Bluethroat

Still a good few birds on the patch - 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 7 Chiffchaff, 4 Whimbrel, 30 Swallow, 4 Reed Buntings, 4 Gadwall, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Whitethroat, 2 Swifts, 1 Brent Goose and a female Bluethroat - could have been yesterday's bird as it was only 300 yards away, but today's bird looked more well marked, so on balance is probably a different bird. Amazingly a bird race team today saw an adult male in the same place a few hours earlier!

Bluethroat

Swift

Okhla, New Delhi

Two days left in India, so a day out to Okhla Marsh in Delhi for a few specialities  - Yellow-bellied Prinia, Streaked Weaver, Striated Babbler and White-tailed Stonechat.
The Yellow-bellied Prinia was no problem at all with up to 20 singing in the reeds, Streaked Weaver was the one I thought I'd have trouble with, but the first Weaver that I saw was a Streaked - bonus ! Next up, Striated Babbler, there were quite a few small groups in the reed, though getting a view of them was a different story, but with a bit of patience they gave themselves up eventually. White-tailed Stonechat was a bit of a problem as I only saw 3 Stonechats all day, 2 were Siberian and one (a 1w/ female type) that looked just like a Sibe apart from it had loads of white in the tail (see photo).
Elsewhere around the marsh every ditch had it's own Purple Heron and several Bluethroats, a single Crested Bunting was in the Acacias and there were several Citrine Wagtails kicking around.

Blue Pansy

Bluethroat

Crested Bunting

Citrine Wagtail

Purple Heron

Striated Babbler

Siberian or White-tailed Stonechat

Streaked Weaver

Yellow-bellied Prinias

Scrub

Another day in Bharatpur, though this time doing the scrub and semi-desert areas, I quite like birding in these sort of areas – but I hate Acacias !! Plenty of typical scrubland birds around – Plain Prinias, Ashy-crowned Sparrow Larks, Chestnut-shouldered Petronias, White-eared Bulbuls everywhere and loads of Bluthroats, plus a rather nice fly-over Egyptian Vulture. In the more wooded areas I picked up a pair of White-bellied Drongos, and then a bit of a strange incedent occurred. Speaking to a visiting birder, who said that there was a Blue Rock Thrush at the nursery – why the hell would a Blue Rock Thrush be in a forest !? So I followed him down there and then he pointed it out – a Black-winged Cuckoo Shrike ! Erm...OK !

So it was back out to the scrubland for the last few hours, nothing new until the last half hour of light, when a smallish Falcon zipped through, I was fully expecting it to be a Hobby, until I got my bins on it – Red-necked Falcon – cracker !

Asian Pied Starling

Bluethroat

Black-winged Cuckoo Shrike

Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark

Chestnut-shouldered Petronia

Egyptian Vulture

Red-necked Falcon

Indian Peafowl

Plain Prinia

White-bellied Drongo

 

Batumi - Quality, not Quantity

Big clear out at Batumi, but what was left was quality - 3 Great Reed Warbler, 6 Ortolans, just 3 Hoopoe, a Bluethroat, 5 Lesser Grey Shrike, 3 Wryneck, 3 Red-throated Pipit, 5 Barred Warblers, 30 Red-backed Shrike, 10 Reed Warbler, 1 Citrine Wagtail, 4 Yellow Wagtails, 15 Isabelline Wheatear, 1 Tawny Pipit, 3 Quail and a Blackcap.

Bluethroat

Great Reed Warbler

Hoopoe

Ortolan Bunting

Wryneck

Waiting.

After 8 years of waiting, it finally happened - Bluethroat in the garden ! and with another one still showing in the end garden - 2 on the patch in the same day. Elsewhere a Reed Bunting in the docks (the plant, not the boat parking area !) was a welcome year tick, 27 Pink-footed Geese headed south and a Garden Warbler was in the garden (where else !).

Bluethroat.

11th February 2010 Naliya Grasslands.

Full day around Naliya Grasslands in the western end of Kachchh, with Veer, one of the guides from C.E.D.O. The day started with 16 Demoiselle Cranes and a Short-toed Eagle in a roadside field, after this we went into the grasslands proper, driving along various dirt tracks. Although very windy (by Indian standards anyway, by Shetland standards it was just a gentle breeze !), we did manage to see 5 Montagu's Harriers, 2 Pallid Harriers, 12 Black-shouldered Kites, 3 Short-toed Eagle, a White-eyed Buzzard, 15 Griffon Vultures, 150+ Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, 5 Indian Bushlarks, 2 Long-billed Pipits, a Yellow-legged Buttonquail and a Stoliczka's Bushchat, missed Great Indian Bustard, but we didn't really put that mush effort in for them as we had already seen them at Nanaj, in Maharashtra in 2007.
In a nearby partially dried up river bed we went looking for Eagle Owl, but due to the wind, there was no sign, however we did get Shaheen, 2 Citrine Wagtails, a Paddyfield Warbler and 3 Bluethroats.


Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse.

Demoiselle Cranes.

Grey Francolin.

Indian Bushlark.

Long-billed Pipit.

Short-toed Eagle.

Drinking Larks.

Yellow-wattled Lapwing.

Bluethroat.

Paddyfield Warbler.

Shaheen.

Bluethroats Galore.

On Out Skerries from 12.00 - 4.00 pm, the Easterly wind continues, but now with some rain. Lots of migrants on Skerries - 7 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroat, 7 Redstart, 6 Tree Pipit, 10 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Wood Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Redpoll, 3 Swallow, 1 Sand Martin, female Ring Ouzel, male Red-backed Shrike, 4 Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Whinchat, 3 Song Thrush, 2 Common Sandpiper, 1 Wood Sandpiper, 1 Carrion Crow, a Marsh Harrier a Wryneck and 5 Bluethroats.In the Garden - 2 Willow Warbler, a Wood Warbler, a Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and a Whinchat.The day ended with a rather wet looking Nightjar at Sumburgh Quarry.

Wryneck.

Bluethroats.

Marsh Harrier.

Red-backed Shrike.

Reed Warbler.

Whinchat.

Nightjar.