Having got through all the formalities at the airport arrivals, we took a very scenic drive north to the Borgarfjordur valley. There we visited the splendid waterfalls of Hraunfossar, where the water tumbles out of the lava into a passing river. The first thing I noticed was the abundance of Redwings, and also fieldfares, the Redwings appeared to be as common as our blackbirds are back home.

Passing Icelands’s largest hot spring Deildartunghver, we drove westwards past the crater Eldborg, through fertile farming land, lava fields into the north of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We decided to stay two rnights at Helinar, and I am jolly glad we did. Bearing in mind that Iceland’s summers are 24 hrs light, the birdlife appeared to be on amphetamines – non stop, busy, busy, busy. After supper, I went for a walk down to the tiny harbour below our hotel to see what birds were around. There were the inevitable oiks, and some ringed plovers on the foreshore; one cormorant drying its wings on a rock out in the bay, and hundreds of kittiwakes circling the cliffs which rise 300 feet from the beach on either side of the harbour. Whilst I was watching these, Margaret shouted, “Hey, what’s this red and greyish thing on the water over here”, pointing down the far side of the quay wall. Much to my astonishment, a solitary red-necked Phalerope was feeding just underneath the harbour wall, and I couldn’t believe my luck (No 1, want’s list ticked off). I watched it and photographed it for about half an hour, watching its antics – just like a busy bee, pecking insects or crustaceans from just below the surface, scuttling in circles and zig-zags – I really do not know how it does not become dizzy. It almost made me giddy just watching it. I also took a short vid of it to play back when I got home. A beautiful little dainty creature which I could have kept watching for hours.

On my way back to the hotel, I was buzzed by a flock of Redshanks, and they appeared to be attracted to some food source or other in a meadow on the cliff-top. My wife was starting to get impatient, believing that I had spent enough time birdwatching, so had to leave them behind. However, not before I got off a nice shot of one perched on a fencepost. The following morning, as we had decided to stay for two nights, and as it was a Sunday, we decided to take a picturesque walk along the cliff-tops to a village called Arnstapi, where we were told, unusual columnar basalt rock formations had been eroded by the pounding waves. Apparently, and this interested me particularly, there was a charming little harbour for local fishing boats there – and bird cliffs, home to Kittiwakes and Arctic Terns.

We set off along the cliff tops, and very soon the footpath approached very closely to the cliff edge. When I looked over, there were thinly scattered nests of fulmars on the flat outcrops of the cliff. As I was sitting watching these proud birds, a Wheatear alighted on a rock nearby and either did not see me, or chose not to care that I was there. Well, at least it stayed long enough for me to snap off a shot. Unfortunately, my movements not only then frightened off the wheatear, but alerted the fulmars, who then proceeded to dive-bomb me, and uggh, worst of all, appeared to spit at me, – horrible smelly gooo. I beat a hasty retreat back onto the footpath and away from there. When we arrived at the kittiwake nesting site, many of the birds were sitting, and had chicks. A truly delightful sight. Several were nearer, so I managed to get a superb shot of one standing on an outcrop nearby. The cliffs along the coastline here are occupied by myriads of birds, kittiwakes, fulmars and razorbills and many others nest in the area. Alas, I did not see any razorbills this time, but they are quite common at home so it was not such a loss not to see them.

There is quite a large arctic tern colony in the village itself. The walk along the coastline to watch the birds and see the magnificent lava formations was reward in itself. Three blowholes, connected with the sea, open up on the way. They say that when the wind is blowing hard from southerly directions they create fountains of ocean water, and then its not advisable to stand too near. We had a calm day with blue skies, so no such danger for us. The Arctic terns with their bright red bills and legs never appeared to settle, they swooped and cried – with that continuous cacophony of “Kee kee” – never staying for one minute in one spot. I regret I was unable to take any photos of them, but I did enjoy their antics. We returned to Helinar via some ponds and marshes, where a solitary Tufted duck was swimming about amongst a few black-headed gulls.

Having spent a full day with birds, I promised Margaret that we would just sightsee the following day so we took to the road and headed north over Holtavorduheidi Pass to Hunavatnssyla. En-route, we took a comfort stop at the head of a pass, and whilst I was was waiting for Margaret to return, I spied a ringed plover calling near a fast-flowing mountain stream. An unusual place for a wader, high up in the mountains, miles away from anywhere. We resumed our journey to Skagafjordur, where we visited a beautifully restored farm museum at Glaumaer. This was horse-breeding country, and we saw many in the meadows as we proceeded northwards. We fetched up at Akureyeryi, Iceland’s “second city”, where we spent the night, exploring the town, its beautiful church and botanical gardens.

