London rarity bagging

News of an inner-London-first broke mid-morning on Monday. A Juvenile White-Winged Black Tern on the Serpentine in Hyde Park. Cracking, I thought, just a 20 minute cycle up there and I could get some nice shots. Bugger, I thought, meeting at lunchtime in Clapham. Nailed the meeting, on the bike, made good pace into town, arrived Hyde Park at 16:00 - bird gone!! Gutted.

Fortunately, more reports of the bird Tuesday morning and nothing in the diary. 10:45 on the bike, straight back to Hydey. Arrived at the Lido and there was the little flutterer on the other side of the lake. A classic birder stationed amongst the Japanese tourists was my first confirmation her was still around!

As the tern landed on its favourite perch I headed up to the bridge to grab a couple of shots. On the way I picked out some classic rancid birds of Central London Parks.

The black-header.

The lesser-blacker.

The Great grebe,

The Cormorant, looking extremely malevolent in the fading light. I like this picture, he looks like Rodin carved him from stone!

I nabbed a photo of the perched tern, just as he was chased off by a black-head.

It was pretty overcast and the little blighter was quite rapid dip-feeding. However, I managed to grab some nice shots before heading back to work.

A great bird for my London list, and a UK first as well.

Half Century

I raised my scope to the birding gods today as I reached a fine landmark, a half century of raptors. After racing through the 30s courtesy of some loose long hops from the medium pace of Thailand, some tight bowling from the European swing quartet of Spain, Sweden, Turkey and France had kept me in the early 40s for quite a while. Some observers questioned whether I had the mental capacity to reach the half century, but as Mexico came into the attack with her lazy leg spin, it became only a matter of time.

A cover drive for 4 in Veracruz (Aplomado Falcon, Broad-winged Hawk, Black Vulture, Roadside Hawk) took me to 49, and then I ran a quick single at La Presa today (White-tailed Hawk) to reach the milestone.

It's been a fairly quick innings thus far. To reach the century would mean decades more of hard graft, and as the pitch enters its 60th - 70th years, cracks will deteriorate and scoring will become particularly tricky!

Big Boys of Veracruz

Definitely one of the highlights of my weekend was seeing these big boys. There's no doubt that this one in particular is one of my favourite birds..

The Magnificent Frigate is a class act, and certainly a lot more graceful than these lumps...

There were about 30 Brown Pelicans roosting on a sandbank in the rivermouth at Chachalacas. Alongside them were a Little Blue Heron, a Royal Tern, and a fine selection of waders.

Total Reckoning from Veracruz trip:

BROWN PELICAN, MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Great Blue Heron, LITTLE BLUE HERON, Black-crowned Night Heron, Turkey Vulture, BLACK VULTURE, ROADSIDE HAWK, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, Osprey, GRAY HAWK, APLOMADO FALCON, Peregrine, American Coot, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Western Sandpiper, SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, Least Sandpiper, Sanderling, LAUGHING GULL, ROYAL TERN, SOOTY TERN, Sandwich Tern, Collared Dove, Feral Pigeon, White-winged Dove, Mourning Dove, Inca Dove, WHITE-TIPPED DOVE, RED-BILLED PIGEON, SQUIRREL CUCKOO, WHITE-COLLARED SWIFT, CANIVET'S EMERALD, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, ROSE-THROATED BECARD, TROPICAL KINGBIRD, EASTERN KINGBIRD, GREAT KISKADEE, SOCIAL FLYCATCHER, Barn Swallow, BANK SWALLOW, NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, BAND-BACKED WREN, CLAY COLOURED ROBIN, YELLOW WARBLER, YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER, BLUE-GREY TANAGER, YELLOW-WINGED TANAGER, BLUE BLACK GRASQUIT, House Sparrow, Great-tailed Grackle, ALTAMIRA ORIOLE, BALTIMORE ORIOLE

Veracruz - Best of the Rest

Raptor migration might have been thin on the ground, but when this little Yellow-throated Warbler dropped onto the roof of the Hotel, it confirmed that there was movement of kinds! My first American Wood Warbler, and what a cracker.

