randombirder

I'd never heard of it until it was mentioned to me that there were ring ouzel here so headed over first thing to find at least two males along the escarpment of this fine meadow on the 1st.  Almost as notable were at least 60 fieldfare within the same field, my first record of this species in the month of may. I headed back on the evening of the 2nd after location details of a nightingale  were provided for an individual that had been frequenting the area for the past few years.  After a short wait, this enigmatic species started to fire up, not in full glory but the wheezing and abrupt exaltations were enough to satisfy the senses - a brief flight view was a bonus.  A hobby was also present here sitting vigilantly on a dead tree.  A brilliant site on the periphery of the RSPB reserve at Sandy with a lot of quality.

This has now become annual.  Visits to Poland are always rewarding, the countryside that in the most-part remains wild, with pine and deciduous forests that spread far and wide.  There is so much wildlife here. The destination was the small village of Marózek, around 20km from the nearest town of Olstynek.  It is a lovely place, set within a pine forest on one side and a freshwater lake on the other. The forest was alive with birds.  Fieldfare were in display mode, a common bird here.   A total of three Goshawk were seen on this trip, this one cruised high over the woodland.  The sighting in the Ilawa Forest about an hour away was spectacular - a rampant male that burst through the trees in pursuit of a Red Squirrel . These House Martin were nesting around the village.  Small groups collected mud around the puddles formed after the heavy rains on Saturday.  Swallow and Swift were also present here. ...