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

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!

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!

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 

A wet Messingham Sand Quarry

Paid  a visit to MSQ & surrounds Friday evening in heavy drizzle but had our first Garden Warbler and two Cuckoos on the reserve and 3 Little Ringed Plovers just off the reserve.  Also had this Buzzard perched up trying to dry off and our first Muntjac record for the site.

Spring flowers emerge finally

At last three days of warm spring weather has spurred our British short supply of wildflowers into action

Early Purple Orchid

Gypsy Cuckoo Bee

Bluebells

Carpets of Wood Anemones

Greater Stitchwort

Dog Violets

and a very rare sight of a Willow Tit's nest currently under construction

The Weekend..

..was not bad in North Lincs

Look carefully 11 Common Cranes in this one

Probably Nomada Leucophthalma in resting position

Great White Egret

One of 35 Hawfinch

 White-fronted Goose

White-winged Scoter at Musselburgh

Decided to make the long journey north on a less than ideal day weather wise with heavy rain and strong winds during the drive up but it was the best day on a very poor forecast over Easter.

The forecast was for a dry spell in the morning with rain and stronger winds in the afternoon but at 8.00am it was still barely daylight with frequent heavy showers moving through.  On top of this the tide was out and there was a heavy sea swell so it made it near impossible to pick out the W.W Scoter amongst the distant Velvet Scoters.  Fortunately there was a little window of brightness mid morning and group of about 10 Scoters were close in on the incoming tide.  After a little scanning I picked an obviously different bird with a different head structure, a good broad white tear mark behind the eye and a pinkish rather than orange bill.

Yellowhammers and Barn Owl

Went out birding locally looking for some early spring migrants but due to the persistent cold weather none had arrived but as compensation did have splendid views of this pair of Yellowhammers and a hunting Barn Owl.

Icy blast birds!

Well we've had a week of cold weather nothing horrendous but definitely cold and one added benefit to us humans if not the birds is the amount of new visitors to the garden showing just how vital it is to feed the birds in bad weather - birds we just don't normally get have visited daily including Reed Bunting, Brambling, Redwing, Fieldfare, Treecreeper, Pied Wagtail, Siskin and Hawfinch!  Here's a few mages including a Red-necked Grebe at Bagmoor this morning