Friday 30 August 2024

Staying local (16-30 August)

Friday 16 August. Beeding Hill triangle with Otis, 08:45-12:45: 6 Buzzards, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Kestrels2 Ravens, 20 Swallows, 5 Whitethroats, Redstart, 10 Wheatears, 12 Meadow Pipits, 60 Linnets, 17 Goldfinches and 4 Corn Buntings. Town Quay mid afternoon: Redshank, juvenile Sandwich Tern and first-summer Great Norther Diver. Megan and I took Otis to the Adur early evening: 2 Whimbrel.

Raven above Room Bottom


Great Northern Diver at Town Quay
my first anywhere in August, no longer the only month I'd not seen one

under the Norfolk Bridge but light still unhelpful




a restored ex-Luftwaffe North American Rockwell OV-18 Bronco
designed as a light attack and observation aircraft the Bronco served from Vietnam to Desert Storm

Saturday 17 August. Lancing Ring with Megan and Otis: Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Swallow, 2 Willow Warblers, 3 Whitethroats, Chaffinch, 4Linnets, 3 Goldfinches and 15 House SparrowsMegan and I took Otis to the Adur early evening to see if any more Eastbourne Airbourne planes were overnighting: Whimbrel and Black-tailed Godwit.

Black-tailed Godwit on the Adur
photo reconnaissance Supermarine Spitfire XI PL963 saw action in 1945
two-seater Supermarine Spitfire IX PV202 started life in 1944 as a single seater but was converted to a two-seat trainer and served in Irish Airforce from 1951-60
Bristol Blenheim YPQ (L6739) entered service in September 1939 as a night-fighter for a year before being scrapped. After an eleven year restoration involving 25,000 man hours work it flew again in 2014. It is the only Blenheim out of 1089 made that still flies.

Sunday 18 August. Beeding Hill triangle with Otis, 08:50-12:30: 2 Stock Doves, Red Kite, 3 BuzzardsKestrels, Peregrine, 2 Ravens, Skylark, 35 Swallows, 2 Chiffchaffs, a Lesser and 5 Common Whitethroats, 4 Wheatears, 4Linnets, 6 Goldfinches and 4 Corn Buntings. New Monks Park early evening: Water Rail (heard), 2 Barn Owls, Kestrel and Swift

Wheatear along the Monarch's Way
sunset from New Monks Park
Barn Owl at New Monks Park

Monday 19 August. Mill Hill 06:25-11:00 (with Megan and Otis from 09:30): Sparrowhawk, 2 Buzzards, 2 Green Woodpeckers, Kestrel, adult Hobby, 8 Swallows, 7 Long-tailed Tits, 4 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers, Blackcap, 12 Whitethroats, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, Tree Pipit, 2 Linnets and 4 Goldfinches.

Spotted Flycatcher on Mill Hill

Wednesday 21 August. Mile Oak-Perching Hill-Truleigh Hill-Southwick Hill: Red Kite, 2 BuzzardsKestrels, 1Swallows, 4 House Martins, Whitethroat, 3 Stonechats, 2 Wheatears, 7Linnets and 2 Goldfinches. No sign of the Cirl Bunting but I only gave it 15 minutes.

Wheatear at Perching Hill

Friday 23 AugustBeeding Hill triangle with Otis, 09:30-13:05: 3 Stock Doves, 2 BuzzardsKestrelsChiffchaff, Redstart (heard), 3 Wheatears, 40 Meadow Pipits, Yellow Wagtail, 20 Linnets, 65 Goldfinches and a Corn Bunting

Wiston Wildfires festival from Beeding Hill

Saturday 24 August. Adur with Meegan and Otis: 42 Ringed Plover, 4 Dunlin, 20 Redshank and a Greenshank (Town Quay).

Monday 26 August. Mill Hill: Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, 2 Kestrel, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 4 Chiffchaffs, 5 Willow Warblers, Blackcap, 5 Whitethroats and 8 Goldfinches.

Long-tailed Tits on Mill Hill

Tuesday 27 August. Beeding Hill triangle with David Buckingham and Otis, 08:00-12:15: 2 Sparrowhawks, Red Kite, 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrel, Skylark, 11 Swallows, 11 Long-tailed Tits, Chiffchaff, Willow WarblerBlackcap, 3 Whitethroats, 17 Whinchats, Stonechat, 3 Wheatears, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 9 Meadow Pipits, 30 Goldfinches and 2 Corn Buntings.

