West End Gulls

 

https://youtu.be/0nTTGw2tXWU?si=jhsU9OfuxdXR_0cH

I had been planning a few days in Cornwall for some weeks, my current writing project is based around seawatching and seabirds, hence my trip in January down the North Sea coast.  The SW tip of Cornwall is a favourite area for my birding holidays and over the decades has proven very kind.  At 14 years old, back in the 80's, I joined the Leadley family on an October holiday, when Jono's mum pointed out a pale bird in the mist at Zennor Head, this proved to be the county's first Isabelline Shrike.  10 years later we were in the right place again, finding Britain's 3rd Blue Rock Thrush, a male and the county's first, down Cot Valley.  As a place to find rare birds I have been no where more productive; Aquatic Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Surf Scoter, Fea's Petrel, Wilson's Petrel, Azores Gull, and most recently a Barolo's Shearwater, have all raised my pulse to pounding, through the adrenaline surge of discovery.  A smorgasbord of american waders and ducks has often been on offer during these trips and holidays. The eastern warblers, pipits and buntings, sprytes and skulkers alike, also often feature and the outliers have included Little Bustard and Booted Eagle.  It's a very tempting part of the country to consider moving to in the future - we'll have to see.

I had a couple of false starts during early February as family commitments and the unrelenting wet, windy weather led to last minute postponements.  I was keen to catch up with a Pacific Diver (a bird I've not seen this side of the pond) and the possibility of seeing both Bonaparte's and Ring-billed Gull certainly leant into the seabird theme.  I was also aware that auks moved past the peninsular in impressive numbers during late winter and hoped to see some of that passage if I could.  

We were staying with friends in South London (visiting the London Wetlands Centre and unwittingly starting a pop-up Gull ID workshop around a couple of Caspian Gulls) when the news of a Ross's Gull in Newlyn harbour broke.  This was all the catalyst I needed to push me towards Cornwall, the Arctic waif was still present at dusk, and I decided now was the time to instigate my Cornish break.

I was at the harbour early doors, not as early as the keenest, who had seen the bird in the gloaming, but shortly before my arrival the bird had flown out to sea.  I scoped the roof of Lidl, across the bay, and was surprised that the loafing gulls could be seen quite easily - and there amongst them the Ross's Gull.  I won't lie, I was a teeny bit disappointed that this was my first view, like many, I have buy into the myth and enigma we birders have created around Ross's Gull.  For a scarce bird of remote, high tundra and open sea, hanging out on a supermarket roof on the edge of town threatens to burst the romantic bubble.  Not for long though, I popped over for a closer look during which time the gull had returned to the harbour, and on my return was treated to prolonged, close and dynamic views of the most enigmatic of gulls, as it dip fed of the water, cruised up and down the sea wall, and twisted back and forth, constantly on the move.  I decided there and then that I would keep returning over my days on the peninsular, between my searches for the divers and the other scarce gulls.  And that's what I did - I spent many hours drinking in this magical bird, mostly in flight, but on my last visit it took a short break from feeding to preen on the rocks and beach at Tolcarne, and offering the kind of views I had only dreamt of.  Boom.  I was fully sated.  Between time with this bird I managed to see a lot of other gulls - there was a constant movement of Kittiwakes out of Mount's Bay through strong southerlies (and impressive numbers of auks on the move too), I found the 2CY Bonaparte's Gull in the large evening roost at East Green, Penzance and on the Hayle there were Iceland, Little and Yellow-legged Gull amongst the roosting throngs and nearby, from Lelant Saltings persistence paid off with great views of the adult Ring-billed Gull after 6 visits to check the loafing Common Gulls there. So ended a fantastic few days birding, time spent with the undoubted star, the Ross's Gull, burnt upon my memory.

I lost my glasses half way somewhere during the first day and had more difficulty than usual with digiscoping, as I couldn't really see any detail on the screen.  On strict instructions from my better (and evidently more optomistic) half I retraced my steps the following day and was chuffed to pieces when I was reunited with the glasses along the grassy verge at Hayle.  But in the meantime I had struggled with videoing both the Pacific Diver and Bonaparte's Gull, where I'd had to take a punt and point and shoot in the right direction, not sure of what I was videoing.  A couple of poor, pixely videograbs were all those were worth.

