Is Woody wild?

This well watched Wood Duck on the Glamorgan Canal at Coryton provoked a lot of interest regarding it's origin. Why isn't it wild? It arrived at the same time as the influx of Yankee Laughing Gulls, and disappeared in early spring when other wintering wildfowl were thinning out. Apparently they are this approachable in the States. Anyway, he brightened up winter visits to this reserve.

Divers and Laughing Gull at Porthcawl

With news of divers off Kenfig Sands on Saturday, it seemed a good idea to make a trip down to the coast and see if I could get some better views of the Laughing Gull that is now resident in Porthcawl. Jeff and I met at Kenfig and walked out to Sker. A look along the bay at Kenfig Sands revealed about 5-6 birds that could have been divers, but much too distant to identify. We dcided to have a quick look at Sker Point and Pink Bay just in case some birds were nearer. A flock of Oystercatchers were busy, with a few Curlews and Turnstones. A Peregrine sat on the Ffynnon-wen Rocks. We soon picked out three Red-throated Divers not too far out. After a while at least three more divers flew up channel, but these were too distant to id. As we made our way back to Sker, a Shag appeared close-in and I picked out a Guillemot diving out a sea. Scanning the Kenfig Sands bay this time revealed that the potential divers had gone as the tide ebbed. A lone Great-crested Grebe was all that remained onthe water. We moved on to Porthcawl to find the Laughing Gull. I wanted some better views and maybe a photo or two. It was a UK tick for Jeff. We parked at the harbour, and scanned the flagpoles and beach. Sure enough, within a minute Jeff had picked out a dark blob on Sandy Bay which turned out to be 'our bird'. We got onto the beach and took a few photos before it flew back to the harbour, whereupon it returned to the beach as we arrived back at the harbour. Not too worry though, as we were able to watch it in flight and feeding on the beach for quite some time as the tide went out. A couple of Gwent birders were there too, and mentioned they'd seen upto twenty Red-throated Divers and sixty Golden Plovers at Rest Bay that morning.

Slimbridge pays off

Unable to go on the Club trip, I was keen to get to Slimbridge before the New Year as I new it would hold a few birds not on my year list. Arriving just before 10:00am I had a quick look in the Rushy Pen and ticked off four Bewick's Swans. On to the hides near the Holden Tower and it was clear that there were many birds in for the winter. On to Holden Tower for the geese and who should be standing at the top of the stairs, Tim! Nice surprise. He'd managed to pick out the two Pink-footed Geese but the distance and light were proving difficult to keep tabs on them. A couple of active Peregrines and a mobile Dunlin flock didn't help to keep a focus of the geese. Plenty of White-fronted Geese were on show to help me creep towards 200. A very obliging Little Stint showed well amongst the Dunlin and I was nearly there. We decided that the Zeiss Hide would offer a better view of the Geese. A false alarm on for a pink-foot was soon followed by the real thing as Tim picked out two Pink-footed Geese waddling out of a shallow pool. One very obligingly stick its pink foot out for us. Bird 200 for the year! We made our way back, Tim to his driving lesson and me to the South Pool for some waders. Thsi proved fruitless though as the pool was very deep. Not to worry though ... mission accomplished!

Stuff I missed

Perhaps its a bit early to reflect on the year, but there's a few things I missed and won't see now. I'm not too worried though as I've had a good year, and saw most things I went for, albeit after several attempts in some cases. Here's what I could have seen, in no particular order:

• Whimbrel - along the Gwent and Glamorgan coast on passage, but never managed to get out at the right time
• Puffin - missed the Skomer trip
• Spotted Crake - the Radipole bird hid from us
• Dotterel - we went too early for the Garreg Lwyd birds. They turned up a week after we went
• Ring Ouzel - somehow managed to miss the influx and the stragglers last month
• Wilson's Phalarope - I was stranded on the other side of the Solent
• Bee-eater - perhaps the dip of the year. Missed the Hampton Bishop pair the last open day of the view point. They reappeared later in the day
• Squacco Heron - stuck in work when Tim and Dan went
• Ring-billed Gull - the Cardiff Bay bird was never around when I was there. Could get one later possibly
• Red-necked Grebe - returning from holiday when it showed up in Kenfig
• Black Tern - didn't manage to get out when they were on passage through the area
• White-winged Black Tern - no time available to see the Weston bird
• Whiskered Tern - didn't know it was at CWP, but probably wouldn't have made it anyway
• Wood Sandpiper - none at Slimbridge or Goldcliff when we went after the Bee-eater dip
• Red-backed Shrike - no time to get to the Gower bird
• Grey Partridge - hoped for one on the New Forest trip and haven't searched the Vale
• Chough - haven't been West or searched Southerndown yet
• Little Stint - missed the main wader passage
• Temminck's Stint - ditto
• Baird's Sandpiper - ditto
• Turtle Dove - no chance!
• Tree Pipit - a shocking ommission
• Richard's Pipit - dipped the three at Huntspill on the Upland Sandpiper trip
• Firecrest - missed the birds at Portland and tried Kenfig North pool area without success

I'll draw up a list of highlights at the end of the month.