Being close to the sea, I also managed to drop into a few terns, and my first Gulls of Mexico. Firstly, in the immediate aftermath of the storm, I picked up some mixed flocks of Sandwich and Sooty Terns right in the town centre. Ridiculous. Some of the juvenile Sootys were superb. I had better views at the coast at Playa Chachalacas, though, and managed to snap this winter plumaged Sanger.

Not far away was the Laughing Gull.

On the Saturday, critters were plentiful. From the hotel alone, I scoped Social Flycatchers, Blue-Grey Tanagers, Yellow-winged Tanagers and Baltimore Orioles. Down by the Rio Antigua, I managed Band-backed Wrens, Altamira Oriole, Yellow Warbler, Rose-throated Becards and Great Kiskadees. Over the river, Barn Swallows hawked with Bank Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows and White-collared Swifts.

Stream of Raptors

Though I was happy with my shorebird photos, they weren't the main attraction of Veracruz. I was there to see raptors. The hurricane meant most of Friday was a wash out, but during a brief evening lull, I managed a walk around Cardel and the nearby village of La Antigua.

Firstly, a falcon dashed over my head alongside the Rio Antigua, not dissimilar to a Hobby. This was a right bonus. I knew Aplomado Falcon's were in the area, but catching up with one was by no means a guarantee.

Further down river, some Turkey Vultures took to the skies. Amongst them were a few different birds, though - the first of many Black Vultures. Don't confuse these boys with Monk Vultures from Europe. The Monks are a lot bigger, and a lot rarer.

A loud squawk alerted me to a large Raptor tucking into a Swallow by the side of the road. That gave me a clue to it's ID. Only managed a poor photo of this male Roadside Hawk.

Next up was a raptor I was altogether more familiar with. A large bird sitting atop a bare tree over a lake. Could only be one thing. Osprey.

The day after the Hurricane, I set up shop atop the Hotel Bienvenido in Cardel. Unfortunately, the Pronatura group that are normally there every day were still stranded by the flood waters, so I was flying solo. A large flock of birds thermalling at about 10 o'clock got me thinking that the River had started in earnest. Unfortunately, though, closer inspection revealed a bunch of resident Black Vultures. Rubbish.

More encouraging was a slow movement of Peregrines. 3 circled and continued south early doors. I picked out 2 Broad-winged Hawks during the morning, but where were the rest, and where were the thousands of Mississippi Kites? It soon became apparent that, as a result of Karl, this wasn't the best day for raptor watching.

Before heading down to the beach, I gambled on a last minute scan grenade. Result. Picked out a juvenile Grey Hawk perched up. Note the Grackle in background.

The next day, the Pronatura group turned up, and it was good to finally meet some fellow birders in Mexico! I only had an hour before I had to catch the bus, though, and it was only long enough to pick up a trickle of Ospreys.

Never mind. I'll be back.

Shorebird Spectacle

I bribed a taxi driver to take me through the flood waters to the beach on Saturday afternoon. Definitely worth it! Was rewarded with close views of some gorgeous waders.

A group of Sanderling were busy scuttling up and down a stretch of shoreline. They were quite tame, and I wanted to get as close as possible. I used the classic birders army crawl, a technique popularised by X-man and Ray Mysterio. Ended up with a sandy belly, but some pretty nice shots.

It wasn't just Sanderlings in town. This mouse-like Semipalmated Sandpiper kept probing along the shoreline.

A graceful Black-bellied Plover posed in the evening light.

By now, I was starting to perfect the art of another type of close approach - slow and steady, and using the telescope as a screen.

This Least Sandpiper is easily identifiable by its yellow legs, the only 'Peep' with this feature.

Last but not least was the Willet - in more appropriate surroundings than the last one I had far inland at La Presa.

Hurricane Stops Play

What a weekend to choose to go to Veracruz! Hurricane Karl struck on Friday and destroyed the town of Cardel and the hotel in which I was staying. Needless to say, these weren't ideal conditions for the River of Raptors, and so, on that front, it was a rather disappointing trip.

I only really managed one full days birding in poor conditions. The sites I wanted to get to were cut off - but I nevertheless still grabbed a cheeky 32 lifers and some nice photos.

