ABA Owls

Whilst searching through my pics for the Great Grey Owl and Hawk Owl from past US holidays I uncovered a few more from days gone by. Any Owl day is a good day.

15/4/2006 - Ferruginous Pygmy Owl - Bentson S.P, Texas

The bird had been around for a few days and I travelled down from Galveston (c400 miles). After a night at McAllen I arrived at dawn. The bird was calling as I reached the site but I couldn't locate it...rather frustrating! I was concerned it would stop calling but I managed to find it eventually. It was very tame and completely unconcerned by my presence. A very rare bird and a cracking ABA tick...

26/7/2007 - Snowy Owl - Barrow, Alaska

We spent a memorable afternoon down the aptly named Gaswell Rd! We saw at least 20 Snowy Owls at various distances out on the misty tundra. Barrow is the northernmost point of the North American continent and the 9th northernmost city in the world. The whole trip was amazing. My trip report is here if you're interested?

I've already mentioned Hawk Owl but just to re-iterate, I spent many hours with my good lady taxiing me around the conifers of the Anchorage area. I found one (only one) AT LAST...

8/8/2007 - Hawk Owl - Glennallen, Alaska

10/8/2008 - Northern Saw-whet Owl - San Gabriel Mnts, California

A truly amazing experience with Lance Benner from Los Angeles. I met him at dusk and we headed north into the San Gabriel Mountains. We tried a few sites but didn't have any luck. It was now around 11.30 pm and my pass out had nearly expired! One last site. Lance disappeared off into the woods with his flash-light. "Can you hear something" he asked. "No" I replied. "THERE!". He shone his torch up into a tree...

Believe me...it was VERY impressive!

So, there you have it. I've seen all the ABA Owls except Whiskered-screech Owl. I hope to return to Arizona one day to complete the set.

My favourite?..

I rest my case...

Out and about

Started down at Kilnsea Wetlands. Made our way up to the floodbank to get the "double view". Nice bright morning and very mild for the time of year...

Sorted "his Lordship" out with the ball...

The ponds looked well...

A sleeping Greenshank on the far bank was a nice surprise...

Three Goldeneye were present, never surfacing at the same time...

A Redshank came close at Kilnsea Wetlands

While having lunch down at Patrington Haven a Curlew passed close by...

Finished off at Welwick hoping for a Raptor or an Owl. I got the latter x2. Picked one up perched on a distant post just before dusk...

...a poor quality digital image to show a closer silhouette...

The second bird drifted along the floodbank to join it...

It was 3.45!

...and the there was (you knew it was coming) the sunset...

Owls about that then!

An old one...but I like it! GREAT GREY and HAWK OWL in the Netherlands today!!!

Please can we have one?...or both!!

Gives me an excuse to post a few of my ABA sightings. Hope you like them.

I LOVE OWLS!!!

Found one on the last day of our 3 week holiday. I looked at a LOT of conifers!

Hawk Owl, Alaska

My best birding moment. Many US birders haven't seen GGO in Yosemite! So, watching this bird for 90 minutes was heaven. More than making up for missing it the previous year.

Great Grey Owl, Yosemite N.P. California

After the Yorkshire sighting...some unmissable images of a juvenile GYR in Ireland here.

Managed to find one myself at Nome, Alaska...

...and this amazing beast that we saw right by the road...

Musk Ox

Great days...

Controversy!

We all love it ...or do we? I hate "the news"...it's almost all BAD. I NEVER buy a newspaper. So many negative things in our World. I know they exist but I certainly don't want then rammed down my throat. It's not a Rose-coloured spectacles scenario, it's just being selective. Rant over!

Back to Birds...

1. Photos of a GYR published here got things stirred up here. It would have been nice though...VERY NICE!!!

2. A Stonechat on Scilly. A "few" pics here! Race or Species? Very complicated...at least for me! My problem is how many splits do you make? Just an observation, you understand.

Great to have opinions and generate discussion. Not so great to get personal. That's why I decline on-line forums generally. I prefer to spout here were I can have control of comment. Don't get me wrong I'm a big boy and hope that my honesty when mistakes are made is clear for all to see. Best to be positive I feel...it can be difficult on occasions i.e my attempt to update on the SLATY-BACKED GULL on Birdforum (I promise I won't mention that again!).