196 - Laughing Gull

Well, I finally caught up with this bird that's been eluding me for the last few weeks. Fifth time lucky! I didn't need to be in work until 10:00am this morning and with me working on Saturday, it seemed like the only chance I'd get to go for it. I arrived at the harbour in Porthcawl at 7:30am. It was just beginning to get light but it was bloody freezing in the wind. A scan across to Sandy Bay revealed a large flock of gulls at the tide's edge. As I began to walk along the sea wall, Turnstones appeared from every direction as they fed on the fishermen's scraps along the wall and pavement. I've never been so close to them. They're actually a lot smaller than I'd realised. Anyway, on to the gulls for a scan. Most were Black-headed gulls with a solitary Great Black-backed Gull. One of the smaller gulls looked dark and was alone. The light was difficult but I decided to pay this one some more atention. Viewing from the wall down on to the beach I was optimistic that I was on the bird, but it flew off before I could get near enough to confirm it for sure. With time wearing on, and frostbite setting in I decided to deploy plan B. Bread! Thinking of Dan's text, I'd brought half a loaf with me just in case. I walked over to the harbour where some gulls seemed to be active. As I threw some pieces of bread in to the water, I began to attract a few more birds, and sure enough the bird I was after appeared within a minute. Blimey, it stood out a mile! Extremely dark wings. Black primaries and secondaries, brown coverts and a dusky grey mantle. A black or very dark terminal band on the tail really stood out too. Black bill and legs completed the picture. It was a little smaller than I'd expected. Perhaps the same size or slightly bigger than a Black-headed Gull. I placed some bread on the sea wall and managed some nice close views of it fluttering down to feed, though it failed to land all the time I was there. Never mind, the second lifer in a week. Number 196 for the year, Laughing Gull. A very confiding Rock Pipit completed the morning. I thought at first it was a littoralis type, but I think this was the light playing tricks on me. Anyway, its gamy leg revealed why it kept close.

Bunting Bonanza

Jeff, Lilly and I made the trip to Werfa on Sunday morning. After a short walk along the frozen track Lilly flushed a very confiding Snow Bunting. This one looked like a first-winter bird, probably female. It was very confiding and even walked towards us to within about 15 feet. After about 20 minutes watching and photographing the bird we moved on in search of the Lapland Bunting. There was no sign of it after about an hour searching in its previous local. We had great views over Blaengarw and down towards Bridgend at the coast though. As we made our way back up the hill towards the mast we saw four birders in the distance. They too were searching for the bunting to no avail. Then, as we approached, they signalled that they were on the bird, only about 15 feet in front of them. We were soon on it too, and got fantastic views. Jeff took loads of photos. These two birds now take me to 195 for the year.

Hybrid duck, Kenfig 17th November

Whilst waiting for a Bittern to show at Kenfig (which it did eventually), this interesting beast drifted around in front of the hide. The local experts think it's a Pochard x Ferruginous hybrid. It is superficially similar to a Redhead, but I am sure that it is NOT the bird that some of us saw in September, and believe to be the Redhead.

Smew Lisvane Res 13th November

Having seen the Cornish Upland Sandpiper in October, I decided not to join the lads on the journey to Somerset.

I was sitting in front of the PC before 9am, with a hot cup of tea, when a Smew was reported on Birdguides, at Lisvane Reservoir, about 10mins from home. Leaving my tea undrunk, and Gill dozing in bed, I drove straight up there, bumped into Phil Bristow, who had reported the bird, a within a minute I was watching and photographing it.

Drove home to find Gill still dozing and my tea still warm. My kind of birding!

Upland Sandpiper in Somerset

Jeff, Dan, Colin Gittins and me filled Dans' car to twitch the Upland Sandpiper at Kingston Seymour. As we left, Tim sent a message that a red-headed Smew was on Lisvance Reservoir. We arrived at around 9:45am and managed to squeeze the car in not too far from the end of Middle Lane. Many birders were coming and going, and we received the good news that the bird was still present, though not showing quite as well as earlier in the morning. We all managed to pick a place along the line of 'scopes, but getting a good vantage point was difficult. Nevertheless, after a little while we were all on the bird which showed reasonably well at times. Later we headed south for a quick visit to Huntspill to view the reported three Richard's Pipits. What a trek! A number of birders were about but the pipits were not to be seen. We headed home satisfied we got our target bird.

Ogmore

Jeff and I spent a couple of hours on the Ogmore. A quick scan at Watermill gave just the usuall Black-headed Gulls, the odd Pheasant and a distant Little Egret. We moved on to Portobello and walked along the river. A Kingfisher was surpisingly close to the river mouth, but little else was of note. At the estuary, we were soon on to a small party of Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers. There were about a dozen sandpipers on view, and we managed to get in close for terrific views.

Long Tailed Duck, Lamby Way Lake, 6th November

Another lost soul. Typically spent more under water than on it. Wayne and I watched for a while, until young Alec took his dad home!

Laughing Gull, 5th November, Watermill, Ogmore

At last, a decent rarity close to home. One of 20+ Laughers in Britain at the time, blown in by storms. Shame the Franklins Gull near Llandeilo wasn't found earlier......

Prediction - 210 for 2005!

Having reviewed my year list now, I'm more confident of getting over 200. With some luck and time in the field there's about 20 species I should still get this year which will take me to 210 - my best year so far. Species I should get include:

• Red-throated Diver
• Bewick's Swan
• Whooper Swan
• White-fronted Goose
• Pink-footed Goose
• Smew
• Marsh Harrier
• Purple Sandpiper
• Jack Snipe
• Black Redstart
• Willow Tit
• Marsh Tit
• Crossbill

There's a chance of Great Northern Diver and Ring-billed, Glaucous and Iceland gulls, a surprise or two including a few other northern species given the predicted cold winter.

