Bears of Abruzzo

Been away for almost a month guiding in Lesvos, surveying in Scotland and bear watching in Italy, hence the lack of posts!
Thought I'd share a couple of bear photos from yesterday where we had an amazing encounter with these two bears. We watched them for an hour, most of that time they were mating!
Abruzzo NP surely has to be one of the best sites in Europe to see bears behaving naturally without visiting an expensive baited bear hide?   Visit http://www.wisebirding.co.uk/italy-bears-wolves-rome for some video

10,000 Birds piece on Ghana

The excellent 10,000 Birds website have just posted a piece I wrote for them on Birding in Ghana and the Kakum Forest.
Check it out Here

Life Begins......

Thursday 5th April - Tuesday 10th April
Too busy being in the field to blog - not that I have much to show for it - but thought I'd put up a few images of the last few days regardless.

Easter was spent with good friends Lee & Rachel, mostly eating cake, including a cracking homemade (by the Mrs of course) birthday cake for yours truly, but also spent some time on the patch with Lee and discussed plenty of trips for the future. Business as usual really!
Also received a brilliant birthday present, but more on that on a later blog post!

The patch highlights were managing to get some more views of the Purple Heron, seeing two separate Little Ringed Plovers on the scrape as well as a Grey Plover - so that's probably our lot until the autumn!
Also yesterday evening, between 18.25hrs and 18.40hrs I witnessed the Purple Heron fly out of one of its favoured ditches, call a few times and then slowly gain height circling. At first it seemed a little unsure about which direction to go as it was mobbed by the Herring Gulls. At one point it looked as if it was going to head towards the house and I considered running for the car to get it on the house list! However, it finally gained enough height for the gulls to lose interest and it headed east along the coast until a distant speck in my scope - active migration, just brilliant!

Purple Patch!

Tuesday 3rd April
An early visit to the Otter this morning produced very little on the southern circuit South of White Bridge. However, a call from Doug later in the morning proved that I should obviously have birded the circuit North of White Bridge and I may have found a Purple Heron!

Needless to say, I shot straight back to the area and met the guy who found the bird, but he had not seen it since his initial sighting at 08.30 and it was now almost 10am. After, initially trying to get over the pain of missing this patch mega, I took a wander and almost immediately a stonking adult Purple Heron flew up from a ditch in front of me a fair distance from the initial sighting. Luckily, it decked into a small reed ditch where it later showed pretty well to the now assembled small crowd.

A cracking bird and a great find, but oh, how I wish I'd taken the north track this morning! Not complaining though - keeps you motivated for the next time!

Iceland Gulls' Secret Lake

Wednesday 21st March 2012
Following a tip off from Doug about an Iceland Gull seen at nearby Bicton College Lake, East Budleigh on Sunday and Monday, I have been checking it regularly over the last few days and after a number of blanks, today came up trumps! I must admit, it has never really been on my radar as a place for white-wingers, but this morning I was treated to a fine 2nd winter (3rd cal year) Iceland Gull (pic1) looking very like a bird seen on the Axe in recent weeks - See here

However, a second visit to the lake this afternoon, produced a second bird, this time a 1st winter Iceland Gull (pic 2) and presumably the bird I had on the Otter a week ago.

A visit to the Otter today produced nothing out of the ordinary, but the very obliging drake Red-breasted Meganser remains on the Otter, Reed Buntings and Cetti's Warblers are singing and Shelduck numbers continue to increase with 15 birds yesterday.

Avocet on the Otter

Thursday 15th March 2012
The misty conditions persist, but a very welcome Avocet visited the Otter for a couple of hours this afternoon, as did 25 Brent Geese.

Iceland Gull at last!

Monday 12th March 2012
Finally I get to see an Iceland Gull on the beloved patch! A welcome phone call in the late afternon from Doug alereted me that DJ had found a white-winged gull on the Otter, so I managed to slip down there in the early evening. Presumed 1st winter, albeit the bird appears to have a tiny pale tip to bill and even more subtle paler iris.

Shelduck & Banana Cake

Saturday 10th March
Not a great deal of excitement on the patch today - I am not a great fan of early March, as it is neither Spring nor Winter and the birds are frustrating. A good time for gulls of course, but still no sign of any white-wingers despite searching today! However, it was pleasing to see an old friend back on the patch as "HV", a male yellow colour-ringed Shelduck last seen in April 2011 was present on the estuary with 8 other unringed birds. Shelduck really are cracking birds!















The other highlight of the day was this little beauty, a Banana Loaf!
For once baked by my own fair hand, rather than by the Mrs - It tastes pretty good too, even if I do say so myself...........

Hybrid Ducks

Tuesday 6th March
Pretty quiet on the Otter during the last few days, but this presumed Wigeon X Teal hybrid that has been returning to the Otter with Wigeon since at least the winter of 2010/11 is certainly an interesting bird if you are in to such things!

Bears anyone?

Finally gave in and joined Facebook under my new business venture Wise Birding Holidays. Just added a short video from Abruzzo NP where I shall be taking a tour in May this year. Why not take a look:
http://www.facebook.com/wisebirdingholidays?sk=wall