To my delight, I didn’t get totally away from birds as a pair of pied wagtail’s cavorted on the gravel path behind my hotel room, so I managed a covert shot of one of them from my window. It is interesting that the locals call them White Wagtails. Not sure if they are a sub-species or it is just what they call them. The following day we drove to Myvatn via the waterfall Godafoss, the “Falls of the Gods”, which were spectacular. We spent most of the day at Myvatn, exploring the wonders of the lake, which is located in one of Iceland’s most interesting regions. There were fantastic volcanic formations with geothermal activity. Whilst walking around one of the lakes, I spied a Grebe and managed to get a shot. I wasn’t sure what it was as it was larger than a Little grebe yet smaller than a crested grebe. It had a large glossy black head with a broad golden stripe through its eyes forming short horns. I asked someones advice as what it was once I got home and he identified it as a Slavonian. (Thanks Paul!!)  We then walked among remarkable lava formations at Dimmubogir and explored the pseudo craters at Skutustadir, and also visited the solfataras of Namaskard, and the Krafla area, where volcanic eruptions took place as recently as 1984. We spent the night at Husavic, where boat-trips take visitors out whale-watching.

The following morning I was woken by “wader” calls which seemed very near. Margaret was still asleep, so I tiptoed to my bedroom window and saw to my delight a flock of golden plover feeding on the lawn (we were on the ground floor). I grabbed my camera and took a few photos, and spent nearly three-quarters of an hour watching them. Once up and breakfasted, we resumed our drive and took a spectacular coastal route along the attractive stretch of coastline of Tjornes peninsula. Just before we arrived at Asbyrgi, there was a stretch which was covered in Eider ducks. Most of them seemed to be hunkered down asleep, which I suppose they must do sometime, having no hours of darkness to tell them it is night-time!! Now, Asbyrgi is a horse-shoe shaped gorge, reputed to be the hoof print of Odin’s eight-legged horse Ssleipnir. We went for a walk for a couple of hours through the open woodland beneath the cliffs and found a small lake which had some Wigeon.

The most interesting moment was when we disturbed a Ptarmigan which obviously was nesting. The fuss it made was quite a racket, and then it went through the old wounded routine in an attempt to draw us away from the nest. We continued on to Dettifoss, Iceland’s most powerful waterfall which thunders 44 metres into a deep gorge. We continued on through the desert highlands to Modrudalur to Egilsstadir on the shores of lake Logurinn, the centre of the East Fjords region. Here we stayed overnight. The following day we continued south through the sheltered Eastern fjords and its small fishing villages, through Reydarfjordur and Faskrudsfjodur before we arrived in Stodvarfjordur where we visited the famous stone and mineral collection of Petra. Here was a truly wonderful museum, as there was a section devoted to local birdlife, complete with mounted specimens. My favourite had to be the Crossbill.

We then followed the coastline to Breiddalsvik and Djupivogur, over the Almannskard [pass to the town of Hofn. Here we visited the fabulous Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon with its stunning icebergs, situated in the heart of the Skaftafell National Park. Whilst out on the lagoon, we were mobbed by very aggressive Great Skuas. Here is a long-shot, I’m afraid, but the best I managed to get. Having spent the night in a national park lodge, we moved westwards, with a vista of huge glaciers sweeping down almost to sea level. We decided to take a beautiful walk (about 1½ hours) to Svartifoss a lovely waterfall. En route, I observed more redwings and fieldfares, with the occasional Wren songs in the background (at least I thought it was wren-song, although often very truncated and incomplete).

We then continued over the Skeidararsandur outwash plains to Kirkjuaejarklaustur, and on to the village of Vik where we stopped overnight. Apparently the Skeidarar Plains have the largest colonies of Great skuas in the northern hemisphere, and it is estimated, that there are as many as 1500 pairs nesting there. The next day we started with a visit to the beach and cliffs of Vik and then stopped by the Skogafoss waterfall and the charming little folk museum of Skogar. Again dozens of redwing feeding on the grassy areas around the site. Many so tame you could almost touch them. Next we stopped at Seljalandsfoss waterfall. It was very interesting that at most of the waterfalls, in the greener areas, fulmars abounded, nesting in the craggy outcrops either side of the falls.

We went on from here to visit Geysir, where the hot spring Strokkur ejects its water high into the air every 5 minutes or so, and where numerous small springs bubble and boil. From here we continued on to Iceland’s most famous waterfall, Gullfoss. From there we drove through Hveragerdi village and on to Reykjavik for our last overnight stop before flying home. Whilst waiting for our airport pickup- there were still a few surprises as we wandered through the old city. We found a lake, almost in the heart of the city which abounded with mallard, Whooper Swans, greylag geese, and a miscellany of gulls.

I hope this has stirred many readers to reach for their travel brochures with intentions to visit Iceland. Please do so, It is well worth the trip and the superb views i had of the Red-necked phalarope made the whole trip worthwhile.

