Yellow wagtail ssp, Subalpine warbler and Corn bunting...

Corn bunting

{5} Male Subalpine warbler

Yellow wagtail ssp...{5} - {This bird was a very interesting bird as it had moulted 2 of it's Tertials.. {not visible} As well as 3/4 Greater coverts and about 4 Median coverts.. Hmmmmm. Cracking bird in the hand though!

What a colour!!!

Nice!!

Wood warbler...

Wood warbler

Wood warbler

Wood warbler

Great reed warbler...

Great reed warbler in my hand...

Great reed warbler again...

Great reed warbler, once more...

Look at the size of the beak

Just incase you are wondering I am still in Spain at this point.....

More ringing pictures from Catalunya...

Aquatic warbler

Aquatic warbler

Aquatic warbler

Aquatic warbler

Right wing of a Male Blackcap - Age 5

{5} Blackcap - Contrast between Primary coverts and Greater coverts as well as Alula..

More clear here - Still in Post-juvenile plumage - This bird hasn't moulted it's Alula...

Scops owl

Scops owl

In the process of ageing the Scops owl

What a bird!!!!!!

Bird ringing whilst in Catalunya...

Bluethroat - Male

Whilst myself and Alex were in Spain I was lucky enough to help out with 2 morning ringing session's with Menzie's Boss... This took place in the last few days of my stay..

Redstart - Male

Bluethroat - Female

Reed warbler

During both mornings I witnessed ringing in a whole new world... This was ofcourse seeing a different array of birds in the hand - Spanish birds in the hand! I was lucky enough to see the beauty of some extra special birds in the hand and a few of them I was able to ring.....

Birds ringed by myself during both mornings....

10 Blackcap, 7 Willow warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Whitethroat, 1 Wood warbler, 2 Sedge warbler, 2 Reed warbler, 1 Nightingale, 2 Redstart, 5 Sand martin and 1 Bluethroat...

A total of 35 birds were ringed by myself of 11 species - absolutely fantastic ringing!!

There were also other birds caught within my 2 mornings which included: Corn bunting and Blue-headed wagtail..

Throughout the week I also had in the hand: Scops owl, Aquatic warbler, Great-reed warbler, Subalpine warbler and Cetti's warbler.... The first 3 species ofcourse were the best..

More pictures on the next post....

More pictures from Catalunya...

Bridge, Menzie and Jones...
Eagle owl and Chick

Bee-eater

Southern Grey Shrike

Subalpine warbler

Greater flamingo

Caspian terns - 8 out of 12 seen...

Slender-billed gulls....

Collard pratincole - 1 seen throughout the trip!

Rock sparrow

Female Little crake

Crested tit

Wood sandpiper

Blue-headed wagtail - {interbreed with iberiae}

Catalunya 2010!!!

Ferruginous duck {Rare in North-east Spain}

At least that's several posts within one completed, now for the major birding biggie...

At the start of January 2010, myself, Alex Jones and Stephen Menzie came to the decision that we should all go birding abroad to Spain sometime in April. As February and March flew by, it was time to start packing our bags, bins, scopes and cameras as we had booked a 10 day stay in Catalunya in North-east Spain for some truely spectacular and mind-blowing birding...

So.....between Wednesday 31st March and Friday 9th April we were in Spain... Myself and Alex boarded the plane at Liverpool airport and flew with reliable Ryanair, with only a 4o minute delay. A short flight of less than 3 hours and we were watching White storks, Black kites and Black-winged stilts!!! ... For the next 10 days we were to be based at ''Els Aiguamolls de L'emporda Natural Park'' where menzie was working... This reserve was truely amazing for birding...

Purple gallinule

My original plan was to state the places in which we visited and the birds seen for each day, but.. seeing as though it would have taken for ever, I decided just to include a species list and lots of pictures..

Species list:-

- Black-throated diver, Little Grebe, Great crested grebe, Balearic shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, Gannet, Cormorant, Night heron, Cattle egret, Great-white egret, Little egret, Squacco heron, Grey heron, Purple heron, White stork, Glossy ibis, Greater flamingo, Mute swan, Greylag goose, Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Garganey, Red-crested pochard, Ferruginous duck, Griffon vulture, Osprey, Golden eagle, Short-toed eagle, Bonelli's eagle, Black kite, Marsh harrier, Black-winged kite, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Lesser kestrel, Hobby, Merlin, Red-legged partidge, Quail, Pheasant, Water rail, Spotted crake, Little crake, Moorhen, Coot, Purple swamphen, Little bustard, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Black-winged stilt, Stone curlew, Collard pratincole, Little-ringed plover, Ringed plover, Kentish plover, Grey plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Turnstone, Curlew sandpiper, Little stint, Wood sandpiper, Green sandpiper, Common sandpiper, Redshank, Spotted redshank, Snipe, Greenshank, Curlew, Whimbrel, Ruff,

