Best bird ever seen,???

A birder friend asked me what the best bird I’ve ever seen and that’s a deceptively hard question. I said I'll give it some thought, usually I split it into two categories: birds I’ve photographed, and birds I’ve only ever seen once. Some of the most special birds I’ve encountered were one-off moments and I never got a photo. So for me it really comes down to the birds I’ve photographed (even if it isn’t rare)

 below some of my favorite birds Photographed in no particular order

Gannet with
Air brakes out

kagu
New Caledonia

North of New Zealand lies an island with a teeming rainforest that every dawn is drowned out by the haunting 15-minute long song of the kagu. This bird is found only in the flora and fauna-filled New Caledonia. The isolation of this South Pacific island has created many unique features of nature, and the kagu has several. Kagu, or cagou, are about the size of a chicken and have brilliant red eyes, long orange legs and bill, bluish-grey feathers, and 'nasal corns’. These structures cover its nostrils and are not found in any other bird species. It's thought that they evolved to prevent dirt and other particles from entering the nasal cavity since the Kagu is also flightless and spends its time on the forest floor.

Inaccessible flightless Rail 
Inaccessible Island 

The Island is called inaccessible because it is. It’s almost impossible to land on the narrow beach most attempts fail and the cliffs are so steep that the top is inaccessible.

If you’ve ever gone looking for rails, you know they are usually differcult to see. They live in dense marsh grass and won’t come out for anything except the sound of another rail and then only in the breeding season.

But there is in fact a truly inaccessible rail. The Inaccessible flightless rail (Atlantisia  Rogersi) is the smallest flightless bird in the world, extremely rare, and vulnerable to extinction. He lives only on Inaccessible Island 

This was a surprise because the island, which is in the Tristan de Cunha archipelago, is closer to Africa than to South America as shown below.

DNA studies show that his ancestors, related to black rails, did fly more than 2,300 miles from South America over the South Atlantic Ocean to Inaccessible Island. They arrived 1.5 million years ago.

Spectacled Petrel
South Atlantic 

Golden Oriole 
Spain 

Black  capped Petrel
Little Barrier Auckland 

Kergalen Petrel
Gough Southern Oceans 

Violet Turaco Gambia

Rainbow Pitta 
Northern Rain forest Australia 

European Roller
Spain 

Long Tailed Glossy Starling
Gambia

Black footed  Albatross
North Pacific Ocean close to Japan

New Zealand storm Petrel
  Thought to be extinct since 1850 till I got this photo and others. 
Little Barrier Auckland

Fea's Petrel
At Sea

Red backed Fairly Wren

Superb Fairy Wren
Australia 

Major Mitchell's pink Cockatoo 
NSW Australia 

So this little exercise in finding a few photos turn in to a nightmare, normally it's all backed up on multiple external hard drives, but on exploring the hard drive, 4 of the  1TB drives had died, they do go back in time a long way, maybe they fail as they've hardly get connected for use, just for back up, So inevitably I've lost some trips photos which can't be replaced,

Have a great day 
Cheers Bryan 

A Pleasant Day of Birding with Mike Jeffrey

 

January 23rd

Today was a great day spent birding with Mike, a British birder now living in the Netherlands. Mike is an experienced birder with an impressive global bird list, so it’s always a significant achievement to spot a new species and add another tick to the Book of Life.

We planned to hit all the local hotspots to give Mike the best chance to add to his already extensive list of Spanish birds. With such a solid list already, adding new species was going to be a challenge, but we were up for it!

We didn’t start early, as overnight rain (which hadn’t been forecast) left things a little damp. But we set off at 9 o’clock towards Santa Pola Salinas. The sky was partly cloudy, and with the forecast calling for full sun, the day was looking promising.

Santa Pola Salinas

Our first stop was productive, with a good mix of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Audouin’s Gulls, and a near-full summer-plumaged Mediterranean Gull. We also spotted Black-headed Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls, and a few distant waders. At our next stop, we had distant views of Great White Egrets and around 20 Spoonbills, with Marsh Harriers gliding over the reed beds.

