randombirder

A Sunday mid-morning dash up to North Wales for the Western Reef Heron that was sedately preening on the far side of the channel opposite Caernarfon Castle. Not ideal seeing it in trees but can't complain that this first for Britain was relatively easy to connect with and always nice to be back to the place of many childhood holidays. I didn't spend too long there given the time required to get back but a stop at one of my favourite places near Capel Curig provided good views of male common redstart , pied flycatcher and wood warbler . Swallow Falls just down the road is always worth a visit.

One of my favourite countries.  Egypt - and it was great to visit again as well as see one a good friend in Cairo.  Based in Hurghada, the Bellagio Beach Hotel has a small tidal inlet that supports a number of waterbirds that come and go as the tides ebb and flow.  It was here that the majority of new species were seen which was quite convenient as there weren't many points along this stretch of coast that were easy to access. Slender-billed gull were present constantly here in fluctuating numbers as were great crested tern  a couple of  caspian tern , a single sooty gull on a couple of evenings, and a pallas's gull that popped in for a couple of hours. Two western reef heron (a pale phase and a dark phase) flew into the bay on the first day with the dark phase seen on subsequent days. A couple of striated heron were only seen on the first day at the hotel which was quite fortunate. A fair selection of wader species would feed on the intertidal mud inc...