The Weeks Review

Last Thursday morning was a real treat at Brandon Marsh with Teal Pool hosting a selection of birds that any local birder would be delighted with and what's more all showing at close range. The selection contained: (3) Green Sandpiper, (1) Common Sandpiper, (1) Wood Sandpiper, (1) Greenshank, juvenile Water Rail and from Big Hide a short time later, a distant Red Kite thrown in for good measure. A birder with a camera's dream, sadly guess who'd inexplicably left his at home!!

Green Sandpiper - Teal Pool Hide (Monday)

Over the weekend period the settled high pressure finally gave way and normal summer service was restored! With heavy torrential rain forecast overnight Saturday and into Sunday the signs looked good for any early passage migrants to drop in during the deluge. Unfortunately a morning visit on the Saturday, which was remarkably quiet save for a couple of Green sandpiper and single Common, was all I could manage with other commitments keeping me away until Monday. It came as no surprise therefore to get a text message with news of a summer plumage Turnstone at Brandon Sunday morning. After five years working and birding at Brandon, this would have been a site first for me so a little disappointing.

Goldfinch - Several feeding on the thistle around the screen area!

Notwithstanding, an early morning visit yesterday (Monday) paid off, with the Turnstone still on East Marsh Pool and very grateful to get another Brandon first, incredibly my sixth new Brandon species this year! Before leaving (4) Mistle Thrush from the screen area and several close feeding Goldfinch offered a few nice photographic opportunities.

Large Skipper

Today was my normal Tuesday visit to Brandon Marsh and despite rain in the forecast I managed a totally dry morning. A walk past a rather quiet Sheep Field and through New Hare Covert had a couple of Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker. However, just prior to entering Teal Pool Hide a small foraging flock produced Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Tit, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Other birding highlights of the day included: (7) Oystercatcher, Little-ringed Plover, Hobby and a summer plumage Dunlin on East Marsh Pool.

Peacock - Seemed to be everywhere today!

A walk around the River Meadow and Farm Pool areas with Jim, Derek and Martin produced a superb array of butterflies, far too abundant to complete a realistic count with 14 species noted, including a 2013 first Small Copper and increased numbers of Common Blue and Red Admiral from recent previous visits. Strangely only two dragonfly species noted today with Brown Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer.

Flying Things!

It's that time of year when I give up a few paragraphs of my blog over to one of my other passions in life and no surprises when I tell you that it also involves flying things!

Stunning Flypast!

Each year Dee and I pay a Saturday visit to RAF Fairford during the weekend of the Royal International Air Tattoo. This year we were joined by our dear friends John and Pat Gibson, John being somewhat of an aviation expert, formerly the engineering director for Monarch Airways and always worth a good aviation story, not to mention a fountain of information.

Brietling Super Constellation - My all-time favourite!

The two main highlights for me this year was firstly the Brietling Super Constellation, an aircraft capable of crossing the Atlantic without any stop-overs, but unfortunately only on static display and the previously unseen flypast of the Red Arrows alongside British Airways spanking new Airbus A380, a real sight to behold.

B-25J Mitchell with the amazing F4 Corsair

Other personal highlights were the 1949 Hawker Sea Fury, Red Bull's immaculate B-25J Mitchell, a gleaming silver World War Two era bomber and accompanied in flight by the F4 Corsair. The Swedish Air Force SAAB JAS-39 Gripen with it's superb maneuverability and of course the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Red Arrows and the Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558, a terrific day out!

Another Show Stopper! 1949 Hawker Sea Fury...

Back to the birding and a visit to a very thundery Brandon Marsh early morning, which despite a slow birding time of year threw up a few goodies. Firstly a couple of Common Snipe, my first since the spring and later in the morning a very nice looking Wood Sandpiper flew in around 10:30 am. Also of note: Hobby (1), Common Sandpiper (1), Green Sandpiper (1), Little-ringed Plover (4), Oystercatcher (4) and Common Tern (5), not including the two young birds which appear to be doing quite well on the nesting rafts.

Speckled Wood at Brandon Today.

