Army Ornithological SocietyArmy Ornithological Society Blog
SPTA West
Actually it is more like SPTA Centre as the main western area was out of bounds as large metal hunks charged around with lots of other smaller metal hunks. My car is not built to withstand that sort of impact so it took to stony tracks elsewhere. Near the Deptford Down air strip they have been breeding pheasants, as I soon discovered when keeping a tally on numbers. It went down on birdtrack as species present. There were still lots of Chiffchaffs about and on the open areas there were Stonechat and Yellowhammer. I also saw my first flock of Fieldfare for the winter as birds flew over me. It was also the day of my last sighting of a Swallow (so far). A Robin tried to drown out the Apache flying nearby amongst the cacophony of other bird calls. It was a a lovely day with 27 species plus lovely examples of Command Speckled Wood butterflies. Visiting the impact area on a sunny afternoon produced a Red Kite and a soaring Ring tail as well as Meadow Pipits gallore. A flock in the distant looked like Golden Plover and I was positive I saw another flock in Gloucestershire as I headed to Wales for a funeral. All I need to do is confirm they are back on the Plain! The cold chill now in the air certainly helps portray an autumn air though when ringing there was a Whitethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler in the nets which should not be here. I have to remind myself that an Indian Summer was still here until a few days ago. As ever there were still lots of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps as well as Meadow Pipits. Another Goldcrest was caught and Great Tits developed a taste for my flesh. Ringing again on the site a few days later we were distracted by the boom, whistle and bang coming from the west as we collected more Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Meadow Pipits from nets. All morning this noise went on and from where my was parked I could see the dirt rising up as the whistling stopped. That morning another Hen Harrier flew past and on a net run a Merlin also flew past very quickly. It was the last day of ringing at West Down until April next year so having talked about the arrival of thrushes around the place I was able to ring my first Redwing. The exercise on the West is over and this weekend winter surveys start.
CommentsGibraltar Ringer 13
The story ended last night with us all just a little miffed that the water was not back on and we had been working hard on the hill all day. As duty dishwasher I was particularly unimpressed. The quote of the day (from a RAFOS member) was "No wife of mine goes outside in the pitch dark to collect water from the bowser...Here love, take my head torch!"
Our recorder was absent birdwatching today so the team is down to 3. Not good as we are expecting the high numbers of birds from yesterday to be repeated today. And so it was with all of us laden with bird bags after the first round including two Red-necked Nightjar (pictured below) and a Eurasian Nightjar. Julia Springett was volunteered to go around again as Carl Powell and I started processing the birds (we believe in equality here). Having ringed all birds with nothing particularly out of the ordinary, it was off again to clear the nets. A very small dark bird excited interest and proved to be our first Dartford Warbler! Very much a 'Spanish bird' we hardly expected to see one on migration. It was poorly prepared for its flight across the Straits and had the minimum of fat aboard. Carl then extracted an Orphean Warbler from the nets. Such a very large warbler, the juvenile, as this was, is a dull bird and not as distinctively marked as some guides would have it. On virtually the last round of the day, we went from dull to flamboyant and took the first Hoopoe out of the nets. This one was an adult female, and I have to say that this bird is more impressive flying away than in the hand where it is difficulty to appreciate the full plumage.
Last point it that when we released the Red-necked Nightjar, it flew up the track on which we were ringing. Unknown to us, it then landed on the track and we walked past it repeatedly throughout the day, its camouflage plumage working perfectly. It took a call of nature for the bird to decide that this was really going too far and it flew a few feet into thicker vegetation where it alighted on a rock to resume its daylight slumbers.
Gibraltar Ringer 12
Yesterday's lesson appeared to be to expect the Gibraltar weather to turn at a moment's notice - from still to squall in seconds. Don't trust the water system was another lesson that we learned after the blog went to bed. The joy of carrying water from bowser to loos pales quickly - no pun intended. So a late start this morning as the wind was already high and we needed to replace some guy lines in the dawn light. The new Song Thrush tape worked wonders and the first net round showed a huge fall of birds. It became obvious that we were just going to have to continually empty nets, changing ringers after each collection. Seventy one Blackcaps and fifteen Garden Warblers later, I am SO looking forward to a Blue Tit but it was not to be. The gusty wind managed to wrap a net around some old barbed wire and extraction proved difficult but this was the only net closed all day. A pity as it seemed to be on the very steep transit route up the hill for Song Thrushes. More a test of consistent ageing and sexing under pressure than the chance to have really long looks at some of the more distant migrants but this was broken briefly in the early afternoon with the appearance of a juvenile Stonechat - all spots and streaks. Although looking very much like a female, evidence of some early black feathers and white collar suggested it was more likely to be a male. The day was disappointing for raptors and only a few Sparrowhawks and Booted Eagles were seen through the low cloud.
