randombirder

The June doldrums is something I hear mentioned from time to time.  I understand this to an extent.  Spring heralds the magic of migration.  Birds completing long journeys from their wintering grounds to set up home in areas that we call home.  The emergence of butterflies and (in)vertebrates, the changing weather, a new dawn, a new spring.  Then in a flash, it all settles down.  Breeding begins, the young fledge, and we wait in anticipation for return passage and the slow ebb toward autumn.  I am so guilty of compartmentalising the offerings of local wildlife.  There is always plenty to see. Today, a visit to the wonderful Rye Meads RSPB reserve revitalised my appreciation of the seasons.  Only half an hour from home by train before I was warmly greeted at the centre by the reception volunteers. Rye Meads Visitor Centre Heading off along the boardwalk, and within a few metres a Large Skipper settled onto a reed with numerou...

....and some more local stuff.  Cycled this morning down to Limehouse Basin and dropped by Hackney Marshes and the Waterworks on my way back.  A beautiful morning with nesting Sand Martin , Common Tern , Grey Wagtail , and a family party of Egyptian Goose noted along the way.   Essex Skipper   Common Blue Damselfly Small Tortoiseshell

A while since I've wandered down to the Waterworks.  A warm afternoon and the search for Butterflies produced Small , Large , and Green-Veined Whites , a stunning Red Admiral - the first I've seen for a while - plenty of Small Tortoiseshell , a few Small Skippers , and a single Ringlet . Male Banded Demoiselle     Red Admiral   Comma   Small Skipper Red Admiral

Armed with a box full of jelly bellies, we made good time in arriving at the vantage point deep within the Ashdown Forest. Inconveniently, The Prof managed to consume the entire box of Eagle fodder not long before reaching our destination. Despite this setback, and after brief flight views at around 9am, the SHORT-TOED SNAKE EAGLE obliged the expectant crowds with several sorties along the escarpment best viewed from the path by Gill's Lap Car Park in the period around midday.  A wonderful bird particularly when viewed hovering with talons extended. The Ashdown Forest is a stunning area providing suitable habitat to a number of heathland species.  Those seen today were at least two singing Woodlark , a couple of Tree Pipit , a single Hobby , Siskin and Redpoll , and plenty of Common Buzzards some of which were seen displaying. A real treat came in the form of a Nightjar .  Not the best views, but I did my best. Clip of the Eagle. ...

My credit card lies flat on the table.  Two symmetrically charred holes like piercing eyes, melted by the cost of an owling trip to Finland stare apologetically back at me.  It was not cheap, but it was something very special. Booked back in January, a relatively cheap flight from Gatwick routed via Helsinki arriving into Oulu in the evening.  The weather had been hot and humid that day, not something I had expected for Oulu, but dark storm clouds over the city looked threatening.  Deciding not to hire a car, I took a cab costing a wallet busting €50 to the  Liminganlahti Wetland Centre  where I had booked a four night stay. At the Centre, a 600m boardwalk leads to a wooden tower that overlooks a lagoon covering a large area of shallow water with good areas of exposed mud.  The area isn't tidal as such but water levels are determined by the direction of the wind. An initial scan across the bay produced a good selection of waders and wildfow...

Well thanks to the rally driving champion of the UK, to whom we will refer to as The Prof , I was provided with an opportunity to head out of the local area to go birding. Not only that, it was to the wonderful county of Norfolk, excellent, as I hadn't visited there since last July (not ideal for a listing birdwatcher!).  As coincidence would have it, there was a UK mega somewhere along the north coast. The mega SPECTACLED WARBLER was picked up singing and showing well atop a bush after a brief search at Burnham Overy.  It was a reasonable walk from the road through the brackish lagoons.  A really fine plumaged male bird.  Happy me.  Sadly I didn't get a photograph, but there's loads on the internet.   It was seen around 400m from this sign  A churring Nightjar from bushes just off the beach was a real surprise.  Also seen at the site were Bearded Tit , Grey Partridge , and Little Tern  from the beach. Onto Titchwell,...

So onto the Biebrza Marshes, covering an expanse of marshland, boggy areas, forests, and big skies.  An abundance of birds can be found here.  Using Goniadz as a base, the first stop was the bridge over the river just north of the village.  Here, there were plenty of marsh terns with striking White-Winged Black Tern  accompanied by a few Black Tern , their summer plumage pristine against the intense sunlight. At this site, Thrush Nightingale sang from the bushes, Yellow Wagtail were common around the marsh, a Marsh Harrier showed well, and a Hobby pursued House Martins near to the bridge. Yellow Wagtail The sandy path to Barwik is a traditional site for lekking Great Snipe, but deciding to leave this for another time, a short walk through the woodland and marsh produced a singing male Pied Flycatcher , Hawfinch , and Middle Spotted Woodpecker .  Over the marsh, a Honey Buzzard appeared out of the woodland and soared out into the open area. ...