Graham Catley 11/09/2026 Graham Catley 11/09/2026

Catch up time

Working for the last three months plus the Canadian holiday put the patch photo challenge very much on the back burner but with autumn in a very steady swing I had added a few species none of them particularly well!

Never got round to adding this juvenile Little Ringed Plover on Waters Edge July 8th - 111 on the patch challenge

This drake Pintail starting to come out of eclipse was on the pits this week with the first Wigeon and Pink-feet also arriving - 112 on the challenge list

Whinchat 113 an increasingly difficult species to see on the patch as the population crash continues

Great White Egret - this bird has been around for a while something we now take for granted but its change in status has been very rapid from real rarity to almost commonplace

Really pushing it with these two juvenile Sanderling today for 114 but waders are hard to come by locally - looks like I will not get Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper while even Green Sandpiper has been absent this year such is the dire condition of the pits for waders - reed, reed and more reed for Bitterns and nothing for anything else

A rather more acceptable 115 with this juvenile Black Tern - came across it on Monday and it stayed around for four days but was never very close

Pristine juvenile Black Terns are always a treat

A few juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits have arrived on the local mudflats 116 for the challenge

Graham Catley 03/09/2026 Graham Catley 03/09/2026

Recent days

Two birds that I have twitched in press parlance for want of a better term but how much enjoyment does a twitched bird provide? Nothing like finding your own and even these two examples were totally different - the Black Tern I had to myself no-one else around but the Wryneck was totally different. Probably the best views I have ever had of a very confiding bird that is a bit magical and so much rarer than in the 70’s and even 80’s but the spectacle of so many people getting ever closer with lenses that you could have stood the other side of the car park with, the raucous banter usually directed towards who had been to which publicised rarity more times and got even bigger images than anyone else was bad enough but plutting up perches and feeding a bird that has found its own food supply of ants just to get it more into the open and in a better pose for the camera was an anathema to me. Birds are wild creatures to appreciate and enjoy not disturb or treat like circus animals. I know why I go and see so few publicised birds nowadays its a differnt world to the birding world I grew up in. So herewith some images which probably contradict what I have written but if I ever do find another rare bird don’t expect immediate publicity!

Juvenile Black Tern always neat and pristine

The days of seeing 50 - 100 in a day on the local patch seem a distant memory - another sad decline

Not in a scenic spot but a spot it chose

Its a while since I found one and a bird I have never seen on my local patch but I am sure several must have occurred over the years

Tongue extending into the soil licking up ants

Graham Catley 02/09/2026 Graham Catley 02/09/2026

adult ie 3cy+ male Honey-buzzard

Came across this bird on August 7th and then never saw it again until 19th when bizarrely it landed on the ground right out in the open in a harvested field - after about 15 minutes of picking around and some preening it calmly flew off - clearly need to give it some more effort next spring but only the second time I have seen one on the ground and the first was in September 1976! That bird was a juvenile excavating a wasp’s nest in Holkham Woods, Norfolk, and we saw it on two or three days during a weeks camping trip - on the latter day we thought it had gone as only the very tip of its tail was visible sticking out of the wasp’s nest hole it had dug - an amazing encounter but of course without the recourse of digital images or video of today.

A rather distinctive pale male Honey-buzzard with serious tail moult and new inner primaries

always quite distant and images confounded by heat haze on 7th

A priviledged view of a Honey-buzzard on the ground

Even at relatively close range, from the car, heat haze was still evident

Cloudy flatter light made for different maybe better images

When it took off it went sort of past me long enough to blast off a few images at 40fps

New growing inner primaries, central tail feathers and inner greater covert plus some scapulars and coverts

Still debating on the Canon R5II but when I get a few decent shots with the R6II I am less inclined to spend more cash for more pixels

Graham Catley 21/07/2026 Graham Catley 21/07/2026

Brown Hare sunset

Saturday evening my goal was to try and capture a brood of Marsh Harriers going to roost against a striking sky but as usual cloud rolled in off the North Sea and by 20:30 it was pretty dull and dismal; time to head for home and hope for another day; then as luck would have it a sliver of light broke through the clouds and gradually the sun appeared albeit slightly blurred by atmospheric distortion but it was too late to get back for the harriers so I continued homeward passing a couple of fields where the Brown Hares were active in fact eight were bopping about and then it happened; two of them ran up to the top of a small ridge and sat almost level with the setting sun but where was the camera in the boot!!! Clearly, they would not put up with me getting out of the car and opening said boot and one duly ran off but the second sat and sat and I even managed to get forward and line it up with the sun for a few seconds before it went and the sun went down. No AI here of messing about with two images just a bit of luck and a surreal experience.

It was a fleeting encounter and getting things frames and in focus was an instant challenge

I had the 200-800 lens on and was conscious of the chance of zooming out for some different images

The grass stems added to the image as they caught the suns glow

Subtle variations never settle for one image - blast away

Graham Catley 18/07/2026 Graham Catley 18/07/2026

Hobby and Painted Ladies

Its been a busy spell with local surveys and I am miles behind in uploading images from the late spring summer. Making a start from some of the most recent I went up to see the spectacle of 1000’s of Painted Lady butterflies feeding on fields of Borage on the Lincolnshire Wolds one morning this week and was lucky to see a Hobby feasting on them. Sadly its stay was rather brief but I managed a few images before it went off having had its fill.

It was one of those spectacles that I have never seen before in Britain but capturing the scene and feel of the scene was impossible with a camera and telephoto but these are some of the images where I tried

There were literally 1000’s of butterflies, I counted 1200 in one sweep of the bins but just how many were present is impossible to say

Within a few days they had seemingly gone presumably heading north on the next leg of their amazing journey

I took some perched shots but the day was about movement which is what I tried to capture

At least four pairs of Corn Buntings were also enjoying the short-lived feast

It was actually a dull and cool start to the morning with a white sky so getting sharp images of the Hobby was a challenge

It was hunting at the top of a big field so some heavy crops - homing in on a Painted Lady

We went back the same evening and the following day but no sign of the Hobby - a lucky break

Wings were quickly discarded and fell to earth

Standard portrait but what a stunning insect

95% of them were in pristine condition and must have eitehr just arrived or hatched locally

Graham Catley 30/05/2026 Graham Catley 30/05/2026

Southern Alberta May 2026

We headed back to southern Alberta again but earlier in the spring to test my theory that different migrants would be available - as it turned out my plan was only partly correct as a lot of birds only arrive in the last week of May or even early June but we had a great time and saw c154 species with some truly memorable moments.

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird Frank Lake May 9th - in previous years I recall Red-winged being the dominant species but everwhere we went Yellow-headed seemed to have taken over the number one spot this year.

Logistics:

Canada is huge - first point - Alberta is pretty big second point and it is easy to spend most of your two weeks driving from spot to spot so we decided on a two-centre trip based at Medicine Hat and Waterton for seven nights each with day trips out from these bases. We flew with KLM from Humberside via Amsterdam to Calgary and vice versa which saves all the hassle of London or Manchester and connections were easy. A small SUV was hired through Rental Cars.com , actually now Booking.com for the 15 days, Accommodation was a night at Okotoks at the Royal Duke Hotel followed by seven nights at https://www.guesthouse71.com/ about 15 minutes outside Medicine Hat and a beautiful cottage with superb surroundings that notched up about 50 species during our stay then seven nights at https://dungarvancreek.com/ another superb spot with its own pond that had birds including Barrow’s Goldeneye, Horned Grebes, Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup and even a female Wilson’s Phalarope. We had stayed at both places before and both are top notch birding spots with birds literally on your doorstep. This free online guide is also a very useful resource https://grasslands-naturalists.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Southeastern-Birding-Trail-Full-Brochure.pdf

I bought a Nomad eSIM 30 days and 10GB before we went for £13:38 and it worked flawlessly even in remote areas with 5G and combined with Apple Maps finding locations was very easy.

Due to a knee problem I cut weight down to an absolute minimum and only took one Canon R62 plus the 100-500 lens and 1.4x converter but in the event I hardly used the converter at all.

White-faced Ibis Frank Lake one of the many waterbirds seen at this superb location.

May 8th

Up at 03:00 for our 06:10 flight Humberside to Amsterdam arriving early: 12:25 flight to Calgary smooth but. 8:40 hours: arrive to 20C! My bag slow to show and long walk to Alamo rental but nice staff and quick pick up, no hard sell and we get a vehicle we had booked a positve start. Apple Maps works and after passing many pools with waterfowl and a couple of Swainson’s Hawks arrive at Royal Duke Hotel / pub Okotoks for the night: shower and meal at 17:00 actually of course GB time midnight then short walk nearby before an early night . Birds from the Deerfoot highway through Calgary included Swainson’s Hawks, Black-billed Magpies and various wildfowl and Double-crested Cormorants. The short walk in a rather hot Okotoks after a meal produced our first Northern Flickers, red-shafted, Franklin’s Gulls overhead , two House Finches, American Robins, House Sparrows and Starlings - almost felt like home

As we flew into Calgary things were noticeably brown on the ground with little sign of greenery - during our stay the weather ranged from -2C with four inches of snow at Waterton to 27C near Medicine Hat with some strong winds and thunderstorms but the vegetation changed from brown to verdant green in the last few days even in the foothills of the Rockies

Lots of American Robins graced the trip but they are stunning

May 9th

We are up fairly early about 06:00 and heading south to High River to pick up a breakfast at Tim Hortons then onward to Frank Lake a birding hot spot. Being only about an hour south of Calgary it attracts birders and photographers and being a Saturday we actually saw quite a few people in contrast to the rest fo the trip. The list of birds was long but included: Pied billed, Eared /Black necked 500+ and Western Grebes: Swainsons Hawks, Northern Harrier, Lesser Scaup, Redheads, Blue winged and Green winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Yellow headed 100’s and Red winged Blackbirds, Brewers Blackbirds, Brown headed Cowbirds, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Western Meadowlarks, California Gulls and Franklin’s Gulls with large breeding colonies of both, American White Pelicans, White faced Ibis, Ruddy Duck, Tree Swallows, Forster’s Tern, Marsh Wren, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Blue Heron, American Avocet, Black necked stilt, Solitary Sandpiper 1, Wilson’s Phalarope 4, Short / Long billed Dowitcher 6, Shoveler, Double crested Cormorant, Mallard, Gadwall, American Coot, Killdeer and Muskrat and Richardson ground squirrel

The early morning approach to Frank Lake and the start of the adventure

Birds everywhere and lots of noise a contrast to Britain

Tree Swallows in the nest boxes on the Frank Lake approach track

A selection of images from Frank Lake - Eared Grebes - up to 500 adorned the lake a far cry from UK numbers

My best images of American White Pelican

It seems strange seeing pelicans flying over the prairies searching out lakes and potholes for feeding

Frank Lake was the only location we saw this species

In pursuit of the super abundant insects on the water’s surface

male Wilson’s Phalarope pursuing insect with female drifting by

Female Wilson’s Phalarope stunning as usual

California Gulls - as I get older I get progressively less interested in big gulls

Ciunnamon Teal pair - I tended to ignore species I had good images of from past trips and this was one of them. - maybe a mistake but time is always in short supply

The Eared Grebes often come very close to the blind but you are then looking down on them and the light was a bit iffy

Western Grebe - the light in the morning of 9th was a bit dull and overcast - Westerns always seemed to be distant but this one was a bit closer

Forster’s Tern - the first of the trip - summer plumaged birds must get overlooked in the UK - unless they call!

