Meanwhile back in Warwickshire

Red breasted Merganser, Shustoke Res., Warks.

Red breasted Merganser

Red breasted Merganser

News that a Red breasted Merganser had turned at Shustoke Res. only slightly damped the euphoria of yet more W.P. ticks in Israel. The R B Merg is a very infrequent visitor to Warks. and a great bird for the County year listers. So news from PPGNS or Tom Perrins' Global News services, that a Merganser had been found at Shustoke deflected the attention of the Warwickshire Five from the problems with the accommodation in Eilat. Both Hotel and the Merganser were soon forgotten though after a great day at Yotvata the following day and James coming up with up a Brown Booby off the North beach in Eilat. All the books suggest Brown Booby is a frequent visitor to Eilat but you have still got to be there at the right time to see them. Theres something about Boobies, I cant quite put my finger on it but when you see them, free, almost floating over the water or perched up proud, its a sight to remember. You never forget your first sight of a Booby.
As the pace of the tour increased little did we think the Merganser would still be at Shustoke a week later. But it was. Brown Boobies AND Red breasted Merganser, outstanding !

Nizzana, Ramon Crater and the Hameishar plains.

Little Green Bee eater, Nizzana

Little green Bee eater

Little green Bee eater

McQueen's Bustard

McQueen's Bustard

White crowned Black Wheatear

Scrub warbler, Ramon Crater

Desert Lark, Mizperamon

Oriental Skylark

Arabian Babbler

Pintailed Sandgrouse in a flock of Black bellied Sandgrouse

Spotted Sandgrouse

Birding from dawn till dusk !

Day 2

After an early start we arrived at Nizzana an area near the Egyptian border. The area is excellent for Sandgrouse and McQueen's Bustards.We were not disappointed, with great views of several Bustards and 4 species of Sandgrouse. One of the first birds we saw though was a bit of a surprise. A vagrant Black shouldered Kite had taken up residence in the area over the past couple of months and we were lucky to get good views as it perched on the fencing surrounding the pools. The pools attracted a wide variety of species including, Bluethroat, pipits, waders, wagtails, duck, Arabian Babbler and a Namaqua Dove. There was plenty to check out for ourselves but when James picked up the call of an Oriental Skylark overhead our focus changed as we managed to pick up a pair of birds coming in to land. Brilliant, another new bird. However, it was the sight and sounds of the groups of Sandgrouse coming in and out which will be the abiding memory.

We moved on south towards Eilat in high spirits with the banter of my colleagues rarely pausing for breath. We made a road side stop at the beginning of the Ramon Crater where Sparrowhawk, Blackstart, White crowned Black Wheatear and Shrub warbler were seen. We also stopped in the Hameishar plains to look for a flock of Thick billed lark but only found Bar-tailed Lark in this restricted area.

Israel - Autumn 2010 - Day 1

Long eared Owl, one of 10 in the roost at Kibbutz Gevulot

Long eared Owl

Long eared Owl

The group, scanning Urim fields

Wednesday 17th 2010

I'd been to Israel for the Spring migration a couple of years ago. The sight of thousands of birds moving en masse through the rift valley of Arava is something to behold. In November birds are still on the move with rarities turning up on a regular basis but there was not the great movements of raptors which I had witnessed in Spring. The trip had been arranged through Birdfinders and we landed at Tel aviv airport and had time to grab a bite before heading south. Good planning meant I still had a Pork pie left to eat, as we would arrive too late for a meal at the Kibbutz. We travelled in 2 Mini buses to Kibbutz Gevulot in the Negev. We stayed there for 2 nights, in basic but comfortable accommodation. We were up early to explore the grounds of surrounding the chalets. There were several common migrants as well as some not so common such as the Yellow browed warbler found by Steve Cawthray, quite a rarity in Israel. A White breasted Kingfisher was an impressive sight, but pride of place went to a total of 10 Long eared Owls roosting in a single tree. A group of Common Mynas were my first 'tick' of the trip.

Our group, under the guidance of James Smith moved on to the Lahav Nature Reserve. We soon had Finsch's Wheatear and Spectacled warbler in the bag but the real prize, Long billed pipit proved far more difficult. As this was the last Western Palearctic pipit I needed, it was a great relief when it finally gave itself up and showed well.

Our next site was Urim fields, a vast arid plain. We found an area full of Larks and pipits: Calandra lark, Skylarks, and Red throated pipits with a variety of other passerines. More impressive though were the number of Raptors attracted to the area headed by 3 Eastern Imperial Eagles, plus Pallid Harrier, Hen Harrier, Black Kite, Common(Steppe) Buzzard, Long legged Buzzard, Peregrine and Merlin. Our only sight of mass migration was a distant white cloud of White Pelicans, an estimated 150 birds.

