birding never sleeps: December 2015

Thursday, 31 December 2015

TRIP INDEX

The following birding trips have been 'blogged'. All the older ones use scanned slides or digitised prints of varying quality. All are heavily reliant on unreliable memories as only for the 1982 Asian trip did I make anything other than very rudimentary diary entries. The blogs are done mainly to find a 'home' for my boxes of old slides but may be of wider interest. Other trips will be added as and when time allows.

ARGENTINA: August 1990
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1990_08_01_archive.html

AUSTRALIA: March/April 1986
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1986_03_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1986_04_01_archive.html
July/August 1988
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1998_08_01_archive.html

BOTSWANA: December 1984/January 1985
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1984_12_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1985_01_01_archive.html

BRAZIL: July/August 1988

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_07_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_08_01_archive.html
September/October 2015
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015_09_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/ne-brazil-boa-nova-and-serra-bonita-4-8.html

CANADA: May 1980
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1980_05_01_archive.html

CANARIES: June/July 1979
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1979_07_01_archive.html

CHINA: May/June 2010

Shanghai (Spoon-billed Sandpiper), Wuishan & Fuzhou (Chinese Crested Tern) http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2010_05_01_archive.html

Pingtai (Jankowski’s Bunting)

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/china-3-5-june-2010-pingtai-xiainghai.html

COLOMBIA: July/August 2014
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/colombia-2014-arrival-rio-blanco-19-20.html

CORSICA: May 2013
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/corsica-col-de-sorba-restonica-valley.html

COSTA RICA: July/August 1985
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1985_08_01_archive.html

ECUADOR: July/August 1986
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1986_08_01_archive.html
August/September 1999
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1999_09_01_archive.html
January/February 2015
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015_01_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/ecuador-2015-sani-lodge-02-09-february.html

ETHIOPIA: February 2011

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011_02_01_archive.html

INDIA: June/July 1982

Ladakh

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_06_01_archive.html

Kashmir

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_07_01_archive.html

MADAGASCAR: August 1995
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1995_08_01_archive.html

MALAYSIA: January/February 1982 West Malaysia

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_01_01_archive.html

July/August 1987 Sabah & West Malaysia
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1987_08_01_archive.html
July/August 2012 Sarawak & Sabah

Kuching, Kinabatangan River, Danum Valley, Sepilok and Mount Kinabalu

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2012_08_01_archive.html

MEXICO: February/March 2016
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_02_01_archive.html

MOROCCO: April 1977
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1977_04_01_archive.html

NAMIBIA July-August 2008:
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2008_08_01_archive.html

NEPAL: November 1979-January 1980
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1979_11_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1979_12_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1980_01_01_archive.html
March/June 1982

Jomson Trek

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_03_01_archive.html

Everest Trek

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_04_01_archive.html

Langtang Trek

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_05_01_archive.html

NEW ZEALAND: August 1996
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1996_08_01_archive.html

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: June 2004
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2004_06_01_archive.html

PERU: July/August 1984
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1984_08_01_archive.html

PHILIPPINES: Easter 1996
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1996_04_01_archive.html
Easter 2008
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2008_04_01_archive.html

SOUTH AFRICA: August 1991
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1991_08_01_archive.html

SPAIN: Easter 2014 Extremadura
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2014_04_01_archive.html

TAIWAN: April/May 2011

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011_04_01_archive.html

THAILAND:   December 1978/January 1979
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1978_12_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1979_01_01_archive.html
                      December 1980/January 1981
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1980_12_01_archive.html
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1981_01_01_archive.html
                      February 1982

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_02_01_archive.html

March/April 1988
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_04_01_archive.html

TURKEY: June 2012

Demirkazik

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/04-june-2012-demirkazik.html

Birecik

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/06-june-2012-birecik-and-durnalik.html

Nemrut Dagi

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/08-june-2012-nemrut-dagi.html

UGANDA: June 2010

Mbamba (Shoebill), Kibale (Green-breasted Pitta) & Bwindi (African Green Broadbill)

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2010_06_01_archive.html

USA/ARIZONA: April/May 2015
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015_04_01_archive.html
/CALIFORNIA: January 2016
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_01_01_archive.html

VENEZUELA: December 1982/February 1983
Henri Pittier, the Andes and the Llanos
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1983_01_01_archive.html
Bolivar and the north coast
http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1983_02_01_archive.html

VIETNAM: April 2009

Cat Tien & Da Lat plateau

http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2009_04_01_archive.html

Saturday, 26 December 2015

Caspian Gull in the Cuckmere

Saturday 26th December. Halfway decent weather and Frank Lambert being in Brighton was all the excuse I needed to venture further than the Adur. We started at Newhaven here we counted 16 Purple Sandpipers sheltering on the east pier. We continued to the Cuckmere, approaching from Seaford Head Barn we could see a flock of gulls opposite Harry's Bush we approached and started scanning and hadn't been trough them all when Matt Eade phoned to say he was watching a first-winter Caspian in the flock from the footpath to the north. He gave us directions but I either misinterpreted them, overlooked it or was unsighted and could only find an adult Yellow-legged gull. A few minutes later a group of gulls flew and it did a bunk. Matt joined us and later Gordon Beck and Tony Cook. Frank and I were about to leave as I had a family commitment when Gordon picked out a third-winter as it joined the flock. Good to see old friends and not a bad morning's birding to boot.

