Tuesday 30 April 2013

London the new Falsterbo?

I've been very lucky over the past few days whilst strolling around Central London. No, I didn't find a stash of cash on the floor nor was I basking under a hot sun - when is that going to happen again?

No, I've seen some great urban birds. A week ago whilst walking along Southbank I casually looked at the Thames and amongst the cruising pleasure boats was an adult Shag happily diving away. It was my first adult in central London. The day before a discovered a Red-legged Partridge casually strolling past the football pitch that I was about to play on.

Most surprising was  yesterday's sighting - an Osprey soaring over Covent Garden! I was walking up St Martin's Lane and as I do, I looked up to the sight of what I orginally thought was a large gull. A second look and I suddenly realised that I was watching an Osprey. The bird then drifting east, no doubt following the course of the Thames.

Today, whilst parking in Golden Square, I looked up and there was a Common Buzzard drifting south. Tomorrow I will be up on Tower 42. Will my luck continue?
 Common Buzzard over Golden Square, central London
 Red-legged Partridge on the wing
Still making a run!

Sunday 28 April 2013

Pied Flycatcher at The Scrubs

Today was a good day at The Scrubs. We recorded our first spring Pied Flycatcher since 2006 and this female was the first since 2005. 

Cute bird!




Wednesday 24 April 2013

Tuesday 23 April 2013

Back on dry land

Life on the ocean wave is all very well but there comes a time in your life when you have to return home to survey the scene. Home for me is the patch - Wormwood Scrubs. 

Winter at The Scrubs ended last week whilst I was watching Glaucous Gulls off the coast of Norway. We enjoyed a phenomenal fall of some 14 Common Redstarts and an unbelievable 40 plus Northern Wheatears all in just one day!

Below are a fragment of the birds to be seen at The Scrubs over the last 10 days.
 A female Black Redstart - in there somewhere! (Rob Ayers)
 Rook
 Robin
 Northern Wheatear
 A showy Northern Wheatear
Same bird, different angle

Monday 22 April 2013

A last look at Norway.........for now

 Spectacular views
 Snow Bunting
 Herring Gull
 Mealy Redpoll
 Meal time for a Mealy
 Spot the King Eider!
One of the cloudier days 
 Me and the group
 Common Gull 
Sunset over the fjords

Sunday 14 April 2013

Norwegian wanderings

 1st winter Kittiwake
 Kittiwake
 2nd winter Glaucous Gull
 Brunnich's Guillemots
 Iceland Gull
 Arctic Redpoll
 Arctic Redpolls

Saturday 13 April 2013

Views from Norway

 1st winter Herring Gull
 Waxwing
 Hooded Crow
House Sparrow

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Hurtigruten Norwegian Cruise

Until April 19th I will be leading an RSPB Group on a cruise up the Norwegian coast up to the Arctic Circle and back.
 Drake Eider
 White-tailed Sea Eagle
 Kittiwake
 Some of the amazing scenery
Sunrise over the fjords

Sunday 7 April 2013

Battle for the streets of London - over The Scrubs

 Common Buzzard
 Common Buzzard under attack from a local Sparrowhawk