My Global Shorebird Counting contribution

Work and family duties didn’t allow too much time in the field but I managed to get out to the nearby hotspot. It wasn’t particularly shorebirdy but I enjoyed to see some birds.

Incoming Canada Geese. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Preening Greylag Geese. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Good numbers of Greylag Goose and Canada Goose arrived from the nearby fields for preening and drinking. © Gyorgy Szimuly

A few Northern Lapwing among Black-headed Gulls and large flock of Canada Goose. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Incoming Greylag Geese. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Successful fishing of Great Crested Grebe. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Adult Great Crested Grebe was peacefully approaching the pool in front of the Viaduct hide. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Common Sandpipers are peak on migration. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Juvenile Common Sandpiper was just in front of the hide. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Calling juvenile Common Sandpiper. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Here is what I found at Manor Farm, Wolverton.

Greylag Goose 170
Canada Goose 638 (Large flocks arrived from the nearby fields)
Mute Swan 16
Mallard 86
Northern Shoveler 23
Green-winged Teal 8
Common Pochard 1
Tufted Duck 5
Little Grebe 6
Great Crested Grebe 2
Great Cormorant 6
Gray Heron 3
Little Egret 6
Water Rail 1
Eurasian Moorhen 26
Eurasian Coot 51
Northern Lapwing 18
Common Snipe 3
Common Sandpiper 6
Green Sandpiper 3
Black-headed Gull 469
Common Wood-Pigeon 20
Common Kingfisher 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Eurasian Green Woodpecker 3
Merlin 1
Eurasian Jay 2
Eurasian Magpie 15
Eurasian Jackdaw 8
Carrion Crow 15
Barn Swallow 9
Common House-Martin 2
Eurasian Blue Tit 20
Great Tit 6
Long-tailed Tit (A. c. europaeus) 24
Eurasian Treecreeper 2
Eurasian Wren 16
Common Chiffchaff (P. c. collybita) 3
Eurasian Blackcap 1
Greater Whitethroat 1
European Robin 18
Eurasian Blackbird 5
European Starling 1
Dunnock 11
Gray Wagtail 1
White Wagtail (British) (Motacilla alba yarrellii) 7
Reed Bunting 2
Common Chaffinch 2
Eurasian Bullfinch 2
European Goldfinch 9
Eurasian Linnet 2

125,000th ringed birds

A moment from Tibor Krúg’s life long passion for bird ringing. © Daniel Szimuly

Two days ago a fantastic milestone has been reached by one of the most experienced bird ringer from my homeland in Hungary. Tibor Krúg, a Hungarian ringer had his 125,000th ringed bird, a Barn Swallow, which was an extraordinary achievement of an individual bird ringer.

Tibi with his 125,000th ringed bird, a Barn Swallow. © Daniel Szimuly

I met Tibi in the late 80s for the fist time when a few of us decided to start organised summer bird ringing at the local wetland, the Ferencmajor fishponds near the village of Naszály. Tibi has been playing key role in the Ferencmajor Bird Ringing Camp (now a ringing station) since the beginning. In the 90s I had the privilege to work with him and to enjoy his special storytelling and he always made us laugh. His enthusiasm for bird ringing is unquestionable and we would fail to mention a case when he said, “it is impossible to trap that bird…” If he failed, he tried again and again.

Barred Warbler is one of Tibi’s favourite birds to ring and it is a regular visitor in the bird ringing camp. © Daniel Szimuly

A day like this could help Tibi to reach his next milestone. This image was taken a few days ago when the ringer marked more than 400 birds. © Daniel Szimuly

Born in 1952, he ringed his first bird back in 1979. It was a Rook, as he remembered, but ringing data was only available from 1980. Twice in his bird ringing career he ringed over 10,000 individual birds within a year. According to him, the best ringed birds were Arctic or Black-throated Loon, White-backed Woodpecker and Yellow-browed Warbler. He also have some remarkable recoveries including a Little Stint ringed in the far Siberian Russia.

During the 36 years of bird ringing he inspired a lot of young birders to start ringing and also taught dozens for proper identification and handling of birds. From here I would like to congratulate Tibi for this great achievement and I wish him to be able to reach the next major milestone in a few years time.