Caspian Gull in the Cuckmere

a third-winter bird

quite distinctive head even when it was all that was visible

starting to emerge from behind the Greater black-backs

small dark eye,small pear-shaped head, long thin bill and annaconda swallowing a capybara neck all evident in this image

Thanks Gordon

Yellow-legged Gull in the Cuckmere

Purple Sandpiper at Newhaven, nice covert edgings on this one, a juvenile?

another with much duller covert fringes, a worn adult?

Frank noticed that this one only had one leg

Friday 25th. Sparrowhawk over Broadwater on a Christmas afternoon walk

Thursday 24th. Six Purple Sandpipiers at Shoreham Harbour at high tide. Herring Gull J0LT approaching low tide.

very high tide/big sea at Shoreham Harbour

full moon from the Adur

Monday, 21 December 2015

dull December

Saturday 5th. On the Adur a Kingfisher while gulls included 2 adult Mediterraneans, 2 North Thames Herrings (J0LT and U9MT) and Great Black-back P38B. There were also two Mediterraneans (adult and second-winter) on the mud at at Quay Court and a second-winter (possibly the same) off Shoreham Fort where a single Purple Sandpiper was seen. The pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were still on Widewater as was the Mute Swan family with all 7 youngsters.

Great Black-back P38B, It was ringed as a chick on Portland Harbour breakwater in June. Most from there apparently head West not East although that did little to reduce my initial disappointment at realising it wasn't P for Poland

J0LT had been seen on the Adur 10 days earlier

U9MT, a new North Thames bird for me

Mediterranean Gull in the Common Gull flock near Ricardo's

Mediterranean Gull in Black-headed flock opposite Quay court near Shoreham Harbour

Mediterranean Gull at Quay Court

rough seas at Shoreham Harbour

Sunday 6th. North Thames Herring Gull L9HT on the Adur where it is becoming quite regular. Also two Little Grebes.

L9HT, my fourth sighting in as many weeks

Friday 11th. A Shag and Red-breasted Merganser on Southwick Canal, a Purple Sandpiper at Shoreham Harbour viewed distantly from the east arm and North Thames Lesser Black-backed Gull ZN5T on the Adur.

my first sighting of ZN5T

Saturday 12th. Six hours at Climping seeing a Stonechat, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests and 5 Long-tailed Tits but no Dusky Warblers. On my way home 2 Mediterranean Gulls (adult and first-winter) were seen in a small roost at Goring Gap.

Pied Wagtail at Goring Gap

Sunday 13th. Megan and I walked a circuit from Chantry Hill to Lee Farm and back. Nice to be on the Downs in half decent weather. We saw Red Kite, 2 buzzards, 30 red-legged Partridges, 30 Fieldfares, a Chiffchaff, 3 Ravens and 8 Yellowhammers.

Monday 14th. A Long-tailed Tit at the University as I chained up my bike.

Wednesday 16th. On the Adur an adult Mediterranean Gull, Great Black-backs 6AA9 from Guernsey and P38B from Portland and North Thames Herring Gulls F3NT and H9NT. Also 2 Little and a Great Crested Grebe. The pair of Red-breasted Mergansers were still on Widewater as was the Mute Swan family.

another sighting of 6AA9, my sixth since first seeing it on 24 October

Great Crested Grebe on the Adur

I had previously seen F3NT on the Adur on mid November

my first sighting of H9NT

Mediterranean Gull on the Adur

Thursday 17th. Megan and I walked from High Trees almost to Thundersbarrow and back via Truleigh Hill (hoping for a glimpse of the Truleigh Hill trig point). We saw single Stonechat, Fieldfare and Corn Bunting and 2 Ravens.

Corn Bunting near Truleigh Hill

Stonechat near Truleigh Hill

Saturday 19th. Megan and I walked from Lancing Ring car park to Cowhovel bottom, Coomb Head and back via Steepdown (perhaps my favourite single place on the Downs). We saw Sparrowhawk, 5 Buzzards, an impressive flock of 500 Stock Doves, 3 Stonechats and a Corn Bunting.

Megan at Steepdown trig point

Sunday 20th. For my sins I volunteered to do a Non-estuarine Waterbird Survey (NEWS). My section of coast is from Shoreham Harbour to Widewater and a lunchtime low tide seemed a convenient time to do it. Not a sensible choice as the beach was quite busy with people enjoying the mild weather, not that there was much to disturb. a handful of gulls offshore, a single Oystercatcher flying along the tideline and Feral Pigeons and Carrion Crows on the beach. I can't remember walking any of that section before and not seeing a Turnstone. Later 3 colour-ringed gulls were seen on the Adur but I failed to read the most interesting, a white-on-red Common. The other two were a new Danish Great Black-back and another sighting of North Thames Herring L9HT. The Common Gull flock opposite Ricardo's numbered about 1300 and contained the expected adult Mediterranean.

Great Black-back JZ186 on the Adur

a Norwegian scheme but it turned out to have been ringed in Nordjylland, Denmark in July 2014. It was seen at Boulogne-sur-Mer Harbour, Pas-de-Calais in February and March.

Mediterranean Gull on the Adur

it was soon back in amongst the Common Gulls