It’s returning, creeping into an olive grove or acacia thicket near you. Bird trappers are poised and ready to spread their unique brand of slow death across the countryside once more, if they ever truly vanished… This is an old and tragic story, and you’ve undoubtedly heard the majority of it before. But it’s worth […]
Tag: Chiffchaff
Turtle dove flies towards extinction as numbers halve in UK
The turtle dove, Britain’s most endangered bird, continues to plummet towards extinction, its numbers having halved over five years, according to the latest data. The turtle dove’s 51% decline from 2013 to 2017 is the most drastic of a continuing slump for a quarter of farmland bird species. However, there are signs of recovery for […]
Wryneck
The winds changed to the south today and whilst that did not bring any immediate changes to the birdlife in Maridalen it might mean that the rain that is forecast to start at 3am tonight might well bring down a lot of migrating birds (ever the optimist). Three flocks of Pink-footed Geese heading north today […]
Back in Action
It has been four months since I last published a blog. I have been out of action following further hip surgery. I am now bionic having had two new hips since July 2018!! I am making a good recovery and am now able to drive again. This has meant that at long last I have […]
Chiffchaff
Yesterday saw me visit Maridalen and Nordre Øyeren. Maridalen was extremely quiet although the Black Redstart was still present and attracting a stream of admirers. At Nordre Øyeren the water level is a whole metre higher than normal for this time of the year but there is still shallow water and mud to find and […]
Last wintering species still around – Khafra Marsh
Whilst birding the Khafra Marsh area in mid-March I saw a few wintering species still present. A few Western Siberian Stonechats were seen in the reeds and bushes along the side of a track with some resident Graceful Prinia for company. The waters edge held both Purple Heron and Squacco Heron as well as a […]
A day in Dorset
All winter I’ve wanted to get down and see the Lesser Yellowlegs at Lodmoor so yesterday we bit the bullet and drove the 160 miles down the M3 arriving around 8.15am we managed to find the target although views were not as crippling as the images I’ve been seeing. It was sat on the far […]
Blue Rock Thrush – Jubail
Whilst birding the desert near Jubail I came across a small vegetated valley with a little wet pool. It was very attractive to migrants with plenty of Common Chiffchaffs, several Eurasian Hoopoes, White Wagtail and a single female Blue Rock Thrush. Blue Rock Thrush is an uncommon passage migrant through Saudi Arabia that is seen […]