After the morning downpours a significant improvement in the weather after lunch enabled Derek, Mike and I to take a tour of the Tip and Farm Pool areas of the reserve, where a host of butterflies, damselfly and dragonflies were on the wing in the now humid conditions.

Dragonflies of note: Southern Hawker, Black-tailed Skimmer and Brown Hawker. Butterflies Noted: Marbled White (6), Large White (5), Gatekeeper (7), Peacock (2), Comma (5), Red Admiral (2), Small Skipper (2), Large Skipper (1), Small Tortoiseshell (3),  Speckled Wood (2), Brimstone (1) plus excellent numbers of Small White, Green-vein White, Meadow Brown and Ringlet.

Glorious Summer!

A third consecutive weekend out on the Canal sums up what's fast becoming one of the best summer periods for several years. There's no doubt too that it's not only great for us boaters but for the UK's resident and visiting wildlife as a whole. After suffering a few disasters over the previous few years our visiting warblers, hirundines and swifts for example, finally have food a plenty and in lots of cases appear to be enjoying second broods.

Another glorious weekend out on the UK waterways!

Looking back at some of my butterfly records over previous years things are looking a little brighter too for a number of local species, in particular Meadow Brown and Ringlet, which seem to be everywhere at the moment, but of course only time will tell as to whether the recovery is significant or not!

Sedge Warbler busy feeding young.

Dee and I literally spent the whole of the weekend moored under a large willow tree on the Oxford Canal near Flecknoe, just watching the world go by, in fact from a boating perspective the canal resembled the M25 motorway at times and so being moored was a bonus, particularly in the 30C+.

Linnet - Seem to be in good numbers this year.

Even spending a short time in one place you get a feel for the local wildlife and I spent a lot of the time watching a pair of Sedge Warblers caring for their young, constantly in and out of the undergrowth opposite. Also nesting close by were Common Whitethroat, Dunnock and Moorhen, the latter of which seemed to be only caring for one chick. In the evening a huge number of Jackdaws could be heard at a distant roost and at one point a small party were overhead heading off a couple of local Buzzard. The dawn chorus, which with all of the hatches and windows open seemed to be almost deafening at times, has a different edge to it on the canal with Linnet, such a lovely song, along with Goldfinch and Yellowhammer. Sadly no Owls during our stay, something we normally never fail to see, with Barn Owls a regular feature on this stretch of canal.

Ringlet

Of course a summer weekend wouldn't be complete without the company of butterflies and these included excellent numbers of Ringlet and various numbers of: Meadow Brown, Small White, Large White, Marbled White, Large Skipper, Comma, Speckled Wood and Brimstone, plus a single Fritillary flew by, sadly too quick for a positive ID. Lots of Brown Hawker dragonflies busily feeding on the many insects but never landing long enough to entice me out of my chair to attempt a photograph.

Reboot!

After our recent trip to Canada and unscheduled few days in Scotland things are finally returning to some normality!

Weekend on the Oxford canal

Like most people I've been out and about enjoying the countryside in 'summer' and have even managed a couple of weekend cruises out along the Oxford Canal. These produced numerous butterflies, odanata and bird species including of note: Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Common Tern, Barn Owl,  and a dozen or so Yellowhammer. On Saturday evening a Daubenton's Bat entertained us skimming over the water close to the boat on several occasions.

Comma

Friday last had Dee and I completing our annual Glow Worm search at Brandon Marsh and this year we were joined by several of the Brandon volunteers and wives. I'm happy to report that these charming little bio-luminescent insects seem to be doing reasonably well and for a few of the team it was actually their first experience of seeing one. From my perspective it seems that this current hot spell has somehow rebooted the whole of nature and it was a real surprise to find no less than three Grasshopper Warblers reeling away at Brandon during our late evening visit. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Sedge Warbler were all recorded in full song and hopefully this bodes well for what could possibly be the forerunner to second broods.

Meadow Brown - Considerable numbers at Brandon today!