Washed Out

https://youtu.be/n7bVQ5YSjXQ?si=_FC7KbIeqELWFQlD

Winter on the Washes present stacks of wildfowl.  This are generally fewer thousands less than in the past, when flooding was often shallower and water levels more dynamic, offering  a greater range of feeding opportunities along the many miles of washlands.  This suits dabblers and diving duck alike.  Recently the Ouse Washes have been pretty full of water and some stretches have been a little birdless but a drake Ferruginous Duck, presumably making the hop from nearby Colne GP, has been hanging out with the Pochard at Chain Corner.  Fudge Ducks get a rough ride in Cambs in terms of being subject to high scepticism around their provenance and hybridism.  But still nice to have a look at one close to home though.

Waves of Russian White-fronts and Tundra Beans have arrived in the UK since Xmas, much of the action has focused a little way off the Washes at Sutton North Fen where 40 or so Beans and 30 odd White-fronts joined the copious Greylag and naturalised Barnacles around the private gravel pits.  Into Feb more White-fronts arrived with small flocks dotted about.  A 2,500 flock of Pink-feet at Suspension Bridge nr Welney WWT pulled in 3 Beans and 30+ White-fronts.

Further out on the fen a flock of 262 Bewick's (and 70 nearer Littleport) were the most Ben and I had seen locally for some years.

Up North Kids

https://youtu.be/p6DLhupXvFE?si=4GGr0WQxZLlU2nwd

Recently, I took a weeks trip up to old stomping grounds in the far north of Scotland.  Wonderful coastline and birding.  

I made my way southwards down the east coast checking bays, firths, rivers, burns and lochs.  From Sutherland to Aberdeenshire, Fife, Lothian and down into the wild beaches of Northumbria, sea duck were the main draw with thousands of scoter and eiders rubbing shoulders with many hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks and Mergansers.  There were lesser numbers of Scaup, Velvet Scoter, Slavonian Grebes and Black Guillemots.  A couple of Surf Scoters, a White-winged Scoter, King Eider and 2 different Black Scoter made up the rares.  Great Northern Divers were frequent, Red-throats less so and a single Black-throated Diver showed very well where the town meets the sea amidst the docks and marina at Hartlepool.  

I saw a couple of White-tailed Eagles in Caithness and the wintering bird frequenting my teenage haunts along the Lower Derwent Valley, alongside 9 Tundra Bean Geese.  Back in the Fens I had a look at the Snow Goose, a bird that during my visit ignored the large flock of  feeding Whooper Swans and Pink-feet preferring to hang with a small group of grazing Mute Swans; it did not impress wildly.  At Eldernell I located 3 of the hedgerow parliament of cryptic Long-eared Owls, fantastic birds.

Young Americans

https://youtu.be/ydLcs4VrjZQ?si=AYx4QpogRlRHrCKu

Back, at the tail end of 2025, Isleham Washes had a purple patch.  Suitably muddy, with falling water levels the edges of this pool are dependant upon the water level in the River Lark.  In turn, this level is impacted by the control of water through Denver Sluice and any tweaking by the IDB's more locally.  In short the water levels at Isleham appear unpredictable, so the potential of the site to attract migrant waders is rarely realised.  

This autumn though, the arrival of a double whammy of American waders showed that Isleham could draw in the scarcities, as both Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper appeared.

Both these birds, juveniles, had not been long out if the nest before starting their migration.  Juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers occur with such frequency in autumn that the extension of breeding areas eastwards to Greenland and westwards to the Taimyr peninsular in Russia might be quite considerable.  The UK is certainly on the migration route for some of these birds.  The Yellowlegs is in a spirraling decline in the US, but remains one of the more frequent waders to cross the pond.  This bird was jittery, and very freshly plumaged, it didn't remain long and took a long flight out towards Lakenheath as we left, before re-appearing later in the day.

