Blyths reed warbler at Hope Carr

    A lifer for me in the shape of Blyths Reed Warbler today at Hope Carr Greater Manchester. After dipping yesterday in very windy and cold conditions it was very pleasant today in warm winter sunshine. The bird showed well about 10.20 shortly after I arrived. Flitting through bramble clumps. My first view was in shade and the bird looked quite grey but in the sun it turned to a warm sandy brown. It called a couple of times whilst I was there.

This bird has had a voice recording confirmed as blyths reed warbler.

Hello
  After a lengthy lay off from birding I am slowly getting back into the world of birds again. Hopefully I will post some of my birding adventures here.
I visited Lunt Meadows for the first time yesterday with the highlight being this Short eared owl.   Kingfisher from Sefton park.

Moore nr 10th Feb 15

    A bittern in flight over the eastern reedbed and  kingfishers darting about there also.
 Lots of gulls to look at including a colour ring herring gull.According to webring it has been rung in the Isle of Man. A nice 1st winter yellow legged gull also.
 A Harris hawk was flying around the car park as I was leaving.

Shining Tor Peak district 7th feb 15

A 12 mile trek in the snow today. So beautiful in this winter wonderland and a nice pint in the Cat and Fiddle to finish.

Laughing Gull New Brighton 5 Feb 2015

1st winter laughing gull and a couple of snow buntings today

Mount Toubkal, Morrocco

Morrocco, Nov 2012

American black tern at Eccleston mere

The ghost of Arnfeild reservoir,

I was suprised how pale and grey the western bonellis warbler looked as it perched atop a birch tree  for 20 seconds or so. It was very white below and pale grey on the mantle in the midday sun. It was heard to sing several times but proved very elusive this morning after our initial sighting. A nice tick for me after dipping on the W T robin.

A family party of siskins were bathing in the stream including this juv

Spain, Donana
Day7 20th May 2011
 My last day in Spain and today I was doing the big trip to the Jose Antonio Valverde centre. A 60 km distance from El Rocio that would take me about 2.5 hours on very bumpy, rough tracks. This journey would take me to the best area for bird watching in the whole of the Donana. Its birding all the way really but the centre with its massive flock of thousands of breeding glossy ibis,hundreds of flamingos,cattle egrets, little egrets, squacco herons, purple herons, night herons, spoonbills is a very impressive sight. Also the rare marbled duck was seen here,red knobbed coot, purple swamphen,gull billed tern, and whiskered tern.
  The birds of prey included black and red kite, booted eagle, short toed eagle,osprey, griffon vulture, marsh and montagu's harrier and kestrel. A truly wonderful place.
     A drive back to Portugal late afternoon and an overnight stay in Faro ready for my Saturday morning 8.45 flight back to Liverpool after an excellent birding adventure!
As the plane was ready for take off at the end of the runway I noticed several nesting little terns in the gravel beside the runway. Amazing!

                                                                   Marbled duck

                                                                  Short toed eagle

                                                     red knobbed coot

                                                                  red kite

                                                             flamingo

                                                       purple heron

                                                     griffon vulture

                                                             little egret

                                                        cattle egret

                                                          spanish wagtail

Spain

Day 6 19th May 2011

Today I visited an area called El Corredor Verde del guadiamar (the green corridor) that was created after a pollution diaster in 1998. Here I had Montagu's harrier booted eagle, osprey, kestrel, quail, turtle dove,Spanish wagtail, great crested grebe and nightingale.

 A strange mammal about 18 inches long with a long thin tail with a bushy black end to it, and short legs, scurried across the road on the way home near Villamanrique. I did a quick sketch of it and later identified it with the help of the warden at the SEO hide in El Rocio as an egyptian mongoose.  

     

Pale phase booted eagle

                                                               swallowtail

                                                         A remote-control black kite!

                                                  A black Kite picking food from the lake

                                                        night heron

                                                        osprey

                                                           Moorish gecko

Spain
Day 5 18th May 2011

El Rocio is a strange place with no tarmac roads, just sand. Most buildings have a rail for tieing your horse to.The main street is dominated by a large white church dedicated to the virgin mary which overlooks a big lagoon. My first views of the lagoon produced 20 whiskered terns,3 flamingos, 10 black kites, singing great reed warblers everywhere and many spoonbills feeding in the shallow waters.
  I then visited the nearby El arroya de la Rocina reserve which is one of only 2 permanent sources of fresh water in the nattional park.Some of the birds seen here were Marsh harrier,booted eagle, black shoulder kite, black kite, griffon vulture, common buzzard, tree sparrow, cuckoo, green woodpecker, nightingale, wren, blackcap,long tailed tit and spotted flycatcher. Night heron ,little egret grey heron and glossy ibis, red crested pochard.

                                                             griffon vultures

                                                                    Booted eagle

                                                                   Bath White

                                                          Large Psammodromus

                                   Lots of nightingales but almost impossible to see never mind photograph.

                                                            A very big cricket/ grasshopper

                                                     spotless starling