Today's visit to Brandon Marsh in glorious sunshine produced a whole host of flying bugs, odanata, and butterflies on the wing, the breakdown of which were: (3) Marbled White, (4) Speckled Wood, (1) Common Blue,  (4) Comma, (3) Small Skipper, (6) Large Skipper, (1) Small Heath, (1) Red Admiral, (1) Brimstone, (2) Large White and (3) Small Tortoiseshell. I literally stopped counting Meadow Brown and Ringlet, which were in considerable numbers throughout the reserve. Brown Hawker, Common Hawker, Southern Hawker and Black-tailed Skimmer Dragonflies, plus Azure, Common, Red-eyed Damselfly and Banded Demoiselle were also recorded.

Longhorn Beetle

On the birding front, not too much time devoted to the hides with Hobby, Sparrowhawk, (2) Green Sandpiper and the usual selection of youngsters, which included Oystercatcher, Little-ringed Plover, Great-crested Grebe, Lapwing, Mute Swan, Gadwall and Tufted Duck.

The only disappointment to an otherwise excellent visit was when Mike, Derek and I reached River Meadow to find it being mutilated by a grass cutting tractor. A real disaster from a conservation point of view, as the meadow had been looking stunning with lots of wild plants, odanata, bugs and butterflies. As we arrived just after the event butterflies had been dislodged and were literally everywhere and plants had simply not been given a chance to seed, a real disaster zone. As this is not currently part of the BMVCT remit and totally out of our hands, I have spoken to the trust manager and the chairman of our group in the hope that the grass cutting timings can be reviewed.

Celebration

Over the past few days Dee and I have been in Aberdeen, Scotland celebrating the life of her lovely Gran, who sadly passed away while we were on holiday in Canada. While there we were lucky enough to be staying in a beautifully located cottage in Catterline, a coastal village situated around 3 miles south of Stonehaven.

View of Tod Head lighthouse from Catterline Harbour

Later in the evening after the funeral we enjoyed a pleasant walk around the cliffs at Tod Head Lighthouse before enjoying a fantastic locally caught seafood meal with the family at the Creel Inn.

Shag at Tod Head Lighthouse

With our flight home not until late evening the following day we had a perfect opportunity to spend the time exploring the coastline locally and further south around Montrose Basin.

Fulmar - Plenty of nesting birds on the surrounding cliffs.

We began the day with a visit St Cyrus National Nature Reserve: Set at the mouth of the River North Esk, the reserve sweeps around the sandy shore of the Aberdeenshire coast, just north of Montrose. The reserve comprises of towering volcanic cliffs, beautiful beach and a landscape of sand dunes and flower-rich grasslands, quite a stunning place to be.

Kittiwake

We took the Tyrie Trail a mile or so walk, diverting down to the shoreline and then back across towards the Nature Centre. St Cyrus boasts over 400 species of butterflies and moths, but sadly for us with overcast skies and a temperature of only 12C, not a one was on the wing! Bird species of note seen during our visit included: Common Buzzard, Peregrine, Fulmar, Gannet, Arctic Tern, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Sedge Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer, strangely and despite Stonechat being a regular here, none were seen. Other highlights of our walk were a couple of Roe Deer and a very busy Stoat, who the local birds seemed to be giving a hard time to.

Deer - The family were around too.

Stoat - Flash Gordon!

After heading off to Montrose for lunch the weather had brightened and warmed considerably by the time we reached the Montrose Basin Visitor Centre. This area is an enclosed estuary of the South Esk and covers over 750 hectares. With plenty to explore we decided to drive to various sections, stopping at one point at the Bridge of Dun, which overlooks the River South Esk. Here a couple of Common Sandpiper were feeding below, along with good numbers of House Martin and Swallows.

Spotted Flycatcher - Surprise of the day.

Parking not far from the Caledonian Railway Museum we took the footpath which leads down to the Shelduck Hide, about a 2 mile walk. On route to the hide, Spotted flycatcher, ♀Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard and plenty of Yellowhammer, Linnet and Meadow Pipit in what had now become a gorgeous summers day! The local meadows looked wonderful in the sunshine, with the odd Brown Hare appearing within the gaps and despite plenty of wild flowers and a temperature now around 21C, the lack of butterflies was a worry, with only a single Small Tortoiseshell seen!

