The Big Twitch

Did most of the patch from 10 am until 12:30, fairly quiet, but still a few bits 'n' bobs - 1 Robin, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Blackcap, 5 Wheatear, 20 Song Thrush, 1 Yellow-browed Warbler, 3 Sanderlings and a Whimbrel. And then curiosity got the better of me, so it was a major twitch of 1.5 miles to Hestingott for Olive-backed Pipit and Isabelline Shrike, when I got there, there was no sign of either ! Fed up with hanging around a children's playpark, waiting, I buggered off and checked the garden's of St Ninian's Drive - bingo ! the fourth garden I checked and Olive-backed Pipit on the lawn (until it was flushed by tripod rattling goons). I gave up on the Shrike and headed to Toab to check the gardens there - good move, the Shrike showed itself on a fence leading down to the main road. Also around Toab and Hestingott were 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Short-eared Owl, a Kestrel, a Blackcap and 2 Yellow-browed Warblers.

Olive-backed Pipit

Isabelline Shrike

Yellow-browed Warbler

Shrikes

Isabelline Shrike

Long-tailed Shrike

Back For More.

Back for more shots of the Issy Shrike, being as it was a nice day and all.... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it !

Elsewhere around south mainland - Ring Ouzel and Grey Wagtail at Quendale, Slavonian Grebe at Boddam, a Kestrel and a Merlin at Grutness and 4 White-fronted Geese and a Merlin at Scatness.

Just a reminder for those visiting the Shrike at Spiggie, the land owner has apparently requested that people should park at the Spiggie Hotel or in one of the passing places and NOT in the field, for those unsure about which field - it's this one -

Just One Fix.

Finally cracked and twitched the Isabelline Shrike at Scouseburgh, and eventually got pretty good views, but by then it was nearly dark !

Isabelline Shrike
Prior to the dirty filthy twitching, the patch was of course thrashed, not a great deal about but the Lapland Bunting flock had risen to 49 ! In the secret weedy field there were 40+ Twite (including a colour ringed bird), 2 Common Redpoll, 2 Brambling and 2 Siskin. Elsewhere on the patch - 4 Whooper Swan, a Wheatear, 3 Blackcap, 2 Goldcrest, 18 Redwing, 4 Song Thrush, 2 Chiffchaff and a Dunnock.

Common Redpoll

Twite.

Siskin.

Dunnock

Whooper Swan

14th February 2010 Khijadia Sanctuary.

All day at Khijadiya Sanctuary, about 8 miles NW of Jamnagar - this place is an absolute gem of a place, unlike others sanctuaries in India there is nobody chopping trees down for fire wood, dumping rubbish or grazing their cattle ! Most of the birding was done from the watch towers or the raised banks that connect them, on the lake in the eastern end there were - 10 Ferruginous Ducks (probably many more in the reeds), 1500+ Greater Flamingo, 500+ Lesser Flamingo, 7 River Terns, 500+ White Pelican, 40 Dalmatian Pelican, 30 Common Crane, 50+ Glossy Ibis and 2 Black-necked Storks.
Along the raised banks there were - 2 Wrynecks, 14 Oriental White-eye, 1 Orphean Warbler and 8 Paddyfield Warblers.
6 Sykes Larks and 10 Sand Larks were in the car park at the Visitors Centre.
At the western end it become more of a marsh with scattered trees, from the towers on this side we saw - 14 Greater Spotted Eagles, 2 Pallid Harriers, 2 Black-shouldered Kites, 3 Caspian Terns, 37 Small Pratincole, 5 White-tailed Lapwings, 8 Pallas's Gulls and 50 + Temminck's Stints. At dusk some 750+ Citrine and Yellow Wagtails, plus 200+ Tawny Pipits flew over the tower to roost on the saltmarsh, as 79 Night Herons left their roost and flew onto the fresh water marsh.


Khijadiya.

Black-necked Stork.

Caspian Tern.

Grey Francolin.

Grey Heron.

Greater Spotted Eagle.

Issabeline Shrike.

Little Cormorant.

Night Herons.

Oriental White-eye.

Pied Kingfishers.