Towhee Bunger

The Canyon Towhee is in my good books at the moment, having joined the likes of Cactus Wren, House Sparrow, Cassin's Kingbird, Verm Flycatcher, Swallow, Lesser Goldfinch, Inca Dove and an incredibly close Turkey Vulture on my garden list.

There can be no denying he's a bit of a drab character, though. Still, I managed to snap him in some nice late afternoon light.

This will probably be my last post till next week. I'm off to the River of Raptors, so hopefully will have some very interesting sightings to report..

Grackle Roost..part 3

You've seen Hitchcock's The Birds right?

The Grackle roost is a scene straight from that movie. You don't want to mess around with this lot.

They arrive in the plaza at about dusk.

Yesterday, at 11 p.m. the bicentenary fireworks went off prompting a stream of thousands of birds to leave the plaza unleashing a storm of dung on all unfortunate enough to be stood below

Angel Eyes

The Bicentenario celebrations meant town centre was a pretty crazy place last night. Before it all kicked off there, I nipped into the Parque del Pila to check out the Egret roost. Absolutely spectacular. In one tree alone I counted over 300 Cattle Egrets. Ridiculous.

Angel Eyes here thought he ruled the roost.

But don't worry about spikey.

Or Sneaky

The Butcher Bird

Had a short evening stroll from my place just now. I picked up a handy 20 species. A month ago, 15 would have been tough to recognise lifers for me, but it's nice now to be able to roll them off as they chirp away or fly by.

A pair of Spotted Sandpiper patrolled the edges of this marsh,whilst the odd American Coot danced through the reeds.

As dusk approached, the trio of Egrets took to the sky and bombed towards the roost in Parque de Pila. Cattle mainly, but Snowy and Great were also there in reasonable numbers. I also picked up the trio of Doves; Inca, Mourning and White-winged.

Though they're common birds round these parts, you won't find me complaining about good views of Flycatchers, Kingbirds and Cactus Wrens. Nor of Hirundo rustica for that matter.

And who can argue with having the Butcher Bird perched up on your aerial

The Big Boys in Town

A glorious day today, following a week of spectacular lightning storms that kept all of Tequis awake and replenished the dwindling water levels at La Presa.

A week on from when I last visited, and the avifauna has changed again. This is a staging post, there's no doubt about it. At this time of year, most of the birds seen on one visit will have long gone by the time you next come. In their place can be something totally different. Today, for example, Baird's and Least Sandpipers down to a 'bair' handful most of the way around the lake, and instead, the shoreline covered with Spotted Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs.

The Phalaropes appear to be a constant presence, but their numbers are climbing. Today, over 2500, including a raft which allowed particularly close approach.

In the centre of the lake very few Blue-winged Teals and Mexican Ducks, no Pintails and certainly no Fulvous Whistlers (that was a rare stroke of luck). Shovelers, though, have taken over, from dam to swamp, and shallows to deeps. On the far edge, 65 Eared Grebes had gathered together with the odd Yankee Coot and Ruddy Duck, claiming one of the few

unoccupied patches of water.

After a couple of miles without seeing any new birds, my luck changed for the better. First, a huge bird cruised over. Looked like a Grey Heron on steroids. It was the big boy, though, a fine adult Great Blue Heron, winter visitor in these parts.

I then reached wader central. A few Bairds and Spottys crept around low, but it was the long-legged Waders that grabbed the attention. Black-necked Stilts dominant and interspersed with impossibly elegant American Avocets. Stilt Sandpipers made to look small by 60+ Lesser Yellowlegs, and then the Leser Yellowlegs themselves dwarfed by their big brother, a Greater Yellowlegs. Hard to tell apart individually, but the difference in size dramatic when seen close together.

Thought I'd be able to walk all the way round the Res, but a particularly angry muddy river cut me off. Had to turn round. Never mind. On my way back, a large wader took flight that was hundreds of miles from where it should have been. The Willet's striking underwing pattern is unmistakeable. A great bird this far inland, I grabbed a few record shots. Here's the big fella in flight with L.Y. Legs and B.S.

