Brown Bears in Abruzzo

After drawing a blank during the pleasant weather conditions of the Saturday, we eventually scored distant views of three Marsican Brown Bears (female and cub and addition singleton) in the rain early on the Sunday of our Italy trip over the Bank Holiday. The bears were on show more or less constantly for the 45 minutes we watched them up to 07:00. Brilliant!

Pekin at introduced Robins in Tuscany

The Red-billed Leiothrix (or Pekin Robin to aviculturists) is something you'd normally expect to see on the Indian Subcontinent but, thanks to a helping hand from man, this stunning species has colonized a handful of spots in Spain, France and Italy where it is eagerly sought by tick-hungry Western Palearctic birders such as myself. Here are a few shots of some of the several Leiothrix we saw along the River Serchio near Lucca, Tuscany on Sunday 5th May:

Cat C species aren't to everyone's taste, and some of the targets on our Italian trip (Northern Bobwhite, Sacred Ibis and Vinous-throated Parrotbill) will certainly raise a few eyebrows among those who like their wildlife a little more 'natural'. We only had shit views of the bobwhites and the ibises were admittedly rather unpleasant, but the parrotbills were pretty characterful!

Believe it or not, we did see some real birds too (not photographed; too wary!) that included several Rock Partridges plus nice Med stuff like Collared Flycatchers, Red-backed Shrikes, Wrynecks, Golden Orioles and so on - I hope to produce a full trip report in the coming days/weeks which will detail all the sites you need to fill your boots with non-native goodness.

Israel Trip Report, March 2013

Below is a copy of my Israel trip report for March 2013. As with my Moroccan article, you can read, download or share the document at your will. Hope it comes in handy!

Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Suffolk

I've had a busy weekend, moving house over both days and playing cricket with James' team on Sunday afternoon (63 runs in my first innings for five years). Photos emerged of a Subalpine Warbler at Landguard on Friday evening that clearly depicted it to be of the Eastern race (albistriata) - not a split but a new form for me in the UK. Surprise news after a clear night saw the bird still there on the Saturday morning and so I sneaked away from packing/unpacking boxes in time to arrive in Felixstowe early evening. Enjoyed great views to just a few metres (bird often too close to focus on with my 400mm) with Marc, Kev et al over the following hour or so; what a stunning creature - a nice adult by the looks of things. The bird was restless and I never really managed the glorious shots I had envisaged taking as I made my way to the site, but some decent results nevertheless.

Even managed to get home at a reasonable hour to get on with further packing before retiring to bed. Off to Italy this weekend coming, hoping for some Brown Bear/Rock Partridge/Cat C action. Hopefully have some decent shots to post...

Rock Thrush

Probably wasn't worth trying to take photos of a distant bird in appalling light and drizzle while catching hypothermia. Apparently it's not yet safe to wear flip flops and shorts north of the Humber - in stark contrast to sunny London which reached 22°C yesterday! Decent bird though, despite being pretty wet and not a male. If you're interested in numbers, it's the 450th species of bird I've seen in Britain & Ireland. Thanks to Dan for driving and Rob for the fish and chips!

Green-winged Teal etc

Finally got out and did some London birding on an initially frosty morning that soon turned in to a glorious spring day (not warm, just mild). First up in the paddocks for Rich and I were a group of at least 15 Wheatears - 21 had been seen the evening previous:

On route back to the riverside footpath, a couple of Yellow Wags flew over and a female Redstart showed reasonably well for a minute or two before vanishing. On the Thames itself, Rich's Green-winged Teal eventually showed really well - perhaps 40m or so, wish I had a bigger lens sometimes. If you got the light right on this bird, I reckon really good shots could be possible with a bit of luck and patience.

Finished off late morning on Rich's patch at Rotherhithe, taking in Russia Dock Woodland. There were several Willow Warblers (some in flutey subsong) but no hoped-for Redstart/Pied Fly/Wood Warbler. Nice bit of scrub though - must get some good passers from time to time. Thanks to Rich for the lift as always.

Purple Sandpiper, Cley

A few images of this delightfully confiding bird from the Easter weekend.

Isabelline Wheatear

We spent a couple of hours around the expansive plains near Urim on our penultimate afternoon in Israel, although predictably we were a tad late in the season for huge flocks of sandgrouse and assorted raptors. That said, we did see a couple of Merlins and a pair of particularly showy Isabelline Wheatears which, in the evening light, provided an irresistable opportunity for photography. Utilizing some pretty good team tactics, we all managed some pleasing images. I must admit I've never really understood the difficulty in seperating these things from Northern Wheatears - particularly with good views. There's just something about their bulk and demeanour that is instantly recognizable. Anyway... great birds.

Various birds of prey

In a similar manner to passerines, bird of prey migration never really got going while we were in Israel. That said, Steppe Buzzards and Black Kites were still very much in evidence and, on one day, we did encounter a pretty strong movement of birds in the Dead Sea. Scattered among the buzzards and kites were Steppe, Lesser Spotted, Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Ospreys, Marsh Harriers and the the odd Egyptian Vulture.

Pale phase Booted Eagle

Short-toed Eagles

On our final day, we visited a reservoir to the south of Tel Aviv to look for White-headed Ducks. Adjacent to the reservoir was a quite hideous-smelling dump that was crawling with Black Kites and White Storks. Friends had seen a White-tailed Eagle here a couple of days previously and so, when Dan picked up a large raptor approaching, we assumed this would be it. But no - it was a Black Vulture!

The bird soon drifted off to the north, passing these White Storks and providing a reminder of its mighty size as it did so...

Israeli migrants

We didn't exactly experience vintage spring migration in southern Israel during our trip - in fact it was generally quite poor. By the sound (and looks) of things, it's been a 'wet' winter in the Negev this year and as a result green areas are more widespread than normal, which obviously doesn't help to concentrate migrating birds. That said, one or two sites proved consistently productive throughout the week, with one these being the wadi at k76-77. Here I had four new birds (Asian Desert Warbler, Hill Sparrow, Bimaculated Lark and Cretzschmar's Bunting) among the good numbers of migrants, including as Tawny Pipits, Short-toed Larks, Lesser Whitethroats and wheatears of varying flavour - all grounded by the persistent (and often brisk) northerly winds during our trip. Despite plenty of birds, obtaining photos was actually pretty hard as most were pretty wary and would fly whenever you got within reasonable distance.

Hill Sparrow

Cretzschmar's Bunting

Bimaculated Lark

K19-20 were also pretty productive throughout our stay, although the species range was obviously quite different given the saltpans and other waterbodies here. It was the only place we saw Water Pipits regularly, while there were plenty of migrant waders including Marsh Sandpipers and the ditch at k19 held Baillon's, Little and Spotted Crakes with a Water Rail thrown in for good measure!

 Red-throated Pipit

 Water Pipit

Little Crake

Purple Heron