Autumnal visits to Titchwell gifted fantastic views of a juvenile American Golden Plover and Siberian sprytes along the coast in the form of Pallas's, Hume's and Yellow-browed Warblers and a good fall of Firecrests.

Closer to home both Dartford Warbler and Red-throated Diver graced the Ely10, both new birds for me within the area (thanks to Rachel and David for sharing the news of their finds so quickly).

Before the Ashes. O'Reilly's.

 November, Lamington National Park - a highland ridge of pristine rainforest. These are some of the birds that call it home.

 

Going Dutch

https://youtu.be/LXDpG5YJmp4?feature=shared

A short video of a weekend birding trip to the Netherlands - just over an hour from Ely to Harwich, a relaxing cruise over the North Sea and the delights of winter birding in the Lowlands lie ahead.  This trip did have the exceptional draw of a drake Spectacles Eider off Texel.  A fantastic looking bird that each of us have always wanted to see but never thought we'd have the opportunity.  The bird met all our expectations and we returned to some favourite spots to enjoy the spectacle of geese, eagles and Dutch winter birding.

On the Wanamangura in the Dream Time.

 I had originally intended to tell the tale of our trip to Australia, via the personal and revelatory diaries of Alan Bushman - an intrepid explorer who, in the early days of 2021, discovered the never-before-seen and perfectly exquisite ornithological marvels of the West Coast - relying on nothing but cans of coke, sweat, and his trusty porters, Janice and Hillary. Braving the hot steamy nights, naked under a flimsy mosquito net, fuelled by cigarettes and various viruses and the obsessive desire to lay eyes on, and eventually capture, the legendary B'Toon. It would have been hilarious. And probably very, very racist. And sexist.

Well. It turns out that I simply cannot do justice to Alan within the restrictions of this simple medium, and so, instead, I shall present here a pictorial journey in five parts - a symphony of sights and smells and sounds and the odd rock here and there. Here then, is Alan Bushman the Musical.

One Ringing to rule them all, and in the Darkness bind them

 The silver skin of dawn parted the darkened reed lined avenue. Up ahead , a point of pink energy. Hanging, loaded with mechanical intent, ready to spark. It had com to this. This thing, like a gaping yaw, at once there and not there - visible only to the touch. Softness blurring boundaries of dimension. It was the very ground, and it would emerge and engulf the universe, leading its mortal armies of the night - the Path Finder. The Machine of the Night. The Eye.

AND THEN A BAT BIT ME!

ho-hoah - man those teeth are sharp, and yet strangely unable to pierce the skin - and believe me it tried really hard. It gave me a right gnaw for a second as I held it while Rich unlatched its claws from the net. What a tiny demon it was. Watch the video on loop for best effect. Absolute nutter. We figured it was a Daubenton's Bat - bigger than a Pip, but maybe not as big as the larger nightbeasts. But we dug into it and found out it was a Leisler's Bat.

Actual rarity.

But that was the added bonus of a morning that had peaked almost before it had begun.

Nightjar! Get in!. I mean, it got in! With nets unfurled for mere minutes, it had changed human history for ever.

and away!

Fenland Nature

I'm pleased to share that the book Simon Stirrup and I have been working on over the last couple of years is now avaliable for pre-order through our publishers Pelagic.  

https://pelagicpublishing.com/products/fenland-nature

or Natural History Book Service

or Waterstones

or Blackwells

or WHSmith

or if you really must Amazon

We will be doing more publicity leading up to the publication of Fenland Nature this autumn, which will include talks and other promotional events.  We are over the moon that our little project has developed so far and feel very proud of what we have achieved in the publication of our first book.  

Morrocco 2014

https://youtu.be/7_pGgH0okDc?si=X0vlFTZN6BHBdPdM

It's been a decade since making a return trip, solely birding, to Morrocco with Simon Patient, Ben Green and Mark Hawkes.  I had visited before in 2009 and loved the country - so much to offer.  As a family we were ready for departure to Marrakesh for a scaled back road trip over Easter 2020 when Morrocco shut it's borders to UK visitors due to the surge in Coronavirus cases.  We really need to re-organise that trip before the kids get too cool for the adventure.