Garden of Delights

Waxwings through the window, Nuneaton

Waxwings

Waxwings

Waxwings

Waxwings

Waxwing flock

Saturday 6th November 2010

Saturday began as every other Saturday. I woke up. After that it was very unlike other Saturdays or any other day of the week come to that. As my eyes focused and my brain slowly reached full consciouness I looked out on the garden. I realised I was looking at a flock of Waxwings outside my bedroom window. Was I still dreaming or was I still at that stage when thoughts turn to fantasy. No there were definitely Waxwings (179) at the bottom of my garden, in the top of an Ash tree, spending most of their time preening, I didnt even have to get out out of bed to see them. Unbelievable. OK, so what do I do now. Camera, where's the camera? I need to record this momentous event. After a few shots through the window it was time to make some phone calls. Unfortunately the birds moved on shortly afterwards.

Warwickshires 200th Bird

Great grey Shrike, Napton

Great grey Shrike

Great grey Shrike

Great grey Shrike

Friday 5th November 2010

Something of a milestone in the Warwickshire Birding Year, reaching 200 species. It wasnt the Great grey Shrike but a Red necked Grebe which made a brief stop at Moreton Bagot. I must stress this is entirely unofficial and represents the total number of species reported in the County to my knowledge. There are certainly a number of species which have ocurred which, for various reasons have not entered the public domain and equally many single observer reports that have not been verified. But hey, it gives us a rough idea of whats going on.

On a personal note my target of 180+ creeps ever closer. A couple of stray Geese species would be nice. I just hope I dont have to rely on too many gull roost sessions.

Rocketed over to Napton again today in my old Banger to see if the little Sparkler in the form of a Great grey Shrike was on display. Turned out to be a bit of a damp Squib as the rain became more persistent. The Shrike did its Jumping Jack routine, dropping from the wires to the ground and back but kept away from the roadside posts. Sorry, trying too hard to be topical.

Snow Bunting at Draycote Water

Snow Bunting, Draycote Water

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Great grey Shrike, Napton Brickyard

Great grey Shrike

Tuesday 2 nd November 2010

Who said the Autumn had finished ? Warwickshire is enjoying a bit of a purple patch with quality birds in three of its four corners. Trying to connect with all of them in a day was a challenge. Report of a Red necked Grebe at Morton Bagot was a priority in the west of the County but no sign of the bird. Great grey Shrike at Napton was next on the list in the extreme east of the County, a popular attraction but although it showed well, not as well as it had done earlier in the day apparently. While waiting for the Shrike to appear a snippet of casual conversation had my ears twitching, sorry I really must stop using that word. Anyway the rumour was that a Snow Bunting had been seen at Draycote Water in the morning. A great bird for Warwickshire so definitly worth a punt. As I arrived at Draycote I met Richard Mays and Bob Hazel just leaving. They confirmed that the bird was still around on Draycote Bank. At least that narrowed the search down. In fact the Snow Bunting (178) was feeding on the footpath verge. What a little cracker. I had hoped to get back for the Hen Harrier in the Tame valley but the light was starting to fade.

Still, two out of four, including a new bird for the year list, wasn't a bad days work.

Hen Harrier at Fisher's Mill

Hen Harrier, Fisher's Mill

Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier

Goldcrest, Kingsbury Water Park

Monday 1st November 2010

Who said birding Warwickshire was boring? If you'd asked me at 12.30 pm I might have agreed, if you'd asked me at 1.30pm I'd have said it was positively exhilarating. Having pottered around Coton pools and Kingsbury Water park I made my way up the canal to Fishers Mill. Along the way I was lucky to get good views of a Cetti's warbler and heard a Willow tit. It had been an overcast misty morning and was still very dull when I got to Fisher's Mill bridge. - Just getting all the excuses in early for the photography. Things brightened up when a Peregrine made a low level run over Fishers Mill, north pool filling the air with Lapwing c70, Wigeon c30, Gadwall c20, and 6 Common Snipe. It was shortly afterwards a movement low to the left caught my eye. It was a ringtail Hen Harrier (177). It flew low out into the reserve then came back over Fisher's Mill across the canal and out of sight. Always a magnificent sight but even more so when you need it for your County year list. On the way back I came across a 'flock' of Goldcrests, involving a group of at least 6 birds and 3 Skylarks over Richards meadow.