Razorbill at RSPB Fowlsheugh

Guillemot at RSPB Fowlsheugh

We arrived at a deserted Shelduck Hide which offers good views of the basin and the River South Esk. Here Redshank, Curlew and Oystercatcher were feeding along the margins and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser, several Shelduck and a lone Little Grebe were also close by. A family of young Eider Duck were basking in the sunshine and the usual Black-headed and Herring Gulls were also in good numbers, no Terns were seen during our 30 minute stay!

Fulmar

Finally, running out of time and heading back to the airport Dee and I made a short stop at RSPB Fowlsheugh, a place we know quite well. The place was the usual cacophony of noise with thousands of seabirds in the air, on the cliffs and on the sea: Razorbill, Puffin, Guillemot, Fulmar and Kittiwake, a spectacular seen!

Nova Scotia Final Thoughts

Our route began on June 3rd along the South Shore and progressed in a clockwise direction taking in the regions of: Bay Of Fundy and Annapolis Valley, Northumberland Shore, Cape Breton Island and finally the Eastern Shore on route back to Halifax. Unfortunately, we made a decision based on time factors to go cross country through Kejimkujik National Park and thus bypassing Yarmouth and The Acadian Shores. View-Map

Our  Touring RV - Home during our Canadian tours!

As you would imagine the province offers wonderful birding opportunities with delightful coves and inlets, plus many lakes and mixed forests. I couldn't even hazard a guess at the amount of times we parked up to go hiking. The campgrounds too are always a perfect place for an early morning or late evening walk, but with the tree's in full bloom and most North American Warblers preferring mid to high canopy, the birding was hard work. A little advice if visiting, take time to learn your bird song, this was our main armory in our searches and helped us identify many species. We spent a little time each evening using the excellent E-Bird App or the Sibley's Guide for Ipad listening to our target birds for each day before heading off.

Red-eyed Vireo - Typical bird of high canopy and easily located by it's constant song!  

Through other commitments we were unable to visit in the peak migration months of April and September and this was the main reason for the disappointing numbers of shore and sea birds during our visit. June is the only month were inland birding becomes more rewarding than coastal. We can actually vouch for this fact first hand with the amount of inland species encountered on this trip far outnumbering those of shore and sea. However, despite the negatives we managed an astonishing 24 new bird species to our Canadian list: View-here

Cape Breton Highlands

Cape Breton Highlands National Park is worth a special mention. Its spectacular highlands and ocean scenery, steep cliffs and deep river canyons which carve into a forested plateau bordering the Atlantic Ocean makes it a special place of beauty. One third of the Cabot Trail, a world-famous scenic highway, runs through the national park along the coasts and over the highlands. I can tell you that Cape Breton certainly lived up to it's reputation! Cedar Waxwings are commonplace and during our four days stay in the park we encountered stunning sunsets, pollution free amazingly clear skies, plus beautifully coloured Warblers, Finches and marvelous Raptors.

Another little yellow job - Gorgeous American Goldfinch

Many Butterflies were on the wing throughout our tour, the most popular being the Canadian Tiger Swallowtail and we also encountered other wonderful species such as: Garter Snakes, Green and Spring Peeper Frogs, Minke Whale, Dolphin, Harbour and Grey Seal, Red Squirrel, Chipmunk and achieved something our four previous visits to Canada failed to yield, our first Moose!

Bull Moose - A stunning find thanks to Dee!

The weather during our stay also lived up to expectations with beautiful hot sunny days, foggy, misty, damp ones and even the remnants of a tropical storm, which hammered us for over 36 hours. The black flies, ticks and mosquitoes are also worth a mention and something that needs consideration if you plan to visit.

One of several amazing sunsets

In conclusion Nova Scotia is a beautiful province with stunning scenery, outstanding coastline and amazing diversity, a wonderful experience. I would certainly plan any future visit to coincide with the spring or autumn migration as the lack of waterfowl, shore and sea birds was to be honest a disappointment. Would I visit again? Yes, but my heart will always be on the west coast of this amazing country.