Short-toed eagle

Arctic skua, Black-headed gull, Slender-billed gull, Mediterranean gull, Yellow-legged gull, Lesser-Black Backed gull, Audoin's gull, Sandwich tern, Gull-billed tern, Caspian tern, Whiskered tern, Pin-tailed sandgrouse, Feral-pigeon, Stock dove, Woodpigeon, Collard dove, Great-spotted cuckoo, Short-eared owl, Little owl, Scops owl, Swift, Pallid swift, Alpine swift, Hoopoe, Kingfisher, Bee-eater, Ring-necked parakeet, Monk parakeet, Green woodpecker - {Sharpei}, Great-spotted woodpecker, Skylark, Crested lark, Thekla lark, Woodlark, Short-toed lark, Lesser-short toed lark, Swallow, Sand martin, Crag martin, Wren, Red-rumped swallow, House martin, Water pipit, Meadow pipit, White wagtail, Yellow wagtail {Blue-headed and Ashy-headed wagtail}, Dunnock, Robin, Nightingale, Bluethroat, Redstart, Black redstart, Wheatear, Black wheatear, Whinchat, Stonechat, Blue rock thrush, Mistle thrush, Song thrush, Blackbird, Ring ouzel, Cuckoo, Blackcap, Sardinian warbler, Whitethroat, Subalpine warbler, Dartford warbler, Sedge warbler, Aquatic warbler, Moustached warbler, Fan-tailed warbler, Grasshopper warbler, Cetti's warbler, Reed warbler, Great-reed warbler, Willow warbler, Wood warbler, Bonelli's warbler, Chiffchaff,

Audoin's gulls

Goldcrest, Pied flycatcher, Blue tit, Great tit, Coal tit, Crested tit, Long-tailed tit, Penduline tit, Short-toed treecreeper, Woodchat shrike, Southern grey shrike, Magpie, Jackdaw, Chough, Alpine chough, Carrion crow, Raven, Starling, Spotless starling, House sparrow, Tree sparrow, Rock sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, Citril finch, Serin, Crossbill, Reed bunting, Yellowhammer, Cirl bunting, Corn bunting, Rock bunting.

Black-winged stilt

This trip to Spain was one of the best birding trips I have ever had. Lesvos 1st, Extramadura 2nd and Catalunya 3rd... The total trip list came to 191 species in 10 days which is an amazing tally.. I was luckily enough to see 7 lifers during this period, however, my good friend Alex, managed to see 50+ as it was his first time to Spain so very well done to him! The last thing to say is huge thanks, which goes to Menzie for ferrying us around in Spain, the kind hospitality, grat accommondation and great birding spots.. Thanks Menzie. Thanks are also in order to Alex for many a great birding spot! A great holiday all in all!

Here's what you've all been waiting for, the pictures!!

An overall update on things...

{Avocets at Martin mere}

After being snowed under more or less, with at least 4 reports; some totalling 3,000 words, I have finally found the time to update my blog and if you bear with me over the next few hours, all will be revealed.. Ringing here and there and birding mostly non-stop, is also another reason to why I just haven't had the time to update it..

Since the last post with the twitch down to Cardiff for the Drake Lesser Scaup, busy is exactly what I have been...

To start with, here's a little update on the birding for the end of March at least..

On Sunday 21st March it was our monthly field trip with the Southport RSPB group in which myself and my dad lead, a trip to Aber valley, Llanfairfechan and Little orme was the order of the day. Aber valley itself was relativey quiet with the odd bird here and there but nothing out of the ordinary. I managed to pick out a distant Ring ouzel but by the time I informed the group, the bird had done one over the ridge and wasn't seen again - more chances this year I would expect.. Down at Llanfairfechan, 15+ Red-throated divers, Fulmar and Razorbill were about the best. Onto Little orme and after a long hike for the group, I finally tracked down the female Black redstart in the lower of the 2 quarries above Angel bay.. A tally of 59 was respectable for the day, seeing how quiet it was...

Little gull - Seaforth

Wednesday 24th March and I was birding once again with my grandad and good friend Alec, which I hadn't seen for quite awhile, nice to catch up.. I was on top form that day as at Martin mere I re-located the Drake American Wigeon from Ron barker hide. {The bird hadn't been seen the day before and had thought to have dissapeared, obviously not}.. Lifer for at least 6 people in the hide and huge thanks were expressed from all... Nothing much else here apart from several 'new-in' Avocets. One of the Drake Green-winged teals was picked out by myself at RSPB Marshside from the Hesketh Road platform, as well as a stunning male Merlin.. Tally for the day - 64!

Distant record shot of Drake Green-winged Teal - Marshside

Out again on Friday 26th March to Seaforth LWT with my grandad and best here was a Little gull, Yellow-legged gull, Black redstart and Wheatear... Tally - 56!

Yellow-legged gull - Seaforth {Middle bird}

{Yellow-legged gull - Seaforth {Left-hand bird}

After a very eventful March, what birds would April bring I wonder?