29/07/2023 Undisclosed Location

Long-eared Owl: Back again for another session with these marvellous long-eared owls, after a few failed attempted in the continuing poor weather and heavy rain I was pleases to get a chance in hand out in a clear spell.

However instead of rain we had to contend with rolling fog, thick fog when we arrived dampened our spirits as we thought the poor visibility would affect our ability to view the birds. 

Not before long the fog rolled over us and cleared up enough to find two young owls rooting in the open and an adult bird roosting lower down in a pine tree. 

They weren't phased by our presences and showed no disturbance behaviour and were calm enough to continue to sleep and continue their begging calls. 

It was only when the adults came back with food did they increase their activity. keeping a respectful distance it was pretty incredible how the bird just sat there, preying, sleeping and calling. 

Although we never witnessed any actually feeding the adults came in and out several times. 

The fog coninually rolled in and out and the sun tried its best to burn through the low clouds, we were lucky as between the brighter spells the birds showed well.  

Long-eared owls are pale brownish, with vertical streaks along the breast which are horizontal. Long-eared owls have pale patches on the face that give the appearance of white eyebrows, and a white patch below the bill. They have a black bill, orange eyes, and their legs and toes are completely feathered.

Females are generally darker and more richly colored than males. Juveniles look similar to adults, but have softer, looser feathers.

We had at least eight birds within this small area many of which were juvenile birds some looked more developed than others leading us to believe that these are mixed families.

The female bird remains with young almost continuously for first two weeks, while male brings food for female and young. In latter part of nestling period the female also hunts. Young climb out of nest onto nearby branches after about three weeks and are able to make short flights at about five weeks. Adult male feeds young until they are 10-11 weeks old, when they disperse from area.

As the afternoon drew closer and the early morning light brighten into the day light of the afternoon we witnessed some of juvenile birds were observed actively foraging over the moors and grassland. This could possibly be one of the reasons we saw few feeding visits made by the adults. 

They hunt mostly at night, sometimes before dusk, and early mornings, especially when feeding young. They forrage over fields or in open woods, flying back and forth a few feet above the ground locating their prey by sound or by sight, before swooping down to capture it with talons.

The majority of the time we observed the owls they were doing what owls are best known for, sleeping and totally unphased by our presence. 

The site is popular with dog walkers, ramblers and cycalists and the path ways and trails cut right between the owls feeding and breeding territories so perhaps they are now habituated to the presence of humans and human activity. 

At times the locals were also treated to some fabulous views of the birds flying past them and perched out in the open.

We were lucky that the weather cleared up for us and even luckier to witness long-eared owl behaviour at such close quarters, lets hope that the owls and the site remains safe and these owls hunt, how and disperse successfully. 

29/04/2023 Iddrottswagen Förslöa, Sweden

Baltimore Oriole:  This was sat in my drafts and unpublished but with a busy few months birding, witching, weddings photography and survey work I've not had a chance o do the updates.

Say hello to Sweden's first Baltimore oriole, this longs staying bird arrived way back in December, back then there was snow on the ground and the bird was attracting large crowds and engaging the whole village. 

The bird hasn't left the garden since and is still guarding its bird feeder full of fermenting fruit and roosting in the adjacent pine tree.

The bird should be on the other side of the Atlantic in North America. They are found in the Canadian Prairies and eastern Montana in the northwest eastward through southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and New Brunswick, and south through the eastern United States to central Mississippi and Alabama, and northern Georgia. 

Baltimore oriole's migrate to winter in the Neotropics as far north as Mexico and sometimes the southern coast of the United States, but predominantly in Central America and northern South America. They prefer habitat in open deciduous woodlands but are also known do quite well in community parks and suburban backyards, which this bird can attest to as its made this small garden its home since December 2022.

During our time here I visited the garden three times and saw it each time I arrived, the bird didn't leave the pruned pine tree the feeder is attached to and regularly climbed on to the feeders to feed before melting away back into the pine tree.

It often poked its head through the branches of the pine tree and only one climbed to the top and even performed a short sub-song.

You may be thinking where it gets its name from, well the summer plumage male bird resembles the colour's to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. It is the state bird of Maryland and is also the namesake and mascot for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team.

