Scops

A Scops Owl calling along a forest road during a nocturnal survey last night:

It's not often I have them so close. I had no other means of recording it other than my camera. Riveting footage, yes?

But is it one owl or two?

Cyprus Scops owls have a two-note call so although it sounds like two birds a lot of the time, it's likely to be just the one. It sounds like they're answering themselves. The new Sound Approach book on owls (which is great, as ever) describes the cyprius Scops Owl call, specifically the second 'answering' call or 'bip' being "the rule and very audible" as opposed to it occurring in other scops owl sub-species at 'low incidence' or only being heard quietly or at close range.

So in this audio example, the single bird is easy to record accurately but when there are six or more calling at the same time with the double note, like in Pafos Forest recently, it gets interesting!

Beach waders and more: Alleppey, Feb'13

Forgive me, it's fairly inexcusable that come June I'm still dining out on February's trip to India but hey, here we are...last one.

I'll wrap it up quickly now and that's fine because, after neglecting my travelling companions while I whistled around Thattekad, the last week or so on the Keralan coast was more about beaches and swimming and memorable encounters in state-run liquor stores than anything else. But that said, I still managed to see some amazing birds, just less effort went into it.

Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum) Alleppey, Kerala.
I found these two birds in a palm just round the corner from our homestay on an early morning walk. The rufous colouring suggests these are of the Malabar subspecies malabaricum

Nesting in the same palm as the owls was this White-cheeked Barbet (Megalaima viridis), a Western Ghats endemic

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) Alleppey beach

It was great to watch a good number of wintering Greenshank scurry back and forth in the surf. Hot, sandy beaches and waders are an excellent combination if you ask me...

Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) Marari beach. Further up the coast at this awesome beach I found several sand plovers, Greater and Lesser, along with a lone Kentish Plover 

Western Reef Egret (dark/blue morph) (Egretta gularis) Marari beach, Feb '13 

Good times, Marari beach, Kerala 2013

The highlight of our stay in Alleppey was an overnight cruise on the backwaters. Boy, did we live up to every possible tourist stereotype but y'know, it was worth it. After an unnecessary amount of haggling, we eventually settled on a boat and a crew whose promise of 5 large, COLD beers had sealed the deal. With that, we set off and kicked back as the world drifted by. We were waited on hand and foot while avian highlights included dozens of Purple swamphens, an Osprey perched briefly, Baya Weaver and more kites, egrets and little cormorants than you could possibly ever imagine. It was heaven.

a House Crow invites itself to tea, Alleppey backwaters cruise

Black Kite (Milvus migrans) Left and Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) sharing air time in Fort Cochin, Kerala

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Merops philippinus) with an ubiquitous Black Kite in the distance. I love this photo.

Our final stop, sort of, was (Fort) Cochin, the capital of Kerala. We stayed in the old town just like the guide book told us to. It was fine, nothing mind blowing but maybe that was just end of trip blues creeping in. I added Common Sandpiper to my beach waders list and admired the squadrons of Blue-tailed bee-eaters in the local park. We ate a nice meal in a place where cockroaches crawled all over the walls, but, it didn't matter, it was all an adventure. And a day or so later, we were saying goodbyes; Sal and I to Chennai and London, Bobby to Thailand and Kate to who-knows-where.

My trip list topped off just short of 170 species and I'm still checking a couple for splits since. IN short, it was an amazing trip, full of wonderful birds and sights and I can't wait to go back. Cheers!

Alleppey accomodation: Malayalam Homestay

Recommended eating: Kreme Korner

Best place: Marari Beach

A ghost on the Moor...

Silent, searching

a Barn Owl yesterday:

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Staines Moor, 3/2/13

Or a good example of how not to be a wildlife photographer.

This Barn Owl that appeared on Staines Moor yesterday was just one of many highlights on a memorable trip out to West London for our 'Office Patch Swap'.

The only rule of Patch Swap is, there are no rules! Only that everyone has a great day birding around someone else's local area. Our first stop yesterday was South Ealing tube station, Richard's manor, to pay a visit to London’s most reliable and thus most papped waxwings. True to form, they were there – 14 birds loitering conspicuously in a tree by the bus stop as they have done for 35 days now. Are they waiting for the bus back to Scandinavia perhaps?

 At Staines Reservoir we were exposed to the elements but rewarded with excellent views of a Great Northern Diver. It was an evasive bird but a wonderful brute. Doing what a diver does best, it would come up for five seconds and then disappear under the choppy waters for twenty, popping up 100m away. That is some strength. It kept us fit but it was worth it.

