West Sussex Downs and Heaths (25-30 June)

Wednesday 25 June. Nyman's Woods with Megan and Otis: Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Goldcrests, Blackcap, Nuthatch and Grey Wagtail.

Thursday 26 June. Milll Hill with Megan and Otis: Buzzard, 200 b, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Whitethroat.

Friday 27 June. Mile Oak-South Downs Way-Truleigh Hill-Thundersbarrow-Southwick Hill-Mile Oak with Otis: 9 Swifts, 3 Red Kites, 3 Buzzards, Kestrel, 3 Ravens, 16 Skylark, 6 Swallows, 13 Whitethroats, male Stonechat, 4 Meadow Pipits, male Chaffinch, 11 Linnets, 9 Goldfinches, 29 Corn Buntings, 2 male Yellowhammers and the male Cirl Bunting.

Cirl Bunting at Mile Oak

Corn Bunting near the South Downs Way

Red Kite at Truleigh Hill

Saturday 28 June. Lancing Ring and Steepdown with Megan and Otis: 14 Swifts, Buzzard, 11 Skylark, 6 Whitethroats, 2 Meadow Pipits and 22 Corn Buntings. Failed to properly record Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Glastonbury set missing the first half hour although what I saw was very good (especially Like a Hurricane and the Rocking in the Free World/Throw Your Hatred Down encore)

Corn Bunting on Steepdown

Sunday 29 June. Worthing Beach with Megan and Otis: 2 Sandwich Terns. Lavington Common/Plantation mostly with AW (who recognised me from a meeting in Nepal in 1982!!): 4 Nightjars, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers heard, 3 Dartford Warblers heard, 3 Stonechats and 2 Tree Pipits. Heyshott Common: Nightjar. Slept in the car, a bit uncomfortable and glad I had a blanket.

Monday 30 June. Ambersham Common 05:00-07:10:  Nightjar heard, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a heard, 7 Coal Tits, 6 Swallows, 9 Long-tailed Tits, several Chiffchaffs, 6 Dartford Warblers, 4 Stonechats, 2 Tree Pipits and a Yellowhammer. 

Heyshott Common 07:10-09:00: Green Woodpecker, 2 Hobbies, a Marsh and 2 Coal Tits, 6 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Dartford Warblers heard, Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, 3 Stonechats, 2 Tree Pipits, Chaffinch, 4 Linnets and a Yellowhammer. Lavington Common/Plantation 09:15-11:15: Buzzard, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, 2 Dartford Warblers, Whitethroat, Treecreeper, 3 Stonechats and a Tree Pipit. 

early morning Dartford Warbler on Ambersham Common

early morning on Ambersham Common

Yellowhammer on Amblesham Common

GALAPAGOS part 2: Rabida and South Isabela (08-09 May 2025)

Thursday 08 May. CHINESE HAT and RABIDA. I was up and on deck soon after dawn (05:00) to find us anchored of the small island of Chinese Hat. I watched from deck until breakfast at 07:00. At 08:00 we had our first wet Panga landing on Chinese Hat, We walked a short distance around the shoreline and back where a dry pickup was possible. I spent an hour on deck while we cruised to Rabida. We had a wet landing there and a 40 minute walk along the beach to a lagoon before returning onboard for lunch. We returned to the beach for a longer walk in the afternoon continuing inland to the lagoon and returning along the coast. We were back onboard at 18:20 with dinner at 19:00. A nice day to ease into life on the Chacalote Explorer. Birds seen were 2 White-cheeked Pintail, 20 Galapagos Doves, 2 Smooth-billed Anis, 4 American Oystercatchers, Semipalmated Plover, Wandering Tatler, 20 Brown Noddies, 3 American Flamingoes, 30 Elliot’s Storm Petrels, 50 Galapagos Shearwaters, 15 Magnificent Frigatebirds, 3 Nazca and 20 Blue-footed Boobies, 12 Brown Pelicans, 2 Lava Herons, presumed immature Striated and Great Blue Heron, 3 Galapagos Hawks, 5 distant Galapagos Martins, 12 Galapagos Mockingbirds, Mangrove Warbler, a probable Medium and 8 Small Ground Finches and 3 Common Cactus Finches.

08 May itinerary (our guide Darwin had many talents, producing superbly illustrated itineraries was one)

islands north of Chinese Hat viewed from the top deck

American Oystercatcher on the beach at Chinese Hat

Lava Heron on Chinese Hat

Sally Lightfoot crab on Chinese Hat

  

Galapagos Sea Lion pup on Chinese Hat

Marine Iguana looking as if it had just walked off the set of a 1930s monster film

Blue-footed Booby at Chinese Hat, they soon became a firm favourite

Brown Pelican at Chinese Hat

Great Blue Heron at Chinese Hat

Elliot's Storm Petrel off Chinese Hat

its long legs makes identification easier

Galapagos Shearwater off Chinese Hat

very flexible wings

constant companion Beluga leaving Chinese Hat. Both it and our Chacalote Explorer (Chacalote being Spanish for Sperm Whale) are run by Enchanted Expeditions and follow the same route so in the very unlikely event that one gets into difficulties the other is nearby.

looking back at Chinese Hat, in the mid distance as we head towards Rabida

Magnificent Frigatebird en route to Rabida

Nazca Booby

Semipalmated Plover on Rabida

Galapagos Hawk over Rabida

American Oystercatcher on the beach at Rabida

American Flamingoes on Rabida

White-cheeked Pintail on Rabida

immature Striated or Lava Heron on Rabida, the black cap and white in front of the eye look more like (adult) Striated than Lava? 

Galapagos Dove on Rabida

some were very frisky

Galapagos Mockingbird on Rabida

female Small Ground Finch on Rabida

Small or Medium Ground Finch on Rabida. At the time all the Ground Finches I identified on Rabida were Small but looking at the bill in this image I think I might have been wrong with this one, although it could look fore-shortened due to the angle?

presumed but not certainly the bird above has me edging back to Small Ground Finch

Lava Lizards on Rabida

Chacalote Explorer off Rabida

Friday 09 May 2025. ISABELA. Breakfast at 07:00, departed at 08:00 for a short panga ride into Puerto Villanil (dry landing) where an open sided bus was waiting to take us up to the rim of the Volcan Sierra Negra. As soon as we reached decent forest we were engulfed by cloud, so much for a finch extravaganza. We took a trail down into the bottom of the caldera and half way down it slowly started to clear. Sulphur coloured sand and rocks were revealed as well as a couple of columns of white smoke coming from vents a little way up the other side. The others decided to continue up to the vents, but with hardly any birds seen it was an easy choice to return to the rim of the crater where I stood more chance of finding some. It had cleared when I reached the rim and as I was well ahead of the group I told the driver I would walk on down and the others would be back in half an hour, ‘mas or menos’. Rather optimistic on my part as they were over an hour but I had a nice walk along the rim getting good views of 3 Galapagos Martins. I was picked up by the passing bus at 12:45 by which time the road had dropped down into taller vegetation, recognizable as trees, but few birds. We made a brief stop at a clearing by the park entrance and very much against the clock Darwin and I saw a Galapagos Rail (front half only, helped by playback) and everyone Darwin's Flycatcher, the only one of each we were to see. Back in town we were ferried out to the Chacalote Explorer for a late lunch. At 16:00 we returned by panga to Puerto Villanil where we walked to the flamingo lagoon on the edge of town. We weren’t returning for 90 minutes so I walked along the beach and back. A good day that didn’t get off to a particularly good start but saved by Rail, Flycatcher and 4 Lava Gulls around the town. Other birds seen were 20 White-cheeked Pintail, 4 Smooth-billed Anis, 3 Common Gallinules, 2 American Oystercatchers, 2 Grey Plover, 5 Hudsonian Whimbrel, a first-summer Franklin’s Gull, 15 Brown Noddies, 2 Royal Terns, 9 American Flamingoes, 8 Elliot’s Storm Petrels, 3 Galapagos Shearwaters, 10 Magnificent Frigatebirds, 12 Blue-footed Boobies, 6 Brown Pelicans, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, 5 Western Cattle and a Great Egret, Galapagos Flycatcher, 2 Galapagos Mockingbirds, 3 Mangrove Warblers, a retrospective Small Tree Finch and probable 25 Small Ground Finches.

descending into Volcan Sierra Negra

it was starting to smell quite sulphury

Galapagos Mockingbird at Sierra Negra Volcano, the only bird seen in the caldera

our group on their way up to the fumarole

Small Ground Finch near the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano

Volcan Cerro Azul from Sierra Negra

male Galapagos Martin from the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano

the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano

Small Tree Finch on the rim of the Sierra Negra Volcano

Darwin's Flycatcher at the Sierra Negra Volcano Ranger Station

American Flamingo on Puerto Villanil 'flamingo lake'

Hudsonian Whimbrel on Puerto Villanil beach

Grey Plover on Puerto Villanil beach

Royal Tern on Puerto Villanil beach

Lava Gull on Puerto Villanil beach

Great Egret on Puerto Villanil beach

Chacalote Explorer off Puerto Villanil