El Pinet

Unfortunately, the water levels were too high due to the recent rains, and there were hardly any birds around. Mike had hoped to spot a Little Owl, which we did manage to find at Lower La Marina Tracks, along with a few Meadow Pipits and a Southern Grey Shrike. It was a bit slow, but we kept going.

Palm Farm Road

I suggested we try Palm Farm Road. Historically, this area has been great for birding, although it hasn’t been as productive lately. Reluctant to skip it, we decided to give it a go and we were glad we did. Out of nowhere, a Great Spotted Eagle appeared, putting on an incredible show as it was mobbed by a Booted Eagle and a Marsh Harrier. I didn’t even attempt to get photos; I was too caught up in the spectacle. We jumped back in the car and chased it down the road, and unbelievably, the eagle turned back toward us for a few more minutes of viewing before drifting away. It’s always a treat to see such a massive bird of prey. We also spotted a large flock of Skylarks more than 100 in total.

On the way to San Felipe, we managed to get a few glimpses of Zitting Cisticolas, a species Mike had on his list to see.

San Felipe

San Felipe didn’t disappoint. As usual, we spotted Red-knobbed Coots, Marbled Teals, Snipes, Green Sandpipers, and Water Pipits. We also enjoyed an impressive aerial display from a group of Craig Martins, with a single House Martin in the mix. At St Aguada, around lunchtime, the sun finally came out, and we managed to catch sight of a small flock of mobile Little Stints and there was probably a Temminck's Stint with I over looked initially. A quick stop at the Bellavista Hide revealed a massive flock of Greater Flamingos probably a few thousand and 20+Cormorants.

Clot de Galvany

Our final stop was Clot de Galvany, where we spotted a variety of species, including:

Red-crested Pochard

White-headed Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Gadwall

Teal

Shoveller

Sparrowhawk

Grey Wagtail

By around 4 p.m., we decided to call it a day.

It was a wonderful day of birding, and I’m grateful to Mike for the company. The highlight, without a doubt, was the Great Spotted Eagle. It’s been a while since I’ve re- connected with the Great spotted Eagle, and I had forgotten just how massive these birds are.

I haven’t mentioned every bird we saw, but overall, it was a memorable day.

Happy birding,

Cheers, Bryan

Montnegre and Maigmó

Montnegre

Montnegre & Clot de Galvany – 2 January

Yesterday, 2 January, Steve Saunders and I decided to explore the mountains of Montnegre. Mountain birding is never easy, and in winter it can be even more challenging. That said, conditions were pleasant: around 16°C, hazy cloud, and hardly any wind.

Our first stop got things off to a good start with a confiding Blue Rock Thrush, plus another more distant bird. A very close Black Wheatear showed extremely well, while Dartford Warblers were contact-calling but frustratingly difficult to see. A few Serins announced themselves, and Crag Martins passed overhead.

We spent some time at the Trumpeter Finch site—not that we were expecting them, but it’s usually productive. Not today, unfortunately. Moving further up the valley, Steve picked up Short-toed Treecreeper, Crested Tit, and Black Redstart. Robins were everywhere, as usual.

At the top end of the valley we had a real highlight: 16 Griffon Vultures perched right on the summit. I’ve never seen that before—normally they’re just gliding along the rock faces. No sign of any other raptors today, though.

We then crossed to the other side of the valley to Maigmó, but by now the weather had turned very cloudy and dull, and so had the birding. Coal Tit, Crested Tit, Great Tit, and Chaffinch were about the best we could manage. With that, we cut our losses and headed for Clot de Galvany.

Clot de Galvany – 30 minutes later

Birding at the Clot was much more productive. Along with the usual suspects, we were able to add several good species to Steve’s list, including:

Gadwall

Marbled Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Common Pochard

Red-crested Pochard

White-headed Duck

Black-necked Grebe

Teal

Shoveler

Steve’s species total now stands at 99, and with a few more days to go, he should comfortably crack the century mark before heading home.

Thanks to Steve Saunders for the company and the birds.

I’ve not mentioned every species seen—but you get the idea.

Make some news… go birding.