New technologies, like this special canopy net, helped Tibi to easily get some special birds, like European Golden Orioles, which otherwise would be very hard to trap. © Daniel Szimuly

We need Pokémon-free areas

Pokémon Go drove the half of the world crazy in the last few weeks and although the number of active users are declining these days there are still an incredibly large number of people using their mobile phones for hunting down these little bastards. Using Pokémon Go by millions also means there is a lot higher pressure on the environment than before as above the regular outdoorists a new gaming generation is now spreading out to parks, streets and all sort of locations, for playing Pokémon Go. They are not necessarily the most environmentally sensitive people though…

Last week, while birdwatching at the Ferrybridge and the Fleet at Portland in Dorset, I witnessed a man and his son entering the mudflat and playing Pokémon Go while disturbing dozens of shorebirds. They entered the tidal zone where shorebirds have just arrived to feed after long hours roosting during high tide. It was far beyond the acceptable disturbance level but they felt they had to get those Pokémons in the middle of the mudflat. Small flock of Dunlin and Common Ringed Plover were flushed from the fresh feeding grounds and had to move to the much narrower muddy edges of the Fleet.

I’m afraid this is not a solitary observation and most of the users only focus on gaming and don’t really care about the environment with all its complexity. While it is a good thing that the ‘flat-ass generation‘ (as I call them) has started walking off the gaming chairs, they should also be informed how to be a part of the nature in a sustainable way. On the other hand Pokémon Go developers should start to work with conservation organisations to develop Pokémon-free areas. They would care less about the middle of the mudflat if there was no Pokémon popping up there. Theses areas should be excluded where those little cyber creatures could be collected from. It is already a sensitive issue.

Lifers at the sea

Three hours after I arrived home from the Birdfair ‘Birds and Beers’ afterparty I picked up my older daughter, Szandra for a day trip to Portland Bill. We haven’t been out together for years so it was just about time. I targeted to find a Balearic Shearwater which I missed to see in the previous years. Despite the three hours long drive mainly in pouring rain we had a very pleasant weather at our arrival. Sun came out and the visibility was decent although we had a very strong wind. A couple of birders with scope found at a wind-protected area next to the lighthouse.

A view from the lighthouse to the Race. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Early starters at the lighthouse. © Gyorgy Szimuly

There was a large flock of Northern Gannet and some European Herring Gull over the Portland Race. The Race looked spectacular as the top of the waves were sprayed away by the strong guts. Shortly a couple of Manx Shearwater appeared and flew towards the west. One of the birders scanned the race and spotted a most probably European Storm Petrel through his scope. I stood next to him but with my binoculars it was impossible to spott a swallow-sized seabird over themassive waves. He lost the bird almost immediately as disappeared behind the waves. It would have been a life bird for me.

Some very lovely birdwatchers arrived at the spot and some of them seemed to be real experts on seabirds. They soon spotted the first Balearic Shearwaters among Manx Shearwaters. They were not to far and I could see the plumage differences between the Manx and Balearic Shearwater. I had a nice chat with the leading birder of the group and he showed me a few more Balearic Shearwater through his Swarovski spotting scope. I was so happy about the view it provided. He also spotted a storm petrel but I missed it again.

Balearic Shearwater by Juhani Vilpo

Later this birder and another lovely lady found a larger shearwater with much longer wings than the Manx’s have. I could spot it and even through binoculars it looked to be larger with dark upperparts and contrasting white underwing. The underwing was too strikingly white for Sooty Shearwater. It was a Cory’s Shearwater. Just minutes later a Cory’s Shearwater was reported, heading towards the Race, by the Portland Bill Observatory staff.

Cory’s Shearwater by Xavier Martínez

eBird checklist from Portland Bill (07:50 – 10:52):

Northern Fulmar 7
Cory’s Shearwater 1
Manx Shearwater 27
Balearic Shearwater 5
Northern Gannet 130
Great Cormorant 3
European Shag 6
Common Murre 1
Black-legged Kittiwake 3
Mediterranean Gull 2
European Herring Gull 68
Great Black-backed Gull 19
Eurasian Jackdaw 2
Carrion Crow 3
Rock Pipit 8
Eurasian Linnet 2

Great Black-backed Gulls were flying against the wind over the Bill. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Me watching the passing shearwaters in a little rock shelter. © Szandra Szimuly

This boat must have a had a very rough ride next to the Race. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Juvenile European Herring Gull in the quarry of the Bill. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Enjoying coffee at the Bill with Szandra. © Szandra Szimuly

Spectacular view to the Chesil Beach and the Portland Harbour with the village. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Another photo of the Portland Harbour.

