A little trip to St Lucia 17/3 - 27/3/14

After 14 months of sciatica it was time to test the back on a 9 hour flight with a little bit of birding thrown in - we booked a flight and hotel through the British Airways website and prebooked a car through a local company.  With relatively very  few birds on the island the goal was to see the 5 endemics and anything else would be a bonus - by the 6th day we had seen virtually every species on the island plus an unexpected extra in a Masked Booby while lazing on Cas En Bas beach. We didn’t use any guides but if you are a nervous driver and cannot use a map we would advise a guide, note there are next to no road signs in St Lucia !

So here was where we started and picked up first endemics which were St Lucia Oriole, St Lucia Black Finch and St Lucia Parrot

Only 3 species of Hummingbird on the Island this Crested one being the smallest

Lesser Antillean Bullfinches were probably the most common birds on the Island

and Grey Trembler being on of the most characterful.

Scaly Breasted Thrasher were common and no photo but the White Breasted Thrasher which is on the endangered list we found at three different sites. 

Lesser Antillean Flycatcher

Luckily we took this video on arrival in the car park at Des Cartier Forest reserve, it was the only St Lucia Parrot we found perched but several flying in the reserve. 

Another Grey Trembler

The St Lucia Oriole seemed fairly common and we found several on most forested trails.

The road to Grand Anse beach was horrendous but had to be done for good views of Red-Billed Tropic birds and House Wren.  We didnt find the Rufous Nightjar here but did locate 3 on Ravine La Chaloupe.

The iconic Pitons at Soufriere.

Cocktail time but bins at the ready!

So here is the rental car we used a 4 x 4 Suzuki Jimney and these were the rules we were given;

Always overtake on a hill especially when going round a bend, Don’t dip headlights at any cost you might avoid blinding someone, If you are turning left indicate to turn right, Drive as fast as you can in all weather conditions, Pull out onto a main road without bothering to look right or left just go for it and cross your fingers, Keep as close to the car in front of you as possible and when driving at night  don’t forget to have your lights on glare, Finally most important of all Friday night is fun night so put on your indicators, hazards and headlights on full beam, foot hard on accelerator and drive like a maniac!

The roads were incredibly steep and in places very bumpy and some unpassable without 4 x 4 especially track down to Grand Anse and yes everyone seems to follow the above rules!

So a pleasant 10 days with no back problems - a nice place to go if you like the heat with a few good birds!

Little Bunting, Lea Park, Gainsborough, Lincs

Well we nearly didn’t go for this Little Bunting for some strange reason but pleased we did after already having had a really good morning watching the Great Grey Shrike at Butterwick quite a good day in North Lincs to say the least.

Snowdrop time

Yes lots of Snowdrops out today both in Normanby Park and all the surrounding woodlands - also of note seen in the area today; 2 displaying Common Buzzards, 1ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 G S Woodpeckers, 13 Siskins, 3 Nuthatch and a  Peregrine.

Birds singing and a motorway tick

Yesterday was a unique day in many ways, firstly no wind which meant an early morning walk in the park was alive with bird song and territory setting; Nuthatch, G S Woodpecker and Jackdaws were all at prospective nest sites with Goldcrests, Treecreepers, Songthrush, Robins and Wrens in full song and a lovely flock of 13 Siskins newly in. Snowdrops and Acconites are also in full bloom now so definitely worth a visit to  the park if you’re in the area.  So to the highlight of the day, later in the morning whilst travelling as a passenger (I hasten to add) I spotted a Great Grey Shrike perched up on the edge of the M18/180 junction so a quick text to Graham and …………

…digiscoped with Iphone.

Two-Barred Crossbill

These images were taken by Neil Drinkall on Sunday .. An extremely rare bird in Lincolnshire possibly only the second ever record the first being in 1889.

Two-barred Crossbill, Forest Pines, Broughton, N Lincs

Well turned up at 8.15 this morning expecting hoardes of birders for such a special bird but no not a person in sight and within 5 minutes I picked up the Two-Barred perched up out in the open on its own at the top of a Larch.  It was soon joined with around 15 other Common Crossbills and stuck primarily to the Larch trees, photo below shows one of the favoured Larch and the bird is actually in there!  I was shortly joined by a member of the golf course staff who was concerned I may get hit by a golf ball and pointed out where it would be safer to stand! He couldn't have been more pleasant and helpful and welcomes any birders as long as they stick to the paths - Forest Pines keeps a record of its wildlife and would like a photo of the Two-Barred so if anyone out there has  a good image could they kindly email a copy to them via their website.

Lincolnshire Two-Barred Crossbill

The first North Lincs record for Two-Barred Crossbill - a stunning immature male was showing well with around 20 Crossbills at Forest Pines golf course this lunch time, very cold wet and windy but well worth it!

Nitwits and that's the understatement of the century!

Once again our inept government shows its true non-green colours, words fail me how has it come to this!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25599249

Winter visitors

Well we are nearly at another year end and a year that I personally will be pleased to see the back of having spent the whole of the year disabled with Sciatica.  However there is light finally at the end of the tunnel and it does seem to be getting better and who knows by the time I finally get an appointment for a steroid injection it may have repaired itself and I can tell the Nhs where to stick its appointment!  So back to birding, we have been to seen two nationally very rare species recently an Ivory Gull at Patrington Haven and a small flock of Two-Barred Crossbills at Broomhead Reservoir in S Yorks which came within feet to drink constantly giving their nasally trumpet call.  Exceptionally good views were had of both species but in our new spirit of methodically studying the birds and forgetting about instantly grabbing the camera putting our blood pressure up we have no photos!  I have been studying birders at twitches this autumn and there is only a small percent that actually look through their scopes/bins and look at the bird most of them just spend the whole time frantically trying to get a photo and it had to be said on far too many occasions the noise of the camera shutters does scare the bird and don't get me started on some photographer's behavior.

On the garden front we are getting some good birds on the feeders with Nuthatches daily and a good mixed tit flock including Goldcrest and Treecreeper regularly passing through but the star of the winter has to be the daily bath time ritual of a Mistle Thrush at the pond.  It is a stunning bird and always brings its mate which curiously never plucks up the courage to come down to the pond but watches from the Yew Tree.  We regularly have Buzzards over the paddock and our resident Sparrowhawk chases birds around the garden but I suppose our most exciting Normanby visitor would have to be a Muntjac Deer which we have now seen twice at the bottom of the paddock.  With bulbs already poking their heads up spring is  just around the corner and weather permitting our Newts could be back in the pond in 5 or 6 weeks time.  It is only about a month ago that we had a pair of Great Diving Beetles mating in the pond which was fabulous to see but the ferocious larvae will not be good news for the Newts - life is just one never ending battle!

Video of flooded Alkborough Flats 6th Dec 2013

 Yes I know that the purpose of the Flats was to flood but this is a little special, it looks more like a tsunami has come through (note the tree trunk is not usually there!)

http://youtu.be/IXbt-RJ6L_g

A few more of Humber tidal surge..

Tidal surge flooding at Alkborough Flats

A repeat event of 1953 saw Alkborough Flats completely submerged by the River Humber last night.  It even breached the new sea defences with the sewage works, car park and surrounding area under deep water and sadly a number of sheep succumbed to the deluge.







Further up the river shows South Ferriby surrounded by flood water.