Gujarat, India, Day 1, Part 1: Kensville CC

Red-wattled Lapwing




Green Bee-eater

Black Drongo

Large Grey Babbler



Red-naped (or Black) Ibis

Citrine Wagtail

I have just got back from a couple of weeks in Gujarat, India. Initially I was invited to the 2nd Global Birdwatchers' Conference 2012. But, along with fellow delegates Mark Newell and Hywel Maggs, we had a further week or so after the conference visiting some of the state's top birding and wildlife localities.
Our first destination was the site for the conference, the immaculate golf course of Kensville Country Club. We arrived after a stupid amount of time without sleep at 7am on 19 January and immediately set to, birding the golf course surrounds. Most of the birdlife was typical of what we were to encounter across the region, but there were a few species we saw there but nowhere else.
At daw, vast numers of birds passed over, leaving their roost sites in flocks. These included big flocks of Bimaculated Larks and Short-toed Larks plus thousands of Rose-coloured Starlings. Painted Storks, and Comb Ducks also passed overhead. Asian Koels and Shikras called adn Purple Sunbirds were everywhere. This is a selection of some of the birds which I manaaged to get a few photos of.

Brünnich's Guillemot; easily overlooked?

Brünnich's Guillemot, Burghead, 17 November 2011
It pains me somewhat to admit it, but these photos have been sitting neglected on my computer until today. I'm afraid I lack killer instinct when it comes to finding rare birds. So, when I photographed this young guille during a Heatherlea trip in November, it flashed through my mind how dark and stumpy young guilles appear, rather how I thought Brünnich's was supposed to look, but I didn't even put these vague thoughts into words. I concentrated instead on trying to relocate a King Eider for the group. Luckily, Jonny Pott, our guide, finally got round to looking at his photos recently and the penny dropped.
So, I just consulted my photo archive and pulled these out. It's embarrassing really, not least because there have been fewer than 45 accepted UK records. But, hey, at least I saw it and photographed it. So there!

Early morning camel care

Sarus Cranes

Fruit bats

I believe these beauties are Indian Flying Foxes (unless anyone can correct this). All are males...

Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark

Just back from Gujarat

Demoiselle Cranes

Bank Mynas

Great Thick-knee

Indian Pond Heron

Indian Roller

Here is a small sample of the first photos I have looked at, having just got back from nearly two weeks birding in Gujarat, western India. Watch this space for plenty more...

Bittern at Woodwalton Fen video

Bittern at Woodwalton Fen NNR

Digiscoped in the reeds of the far side of Gordon's Mere on 15.1.12.

Tundra Bean Geese, Langtoft, Lincs

Yesterday, Josh Jones found a flock of four Tundra Beans in the private pits of his local patch, the Baston and Langtoft complex. They were almost certainly the same four that he found late in 2011 in the area. On my way to twitch them there this lunchtime, I popped into Langtoft West End pits to see if they had relocated there, and almost immediately refound them along with the Greylags and an adult and juvenile European White-fronted Goose.
These are the four Beans. Note that one appears to have a damaged (whitish) right eye; this should at least make identifying the flock reasonably straightforward if they wander (whither it may be...).
Already in 2012, in the Peterborough area, I have seen Brent, White-fronted, Bean and Egyptian Geese, which is a good little haul of geese for January around these parts.

2011 One per month: WINNERS

Thanks to everyone who voted for my favourite photos for the past 12 months. To my great surprise, 9 out of the 12 received a vote for the top photo. Only one (September's phalarope) received no votes at all!. Four photos dominated proceedings, and though the winner was just about a clear favourite, the other three were almost inseperable. These are the top four of my photos as voted by you, my dear readers (as ever, click them to see more detail):

FIRST: November, Crested Tit


JOINT SECOND: July, Chalkhill Blue and bee


JOINT SECOND: June, Wood Mouse


FOURTH: January, Waxwings

House Sparrow mass roost, Faro, Algarve

House Sparrow chorus by Weedons World
Perhaps, once upon a time, it would have been possible to hear a racket like this in the UK, even in London. It is at least encouraging that sparrow populations are still quite high somewhere in western Europe. This recording was made in September 2011. There were thousands upon thousands of birds in the roost in trees next to the bar we were drinking at and I recorded this by wandering around under them with my camera on 'voice memo'.

2011 One per month

Please leave a comment to vote for your top three favourite photos of the year, from this bunch. Results will be announced shortly...


January: Waxwings, Werrington, Peterborough

February: Marsh Tit, Castor Hanglands, Cambridgeshire

March: Little Gull, Ferry Meadows CP, Peterborough

April: Ptarmigans, Cairngorm

May: Brown Bear, near Kuhmo, Finland

June: Wood Mouse, our garden, Peterborough

July: Chalkhill Blue and bee, Barnack Hills and Holes, Cambridgeshire

August: Pied Flycatcher, Murrow, Cambridgeshire

September: Grey Phalarope, Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire

October: Turnstone, The Algarve, Portugal

November: Crested Tit, Loch Garten RSPB

December: male, Sparrowhawk, our garden, Peterborough

Young Peregrine at Woodwalton Fen

We are blessed with a decent population of Peregrines in and around Peterborough. I have seen half a dozen or so even in the last couple of weeks at widely scattered sites. They hunt the Nene Washes, are seen in the centre of the city and are regularly seen around the 'higher' hills to the west of the A1M.
This young male, though (aged on the streaked not barred) breast, brownish, buff-fringed upperparts; sexed on relatively small size) was hunting ducks, small gulls and pigeons at Woodwalton Fen NNR yesterday early mornign (hence the glowing light). It was the second day running I had seen a Peregrine at the reserve, but the previous day's bird was a much bigger, grey bird, which I had down as an adult female.
Though I can't move for Peregrines, I still haven't seen a Merlin in the Peterborough area this year. And I crave this 'core' species, just to tickle my local year list up to 182 species. Three weeks to go...

Garden Sparrowhawk

This exquisite male was outside our bedroom window this morning. Luckily it stayed long enough a. for the children to see it and b. for Ed to fetch my camera for a few shots...

Mars Robot

About 40 years ago, when I was a tiddly wee lad, I made up a song called Mars Robot. I used to strum a small out of tune guitar rather randomly and sing this ditty as if I was a Glam Rock star. So, I thought I'd record a version and this is it...
Mars Robot by Weedons World

Digiscoped Kestrel