A Beds first!

You don't get many of these to the pound - a Bedfordshire first!

I got a call just after 8pm from Martin saying he'd got a 'funny tern' at Broom. I arrived a few mins later and got on to the bird. I don't think I'd said a word to Martin before I started to make a phone call to spread the word - we were watching a spanking adult Roseate Tern!

It transpiried that Martin first thought it was the lingering Sandwich Tern that had been knocking around for a while, however then he noticed it had TWO rings on its legs, instead of one! That got alarm bells ringing, and I'm just lucky I received a phone call otherwise it could have easily got away unidentified.

Within a few minutes people were arriving and I think about thirty people caught up with it by dusk. Of course there were a few who missed it because of one reason or another, but your heart must go out to Mark T and Matt B, both Broom stalwarts, who had both left their mobiles in their cars that evening!

What's even worse is that two visiting birders early the next morning found a feeding Spoonbill at Broom! I'm gutted about this especially because a) I had the alarm set for 5am and rolled over and went back to sleep and b)the time it took me to get out the house and round to where they were watching the bird (less than five mins) it had flown past my car and over my house without me seeing it!

At least there'll be another Spoonbill in the county. The same might not be said for that glorious 'Daz white' tern...

Grey dusk

Grey Partridge, Broom GP, 30th June 2008. Crexing at dusk.

A land mark bird

A special bird this one. It's probably the first ever Peregrine to be ringed in Bedfordshire - I say probably, as I don't actually know for sure. Anyway, these birds have nested for the last two years at the same spot. Last year we think they failed just as they hatched the chicks. This year we had higher hopes!

In readiness for the coming breeding season we had a box installed. They loved it and used it straight away. The female soon layed some eggs - three; two normal ones and a bizarre white one! The white one soon went and we were left with two eggs and a sitting female. She sat on them right for ages and just as we started thinking she was sitting too long, they hatched! Good job we had a camera on the box too. All seemed to be going well after the first week, then we hit some bad weather and disaster happened - we lost one. A few more days passed and the last remaining chick was about ready to be ringed. As soon as we'd got her down it was apparent she wasn't looking good either. At that age she should have been screaming her head off and having her eyes open - this wasn't looking good. We got her back up to the box as quickly as possible and left them to it. Unfortunately only a few days later she passed away too.

I wonder what will happen next year? Hopefully we'll get at least one to fledging stage...

Fen Orchid

Last week, I was rather lucky to see this rather sombre looking orchid. Known from only four sites in the UK, Fen Orchid (Liparis loeselii) is a very rare plant indeed. At least all the known sites in the UK are protected.

Mr Bojangles

I've got plenty of these things singing around my place at the moment, including two I can hear from where I type this! This lovely bird was a welcome distraction on the drive home from work on Friday evening. Corn Bunting, Broom, 20th June 2008.

Prong-billed Barbet

Prong-billed Barbet, Costa Rica, February 2007 - the couzin to Toucan Barbet in the Choco on Ecuador and Colombia, but much duller! I suppose the red eye is nice though.

Great Curassow

Male Great Curassow, Costa Rica, February 2007 - to see a pair of these magnificent birds strut right out in front of you along a forest trail gives you one hell of a surprise! Needless to say we were chuffed to see these at La Selva. Unfortunately the novelty soon wore off as they were actually rather easier to see than we'd first imagined...

Busy buzzie Bumblebee!

This is Bombus hypnorum - a Bumblebee that 's been slowly spreading in England since it was first seen in 2001. Keith Balmer found a few a short distance from my house so I thought I'd go and have a look. I was quite chuffed to see several individuals feeding on bramble flowers exactly where Keith had seen them previously. On my walk back to the car I found a few more too. The one photographed above is a male, but I did see a queen as well, but she was too quick for me. More info on this species on the BWARS website.