From the Bill we drove to the Ferrybridge where waders were waiting for low tide. A small flock of roosting Mediterranean Gull and a few Dunlin with two Common Ringed Plover were close to the bridge. As salt water started to recede small flock of waders arrived for feeding. While we had lunch in the cafe two Ruddy Turnstone and an Eurasian Oystercatcher joined the feeding wader flock. Unfortunately, tourists and visitors don’t respect the small area and disturbance was quite frequent.

Roosting Mediterranean Gulls at the Fleet. © Gyorgy Szimuly

A view to the Fleet from the Ferrybridge. © Gyorgy Szimuly

Feeding flock of Dunlin and Common Ringed Plover. © Gyorgy Szimuly

(Ferrybridge eBird checklist (11:39 – 13:30):

Eurasian Oystercatcher 1
Common Ringed Plover 46
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 1
Dunlin 136
Black-headed Gull 5
Mediterranean Gull 73
European Herring Gull 6
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Sandwich Tern 2
Eurasian Linnet 2

Standing on the Chesil Beach of Portland. © Szandra Szimuly

I have been in the darkest emotional depths with hopelessness in the last couple of months but this should be over now. This weekend was and excellent breakthrough and hopefully many will come.

A day for Red Grouses

After our lovely dinner in Tarbet we drove through some spectacular landscapes in northwest Highlands towards Inverness. Our destination was another RSPB reserve near Corrimony just west of Loch Ness. We arrived late in the night with the last lights and were welcomed by the calls of Eurasian Curlews and Eurasian Oystercatchers from the nearby fields.

A relatively birdless scenery near Laxford Bridge, nortwest Highlands, Scotland. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Classic Scotish landscape with Loch Stach in the background. © Gyorgy Szimuly

We woke up early morning to be in the reserve with the highest bird activity. Over the car park 3 Common Merganser chased each other and a stunning Common Redstart were feeding from the fences along the road. This upland reserve is a combination of different habitats such as pine forest, moorland and Caledonian forest plantations managed by RSPB. Growing birch plantations in the moorland make the reserve even more interesting. We failed to see two target species in the forest, the Crested Tit and the Scottish Crossbill. In fact we couldn’t see any crossbills. We also couldn’t manage to see Red Grouses and Black Grouses although we heard them both. Red Grouse called right after we were out of the forest and we heard the bubbling calls of Black Grouses from the opposite hillside. We tried hard in the heather covered moorland but failed to find any grouse.

The small River Enrick runs across the reserve. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Most of the Spotted Flycatchers we saw along the River Enrick. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Mixture of pastures and woodland on the lower elevations of the reserve. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Willow Warblers were singing everywhere from open habitats to birch covered moorland. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Moving further into the reserve we got to the Loch Comhnard where I hoped to see one of the local breeding waders, the Common Greenshank but again, we were not lucky. The route of a cycling event was through the reserve and there were lots of human activity on the trail in the morning. That might have affected our luck, but anyway we enjoyed the 5 km long trekking. 10 Sand Martin and a Barn Swallow were flying over the loch, Little Grebe was feeding with a company of Black-headed Gulls.

The most abundant species in the whole reserve was the Common Chaffinch (26 birds) followed by singing Willow Warblers (22). We had excellent views of singing Tree Pipits, Spotted Flycatchers, Mistle Thrush, European Siskins and 5 Lesser Redpolls. On the way back we saw a family of Eurasian Treecreeper with freshly fledged youngsters.

Loch Comhnard surrounded with heather. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

From Corrimony I drove to the other side of Loch Ness through Inverness in a hope to find a Red Grouse or two. We stopped at the famous Loch Ness which obviously attracted a lots of tourist around the viewing points. Loch Ness itself is probably the simplest and most boring lake in Scotland, so generating this monster story is a quite understandable movement by the locals. From marketing point of view the legend of the Loch Ness Monster works well, judging it from our single visit in a very expensive gift shop.