Franklin’s Gull is one of the stand out birds of the prairies with the breeding colony at Frank Lake providing superb viewing - quite a few had a nice pink flush to the underparts but it seldom showed well in images

Amounts their repertoire of calls two that kept me looking up were a call rather like a displaying Lapwing and another that sounds very much akin to a displaying male Marsh Harrier and as this was often given from up on high it took several days to tell myself what it was

Marsh Wrens were strangely unco-operative throughout the trip

A long time since we lost our Ruddy Ducks to political ridicule

Savannah Spoarrow a grassland specialist

Solitary Sandpiper appropriately the only one of the trip

There was a dark morph Swainson’s Hawk near the entrance to Frank Lake in May 2019 when we were there - this could surley not be the same bird in the same place?

Yellow-headed Blackbirds seemed to vastly outnumber Red-winged this trip something we have never noticed before and they were found at most wetland locations perhaps indicating a spread - they are very noisy

After a brief lunch stop we headed off towards Medicine Hat stopping briefly at Bow River, which looked good but produced not a lot other than our first Belted Kingfisher, a Northern Harrier, Marsh Wrens, not showing again, Barn Swallow and a Common Goldeneye pair

Northern Harrier in a dead tree at Bow River - To be honest I had little time to be creative and mainly just took shots as they occurred but I liked this one

Arrived late afternoon at Guesthouse 71 and the garden immediately produced good birds including Swainson’s Thrush, Orange crowned Warbler, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows added for completeness, White crowned Sparrows, Killdeer on adjacent fields, Western Meadowlark the quintessential sound of the prairies and amazing loud, Common Grackles, Wilson’s Snipe drumming overhead day and night, Yellow headed and Red winged Blackbirds, numerous American Robins, Northern Harrier, Brown headed Cowbirds, Brewers Blackbird, Clay coloured, Chipping, Lincoln’s and Savannah Sparrows, Great horned Owl and a presumed Loggerhead Shrike seen briefly from the car but seen in the same place later in the week, Butterflies included Mourning Cloak, Whites and Sulphurs

Guesthouse71 - the trees and scrub around the cottage produced over 40 species with several more overhead - a delightful retreat and excellent place to stay

Superb Swainson’s Thrush in the Guesthouse71 surrounds - a good start to the stay

Orange-crowned Warbler in the trees by the cottage

A stunning Hunt’s Bumble Bee in the flowering tree by the cottage veranda

Great Horned Owl! Chatting to Dawna she mentioned the owls on the property and a Great Horned immediately started calling - eagle eyes Julia found it out in the open, apart from a few twigs -my best ever images of this species

They are very common but you cannot ignore a White-crowned Sparrow - this one was in the trees by the cottage

May 10th:

Around the Guesthouse early morning were American Kestrel, an unexpected Pacific Wren and plenty of Grey Partridge which seem to be doing very well in Alberta as opposed to Britain The usual mix of resident birds also logged before we set off for the priarie grasslands near Lake Palowski - we met a birder who was just leaving and he mention a couple of pairs of hawks but when quizzed about Chestnut-collared Longspurs he affirmed that they had not arrived which was disappointing but as we drove down the track three flew past us and a walk on the priairie revealed at least 50 in display flights - maybe he was having a bad day: Palowski prairie: The days tally which included a lot of Pronghorns also produced some nice birds: Ferruginous Hawk 2, Swainson’s Hawk 2 + 6+, Chestnut collared Longspurs 60+, Horned Lark 50+, Vesper Sparrow 30+, Sprague’s Pipit 2+ (no images but one landed on the road and I failed to get it in focus but to add insult to injury it then landed in the grass by the side of the track and again I messed up before it flew off across the grassland - then we heard at least two singing high overhead - I said no images but there is one unrecognisable one - Grasshopper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Western Meadowlark 30+, Loggerhead Shrike 2, White crowned Sparrow 20, Cinnamon Teal 4, Blue winged Teal, Pintail, Northern Harrier, Chipping Sparrow, White Pelicans en route, Sora heard, Marbled Godwit 2, Grey Partridge 2 - with butterflies being numerous Sulphurs and a stunning Black Swallowtail plus several Red-shanked Grasshoppers

Always plenty of singing Mourning Doves to start the day

Vesper Sparrow a common roadside songster

It was a decidedly chilly start to the day with a fresh wind hence the winter plumaged rock examiner

Red-shanked Grasshopper an impressive beast found across the short grass prairie

The abandoned farm house at the end of the track with the small group of dead looking trees that usually held a Ferruginous Hawk - Lake Palowski was virtualy dry a sad reflection on climate change

Black Swallowtail an impressive butterfly on the rather windy prairie

Horned Larks are very common on the Prairies and seemingly gravitate towards road edges - when the roads are gravel tracks, Township and Range Roads in general they would seem to be an easy photo target but always seem to be the wrong side of the car - these two presumably males were fighting on the road — their seeming abundance to an outsider contrasts with the knowledge of local population studies quoting from https://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2026/05/29/ecologist-warns-southern-albertans-are-becoming-blind-to-disappearing-grasslands-and-species/ Skagen illustrated that concern with the Horned Lark, a tiny prairie bird many southern Albertans have likely seen skittering across rural roads without giving it much thought. Once one of the most abundant grassland birds in North America, **the species has suffered an estimated 90 per cent population decline across Canada over roughly the last half century.** a depressingly familiar story

Notice the two presumed females sitting on the road watching

As you drive along even major roads birds get up from the roadside seemingly every 300-500m a habit which must make them somewhat vulnerable to collision damage — Prairie birds are of the races Eremophila alpestris leucolaema or Eremophila alpestris enthymia I need to find a better reference for this!

Serious heat shimmer by this time of day with overhead sun not ideal

male Chestnet-collared Longspur - their habit of perching on small bits of taller vegetation makes them easier to see than many of the skulking sparrows

With a lot of birds flying around and displaying I set about trying some flight shots but as is typical with small passerines many looked like a flying sausage

The rather less striking female but same tail pattern

Two males in an aerial dispute over a female

Sprague’s Pipit - you need to use imagination and listen to a recording of the song - if only the bird on the track had stayed a little longer!

Eastern Red-tailed Hawk at the same location os the Ferruginous Hawk below and a pair of Swainson’s Hawks

Ferruginous Hawk in rather harsh light by the abandoned farm

Appearance can change dramatically with light

Prairie flowers were only just starting to appear

This Grasshopper Sparrow was a strole of luck as it sang from a track side perch as we drove past then managed to reverse up to get a few shots albeit in harsh light

In all previous trips the only Loggerhead Shrikes I had seen were briefly from moving vehicles so it was nice to find this pair obviously on territory by the old abandoned farm

A flock of White-crowned Sparrows were around the farm buildings - a seemingly odd location so maybe migrants

May 11th:

Guesthouse – an obvious overnight fall had occurred in the windy conditions with a Least Flycatcher, six Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers, three Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow and Orange-crowned Warblers and three Swainson’s Thrushes in the surrounding trees. An American Kestrel was outshone by a superb adult male Prairie Merlin on the fence of the adjacent field where a Killdeer was displaying and the Wilson’s Snipe winnowed overhead.

Bushes and trees by the guesthouse that held an excellent array of migrants

The valley running up to the guesthouse - the trees clearly form an oasis amongst a wide expanse of farmland

Typically the first bird you saw every morning when opening the cottage door with up to ten American Robins on the grass outside

Displaying Wilson’s Snipe over the Guesthouse

This male Prairie Merlin *Falco columbarius richardsonii* was dashing round the property in the morning and located on a fence post - I may have to do a seperate blog post on Prairie Merlins and Black Merlins

Male Prairie Merlin by the cottage early am - truly superb little raptor - cannot recall seeing them well before in Alberta but do remember being struck by seeing one in Texas back in 1995 - one occasion when I could done to have put the 1.4x on but the encounter was brief

That tail and the plain face, lack of moustache what a cracker

After an early walk down the road we came back to find a few Myrtle Warblers in the trees round the cottage - just stunning birds

Decided on a drive down to Elkwater PP in the Cypress Hills in the decidedly cool and windy weather. Amazingly we again picked a day when the café was closed! After a few walks around the park we drove down Highway 514 a gravel road to look for Bluebirds and raptors in the afternoon. The days haul included: Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawk and pair of Prairie Merlins apparently attempting to nest in the trees by the camping area, 20+ Yellow-rumped Warblers, two Orange-crowned warblers, two Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tree Swallows, four Downy Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, two Cedar Waxwings which proved to be the only ones of the trip on the lake and adjacent marshes, 10 Ring-billed Gulls, 30+ Ring-necked Ducks, two Cinnamon teal, two Blue-winged Teal, 6 American Wigeon, 10+ Red-necked Grebes, two Willet and Spotted Sandpiper. In sheltered spots butterflies included several unidentified Whites, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell and a Northern Azure Blue. The range road drive revealed 10+ Mountain Bluebirds round the boxes, two male Northern Harriers, Marbled Godwit and Golden Eagle.

Bald Eagle eyeing up the Coots and wildfowl on the choppy lake

Red-necked Grebes were always just too far out and against the light

Western Willet the only other wader on the lake shore

Two Cedar Waxwings were sheltring in a less windy part of the woods - I didn’t make a lot of effort on them expecting to see many more but oddly these were the only ones

The diminutive Downy Woodpecker always a delightful bird to bump into

The wonders of tinternet: I had sent Dave some BOC shots of a Blue butterfly via WhatsApp and got back Northern Azure but also look out for Milbert’s Tortoiseshell – no sooner than I looked at the message a Milbert’s was on the path in front of us – we actually saw quite a few later

It was clearly early season for butterflies and the cool weather early in the stay meant numbers and variety were further limited

Female Northern Azure - refused to open its wings for images but the uppers were blue!

