Window to Wildlife

I awoke early, as light was breaking, and was immediately lured out of bed by the uplifting chorus of sound from outside the window. As I pulled back the curtains, I glimpsed a shaggy Blond-crested Woodpecker on the tree and a Slaty-breasted Wood Rail calling raucously from beneath the feeders. A perfect way to start the day! The nectar feeders hanging right outside our window were already drawing birds in to feed, with Black Jacobin and Bananaquit both present.  From the terrace before breakfast, a Swallow-tailed Cotinga, both parakeets and a female Bare-throated Bellbird all showed well in the trees, with Rufous-bellied Thrushes hopping on the lawn below. After breakfast we drove a short distance to Tres Picos National Park, a superb location where we were barely out of the bus in the car park before birds started appearing thick and fast. First up were some Long-tailed Tyrants which gave good scope views in a distant tree, while on a branch above a Crested Becard was busy around...

 We arrived at Rio early in the morning following an overnight flight of 11 hours, and were soon en route to our accommodation at Itororo Lodge, set in the heart of the forest, close to Nova Friburgo. As we sped through Rio, a few distant egrets, Neotropical Cormorants and Magnificent Frigatebirds were seen, together with plenty of Black Vultures resting on lampposts close to the busy road. After around an hour of driving we stopped for coffee, noting Blue and White Swallows nesting under the eaves of the adjacent building, a Yellow-headed Caracara perched atop a tall tree together with a Kiskadee and a pair of stunning, bright Saffron Finches perched on the wires.  Our birding adventure had begun…! Brassy-breasted Tanagers We continued on to our base at the beautiful Itororo Lodge,  arriving mid-morning to tea and cake on the terrace, where a feast of birds met our eyes.  The feeding tables were arrayed with fruit, attracting beautiful tanagers with brilliant, rich ...

 We were first alerted to this rare find on Sunday 10th; it was discovered beside the river at Upper Beeding during a Wetland Bird survey Due to other commitments we were not able to get over that day, and it took us three attempts before we managed to really connect with the bird. As the first in the area since 1853 (!) and a nationally scarce visitor, it drew in the crowds and the viewing area from the river bank pathway was rather constraining for the large numbers present.  On our first  attempt,  after waiting patiently for some time with no sightings, a flurry of excitement swept through the good-natured crowd as a dog walker approached. The sea of birders parted amicably to allow a path through, and the throng waited in quiet expectation to see if this might flush the bird, whilst leaving everyone with a clear conscience that they had not pressurised the bird! This disturbance did not disappoint, and the bird was indeed flushed, but unfortunately the only view...

The birding grapevine proved useful today when news came through of a juvenile Red-backed Shrike up at Mill Hill nature reserve. We quickly headed up there, where several other local birders were already on site. The bird was feeding in a large area of scrub, showing well, but not exceptionally close views. He was quite mobile, progressing through the scrub, but this was a good bird to find within our local area.  Red-backed Shrike

We joined Clive for the annual SDOS outing to Thorney Island. We started on the west side of the island, in rather cold and gloomy conditions for the time of year. We noted Cetti's and Sedge Warblers in the reedbeds, then a beautiful Kingfisher, a Kestrel hovering overhead and a motionless Greenshank. On the water at Little Deep we found several Gadwall, a Little Grebe, and a few Tufted Ducks and Coots. In the distance, we could just make out some Cattle Egret moving around the feet of the cattle, largely obscured by the long grass. However, generally it was pretty quiet, with far fewer birds than we have seen on previous visits. Kestrel After lunch, we set off along the eastern side, with much warmer conditions than we had experienced in the morning.  Scanning the landing lights, we were rewarded with our primary target for the day - an Osprey perched on top. We enjoyed  some decent scope views of this lovely bird. By the Great Deep and adjacent flooded fields we found g...

  Today was our last birding day, and we had a long  drive to the beach area at Vada. We broke the journey with a stop in the forest, hoping to add a woodpecker or Hawfinch, but although these were heard they were not seen. Red -breasted Flycatcher was again singing, and there were a few snatches of distant Wood Warbler, but the only new species seen was Greenfinch, camouflaged in the dappled canopy. On arrival at the coastal region,  we started our birding at an area of several scrapes and marshland. On the first one there was little new - just a  Northern Wheatear, egrets, and Shelduck. Walking on past a corridor of lush green reeds and rushes we heard calling Reed Warblers and a Reed Bunting  posed at the top of a tall stem. The next scrape was very productive and we had a flurry of great species. A flock of Mallard and Gadwall on the muddy bank concealed a Shoveler and Teal, both new trip ticks. There were plenty of waders here too, with Ruff, Marsh Sandpipe...

After a reasonable length drive, we took a walk within the Macin National Park, a biodiverse rich area with many plants and butterflies etc. With a change of habitat came a change of bird species. As we drove along the rough track to the reserve, the loud, jangly song of the Corn Bunting was heard and a number of birds were seen throughout the grassland valley. Next up was an Isabelline Wheatear perched on a rock, then dropping to the ground before returning to its original post.  Isabelline Wheatear One of our core target species for the day was Tawny Pipit,  and this was rapidly called by Bernie with his expert knowledge of bird song. The bird gave good, sustained views perched in a bush, but was sadly a bit too distant for photographs.  Continuing along the track, we noted enormous crickets, chirruping loudly from the grass, and many butterflies puddling on the damper areas of the track. At a rocky outcrop Alex spotted a resting Long-legged Buzzard. This soon took off ...