Scotland - Blow family holiday April 2010

Mrs and Jnr Monkeys

I think it might have been snowing recently?

A Ptarmigan free zone!

Plenty of these though, up top.

Found a great Scotsbill site - saw 10+ on each of the 3 times I visited - email me for details.

Black Grouse backside from the side of the road

Gruinard Island - not an eagle in sight

Challonry Point on the Black Isle - we never tire seeing Bottle Nosed Dolphins 30 feet from the beach

The only Hoodie I want to meet

A distant Osprey digiscoped at Loch Garton

At last - Findhorn Valley - broke my eagle duck - if you get what I mean with 1 Golden Eagle

Monkey is back in Business

Red Rumped Swallow - Gunners Park, Shoeburyness, Essex

I'm back. My blog is back in "monkey" business! Here are a few pictures from my recent escapades. Some are poor, in fact most are just record shots as you will see, although I am quite pleased with this one.

"Can you see what it is yet?"

Purple Herons - Dunguness, Kent - taken at distance in very cold and windy conditions (see http://www.braddersbirding.blogspot.com/) for (much) better pictures.

Ok, fair enough, these Hoopoe pictures are scrapping the bottom of a very deep barrel quality wise but I am suprised even record shots were managed in very windy conditions.

Iberian Chiffchaff - Walderslade, Kent. Digiscoped pictures of the showy and vocal bird.

Ah, it's good to be back!

Pics from my family holiday to Speyside to follow.

Club Med

Another photo-less update as I'm still laptop-less following the burglary.

Had a great day out in Kent/Essex with Bradders Jnr. yesterday. We started at Lenham Heath (nr Ashford), with a rather flighty but smart Hoopoe. Good views were enjoyed until it flew passe us and out of sight along the Eurostar railway line. Next stop was Majorca, sorry, Dunguness, where we were lucky immediately connect with both the Purple Herons on site. Good views were had in very windy and cold conditions.

Heading home, the pager bleeped to inform us that there was a Red Rumped Swallow at Gunners Park in Shoeburyness. Being just 20 mins from the A13 turn off it have been rude not to take in yet another Mediterranean speciality. To say the swallow was showing well does not do it justice. Great views, down to 30 feet were had as it fed over the small pond in front of us. We moved to the far bank and sat on the bank. The bird was completely unfazed zipping passed us and almost into us, at ridiculously close quarters, literally down to 3 feet above our heads!

It was a fantastic birding experience, seeing a rare and smart bird like that, that I will probably never forget.

Alas not photos just yet from me, so I refer you to Bradders Jnr's blog. http://www.braddersbirding.blogspot.com/, for some cracking photos, particularly of that amazing swallow.

Iberian Chiffy - Kent

Added another good year tick to the list last week with the showy Iberian Chiffchaff in Kent. Photos to follow when I replace my stolen lap top.

Four Dips in 48 hours!

A quick post as I am still computerless following the burglary. Had to go to Derby for work yesterday so took the afternoon off on Monday to bird my way up. Things didn't go quite to plan.

Dip 1 - Red Backed Shrike, Ingatestone, Essex
Dip 2 - Bluethroat, Welney, Norfolk - I knew it tended to only show in the morning and I didn't get there until 3pm, so nothing ventured etc
Dip 3 - Green Winged Teal on the way home yesterday, Eyebrook Resevoir, Leicestershire
Dip 4 - Red Footed Falcon, Oakham, Leceistershire - arrived to find half a dozen bemused birders, no one who had seen the bird or knew anyone who had seen it.

On the plus side I found a Dipper (ironically) nest, with 2 juvs at Bradfordale, Derbs. Very nice.

Scotland Trip April 2010 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Each year we take a family holiday in Scotland. We never tire of Speyside or the west coast. This is just a short preliminary post from work in my lunch break. As you will read below it is not easy blogging without a computer!

The Good - Wildlife wise as always Speyside didn't disappoint including:
Golden Eagle (2)
Capercallie (3)
Black Grouse (2)
Scottish Crossbill (lots - found a great site)
Osprey (4+)
Red Grouse (20+)
Bottle Nosed Dolphin (2) down to 30 feet
Arctic Hare (3+)
Red Squirrel (lots)
Probable Common Crane over (Sophie and Julia only)
Meeting Shaun, Dave Mo, Redsy and Dick for half a day's birding on my last full day

The Bad - with our flights home cancelled due to the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland, we had to drive a hire car home. A very long and tiring 13 hours later we arrived home via Luton airport (to pick up our car) and Stanstead airport (to drop off the hire car).

The Ugly - our house was burgled while we were away and lots of stuff was taken, including our lap tops. Hence the short post and no photos.

What this space.

Black Winged Stilt Rainham Marshes

There I was asleep and dreaming about a nice looking bird with long legs when.....would you believe it....... Jamie (my 10 year old) come in and wakes me up saying filthy twitcher Jono had just called:

Jamie: Hello

Jono: Hi Jamie, is your Dad there?

Jamie: He's asleep, still not very well....

Jono: Here's something to get him out of bed, tell him there's a Black Winged Stilt at Rainham

Jamie: Ok thanks, I'll tell him....

Jamie: DAAAAAAAD! Jono called and said get out of bed, there's a Black Winged Stilt at Rainham

Me: Oh my God! Ok let's go

I've been ill with a chest infection for the best part of a week now. So ill in fact that I could not get out of bed last weekend to see the local Alpine Swift and Hoopoe. "You must be ill" said my ever caring wife Julia.

I put on my tracky bottoms and fleece, hacked up a load of yuk, brushed my teeth, had a coughing fit, coughed up more yuk, brushed my teeth again, picked up my stuff and we were out the door. 30 minutes later we arrived at Rainham to find a small crowd already gathered. Dick, arrived at the same time, and Dominic Mitchell confirmed it was still showing well, as we climbed the stairs to the visitors centre. And there it was....

Jono, is back from Scotland tomorrow. Let's hope it stays for him.