Our road trip in 2014 took in coast, forest, steppe, mountain and desert and a wealth of great birds - a classic birding expedition.

Madeira 2022

https://youtu.be/ltL0OBj-EUc?si=K4ikTOkhiPiJYgFI

It's been awhile but I've put together some images for a video of a memorable trip to Madeira in July 2022 in search of enigmatic pelagic seabirds.  

We had some incredible encounters with Fea's,Desertas and Zino's Petrels at sea between flocks of Cory's Shearwaters, Bulwers Petrels, Madeiran Band-rumped Petrel and a wonderful White-faced Storm Petrel.  Included is thermal imaging video of Zino's Petrel riding the updrafts at their nocturnal return to their mountain top breeding site and a few images of the Madeiran endemic species such as Trocaz Pigeon, Madeiran Firecrest, Maderian Chaffinch, Madeiran Brimstone and Madeira Lizard.  

Fenland Nature

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RyTVl1P4u_c

The long gap between my posts on Ely10 birding is due to an exciting project that I have been working on.  Simon Stirrup has been gathering stunning images and I have been writing text for a book, to be published by natural history specialists Pelagic, provisionally titled Fenland Nature.  

I have been having lots of memorable adventures over the past year seeking out the flagship species of the fens with local experts, all of which will feature in the book but as a result there will continue to be little from me on Ely10 for now.

An unexpected highlight of this fenland summer has been the re-discovery, like a six legged Lazarus, of Dusky Clearwing. Initially recorded in Fordham, but now more widely across the fens over the last few weeks, after a hundred year absence.  

Using a pheromone lure in our Stuntney garden a male was attracted the very first time I put it out.  It is likely the species has been hiding in plain sight for sometime but it is an exciting addition to the fenland lepidoptera and a very smart moth to observe.

Frosti

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-i1SqFJ3K8Q

A hard frost and crystal clear skies always draws me out to enjoy the light.  Birds just look stunning with the frost helping reflect light to sharpen every feather tone and detail.  A single young Whooper Swan joined the Teal on the frozen beet pits. 

An amble around Roswell Pits produced little out of the ordinary and a hopeful check around the sewage works revealed just 5 Chiffchaff, all collybita.  

A return to the Beet Pits for the harrier roost revealed around 20 Marsh Harrier and a bonus  Bittern.  The evening sky was stunning but despite seeing a Woodcock flying from the fields to the water meadows during the day I didn't see any in my dusk search along the bank, although Snipe were flying around in some numbers.

Grey Skies

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iWAlfBAi0gw

A truly grey morning dawned and it was still half light at 8 when I took the short trip to Isleham Water Meadows.  It's always looked great for a Phalarope here and the news of one of the Grey variety frequenting the flood had been shared last night.  On view straight away it was no great surprise when it turned out to be a confiding and very smart bird.  Constantly on the move the little masked bandit spun around and worked it's way along the nearest waters edge before taking flight and repeating the foray.

Across the site there were several hundreds of Teal, a handful of Black-tailed Godwit and a couple of Redshank.  A Kingfisher took to a high viewpoint from telephone wires over the river and there was plenty of noise from the local Egyptian Geese.  

Having enjoyed the little wader I took in an amble at Fordham Woods, I was searching for Woodcock with the thermal imaging camera but most of the woodland floor was flooded.  Marsh Tit were however in vocal form and there were at least 4 birds around the wood.  

Later in the day I checked out the Harrier roost at the Beet Pits.  There were at least 5 Marsh Harriers popping up and down.  Mark and Jasper Grooms were already in situ and had seen a Bittern too.  

One Day Like This a Year Will See Me Right.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hqsF_-rTdhI

A few local trips out to the Washes, where Short-eared Owls had been notable highlights, preceeded a weekend away on the Norfolk coast.  