(c) Richard Symonds 2010

(Photographs to be added)

After observing the Sab’s as it went to roost, I contacted an array of Cornish birders to solicit opinion on what to do. After all, being on the M5, it made far more sense to drive straight down. The weather forecast was for strong winds and a deep depression moving in overnight and Cornwall was going to take the brunt. Frustratingly, the latest shipping forecast was stating WSW 7, occasionally gusting 9 – a wind direction not necessarily that good for Pendeen Watchpoint. I discussed the conditions at great length with both Chris Batty and John Swann, the two of them going to great lengths to trawl the internet for further updates. By 2100 hours, I had almost made my mind up but one last call to Falmouth Coastguards swayed my decision – their latest forecast was suggesting a WNW wind overnight veering NW by day and strengthening to force 7-9 by early afternoon – a classic forecast. The swell was also estimated to be in the region of 16-22 feet.

So that was it. I continued down the M5, on to the A30 and into Cornwall. By the time I reached Marazion it was 1am and walking around the Penzance Tesco car park in the early hours, I was worried I had made the wrong decision (it was relatively calm and incredibly starlit). However, sleeping at Pendeen soon made me realise that the forecasters had got it right – by 0300 hours, the wind was gusting gale force and WAS WNW in direction.

Daybreak Friday dawned shortly after 0615 hours and within 15 minutes, 11 of us were in position on the ‘concrete pad’ including Cornish seawatching stalwarts and good friends Brian Mellow, Pete Maker, Steve Rogers and Royston Wilkins. I had only set my ‘scope up on the rocks for a few seconds before I noticed ‘good’ birds – two ‘flocks’ of SOOTY SHEARWATERS totalling 9 birds and a very close GREAT SHEARWATER. It sure was going to be a good day !!

Within the next half hour I was joined by 40 or so birders, predominantly of local origin, including John Swann, Linton Proctor, Steve Votier, Mike Langman, Mark Darlaston, Brian Field, Martin Elliott and Geoff Wyatt.

PENDEEN WATCHPOINT
(Seawatching from 0620 through 1820 hours; WNW 7-8 veered NW 8 moderating to NW 6 by evening with excellent visibility and occasional showers) (all passage to the west)

The following species were recorded -:

Northern Fulmar (243, many in heavy wing moult)
BLUE FULMAR (1)
CORY’S SHEARWATER (2 west, with singles at 0806 and midday)
GREAT SHEARWATER (7 west – following the first very close in at 0625, further singles followed at 0930,1139, 1154, 1211, 1237 – another very close in, and 1707 – the closest yet, in the surf in front of the rocks).
**NORTH ATLANTIC LITTLE SHEARWATER (0947-0953 – initially picked up by Linton Proctor as it was overtaken by other seabirds in the close ‘Manx line’ of movement. I got on to it almost straight away followed by Royston Wilkins and others as it negotiated the huge swell. A very striking bird with a ‘Common Sandpiper-like’ flight action, gleaming white underparts and very black on the upperparts. Its predominantly white head was held straight or peculiarly upwards with the white on the underwing extending far out on to the under-primaries, almost restricting the black to the tips. I concentrated on the upper wing in the ‘scope and could make out a silvery-grey panel on the inner section of the wing and as a single Manx joined it, the shorter tail, blacker plumage and underwing contrast was noticeable. It was a much smaller bird, more compact in structure and had very oddly-shaped wings – in fact it reminded me of Common Sandpiper. It was repeatedly fluttering its tail feathers and trawling the surface and eventually landed on the sea. On the water, I targeted the head pattern – the face was strikingly white and contrasting heavily with an isolated dark, beady eye. It kept holding its head up in a very odd fashion and at times was quite auk-like. I lost it in the huge swell on the sea but shortly later it took flight again and Linton and others followed it as it flew further west and eventually disappeared around the wall for us. Sadly, despite the fact that I shouted a loud running commentary on what exactly the bird was doing and where, surprisingly few others were able to get on to it in the seven minutes it was on view).
Manx Shearwater (9,040 including some in heavy moult and others with white on the upperwing)
BALEARIC SHEARWATER (93 west including many pale variants)
**YELKOUAN SHEARWATER (an apparent Yelkouan flew west at 1058 hours. I initially thought Herald Petrel when I picked it up as it was surprisingly small but it had typical Balearic-like brownish upperparts but incredible gleaming white underparts all the way down to the undertail-coverts. There was a thin dark line on the underwing contrasting with the white underwing and some brown staining on the rear flanks. Although we saw much variation in the large number of Balearic Shearwaters that were passing including a rather high percentage of pale birds, none had the appearance of this startlingly obvious individual. I have never seen a Balearic with such white underparts like Manx)
SOOTY SHEARWATER** (a record Cornwall movement with outstanding passage, including regular flocks. I click-counted an exceptional 394 birds)
EUROPEAN STORM PETREL (just 9 flew west; two were seen feeding on a dead Harbour Porpoise)
**WILSON’S STORM PETRELS (2 flew west and I managed to miss both of them, despite one being tracked for the best part of 10 minutes – Pendeen is one frustrating seawatching locality – the first at 0930 (Steve Votier, Mike Langman, Mark Darlaston) and another at 1640 (Steve Rogers, Royston Wilkins, Brian Mellow, et al).
Northern Gannet (10,300+ west, with very few juveniles)
European Shag (15)
Common Scoter (3 west; 2 drakes)
Turnstone (1)
Whimbrel (3)
GREY PHALAROPES (following the first at 1335, a further 7 was seen by 1820, including some showing well in the surf)
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (a typically dark and very small juvenile sat on the sea just beyond the rocks and flew along relatively close inshore at 1626 hours. In flight, it had a very thin white wing-bar, a small head with a black crown and very dark mantle and back)
GREAT SKUA (38 west including an equal proportion of adults and juveniles; no ‘collared’ birds were seen)
POMARINE SKUA (1 superb pale morph adult still with ‘spoons’ flew west at 1241)
ARCTIC SKUA (43)
Kittiwake (just 3 – 2 adults and a juvenile)
**SABINE’S GULLS (summer-plumaged adults still retaining black hoods west at 0915, 1035, 1130 and 1759, with two together at 1145 – 6 in total)
Sandwich Tern (1)
ARCTIC TERN (58 west)
BLACK TERN (1 west, in with 4 Arctic Terns)
ATLANTIC PUFFIN (1 – RW)
Auk spp (2)