A couple of (possibly) light-hearted example of how things can get strained sometimes...no names of course to protect the guilty.

HERMIT THRUSH twitch (Cornwall 1/11/2013) - early afternoon, things not looking good. No sign since early am. Much self-chastisement taking place. I notice a chap coming down the path of a house opposite the small wood the bird had been frequenting. "It's in the back garden" he proclaims joyously! "Did you get permission?" I ask reasonably. "No, but I knocked on the door!?" So, he'd basically trespassed and yet been rewarded. The rest of us didn't and hadn't!

NEVER MIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I'd only driven 400+ miles through the night and waited around for 5+ hours! Granted I'd stupidly arrived after first light as already stated.

I reckon/know some would see nothing wrong with this. I do...

I wouldn't take to kindly to a strange bloke wondering around my garden...neither would my German Shepherd! A rather frustrating scenario I think you'd agree...

SQAUCCO HERON twitch -  (Doncaster 3/6/1994) - a long time ago but still fresh in my mind. Great bird for Yorks. Apart from the one day at Spurn it was the last truly twitchable bird in the county. I was one of the first there and the admiring group was ever increasing. We were all looking across the strip of water to the bushes were it was last seen. Then, there it was in full view...great. Then another movement not 5 yards away...what could it be? Unbelievably (or maybe not) a photographer stuck his head out of the bushes to take a picture. Guess what the bird did...you guessed it...it cleared off!

Luckily it stayed in the area for 6 days...it might not have done. This situation is obviously not unique. The point?...sensitivities...or lack of them. Online forums are littered with debates about twitchers behaviour...good and bad. Will it ever change...I doubt it. Best to get there ASAP...I'll have to remember that one!!

Just an opinion you understand...there are lots of great things about our wonderful pastime...

Slow but sure

Woke to the sound of rain beating against the window. Undeterred I set my stall up on the clifftop. It soon became apparent that "things were moving" as they say. Many Guillemots were moving north and certainly some Razorbills! Plenty of RTD on the sea and a decent number south. The highlight this morning being 2 first winter Kittiwakes very close in. I gave it 3 hours. Still no late Skuas...or Shearwaters for yours truly? Still being seen North and South of here. Maybe a need a new 'scope?

Personally, I still have year birds to chase locally...so that's what I'll do! Maybe still chance of a late surprise...


It's been a wonderful week for English sport...NOT!!!

Picking up out on the Briny

Nice flock of 35 Eiders (H.102) made their way north this morning. More activity generally with a few groups of Scoter...unfortunately none with white in the wing. Interestingly, all divers were heading south. I had a nice summer plumaged Great Northern amongst the Red-throats (c30). No Skuas for me but quite a few down the road. I shall persevere...

Day off tomorrow, so out and about locally. Winds still in the North, so a sea-watch first thing. Hopefully something of significance to report tomorrow evening...

Took this shot of a couple of the Whoopers down at Kilnsea yesterday with a 1.7 converter. Not great but could be useful for record purposes. It WAS the equivalent of 1020mm... so passable hand-held!

Surprise songster

Late shift this week so blogging at a premium! An early sorte down Snakey lane this morning produced a surprise in the form of SINGING Corn Buntings!!

A few Fieldfare were also present.

Had an hour on the cliff and managed a few RTD but nothing else of significance...

Patch Lifer!

Thanks to my pal Phil I managed to add Grey Wagtail (Year 101, Life 133) to my Holmpton list this morning.

I'll be focussing on mopping up a few local year ticks in the forthcoming weeks...unless another beauty turns up of course! Still plenty to look for including a few embarrassing omissions!

Scilly review (6)

24/10/2013

Today we tried for the Short-toed Lark on St Agnes...we failed, as did everyone else. We did however find a couple of Skylarks...and a couple of Cornish Pasties!

A few Chiffchaffs were hanging around the Parsonage in the pouring rain...

...we couldn't find anything "better". Unbeknown to us a WHITE'S THRUSH was lurking in the back garden!!!