Cheers Bryan 

Merry Christmas Everyone

 

Have a Great Christmas 

American Robin

          Have fun enjoy 

European Robin

Cheer's Bryan

LOOKING BACK ARCHIVE BIRDS PHOTOS from the ISLES of SCILLY

Thought I would share some photos that I've taken on the Isles of Scilly  over the years. its good to get some of these images on-line instead languishing on hard drives and in cupboards and draws. It reminds me of some good times birding and a lot of laughs, for every photo there a story behind. Hope you enjoy the photos and it brings back some good memories of Scilly

Short billed Dowitcher 2012

Sora Rail 2005

American Golden Plover 2006

Ovenbird 2004

Marsh Sandpiper 2008

Little Crake 2002

Semi Palmater Sandpiper 2003

American Robin Tresco 2006

Black Browed Albatross 2009



Blackpoll Warbler 2007

Front cover British Birds October 2008

Red eyed Vireo 2003

Scopolli's Shearwater 2005

Blackpoll Warbler St Mary's 2008

Snowy Owl 2008

Cream Coloured Courser 2004

American Nighthawk 1998

Common yellow Throat St Mary's 1997

Red eyed Vireo 2003

Wilson's Petrel 2005

Sooty Shearwater 2004

Have a good day

Cheers Bryan

Sometimes it’s nice not to chase lists

 Tuesday, 18th November

Today was one of those slow-burn, quietly memorable birding days the kind that reminds you why getting out early, even on a chilly morning, is always worth it. Jeanett and I hadn’t seen each other since the spring and our encounter with the Eider Duck at Santa Pola Harbour,this Spring, so it was well overdue for a catch-up.

 Eider Duck at Santa Pola Harbour, last winter and early spring.

We met at 7:30, stepping out into just 7 degrees  the coldest morning of the autumn so far. Heavy clouds lingered at first, in total contrast to the forecast promising clear skies, no wind, and a balmy 25 degrees. We skirted past the Santa Pola Salinas and headed toward the loop behind La Marina, hoping the light would bright up the dull Birding.

Stonechat

Early birding was slow, but a few Hoopoes kicked off the day list, followed by Kestrel, Black Redstarts, Fan-tailed Warbler, Chaffinch, Robins everywhere, and Tree Sparrows. And of course, fingers firmly crossed for the Great Spotted Eagle. By the time we reached Catral the sun finally pushed through, and suddenly things began to move. Booted Eagles appeared both dark and light phase and Marsh Harriers drifted through in good numbers.

Vista Bella Hide

Here the pace picked up nicely: Bluethroat, Water Pipit, Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler, Kingfisher, more Marsh Harriers, Green Sandpiper, and Snipe. Always a rewarding stop.

Water Pipit

San Felipe

Completely flooded now, with water levels so high that barely any mud was showing. To add to the challenge, a bus loads of very enthusiastic Scandinavian visitors arrived, loudly enjoying themselves at one point even breaking into song. One of them asked if the birds overhead were vultures, which gave us a smile.

Still, we logged Marbled Duck, Red-knobbed Coot, Ruff, Snipe, endless Glossy Ibis overhead, and plenty of Black-winged Stilts.

Red-knobbed Coot

Chiffchaff

We took lunch at a favourite spot where the Great Spotted Eagle often perches, but no luck today. Instead, we enjoyed at least six Dartford Warblers, a Little Owl, and a Buzzard. The meal itself was made better by a simple pleasure: complete silence. No wind, no traffic. A rare moment of stillness.

Little Owl

Clot de Galvany

Ferruginous Duck

The highlight of the day and a great chance to put the new camera and lens through their paces after last week’s setbacks. The usual residents showed well: Blackcap, Grey Wagtail, Ferruginous Duck, as well as the regular ducks and grebes.

Pochard

 But the moment of the day came when Jeanett picked out a distant Wryneck perched in a dead tree. A cracking bird and a brilliant find.

White headed Duck

We ended the day feeling relaxed, refreshed, and glad to have had a pressure-free outing. Sometimes it’s nice not to chase lists just to wander, talk, laugh, and let the birds appear as they will. We’ve already planned to meet up again soon.

Red crested Pochard

Have fun go birding.

Wryneck

Cheers Bryan.