COMMON RAVEN (pair flew west)
Northern Wheatear (1 on cliff edge)

Ocean Sunfish (1+)
Basking Shark (1)

Lee G R Evans
British Birding Association
UK400 Club, Rare Birds Magazine, Ornithological Consultant and Conservationist
Discussion Forum/Email Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UK400Club/
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Email Address: LGREUK400@aol.com
Website Address: www.uk400clubonline.co.uk
Related Blog Sites: http://uk400clubrarebirdalert.blogspot.com/ http://rarebirdsinthewesternpalearctic.blogspot.com/ http://birdingamersham.blogspot.com/ http://birdingtringreservoirs.blogspot.com/

Luckily a couple of us ‘twitched’ the Sociable Plover the saturday before our annual week, leaving the ones that didnt somewhat disappointed that it didnt hang around til the 25th, Fortunately the Grey-cheeked Thrush that was on Agnes the week before was relocated, by Tony Hull, on the beach at Porthmellon and showed superbly until the 1st November. Yellow-browed Warblers increased in number through the week with three birds at Newford Duckpond pleasing the photographers. Up to four Hawfinches gorged themselves on hawthorne berries in Holy Vale.

The 26th found a Red-backed Shrike between Maypole and Borough Farm. On closer inspection (in the field, not misleading photographs!) the bird showed many characteristics of first winter BROWN SHRIKE and some of the countries leading birders agreed that it was this species. Despite what it says on the information services the birds’ identity is still not 100% confirmed.  On the 28th a first winter RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL was seen briefly by Newford Duckpond. It went ‘walkabout’ for an agonising couple of hours before being relocated in a field off Trenoweth. It then showed well until dusk but could not be relocated the next day. A White-rumped Sandpiper day tripped between Porth Hellick Beach, St Mary’s and Wingletang, St Agnes, but showed well when pinned down.

Wednesday 29th proved to be a red letter day for Scilly. The day before had been blowing NW with occasional rain for most of the day and was very cold. Wednesday morning was calm and dry but rain and heavy winds were forecast for the afternoon. I was at Old Town when the call came in that a Snowy Owl had been seen flying over Porth Hellick towards Holy Vale. The first winter bird was soon relocated sat on a wall off Pungies Lane, showing superbly. Birders were dragged into the taxi as we past on our way to the bird and within minutes we were watching the first Snowy Owl for the Isles since 1972! It perfomed amazingly, flying short distances before setlling in pines near the Golf course to roost. The bird was relocated on St Martin’s the next day and was still there for the travelling birders on the last Scillonian III crossing on the 1st November.

Most birders walked round in a bit of daze with a ‘Scilly’ grin on their faces for the next few days, still taking in the enormity of the Snowy Owl record. The 30th saw a showy Spotted Crake at Lower Moors and another was on St Agnes. The Blyth’s Reed warbler also showed well until 29th on St Agnes, sharing Chapel Field on one occasion with a Common Rosefinch. Another or the same Grey-cheeked Thrush was found at Old Town on the morning of the 31st in a field opposite the Bordeux Gallery and showed down to 4ft, allowing for some great photographs.