Not the most spectacular of the wood warblers but pretty common in the west

adult Ring-billed Gull - Elkwater was the only place we saw them close up

Richardson’s Ground Squirrel a popular food item for raptors

Nest boxes along the side of the road attract breeding Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows with pitch battles sometimes breaking out over ownership

Against the brown vegetation males do rather stand out

Even from a vehicle they are typically skittish

Male and female Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallow

female Mountain Bluebird with a good sized prey item

Males are attractive in an obvious way but females are arguably subtly more so

Tree Swallows staking a claim to a roadside nest box

Male Northern Harrier slipping by up the Bluebird road Highway 514

Back at the cottage late afternoon a Lincoln’s Sparrow

One of the garden Swainson’s Thrushes late evening

Even when right out in the open they fed in shaded areas rather than bright sunlit spots

On return to the Guesthouse in the evening an Olive-sided Flycatcher was in the trees – one of the birds of the trip and a species I have only seen badly and fleetingly in the past.

It was high up and not close but the light was beautiful with a clear blue sky

Olive-sided Flycatcher Guesthouse71 May 11th 2026

May 12th

The male Prairie Merlin was again round the Guesthouse with the first Yellow Warbler, three Swainson’s Thrushes and several Chipping and Clay-coloured Sparrows; a pair of Cinnamon Teal were on the farm pond and a male Northern Harrier flew through, Painted Lady was a new butterfly then we set off for Dinosaur PP seeing a Turkey Vulture over Medicine Hat en route.

Blue-winged Teal getting seen off by a drake Cinnamon on the local pond early am

Mourning Dove in lovely light on our early morning amble

Every one is different and this American Robin was a cracker

Wilson’s Snipe powering down after an aerial display session

The male Prairie Merlin in the trees by the cottage again in beautiful light

The day was hot and sunny and the Dinosaur PP though impressive for scenery and its exhibits had very few birds on offer and no ice-cream so we left mid-afternoon stopping briefly near a huge irrigation reservoir near Brooks that produced a Western Willet, Black-necked Stilt and a few Variegated Meadowhawks in increasingly windy and hot weather. Best birds were two Lark Sparrows, four Orange-crowned Warblers, three Myrtle Warblers, three Swainson’s Thrush, Spotted Towhee, three Turkey Vultures, ten Cliff Swallows, three Forster’s Terns and a Bald Eagle plus Meadow Fritillary. All in all a quiet day.

The badlands scenery is particularly impressive

Vesper Sparrows do seem to get everywhere

With few other birds around I took a silly number of images of this obliging pair of Lark Sparrows

Take on a very different appearance in sun

And this fine bee which we think is a Nevada Bumble Bee

A rubbish photo but my app says Meadow Fritillary

And a day flying moth apparently Mottled pyrausta moth

A poignant reminder of the destruction wrought upon the plains by Europeans

Orange-crowned Warbler in the camp site trees

Variegated Meadowhawk - a few seen on 12th but otherwise I think we were just too early or it was too cool for odes

May 13th

Another visit to Elkwater was planned after the usual morning walk. On approach to Elkwater along the roadside a group of ducks on a roadside pond included 6 Canvasbacks, two Redheads, Blue-winged Teal, 6 Ring-necked Ducks and two American Wigeon. Swainson’s Hawk and two Northern Harriers were also typical roadside birds. After lunch we drove into the Cypress Hills in cool and windy conditions then drove round Eagle Bluff Valley but no different birds to those seen before.

The small valley near the Guesthouse with breeding blackbirds and Wilson’s Snipe and Killdeer on the adjacent field

Displaying Killdeer over the guesthouse early am

Subtle shades and colours on a Mounring Dove in morning sunlight

The Canvasbacks were rather flighty even from the car - maybe after a winter of evading being shot

In the Park itself the day’s highlights were: Osprey, Turkey Vulture, Bald eagle, a male Northern Harrier on a post right next to the road, 300+ Chipping Sparrows, 50+ Clay-coloured Sparrows, 30+ Red-necked Grebes, 14 Spotted sandpipers, a Western Willet, 4 Yellow Warblers, two Downy Woodpeckers, two Red-breasted Nuthatch, 20 Ring-necked Ducks, three Ring-billed Gulls, two American Wigeon, two singing Tennessee Warblers and at least four Yellow-bellied or Red-naped or hybris Sapsuckers. The latter were disputing territories and plumage features seemed to vary between individuals, This area is the hybrid zone between the two species apparently. One was later seen being mobbed by a Tree Swallow within the woodland.

Female Red-winged Blackbird in the cattail marsh

Ring-billed Gulls starting my birds on a picnic table image list

Striking birds when up close in summer finery

the same or different Spotted Sandpiper on the same or different log - I forget

The Western Willet was still on the very small beach and showing a lot better

The Red-necked Grebes were not much closer but very noisy

A Milbert’s Tortoiseshell showing well on the footpath at Elkwater.

Black-billed Magpie is Pica hunsonia so I sort of had to take a photo but they were pretty common and lets face it look like a Magpie

Brewer’s Blackbird another species i tended to overlook taking pics of

Yellow-bellied or Red-naped Sapsuckers - four birds were fighting presumably over a nest hole or territory - but which species are they aor could they be hybrids as the Cypress Hills are apparently in the hybrid zone! This is the paper that should sort it out but as usual in hybrid zones a lot of caveats https://www.aba.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BD_ID_0496_Birding_2006_Nov.pdf

Red on nape, limited red on throat and limited white upperpart barring - Presumably Red-naped female?

Same bird as above showing extent of throat patch

Different bird with a touch of white on the chin

Striking birds and a priviledged encounter - as we were on a sloping hillside the birds were often at eye level in the trees below us

With red nape and limited white in upperparts I would put this down as Red-naped?

Pale naped bird but still Red-naped or hybrid

Another Red-naped with more white on the back ?

Same bird as above - are some of the differences age related as this bird clearly has old worn flight feathers so may be 2cy

Another smart bee which appears to be the Great Basin Bumble Bee

A pair of Prairie Merlins had a territory and appeared to be goping to nest in trees at one end fo the camping area - this was the rather vociferous male both were stunning birds

An abandoned farm in the Cypress Hills along Eagle Bluff Valley; birds from the road included Swainsons Hawk, Red tailed Hawk, Mountain Bluebird 10+ and American Kestrel

A slightly darker pale morph Swainson’s Hawk

Walked the Coulee Trail in Medicine Hat before the rain arrived in the evening: a few birds Yellow Warbler 2, House Finch male and some Rough-winged Swallows

The worlds tallest Tepee in Medicine Hat (so you are told)

Male House Finch from the Hat Coulee trail

Mountain Cottontail also from the Coulee trail

Driving back from dinner in Medicine Hat we kept passing a blue sign to Echo Park 2kms - intrigued (I had failed to look in the Bird Finding Guide) we set off but the road was blocked by a huge tractor plough combo - so we about turned and Julia saw these three Red Fox cubs in a den right by the side of the road - Apparently a sub-species or race of our Red Fox but a proposed split - they were not interested in being split but were very cute — *Vulpes vulpes fulva*

Just another example of the 100-500 lens being totally useful and the tool for the job where versatility is needed

It was pretty dark when these were taken at 20:00

Swainson’s Hawk at sunset from the cottage

May 14th

Overnight gales and rain still very windy all day with heavy showers. In the hope of a fall having occurred went back to Cypress Hills and Elkwater but it had not occurred though there were still some notable encounters. After some food at the café we wandered back to Medicine Hat for some cultural time and a coffee then walked the Strathcona Park Coulee Trail in increasing heat. Birds at Elkwater; Coopers Hawk, Tennessee Warbler, Myrtle and on Audubon’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Least Flycatcher, two White-winged Scoter, Canvasback two on the same pool, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrow oddly the first of the trip, Spotted Sandpiper and 50+ Chipping Sparrows. Plus a Red Squirrel.

Not the brightest of Myrtle Warblers presumably a 2cy

Not the best shot of an Canadian Red Squirrel

Always odd in Canada that history is little more than 100 years old as they mainly consider European Canadian presence as history

Medicine Hat Strathcona Coulee trail along the River - Broad winged Hawk 1, Forster’s Tern 8, Belted Kingfisher, Clay coloured Sparrows in song, Northern Rough winged Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Yellow rumped warbler, Turkey Vulture and White Pelican

Northern Rough-winged Swallow not the most exciting of nearctic birds

Managed to get to Echo Park late evening and it was actually a good spot and a shame we had missed it earlier - our first two Western Kingbirds of the trip and two Lark Sparrows but decided to have a look the following morning.

Why are 90% of Western Kingbirds on barbed wire fences

May 15th

We decide on an early walk at Echo Park followed by a visit to Red Rock Coulee, recommended by Dawna, then on to the Manyberries area to look for more grassland birds. It is cool again and after recent rains the township road we start out on to Red Rock is a quagmire and we have to take a diversion; gravel roads can quickly become impassable to normal cars after heavy rains. A Loggerhead Shrike is along the fence line by the Guesthouse as we set off with a Swainson’s Hawk nest, Ferruginous Hawk nest and Northern Harrier on the short drive while Echo Park has some decent bords with a Horned Grebe, Blue-winged Teal and a surprise Red-breasted Merganser on the lake, breeding Killdeers around the edges and a Western Willet. The trees reveal, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson’s Thrush, and at least eight Western Kingbirds that are clearly just arriving in force. We also have fun with two sparring Northern Flickers. A return to Echo Valley after dinner produced four Lark Sparrows and our first Baltimore Oriole of the trip singing happily.