Fieldfare: The garden was also home to felidfare, blackbirds, blue tits and great tits, goldfinch, house and tree sparrows. The owner was very pleasant and urged me to stay and wait longer for better views of the bird.

Sparrowhawk: Unfortunately the owner of the house has recently installed a cage around the main feeder, probably because of this local sparrowhawk  that I witnessed whizzing right past the feeder before alighting up on the nearby greenhouse of the garden centre. 

Tree Sparrow: I didn't twitch this bird solely to see it, Dawn and I planned a short mini-break to Sweden and Denmark, visiting Copenhagen.

We had a great time with some great weather, great food and some really great real ales.

A bit late but I hope you enjoy the post. 

23/07/2023 Undisclosed Location

Long-eared Owl: Let me address the use of the "Undisclosed Location" in the title of this post, firstly long-eared owls are Britain's rarest owl species.

And secondly long-eared owls are particularly sensitive when laying or near hatching and great care must be taken not to disturb nesting pairs. According to the surveying methodology any intensive searches for nests should be delayed until after chicks will have hatched (if this can be determined). Because the timing of breeding is very variable, caution should be employed in all visits before late June.

I know that we are now outside of the dates set out in the guidelines but the protection of the site is still important. 

Fieldcraft is essential including the understanding of the birds ecology, also the use of the correct equipment. These owls are elusive and shy, so a telephoto lens is critical for maintaining distance so that they don’t flee and aunt disturbed.

Never flush owls from their roosts, which they’ve carefully chosen for seclusion and cover from the elements and from predators and harassing crows. Be constantly on the alert for signs of stress as you approach an owl. 

When you I see any signs of alarm, I freeze or back off and leave to give the bird space. I always try to follow these basic guiltiness when surveying owls. 

The rain came just as I heard the tell-tale characteristic sound of the juvenile's begging call is a soliciting call and their most obvious sound during the breeding season. Despite the rain the owls kept tight and  under cover amongst the pine trees. 

21/07/2023 Felixstowe Ferry, Suffolk.

Black-winged Kite: Seen only once before in the UK, near Powys Wales this was the 2nd record of this species ever seen on these shores. The kite is a species native to sub-Saharan Africa and tropical Asia but has a foothold within Europe - most notably in Spain, Portugal and France.

The bird was sighted in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Hickling Broad, near Potter Heigham, Norfolk before flying off on Friday morning. The bird wasn't seen at this site for the rest of the day and was picked up again by Craig Holden at Felixstowe Ferry where the bird remained in the general vicinity of Kingsfleet.

This was almost a mini-miracle as the bird has travelled over 100 miles before getting re-found again going to roost. 

This was the chance I was waiting for, the oppitunity to travel down through the night and arrive before sunrise ignorer to see the bird in its roost and before flying off again. 

I rallied the troops and had Steve T join me on the twitch and our plan worked as we arrived on site with the bird at its roost and watched it for about 20 minutes before it took off and disappeared.

Felling thrilled, albeit a little disappointed that the bird might be gone the crowed of 60 plus birders moved down the costal footpath towards the area the bird was last seen and thankfully it was picked up perching on a dead ash tree. 

The bird spent the rest of the morning putting on a marvellous show hovering over the barley field's, hunting right in front of us and periodically returning to its perch. 

I never thought wed have views like this, just brilliant. 

The ver swelling crowed of birders were treated rot some stunning views of the bird with its long wings, white, grey and black plumage and owl-like forward-facing eyes, we couldn't have asked for anything better.

A bit closer maybe.....

Some folk have had the black-winged kite as being widely predicted as the next new bird to Britain, they are typically a non-migratory birds of prey and have spread from North Africa into Europe. So it's possible we could see more f these over the next few decades. 

Pressures such as extreme heat in the areas these species would usually live are affecting their favoured habitats and reducing the availability of food. This is likely to be pushing them to seek out more hospitable areas to live and breed.

08/07/2023 The Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute

Golden Eagle: The Isle of Mull is the third largest of the Hebridean islands, and one of the most beautiful. Situated off the west coast of Scotland has varied habitats including mountains, moorland, sea lochs, hill lochans, damp boggy marshes, sandy beaches and open seas. 

On Mull the population of white-tailed sea eagles is as dense as anywhere else in Scotland, and the island also boasts having more pairs of the majestic golden eagle than anywhere else in Scotland.