Wheatear along the Monarch's Way
Brown Argus near Truleigh Hill
Sparrowhawk near Truleigh Hill
Whinchat near Room Bottom



Wednesday 28 August. Mile Oak/Southwick Hill/Thundersbarrow/Monarch's Way Valley with Otis, 09:00-12:45: 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Buzzards, 3 Kestrels, 50 Swallows, 3 House Martins, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, 20 Whitethroats, 6 Whinchats, 2 Stonechats, Wheatear, Chaffinch, 40 Linnets, 14 Goldfinches and a Corn Bunting.

Thursday 29 August. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: 4 Buzzards, Kestrel, 8 Swallows, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Chiffchaffs, 6 Willow Warblers, Blackcap, 2 Whitethroats, Linnet and 4 Goldfinches.

Friday 30 August. Mill Hill with Otis, 08:30-11:20: BuzzardsKestrel, Jay heard, 20+ Swallows, 4 House Martins, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 5 Chiffchaffs, 10+ Willow Warblers, 10+ Blackcaps, 2 Lesser and 18 Common Whitethroats, 2 Spotted FlycatchersWheatear, Greenfinch and 5 Goldfinches.
Spotted Flycatcher on Mill Hill


Willow Warblers on Mill Hill






Monday 26 August 2024

Living off memories - TRIP INDEX 2023>1974

The following lists and gives links to the relevant blogs of all the foreign birding and some family trips that I have been fortunate enough to have done. It is ordered by year with the most recent first. Blogs of the older trips use scanned slides, some having degraded badly with age, or digitised prints of varying qualitySome use photos taken by those I was with. These are usually easy to tell as they are significantly better than mine (and in most cases acknowledged). Many of the older blogs are based on my unreliable memories as my notes were very lacking in detail, other than the birds seen, something I now greatly regret. The blogs were initially done to find a 'home' for boxes of old slides which I had not looked at for years, my dad giving me his slide scanner providing the necessary impetus to digitise them. Doing these blogs has brought back many very happy memories, and a few sad ones. I’ve been very fortunate to have various like-minded friends whom I have been able to travel with. Sadly an increasing number are no longer with us.
Kagu, New Caledonia August 1998 (digitised print originally taken with an instamatic).  One of my all-time top five birds. Giant Pitta (1987), displaying Wilson's Bird of Paradise (1993), displaying Western Parotia (2013), and Royal Penguins (2023) are the others.

2024:   ALASKA (June)
            CYPRUS (March)
            PANAMA (February)
2023:   NEW ZEALAND and BIRDING DOWN UNDER Cruise (December)
            FRANCE Boulogne (June) included in
            INDIA South and Andamans (January/February)
2022:  FRANCE Somme (September)
           BRAZIL Amazonia (May/June)
           COSTA RICA (April/May)
2020: SPAIN Fuerteventua (February)
            SRI LANKA (January/February)
            https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2019/01/
            https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2019/02/sri-lanka-20019-uda-walawe-and.html
2018:  MADAGASCAR (October)
           NORTHERN PERU (June/July)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2018/07/
           FRANCE Somme (May)
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2018/05/
           ECUADOR (February)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/
2017:  BOLIVIA (November)
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/
           NORTHERN GREECE (October)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/northern-greece-03-10-october.html
           FRANCE Somme (September)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/st-valery-sur-somme-2-9-september-2017.html
           MONGOLIA (May)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/
           GUYANA (March/April)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/
           TRINIDAD and TOBAGO (March)
           JAMIACA (February)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/jamaica-2017-1-8-february.html
2016:  GHANA (October/November)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_10_01_archive.html
          
 FRANCE Somme (September)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/st-valery-sur-somme-03-10-september-2016.html
           JAPAN (June/July)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/japan-2016-hokkaido-23-29-june.html
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_07_01_archive.html
           FINLAND (May/June)

           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2016/06/finland-2016-return-to-oulu-and.html
           NORWAY (May)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_05_01_archive.html 
           MEXICO (February/March)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_02_01_archive.html
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/mexico.html
          
 CALIFORNIA (January)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2016_01_01_archive.html
2015:  BRAZIL (September/October)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015_09_01_archive.html           
           FRANCE Somme (August/September)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/a-week-in-somme-29-august-5-september.html
            INDONESIA Lesser Sundas (August)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/indonesia-2015-flores-13-18-august.html
           ARIZONA (April/May)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2015_04_01_archive.html
           ECUADOR (January/February)
           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