A visit to Jew's Gate followed in order to upload 109 birds into IPMR (and of course to check on progress at the only other ringing site on Gibraltar). Despite being separated by only a mile and a half and due south of us at the southern end of the Rock, they have not yet picked up any of our birds. We appear to catch more birds but we probably have more footage of nets. Species caught are very similar with the glaring exception of Scops Owl which we have yet to hear anywhere near Bruce's Farm or Middle Hill. But they have running water...
Gibraltar Ringer 11
One of the buzzes with ringing during migration is that anything may drop in and we have had plenty of species over the last fortnight. It seems odd to get excited about the first Chaffinch or even the first Song Thrush and weirdly we look forward to the first Dunnock and Dartford Warbler. Today, with the addition of John and Sue Wells from RAFOS, and with the prospect of a further two European Nightjars, nets were opened in the mist and gloom of the Lavante on the upper slopes. The first net round was the most productive so far and provided a baptism of fire for Sue , our new recorder, with 19 birds including the Song Thrushes. The second round was equally productive but provided us with a new pipit. It is one thing to see pipits in familiar territory and habitat but another to take a new bird out of the net - names into the hat time! This was obviously a juvenile bird with all the inherent dangers, not all guides are good at providing plates of young birds. Time to fall back on convention and start with the obvious contenders, while at the same time proving that it is not something else. The lead picture of a juvenile Tawny Pipit gives the result away but it was by no means clear cut. The photos were of use later to Charles Perez in confirming that it was the start of the Tawny Pipit movement through Gibraltar. Phew!
With such large numbers of birds being netted - a total of 61 birds in only a few net rounds - it was obvious that we would have to close the nets in the face of increasing winds. Fate beat us to it and a vital guy line broke in the upper line of nets bringing neighbouring nets down to the ground. Wild asparagus sounds innocuous but cacti would have been easier to remove from the nets. Now resembling a herbaceous border or well manicured hedge, the painstaking task of defoliating the nets began. We were later than usual getting away today.
Cyprus Weekly
Birding Highlights for the Week Ending 6 Oct
Pacific Golden Plover at Larnaca Sewage Works on 3 Oct - A bit noisy, at distance.
* indicates that a photo of the species is included please visit Flickr site to view or click on the link
The last day of the month and a long day at work so I only had time to visit Akhna Dam. The Little Owl remained faithful to its day roost site and 19 European Beeaters fed over a ploughed field that held a couple of Whinchats. 3 Curlew Sandpipers, a Wood Sandpiper, some Little Stints and 5 Snipe were on the muddy pools and a lone Redshank the only one of the month was also present. A smart looking male Masked Shrike outshone its immature Red-backed cousins and the usual collection of herons were present. As I worked my way around the dam to the reed bed, at least 5 Sedge Warblers were chasing each other and they were joined by a female type Bluethroat – my first of the autumn. Flushing a Little Crake from the same area was a bonus, with the month list ending on a fairly respectable 135, considering I didn’t have a car for half of the month with some notable sightings including Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Thrush Nightingale.
Anyway enough reminiscing and onto Tuesday and the beginning of a new month. Akhna Dam was fairly productive with a female Bluethroat, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers and a couple of Spotted Flycatchers. Masked and Red-backed Shrikes continue to be present as do a couple of migrant waders. A couple of Lesser Whitethroats were in the eucalyptus and a Squacco Heron flushed from the reeds. European Beeaters continue to pass in small groups and a single Lapwing was present. On the way home the Barn Owl remained faithful to its roost at Vrysoulles.
On Wednesday I had a day’s leave so headed for the Cape Greco via Ayia Thekla where 7 Greater Sand Plovers*, 6 Kentish Plover and a Common Sandpiper were present . As I approached the track to the rubbish tip I immediately saw a late Lesser Grey Shrike. A Northern Wheatear was in nearby fields as were at least 20 Chukar. Onto the picnic area where a Cyprus Warbler sang noisily and a male Cyprus Wheatear lingered. Further on underneath the Army Camp, another Cyprus Wheatear, plenty of Spectacled Warblers and my first Blue Rock Thrush male of the winter. I continued onto Ayia Napa Sewage Works where Lesser Whitethroats were the most common bird along with Willow Warblers but I also found a nice looking Wood Warbler*. The lagoons held a Common Sandpiper and a Spotted Flycatcher, Red-rumped Swallow* and first Stonechat of the winter were present on the wires. An Osprey drifted steadily southwards, as did a female Marsh Harrier and a Sparrowhawk came in off the sea heading the other way – fantastic migration! At the football pitches, a couple of Whinchats and an Isabelline Wheatear. I visited Akhna Dam in the evening and much was the same, although another Osprey was present and at the side of the dam near to the donkey sanctuary I flushed a Little Bittern and a Great Reed Warbler. In the same area a pair of Garganeys alighted and the trees held good numbers of Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps.
On Thursday, I had to visit Akrotiri and although it wasn’t prolific, a couple of Black Kites, 4 Honey Buzzards, a few Marsh Harriers and a Sparrowhawk were all seen, the best of the bunch was a dark phase Booted Eagle complete with very obvious “landing lights”. A Common Buzzard was also a good sighting and the salt lake held c8500 Greater Flamingos. With not much doing, I headed for the Larnaca area where I photographed a cracking adult Baltic Gull* on Spiro’s Beach. I then headed for the hide overlooking the sewage works and met Pete Wragg a local visiting UK birder. I said the well used phrase “Anything about” – as you do and he replied nonchalantly a Pacific Golden Plover* (a Cyprus tick). Now I have to tell a story and “Fess Up”. As I got onto the bird, I realised that it was the bird I had seen on the 22 Sep and another had seen on the 21st and had ID’d it as a European Golden Plover. As I looked at the bird, which I had photographed 2 weeks earlier as it “looked odd”, I thought it was a Dotterel at first glance but then didn’t make the connection and put it down as a European Golden Plover – STUPID!!!! I was and am gutted at missing this bird. I broke my own biggest rule in Cyprus, look at everything and expect the unexpected – a mixture of complacency, not thoroughly looking at the detail of the bird which I am familiar with structurally had cost me dear. So Pete Wragg – well done, goes down as the finder. My first cock up this tour, but it does prove that nobody is infallible or gets it right every time. For good measure I also photographed the Desert Wheatear* that was present. As I drove home through Vrysoulles a Hobby drifted past the car.
Friday was the Mess end of season Greek style BBQ which I had organised, so absolutely no prizes for guessing the outcome. I did however, refrain from wholesale drunkenness and left at 2130 so I was able to rise early and visit Larnaca Sewage Works. This I did and it was a fairly productive morning. On the lagoons a Whiskered and White-winged Black Tern hawked and a Bar-tailed Godwit fed actively on the exposed mud (a relative scarcity in Cyprus). On the fields several Sanderling* fed amongst the other waders an 7 female type Pintails had appeared on the lagoons. A single Red-throated Pipit fed amongst the plethora of Yellow and White Wagtails and a ringtail Montague’s Harrier drifted over the fields whilst a Long-legged Buzzard hovered above. The Pacific Golden Plover was flushed early by the dreaded photographers (great field craft) and remained out of site until I left at least. I met a visiting birder in the afternoon and Ayia Napa Sewage Works and Football Pitches were fairly unproductive except for Lesser Whitethroats, Whinchats and Willow Warblers. Cape Greco was the same except for a Cyprus Wheatear and as we stopped for an ice cream 2 Audouins’ Gulls rested on the sea at Konnos Bay – probably the most reliable site in the East of the island on the Greek side for this species – although by no means a certainty. We drove along to Ayia Thekla where 2 Greater Sand Plovers, 2 Dunlins and a Little Egret were amongst the Kentish Plovers. Later at Akhna Dam, a late female Citrine Wagtail was a surprise, another Montague’s Harrier appeared and a Greenshank was new. As I watched a Sedge and Reed Warbler a Spoonbill landed in the dam with a broken leg and I flushed a couple of migrant Redstarts.
On Sunday it was shopping and barbers day over the north which allowed my to visit a few sites. There were still a large number of Grey Herons at Fresh Water Lake South with a single adult Spoonbill, a 1CY Night Heron and a single Squacco Heron. At Clapsides Beach a Kingfisher and a Greenshank were the first signs of anything for a few months. We did the shopping and at the barbers I’m sure his hands are getting softer – or maybe I’m just being molested to a greater extent. Anyway after feeling suitably relaxed, we had lunch in Famagusta with a couple of EFES and then a couple of hours sleep on the setee – what a great Sunday! At Akhna in the evening I added a Cetti’s Warbler to the month list and a Sparrowhawk flew by with a Lesser Whitethroat being new along with a Green Sandpiper. Before I left I managed a few more shots of a Kingfisher*.
Highlight of the Week: The Pacific Golden Plover – only the 8th Cyprus record but I’m gutted at not identifying the bird initially.
Look Forward: Some seawatching in the north hopefully and a bit of exploration of ploughed fields for Pipits and a Dotterel.
If you are planning a visit or require more info please feel free to contact me at: birder639@yahoo.com
Mark Easterbrook
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