dark hood, white eye ring, an all dark bill, and diagnostically shorter-legged making it appear lower to the deck.  Very dapper.  Finally relaxed and happy to have made the journey tantrums aside. Also there were four Whimbrel on the foreshore, and 93 Avocet , 450+ Black-Tailed Godwit , nine Ruff , Turnstone , Bearded Tit , juvenile Meditteranean Gull , and  Yellow Wagtail all   on the East Scrape. A video of the gull eating spaghetti.

A super stunning day today.  It was warm with unrelenting sunshine and a refreshing sea breeze.  Just perfect.  Birding highlight was the COLLARED PRATINCOLE that finally gave itself up mid-morning flying across the scrape viewed from the East Hide, and then tracked high distantly where it fed voraciously on insects.  After around twenty minutes, the bird returned and inconveniently tucked itself behind one of the far islands.  An hour later, it was back up again and carried out an identical feeding sortie before returning back to the scrape predictably hiding itself once again.  A truly stunning bird with its chestnut underwing prominant against the brilliant light, the white leading edge clearly visible on long pointed wings as it flew erratically close to the hide. Also on the scrape were a number of waders including 21 Dunlin , four Greenshank , three Green Sandpiper , four male Ruff , 50+ Black-Tailed Godwit , 50+ Avocet , five Ringed Plover , two Spotted Redshank , five Redsha

..... and it (I) even made the  BBC News !!!

Natural born twitchers.  This is perhaps one of the birding categories I don't fall into.  I am inclined to get on my high horse about the obsessive nature of twitching, the dark side of birding, listing, ticking, not appreciating what birds are part of.  Recognising the bigger picture.  It's a vice that grips and grips tight. Check pager/phone, panic, few phone calls, drive, walk, anxiety, despair, bird, elation, tick.  It all appears to be a little perverse, but it is horribly addictive, and I am loathed to admit, that I get it. Today not for the first time this year, I was involved in the chase. The morning started early, the usual routine, wake up, grab phone (what have we become?), and a cursory glance at the early morning bird news.  I don't have a pager, as it doesn't serve my passive approach to chasing rare birds, so my birdguides app suits me fine.  Monday morning, three bold red exclamation marks, GREAT KNOT , Breydon Water, nice. Flirting re

A different kind of day today, warm, sunny, humid, lovely.  Birding however was just a little mundane.  A single Kingfisher , half a dozen juvenile Black Headed Gull over, a Kestrel , and Peregrine were about as much as I could find.  A pair of Mute Swan with a single cygnet was new.  Family groups of Blackcap and Common Whitethroat were feeding busily along Coppermill stream. Outside bets for a Wood Sandpiper, a Spotshank maybe, but this is patch birding, and stuff like that never happens.

Dull, oppressive, and dank describes well the guy that oversees the access to the reservoirs at the gatehouse, and the weather today was much similar.  It turned humid later on in the late afternoon for my walk round the southern complex where Sand Martin  once again were feeding in numbers with an increase in House Martin . Each visit is turning up a few oddities.  A leucistic Ring-Necked Parakee t over No.4 failed to add much needed colour to the grey skies whereas the Kingfisher by it's nestsite did at least add technicolour to the monochrome. A Jay appeared out of a tree adjacent to East Warwick where a Lapwing flew over, a bird that I don't connect with very often around these parts. East Warwick also had a notable increase of Coot with 110 counted here.  A family party of Common Whitethroat chased insects along the railway line, and a total of 15 Common Tern were counted over the Wawricks. Family groups included a brood of Little Grebe , and Tufted Duck al

A cool partly cloudy morning with a brisk breeze blowing across the reservoirs.  The were plenty of Sand Martin feeding low over No.4 maybe around 70-80 birds there with good numbers of Common Swift .  A few House Martin were mixed in with them. A Peregrine flew low over No.3 that appeared to have a broken leg but it safely landed onto one of the distant electricity pylons. Three (2 adults and one cub) Red Fox were seen around the complex, one which sat low sheltering from the breeze. A single Common Sandpiper fed along the edge of East Warwick. On returning back towards the gatehouse, a female Red-Crested Pochard was seen roosting near to the large island on No.1.  A welcome patch first.

The lull continues.  Standard patch birding with no surprises.  A warm morning with a few fluffy clouds, just the birding was a bit of a let down.  I can't really complain as these days I am feeling fitter happier, just need everything in its right place.  I do feel sometimes that I've been left high and dry. When that morning bell sounds, there's just one place I want to go to start my day, with flowers still in bloom, and a courteous morning mr magpie before a languid creep round the patch.  Any time spent indoors these days would have me climbing up the walls. Today I was optimistic.  There were greater numbers Sand Martin and House Martin noted, while Common Swifts were still around in good numbers.  A Kingfisher hunted for weird fishes on No.1 and a Peregrine was seen hunting west of the Warwicks before giving a good lesson on how to disappear completely. Feral Canada Goose have been present in large numbers along the banks of East Warwick, where Reed Warbl

A cooler and fresher day compared to the previous three days of warm sunshine.  The clouds were heavy and grey and the threat of showers wasn't too far away. A Cetti's Warbler sang near to the bridge near to the gatehouse and over 200 Common Swift were forced down because of the low cloud base, scudding around No.4. The heavens then opened, and I got an old fashioned soaking. From the island on No.5, three Kingfisher were seen while two Grey Wagtail flew over.  A Lesser Whitethroat rattled from the causeway between No.1 and East Warwick. At least one maybe two Common Sandpiper remained on East Warwick where a single Ring-Necked Parakeet flew over. A family of Little Grebe were on No.3 with newly fledged young where a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.  A juvenile Green Woodpecker fed along the causeway between No.3 and No.5. Sedge Warbler , Reed Warbler , and Blackcap were still in song.

Another warm sunny morning but there was a notable increase in the strength of the wind, an autumnal breeze on a summers day. A Grey Wagtail flew over No.4 and a pair of Kingfisher were active on No.3.  The Common Sandpiper remained on East Warwick, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew into trees there.  A male Sparrowhawk flew over No.2 as did a male Kestrel . A moribund Gatekeeper flapped helplessly along the banks of East Warwick.

Another beautiful sunny morning with a few cirrus clouds hanging furtively against a brilliant blue sky. Much like yesterday, the Common Sandpiper  remained on East Warwick with the rafts of Tufted Duck . A pair of Kingfisher were active at the traditional site on No.5.  Seen initially back in May, it was great to see that nesting has been successful and who knows, they may well be into their third brood.  An adult bird was later seen flying across No.1. A Peregrine was seen soaring high over No.4 and an adult male Sparrowhawk flew low over No.1 carrying prey.

A warm morning with light winds and blue skies.  There were plenty of Banded Demoiselles on the wing with Common Blue and Blue-Tailed Damselflies .  A couple of Brown Hawkers were hunting along the river tributaries. Blue Tailed Damselfly On East Warwick, a Common Sandpiper fed along the shoreline where there was an impressive number of Tufted Duck with around 210 counted. East Warwick