A dawn walk down the embankment at Titchwell is a favourite treat.  I arrived in the dark and used the thermal imaging camera to investigate the gloaming.  Muntjac and then Robins and Blackbirds burned bright white in the viewfinder but I didn't succeed in locating a feeding Woodcock.  As the sky lightened activity accelerated with birds all over the place.  Thousands of Geese headed inland from their roosts, Starlings swirled and Marsh Harriers began to leave the reed bed.  Always difficult to count 30 or so left and a male Hen Harrier slipped, almost unseen, out of the back corner.  A Great Egret loafed across to a hidden pool and a Spoonbill hacked over head and out towards Thornham.  The saltmarsh was filling up with the rising tide and I was surprised at how rapidly and to what extent it occurred, it appeared a particularly high tide and on reaching the beach there was only a thin sliver of sand between the dunes and the foaming tide line.  

The swell was small and birds were relatively easy to pick up on the sea but the feeding was active so many birds were not picked up on first, second or third sweep.  Even in good viewing conditions it takes a lot of time to see most of what's out there.  A dusky Red-necked Grebe was the first goodie amongst many Merganser, Goldeneye and Great-crested Grebes. A Great Northern Diver was next, alongside a Slavonian Grebe.  The next birds were a real surprise - small skein of geese appeared over the sea heading towards the coast, they were quite high and I almost forgot to look at them as get got closer presuming they were Pinks.  I took a look with the scope once they were just offshore and they immediately appeared darker than expected - I worked through the features, alerted fellow birders and quickly confirmed they were a flock of 22 Tundra Bean Geese, even confirming that the feet and legs were tangerine orange.  Pretty special.  More work on the falling tide produced a Goosander in the surf which flew onto the saltmarsh pool and a second Slav.  Two speeding pied bullets, Little Auks, raced each other in direct flight across the horizon and out into the mouth of the Wash - after 2.5 hrs I had worked the sea hard and it had delivered well with little left to offer.

On the freshmarsh I trawled through the assembled wildfowl and waders before taking a slow potter through the sallows on the fen trail.  A few Chiffchaff all appeared to be collybitta but on arrival at my favoured interface the first bird I saw was a bright Yellow-browed Warbler, some predator caused all the finches to unsettle and the air became alive with Chaffinch and Goldfinch with Brambling and Redpoll drawing attention with their distinctive calls.

In total the 4.5 hrs on the reserve produced 104 species, an incredible winter total for one site.  I returned to sunny Hunny for a late breakfast and then headed with the girls back down the coast.

A quick check of the freshmarsh at Holkham revealed the young White-tailed Eagle, from the south coast re-introduction programme, sat a top it's preffered treetop lookout.   

We continued to CleySpy where I treated myself to my first new binoculars in 25 years.  My trusty Trinovids 8x32 have been semi-retired, increasing neck ache from any heavy bins has led me to downsize and prioritise weight over most other factors - this has led me to the Swarovski CL 8x30's - I absolutely love them.

A potter around Cley, treating myself further to the New Naturalist - Ecology and Natural History in softback and then a thoroughly enjoyable hour at the harrier roost on the saltmarsh from Wells.  A stunning male Hen Harrier ghosted across the samphire and sueda before the juvenile female Pallid Harrier drifted from the east and performed alongside a ringtail Hen Harrier before both settled to roost towards East Hills.  It was a great comparison with the lighter structure, narrower wings and sharper wingtip of the Pallid notable alongside the gingery underside, agile flight and frequent switchbacks in pseudo hunting moves.  Cracking bird.  To finish the day tens of thousands of Pink-footed Geese flew over us creating a cacophony as we pulled over to enjoy the spectacle - it always takes my breath away to experience this daily flight of winter wild geese.

Next day dawned grey, blustery and wet.  We retraced our steps along the coast and cafes.  Before heading home we spent an hour or so with 7 Waxwings that had taken up residence in Sheringham.  Eve, 7, taking her first digiscoping pics of the Waxwings, a new and exciting bird for her.