25/10/2013

We stayed on St Mary's today. Luckily news of a Sub-alpine Warbler broke. Within 30 minutes we were enjoying great views . My second record for Scilly having seen one in 2001...

Late afternoon we returned to Lower Moors to see if the Spotted Crake was showing...it was...

Our trip was coming to an end. We'll be back next year on the 18th...

Locally

Second day of my 4 day break so I decided to take it easy and try a few local spots. Before I start my riveting review though, I thought I'd mention the Barn Owl (always worth mentioning) I saw at Out Newton late yesterday afternoon...

Today I started by taking at look at the local Snow Buntings. I picked up a group of nine in flight...

They soon settled, allowing closer views. Delightful...is a good way to describe these little jewels I feel....

The rest of the day petered out to be honest. I had a good chat with Phil and spent the last hour down at Skeffling hoping for a raptor or maybe some Twite...but no luck.

I'll finish my Scilly review sometime next week when I'm back at work...and therefore can't bird!

Over to Leeds tomorrow to join up with my lads for the "Old Man's" birthday celebrations. 21 again!

MEGA - STATESIDE!

AMAZON KINGFISHER

Scilly review (5)

24/10/2013

The morning Porthcressa walk produced a few Shags close in...

Things were still quiet so when news broke of a Red-backed Shrike on Bryher we decided to pay a visit.

A nice rainbow appeared as we left the quay...

Despite extensive searching by a decent number of birders the Shrike couldn't be re-located. It WAS seen the next day however!

The weather was kind to us and we had a nice relaxing day...

While having our lunch we noticed this...

As we were waiting for the boat a Little Egret flew in and started feeding in the bay...

Time to leave...

Stunning scenery...

Back on St Mary's we decided to try for the juv Rose-coloured Starling that had been seen around the allotments on Peninnis. We found ourselves up on Buzza Hill were we bumped into Pete Greaves. Within 5 minutes we were looking at the bird perched on a wire over the allotments...

While chatting to Pete he reminisced back to 2001 when he watched a CLIFF SWALLOW and a CHIMNEY SWIFT...TOGETHER at this very spot!!! I kept checking the House Martins (noteworthy in themselves at this late date) but no luck!

Locally - had great views of a Tawny Owl in the car headlights along Snakey lane last night, on the way to the Indian.

Scilly review (4)

22/10\2013

The day started with a solo walk along Porthcressa beach while Louise "prepared herself". The sea was still very rough, whipped up by the strong westerly winds. I was hoping that something pelagic might have been driven into the bay. Nothing rare but there was an unfortunate Gannet that was obviously in some difficulty...

It eventually made it onto the seaweed at the far corner of the beach.

There were no obvious signs of damage and maybe it was just exhausted? Anyway, after talking to a few other birders one chap said he knew some of the locals and he would contact them. Hopefully the outcome was a happy one.

A Peregrine flew over as I was leaving to go back to our flat...

We'd decided to have a trip over to Tresco. The SORA was still present and was apparently showing best in the morning. So, that was obviously going to be our first stop. On the way over I managed to pick out a couple of Spoonbills amongst the rocks...

We soon reached the Swarovski hide and fortunately there were only a few birders with the same idea, so it wasn't going to be a bun fight in the hide. In fact it was possible to see the "area" concerned from the ramp. A chap who was staying on the island informed us that it could be very erratic in it's appearances but late morning WAS the best time. It was now around 11.30.

Then...there it was! Feeding along the edge of the reeds around 80 yds away...

This was my second record for Scilly (and Britain for that matter!) having seen the 1991 bird on St Mary's.

Today also produced my only Scilly tick...a Garganey (S.201) on the Great Pool!

The rest of our visit was fairly uneventful apart from the Cornish pasties from the shop at lunchtime that were simply outstanding! Better than the ones we had in the Turks Head, St Agnes... although at least we got some there this year!

Great entertainment on the return was provided by numerous Gannets that had been blown in by the storm. The spray was spectacular as the birds darted continuously around the boat...

Back on St Mary's we enjoyed the sunset over the Garrison from our favourite bench...

Locally - I had the right idea chasing the Iceland Gull...just got my timing wrong! It WAS seen at Out Newton...just not by me when I had a peep...