190

A trip to Slimbridge on Saturday brought this year's total to 190, with Red-necked Phalarope showing down to just a few feet in the Robbie Garnett Hide, and a decent flock of Barnacle Geese from the Holden Tower. A short trek around Uskmouth disappointed with no Marsh Harrier, and Sunday was no better, missing out on the Ring Ouzel invasion. I hope to catch up with these next weekend.

Red Necked Phalarope, Slimbridge, 11th October

As we know, Slimbridge is nearly on the way back from Newton Abbott to Cardiff.......

Squacco, Newton Abbott, 11th October

Dan and I twitched this stupidly approachable bird in a town centre park. We thought it had gone, because when we arrived, the only birder present was stood some distance from his scope, hands in pocket. As we got nearer, we realised that the bird was about 30 feet from him (and us!), on the wall around the pond. Dipped on Cirls at Exminster, however........

Portland Weekend

Another good weekend at Portland earlier this month. The highlight was the Arctic Warbler twitch, a lifer for us all. Yellow-browed Warbler at Reap Lane, a Lesser Whitethroat at the Obs along with Bittern, Pectoral Sandpiper and Bearded Tit at Radipole were all year ticks for me. We also enjoyed prolonged views of Water Rail while looking for the Spotted Crake. Natuarlly it showed on the Sunday evening. A juvenile Spoonbill at Lodmoor concluded the weekend.

Isles of Scilly, 6th October

Whilst in Cornwall, a £20 day trip from Penzance to St Marys on the Scillonian brought me 3 "lifers" and 2 year ticks. Spotted Sandpiper (shown), Sora and Blackpoll Warbler all showed well, and Yellow Browed Warbler and Jack Snipe were welcome bonuses! I still had time to pop to a couple of pubs. Sea watching was poor, just a couple of Bonxies and Stormies on a calm day. Gill enjoyed clothes and art shopping in St Ives, so a good day was had by all.

Long Billed Dowitcher, Drift Res, Cornwall. 2nd October

This long stayer was only 20 mins from where Gill and I were staying in Cornwall, so we had to pop along to see it. Lovely, obliging bird. Gill saw it first. I was scanning the far bank, when she pointed out that it was in fact about 30 yards in front of us!

Grey Phalarope at Nantyffyllon 28th Sept

Lovely bird in an unlikely setting, on a small stream in a spoil tip! I timed it well, as it began raining just after I arrived there, and didn't stop all day. Arrived home in Cardiff to discover another one had been found on the River Taff near the City Centre. Typical!

178

I've now reached 178 for the year on my UK list. Recent highlights include Osprey, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Crake. There's a few nice birds not too far away, e.g. Red-necked Phalarope in Carmarthen, Red-backed Shrike down the Gower and Great White Egret in Somerset. I probably won't get to any of these though, so I'm hoping for a successful Portland Trip. I'm hoping for Firecrest, Wryneck and Bearded Tit at least, but with a bit of luck some other passage migrants. I should boost the total with some wildfowl at Slimbridge a little later in the year, and hopefully a Marsh Harrier at Shapwick Heath, a couple of white-winged gulls on the coast and the odd rarity here and there, and I may get to 200 after all.

Little Crake at Slimbridge

I finally managed to make the trip up to Slimbridge for the Little Crake. On approach to the Zeiss/Lathbury hides area I was welcomed by a glum looking chap who said it hadn't been seen for an hour. Well I squeezed myself into a seat on the upper floor of the Zeiss Hide, raised my binoculars and was then delighted to hear the cry of "There it is!" The obliging little bird was making its way from left to right giving decent views while walking through the reeds. By know the hide was humming with birders exclaiming that they could or couldn't see it, and one chap in particular nearly had a break-down because he couldn't get on it. Another lady distracted me by enthusing about the breeding Bitterns at the RSPB reserve and Kenfig! Anyway, I managed to take a handful of record shots, which is my first serious attempt at digiscoping. It was extremely difficult in a full hide with lots of movement, but this one is okay. A little later in the day, I returned to the Lathbury Hide and was rewarded with great views of the bird out in the open. The day was rounded off by two Curlew Sandpipers on the South Lake. So one lifer and a year tick for me today. Now for that Redhead!

Pembroke Dock-Rosslare-Pembroke Dock

Jeff had the great idea of doing an Irish Sea trip, and organized the booking. A late night, or is that early morning, start saw us leave Maesteg at 12:40am, and a smooth journey saw arrive at the Port in easy time for the 02:45am departure. There's even free parking. We found a couple of three seater seats to lie out on in an attempt to get a couple of hours sleep on the outward journey. Jeff managed better than I did, as the constant snoring of another passenger kept me entertained. We made our way up on the top deck about half an hour before getting into Rosslare. That was worth it, as the boat started churning the water up, attracting loads of birds, including adult Mediterranean Gull, adult and immature Kittiwakes, Sandwich and Common Terns. We spent a couple of hours in the ferry terminal, picking up Manx Shearwaters, two Artic Skuas, more terns and a few Razorbills. On leaving at 08:45am, we went straight up on the top deck. It proved to be too windy for 'scopes to be useful, but it didn't matter as the birds were close enough to see easily with binoculars. We got a nice Pomarine Skua, 100s, perhaps 1000s, of Manx Shearwaters, 100s of Gannets, a really nice Great Skua, 3 distant Storm-petrels, Guillemots, Razorbills and flocks of 'Commic' Terns which were just too distant to pin down to either Common or Arctic. To cap it all though, was a Cory's Shearwater, which was a lifer for me. Jeff managed to see a Minke Whale too, but I missed it. We got back to Pembroke Dock at 13:00, so we had a good 4 hours seawatching. The sense of anticipation as you travel is great, as you're watching birds almost constantly, and there's a real sense that something good is coming next. Even if a rarity doesn't come up though its still so good to see so many of these birds in their element. I'm sure we'll go again. The great thing is that it can be organized right at the last minute when you know the birds are around and the conditions will be favourable.