The final day saw another Scillies ‘tick’ for many in the shape of Long-tailed Tit. A flock of seven birds was located the previous evening by Adam Stoyles at the Telegraph end of Porthloo Lane, but could not be relocated. Eventually two small flocks were pinned down, one of seven birds on the Garrison and another of six birds at Lower Moors. The final gem of the week, a Pallas’s Warbler was found by Adam Hutt at Lower broom on The Garrison. Other birds seen during the week were Firecrest, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Merlin, Snow Bunting, Woodcock, Brambling, Black Redstart, Mistle Thrush, GN Diver, Grey Phalarope and plenty of commoner species. Another fantastic week on Scilly, great birds, great company and great value. We’ve already booked for next year!!

Report by P.Freestone (c) Cornwall BIrding 2008

Mount St Helens (somewhere in the gloom!)

13th April – On flying to Seattle I had to transfer at Chicago and had my first lifer of the trip, an American Robin. I was really pleased to see this bird, only to find out later that it was one of the most common in America! No hitches with luggage at Seattle and headed into Seattle for the night. On the bus I picked up some fairly common birds but all lifers. Band-tailed Pigeon was unexpected so early in the trip and the peeps sat behind me most have been wondering what I was doing, my head moving all the time as I followed birds from the bus.

American Robin

14th April – 6am and I had met up with Rachel, the birdingpal, for a day driving north from the city, through the Skagit area, then down through Whidbey Island and back to the city again. We met up with a couple of her birding friends from around Seattle. Immediately it was good to have the local experience along as we headed north with a stop at a known Great Horned Owls nest. 3 huge Chicks sat on the nest and minutes later an adult bird called and flew in with a squirrel. They were very impressive birds but we soon moved on to the Skagit Wildlife Area (http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/r4skagit.htm) where we would see a wide variety of species.
A road-side stop nearby at flat agricultural fields produced bundles of stuff. Hudsonian Whimbrel, Wilson’s Snipe, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow and my first ever Bald Eagle. What a beast. The colossal bill and size made them instantly obvious out on this side of the cascade mountain range. At the refuge a walk in riparian woodland adjacent to marsh and mudflat produced Bewick’s Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Savannah and Golden-crowned Sparrow, Rufous Hummer, Red-tailed Hawk and a very early Swainson’s Thrush. Even though the time of year was a little early for peak migration, the numbers of some species were huge. Both forms of Yellow-rumped Warbler dominated with birds everywhere, in every patch of woodland.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bewick’s Wren and Bald Eagles

We stopped many times along the quiet roads once off the freeway to check out feeders in gardens and some more marshes and added Killdeer, Bufflehead, House Finch, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, American Wigeon, Greater Yellowlegs, and Great Blue Heron to our rapidly growing day list. The Killdeer was heard before seen as it screamed its own name out. We found it attempting to nest in an active lumber yard with lorries rumbling by all the time. Apparently they are famously known in the states for nesting in silly areas but good on em if they survive!
We crossed deception pass and were on Whidbey Island, the longest island in the USA. Steep cliffs descending into the blue-green sea-water held stunning Harlequin Ducks, Double-crested Cormorants, Pelagic Cormorant, Rhino Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Spotted Towhee and Dark-eyed Junco. The Harlequins were always distant but one of the highlights of the whole trip.
With the warm and sunny day progressing quickly we powered on south passing areas of lush second-growth conifers with many small glacial depressions filled with water and also birds. Mourning Dove, California Quail, American Kestrel, Marsh Wren, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and Wood Duck were seen for the first time in these areas. There had been so many colourful birds in scenic settings. I’d had a brilliant day. At the ferry terminal where we crossed back over to the mainland, we found a large group of Barrow’s Goldeneye, all sleeping but exquisite, a top end to the day.

Barrow’s Goldeneye, Rhino Auklet and Killdeer

15th April – After yesterday’s completely crazy non-stop birding day I was up at 5am and hopped on the bus for a relaxing saunter around the 530acre Discovery Park to the north of the city. It was an opportunity to be more deferential to the birds and spend a little time getting to know the sights and sounds of the more common species. First up in the mixed forest was an awesome bird, prehistoric even! A huge Pileated Woodpecker flew past calling and my heart nearly stopped when it landed on a tree close-by. What a woodpecker! I had only just stepped into the park but I watched this bird demolish an old snag for over half an hour and it was captivating. Onwards I trod full of expectation. A female Varied Thrush caught my eye sat low down in a red cedar tree, too low light for a photo but even the female was a colourful thrush and one I’d really hoped to see on this trip. Circular path through the wild feeling park take you through mature forest, meadows, cliffs, sand and rocky beach and coastal areas. Such a mix produced many species but new ones for the trip included Belted Kingfisher, Golden-crowned Kinglet (rather like a cross between a goldcrest and a firecrest) and Brandt’s Cormorant offshore. Leaving in the afternoon allowed for a chance to take in some of the city, lots of birds in the tree-lined streets of the city but none new for the list plus my mind had switched to more cultural activities (only briefly!). An early night was in order before meeting up early again with Rachel for 2 days heading out east.