Mule Deer and irrigator - too many mixed feelings about wild nimals and arable - grazing regimes just have to enjoy what you see

Loggerhead Shrike another species just by the guesthouse

It is difficult to get away from barbed wire fences in photos

Ferruginous Hawk nest near Echo Park - as trees are limited and often near roads raptor nests are pretty easy to find

Striking male Barn Swallow at Echo Park Hirundo rustica erythrogaster

Western Willet and plastic on the lake shore

A gang of Western Kingbirds were fighting in the park early morning but they were just too far away and as we had plans for the day I wasn’t able to give them the time I would have liked - too many things to do in a short time

Northern Flicker is a bit lacking in punch the old Red-shafted Flicker was rather more descriptive

Red Rock coulee was impressive scenery wise and produced our first Rock Wren plus Vesper Sparrow and Horned Larks

The birds on picnic tables list continued with this fine Horned Lark checking out the new picnic tables placed in his territory

This Vesper Sparrow takes the barbed wire theme to a new level

Prairie Roads are typically long and straight - 30 miles is not unusual and you may meet the odd vehicle

The Manyberrries area seemed like one of those spots you maybe would not want to stop for long, visions of Physco, but maybe unjustified. We took a while to find the Conservancy land and getting in through the fence was more than problematic but eventually we had a walk in the wind and located several Chestnut collared Longspurs, Sprague’s Pipit in song overhead, singing Clay coloured Sparrows, two American Kestrel, two Loggerhead Shrikes, the usual Horned Larks and a Pronghorn fawn with the adult seeing off a Coyote. Along the roads were more Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawks plus Northern Harriers and roadside ponds held Cinnamon teal, Blue-winged Teal and Pintail but one near Etzicom a pool held 19 Wilson’s Phalaropes. The Museum was having its spring opening day and we had Maple and Walnut ice-cream and a guided tour by a local resident.

Not sure the local Motel was in working order

We did paiuse briefly in Manyberries to get a shot of this smart Western Kingbird

we see a lot of Pronghorns but always mixed feelings seeing them on cultivated prairie and fenced in with barbed wire - do they look sad for a reason

A Pronghorn fawn we stumbled across on the conservation grassland - quickly left it to settle down again

Scenic raptor perches are limited - Swainson’s Hawk

Big skies are a feature of the open prairies

Late afternoon we headed back to the Palowski Lake grasslands with some serious weather threatening

Singing male in more natural surroundings

For all their abundance along roadsides Western meadowlarks always fly off as you stop the car - but eventually we found one that didn’t

Terrible angle but can’t resist a female Wilson’s Phalarope t

A rather nice way to end the day - a singing male Baltimore Oriole

May 16th

A somewhat bitter sweet day as we were due to move to our second base for the trip at Dungarvan Creek near waterton but a quick walk round the guesthouse and down the road early am revealed an arrival of migrants but we had to get driving. Best birds on a quick pre-departure walk were Golden-crowned Kinglet, Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Western Kingbird and Least Flycatcher.

Common Grackle as the name says common in most habitats

Golden-crowned Kinglet, looks of a Firecrest with coniferous habits but voice of a Goldcrest

Blackpoll Warbler - fed in this tree for a couple of minutes then it was off - the urgency of spring migration

Usually high up and very active Blackpolls seem to be a difficult target for me at any rate

Goodbye to Guesthouse71 - will we be back? never say never

En route to Foremost for breakfast at the Main Street Café, Ferruginous Hawk, Swainsons Hawk 2, Cliff Swallow, Horned Lark common, White Pelican 3 and Pronghorns 50+. We then diverted via Tyrell Lake which had produced some good waders on a past visit: it was windy and with constant cloud - sun - cloud - sun and high overhead sun making images less than perfect but the range of birds seen in less than two hours was pretty impressive: Eared/Black-necked Grebe 200+, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teals, Ruddy Ducks, Lesser Scaup, White-faced Ibis 4, Great Blue Heron, Cliff Swallow 40+, Wilson’s Phalarope 200+, red-necked Phalarope 4+, Least sandpiper 30+, Semi-palmated Sandpiper 3, Baird’s sandpiper 3, Stilt Sandpiper 1, Short-billed / Long-billed Dowitcher 30+. Marbled Godwits, Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Semi-palmated Plover 4, Western Willets and a single Pectoral Sandpiper.

The muddy bay at Tyrell Lake where most of the above waders were seen

Baird’s Sandpiper one of the three present in a small muddy bay at Tyrell Lake

Breaking up the waders with a Cliff Swallow

Cliff Swallows passing a Forster’s tern - at times you don’t know which way to look

I really need to gen up on summer dowitchers but think this is Long-billed - I certainly heard Short-billed so I guess both species were present but time was short !!

Impossible to convey the phalarope concentration in a still image in bad light but here are few

Semi-palmated Plover and Least sandpipers

You just do not get close to waders in britain to just use a 100-500 lens -

Least Sandpipers the smallest of the peeps and quite variable in intensity of colour of summer plumage

Legs are pale yellowish but often get stained by or covered in mud

A really bright bird looking almost a bit Long-toed Stint like

Least and Semi-palmated Sandpipers - chalk and cheese

Semi-palmated Sandpiper summer plumaged birds are a bit of a mish mash of colours but the ginger crown streaks are obvious - all seemed to be pretty short billed individuals

Same bird as above - brighter and longer billed

Not often you get a Semi-palmated Sandpiper to show why it is so named

Cream of the wader crop a summer Stilt Sandpiper

Stilt Sandpiper with Long-billed Dowitchers

Stilt Sandpiper with Least Sandpiper a serious difference in leg length

We arrived at our base at Dungarvan Creek to be greeted by a drake barrow’s Goldeneye that was on the pond all week - a good start if rather nippy

It was distinctly chilly and grey when we arrived at Dungarvan but when we returned from dinner things were looking decidely wintery and worse or better was to come overnight

May 17th

A day that started out with heavy snow after overnight snowfall and scraping six inches of snow from the car and looked to be a bit of disaster with snow most of the morning actually turned out to be a cracker. Around the guesthouse cabin Savannah Sparrows were feeding on the gravel exposed on the drive while a female Wilson’s Phalarope looked distinctly out of place with the three Ring-necked Ducks. We then spent the day around Waterton Park wandering around in the snow in the morning before breaking for breakfast at Vinney’s. The snow eased off by mid-afternoon allowing for more exploring but it remained cold. Birds seen during the day included: Two American Dippers by the Cameron Falls, male Northern Harrier, Red-tailed and Swainson’s Hawks, four American kestrels up Red Rock Canyon road, a probable Prairie Falcon seen while driving into the park, another American Dipper at Red Rock Canyon, Northern Flickers, Red-naped Sapsucker, six Barrow’s Goldeneye, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, Trumpeter Swan, Ring-necked Ducks and Spotted Sandpiper but it was the passerine show that topped the list. The snow had obviously bro[ought birds down from the mountains into the Waterton town area and conservative totals for the day included: Hermit Thrush, 200+ American Robin, Pine Siskins, 50+ Dark eyed Juncos, at least 10 Townsend Solitaire, four Mountain Bluebird, Red breasted Nuthatch and six Yellow-rumped Warblers looking very incongruous in the snow covered trees. Columbian Ground Squirrels were popping their heads up through the snow and at least 60 Elk were seen in the evening when Tree Swallows had arrived over the pond as the snow started to melt.

Female Wilson’s Phalarope - not a bird you would expect to see on a pond fairly high in the Rockies in a snow storm

A distinctly wintery theme to Waterton - a good job we took suitable clothing

Coluiimbian Ground Squirrel wondering what happened to spring

There was a rapid build up of snow as this Mountain Bluebird shows but it disppeared as quickly as it came

Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskin - this Junco was very dark compared to the usual Oregon Juncos seen locally more like the Canadian Rocky Mountains form illustrated in the Sibley Guide

This unusually timid Hermit Thrush was one of thje birds forced down by the snow

Feeding on a snow free area near a patch unfortunately it was quickly disturbed by passing walkers

Cameron Falls Waterton - a pair of American Dippers were nesting on the right side

American Dipper in somewhat different conditions to my first in Red Rock park in Arizona back in 1996 in temperatures in the mid 30C’s

Not one of the brightest of Nearctic bird species

Dead trees on the mountainside transformed by the snow

American Kestrel female in the Red Rock Canyon road

Never got any remotely decent images of American Kestrel before this trip as they are typically so flighty so it was good to get a few shots this time around

A magical day for landscapes - I use the 100-500 lens for landscapes as well - saves messing about and it is super sharp

Red-naped Sapsucker at nest hole in the snowstorm

Another of the day’s high points was seeing at least 20 Townsend’s Solitaires - my previous encounters had been limited in number with feeting views in Arizona and at Jasper and initially birds were following the elusive pattern but as the day wore on they became tamer and views much better as they foraged for berries and insects in the snow-free areas the day even culmintaed with one sitting only 4m from our car in the busy Cameron falls car park

This individual was feeding on juniper berries on an exposed sloe at Red Rock Canyon

In spite of the now there was not a lot of light for flight photography

Townsend’s Solitaires have vey distinctive flight patterns on upper and under wings

Views don’t come much better than this - we saw odd ones in breeding habitat up in the forests later in the week but never as well as this

A late taste of winter amongst the spring foliage and a female Mountain Bluebird

the day produced one of my highlights of the trip and my best photo image when we came across two Mountain Bluebirds in the park area at Waterton — I love females, males are bluer and more striking but the metallic blue on the wings and tail of a female contrasting with the silvery grey upperparts are just sublime - This female was perching up in some snow covered trees and nearby fences and picnic benches with a snowy backdrop mixed with the colours of the exposed foliage

she lingered long enough on this perch to allow me to zoom out and take in more of the surroundings

As I was focussed on her in the tree she spotted something on the ground between us and flew directly towards me swooping down - I managed to fire off 18 shots all of which were in focus - these were my most liked and I count as my best images of the trip

My shot of the trip and one of the most memorable moments seeing it in the camera viewfinder then finding it was in focus and the VF was not lying

Tree Swallow in the late evening sun over the Dungarvan pond

By evening the sun was breaking out but it was stiull heating on in the cabin

May 18th

It was Victoria Day in Canada which as far as I can tell means that everyone in the country gets into a vehicle and drives for umpteen hours to get somewhere else and then drives back – a sort of British bank holiday with more and bigger vehicles but a similar amount of chaos. With a brighter start but rain threatened day ahead we were out early and headed up to Pincher Creek seeing the usual Red-tailed and Swainson’s Hawks en route along with an American Kestrel, Northern Harrier and a wild Turkey. We then went to Beauvais Lake PP where it was initially quiet for people and we picked up a few nice birds including the first Hairy Woodpecker, Common Loons and three White-winged Scoters, four Sandhill Cranes, Red-necked Grebes and Yellow and Audubon’s Warblers, Least Flycatcher a few Ospreys, 20+ Tree Swallows, male Northern Harrier and a pair of Trumpeter Swans. Our first Black Bear stuck its head out of the trees to the annoyance of the Cranes and we set off for a walk before the impending rain. Almost immediately a Ruffed Grouse walked across the path and although I was able to watch it down to 15 feet in the trees it melted away before starting drumming out of sight. The rain arrived and we resorted to Pincher Creek for brunch. I then made the mistake of heading for Crow’s Nest Pass to get some height but the snow had already gone and the traffic was manic on the TransCanada highway. In frustration we ended up creeping into BC and taking a short walk at Crow’s Nest PP where the only birds of note were Ruby-crowned Kinglets, two Audubon’s Warblers, abundant Pine Siskins, two Red-naped Sapsuckers and a singing Hammond’s Flycatcher.

Our first Black Bear of the trip having a peek out of the aspens

The bear obviously upset the Sandhill Cranes that wandered over to check him out

Ruffed Grouse teasing but not performing

Hammond’s Flycatcher an empid best identified on voice

After evading most of the afternoon traffic we returned to the guesthouse for and afternoon chill and look at the pond and surroundings: a Lincoln’s Sparrow in display flight was a new experience, the usual singing Savannah Sparrows, three Mourning Doves and a displaying Wilson’s Snipe were on view and the pond held American Coot and Blue-winged Teal. We then headed down to Waterton for dinner at Trappers our regular evening haunt where we heard of Black Bears up Cameron Lake road. A nice evening so we drove up the road having a Brown female Black bear with a cub and a young male Black Bear. Around the Lake car park our only Canada Jay of the trip, oddly, singing Cassin’s Finch, singing Northern Waterthrush and Slate-coloured Fox Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglets an audible but invisible Varied Thrush, Pine Siskins what sounded like a Barred Owl and on the lake three Barrow’s Goldeneye and a female Bufflehead. A rather nice way to end the day complemented by several sightings of Mule and White-tailed Deer and a herd of 40 Elk as we left the park.

th epond always had lots of displaying Red-winged Blackbirds to keep the camera busy

Female Black Bear with cub up Cameron Lake road

A mionor Bear jam had occurred on the road but nothing compared to Banff or Yellowstone

The snow was still hanging on in the mountains and Cameron Lake had a few ice flows

Canada Jay doing what they do in car parks

Slate-coloured Fox Sparrow one of my favourite of the Nearctic sparrows

May 19th

With a better weather forecast at least for the morning we decided to head back to Cameron Lake then Red Rock Canyon with the usual Waterton brunch in between. The Dungarvan pond held a Double-crested Cormorant, the usual drake Barrow’s Goldeneye and Blue-wined Teal pairs. Up at Cameron Lake we took a couple of short trails combined with some more car park birding where two singing Wilson’s Warblers, two Northern Waterthrush, Cassin’s Finches, Pine Siskins, Lincoln’s Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Song Sparrow and Slate-coloured Fox Sparrows were all in evidence. The trail through some remnant live trees revealed a calling Cooper’s Hawk, two Brown Creepers, Red-breasted Nuthatch, six Barrow’s Goldeneye on a small lake and a drumming American Three-toed Woodpecker. The road had a flock of Big Horned Sheep. A walk in Waterton produced the first five Violet Green Swallows and 30+ Columbian Ground Squirrels. Red Rock Canyon Road produced only Northern Harrier and American Kestrels but butterflies were Julia’s Orange Tip, unidentified whites and Northern Azure Blue. Evening drives up both roads turned up more Black Bears.

Start reminders of the 2017 fire are everywhere at waterton and recovery is slow

In the few places where the trees escaped the fire the contrast up the mountain is all too obvious

Car Parks are great for wildlife - Mule Deer checking for crumbs

Some flowers from the high altitude woodlands - maybe Yellow Trout Lilly Cameron Lake

The Prince of Wales Hotel domnates the approach to Waterton but the park is truly beautiful and so quiet compared to the mania of Banff and Jasper

Violet-green Swallow - very much a record shot

Always entertaining Columbian Ground Squirrels

Red Rock Canyon a popular tourist spot but walk 50m to the west and you seldom see anyone

Could be a Boreal Long-lipped Tiger Beetle - Red Rock Canyon

Blues always seem complicated but I think this is Silvery Blue

As evening rain cleared a rainbow over the park

Mum was close by and a really ginger individual

A Black Bear later in the evening as the light faded

One with a yellow ear tag presumably part of a research program

May 20th

The weather forecast was not good with a lot of rain for Waterton and thunder storms elsewhere so we headed up to Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump to dodge the worst of the rain. Double-crested Cormorant was on the Dungarvan pond as we left. Sadly, our arrival coincided with the arrival of three busloads of school children in addition to which the café was not open (is it ever after four visits). We had a walk round the trail which was pretty poor bird wise with only Brown Thrasher heard not seen Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warblers and Clay-coloured Sparrows a singing House Wren and the usual male Northern Harrier. We then tried Range Road 263 that had produced Upland Sandpipers in 2019 but today it was again poor with just a few Swainson’s Hawks, American Kestrels, a Prairie Merlin, Vesper Sparrow and a flying Sharp-tailed Grouse but a serious lack of sparrows. The rain was approaching fast so we drove west to Fort Macleod for brunch and then walked the trail by the river with thunderstorms all around but amazingly missing us. Another probable Prairie Falcon passed by without stopping and House Wren and Least Flycatchers were noisy but otherwise it was again quiet though a Western-tailed Blue butterfly and a Rocky Mountain Clearwing moth were notables. A longish drive back on increasingly wet and boggy township roads, 35 miles of them turned up another more obliging American Kestrel and it was time for dinner. Two Slavonian / Horned Grebes were back in residence on the Dungarvan pond by the cottage with a pair of Lesser Scaup. After dinner we drove Red Rock Canyon Road with A Townsend’s Solitaire and Black Bear with three cubs being a bit of a muted evening turnout in dull weather.

Double-crested Cormorant on the cottage pond

Drake Blue-winged Teal on the Dungarvan Pond

Big clouds building and we managed to shelter from the first downpour of the day

Range Road 263 with thunderstorms all around

A small area of the prairie carpeted with Boneville Shooting Star

A different male American Kestrel on the side of a wet range road

American Kestrels have evaded my camera in the past so tended to make the most of some more obliging individuals

Common Loon on the pond by the entrance to Waterton PP

A burst of evening sun up Red Rock Canyon Road

Spring was arriving suddenly with everything turning green almost overnight

While the kids distract always watch out for mum as she’s got her eye on you

Sunset from Dungarvan cottage after a stormy day

May 21st

Weather forecast was for rain from midday but unusually they got it wrong and it was fine most of the day; An Osprey was a new bird at the cottage as was Great Blue Heron with Horned Grebes up to three and the usual Blue-winged Teal and Lesser Scaup. We spent the day around Waterton Park starting out with a walk along the flatter part of the Wishbone Trail that proved to be an inspired choice. A Sora was calling in the marsh along with a Pied-billed Grebe and 10+ Barrow’s Goldeneye were visible; the trail produced a Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, at least 10 Least Flycatchers, Clay-coloured Sparrows in song, Northern Waterthrush singing and great views, four Red-naped Sapsuckers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow Warblers and House Wren. At the start of the walk we could hear a displaying Ruffed Grouse but better was to come. An animal jumping around in the aspens eventually revealed itself as a Fisher a new mammal for me and something you apparently don’t see very often in the daytime in summer. It was clearly not welcome and disturbed the six Sandhill Cranes that called and flew around almost past our heads. It also flushed a Ruffed Grouse that flew up into the aspens and although easily visible with bins it was rather less visible through the camera lens and I had to resort to manual focus to get a sharpish image. Cherry Pie and Ice cream in Waterton at Welch's Chocolate Shop and a walk round the town only turned up six Violet-green Swallows. Red Rock Canyon was also a bit quiet but an American Badger dashed into its den and butterflies included Brown Elfin and more fly by Julia’s Orange Tips. The evening bear hunt saw a female Black Bear with a cub and a male with another brown female on the Golf Course.

Waterton is a truly special place and we were blessed with some very good if variable weather - in the course of a few days everything turned from brown to green as spring arrived

Start of the Wishbone Trail Waterton - a Fisher is in here somewhere and a few Ruffed Grouse

Dodgy knees need flat trails but it sometimes pays off

Only after the event did I see it was banded!

In contrast to the showy Waterthrush there is a Ruffed Grouse in there

A tad better but there was a myriad of twigs and branches in the way

Sandhill Crane showing displeasure at the Fisher

Male Yellow Warbler all birds were surprisingly uncooperative throughout

Northern Harrier pursued by Red-winged Blackbird

American Badger den was a bit further along this trail up Red Rock Canyon Road

Never had the time to be a botanist but I do like flowers!

This Black Bear was walking about in an open meadow turning over big rocks and licking under them presumably eating ants

May 22nd

Our last full day and spent around Waterton again; the cottage had returning Cliff Swallows in the morning plus the usual waterfowl; In Waterton town Violet-green Swallows were in residence with butterflies being a Swallowtail that whizzed through and a Satyr Comma plus California Tortoiseshell. Two families of Fox cubs were on view with the odd Black Bear in the evening. A walk up the trail past Red Rock Canyon was good with our first Western Tanagers and Dusky Flycatcher plus a singing Western Warbling Vireo, Townsend’s Solitaire, Audubon’s Warbler, a showy Eastern Kingbird in the car park where our only Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel of the trip was around the bins! Butterflies were Julia’s Orange Tip and Perseus and Dreamy Duskywings. A close Swainson’s Hawk was on the roadside as we drove back towards some heavy rain when Eileen informed us of a female Moose up the road with a calf which turned out to be two when we arrived in the torrent.

Stunning Horned Grebe right next to the car but looking down sadly

Common Loons on the pond at the park entrance - too close to get enough DOF

The road up to Red Rock Canyon the Black Bear the previous evening was on the slope just below us here

Red Rock Canyon Road was consistently good for American Kestrels throughout

I am not a landscape photographer but you have to take pics of the landscapes in this stunning location - most of these are just with the iphone

Waterton Lake and town on the right from the P of Wales Hotel

Finally got a shot of Red Rock Canyon without anyone stood in the bottom!

Columbian Ground Squirrel chilling on lichen covered rock

Golden mantled Ground Squirrel round the bins

Not sure if this is Elk or Moose poo but my app says Dreamy Duskywing for the butterfly

Must be a great spot for butterflies in a week or two when all the flowers are in bloom - this the app says is Persius Duskywing

Some empids are more exciting than others

Western warbling Vireo very much the Garden warbler of the area

Had a somewhat dangerous habit of catching insects on the road

When we got back to the cottage Eileen was waiting with news of a Moose only fifteen minutes down the road with a calf - she kindly accompanied us to find the family sadly in what was by then torrential Moose with two new calves in a torrential downpour sadly but a great experience -

A new gang of Fox cubs were entertaining up Cameron Lake road

May 23rd

With an afternoon flight from Calgary it was a quick walk at Waterton then the drive north - a male Baltimore Oriole flew along the road as we headed back to pick up our bags and our first singing male Black-headed Grosbeak was in the cottage trees before we paid a fond fairwell to Dungarvan and waterton - returning the car was easy and the Alamo staff were helpful and friendly and flights and connections all on time - thumbs up to KLM

I had packed the camera but the Cliff Swallows at Dungarven kept tempting me to have one more go - sadly nothing to write home about

Male Black-headed Grosbeak singing but hiding in the tree by the cottage

A glorious morning to be leaving Dungarvan and its productive pond - hope to see you again

Graham Catley 07/05/2026 Graham Catley 07/05/2026

May 2026

Short and sweet episode

One of two male Cuckoos proclaiming on waters Edge this morning - amazing how such a seemingly lafrge bird can perch on such a slender twig

Reed Warblers are finally becoming more visible

One of the local vociferous Sedge Warblers in habo

Birds on perfect pretty perches right out in the open are a bit old hat - get the feel for the scratchy song from the reed fringe

Graham Catley 04/04/2026 Graham Catley 04/04/2026

April 2026

Kicking off another month with some typical April coolness and in the first few days at least a dearth of new arrivals but a few additions to the patch photo challenge.

But first off the Orange Moon just before it disappeared behind the clouds April 1st

From a quite sunny day in the forest a 2cy Common Buzzard

One of the 2cty female Goshawks with a bird

Great Spotted Woodpecker on a gnarled old pine remnant

Cropped and zoomed in it loses the character of the tree somewhat

Two males ended up having a dispute on the same tree

Located a colony of c100 male Sandpit Mining Bees and attempted some action shots -

I only had the 200-800 lens with me so I kept having to zoom out to get close enough focus as the close focus is considerably further away at the 800 end

Back to the patch photo challenge and these 22 Whooper Swans were number 88 for the year

A dead lamb produced a nice year tick and also number 89 on the photo list with this Raven dropping in only to be chased off by a gang of Carrion Crows

My patch year list has rumbled on to 112 but concentrating on Waters’ Edge I have had 90 species there so far and need to work out how many I have actually photographed on that site - Dunnock was probably a new one

Song Thrush carrying nest material on Waters Edge - up to eight males were singing in March but there seems to be less now

Saturday 4th looked like another of those spring days - after a 7 mile hike around the pits the only reward was a single female Common Scoter and no new migrants then this adult Little Gull flew in off the Humber and started feeding on sailing pit - 112 on the patch year list and 90 on the patch photo year list

a couple of boomers this afternoon this the louder of the two

The Canon 200-800 with 1.4x converter attached - always a bit soft so sharpened a bit more than usual

male dropping in to start a challenging boom session - I have so many Bittern images, sorry if you have never seen one, that getting something a little different is always a challenge

A few more Swallows arriving with two back on breeding territories this morning - 9th

Note to self do not go to Bempton on a sunny bank holiday Monday

91 on the patch photo year list - Great Crested Grebe

with a new arrival of Blackcaps around the pits there have been some memorable encounters including three fighting at one point and today two having a song off in the presence of two females - always nice to get a few images while the leaves are bright and fresh

2cy male Sparrowhawk coming in off the Humber - was it a migrant or a local been hunting on the north bank?

Our wintering flock of Curlew still numbers c30 so presumably Scandinavian breeders as British birds would be back on territory now

Fattening up on worms in the wet grass fields

male Brimstone battling a Green-veined White in the air - spring butterfly action hotting up

Always try to get images of butterflies in flight as posed perched shots are a bit boring!

92 Willow Warbler in a willow - a very slow trickle of migrants locally so far with many species still absent but good numbers of Sand Martins and record early totals of singing Reed Warblers

One of several breeding pairs of Stock Doves on Waters’ Edge

In spite of the warm days not seen many butterflies so far - the first Speckled Wood on Wedge today

Good numbers of Sand Martins but as yet not seen double figures of Swallow

Some better images of one of the local Green Woodpecker pair

An an incidental 93 on the challenge list a peasant intervening

Meanwhile my Blackcap challenge also continues - yet to get a shot of a female

This Chiffchaff was wing waving in display to a female

A different individual Chiffchaff - subtle differences in plumage tones are fascinating

same bird as above in slightly different light with reflections from the greenery

Very much a record shot of a Corn Bunting for 94 on the patch challenge - maybe better as they settle into territories

on a hot sort of heat hazy afternoon on 13th in desperation I headed up the Wold edge and was immediately greeted by a Red Kite

Followed by my first Wheatear of the spring

After that first encounter I came across a total of eight birds with this male a stand out - the mantle colour we used to equate with Greenland Birds but I think Scandinavaian breeders can also show it?

One of the accompanying females in severe heat haze

it has taken a long time to get a Cetti’s Warbler shot for 97 but I like this representation of a bird with volume and attitude

From the first local record in 2003 the population in the clay pits has gone through the roof - currently 8-9 singing males on Waters’ Edge alone

And one of several new males on territory this week

98 Reed Warbler - in the 1970’s and early 80’s seeing a Reed Warbler before May was a real event now they often arrive at the same time or even before Sedge Warblers and not odd birds but in good numbers - no doubt better images to come but 98 for now

for once the camera auto-focus did not work through the morass of reeds so resorted to manual focus just like the olden days

Grey Heron turning the tables on two annoying Black-headed Gulls

99 Sedge Warbler in an early season short song flight

a boomer in uncharacteristically open habitat

Common tern 100 on the local patch challenge photo list - out of 120 species so far on the patch year list

Never under appreciate the colours of a Magpie

Mallard duckling in hot pursuit of a snack

The returning old female Marsh Harrier at Far Ings this week

male Orange-tip butterfly searching out a female in the Waters’ Edge woods

Not an easy, erratic target and about one in 30 in focus if you are lucky but good fun trying

A Tawny Mining bee up on the Wolds - the path it was on had lots of mining bees last spring but very few this year sadly

An obliging Chiffchaff in the bright greenery that has suddenly developed

Need to get more creative with the Common Terns

Not a great shot but good to have Cuckoo back on the patch for 101 photod

There has been a total dearth of passage waders locally this spring but did manage this lone Common Sandpiper for 102 on the challenge

One of a pair of adult summer Mediterranean Gulls that headed east last week

Shelduck trails in the mud off Waters Edge

One of seven singing male Sedge Warblers on Waters Edge thus far - a bird in habitat shot

Moorhen male passing food to female to feed to the bizarre looking chicks

One chick was already out and about but the wings have a way to go

Timing is everything - a day later the brood had moved to another location

I finally managed a picture of a Chaffinch that I was quite pleased with - I find them a tricky species to portray

My fascination with Blackcaps continues - ,mainly because they are present in big numbers and there is little else to watch! three males were fighting over two females yesterday providing some photo opps

This male adopted the tactic of carrying nest material too impress the girls - no doubt flashing his DIY skills

It seems to be a superb apring for Holly Blues and oddly several males have been landing with wings partly at least open making for my best ever images of this species

And an unexpected open wing shot of a male basking on bramble leaves sheltered from the cold east wind

The subtle pumage variation in what we always see as an all black and grey Jackdaw

Nest boxes are vital breeding sites for Kestrels in a landscape with very few old trees

My first odes of the year on Saturday - Large Red Damselfly

103 on the patch photo challenge Lesser Whitethroat - this male has been coming back to this territory for the last three years singing from the same perches and nesting in the same clump of brambles - I actually got a Lesser image before a Common Whitethroat

105 stretching things a bit but it was a Whimbrel and so far my only one this spring

And a close up Woodpigeon on the Wedge boardwalk

106 Swift -on the 23rd I had at least 46 Swifts at Barton with three at Far Ings and 43 over the sailing pit - a good total for 23rd

Speckled Wood butterfly males in a teritorial battle - I love testing the autofocus of the camera and my ability to keep up with the action

107 Hobbies are back and hopefully some more action shots to come in the next few days

108 Peregrine been rather a long time coming

I am guessing this bird has some flava genes or is a backcross

110 House Martin - they have been very thin on the ground locally and this was a poor record shot

Not much better - hopefully more chances later

Sand martins have been by contrast quite numerous on some days and easier to photograph

Evening on 28th it was cold, in fact it was bitterly cold near the Humber with a strong north east wind - for the umpteenth time this week went to the sailing pit in the vain hope of something other than a Common Tern; on arrival the six terns appeared top be the local Commons but then there were eight and two looked like Arctics but conditions were testing with the birds always flying away from me and dipping into the strong wind - above the closest terns always appeared to be Common!!

Most views were like this but at a greater distance - it was getting frustrating and on a big pit there was no way of getting closer

eventually one of the Arctic came a bit closer but then a scan appeared to suggest that one or two had left - I moved to the next pit where I was then looking back into the light and one Arctic was feeding to the east -

About as good an image as I could get given the distance -

As sunset rapidly drew in the number of terns increased to 11 then 18 with at least 14 Arctics present - beautiful watching but always distant for the camera - 111 on the patch photo challenge

Backlit Arctic Tern my favourite shot of the night

The male Cuckoo on Wedge was almost in view this morning

This afternoon was all about Hobbies with three hunting but the light was very harsh and the birds still rather high

Graham Catley 19/03/2026 Graham Catley 19/03/2026

March 2026

Having been away for the first week, see below, just catching up but migrants decidedly limited so far on the local patch

Goshawks continue to show - here a 2cy male sparring with a Common Buzzard

rubbsih shot but think its the first time I have seen a Gos with Marsh Harrier in Lincs

different 2cy female to earlier in the year with some adult feathers

went down the Lincs coast to Theddlethorpe for this male Lapland Bunting - not often you see them well on the deck and getting rarer year on year

a nice flock of Knot on the beach by the Lap Bunt

This Scandinavian Rock Pipit, littoralis, was on the dune slacks nearby and had been widely reported as a Water Pipit

Back on the patch photo challenge Wren is 67

68 Blackcap - I saw what was presumably this female in a neighbours garden weeks ago but this week it came for a couple of our ivy berries - taken through the window - when I went outside after she moved off east I could hear a male singing a couple of gardens away which is what presumably attracted her - a wintering bird meeting a spring arrival

Assume this is the same early male I photographed last year back on the same territory on Waters’ Edge - it was sipping nectar from the blackthorn flowers on a rather cool morning