Little Gull in the Bay

A quick dash down to Cardiff Bay on Friday evening was rewarded with nice views of a juvenile Little Gull. Continually flying to and fro' over the water, the striking dark markings on its wings back and head were evident. The bird was not seen from the Wetlands Reserve, but was showing well from Prospect Place.

What I missed!

The last two weeks in August should be a good time to get some nice birds added to my list, right? Wrong! No birds of real note turned up in my first week, that I spent pootling about the house doing a few odd jobs. I did manage to catch up with an Osprey at the Birdfair at Rutland Water though. The second week was spent on the Isle of Wight, and naturally enough this is when the birds appeared. On the very day I left! Tim managed to catch up with a Spotted Crake, a Kentish Plover and a Wryneck, but most cruel of all was a Wilson's Phalarope at Farlington Marshes in Portsmouth. So near, yet so far! And to cap it all a Red-necked Grebe turned up for a day at Kenfig NNR while I was busy driving home. I did manage to brush-up on my tern identification skills however, enjoying great views of both Common and Sandwich Terns fishing along the beach at Shanklin all week.

Slimbridge 10th August

That morning I had been up to the West Midlands to collect my mother for a short visit to sunny Cardiff, and on our way back, we called at Slimbridge to see what passage waders we could find for her year list. There were many Green Sandpipers (as shown), a few Ruff, and a Spotted Redshank. We also called at Goldcliff, where a few Avocets remained, and a Spoonbill, more Green Sandpipers, a couple of Common Sandpipers and Greenshanks were present.

... and now its 170

A gentle walk along the Promenade in Porthcawl with Helen and Alec last night, produced a Gannet labouring down channel and a lone Manx Shearwater. That takes me to 170, way behind Tim's 190!

List smashes the 160 barrier!

Okay, so its hardly record breaking stuff, but at least its moving ... a little. I'm now on the following totals:

• 40 - Work
• 70 - Rhondda Cynon Taf
• 99 - East Glamorgan
• 122 - Glamorgan
• 127 - Wales
• 168 - UK

Recent additions include, Marsh Sandpiper, Cirl Bunting, Black-throated Diver, Sandwich Tern, Arctic Tern, Ruff, Yellow Wagtail. No Bee-eaters!

Dipped

BirdGuides announced the death of the Bee-eater chicks on Saturday, so it was with some pessimism that Jeff, Kevin and I made the trip to Herefordshire on Sunday morning. Sure enough, on arrival we were greeted with the news that the adults had not been seen at all that morning. We hung around with the crowds for a couple of hours, but there was little to brighten up a dull morning, save a juvenile male Redstart, Yellowhammer, a passing Little Egret and a distant Buzzard. Bogbumper had a little more success.

We headed off to Slimbridge in the hope of a Wood Sandpiper and Little Stint. Neither of these were around, but we enjoyed Ruff in a variety of plumage patterns, along with numerous Green Sandpipers, Black-tailed Godwits in various stages of moult, Common Terns with young, Spotted Redshanks and a few other commoner species.

We returned across the Severn, stopping off at a wet Goldcliff in the hope of that elusive Wood Sandpiper. It was quiet here too, and even the Avocets were missing. Plenty of Little Egrets and eclipse Shelducks were around though, along with a small party of Dunlins, a Ruff, a Greenshank and a couple of juvenile Yellow Wagtails.

So this was not the best days birding we've had, but its nice to get out, and we watched some nice birds after all, including a couple of year ticks.

The day concluded however, with news from BirdGuides (once we were home, of course) that the Bee-eaters had returned late afternoon. As I write, they are there once more. A midweek trip to Hereford is on the cards.

BirdGuides Success

Well done to Jeff and Tim for having photos of Collared Pratincole and Bee-eater published on BirdGuides.

Bee-eaters in Herefordshire

Yet another fine bird from Tim. One of the pair breeding in a dark and damp Herefordshire. How many is he on now?

Devon Dash

An early start from home saw me arrive in the hide at Bowling Green Marsh RSPB Reserve at 6:40am. A lone birder was making his way back from the hide and reported that the bird was still present. I set up in an empty hide overlooking the pools and scanned a large flock of Black-tailed Godwits, most in summer plumage. There was no sign of the bird. Two Spoonbills were on show however, which made a nice start to the day. Then I caught sight of a small, slender wader feeding amongst the godwits. Long legs, fine, straight dark bill, contasting pale and darker upperparts, confirmed this as the Marsh Sandpiper. A lifer for me. I watched it for a while and was joined by a chap called Craig, who had driven 3 hours and 40 minutes from Ipswich to catch this bird. A lifer for him too. A Greenshank flew in alongside the Marsh Sandpiper and we could easily contrast the species. Greenshank is about twice the size and a much bulkier bird. Marsh Sandpiper is actually quite elegent. After about an hour of watching the bird it flew off down the river. Craig asked if I knew anywhere reliable for Cirl Bunting. I mentioned I'd seen them at Exminster in winter, so we agreed it was worth a try. On driving up the hill from the reserve we met a local, who confirmed Exminster as a breeding local as well as recommending some other places a little further away. After a short drive we relocated to a field above Exminster village, and was on to a singing male Cirl Bunting instantly by the roadside. We had decent views through the binoculars but the little bugger flew off before we could get the 'scopes up. A look around the field proved fruitless. Craig hung around until 9:30am, but then headed back off on his long journey home. Sods law, as within 5 minutes of him leaving the Cirl Bunting reappeared within 15 feet of me, singing in a fir tree. Awesome views. I moved on to Dawlish Warren, where there had been reports of a diver. Sure enough, I was soon on to a Black-throated Diver just offshore. Further up the channel, a number of terns could be seen in the distance. A scan through the 'scope revealed both Sandwich Tern and Arctic Tern on show. Satisfied with my Devon jaunt, I headed home, but couldn't resist a quick stop at Goldcliff. It was quiet, but there were great views of Avocets, including almost fully grown young, Little Ringed Plover, Redshanks, Little Egrets and a few other species. An excellent trip. Well worth getting up at 4:00am for.