Pileated Woodpecker, Spotted Towhee and Golden-crowned Sparrow

16th April – First stop of the day after driving well out of Seattle and into the cascade mountain range was at the Stampede Pass. American Dipper was found quickly on the river here and put on a great show, feeding just as our dipper does. Fantastically coloured Varied Thrushes were present here in large numbers with some showing very well and allowing photos. The winter’s snow was still present and limited routes up into the hills. We decided not to spend too much time here sadly resulting in missing several high altitude species but allowed us to press on to find others. Further along the Interstate we called in at Cle Elum where Turkey Vulture, Stellar’s Jay and eventually Evening Grosbeak were all seen and all great to see.

Varied thrush and Turkey Vulture

Carrying on east the landscape changed to rolling hills and the vegetation switched to dry sage bushes. We birded an area from Ellensburg to Umptanum falls and Wenas creek. In the desert like landscape we saw loads of Mountain + Western Bluebird, Western Meadowlark, Brewers + Vesper Sparrow, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin’s Finch and Townsend’s Solitaire. High quality stop or what. The bluebirds were doing well thanks to hundreds of boxes along what should be renamed bluebird boulevard. The day finished with more fine sun and quite a lot of heat but still the birds kept coming. 4 American White Pelicans cruised along a river canyon and a few minutes later a Canyon Wren sang it’s lyrical descending song but remained unseen as the sun set. An road-side motel provided the best accommodation of the trip so far and had us well placed to head out further east the following day.

17th April – Driving along the old Vantage Highway towards, erm, Vantage, we stopped at some well known spots for some sage species not yet seen on the trip. We quickly saw the two species which define this habitat; Sage Thrasher and Sage Sparrow. The thrasher wasn’t a typical thrasher, looking more like a thrush but perfectly coloured to blend in with the landscape, the best way of finding it to listen to its lovely varied song. Even out here, hundreds of Yellow-rumped Warblers were clinging to the wind-blown shrubs before moving on north, this was really strange seeing them so far out of their natural habitat. At vantage the sun was heating the air up quickly and we birded frantically before the quiet mid-day lull. The canyon here leading down to the Columbia River held Rock Wren, Say’s Phoebe, Nashville Warbler and  Red-naped Sapsucker.
Any area of wetland in this arid area was great for birds and new birds kept being seen. The beautiful canyon of Frenchman’s Coulee held Cliff Swallow, White-throated Swift and loads of tropical looking Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Another roadside stop after I shouted out the name of a rare bird in Washington and we were watching a lone Long-billed Curlew. Somehow the bill is even longer than on our Eurasion relative. A little further along the road and another hop out of the car provided interest and adrenaline of another kind when a shaking noise filled the air. I had been clambering over rocks in the mid-day sun but immediately I knew what was making the noise; Rattlesnake, and it’s just a foot in front of me. It must have been irritated because it didn’t stop making its chilling noise for ages. Rachel found this extremely funny for some reason even though I’d nearly just died!

Say’s Phoebe, Yellow-headed Blackbird and as close as I dared get to a Rattlesnake!

Close-by we had a special spot with the latest gen for Burrowing Owl. At the edge of the road we quickly picked up one and then a second bird which appeared from under a concrete drainage culvert where they were nesting. This species is increasingly rare in Washington and I was so pleased to see this bird in the mid-day sun and so close-by.
Onwards though, and likely looking wetlands near Othello and the Potholes wildlife area towards the end of the day produced Redhead, Canvasback, Cinnamon Teal, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Great Egret, Caspian Tern and a late Tundra Swan. 10Sandhill Cranes were first heard cronking then appeared as they flew over the road, late migrants but such elegant birds.

Burrowing Owls, Sandhill Crane and Cinnamon Teal

19th April – A day off yesterday to recover and check some more city spots out. I headed out early on my last day to Discovery Park before joining up with uni mates. Many similar species were seen again but still great fun to take my time and id them alone as a challenge. New birds included Bonaparte’s Gull, Townsend’s Warbler and Western Sandpiper. All here with the passage of time and increasing migration in the area.
From now my chances of seeing new birds was limited but I carried the bins and became something of a ‘David Attenborough’ for my uni mates as the uni fieldtrip began.

Bufflehead, Western Grebe and Glaucous-winged Gull.

20th – 26th April – Just a two new birds seen which were Black Oystercatcher on a rocky shoreline and Western Gullnear the mouth of the Columbia River at the Oregon border. All the while birds such as Caspian Tern were seen well, fishing the numerous marshes and coastal wetlands. Bald Eagles were seen daily along with plenty of hummers; thrilling, charismatic birds to get non-birders interested.