From there it was to Staines Moor - a truly unexpected and undisturbed slice of wilderness, a precious alluvial grassland, a  SSSI, hemmed in on all sides by Heathrow and the M25. It was a strange feeling, heart and mind wanting to surrender to it but prevented from doing so by the constant hum. Nevertheless, as we wandered among the ancient anthills all afternoon, its nature slowly unfolded and the noise was easier to forget. We had wonderful views of a another wandering spirit, a Short-eared Owl, quartering the moor at dusk until it alighted on a bramble perch - its fiery eyes so weary and watchful. I shared this view through my scope with a passing dog walker who was thrilled. I think she'll remember that day she saw an owl.

There was more of course, that afternoon, but the story is much the same. The next office patch swap has a lot to live up to!

Some footage here (courtesy Daniel Greenwood):

Owl

Diver

A ghost in a tree: Short-eared Owl, Staines Moor, 3/2/13

Thanks to Rich, Vicki and Dan

Sheppey: SEO and LEO in a day

Noting a slight shift in the winds at the tail end of last week, back to Northerlies, I thought it might be time for another trip over to the Isle of Sheppey on Saturday. I hadn't been since spring so I was looking forward to it. I hatched a plan on the way over to start at the top and work my way down the eastern coast towards Shellness. Arriving at Warden Bay just after 9am, I was soon making my way up through the scrub at the top of the heavily eroded cliffs. Less than a minute from the car park I picked up the first of many Goldcrests in the dense Blackthorn - no doubt a fresh arrival from the continent, they've been very noticeable even in London this past week. Having heard that a Yellow-browed Warbler had been found here the weekend before I kept going up past the caravan park towards the point. Here Chiffchaffs occupied just about every available bush or tree, their incessant calls ringing out wherever I went. At the point I met another birder who turns out was the one who found the YB the previous weekend and he pointed out where (Good to meet you Gavin). There was a lot of activity in the scrub slumped down the cliff face but mostly Chiffs and assorted tits. We walked around the area for a bit, hoping that something nice might have come in but 3 swallows going north and a couple of Jays were about it. The latter is apparently a rare bird for Sheppey so these were no doubt a result of the staggering irruption for this species along the east coast currently.

For the next stop I had planned to park at Muswell Manor and take in the fields down to the hamlet. Last year the grazed fields regularly held Hen Harriers and quite a few waders so I was surprised (and a little disappointed) to find that since my last visit, the whole area has been ploughed up and converted to arable. A vast tract of land next to the Swale NNR now seems to be growing what looks like corn but might apparently be a biofuel crop. Interesting. As a result with nothing to see, we went to straight to Shellness to see what was about. Joining a few of the regular watchers there it wasn't long before a juvenile Gannet was picked up moving East. The mussel beds were teeming with Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew, among them a few Black-tailed Godwits and Grey Plover. It was nice to see a few small flocks of Brent Geese arriving back in their wintering quarters. After a while, all the oystercatchers went up and scanning to see what might have caused it I was absolutely chuffed to find a Short-eared Owl coming in off the sea right in front of us! The views couldn't have been better as it came in over our heads, perfectly clear in warm light against the blue sky. The bird then dipped out of view into the marsh behind the hamlet. An awesome sight.

Oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) take flight as the tide rises, Shellness. 

The hamlet of Shellness from the old sea wall, Swale NNR.

At this point the wind had virtually ceased and after a little bit more watching I decided to take a walk around the area. A Wheatear popped up on the sea wall, a Kestrel hovered over the marsh and hordes of meadow pipits darted about on the beach. Watching a distant Buzzard being mobbed by crows I headed round to Capel Fleet to see what was about. It was only mid-afternoon but there were still a few Marsh Harriers on view, coming and going over the reedbeds. A Kingfisher gave good views as it perched on a broken stem over the fleet and a hundred or so Lapwing shifted in the field behind. At one point the birds were spooked into flight and I was able to find the reason - a Merlin drifting above them. Elsewhere, a sudden surge of swallows moved across the fields as I sat enjoying the surroundings and the warm autumn sun on my back.

Before heading off to watch the football I popped into Kingshill Farm on Elmley Marshes for a bit where a Long-eared Owl had been present for a while, showing well at roost in its usual patch of orchard. And so it was - brilliant views of a bird I've only ever seen at dusk before. Beautiful - not a bad way to finish an excellent day out.

There's a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) in there somewhere. Kingshill Farm, Elmley 6/10/12