Listing Update

After a slow early summer, I'm now on the following totals:

• 40 - Work
• 70 - Rhondda Cynon Taf
• 98 - East Glamorgan
• 121 - Glamorgan
• 126 - Wales
• 158 - UK

Highlights include, Nightjars, White Storks, Collared Pratincole, European Spoonbill and Ring-necked Duck.

White Storks in Somerset

Dan and I trecked down to the Somerset Levels on Sunday to track down a couple of White Storks that had stayed for a few days. A smooth journey saw us arrive before 9:00am to the site where they were last seen. On the way we had a false alarm as I spotted a distant 'stork' moving around in a field. With Dan's 'scope set up we were treated to the sight of an empty white plastic bag. Fluttering around in the wind to scare crows, no doubt. We next travelled on to the site where they were last seen. No luck. We decided to drive a circuit of the area and hope we could pick them up. On driving south we spotted an area of raised ground with a small chapel on top, Barrow Mump. This looked like a good vantage point to scan the surrounding area. Wise move! After about 15 minutes, Dan spotted a lone bird about a mile away. Life tick for Dan, UK tick for me. After watching the bird we decided to try to get a little closer. Driving to the exact site was difficult but we were rewarded after a little drive back and for of a bird flying in low in a field next to the car. We jumped out and spent 10 minutes or so watching the bird soar close by, shortly followed by the second bird, soaring high in the distance. Great! On the return journey we took a short detour to pick up the Ring-necked Duck in Avonmouth. Another year tick, but what a stink in the Avonmouth Sewage Treatments Works NR.

Mediterranean Gull at National Wetlands Centre

Digiscoped by Jeff. A second summer bird?

Collared Pratincole Digiscoped

Jeff wins the prize for best Collared Pratincole snap.

Spoonbills at National Wetlands Centre

African and European Spoonbills by Jeff. Looks as if the African bird is being left out.

Collared Pratincole at National Wetlands Centre

Jeff and I travelled to Llanelli, early evening on Wednesday 15 June to view the Collared Pratincole. Tim got it the day before, and Dan managed to see it on Thursday after a sprint from Cardiff to get there before closing time. The British Steel had about 7-8 birders inside and we were lucky enough to have Peter and Simon Murray on hand to get us on the bird right away. It was distant but we had decent views in what was a windy and overcast evening. Digiscoping proved difficult in the conditions. Other birds on site, included two European Spoonbills, the presumed escaped African Spoonbill and a Greenshank.

Skomer 12th June 2005

A few photos of a successful visit to Skomer. As Wayne had family commitments, the party consisted of Jeff and his granddaughter Ashleigh; Dan and his young ones, Gwenni and Gethin; and my wife, Gill, and I. Lovely weather, lovely birds, beautiful place. We saw hundreds of Puffins, Kittiwakes, Guillimots, a few Razorbills, a couple of Chough, a Wheatear family and plenty of distant Gannets.

Nightjars .... and Car Trouble

I had an interesting time at Llanwonno last night. The Club had nearly 50 members in attendance for the annual Nightjar evening. Geri started proceedings in pessimistic mood by saying that given the large crowd we may be unlucky. He shouldn't have worried though as well before dark a male started churring very close by and soon came in to view, giving great close-ups in flight and at rest. A second bird was seen in flight too. Great! On the way home however, the car got stuck in reverse gear. Luckily the boys were on hand to shunt me clear of the road. After a short wait of 45 minutes or so, the recovery vehicle was on hand to carry me home. Great service, but I missed the beer.

Flycatchers

Having erected five boxes for Pied Flycatchers ealier this Spring, I've been checking them routinely through May. Despite several visits there is no sign of Pied Flycatchers anywhere in the Glyncornel woods. There is however, at least four singing Wood Warblers and possibly up to four pairs of Spotted Flycatchers with one pair nesting on the house.

New Forest Trip

An early start from Whitchurch saw us arrive at Shatterford at around 8:15am. We were soon onto Curlew, Lapwing, Little Egret and Buzzards after walking a few 100 yards south of the car park. A male Dartford Warbler was located on song and we had quite close views. Meadow Pipits were around too, and we got a distant Hobby. Further down the track we got male and female Dartford Warblers. Back at the car park, two Woodlarks were seen over the trees and were located feeding amongst some settled cows. A male Wheatear was digiscoped. On to Denny Wood, where we located Spotted Flycatcher (x2) and a male and female Redstart. Bolderwood was next for Firecrest, but we dipped. Sixpenny Handley had no Montague's Harrier on show, but we got Red-leggged Partridge, Stock Dove and Corn Bunting. We faired littled better at Martin Down, with only a pair of Yellowhammers, a few Whitethroats with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing. Jeff was lucky enough to see a Turtle Dove. The Stone Curlew scrapes were vacant. We rounded the day off at Avebury, where Tree Sparrow was added to the list, and we had nice views of a Hobby overhead.

