1 May 2023

WINTER AND EARLY SPRING BIRDS 2023

I haven't written any birds up this year so far so I thought I'd add a few of my sightings I have seen this year.

January 

A Twite was present at Within Way at Hale in a flock of Linnets

3 Smew were present at Lapwing Hall pool,Chelford along with this stunning drake

Snow buntings are now annual on the Wirral in the winter and this bird showed really well at Derby pool-Wallasey

This Common scoter spent a few days on West Kirby marine lake


  February

The first week in February I spent in Fuerteventura with Dianne and saw some cracking birds during the week.The star bird of the week was the Red billed tropicbird at Atlantico mall,Caleta which showed so well,absolutely amazing views.




Other birds of note through the week were:

Barbary Partridge

Spanish Sparrow

Cream Coloured Courser

Houbara Bustard

Fuerteventura Chat

Egyptian Vulture

Kentish Plover

Black Winged Stilt

Lesser Crested Lark

Spectacled Warbler

Lesser Scaup

Trumpeter Finch

Laughing Dove

Sardinian Warbler

Black Bellied Sandgrouse

Stone Curlew

Hoopoe

A day out in North wales produced Black grouse,Baikal teal,Ring necked duck and 2 Surf scoters

Black Grouse

Surf Scoters

Baikal teal-Foryd bay

Ring necked duck-Llyn Cefni

MARCH

Long Billed Dowitcher showed well at Burton RSPB

South-westerly winds extending across the Bay of Biscay from Iberia and North Africa at the start of the first week in march and produced perfect 'funnel' conditions for a large-scale migrant arrival,although even more noticeable still was an extraordinary Alpine Swift influx across Britain and Ireland. 

When glancing at the BirdGuides sightings pages it has been impossible to miss the scale of this record-shattering influx, with birds reported from more than 60 locations during the review period, including no fewer than 13 sites enjoying multiple birds. Ireland hosted the bulk of reports, with perhaps as many as 50 different birds including an astonishing nine over Bray, Co Wicklow, on 19th – the biggest flock ever recorded in Ireland. Six at Stanpit Marsh, Dorset, the previous day, meanwhile, is the largest modern-day flock recorded in Britain


Alpine swifts were reported from in excess of 60 sites during the week and I managed to see one at Conwy RSPB.

What a cracking bird!

April

On monday the 10th an absolute mega bird turned up at Burton RSPB a Savi's Warbler

Recording of bird
(C)Phil Woolen

A great years birding so far and I have just added Grey headed lapwing in Northumberland and Forster's tern at Brownsea Island in Dorset,hopefully a few more quality birds before the summer's out.

Grey Headed Lapwing

Forster's Tern





























No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.