Owen's Wildlife 2024 (2 Viewers)

[Owene]

Walks at maybe 8 or 9 locations failed to turn up lesser spot despite me now knowing the tape back to front. The guide did hear it briefly call in response once but no 7 woodpecker day for me.

The 7th lifer did happen though with a nice encounter with a female three toed woodpecker. No yellow head like the male but probably not as far removed as the Mornings female caper was from the male.

Lovely to watch whatever sex. I have heard only Iberian green as the one missing Euro woodpecker now. A weekend away in the medium term future maybe.

We also had further good views of white backed and grey headed. Shame about the lsw especially as I haven’t photographed but the guide gave it his all until the light gave way

Also had amazing views of a firecrest and saw dozens of frogs.

All 7 realistic targets seen on a great trip. Was two weeks too late for hawk owl but very happy with what we got

202 three toed woodpecker
203 firecrest
4 common frog

Birds 203 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 11. Total 230 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

Just did final trip list. Weathers bad tomorrow and while I think we do have one stop off on the way to Tallinn I can’t imagine what we’ll see

Party trip list was 140 including 4 heard only. A record for the stellers eider trip. I ended up on 135 plus 3 of the heard only. Missed a goshawk by being on the wrong side of the bus. Wouldn’t be amazed to get that at home although I don’t see them consistently

7 lifers of which 6 were photographed although the Ural owl is pushing it to call it photographed. 8 photo ticks which were very welcome. Capercaillie leaves me with 2 British breeders to see I think and it’s a Cat A one which the British ones aren’t.

We did well for mammals and better than expected for butterflies but nothing new for me

So very pleased. No more dedicated birding trips till Uganda in November but family holiday to France in the summer might provide some variety

 

[Owene]

April 4th

Back to British birding today. Had a few hours this morning while my daughter was at a friends. Chased up yesterday’s sighting of a lesser scaup on a nearby reservoir. Long staying ring necked duck but no scaup.

Found it briefly on Cardiff bay before it drifted behind some reeds. I really want a photo so not quite job done

Also heard two willow warblers and got views of one.

Edit
Quick lunchtime walk with my wife brought my first peacock of the year, wouldn't settle and a quick glimpse of a blackcap as it broke cover.

204 lesser scaup
205 willow warbler
206 blackcap
12 peacock


Birds 206 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 12. Total 234 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

Went back for another shot at the scaup, better views this time

 

[Owene]

Saw an amazing range of ducks in Estonia. 20 species in all. But these two were the stars.

 

[Owene]

And because nobody ever photographs female Steller's Eider.

 

[Paul Chapman]

I did once but still too long ago & very jealous....

 

[Owene]

I did once but still too long ago & very jealous....

that one’s actually got its head up. I think you have to go deep into my crowd scene ones to find one that does.

 

[Owene]

Pretty sure I had a flyby speckled wood today but I'll see a definite soon enough. A few more of the non lifer but fun birding moments from Estonia.


lovely views of a flock of bearded tits, and so close to a great photo

best ever views of crested tits


Displaying snipe were so good, the noise is amazing, that they almost overshadowed some of the targets


I did get some shots of it's face but I really loved seeing this beautiful snow bunting forage


sifting through thousands of white fronts looking for bean geese was a staple of the trip and surprisingly exciting.



White tailed eagle making our bean goose search one bird harder or easier.



Yellowhammers were literally everywhere.

 

[Owene]

The standard habitat in estonia seemed to be incredibly flat, just thawed fields with dense forest on the edges, almost every field had it's own pair of cranes.


Most of them had big numbers of White Fronted Geese and a few Bean.



Storks were already on the nests and clacking.

 

[Owene]

Saw 6 woodpeckers, don't seem to have tried to photograph Great Spotted and failed badly at Black which seemed by far the most wary. I'd already got a lot of photos of grey headed from Romania so mainly stuck to bins on that one.

 

[Owene]

No chance of a photo of hazel grouse, not sure how true it is but my guide who is a hazel grouse surveyor said it had never been photographed in Estonia.