Lists ... lists ... lists

Okay, I've finally got hooked. After the exploits of the last two weeks, I've now added my totals up. For 2005, I have lists of:

• 40 - Work
• 66 - Rhondda Cynon Taf
• 94 - East Glamorgan
• 117 - Glamorgan
• 120 - Wales
• 145 - UK

Way behind Tim I know, but where are Dan and Jeff? Best birds so far include Long-billed Dowitcher at Goldcliff and Long-tailed Duck at Slimbridge.

Black-winged Stilts at Fretherene

Digiscoped by Tim. A UK tick for me.

Egyptian Geese at Coombe Hill Meadows

Digiscoped by Tim.

Drake Long-tailed Duck at Slimbridge

Digiscoped by Tim. A lifer for me (and Alec).

Breeding Nuthatch at Darren Woods, Maesteg

Digiscoped by Jeff.

A few birds of New Zealand (and a honeymoon!)

2ND TO 18TH FEBRUARY 2005. Following our wedding on 29th January, we had arranged to visit New Zealand for our honeymoon, mainly to walk some of their long distance paths (or tramps, as they are known). Although not specifically a birding trip, it was inevitable that a decent variety of birds would be seen during our travels. New Zealand does not have a large bird list (the national day list record is only about 75 species), but does have some very unusual specialities, and a number of flightless birds. There are also a lot of European introductions. On arrival in Auckland (2nd February), after flying from Heathrow via Los Angeles, we had time to stroll through parkland between terminals before our internal flight to Blenheim, at the north end of South Island. We were quickly discovering birds. Introduced species such as House Sparrow, Starling, Goldfinch, Myna and Barbary Dove mixed with native species such as Welcome Swallow (NZ’s only hirundine), Red Billed and Black Backed (or Kelp) Gull. After a pleasant flight, we arrived at Blenheim, where our first Spur Winged Plovers were present on the airfield. As we travelled by minibus through the famous Marlborough Vineyards, a Song Thrush and more Spur Winged Plovers were seen. Our destination was a resort called Punga Cove on an inlet of the Marlborough Sounds, accessed by water taxi from the small town of Picton. Whilst waiting for the boat, Blackbird, Mallard, Grey Duck and Black Billed Gull were seen. We had already seen all three species of gull likely to be present in NZ. From the small water taxi, new species were rapidly added. Pied and Variable Oystercatchers, Spotted and Pied Shag, our Cormorant, Australasian Gannet, White Fronted Tern, Australasian Harrier (a very common bird), Fluttering Shearwater and finally, as we approached the resort, an Arctic Skua. From the jetty, our friendly ferryman pointed out a Stingray a few feet away, very impressive. The resort was on a wooded hillside, and we had a stunning balcony view over the bay from our lodge. A large brown bird, like a cross between a water rail and a chicken was wandering around a few yards away. It was our first flightless bird, a Weka. The following morning (3rd), slightly jet lagged, we decided to have a gentle stroll through the sub tropical rainforest that surrounded us, to the next resort, Endeavour, about 7 miles away. This is part of the popular Queen Charlotte Track. The noise from the cicadas was quite intrusive to start with, but we soon got used to it. In the warm sunshine (approx 25C), many small birds were soon flitting around. Flocks of Silvereye,with a Siskin-like call were abundant, Tui (shown), with a Nightingale-like song and the bulky New Zealand Pigeon (a greenish version of our Wood Pigeon). We were most impressed with Fantails, looking a bit like a cross between a Long Tailed Tit and a Dartford Warbler. They dance around on branches, tails spread wide. Apparently they use the tails as radars, helping the birds to locate the flies they feed on. Both Pied and Black varieties were seen. Bellbirds were seen, and a thin reedy song was heard from nearby. It reminded us of an old man whistling. Eventually we found the source, a Grey Warbler, an abundant bird, and NZ’s only warbler. Chaffinches were also seen. Arriving at Endeavour, we had a couple of hours to wait for the boat back across the bay to Punga, which was spent sitting in the sun sampling the local beers and watching more Australasian Harriers and many of the small birds already seen. The 4th was cooler and cloudy, which was useful as we had a fair bit of walking to do, and an “Eco tour” boat to catch in the afternoon. We soon climbed away from the shoreline, through a small area of scrub where Linnets, Greenfinches and Tom Tits were seen, and into pine forest, where Brown Creepers were found. Soon a familiar “sewing machine” call was heard overhead. Decent views of the birds concerned revealed Mealy Redpoll, which turned out to be one of the most common birds in NZ ! After four and half hours brisk walking, we arrived at the Bay of Many Coves Resort, with a few minutes to spare before our eco tour collected us, just enough time the see more Weka, a local Kingfisher, greener than ours; and the uncommon Reef Heron, amongst more Pied and Spotted Shags. The main aim of the boat trip was to look for Hector’s Dolphins, the world smallest (4ft) and rarest dolphin. We were lucky enough to have close views of a group of about ten of these lovely creatures. Soon afterwards, we passed a small bird resting on the water, I absent-mindedly thought Guillemot, until I pulled myself together, remembering there are none there, it was a Little Blue Penguin! The boat then took us to see one of the few nesting colonies of King Shag, apparently the world’s rarest cormorant. 