Soil Hill; Week 20th June - 26th June

Alas the Sedge Warbler dream was not to be this year, as the bird went silent on the 20th, and I was unable to spot it moving in the undergrowth, suggesting it has moved on rather than found a partner. A sad turn of events, but not unexpected given how late it actually arrived on site. If it has headed off then hopefully it has a bit more luck elsewhere. However the 20th was not all bad news, as I kicked an adult and juvenile Grasshopper Warbler out of the long grass, confirming their breeding for the third consecutive year. Hopefully soon the male will begin to sing again as it normally does during July. 

Its been quite the week for fledglings, with Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Blue Tit and Coal Tit all having recently graduated young scattered around the Hill. A Pheasant family with at least six chicks is also around, and the NK Pond moorhens have at least one chick, as does the family on the North Slope. The NK Pond Mallards also have a brood of four reasonably well grown chicks as well. 

Standout species were a little thin on the ground, limited to a juvenile Goldcrest on Ned Hill Track on the 22nd, and a female Bullfinch in the Koi Farm Copse on the 26th. The Goldcrest especially is notable as it is the first I have recorded here since December 2020

-Grasshopper Warbler

-Goldcrest

-Coal Tit

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting,

Soil Hill; Week 17th June - 19th June

This was a short week, due to being away for the first half, but also very important. During my absence of around 10 days, the Soil Hill Sedge Warbler finally turned up. I had given up hope of the species returning this year, given that it was already the 6th of June when I left, but fortunately, he arrived and has continued singing since. Whether or not a partner will arrive now, we will have to wait and see, but it does seem a little hopeless in all honesty. The bird itself is very active, frequently displaying and remixing a nice selection of species from the Soil Hill area; Linnet, Goldfinch, Reed Bunting and a particular favourite of this bird, Oystercatcher. 

Other birds of note have been a couple of juvenile Stonechats on the walls at the bottom of the North Slope on the 18th, and the continued presence of good numbers of Snipe in the bottom fields. also displaying early in the morning. A juvenile Northern Wheatear on the 17th was my first ever here in June, which was unexpected. And on the same date, I stumbled across a beautiful Lapwing nest with four eggs.

On the 17th we left the Moth trap out in the garden, and while I can't face identifying all the brown and nondescript species, a Small Elephant Hawkmoth was certainly a treat, the first time we have caught one. 

-Sedge Warbler

-Northern Wheatear

-Northern Lapwing nest

-Small Elephant Hawkmoth

Species List:

Soil Hill: Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Swift, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Owl, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Barn Swallow, Willow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Northern Wheatear, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 

Ibiza; 11.06.2022 - 16.06.2022

  From the outset it is worth stating that this was absolutely not a birding holiday. However, the Mediterranean region does provide some very cool opportunities, even in small towns dominated by drunken English tourists, like myself.

  Birding was limited obviously, but the presence of Audouin's Gulls in the harbour was very exciting given I have only seen this species on one prior occasion. During the day the gulls would frequent the shorelines and rooftops throughout the area, and at night they would come down and forage leftover takeaways. It almost made me regret not bringing my camera! It was also nice to see my first 'Mediterranean' Shags, which were extremely approachable both when roosting on rocks and when fishing inshore, which meant the camera was not required to record all their details. 

  On the non-bird front we found a Moorish Gecko in one of the bars we visited, and I had a lizard tick with Ibiza Wall Lizard. There were some brilliant shoals of Seabream feeding in the marina as well, with Gilthead and Sharp-snouted Seabream being the two I could recognise, whilst also picking out Painted Comber and Mediterranean Damselfish. 

-Moorish Gecko

-Ibiza Wall Lizard

-European Shag ssp. desmarestii

-Audouin's Gull

-Various fish species

Species List:

Ibiza: Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Audouin's Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, European Shag, Common Blackbird, House Sparrow, European Greenfinch, Ibiza Wall Lizard, Moorish Gecko,

East Anglia - Undisclosed Location

I spent the week doing fieldwork at an undisclosed location in the South-East, but there was too much to enjoy to not post a few photos and some short context. The birding was excellent, with Hobbies, Red Kites and Buzzards soaring everywhere, and on one occasion a Honey Buzzard flew over, which is a solid British tick for me. Wetland areas were lively with Little Egrets and even Glossy Ibis, while the woodlands had a singing Firecrest in addition to commoner species such as Marsh Tit and Lesser Whitethroat.

The insects were the real stars, and I had a lot of fun looking at Odonata whilst out in the field. It took a few days but I finally connected with a Norfolk Hawker, and from then on they were extremely abundant, often perching in very conspicuous locations. Variable Damselfly was also common here, mixed in with the abundant Azure Damselflies and Large Red Damselflies.

-Glossy Ibis

-Honey Buzzard

-Firecrest

-Variable Damselfly

-Broad-bodied Chaser

-Norfolk Hawker

Species List:
Undisclosed Location: Greylag Goose, Barnacle Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Common Pheasant, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Northern Lapwing, Common Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank, Black-legged Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Northern Fulmar, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Bittern, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Glossy Ibis, European Honey Buzzard, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Common Firecrest, Eurasian Treecreeper, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, European Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, Muntjac Deer, Red Fox, European Rabbit, Banded Demoiselle, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue-tailed Damselfly, Azure Damselfly, Variable Damselfly, Broad-bodied Chaser, Hairy Damselfly, Norfolk Hawker,