Did manage to get the Capercaillie and the Pygmy owl

 

[Owene]

Some nice sightings away from birds but apart from Smooth newt nothing actually new for me.

 

[Owene]

Very brief and very wet views of an Arctic tern in the bay on my way home from work. Quite a few moving up the Severn today

207 Arctic tern

Birds 207 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 12. Total 235 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

April 11th

Fun morning at various sites in Bannau Brycheiniog national park. The first one was an old quarry for Ring Ouzel. Lovely, albeit quite long range, views of a singing male. Didn't want to get too close to a easily disturbed breeding species. Nice to see a range of other upland birds when I was there including Curlew which was especially good to see.

A stop at a place i've had flycatchers and redstart didn't work out, maybe that little bit too early for them to be on territory even though coastal sites have been getting them. Sure i'll see some soon.

Final stop in the park brought Dipper, very glad to see them as i didn't get any at that site last year. And a gorgeous Gray Wagtail. Also had crossbill and a uk year tick Willow Tit to go with the one i saw in estonia.

Back into Cardiff and an overcast Cardiff Bay. Lots and lots of warblers, counted 5 willow warbler and 7 blackcap. Had two very visible Cetti's (and lots of audible ones) and at least one heard only Reed Warbler. They've cut back the reeds near the paths a lot and didn't get close to seeing any Reed Warblers. I'd imagine there will be dozens singing there in a week or two.

208 Ring Ouzel
209 Dipper










Birds 209 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 12. Total 237 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

12th april

that time of year when every day brings new things. Back at Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve for the second day in a row and all of yesterdays Willow Warblers and most of the blackcaps seem to have moved on. About 50 minutes trying eventually brought some quick views of a Reed Warbler. I guess in a few weeks it'll be trying to ignore the reed warblers to see other stuff but it was a fun sunshiney time.

Couple of very nice Peacocks there too. Far more flowers than a week or so back so they actually stopped long enough for a photo unlike the others i've seen so far.

On the other side of the bay I got to see the Sandwich tern that had been around for a few days. Sandwich Terns breed in south west wales but this was my first one for my local patch and East Glamorgan. Have seen Little Arctic and Black more often in Cardiff although Sandwich is generally annual for me in south Wales as a whole. I saw one in Estonia but great to see one here too and get a photo showing the tip of the beak clearly.

On the path up from the bay to home I finally got my first definite Speckled Wood of the year. No Blues and only Brimstone from the whites so far though.


##

210 Reed Warbler
13 Speckled wood

Birds 210 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 13. Total 239 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

Like I said the time of year when every day is different. The first sustained sunshine for a while and managed 6 species of butterflies on my afternoon walk. Holly Blue and Green Veined White were new for the year but also glad to get a comma shot that really highlights how it got it's name.







14 green veined white
15 holly blue

Birds 210 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 15. Total 241 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

April 18th
My wife doesn't do bird lists but she does keep a swimming list and wanted to add three cliffs bay on the Gower to it. An amazing beach and we had it almost to ourselves on a weekday morning. A pair of Chough made a few appearances in the time we were there to keep the yearlist ticking along.

Our next stop was nearby mumbles for lunch and for a quick visit to the purpose built Kittiwake ledges on the lifeboat station.

211 Red Billed Chough
212 Kittiwake





Birds 212 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 15. Total 243 lifers 14

 

[Owene]

April 19th

A rather drizzly walk around Cardiff Bay didn't produce much at all but an afternoon visit to Cosmeston brought some lovely Water Vole views, not a year tick but still a highlight and a singing Lesser Whitethroat.

They breed on the site, pretty much in the spot I saw it, but I didn't ever turn heard only status into views last year despite well over a dozen attempts. So very very happy to see them at the first attempt this year. A phototick too.

Heard common Whitethroat elsewhere on the site but that'll come soon enough.

213 Lesser Whitethroat + phototick

Birds 213 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 15. Total 244 lifers 14

 

[Frank van Drogen]

Birds 212 mammals 12 herp 4 butterflies 15. Total 243 lifers 14

How many beaches/swims?