30-40 birds were present on “White Rock”, so called because of the guano. We passed through a very large flock of Fluttering Shearwaters, and a single Fairy Prion was seen. The boat stopped briefly at Motorua Island, and we had just enough time to visit a water hole, where we were lucky enough to see a family of Saddlebacks, one of the worlds rarest birds, and now only found on offshore, predator free islands. A NZ Robin was also present. We were dropped back at Bay of Many Coves Resort, and used the hour before our boat home to sample some more local beers. On the 5th we retraced our steps to Endeavour and carried on further to Resolution, to catch a water taxi home (15 miles in 30C heat, I thought this was a holiday!). The only new species was the first of many White Faced Herons. That evening, we heard a Morepork (similar to a Tawny Owl) very close to our lodge. We now packed our belongings and spent most of the 6th travelling to Queenstown in the SW of South Island. A water taxi (with a detour to see a fur seal) and three flights later, we were able to sit on the balcony of our B and B “5 Star Lane”, a superb modern building with splendid lake and mountain views, run by a friendly and efficient South African couple, Ray and Merlin Sansom. After home made scones and tea, we walked into town and found Dunnock and Yellowhammers in gardens nearby, and Great Crested Grebes, Grey Duck (shown) and New Zealand Scaup on Lake Wakatipo. After spending the 7th resting and being tourists around Queenstown, we packed up again on the 8th, a warm sunny morning, and caught a bus for an hour to the beginning of one of NZs best known tramps, the Routeburn. This walk is 28 miles, beginning and ending in forest, and climbing through alpine scenery higher than anywhere in the UK. We had booked to spend 3 nights staying in mountain huts en route, and would have to carry approx 25lb each (food and cooking utensils, clothes, sleeping bags, and a small telescope!) From the bus we saw Black Swans and Australian Magpies (a normal corvoid shape, unlike our magpie). We started the walk amongst forest and soon were surrounded by the charismatic Riflemen, NZs smallest bird, similar to a Goldcrest, but moving more like a Treecreeper. We climbed alongside a spectacular gorge and eventually emerged at Routeburn Flats Hut, where a river meandered through meadows surrounded by mountains of over 6000ft, some of which held small glaciers. After claiming our bunks, and trying out the “long drop” lavatories, we strolled through the forest adjacent to the hut and found a Yellow Crowned Parakeet, which we tracked down by its harsh call. Almost immediately we encountered a small flock of Yellowheads, a declining passerine species. Delighted with these sighting, we headed back as a New Zealand Falcon flew low over the treetops. This rare species is similar to a small brownish Peregrine, and we had another sighting that evening, 30 yards from us as we studied pictures of it in our Fieldguide. After a reasonable night in our dormitory, we set off on the 9th for a long climb over the Harris Saddle in cooler, drizzly weather. As we climbed above 3000ft, the lush forest abruptly gave way to Alpine plants, and a bleaker landscape. The only birds for a while were Dunnocks, Yellowhammers and Mealy Redpoll, until we heard a harsh cry, not unlike a Chough. We immediately looked up to see three Keas flying in front of a cliff face. The world’s only alpine parrot is common in these surroundings and was one of the most eagerly anticipated birds of the trip. A long and slippery descent brought us wearily to the McKenzie Hut, next to a beautiful lake and surrounded by stunning mountain scenery. With rain and high winds forecast on the 10th, after passing spectacular waterfalls we briskly walked to the next destination, the Howden Hut by lunchtime, and in the afternoon we explored local forest, examining the flowers and mosses that abound in them. After another exciting rehydrated meal, it rained all night and into the morning, and we lingered as long as possible after breakfast on the 11th, before braving the elements for 90 minute walk to the road at the Divide to catch a bus to Milford Sound, a world famous fiord where we had booked a boat trip. When our bus eventually arrived, we were cold and wet, and were somewhat dismayed to discover that we were the only walkers with the remaining passengers being well dressed American and Japanese tourists! Milford Sound in torrential rain was amazing, with waterfalls spontaneously spilling over sheer drops. Mitre Peak, over 5000ft high was hazily visible, dropping nearly vertically to the sea. We were very glad of the unlimited tea supplies to warm us up. Wildlife was not abundant, but more gulls, White Fronted Terns, Fur Seals, and a pod of about ten Bottlenosed Dolphins were seen. The bus then took us to the small modern town of Te Anau, with the birding highlight being Paradise Shelduck on a roadside pool. Rarely has a shower and a good meal been so welcome after 3 nights in huts with no showers and basic provisions. The 12th was dry, though the mountains were in mist, and after stocking up with food, we set off to walk the Kepler Track, 39 miles in 3 days, again with heavy packs. The walk started by taking us through a bird collection, where a couple of captive Takahe were present. These Shelduck sized flightless rails were thought extinct from 1900 to 1948, until rediscovered high in mountains near Te Anau. Access to an entire mountain range the size of about a third of Wales is forbidden, except for a few researchers, to protect habitat for this and other threatened species. As we left the collection, we found one of the highlights of the trip, a Shining Cuckoo. The closest European bird for size and behaviour would probably be a Wryneck, but with a metallic green back, and a Barred Warblerish pattern on the front. Stunning! We walked for six miles around the head of Lake Te Anau, and scrubby bushland gave way to more forest. No additional species were seen, but a lot more Mealy Redpoll everywhere, and more Yellow Crowned Parakeets were seen high in treetops. We eventually began climbing, and just above 3000ft, we entered the alpine zone in mist. The tree line was very sudden everywhere we went, literally a few yards of transition only, from thick forest to open mountainside. We soon reached the Luxmoore