69 Rook - one of the local breeding birds on our neighbours aerial

70 Lesser Black-backed Gulls - formerly a passage bird several pairs now summer around town and there is a thriving breeding colony only about 7 miles away - maybe breed on local rooves out of sight

We still have Bullfinches feeding on bramble seeds

Local? Jackdaws 71 -on the photo list - birds with variable pale collar crescents occur regularly in the wintering flock of c400-500 birds but there are up to 150 in summer - some may be Scandinavian birds of course

We are still feeding the birds in the garden with high quality food and while I understand all of the arguments against feeding our House Sparrow flock of c20 birds would I feel suffer without garden handouts - where else would they find winter food supplies? arable fields around the town are now all green sprayed to death and devoid of food

Female Pochard complementing the colour of the water - we have c10 females around at present the presumed breeding population

72 on the patch photo challenge Red Kite - I had waited a long time but eventually picked this one up over Waters’ Edge only to see another later in the morning

What does a distant Shorelark look like in coastal murk -

Roe Deer on Waters’ Edge where they are very tame

One of the current Waters’ Edge Woodpigeon nests

We have tame Tufted Ducks but from a boardwalk where you cannot get low

The female Scaup was nice and close in one day in the week in nice light although asleep for 90% of the time

Not such good light but at least it was awake a couple of days later

74 Common Scoter on the pits this week - shot through a thick hedge so far from a good image

76 Gadwall - cleaning up a few of the obvious missing species for the patch photo challenge

77 Shelduck - I had to look through the year list to work out what obvious species were still missing

The total disconnect with nature is well shown by all the people who massacre their lovely lawns but carefully mow round the artificial daffodils - these roosting Redshank are oblivious

Brown Hares on a fruitless search for Corn Bunting and Grey Partridge two species we seem to have now lost

Another of those patch species that I never bother to try and photograph - Skylark 78

Little Owl - 79 - giving me the evil glare

Its not as if there is a shortage of posing Robins but never got around to posting one - 80

No meadows in sight and sadly another species we seem to have lost as a breeding bird at least from the Humber foreshore - Meadow Pipit 81

After yaffling away all winter our Green Woodpecker seems to have attracted a mate

82 Little Egret in less than perfect plumage mode

My total patch year list is currently 107 species so a good proportion photod but some tricky ones missing and some winter birds already gone eg Rock Pipit so that will have to be an autumn catch up

A slightly more accommodating Common Scoter on a small pond inland at Searby

84 on the challenge list a March Swallow - in the 70’s and even 80’s seeing a Swallow before mid-April was an event now March birds are the norm

and 85 Sand Martin - rtather late to the Sand Martin party this year but up to 30 in the last few days

seemed to be finding insects OK in spite of the freezing cold NW wind

summer Black-headed Gull homing in on an insect - nothing different with the gangs of Black-headed Gulls on the pits so far but keep checking

86 one of the local pairs of Oystercatchers

Long-tailed Tit sunning itself after a cold night

Song Thrush in the ivy a prospective nest site

Keeping out of the wind this morning I checked one of the local Sparrowhawk territories - this 2cy male came out of some trees as I approached with undertail coverts fluffed out in display but landed in one of their fabvoured pines - it then moved to this perch where I was able to slowly walk around it getting views from all sides - I eneded up standing watching it for about 40 minutes what a privilege - cracking little bird still mainly brown but with a few grey patches on eg the nape and sides of the head

With the sun in and out exposure was testing but I think the sunlit shots were maybe the best

some nice white feather edges on the upperparts

The beauty of the 100-500 lens is being able to vary your compositions

Not a full frame bird on a staged perch but a bird in habitat and doing as it wants - note the contrasting areas of brown and blue-grey on the crown - nape

87 on the patch photo challenge list - its not as if there are none around but waited until one was over the garden in fact three 2cy birds along with 3 Sparrowhawks togetehr in a very warm spell

First day with a notable Blackcap arrival - at least 8 on Wedge alone

Additionally several new Chiffchaffs in today but still no Willow Warbler

Graham Catley 15/03/2026 Graham Catley 15/03/2026

Fuerteventura March 2026

The 400m high Mount Tindaya backs the plain where we searched daily for Houbaras and Cream-coloured Coursers as well as other desert birds - the village also has an excellent little cafe that relieves the strain of bumpy tracks and looking at 1000’s of bird shaped rocks

Goat farm - large areas of the island are totally denuded of vegetation due to overgrazing by goats

Suffering from the seemingly interminable rain and cloud of the British winter we decided to head back to Fuerteventura for a week not having been since a family trip in March 1999. Holiday booked through Jet2 from Leeds Bradford February 28th to March 7th cost £1295 for two B&B at Cotillo Beach Hotel El Cotillo. Car park at Leeds Bradford with sentinel through APH £72. Car hire booked through Autoreisen a Canary based firm. I had researched reviews of all the usual companies used by Rental Cars.com and Holiday Autos and all got terrible reviews. Autoreisen got good reviews and you don’t pay anything until you pick up the car which is a big plus if you need to cancel. On arrival pick up was easy we payed €2 a day for additional insurance and the whole week for a Dacia stepway automatic cost £174 and there was no huge deposit for damage. On returning the car no one even looked at it you just drop off the key in the terminal. It proved adequate on the tracks of eg Tindaya plain which are very rough in places but can be done without a 4x4 . A well recommended company. Some other companies had big queues at the airport terminal with CiCar in particular having at least 60!! people waiting for car pick up. Our hotel was very good and we ate there every night as the all you could eat buffet with vast choice of four courses was only €20 per person plus drinks that averaged about £8 a night. We bought a few snacks for midday from the supermarket next to the hotel and had a coffee and chocolate croissant most afternoons at the coffee shop mini market in Tindaya that cost €5 for two! Well recommended and they do beer and hot sandwiches as well. Other costs were mainly fuel that went up 20 cents a litre while we were there and cost us about £65 as we did quite a few miles and lots of crawling on off road tracks. We did Tindaya plain every day driving slowly down the best tracks and also paid several visits to Los Molinos Reservoir and the area around Betancuria.

The striking caterpillar of *Polytela cliens*, a moth, that we found in several places often crossing dry ground in search of food plants

Houbara Bustard Tindaya Plain one of Julia’s finds! Seen on only two days in spite of daily searches when we did see them the views were exceptional with images taken from the car - birds seemed to be totally unperturbed by vehicles

Weather was a bit disappointing with a lot of wind but also cloud and even a few showers and two nights of heavy rain; on only one day did it get warm up to 24C and most days were 17C to 19C with a strong northerly wind making it feel more like 12C but this did cut down heat shimmer on the plains.

Sunrise was about 07:20 and sunset 19:15. In general birds are very thin on the ground and good birds concentrated in a few areas. Even in early March there were lots of tourists and big numbers driving hire cars ! Tourist spots like Betancuria get extremely busy but we found by driving not too far away there were areas for the butterflies and birds of the mountains away from people.

An essential stop off in Tindaya village, now we have reached that age, with excellent coffee and pastries before searching Tindaya Plain

The bird species list is small but includes some special species and we saw most of them very well but some like the Houbaras were tricky and we only say them on two days out of seven but on both occasions they were very close with two displaying for over 30 minutes on the second occasion. Cream coloured Coursers could also disappear with ease but we say a pair with two young on two days at close range and nine birds on one day. Barbary Partridge was much easier than my only previous family trip in 1999 but we failed to see Plain Swift and only saw c30 Pallid Swifts one morning at the reservoir. Black bellied Sandgrouse were also tricky but we had a couple of close encounters. The local Egyptian Vultures and Common Buzzards were easy but we only saw two Barbary Falcons though a female Montagu’s Harrier was an unexpected migrant.

Berthelot’s Pipit a widespread species but not as numerous as some texts state though most were in moult and there was not a lot of song so maybe at the end of the breeding season?

The endemic butterflies Greenish Black tip and Fuerteventura Green striped White were quite common and we also managed to get on a Canary Red Admiral and a Plain Tiger plus a few Blues including Lang’s Short tailed Blue and African Grass Blue plus Geranium Bronze: Painted Ladies were common with Small Whites and odd Red Admirals plus a couple of pale looking Clouded Yellows not seen closely.

Fuerteventura Green-striped White - quite common around Betancuria and the valleys to the south

I was annoyed at these aerial encounters apparently messing up my perched images but with the 40fps of the Canon R6II I realised that I had actually got some decent flight shots

Although the weather was not that warm most of the time I think this helped with the butterflies perching more frequently and bursts of brightness made photography easier

Odes were limited but we saw several Sahara Bluetails mainly at Los Molinos and also a few Broad Scarlets and Red veined Darters and Emperors with a male Vagrant Emperor above the dam at Los Molinos Reservoir.

Barbary Ground Squirrels were everywhere and there appeared to have been a large arrival of African Locusts in the north which was what the Monty was catching

Cloud and northerly winds were a constant feature of our week but the island was relatively green for March

View north from the upland view point on route to Betancuria

Feb 28th we arrived at El Cotillo early enough for a drive onto the plains south of the town but it was very windy and birds were very few and the tracks were also rather rough. Mediterranean Short-toed Lark 10+ in song, Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls, Collared Doves everywhere even on the breakfast tables in the hotel!, Spanish Sparrows around anywhere with palm trees and African ravens that proved to be common.

African Raven *Corvus corax tingitanus / canariensis* widespread and fairly common

Mediterranean Short-toed Lark aka Lesser Short-toed Lark - common in desert regions with birds displaying and singing

March 1st a quick walk pre breakfast on the beach at El Cotillo produced the usual plethora of Collared Doves and singing Spanish Sparrows around the buildings with two Kentish Plovers on the beach and the usual Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls but in spute of the huge seas no seabirds.