I focussed a bit more on the scrub on my way back. Just as well. I was quickly into Verms, Loggerheads, a few Bullock's Orioles and the noisy Cactus Wrens. A few tiny birds flitting through the scrub were new to me, though. Grabbed a few shots, good enough to confirm my third lifer of the morning, Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher.

Ibiza Birding and Partying

Ibiza is a hedonist's paradise. Unfortunately, hedonism for me is chasing Autumn migrants on a wet, windy day in Dungeness, a somewhat unmet need in the bars and clubs of Ibiza.

The popular image of Ibiza as an island covered in the worst aspects of British popular culture is unwarranted. Away from the "strip" lies beautiful, rolling, Mediterranean hillside and unspoilt coves edged by clear blue sea.

Around our apartment I dropped on to Sardinian Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers (on passage?) and an evening roost of Greenfinch. Audouin's and Yellow-Legged Gulls were an hourly sighting along the beach and a steady-flow of migrating Swallows and House Martins went overhead.

Over the next few days I bagged the classic birds of the Med Islands; Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Blue Rock Thrush, Collared Dove and more Sards than you could shake a stick at.

The first major birding highlight came in the form of a fine adult Eleanora's Falcon, bombing in-off the sea, powering along the cliff face and circling over the restaurant, while Sam and I tucked into a Spanish Omelette. Fine fare indeed. Ibiza remains a stronghold of this awesome raptor - named after Eleanora of Arborea, a Sardinian Heroine.

A quick drive up the hillside after lunch brought in some elusive Firecrests in the pine trees. One of Ray Mysterio's special skills is picking out this little critter on call alone and my powers didn't fail me. Stopping the car, I picked out an Orphean Warbler, close enough to distinguish from the male Sards. A mixed tit flock contained Coal Tot and a straggling Willow Warbler.

We headed up to my old boss's amazing house, carved into the hilltops in the North of the island. While we sipped on an ice cold Cerveza and nibbled Iberico Ham, a massive flock of bubbling Bee-Eater gathered in their evening roost.

Marmora's Warbler (Balearic Warbler) eluded me - I would have needed to invest a bit more time sweating around the undergrowth to pick him out. However, a late afternoon trip to Ses Salines by the airport brought 30+ fine Greater Flamingos and many Black-Winged Stilt.

Total of 27 good quality species was satisfactory considering the few hours birding undertaken.

Verdin

There's another Presa to the north of Tequis, and, after work yesterday, I jogged over to check it out. It's much more picturesque, set in amongst the mountains and surrounded by steep, cactus covered slopes.

Lacking vegetated sides and any wader scrapes, though, the birdlife there doesn't match up the the Presa Centenario. The lake itself still held the odd American Coot and a flock of 60 Wilson's Phalaropes (how many must pass through this area!). On the banks, a herd of cattle was attended by 30 Cattle Egrets.

Of more interest were the small birds flitting through the cactii on the slopes. A group of 12 Lark Sparrows. Cactus Wrens seemingly everywhere. And a noisy flock of 30 Bushtits cruising through. Best of all, though, a tiny grey bird with a yellow head and dark lores chipped away from a nearby bush. It was a Verdin, a small tit-like desert loving species, and a nice addition to my list.

Wader Fest

It was hard to resist returning to the Presa Centenario yesterday. Some heavy downpours had likely dropped a fair few waders onto its shores. I opted for a walk around the North shore for the first time, not knowing what surprises were held in store for me. Straight away I could see that the Wilson's Phalarope numbers were up. I scanned the reservoir from the dam and picked up 1080 straight away, with bigger rafts in the distance.

The shoreline was dripping with smaller waders as well. Baird's Sandpipers were the most numerous (450 scattered around), but there was also a noticeable increase in the number of Least Sandpipers (40+). 6 Semipalmated Plovers scuttled along the rocks, a bit of a bonus, considering their range according to Howell and Webb. Beginning to realise that the range maps in my book are fairly inaccurate, probably due to lack of observer coverage in inland Mexico. Next up were good views of a Stilt Sandpiper, providing an interesting comparison with the first of the 5 Lesser Yellowlegs that I picked up.