I left Washington with 152 species on the trip list and 110 of which I’d never seen before. With much of these seen in a short time period there were obviously a few species which I didn’t see and other which hadn’t quite arrived so far north yet. The trip was a couple of weeks early for prime migration with the most species present but this didn’t stop there being a great mix of some early summer birds and some late winter birds present plus all the resident species. As a result I didn’t see any Vireos or Flycatchers but quite glad as these would seem to be a bit of a nightmare to id!
The scenery throughout the trip was far beyond what I’d imagined in size and extremes. Just 3 hours driving from Seattle eastwards presented chances to bird in deciduous and coniferous forests, along snow lined mountain streams and in the semi-arid areas of sage brush and ponderosa pine country, providing a large range of species in a fairly small area. The city of Seattle was great for a base and a really pleasant city all-round.
I highly recommend the birding pal website (http://www.birdingpal.org) for meeting birders local to the area you are travelling. It is taking a hefty risk but it payed off big-style for me. The Sibley field-guide was light-weight and easy to use so I’d recommend it for a trip to the area.
 

…………… and another Burrowing Owl

Trip List –
1) Starling
2) American Robin
3) American Crow
4) Band-tailed Pigeon
5) Glaucous-winged Gull
6) House Sparrow
7) Feral Pigeon
Song Sparrow
9) Red-winged Blackbird
10) Wilson’s Snipe
11) Dunlin
12) Grey Plover
13) Hudsonian Whimbrel
14) Tree Swallow
15) Violet-green
16) Bald Eagle
17) Yellow-rumped Warbler
  a. Audubon’s
  b. Myrtle
18) Barn Swallow
19) Bewick’s Wren
20) Ruby-crowned Kinglet
21) Savannah Sparrow
22) Purple Finch
23) Mew Gull
24) Ring-billed Gull
25) Downy Woodpecker
26) Black-capped Chickadee
27) Golden-crowned Sparrow
28) Brewers Blackbird
29) Rufous Hummingbird
30) Swainson’s Thrush
31) Mallard
32) Gadwall
33) House Finch
34) Canada Goose
35) Great Horned Owl
36) White-crowned Sparrow
37) American Wigeon
38) Greater Yellowlegs
39) Great Blue Heron
40) Green-winged Teal
41) Common Loon
42) Northern Pintail
43) Greater Scaup
44) Common Goldeneye
45) Bufflehead
46) Northern Rough-winged Swallow
47) Double-crested Cormorant
48) Pelagic Cormorant
49) American Goldfinch
50) Raven
51) Harlequin Duck
52) Pigeon Guillemot
53) Northern Flicker
54) Surf Scoter
55) Spotted Towhee
56) Dark-eyed Junco
57) Red-breasted Merganser
58) Rhinoceros Auklet
59) American Coot
60) Horned Grebe
61) Northern Harrier
62) Orange-crowned Warbler
63) Hooded Merganser
64) Chestnut-backed Chickadee
65) White-winged Scoter
66) Western Grebe
67) Black Turnstone
68) Surfbird Whidbey
69) Red-throated Loon
70) Red-necked Grebe
71) Lesser Scaup
72) Least Sandpiper
73) Short-billed Dowitcher
74) Pine Siskin
75) Mourning Dove
76) American Kestrel
77) California Quail
78) Marsh Wren
79) Shoveler
80) Lincoln’s Sparrow
81) Common Yellowthroat
82) Wood Duck
83) Brown Creeper
84) Anna’s Hummingbird
85) Barrow’s Goldeneye
86) Black Brant
87) Golden-crowned Kinglet
88) Varied Thrush
89) Winter Wren
90) Belted Kingfisher
91) Pileated Woodpecker
92) Brandt’s Cormorant
93) Killdeer
94) Bushtit
95) Sanderling
96) Brown-headed Cowbird
97) American Pipit
98) Hairy Woodpecker
99) American Dipper
100) Common Crossbill
101) Osprey
102) Turkey Vulture
103) Stellar’s Jay
104) Evening Grosbeak
105) Ring-necked Duck
106) Black-billed Magpie
107) Cooper’s Hawk
108) Sharp-shinned Hawk
109) Mountain Bluebird
110) Western Bluebird
111) Western Meadowlark
112) Brewers Sparrow
113) Vesper Sparrow
114) Mountain Chickadee
115) Cassin’s Finch
116) Hermit Thrush
117) Townsend’s Solitaire
118) Goosander
119) American White Pelican
120) Canyon Wren
121) Sage Thrasher
122) Sage Sparrow
123) Rock Wren
124) Say’s Pheobe
125) Red-naped Sapsucker
126) Nashville Warbler
127) Calliope Hummingbird
128) Redhead
129) White-throated Swift
130) Yellow-headed Blackbird
131) Long-billed Curlew
132) Horned Lark
133) Cackling Goose
134) American Avocet
135) Black-necked Stilt
136) Cinnamon Teal
137) Burrowing Owl
138) Caspian Tern
139) American Great Egret
140) Greater White-fronted Goose
141) Ruddy Duck
142) California Gull
143) Sandhill Crane
144) Tundra Swan
145) Canvasback
146) Ring-necked Pheasant
147) Red-breasted Nuthatch
148) Townsend’s Warbler
149) Bonaparte’s Gull
150) Western Sandpiper
151) Black Oystercatcher
152) Western Gull

Report and photos by Henry Cook.