El Cotillo beach in spite of what many images suggest it was often cloudy and cool with a strong northerly wind - early mornings required a down jacket

Atlantic Yellow-legged Gull El Cotillo beach

Mountainous seas failed to produce seabirds

Tindaya village looking south-east from the plain

Move on to Tindaya plain with an Egyptian Vulture from the road near La Oliva then on the plain a Ruddy Shelduck flies over, 20+ Berthelot’s Pipits, 20+ Mediterranean Short-toed Larks, a pair of Cream-coloured Coursers with two young then a party of three and another two adults, a party of eight Black-bellied Sandgrouse in flight land distantly. Our only Hoopoe of the trip as we taook a walk into a small barranco on the west of the plain where some Greenish Black Tips, Desert Locusts and Atlantic Lizards. Other birds during the day Common Buzzard, Trumpeter Finch, Barbary Partirdge with 50+ Spanish Sparrows and three Great Grey Shrikes but no Houbaras. Greenish black tip 10+

The Egyptian Vultures on the island ore of the race *Neophron percnopterus majorensis* which is endangered

little green barranco on the Tindya Plain good for butterflies, Lizards

A few Desert Locusts were flushed from vegetated areas

Berthelot’s Pipit like most birds feasting on the abundant caterpillars

This is a bird that is all over the island but what you call it seems to change from day to day due to the current taxonomic lunacy - Canary Island Grey Shrike, Grey Grey Shrike race ***Lanius excubitor koenigi***or maybe Southern Grey Shrike of the same race - whatever its name they are found all over the island and many had already feldged broods

This pair on the Tindaya Plain had a territory centred around an abandoned farm

the best way to find the desired desert birds is slowly driving the rough tracks and scanning the bird shaped rocks

You always hope for close views and images but nothing is guaranteed - first views of Cream coloured Courser

Cream coloured Courser chicks are designed to look like stones - Trumpeter Finch almost visible

These images were taken on March 1st - it was amazing to see how the chicks developed in a few days assuming it was the same family we kept seeing

The chance of seeing and photographing Cream coloured Courser for the first time in 27 years was one of the main reasons for the trip - my only British encounter was with a rather forlorn looking bird on an Essex arable field with a big clump of wet mud stuck to its bill back in 1984

Sometimes very obvious they could disappear into the terrain and cover a lot of ground very quickly

Its a long time since the only Lincolnshire record of an exhausted bird caught at Marshchapel in c1840 - a lot of sand is available for another

One of the few birds with an attractive rear view

Pair indulging in some courtship display

Off Cotillo beach and the lighthouse a single Sandwich Tern and Cory’s Shearwater and two Sanderling on the road.

March 2nd Still missing Houbaras we headed down to the plains north of Asturia suggested in the Gosney guide but it looked unsuitable though we did have a few Barbary Partridge, a singing Quail and a pair of Great Grey Shrikes. We then headed to Los Molinos reservoir where it was very windy and cool. At least 90 Ruddy Shelducks and 20 Black-bellied Sandgrouse in flight landing by the goat farm. An adult Egyptian Vulture, four Common Buzzards, Spanish Sparrows by the dam and the goat farm and a Barbary Falcon flew away with prey. On the water a Little Ringed Plover and six Black-winged Stilts. Then moved on to the car park and stream at the end of the road at Puerto de Los Molinos. A Common Sandpiper in the stream with a Little Egret and in the valley a male Kestrel and two Common Buzzards but the highlight were 20+ Sahara Bluetails and two Broad Scarlets. From there drive up to Betancuria but very, very busy – park in the main car park and walk up the dry river bed to the old convent. At least eight African Blue Tits in the car park and stream bed, Sardinian Warbler and a lifer singing male Atlantic Canary in the palm trees in the village centre. The small pool near the car park had Red-veined Darters and Broad Scarlets and Emperors and butterflies in the river bed included some fly by Clouded Yellows that were very pale, Painted Ladies, Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Geranium Bronze and African Grass Blue along with Small and Fuerteventura Green Striped Whites and Greenish Black Tips. Call at the excellent café / mini market in Tindaya and then have another drive out onto the plains and almost immediately Julia sees two Houbaras right next to the car well pretty damned close and we watching them walking and feeding for over 15 minutes before they wander off – several 100 images later and several Mediterranean Short-toed Larks and its back for a big wine.

Ubiquitous Great Grey Shrike atop any old pile of stuff

Ruddy Shelducks at the reservoir - something you quickly ignore if possible

Up to 80 seen at Los Molinos in one scan

seems a bit odd seeing them in such an arid environment

Particularly feeding out on the goat ravaged plains

Adult Egptian Vulture - the local race *Neophron percnopterus majorensis* is endemic

Barbary Partridge for a partridge a rather nice looking bird

Barbary Falcon with prey at the Reservoir

Would have liked better views of this species but didn’t know of any nest sites

Los Molinos Reservoir one of the better birding sites

Views of Black-winged Stilts were from above looking down into the reservoir

Black-winged Stilts and additional Geenshank

Early views of Black-bellied Sandgrouse were a bit distant in flight shots

Classic Spanish Sparrow habitat - breeze blocks

African Blue Tit very easy to find around Betancuria

Most of the African Blue Tits in the Parra Medina valley were ringed presumably part of a study

male Atlantic Canary Betancuria - a lifer

The Barranco and stream at Puerto do Los Molinos a good site for Sahara Bluetail and Broad Scarlet

Stunning male Broad Scarlet or Scarlet Darter in the olden days

People also seem to mention these in trip reports - cannot vaguely imagine why

After the obligatory coffee and cake we wandered down the Tindaya track and almost immediately Julia spotted Two Houbaras by the side of the track

For a biggish bird they can disappear behind piles of rocks and small clumps of vegetation

Houbara Bustard out of the car window with a lot of shaking arms and deep breaths

When they are obvious they are unmissable but on many searches they were simply not visible

March 3rd

Early rain then showers on and off all day with strong NW wind and decidedly cool when sun not out. An early look at Tindaya in the less than exciting weather turned out to be a good choice with a displaying male Houbara located. After a few mad bouts of display what was assumed to be a female appeared running to the male and they then performed some courtship displays in striking distance of on of the tracks but with bad timing the sun broke through just at the wrong moment. Views though were amazing and I even managed a bit of video. In addition a single Cream-coloured Courser picked up. From there drive to La Pared where showery and cool: at least six Spectacled Warblers in song and churring in the Barranco with a Common Sandpiper but nothing else. Did a quick drive through Costa Calma and failed to stop it looked that bad returning to Betancuria with and adult Egyptian Vulture on the return trip. Headed south from Betancuria and located a nice valley Para Medina or Barranco do Palomares as shown on the map. A nice walk up the valley with Sardinian Warblers, a family of Great Grey Shrikes, several African Blue Tits, singing Turtle Dove, singing male Atlantic Canary, two Buzzards and numerous Painted Ladies but weather closed in again with more rain. Another stop at Tindaya turned up only Mediterranean Short-toed Larks including a nest with big chicks before serious rain arrived and continued overnight.

a much visited crossroads - note the dull weather

Even for a largish bird Houbaras can disappear in limited vegetation

Male Houbara adopting first stage of display posture before the manic phase

The black ruff is raised before the dash display

After a few bouts of manic running display we noticed a second bird running in from the north - the two birds then came together and what is assumed to have been a female started posturing to the male and vice versa but it was the female that seemed to do all of the wing and tail spreading and raising so could it have been two males - BWP suggests that this is aggressive behaviour so maybe I got it wrong and it was two males

The female seemed to be the bird spreading its wings and tail

These posturing displays went on for over 20 minutes after which they started to wander off and we left

The Barranco at La Pared good for Spectacled Warblers but little else

The entrance to the valley south of Batancuria is easily located by this sign and the white arch

The short walk up this valley is very good for butterflies with shrikes, Sardinian Warblers, African Blue Tits and Atlantic Canaries

A lovely valley with Aloe Vera trees and even a hide with a bird poster but to be fair in a very silly location

The site appears to be under restoration with newly planted endemic vegetation

Male Sardinian Warbler never posed for the camera

shrikes seem to have a habit of adopting the worst of human additions to the environment as perching spots

good to get the wing pattern of all great grey races / species

Late afternoon on the Tindaya Plain with showers passing

March 4th

Two Kentish Plovers were on the El Cotillo beach pre breakfast after which we headed to the Los Molinos Reservoir as it was cloudy and immediately bumped into a flock of c20 Pallid Swifts that showed well for about 20 minutes before disappearing as the weather brightened. Five Egyptian Vultures were in the area with four Buzzards while the reservoir had 10 Black-winged Stilts and a Greenshank and Common Sandpiper. A walk to the barranco at the head of the reservoir was quite productive with a pair of Fuerteventura Chats, 10+ Trumpeter Finches, Spanish Sparrows, Berthelot’s Pipit and Mediterranean Short-toed Larks plus a close fly by male Black-bellied Sandgrouse. We then headed up to Betancuria and tried the valley again with a family of fledged Great Grey Shrikes being mobbed by African Blue Tits plus the usual Sardinian Warblers, a singing male Blackcap and a calling Quail. It was also good for butterflies with Lang’s Short-tailed Blue, Red Admiral and the usual endemics. An accommodating insularum Common Buzzard was the only bird of note on a late afternoon Tindaya visit.

Dull and cool Kentish Plover on the local beach pre breakfast

After rain there was even water in the barranco downstream from the Reservoir

The flock of swifts were only at the reservoir for about 15 minutes and in that time I was trying to get some decent images mainly of Pallids and clearly did not look at them all - I think this may be a Plain Swift but only have images of its upperparts and quite distant

Pallid Swift in somewhat better light than a cold November day in Britain

While photographing the Pallid Swifts this Black-bellied Sandgrouse suddenly appeared - it was not calling but fortunately I got onto it quickly and manged to get a few in focus shots in the beautiful light

even with the 1.4x converter on the 100-500 lens produced some nice sharp images

female Fuerteventura Chat - what a bird! makes female Stonechats look exotic

Egyptian Vulture at the head of the reservoir which proved to be the best spot for this species presumably due to the output from the nearby goat farm

Broad Scarlet on ephemeral pool above the reservoir

The Great Grey Shrikes we had been watching near Betancuria had fledged young which were quite distinctive and brown tinged

Common Buzzardf of the local race *insularum* Tindaya

March 5th

Cool early with a Common Sandpiper on El Cotillo beach, then progressively warmer and sunny up to 24C mid-afternoon before cooling again in evening: wind lighter but still N. Walk into a valley south of the Cotillo - Oliva road early: very little but three Great Grey Shrikes and odd Mediterranean Larks then a female Montagu’s Harrier hunting desert locusts that were very common in the low scrubby bushes. A few more Great Greys while driving to Tindaya where a Trumpeter Finch and the family of Cream-coloured Coursers seen again with the two now flapping having grown considerably: Coffee and cake then on to Los Molinos Reservoir where very good with the usual Spanish Sparrows, Black-winged Stilts, Little Ringed Plover, Berthelot’s Pipit, a pair of Black bellied Sandgrouse by the entrance road, 4 Egyptian Vultures, 10+ Trumpeter Finch the pair of Fuerteventura chats nest building and a pair of Spectacled Warblers: broad scarlets, vagrant emperor and Emperor. At coast 30+ Cory’s Shearwaters in 15 minutes, a Barbary Falcon flies past and more Sahara Bluetails and Broad Scarlets.