There was an increase in the number of American Avocets to 6 and also good numbers of Black-necked Stilts. Over 100 White-faced Ibises fed on the edge, but the most spectacular aspect of the day was the Swallow migration I was witnessing. They were there in there tens of thousands. Counting them accurately was beyond my skills. At one stage, I picked out a distant Peregrine

doing the rounds, and as I put my scope to it, I could see it was carving through a sea of Swallows - much like the footage you see of Falcons picking through the millions of Bats that leave their caves.

I'd just picked out a female Green-winged Teal when another swarm came into view. Midges. Ure was about, no doubt about that. I'd obviously stumbled upon their breeding grounds. For about 5 minutes, I had to charge through endless swarms keeping my head low and using the scope as protection. I couldn't stop to properly check out an interesting Woodpecker in the cactii and an even more interesting mammal running away from me - it looked like some kind of gopher!

Eventually through the midges, I had a chance to scan the lake again. Huge numbers of Shoveler (1200), 6 Pintails and plenty of Mexican Ducks. The B.W. Teals, Eared Grebes and the likes, though were obviously sticking to the reedy vegetation on the far shore. 6 birds came blogging along very close in shore. I got them in the bins and realised I'd picked up a group of American Black Terns. Quality. You never know what's going to turn up at the reservoir.

Part of the Phalarope raft

The thunder clouds were gathering so I decided it was time to head back. I'd got about 20 metres and had just flushed a nervous Hare before the rain started. It was proper rain as well. I was quickly drenched, but at least it quietened the midges down. When I finally reached the shelter of the dam, I opted for 1 last scan in case the rain had put anything interesting down. Result. 2 American Snipes probing away along the water's edge. Also, a different 'Peep' amongst the Baird's and Leasts. Reading Sibley had paid off, I knew it was another lifer - a Western Sandpiper.

Waders of the reservoir so far (max numbers):

Baird's Sand (450),

Western Sand (1),

Least Sand (40),

Stilt Sand (1),

Spotted Sand (25),

Lesser Yellowlegs (5),

B.N. Stilt (130),

A. Avocet (6),

A. Snipe (2),

W.Phalarope (1650),

Killdeer (70),

Semipalmated Plover (6).

and whatever else I've missed!

Tequis Sunsets

A collection of scenic photos taken around my 'pad' in Club de Golf, Tequisquiapan

Open country - perfect habitat for Loggerhead Shrikes and Cassin's Kingbirds

Home of Cactus Jack

El Sauz Swamp - usually full of Egrets and Mosquitoes!

Lifers Galore

Headed back to the Presa Centenario reservoir after school yesterday to see what else it had to offer. From the dam (at the busy end), things were initially a bit quiet - the Phalarope raft was absent, and, in the persistent rain, there wasn't a lot of other activity. As I made my way around the West side, though, things started to pick up. Flocks of Baird's Sandpipers whizzed through,

and Eared Grebes, American Coots and Ruddy Ducks drifted out from the vegetation.

The further I got away from town, the more bird activity there was. Big rafts of Mexican Ducks fed in the centre of the lake, and, in the shallows, huge numbers of Blue-winged Teal became apparent. I reached one point on the lake and launched a huge scan grenade. One raft of waterfowl included Ruddys, Coots, B.W. Teals, Mexican Ducks, 4 Northern Pintails, 150+ Shovelers, 40 Eared Grebes, and my first Pied-billed Grebe. 5 skulking Least Grebes joined the party.

Stalking the edge were a dozen White-faced Ibises, and a countless supply of Snowy and Cattle Egrets.

A flock of oddly shaped Ducks took to the sky, whistling with each wing beat. When they landed, I could confidently i.d. them as 12 Fulvous Whistling Ducks, way outside their range according to Howell and Green.

As I reached the far end of the reservoir, I realised it was incredibly even better than the rest. There was less open water, and more muddy patches, perfect for waders. I immediately picked up a flock of 105 Black-necked Stilts, and in amongst them was a male American Avocet still in its fine breeding plumage. The place was littered with Wilsons Phalaropes, and in amongst the Baird's Sandpipers were 20 smaller Least Sandpipers.

Species challenge?

A final scan landed a final highlight - a Crested Caracara stumbling around the edge of the reservoir, perhaps after a tasty dinner of American Coot. 7 lifers in total, huge effort!