A few good additions. Bats are a difficult group to ID if you don't have or don't know how to work with a bat detector, which is probably why I only have a handful of species on my life list despite bats being among the most abundant and diverse mammal groups. So when a bat excursion was planned in my local area I quickly signed up. Most impressive were the serotine bats, which came very close regularly and really showed themselves well. It was also the first mammalian lifer of the year!
The pipit was seen during migration counting.
Birds
223. Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris
Mammals
13. Common Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus 14. Serotine Bat, Eptesicus serotinus
15. Daubenton's Bat, Myotis daubentonii
A few new additions, including one bird from New Jersey, a few insects from Pennsylvania, an identified crab from California, and a long-awaited mammal lifer I spotted while driving home at around 2am the other night!
Spent the first two days of the August Bank Holiday in Wales seeing Uni friends - a bit of fringe wildlifing produced no new birds but a nice new mammal (three individuals across two different sites) and a funky invertebrate from Bangor pier. On the Monday, other social commitments left me with only half a day to play with, but a very special bird at Blacktoft Sands tempted me out early doors - one of my favourite reserves that I'd not visited since 2019 as it is very hide-based and was closed completely for most of last year.
I spotted a double-crested cormorant for sure this time, preening itself on a rock in the middle of a lake around which I was running. I had counted it before, however, but that was only while driving by and seeing the shape of the bird for a split second, I probably shouldn't have counted it then, but its fine now.
A few new additions, including one bird from New Jersey, a few insects from Pennsylvania, an identified crab from California, and a long-awaited mammal lifer I spotted while driving home at around 2am the other night!
A quick update on what has been a busy week and a half with birding, visiting about 10 different sites for local birds. Most of which has now been covered here [Exploring What’s on my Doorstep: WhistlingKite24 does South-east Queensland] so I won’t bother repeating too much. However, highlights have included two raptor lifers, logrunners, sittella and a male Regent Bowerbird. 2021 will definitely be remembered as the year with all the lifers. I have now picked up 31 bird lifers all within the greater Brisbane region.
Birds
135) Eastern Reef EgretEgretta sacra
136) Forest Kingfisher Todiramphus macleayii
137) Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo Zanda funerea 138) Swamp Harrier Circus approximans
139) Chestnut-breasted Mannikin Lonchura castaneothorax
140) Fairy Martin Petrochelidon ariel
141) Black Swan Cygnus atratus
142) Green Catbird Ailuroedus crassirostris 143) Regent Bowerbird Sericulus chrysocephalus
144) Brown Cuckoo Dove Macropygia phasianella 145) Australian Logrunner Orthonyx temminckii
146) Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Chrysococcyx basalis
147) Pacific Emerald Dove Chalcophaps longirostris
148) Varied Sittella Daphoenositta chrysoptera
149) Varied Triller Lalage leucomela 150) Brown Goshawk Accipiter fasciatus
Invertebrates
55) Mango Flower Beetle Protaetia fusca
56) Bromocoris souefi
57) Common Brown Ringlet Hypocysta metirius
58) Glasswing Acraea andromacha
A quiet few weeks for me. The work I having been doing with my small native garden seems to finally be paying off. A Little Friarbird was spotted in the garden the other week feeding on some of the bottlebrush which was a nice surprise. A pair of Pacific Bazas also have made an appearance in the local area. As I covered in my thread [Exploring What’s on my Doorstep: WhistlingKite24 does South-east Queensland] , I saw my first Australian Hobby yesterday which I am still buzzing about. It took a bit of planning and patience as I have tried a few sites for them and Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve, like always, delivered.
I spotted a double-crested cormorant for sure this time, preening itself on a rock in the middle of a lake around which I was running. I had counted it before, however, but that was only while driving by and seeing the shape of the bird for a split second, I probably shouldn't have counted it then, but its fine now.
In an odd post for me, some new birds but no new insects. The migratory birds are now passing through.
Birds:
81. Yellow-throated vireo (Vireo flavifrons)
82. American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
83. Field sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
Frustratingly have been in COVID lockdown since July and likely to be in lockdown till November. Very little seen that is new or even new this year. Every time I go out with binoculars I tell myself it is good practice. At Moonlit in the last few days:
207. Little wattlebird Anthochaera chrysoptera
208. Jacky winter Microeca fascinans
At Gordon Rolfe Reserve this afternoon, the only reasonable piece of bushland within my 5km limit. Actually quite a nice bird, and an immature male so took a bit of work to identify properly.
After finally having some free time for the first time since July, a few friends and I decided to plan out a trip to the long-staying Black-browed albatross that @Maguari saw earlier this year and had already covered in this thread. During the extensive planning of the trip (man, the UK's hard to get into these days!) a White-tailed lapwing was found practically along the route on the drive up there, which was a very welcome addition and made for a wonderful second target (in case we missed out on one of them ). The trip ended up being much better than I could imagine even with the lapwing, so a short summary of the three-day trip that felt so much longer because we did so much in those three days:
September 3rd: An early start, with some seawatching from the ferry to add Parasitic jaeger, Great skua and Northern fulmar to the year list. A short stop at the Oare Marshes in Kent for a returning Bonaparte's Gull was unsuccesful, and there was a lot of traffic on the rest of the drive up, with still no news of the Black-browed albatross that had gone for almost 3 days by then. Upon arrival at RSPB Blacktoft Sands the White-tailed lapwing immediately showed wonderfully, though, which was reassuring, and the best birthday bird ever. We arrived at RSPB Bempton Cliffs at sunset, not really hopeful to see the albatross yet but just to catch a feel of the place so we'd know where to wait the next morning.
September 4th: Seawatching and waiting for the albatross at Bempton Cliffs. A fairly calm morning, but a lot of resting alcids kept us busy, and a pair of Long-tailed jaegers was a long-awaited lifer. It was looking hopeless, until one of us suddenly shouted "ALBATROSS!" A lot of hectic trying to see it and running to other platforms later, and I thankfully got stunning views (and pics!). We only saw it there for a few minutes max, but eventually saw it resting on the rock from far away for a longer period. At noon we looked for Red & Black Grouse in the North York Moors NP, where we had loads of Red Grouse immediately but unfortunately couldn't find any Black Grouse. In the evening we returned to Bempton Cliffs and saw the albatross flying in from far out at sea, trying for well over 30 minutes to land in its favourite spot very close to the viewing point, which must have been taken by a stubborn Gannet because it kept not being able to land properly. Best bird of the year for me, and maybe my best bird in Europe ever...
September 5th: Seawatching at Flamborough Head a bit further south, but there wasn't really anything flying so when we heard news from other nearby birders that an Ortolan was just found a 5 minute drive away, it didn't take much for us to stop seawatching there and head over to the Ortolan, which eventually gave short but nice views. On the way back (much less traffic this time!) we stopped by the Bonaparte's Gull again, and found it almost immediately! With this we had seen 3/3 vagrants we were targetting, the endemic Red grouse, and two very nice bonus migrants with Long-tailed jaeger and Ortolan bunting, and a bunch of some of my best pictures ever: what a trip!
). The trip ended up being much better than I could imagine even with the lapwing, so a short summary of the three-day trip that felt so much longer because we did so much in those three days: