Spring Squall

My birds seen in the UK has this year been the lowest ever with birding restricted to localities in Beds. I decided to push the boat out and venture into NHants yesterday and connected with Grasshopper Warbler, Greenshank, Tree Sparrow, Black Tern and a perched Hobby, all firsts for the year. The weather in the morning was cold and at one point a hail storm caught me ill-equiped. Dramatic sky and rainbow at Knotting Green (Beds).

Bluebells

Lovely display in Sheerhatch Wood.

May Day Dog Walk

The Nightingales seemed to be more showy this year. Little Paxton.

Bewick's

1/25th Sec, 500ASA hand held in fading light yesterday evening. The 30D starts to struggle with IQ if I go beyond 400ASA although I'm sure the IS is helping me with such slow shutter speeds. A 7D would be nice though !!

Young Bewick's Swan which has appeared at Broom replacing the long staying Whooper.

on the subject of Nightingales....

No LBJ.

He's back

Same place as last year. It's good to know that Willington still has a Nightingale despite it being further from the village than when I first moved here. In 1995 a singing male kept me awake at night - and I didn't mind.

Green Bee-eaters

The differences in these two sub-species is quite distinct. The upper bird ssp orientalis taken in India has an orange colouration to the head and far less vivid blue around the throat than the ssp cyanphrys captured in Israel.

Red-rumped Swallow

Undoubtedly migrating to Willington.

Memories of Leighton Moss

My only previous sighting of this species was at Leighton Moss a few years back where the views were a bit more distant to say the least than this bird taken at K19 canal pools.

Wheatears

Greenland, Northern, Isabelline, Black-eared, Pied and Cyprus Wheatears. The latter species was least confiding but a welcome lifer.

IBRC Close Ups

At the IBRC in Eilat. Wryneck, Woodchat Shrike, Bluethroat, Quail, White spectacled Bulbul, Ruppell's, Savi's, Olivaceous and Eastern Bonelli's (Balkan) Warblers.

Desert Finch

So hard to find !! Rah, rah, rah.

variegatus

The rump and tail pattern on this bird photographed at Lotan, indicates the eastern "Caspian" race of Stonechat.

Black Stork Migration

Last Thursday saw a large wave of Black Storks heading north over the Eilat mountains. We estimated 500+ in little over half an hour with several thousand reported through the Arava valley in the single day. Last year I witnessed a similar thing only with White Storks.

How do these birds know to gather from their African wintering grounds and to migrate en-mass on the same morning ? Witnessing large-scale migration is incredible.

Tough Warblers

Arabian Warbler was found collecting food and to our surprise was seen feeding a juvenile on the ground and in the open. A privilage for such a rare bird.

The third image is the best I could manage of an extremely elusive Menetries's Warbler that spent a week living in a lone bush at Yotvata fields but could vanish for ages at a time. It had a jizz quite different from other sylvia warblers, keeping close to the ground in cover and constanly wagging it's cocked tail.

Hoopoe Study

Top Bird

Good numbers through Eilat last week. What a cracking bird !

Larking About

Good rain in the Israeli desert this winter has resulted in some lush green areas for Larks - including this beauty !

Blue Sky, Red Bird

Nearly Spring

Managed to blow the dust off the camera this afternoon. Few birds where I decided to wander but the sunshine was nice.