2014: SPAIN Extremadura (April)
           COLOMBIA (July/August)
          FRANCE Brittany (September)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/brittany-6-13-september.html
2013:  FRANCE Normandie (September)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/normandie-14-21-september.html
          INDONESIA West Papua (August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2013_08_01_archive.html       
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011_04_01_archive.html
          ETHIOPIA (February)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011_02_01_archive.html
2010: UGANDA (June)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2010_06_01_archive.html
          CHINA (May/June)
          Shanghai (Spoon-billed Sandpiper), Wuishan, Fuzhou & Xiaolongmen
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2010_05_01_archive.html
          Xi’an & Yangxian (Crested Ibis)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/china-31-may-2-june-2010-xian-and.html
          Pingtai (Jankowski’s Bunting)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/china-3-5-june-2010-pingtai-xiainghai.html
2009: VIETNAM Cat Tien & Da Lat (April)
2008: NAMIBIA (July/August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2008_08_01_archive.html
          PHILIPPINES (April)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2008_04_01_archive.html
2007: INDIA Eaglenest (April) 
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2007/04/     
2006:  PAPUA NEW GUINEA (August)
2005:  INDONESIA Sumatra & West Java (July)
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2005/07/
           TEXAS (April)
2004:  PAPUA NEW GUINEA (June)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/2004_06_01_archive.html
            CUBA (April)
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2004/04/
2003:  CAMEROON (April)
           JAPAN (January)
2002:  CHILE (April)
2001:  GAMBIA (November)
            PUERTO RICO & DOMINION REPUBLIC (April)
           https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/2001/04/
2000:  CYPRUS (April)
            to do
           CHINA Qinghai (June)
1999:  ECUADOR (August/September)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1999_09_01_archive.html
1998:  AUSTRALIA and NEW CALEDONIA (July/August)
1997:  VIETNAM (March/April) 
1996: NEW ZEALAND (August)   
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1996_08_01_archive.html
          PHILIPPINES (April)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1996_04_01_archive.html
1995: MADAGASCAR (August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1995_08_01_archive.html
1993: INDONESIA Irian Jaya (August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1993_08_01_archive.html
1992:  INDONESIA Sulawesi and Halmahera (August)
1991: SOUTH AFRICA (August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1991_08_01_archive.html
1990: ARGENTINA (August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1990_08_01_archive.html
1989: ICELAND (June)               
          https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/1989/06/
1988: BRAZIL (July/August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_07_01_archive.html

          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_08_01_archive.html
          THAILAND Peninsular (March/April)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1988_04_01_archive.html 
1987: MALAYSIA Sabah and Peninsular (July/August) 
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1987_08_01_archive.html
1986: ECUADOR and VENEZUELA July/August 1986
           AUSTRALIA Queensland and Northern Territory (March/April)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1986_03_01_archive.html
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1986_04_01_archive.html
1985: COSTA RICA and PANAMA (July/August)
           http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1985_08_01_archive.html

1984: BOTSWANA (December 1984-January 1985) 
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1984_12_01_archive.html
          PERU (July/August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1984_08_01_archive.html
1983: KENYA (July/August)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1983_08_01_archive.html
1982: VENEZUELA (December 1982-February 1983)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1983_01_01_archive.html
          NEPAL (March/June)
          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

          INDIA (June/July)
          Ladakh
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_06_01_archive.html

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

 
         THAILAND (February)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_02_01_archive.html

          MALAYSIA Peninsular (January/February)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1982_01_01_archive.html
1981: AUSTRIA (July)
1980: THAILAND (December 1980-January 1981)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1980_12_01_archive.html
          CANADA (May)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1980_05_01_archive.html
1979: 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
          CANARIES (June/July)
          ISRAEL (March/April)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1979_04_01_archive.html
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1977_12_01_archive.html
          MOROCCO (April)
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1977_04_01_archive.html
1975:  CARMARGUE (May)
          included in The 1970s: Camargue, Shetland & Scillies in 1975 blog
          http://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.co.uk/1975_12_01_archive.html
1974: MAJORCA (October)
          brief mention in The 1970s: finding my feet - 1974 blog
          https://birdingneversleeps.blogspot.com/1974/