Blue-winged Teal – male visited pond in hotel grounds

White-cheeked Pintail – two captive birds on hotel pond. Two free flying on trip to see Dolphins.

Helmeted Guineafowl – captive/introduced birds only.

Brown Pelican – 3 on dolphin trip. 2 off Soana Island

Magnificent Frigatebird – Common offshore

Great Egret – seen from buses en route to trips in flooded fields and ponds

Snowy Egret – one seen in flooded field en-route to Soana Island.

Cattle Egret – loads everywhere!

Green Heron – common on ponds in hotel grounds

Black-crowned Night Heron – adult seen once at night on hotel pond

Yellow-crowned Night Heron – Adults and juvs seen. Best looked for at dusk on sand dunes! Seen in hotel grounds.

Turkey Vulture – very common over land.

Osprey – one seen en route to Soana Island

American Kestrel – very common in hotel grounds

Common Moorhen – Seen on golf course resort en-route to Dolphin trip

Killdeer – Seen on three occasions within hotel grounds. Also four birds seen at same site as Common Moorhen.

Black-necked Stilt – Pair seen briefly on flooded pool en-route to Soana Island

Laughing Gull – few birds seen from Hotel beach. 10+ birds on Soana Island.

Royal Tern – Seen offshore from hotel beach. Fairly common.

White-winged Dove – seen from hotel grounds in surrounding scrub. Fairly common.

Zenaida Dove – 2 seen from hotel grounds.

Mourning Dove – 2 flew over hotel ground. Four birds en-route to Soana Island. More birds seen but at distance and may have been Zenaida Dove.

Common ground Dove – common in hotel grounds.

Hispaniolan Lizard Cuckoo – Seen regularly from and in hotel grounds. Quite skulking but unmistakable when showed well or called. One of the best birds of the trip.

Smooth-billed Ani – Common. Seen in small groups from and in hotel grounds.

White-collared Swift – Single bird seen over hotel on one occasion.

Antillean-palm Swift – seen everywhere. Very common and nesting in thatched roofs on hotel.

Antillean Mango – Common in hotel grounds. Only hummingbird seen.

Hispaniolan Woodpecker – Very Common. Breeding in hotel grounds.

Antillean Palm Swift, Antillean Mango, Hispaniolan Woodpecker

Stolid Flycatcher – One seen en-route to Soana Island.

Gray Kingbird – Very common. Breeding in hotel grounds.

Black-whiskered Vireo – Seen daily from and in hotel grounds. Quite elusive but loud song is giveaway.

White-necked Crow – Endangered endemic. Four or five birds seen on Soana Island.

Caribbean Martin – One or two seen daily over hotel.

Gray Kingbird and Pearly-eyed Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird – Common, breeding in hotel grounds

Pearly-eyed Thrasher – Two birds seen in hotel grounds. Recently colonised SE of Dominican Republic.

Palmchat - By far the most common and abundant bird seen, breeding in tops of palms in hotel grounds.

Bananaquit – common in hotel grounds feeding on any shrubs with large flowers.

Yellow-faced Grassquit – Male seen on one occasion on edge of hotel grounds. Female seen twice in scrub adjacent to hotel. Heard often but very small and hard to pin down.

Palm Chat and Bananquit

Black-faced Grassquit – male seen on one occasion in scrub adjacent to hotel.

Greater Antillean Bullfinch – very disappointingly only one female seen in hotel grounds. Did not even realize what it was until i studied the only photo i got of it.

Greater Antillean Grackle – Almost as common as Palmchat in hotel grounds.

Shiny Cowbird – Common in small numbers in hotel grounds

Hispaniolan Oriole – common in hotel grounds and adjacent scrub. Stunning bird, very vocal.

House Sparrow – You just can’t escape the little beggars! Fairly common.

Village Weaver – introduced birds seen en-route to Soana Island

Hispaniolan Oriole

Flight time was about 8 hrs. We flew from Gatwick with Thompson Airlines. You need 10 american Dollars to get into the country and 20 to get out! I found that outside of the hotel complex, the Dominican Republic is like a third world country! There is rubbish everywhere, the roads are mostly unfinished or dirt tracks and there appears to be lots of poverty amongst local people. I was advised not to go outside the hotel grounds with my bins and camera.
The actual holiday and hotel was fantastic, very relaxing, great food, friendly people (if you tip them enough!) and superb weather. Oh and the resident birds are pretty superb too!

More photos to be added soon!

Report and photos by Paul Freestone (c) Cornwall Birding