Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel passing Heyham harbour

September 14, 2011:
The strong winds which brought the Sabine's Gull over the weekend had abated somewhat today but conditions were still rough enough to make this passage Leach's Petrel struggle on its southward journey.




A tired looking adult Gannet was resting on the sea near the harbour mouth but eventually summoned up sufficient energy to fly off into the open sea. Another juvenile Gannet hung close overhead in the strong on-shore wind whilst a Mediterranen Gull made forays along the tide's edge.

Sabine's Gull at Heysham

September 12, 2011:
Despite two visits in recent years to Svalbard in the high arctic, neither have provided sight of either a Ross's or a Sabine's Gull both of which sometimes can be seen there. A report of the latter at Heysham over the weekend provided an opportunity to correct this, at least as far as the Sabine's was concerned.



The bird was favouring a section of coast adjacent to the outflow from Heysham nuclear power station. This morning, conditions were atrocious with gale force winds and seaspray battering this exposed section as the remnants of the recent American hurricane arrived in Britain. The gull was an adult bird in full plumage with the contrasting black, white and grey sections of its wings clearly visible, and with a darkish head, yellow-tipped bill, and a shallowly forked tail.





It ranged along a several hundred metre section of the coast here, flying very fast downwind and then holding up against the airflow, often descending to the rough sea to pick morsels from the surface. It was a very agile flier with long, quite slender wings.




It was in company with several other gulls and terns including Black-headed and Mediterranean Gulls and a juvenile Kittiwake as well as Arctic Terns.



[As an arctic bird it was quite at home in the very rough conditions]


[The juvenile Kittiwake]

It was well worth braving the elements to see such a splendid, scarce bird.

Red-backed Shrikes on Chelmos, Greece

June 18-21, 2011:
High on the slopes of Mount Chelmos in the Greek Peloponnese is a large plateau known as the Xerocampos. It is a wide area of scrub and grassland at about 1800 metres altitude with scattered shrubs of the endemic hawthorn (Crataegus pycnoloba). Here is the ideal habitat for Red-backed Shrikes of which several were seen, including breeding pairs, on a recent visited. Typically perched on the tips of the hawthorns the birds could command a wide view as they hunted for the abundant insect prey in the grassland below. Despite keeping to their approximate territories it was difficult to be sure just how many birds were present as some young ones were also hiding in cover but there would be at least ten individuals present.




[The typical shrike habitat on the Xerocampos]

A series of photographs, in no special sequence, is shown below

Peregrines in north-west England

May/June 2011:
A pair of Peregrines which have nested successfully in the very centre of a town in north-west England has created much interest amongst the local inhabitants.



The parent birds took over a disused Ravens’ nest on a ledge on the north side of a high stone-built building and the three eggs laid hatched about seven weeks ago. Since then it’s been interesting to watch these three small downy chicks develop into strong-flying fully-feathered birds. However, they certainly weren’t always strong-flying, two of them had to be rescued after their first outing, one of them flying directly into a nearby shop window and becoming temporarily stunned. For their own safety, both were then cared for by members of the raptor protection group but after a few days were reunited with their sibling and parents amidst a great of noise and commotion. When all had settled down, the third chick even sidled up to one of the re-united birds and touched bills, apparently a welcoming home gesture. It’s good to report that all three are now flying strongly and rapidly becoming independent although their parents still keep a wary eye on them.



Some photographs taken over the last few weeks of the adults and young are below. These are not in any special order and I've been waiting for the young birds to fly before putting any photos on here.

















[Welcoming back]