Meadow Pipit A quiet day was had at The Scrubs today. The recent fine weather has caused most of our potential migrants to keep on going south across our airspace. Saw three Stonechats, heard a Blackcap and bumped into around six Chiffchaffs. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Grey Heron flyby
This morning’s autumnal check resulted in a lingering Whinchat and four lovely Stonechats. Whinchat Male Stonechat Couple of females/1st winter birds Stonechats, although biannual, are rarely seen in groups of more than three at The Scrubs these days. Prior to the severe winter of 2009/10 we used to get up to 10 birds in the […]
Last Sunday morning I led a London Natural History Society walk around the patch. We did well. A Red Kite decided to float low overhead – our 4th or 5th (can’t remember right now). Just before then and before I met the group a flock of six Rook headed in from the west to land […]
I’ve been visiting The Scrubs almost on a daily basis recently. September is the month when it comes to autumn migration and the for the possibilities for unusual or rare birds. We’ve already had a Wryneck a couple of weeks ago…who knows what could show up next. Whinchat Whinchat Lesser Whitethroat Blackbird
Now, you might be saying, Wheatear at The Scrubs? What’s so unusual about that? Well, you would be right. As much as we enjoy having these migrants when they arrive, they are hardly unusual. I found this bird a couple days ago. I took a couple of record shots of this bird as it sallied […]
I recently spent a very enjoyable long weekend at the Falsterbo Bird Festival, Sweden. I had originally tried to be incognito but I was spotted and asked to do a couple of last minute talks that were thankfully well recieved. Falsterbo is of course very famous as a migration watchpoint. Indeed, although the SE winds […]
A couple of controlled juvenile Sedge Warblers Falsterbo Lighthouse and Bird Observatory Beach scene A coasting Honey Buzzard A controlled Yellow Wagtail A controlled Pied Flycatcher White Wagtail Sunset Beach huts near the harbour Hooded Crow
A rubbish record shot of the overflying Little Egret September 2nd will forever more be marked as the day our 2nd ever Wryneck was discovered. It was disturbed by Scrubs regular Roy Nuttall, as he walked the path intersecting what we term as the Magic Bush area at the eastern edge of the grassland. It […]
Spotted Flycatcher today – our 1st of the autumn A male Common Redstart A female Common Redstart
10 Cormorants – our biggest flock this year Apologies for the long delay in writing a post on my blog. My main excuse is the all consuming work I’ve been involved with on the launch of the Vote National Bird Campaign. More about that another day. The Scrubs is shaping up for a good autumn. […]
After an absence of several months it was really good to see a Kestrel hovering above the grassland at The Scrubs the other day. Kestrels were once a daily occurance at my patch. I remember looking up into the sky one summer’s day a few years ago to witness no less than nine birds in […]
I feel terrible having neglected The Scrubs for so long this summer. I guess aside from not being around a lot recently I’ve also been a little depressed of late what with the current threats represented by the Mayor’s Office, Transport for London and HS2. There’s a another new threat in the shape of a […]
The MadBird Fair (Madrid Bird Fair) was the first of it’s kind in Madrid and indeed, was a birdfair after my own heart as it was totally urban. It was free to enter for the general public and had the usual blend of optical, tourism and arts and crafts. My role was to give a […]
Meadow Pipit with food I’m ashamed to report that I have hardly been to my beloved patch recently. In my own defence, I have been mega busy plus by the time morning comes I’m just too knackered to even consider opening my eyes, let alone get out of bed! But on the few occasions that […]
Earlier in the month I led a tour for just one client around Speyside and Black Isle, fairly nearby north of Inverness. The idea was for him to clean up on the Scottish specialities. Seeing as it was early June we had missed our golden opportunities to see Capercaille and lekking Black Grouse. Added to […]
A fabulous time was had by all in what is rapidly becoming one of my favourite countries. Serbia has some amazing wildlife and the locals are pretty amenable too. But the single thing I love the most about the country are its owls. I can’t wait for the winter tour in December 2014 Female Ural […]
Red-backed Shrike Tree Sparrow Young Kestrels Young Long-eared Owl Spotted Flycatcher Golden Oriole Red-footed Falcon Tree Sparrow Common Starling Red-footed Falcon
A few of the birds that stood still long enough for me to take a snap whilst I was taking a stroll around my patch this morning. Female Blackbird Male Linnet Song Thrush
A male singing away House building These images were snatched a week or so ago a few days after our first Common Whitethroats arrived. They have clearly got down to business immediately with much singing in evidence. Our record count of territories was around six years ago when 22 were counted. I estimate around six […]
The Scrubs Although my world birding is at an all time high domestically things are pretty slow. April is usually the month that sets the hearts of me and my fellow Scrubbers racing but many of the expected birds have either been no-shows or have appeared in tiny trickles. Wheatears, Swallows, Common Redstarts and Whinchats […]