Thursday 24 May 2018
Wednesday 23 May 2018
Lesvos
Just back from a week on the beautiful Greek island of Lesvos - we stayed in Skala Kalloni and really just had a relaxing week in the sun driving around the island doing a bit of birding and lots of long lunches. We knew we were at the latter end of migration but knew we would also see a nice selection of birds and we managed to find five Collared Flycatchers which is where we start..
Red-footed Falcon
European Scops Owl - 3 easily seen in one area
Balkan Marbled White and Skipper sp.
Lesvos Bush Cricket sp
Another grasshopper sp.
Ilex Hairstreak
Yet another unidentified grasshopper
Red-footed Falcon
European Scops Owl - 3 easily seen in one area
Balkan Marbled White and Skipper sp.
Lesvos Bush Cricket sp
Another grasshopper sp.
Ilex Hairstreak
Monday 7 May 2018
EBird Global Big Day
Once again we decided to take part in the https://ebird.org/globalbigday which is where you try to see as many bird species in 24 hours - last year we managed to get what we think is the Lincolnshire record of 131 so we were hoping to beat our own record however once again we got 131. Here's a bit of a summary of the 24 hours! -
00.00 - Alkborough Flats = Bittern, Water Rail
01.30 - Whisby = Nightingale
02.30 - Laughton Forest = Big dip Nightjar, Woodcock, all the Owls, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler
06.30 - Messingham = Willow Tit, Red Crested Pochard, Egyptian and Pink-footed Goose
08.15 - Twigmoor = Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher
10.00 - Alkborough = Marsh Harrier, Spotted Redshank, Wigeon, Teal, Bearded Tit
11.00 - Barton = Goldeneye, Scaup
11.15 - Off to Frampton = Woodsandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little and Med Gull, Big dip Turtle Dove - nice Wood duck but not countable!
16.15 - Off to Gibraltar Point = Great White Egret, Little, Arctic and Sandwich Tern, Fulmer, Grey Plover, Sanderling
21.00 leave for home!
In hindsight it may have been better to go to Gib before Frampton as we would possibly have had Green Woody, Serin and Siskin - ironically we had lots of Siskin in Twigmoor only two days earlier. During the whole day we only had two Swifts and they were as we were driving through Horncastle.
Out of the 131 species 22 species only had one individual recorded indicating such a fine balance between seeing and not seeing. We could easily have broken our record had we seen the following birds - Jay, Greenwoodpecker, Raven, Redpoll,Hobby, Siskin, Knot, Turnstone, Common Sand, Bar-wit, Nightjar - It always happens that the very next day you see birds your missed - this year Redpoll flew over the garden! Many thanks go to Gibraltar Point especially Kev Wilson, Ben Ward and Nigel Lound - roll on next year!
00.00 - Alkborough Flats = Bittern, Water Rail
01.30 - Whisby = Nightingale
02.30 - Laughton Forest = Big dip Nightjar, Woodcock, all the Owls, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler
06.30 - Messingham = Willow Tit, Red Crested Pochard, Egyptian and Pink-footed Goose
08.15 - Twigmoor = Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher
10.00 - Alkborough = Marsh Harrier, Spotted Redshank, Wigeon, Teal, Bearded Tit
11.00 - Barton = Goldeneye, Scaup
11.15 - Off to Frampton = Woodsandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Little and Med Gull, Big dip Turtle Dove - nice Wood duck but not countable!
16.15 - Off to Gibraltar Point = Great White Egret, Little, Arctic and Sandwich Tern, Fulmer, Grey Plover, Sanderling
21.00 leave for home!
In hindsight it may have been better to go to Gib before Frampton as we would possibly have had Green Woody, Serin and Siskin - ironically we had lots of Siskin in Twigmoor only two days earlier. During the whole day we only had two Swifts and they were as we were driving through Horncastle.
Out of the 131 species 22 species only had one individual recorded indicating such a fine balance between seeing and not seeing. We could easily have broken our record had we seen the following birds - Jay, Greenwoodpecker, Raven, Redpoll,Hobby, Siskin, Knot, Turnstone, Common Sand, Bar-wit, Nightjar - It always happens that the very next day you see birds your missed - this year Redpoll flew over the garden! Many thanks go to Gibraltar Point especially Kev Wilson, Ben Ward and Nigel Lound - roll on next year!
Thursday 3 May 2018
A few insects
We start with this mining bee which I have had help to id and very excited to be told its very probably Andrena clarkella or Clarke's Mining Bee only the 30th record for Lincs and the first this year!
7-spot Ladybird
Eristalis pertinax - I think!
Green Shieldbug hiding in the nettles
Syrphus ribesii and 22-spot Ladybird
Another mining bee this time Tawny Mining Bee loaded with pollen going back into the nest
7-spot Ladybird
Eristalis pertinax - I think!
Green Shieldbug hiding in the nettles
Syrphus ribesii and 22-spot Ladybird
These I didn't take - they were taken in Kent by my brother and I again have had them identified as Grey-patched Mining Bee - Andrena nitida
Please advise if I have misidentified any
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