View Nova Scotia 2013 photo-album <HERE>

Nova Scotia Summary Pt1

It's been a few days since we returned from our latest RV Tour of Canada and time to reflect on our first visit to the east coast.When Dee and I were planning our 5th visit to Canada, previously all western interior to coast destinations, our criteria was simply to base our next visit almost entirely around the ocean and in particular the east.

Aerial View of Halifax

It was Dee who came up with the idea of visiting Nova Scotia, one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and the most populous province of the four in Atlantic Canada. However, this particular destination was a slight risk! Firstly, would the birding and wildlife be as prolific as the west, secondly for Dee and I who love the wilderness aspect of our Canadian tours, would it be too built up and lastly, due to the modifying influence of the sea Nova Scotia is also very foggy in places, with Halifax averaging 196 foggy days per year and Yarmouth 191.

Common Grackle 

We spent our first couple of days acclimatising ourselves and sightseeing in the province capital of Halifax. Mind you one of the benefits of the east coast is the time difference and unlike the 8 hours of British Columbia to the west, Nova Scotia is only 4 hours behind and so not such an issue. In fact the birding got off to a good start too, when while sitting out having dinner on our first night (5) Common Grackle flew over the restaurant, a first for Canada. Thanks to Ronnie Dentremont for the image.

On arrival mid afternoon the weather was stunning with clear blue skies and a very pleasant 26C. However, on our first full day had one of our earlier fears come to fruition? We awoke to fog! Thankfully, as is the norm here at this time of year according to our cab driver, the fog had burnt off around mid morning to produce another stunning day.

Halifax Harbour Ferry

Staying at Dartmouth means that there's an opportunity to take the Harbour Ferry across to Halifax, a first chance to see what birds might be around the harbour area, of which I'm told is the 4th largest harbour in the world. If I'm being brutally honest from a birding perspective it was a little disappointing! No sea Ducks, no Terns, no Swallows and only two Gull species on show, Great Blacked-backed and American Herring Gull, in fact the only two Gull species we managed during our whole time in the province! The highlight was the odd Harbour Seal which kept bobbing up for a look every now and then. Will things get any better as we head south? Part 2 follows.....

Journey's End

Unusually for Dee and I a lay in on the Sunday morning before heading off along the eastern coast to our final overnight stop at Murphy's Campground.

Mourning Dove

From the RV dinette window while having breakfast on Sunday morning we watched a Downy Woodpecker in a nearby tree and a couple of Common Terns were diving in the harbour just below, right next to us a Mourning Dove had come down to feed.

Black-capped Chickadee

The journey along the eastern coast of the province seemed more built up than other areas, no surprise as we're now nearing Halifax once more, but there was plenty of stop off points to enjoy and investigate. Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Common Merganser and the usual friendly Black-capped Chickadee, who's call is almost identical to our own Willow Tit. I'm also around 90% sure that a Sharp-shined Hawk flew across in front of the RV at one stage, but this will have to remain as an unknown.

Osprey 'Official bird of Nova Scotia'

After arriving at Murphy's Cove for our final night of this tour a lovely evening walk along the shoreline produced Tree Swallow, Eider, American Black Duck, Yellow Warbler, Myrtle Warbler and Red Crossbill in the spruce tree right outside the RV, but  fittingly on our final evening here two Osprey, which flew across the harbour, 'the official bird of Nova Scotia'.

Finally, we were invited to an evening campfire as darkness fell by the campsite hosts, Marilyn and Brian Murphy and had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We met some fellow travelers and sat eating local steamed mussels and listening to local folklore. It was a brilliant end to our time in Nova Scotia and also a time to reflect. My thoughts go out to my wonderful wife a soul mate Dee, who sadly had to cope with the loss of her lovely Gran last Friday.....

Farewell Cape Breton

Overnight Friday we stayed in the Highlands National Park once more at Corney Brook Campground and I enjoyed a short walk just after sunrise on Saturday morning along the cliffs prior to departing.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

The Merlin pair I was lucky enough to photograph during our last stay here were still around and I managed Double-crested Cormorant, Spotted Sandpiper, many Northern Gannet and Black Guillemot along the shore and Slaty Back Junco, Boreal Chickadee, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo and Myrtle Warbler around the wooded areas before heading back for breakfast.

