On the move

The migrants keep coming, although in pretty disappointing numbers; Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Whimbrel were all added to the 'birds I have seen whilst wandering about the patch this year' list. Much more exciting was a patch-tick: Red-legged Partridge! He shoots, he scores! Oh, and the dusky-flanked Tufted hybrid has flown the length of the reserve and is now at Uskmouth, vis mig at its best. Just for comparison, with last weeks slightly over-exposed pics, I managed to obtain some slightly under-exposed pics today.

And again

Another duck, another possible escape, another reason to stick to passerines. Saul Warth in Gloucestcestcestcestershire looks like a smashing bit of habo by the way, presumably due to money from the hunting fraternity.

The migrants have landed

A reasonable haul of migrants this weekend: 2 LRP, 2 Ruff, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 4-5 Swallow, 2 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler and a metric tonne of Chiffchaffs. Also managed to get some half-decent photos of another of the regular aythya hybrids,... Tufted x Ring-necked? Tufted x something backcross??

Gwent tick and Gwent dip

Red-breasted Merganser at Goldcliff Pill, no Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Goytre.

R & R

Having dipped on the Glaucous-winged Gull yesterday, I couldn't face another go today, so popped down to the Land of Corn for a jolly, stress-free day, touring round for a few nice birds. At close of play the following had been hoovered up: White-billed Diver, Gyr Falcon, Franklin's Gull, Spotted Sandpiper, Dusky Warbler and 'Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat' (does anyone actually believe these can be positively identified in the field?). Quite a day out, especially given the views of the diver, outrageous!

Something to fill the void

Just a pic to prove I am still birding. This bird, present at Avonmouth on and off for the last 100 years, might have been the Gwent bird of sometime back. Some keen person should check out the dates in the reports just to be sure.

Snow and brambles

A bit of excitement at the bird table, what more could you possibly ask for?

Diver sp.

Had a lovely Sunday afternoon in Pembrokeshire at the weekend. I wonder where the BBRC draws the line with a recently split crypto-tick when it shows only 50% of the features that were thought to be failsafe before we all started looking at Black-throats.


Quite small (though not as small as some would have you believe), thin billed, pale nape and lacking a white flank patch...


... also lacking a chinstrap, and anything like the vent-strap of the North Yorks bird (is that a thin brownish strap beyond the foot?).

I'm assuming the overlap zone between pacifica and viridigularis isn't swarming with hybrids.

Bugger

179, one-seven-bleedin'-nine. The Lesser Peckers at Silent Valley and Goytre were very lesser, to the point of being non-existent; the Grey Partridges at Bassaleg didn't play ball either, mind you, given the wet and windy conditions, any self-respecting partridge would have been buried in the bottom of a hedge while I stomped the stubble; and God knows how I failed on Red Kite, but I did. Even a desperate last minute seawatch, an attempt for Little Gull, was only rewarded with a Med Gull (the Little Gull appeared on the 1st Jan, do the birds know?).

Ho-hum,... perhaps I shouldn't have gone on those trips to Georgia and the Azores, no focus you see, no focus...

Third site lucky

Having failed to see Lesser Pecker at Silent Valley and Red Kite at Garnlydan, I was finally repaid for seven and a half hours of effort by a gorgeous male Hen Harrier hunting over Waunafon Bog. Another 'regular' species bites the dust, 179 species have now been accrued (just one more and I'll be happy, not ecstatic, but happy).