Poland

  I had spent the last few days in Germany visiting my friend Max Baumgarten who I travelled to Uganda, Malawi and Madagascar with, and for my final days he suggested travelling to Poland, for a new country for me and the chance for some interesting birding. It was a few hours from his base so we arrived mid-morning, but stayed until the end of the afternoon and had a phenomenal days birding. 

  We started birding a wetland area with large expanses of reedbed, known as the Karsiborska Kępa Bird Sanctuary on the Karsibór Island. This was an excellent introduction to Polish birding, with the reedbeds providing excellent views of singing Bluethroat and Savis Warbler. The wet grassland areas had plenty of Blue-headed Yellow Wagtails as well as groups of Garganey. The main river had mostly common species, with small groups of Pochard and Goldeneye being the highlights. And overhead we had multiple White-tailed Eagles and a few Black Kites. In just under two hours birding we managed to collect over 60 species.

  Next we drove around the corner to an area of agricultural land adjacent to an area of woodland. Despite not seeming like much from the outset, we had some great birding with singing Barred Warbler, singing River Warbler and multiple Red-backed Shrikes. A displaying Firecrest with a fully flared crest was a strong contender for the highlight of the morning, but it was close with a frustratingly brief Hoopoe that was feeding on the road. In this area we also heard a singing Corn Crake but we could not see the bird no matter how hard we tried. On the non-birding front, we had a beautiful green male Sand Lizard on the side of the road as we walked back to the car. Frustratingly at this point my camera was dead, but Max managed to get some photos on his phone. 

  As we left the island we had without doubt the standout of the day, when we drove past a solitary Wild Boar walking down the main street in the village. It was largely unconcerned about the car pulling up next to it, and we were even able to get out and watch it feed from a distance without causing any disturbance. It eventually scuttled off into the reeds, leaving two very happy gentlemen behind it. 

  In the afternoon we visited the Wolinski Park Narodowy, no longer on the Karsibór Island. The woodland was very peaceful, with very few people around, but the birding was very enjoyable, with multiple singing Wood Warblers and a few singing Red-breasted Flycatchers providing some varitation to the woodland I am used to in the UK. We stayed here for just a few hours before heading quickly to the beach, the Polish supermarket and then back to Germany, after a very successful and enjoyable day out. 

-Pelophylax sp.

-Wild Boar

Species List:

Poland: Greylag Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe, Feral Pigeon, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Common Crane, Northern Lapwing, Common Snipe, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull, White Stork, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Bittern, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Black Kite, White-tailed Eagle, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Hoopoe, Common Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, European Green Woodpecker, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Northern Raven, Marsh Tit, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Bearded Reedling, Icterine Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Common Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, River Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Western House Martin, Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Common Firecrest, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Song Thrush, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Black Redstart, Whinchat, European Stonechat, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eurasian Chaffinch, Common Rosefinch, European Greenfinch, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, European Serin, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Common Reed Bunting,

Rainham Marshes twitching Woodchat Shrike

  I was down in London for the weekend visit my friend David Darrel-Lambert and so we had a bit of time to do some birding around the area. We explored a few nice locations, including hearing Nightingales around East Tilbury and seen a brilliant summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpiper on the Isle of Sheppey.

  At Rainham Marshes there had been a Woodchat Shrike present for a few days prior to my arrival so we headed there one afternoon to see the bird. It was a very nice bird in its spring plumage, and was showing well, often perching out in the open and hunting.

  Obviously Rainham is an excellent reserve in its own right. Although the birding was more limited with it being mid-afternoon we still enjoyed a few birds such as hunting Hobbies and some very showy Bearded Tits. Other goodies included Common Lizards sitting on the fences, Marsh Frogs being abundant in the ditches and very nice Green Hairstreaks in the hawthorn trees along the edge of the footpaths. 

-Woodchat Shrike

-Green Hairstreak

-Marsh Frog

-Common Lizard

Species List:
Rainham Marshes RSPB: Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Common Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Pheasant, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, Common Swift, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Pied Avocet, Northern Lapwing, Common Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, European Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Great Cormorant, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Magpie, Western Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Northern Raven, Eurasian Blue Tit, Great Tit, Eurasian Skylark, Bearded Reedling, Sedge Warbler, Common Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Common Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Eurasian Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Eurasian Wren, Common Starling, Common Blackbird, European Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Common Linnet, European Goldfinch, Common Reed Bunting, 

Cromwell Bottom, Whiteholme Reservoir & Hardcastle Craggs

A day without work and fog on the tops meant an opportunity to cruise around a few different sites around Halifax picking up different birds that I normally don't see on Soil Hill. In total I clocked 75 different species from my travels today, which is pretty good, and had I tried harder it could easily have been more. 

Cromwell Bottom

  A warbler fest this morning with singles of Garden Warbler and Reed Warbler singing, plus seven Blackcap, 10 Chiffchaff and 2 Willow Warbler.

  Over the Ski lake there were my first Swift of the year, with two blogging high up. Additionally, there were good numbers of Hirundines present. 

  Perhaps the biggest surprise was a female Brambling that flew past calling, giving excellent views of the birds white rump.

-Garden Warbler

Whiteholme Reservoir

   A late morning visit to the reservoir, in the hope of finding a Dunlin or Ringed Plover, but the only wading birds present were two Common Sandpiper. 

  Whilst watching I heard the distinctive three-note call of a Greenshank over the moor towards Warland. Despite scanning desperately I could not pick the bird up. It called around 6/7 times in total, eventually getting fainter as it appeared to move north. I tried to record the sound using the Merlin App and despite the windy conditions, you can make out the sound of the bird on a few occasions. 

  Additionally, the sites Grasshopper Warbler has returned and was reeling from the tree below the dam wall. 

-Grasshopper Warbler

Hardcastle Craggs

A very pleasant afternoon in the Craggs for a couple of hours produced seven Pied Flycatchers; six males and a single female. Otherwise just common woodland species.

-Pied Flycatcher