Birding Extramadura March 27th - 1st April 2015

Highlights from our 5 days of Birding in Extramadura mainly around Saucedilla, Trujillo and Monfrague national park.

Wetlands around Saucedilla

Storks nesting in Trujillo

Monfrague Vultures

Monfrague National Park

Tourists !!

Booted Eagle

A few Cattle Egrets

Great Bustards

Great Bustard

Hoopoe

Spanish Imperial Eagle (on nest)

Azure Winged Magpie

B

Black Vulture

Blue Rockthrush

Crag Martin

Egyption Vulture

Crested Lark

Great Bustard

Griffon Vulture

Griffon Vulture

Hawfinch

Lesser kestrel

Purple Swamphen

Rock Bunting

Scarce Swallowtail

Serin

Steppe Grey Shrike

Black Kite

Corn Bunting

Sub-alpine Warbler

Sub-alpine Warbler

Thekla Lark



Woodchat Shrike

White Stork



White Stork

Black-winged Kite

West Sussex Commons Sunday 1st February 2015

A cold and breezy day starting at Burton Mill Pond with only the occasional Tit flock with Goldcrests and possible Firecrest.

Goldcrest

 

After doing the circuit back at the Mill both Treecreeper and a Grey Wagtail were on show

 

Treecreeper

Grey Wagtail

From here we relocated to Iping Common which was more or less birdless apart from our target of the Great Grey Shrike

Great Grey Shrike

Great Grey Shrike

A visit to Ambersham Common turned up 3 Bullfinches and little else so we called it a day.

I decided to call in at Bexhill to try and find the Snowbunting and did so in 10 minutes, pics are very poor due to the light fading

Snow Bunting

 

 

Dungeness Sunday 18th January 2015

We met up at the Hanson hide at 8.30 in damp and drizzly conditions, which continued for most of the day. Sandra spotting our first Bittern of the year followed by another and then another. The Ruddy Duck was still there but for how long? Walking round to the screen hide to get better views of Bittern we were rewarded with a fly over. One of several Great White Egrets were fairly close so I tried to get something with the new small camera

 

Later on there was one a lot closer

Great White Egret

 Over on the reserve a drake Smew was distant as were the 8 redheads

Drake Smew

With the weather not really improving we went to the Cattle Egrets at Lydd then onto Walland Marsh finding the herd of Bewick Swans, Paul managing to pick out the Whooper Swan and had great views of a male Hen Harrier. A quick visit the sea found Kittiwake, Gannet, Razorbill and Guillemot. Next stop was Scotney finding the male Scaup and 2 Black-necked Grebes. On to Winchelsea Beach where the Lesser Yellowlegs was showing close to the Environment agency road at the western end of the reserve.

Lesser Yellowlegs

On the tideline were Sanderling, Dunlin, Greyplover, masses of Gulls, Curlews and Oystercatchers.
On the shingle ridge a lone Golden Plover.

Golden Plover

Having had a good day Bob and I still decided to call in at the watchpoint to look for the Barn Owl, it wasn't long before it showed. Also picked up 3 Marsh Harriers, another Great White Egret and a Kingfisher. An exceptional day with some good rarities between the group 75 species.