Many other birds of prey inhabit the island, including good numbers of breeding hen harriers and short-eared owls. Red-throated divers can be seen on both freshwater and sea lochs, where great northern divers also regularly linger into the summer in their splendid breeding plumage. The same sea lochs are the home of otters, and indeed Mull must be one of the best places in Britain to observe these captivating mammals. 

I hadn't been back to Mull since my first visit with Dawn way back in May 2015. And with Gary Edwards celebrating his 40th birthday this month I conspired wit his wife Elise and organised a bit of a surprise weekend away so he could tick off golden eagle and corncrake which we saw on Iona.

After arriving on the inland we invested most of our time in search of golden eagles, concentrating our efforts on the 'Three Lochs' viewpoint in Glen More and the long winding roads around the south shore of Loch Na Keal stopping and scanning the mountain ridges.

Common Sandpiper: It wasn't until the Saturday that we connected with an adult golden eagle on the south road of Craig. We spotted the bird from the moving car and before we pulled over and jumped out the eagle had landed and we watched it take flight soaring over our heads before gaining hight and drifting high over the stunning valley and across the mountains. Magical. 

We spent hours driving and waiting at these hot spots with not even a sniff of a goldie, although we were joined by Kristian Wade and his family who were spending their last reminding days of their holiday also looking for golden eagles. 

Otter: Another highlight of our trip was picking up this dog otter foraging in Loch Na Keal on our first day, we watch dit fishing for a short while before it left the water and crossed the road presumably into a nearby halt. 

Short-eared Owl: Here is another one of our target birds that we were hoping to see during our short trip on Mull. 

Short-eared owls breed on the moors throughout the UK, though finding them usually involves a longer trip than watching during the winter. 

We struck luck on Sunday evening as driving early evening we saw a birder stood in a lay-by just past Ardachoil Farm north of Loch Spelve. We pulled over and could see that he was watching a single SEO quartering over the marshy field.

Short-eared owls mainly hunt during the daytime, flying low over moorland, grassland and saltmarshes where they feed on field voles and small birds. About the same size as the barn owl, but with long wings

One of my all time favourite birds Gary and I couldn't pull ourselves away from observing the bird floating over the grassy wet field and periodically turning mid air and punching on its prey, often without success. 

White-tailed Sea Eagle: Unfortunately we were unable to book onto the Mull Charters boat trips but still had some great views of white-tailed eagles and I even had one close to our hotel one morning while I was up real;y looking for otters along then cracky shoreline of the Sound of Mull.

Another good spot for them was along Loch Na Keal and the southern road near Tiroran Community Forest close to Balevulin. A little further south along this road we Loch Beg Bridge we had some nice views of both female and male hen harriers hunting. 

I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to Rhys Richards who gave me a ton of gen and was a big help in my thinking process and planning of the trip. With a really short amount of time we had his advice and interest was very much appreciated. Cheers again mate. 

Hen Harrier: We had a quality time up here and despite the long arduous wait in the high winds for a brief sighting of a corncrake on Iona and the flat tyre just south of Glasgow on the way home It was brilliant, great birds, great food and some really great beers. 

07/07/2023 Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Black Guillemot: Our trip to Mull started at Oban, known as the "Gateway to the Isles where we stayed in the Backpackers hostel with comfy beds and shared rooms we started the trip with a troubled night as not long after getting tucked up our room mates scrambled in and started drinking whisky and rummaging around like a pack of dogs on the hunt for a missing bone.

Unsurprisingly we were up early and headed out to see the famously tame black guillemot. 

It's only in the pretty Scottish town of Oban that you can get down to eye level with black guillemots and you can witness their daily activities  in a busy town centre rather than out at sea.

 

The black guillemots, or Tysties as they are sometimes known, nest in the harbour wall along the Esplanade and in the North Harbour and regularly sit right alongside the walkway.

So it was Gary Edwards 40th earlier in the month and with a jam packed schedule of birthday related celebrations I planned a bit of s surprise get away to Mull for him as he needed corncrake and golden eagle. 

The rain made photographing the black guillemot pretty difficult but with subjects that are this tame you can't but end up with something decent, I was stunned with just how close you can get to them.