Goat-sucking lodge monster

After over 20 years of watching The Lodge, today was the day I've finally seen a Nightjar there. Found by some local visitors mid-morning, this chap sat bold-as-brass on a tree stump just a few feet from a busy pathway. It eventually flew up to a near-by tree after a noisey cyclist with squeaky breaks stopped a bit to close to it!

Wonderful birds, and hopefully the start of many more to be seen there.

Many thanks to the scope of Paul Hackett, and his extra-long tripod legs, for the bottom shot.

Dartford dip and a monster falcon

A view over the paddocks at Blows Downs

After dipping the Dartford this morning I had a look around the southern badlands. Most surprising bird of all was a striking, and very large, pale falcon over the south end of Dunstable. It was possibly a Gyr x Saker Hybrid (too pale for a Saker, and too creamy for a Gyr). It was certainly a monster bird, and presumably the same as reported by Tony Donnely as a Gyr on Blows Downs last week?

presumably a first year male Blackbird at Blows

Also several Ravens and plenty of Red Kites around the downs. It was great to sit in the car park at Bison Hill and have Raven, Red Kite and Buzzard all float past at eye level.

Buzzard over Dunstable, taken with my DSLR

Not a lot else to report from yesterday - 740 LBB Gulls at Stewartby mid-afternoon was a good count.

Later in the evening, the Beds contingent (Andy Grimsey and I), even with the help of the Bucks recorder, got a right good pasting in the Absurd Bird Quiz run by Si and Rob in MK. That lot from Tring won, again!

Bean Goose birding break

Woke up with some very stiff joins today - all that tomfoolery on the island yesterday doesn't 'arf make my back ache! No birding before work.

Ended up at home briefly at lunchtime. Saw at least five Bramblings in the willow tree. On my way back in to work found c.70 Golden Plovers near Beeston.

In an effort to not have a completely wasted birding day, I went to look for the Bean Geese in the evening. Eventually all four flew in, presumably from Southill Lake, at around 6pm. The two juvs now look very like their parents.

White-winged nightmare

As this bird has caused a wake of confusion wherever it's been seen, I thought I'd post my images of it. Here it is in the Stewartby Lake roost, Beds, 10th March 2009. Thoughts range from Kumlien's, to some sort of weird hybrid Herring Gull x white-winged gull. What do you think...

Laurel and Hardy

Good job no one reads this stuff! My idea about identifying carbo Cormorants goes completely out the window after a good read. However, I managed to photograph most of the Cormorants on the raft that day and what do you know, I've got them both in the same shot:

So Stan (the skinny one, siniensis) is on the right, and Oliver (the fat one, carbo) is on the left. Note the thicker set head of Oliver, with a more angular gular, and white face patch being nice and wide at the bottom. There, told you it was easy...

prrrrt!

It always happens when you least expect it. I was out counting ducks at the salubrious location of Brogborough landfill site (once Europe's largest tip!) last weekend when I found this little beauty. After counting the heafty nine Mute Swans, four Canada Geese and two Tufted Ducks, that were on the two pools, I decided to walk the really muddy, slippery path to the top of the hill to look for Short-eared Owls. It was virtually bird-less, except for a single Meadow Pipit, a Carrion Crow, then I flushed a bird from a post. Immediately it called and I knew what it was! I got my bins on it flying around above me and saw those glorious white wings - a Snow Bunting!

Black-head

Black-headed Gull, Helston Boating Lake, Cornwall, October 2003. Surprisingly difficult to get really nice pictures of.

Ringer

Ring-billed Gull, Helston Boating Lake, Cornwall, October 2003. Twitched on our way on to Scilly for a week.

Fudge Duck

Female Ferruginous Duck, Elstow clay pits, Beds, 2005

Rose-breasted Grosbeak mk2

This is how you should really see Rose-breasted Grosbeak! This one wintered at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador in 2005. Stunning, isn't he?

Green-crowned Woodnymph

Green-Crowned Woodnymph Thalurania fannyi, Mindo, Ecuador, January 2005

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador, September 2004

Taken digiscoping using a mirror!

Pacific Parrotlet

Pacific Parrotlet Forpus coelestis, Ayampe, Ecuador, October 2004

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet on a nest

Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet Tyrannulus elatus on a nest, Canande, Ecuador, August 2004

Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant

Black-capped Pygmy-Tyrant Myiornis atricapillus, Canande, Ecuador, August 2004

This is the smallest passerine in the world!

Turquoise Jay

Turquoise Jay Cyanolyca turcosa, Guango Lodge, Ecuador, September 2004

Andean Emerald

Andean Emerald Amazilia franciae, Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador, November 2004

Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Fawn-breasted Brilliant Heliodoxa rubinoides, Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador, November 2004

Golden-breasted Puffleg

Golden-breasted Puffleg Eriocnemis mosquera, Yanacocha, Ecuador, November 2004

Chestnut-breasted Coronet

Chestnut-breasted Coronet Boissonneaua matthewsii, San Isidro, Ecuador, October 2004