Double-crested Cormorant

The drive back south was quite lucrative and stopping for lunch at Mabou overlooking the lakes we managed a Northern Shoveler, quite a rare summer visitor here apparently, plus Arctic Tern, Willet, American Black Duck, Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk. Before arriving at the crossing a little while later my first Chimney Swift for Canada, plus Northern Harrier, Northern Flicker (Eastern Yellow-Shafted) and Barn Swallow.

We finally said farewell to Cape Breton Island and crossed Canso Causeway, a roadway which crosses the the Strait of Canso, connecting the Island to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Only a short while later we were parked up at Linwood Harbour Campground for tonight's stop.

Magnolia Warbler

The weather, which had been beautiful all day, broke a short while after our arrival and a brief thunderstorm ensued, which unfortunately Dee and I were caught in, having decided on an evening walk. Being out just after the deluge seemed to spark things off and before we knew it we were surrounded by at least a dozen or so Cedar Waxwings on a feeding frenzy, the trilling almost as loud as the thunder!

Blackburnian Warbler ( A 1st For Canada)

What's more the small flock of Waxwings were accompanied by several other birds feeding away at tree top level. It took Dee and I a while to sort things out but after a good 30 minutes we'd managed to filter out: Purple Finch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Magnolia Warbler, Black and White Warbler, American Redstart and the real star of the show, our first Blackburnian Warbler for Canada!

Back To The Wild!

Last nights stop, which due to our detour was not part of our orginal plan, was the quaint Mountain Vista Seaside Campground, located on the shore of the St. Andrews Channel, which In fact produced Bald Eagle, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and turned out to be a nice little overnight stop.

Great Cormorant at Cheticamp Island

From here it was back to the wildlife and Dee and I changed our itinerary deciding to head back into Cape Breton National Park to have another go at tracking down the illusive Moose. One thing we both pride ourselves on is avoiding bespoke tours and enjoy the challenge of finding our own wildlife and so with the best will in the world we were a determined team.

Black Guillemot at Cape Breton Island

We made an early start and prior to entering the park once more stopped at several scenic viewpoints to investigate. Belted Kingfisher, Cedar Waxwings and Spotted Sandpiper at Little River and using the back road into Belle Cote, bypassing Margaree Harbour, the brilliant sight of a pair of courting Wilson's Snipe in flight winnow, an amazing call produced by air passing through specialized tail feathers as the birds perform flight displays, a definite first for us in Canada and what a stunning thing to behold.

Savanah Sparrow on the cliff tops at Cheticamp Island

Prior to arriving in Cheticamp a stop for lunch overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence provided great views of a large flock of White-winged Scoter, around 200 or so with several Black Scoter close by. More Northern Gannet, Double-crested Cormorant and unusually a couple of Red-throated Loons, when two adults in non breeding plumage were just offshore.

Minke Whale With An Onlooking Gannet at Cheticamp Island

Our next stop was to take a walk along the cliffs at Cheticamp Island and while driving across the causeway the amazing sight of a Minke Whale, when a lone individual repeatedly broke surface. We re-located him once more after arriving atop the cliffs and while enjoying his antics spotted a couple of Dolphin just off shore.

Razorbill

The cliffs were alive with Savannah Sparrow and Cliff Swallow, and down below Willet, Spotted Sandpiper and close views of Great Cormorant. Black-tailed Kitiwake, Razorbill and Black Guillimot all seemed to be nesting on the rock face and we enjoyed a brilliant 90-minutes.

Bull Moose at French Lake Cape Breton Highlands

After checking in and re-entering the park our next quest was to take the 7Km Skyline Trail just prior to dusk in search of Moose once more. Amazingly, just after stopping at French Lake on the Cabot Trail on route to Skyline Dee uttered the immortal words MOOSE!! Our quest for this, what we believed to be mythical creature was over, when a stunning bull Moose was stood right in front of us staying just long enough for a few snapshots, a truly amazing day's wildlife spotting!