Hut, at about the height of Snowdon, where another interesting rehydrated meal was “enjoyed”. The 13th dawned bright and clear, and the superb view was enjoyed, as were close up views of 3 Kea on the balcony of the hut, before breakfast. As we climbed away from the hut, a Rock Wren was seen briefly. The group of Kea were waiting for us a bit further up, and posed for photographs with the stunning Murchison Mountains behind them The rest of the day, over Mt Luxmoore (4829ft), and a long alpine ridge, was brilliant in the sunshine, but apart from displaying Keas (think of overexcited Chough or Raven tumbling and calling), birdless. We dropped back down into forest and stayed the night in our last hut, the Iris Burn. The warden told us to listen for Brown Kiwi in the long grass overnight, and played us a recording of the calls. Torrential rain deterred us, however. Waking in the night, we clearly heard a male calling outside (unless the warden was standing outside in the rain with his CD player!) Our plan for the 14th was straightforward, a 15mile walk down the valley, to catch the bus back to Te Anau. Luckily the rain stopped as we breakfasted, and we enjoyed our walk, although we didn’t find rare Blue Duck, as hoped. A brief detour to a small lake brought us our first NZ Pipit, a typical example of its family. After another night in Te Anau, we caught an Intercity bus on the 15th down through mainly agricultural land to Invercargill on the south coast. As we travelled, more birds were seen, including Skylarks, several more Australasian Harriers, a Pukeko (aka Purple Swamp Hen), and surprisingly, a male Cirl Bunting, sat on wires at eye-level, a few feet away. From Invercargill, we caught a small plane for the short flight across to our last destination, Stewart Island. There is only one small township on the Island, Oban or Half-Moon Bay. We were taken from the runway by minibus to the terminal shed (building is too grand a description), which is on the quayside, and doubles as the island Post Office. We were staying about 5 minutes walk away, but our friendly host, Ernie collected us and drove us around most of the islands roads. This took about 20 minutes! Ernie has a keen interest in birds, and feeders were dotted about the garden. A male Tui was often seen coming to drink, and 2 Kaka, the forest equivalent of the Kea, were also hanging around the garden. We walked through the township, around the bay, passing Variable Oystercatchers with a couple of chicks. A large number of seabirds were visible distantly, so we decided to walk out to the headland at Akers Point, about a mile away, to get better views. There was a good selection, with Stewart Island Shags (pied and bronze phase) flying to and from a small island, White and Black Fronted Terns, hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters, and at least thirty of both Shy and Buller’s Mollymawks. These are Gannet sized albatrosses, and very impressive. A Brown Skua passed, and a Little Blue Penguin sat on the sea, dived and disappeared! An early start on the 16th was necessary, as we had booked an all day “eco tour” to Ulva Island, a small predator free island about a mile offshore. Our guide, Furhana, studied in Aberystwyth, and specialises in showing the whole range of flora and fauna on Ulva. Most of the birds were now very familiar to us, but Red Crowned Parakeets were new to us. The island has rat traps every 100 metres in a grid pattern across it. Periodically, a sterile rat is released, and if it is not trapped within a few days, more traps are laid. The Dept Of Conservation, who are heavily involved in all the areas we visited, are determined to keep predators off the island, as there are significant numbers of Saddleback and Yellowhead, both endangered species. We saw several of both species. Furhana gave us a lot of information on the trees and flowers present and showed us many of NZs 180 fern species. The island is one of the best preserved primeaval forests anywhere in the world, and hasn’t changed significantly in millions of years. We also found kiwi feathers and holes where one had been hunting recently. A memorable day. The morning of the 17th was showery, so a leisurely wander around Oban kept us dry. With improving weather, we hired a glass bottomed water taxi for the afternoon, and were taken to see green-lipped mussel beds. More Mollymawks flew close by , and our captain pointed out 2 Yellow Eyed Penguins. We also visited a salmon farm, where Stewart Island Shags loitered for scraps. Back on Stewart Island, Gill returned to our lodge, whilst I did more seawatching from the bay. The large Mollymawk flock were resting on the water again, and Sooty Shearwaters gave far better views than I’ve had in Britain. I was about to head to the only pub on the island, when I noticed a bird towering above the resting Mollymawks. It was a Wandering Albatross, and it soon took off and flew around the bay, giving excellent views. It was an amazing sight, and one of my birding highlights. Sadly, we had to set off home on the 18th, but had time between flights in Invercargill to walk along a riverbank, where Royal Spoonbills were glimpsed flying away. Good numbers of Spur Winged Plovers and Pied Stilts (familiar as Black Winged Stilts) were seen , and the last new NZ bird, Little Black Shag flew over. During a thrilling 7 hours wait in Los Angeles airport (on our 2nd 18th Feb due to crossing the date line), American Crow and American Herring Gull were seen, but were poor fare after what we had left behind. New Zealand is a superb place for a holiday, and we only scratched the surface of the birding possibilities. Wildlife/ eco tourism is big, and the infrastructure of transport and accommodation making travelling easy. The locals were very welcoming and nothing was too much trouble for those we dealt with. The weather was decent, and the local food and wine excellent. A fantastic holiday, and hopefully not our last visit.