A view to the famous Loch Ness. As we didn’t try hard enough we failed to see the Scottish monster. iPhone 6s Plus (Gyorgy Szimuly

From Inverness we drove across some extensive heathland when accidentally found ourselves in the car park of the RSPB Loch Ruthven Reserve. Thsi is one of the few nesting location of the gorgeous Slavonian Grebe or Horned Grebe. it was already raining when we walked to the bird hide but was heavily pouring while we were sitting in the hide with two other trapped Scottish birdwatchers. It wasn’t too difficult to find the Eared Grebes in immaculate breeding plumage. An attractive Little Grebe was also swimming just in front of the hide.

Another lovely and special RSPB Reserve at the Loch Ruthven. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

We didn’t want to waste too much time in the hide so we walked back to car. We got totally soaked in the downpour but we soon left the rain behind and continued searching for Red Grouses.

We experienced the unpredictable face of Scotland. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

On the way to Fort Augustus we drove through some beautiful upland moorland areas. We came across our first Scottish Red Kite near Aberarder. I made several stops for quick scanning for Red Grouses. On the hillside of Cairn Ardachy I spotted six Black Grouses feeding on the heather. As they were distant we set up the spotting scope and watched them for a few minutes.

In a hope to get a lovely coffee we made a short turn to the Foyers Falls. It was probably the worst experience during our whole stay in Scotland. The aged staff wasn’t too keen to focus on customers and above that some rude customers and the rubbish coffee made this break rapid. The only good thing was about this detour the finding of two singing Wood Warblers behind the coffee shop.

Continuing our way on the road B862 towards Fort Augustus, Dani spotted two Red Grouses just a few hundred meters from the Suidhe Viewpoint to the north. I Stopped immediately and we shortly found the constantly but slowly moving birds. The pair was with 8 chicks. We could enjoy clear view of a few chicks but the adults were quite elusive and escorted the chicks down to the valley. Our hard work paid off after all and Dani got another life bird. Happy times.

This is the only record shot I could take of the Red Grouse while escorting their chicks into safety. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

A wider perspective of the upland moorland where we found the Red Grouses. iPhone 6s Plus© Gyorgy Szimuly

Once we were around we included a short visit to the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct which was opened for public railway services in 1901 after 4 years of construction. The viaduct has been a popular location choice for film makers including the Harry Potter movie series as probably the most known. Birdlife around the area was not any special but screaming Common Swifts and chirping Common House Martins over the viaduct created a nice atmosphere. It’s too bad that a train was passing on the viaduct when we were on our way back to the car.

The Glenfinnan Viaduct from one of the viewpoints. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Under the Glenfinnan Viaduct. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Crystal clear water of the River Finnan running under the viaduct into the Loch Shiel. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

From this point birdwatching was ruined by family issues and we headed back home. All in all this Scottish trip was a wonderful escape from dailly pressure and almost permanent working without any holday since 2010. Based on what we experienced I am sure I will return to Scotland once I am able to get my professional bird photography gear again.

We love Scotland!

Seabirds of Handa Island – Part Two

Northern Fulmars were breeding in loose colonies on the cliffs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The northwestern tip of the island, the first sport to see seabirds on nest, was a very noisy place with tens of thousands of seabirds, maily Alcids. Handa Island is the stronghold for the British population of Common Murre (Guillemots) with around 120,000 breeding pairs. The whole atmosphere was spectacular, the views on nearby seabirds through our mini Opticron scope was unbelievably intimate. There were as many seabirds on the sae as on the cliffs and skuas often patrolled over the water for some easy meal.

Following our way on the route we headed west and southwest of the island. We have passed the magnificent Great Stack sandstone pillar which alone holds more than 7,000 pars of Common Murre. We had very close views on Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins and Northern Fulmars touched our head while gliding over the cliffs. Rock Pipit songs and calls often broke the noise of the colonies and Northern Wheatears were active on the southern slopes in looking for food.

Common Mutres roosting rocks. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Sea Thrift Was blooming everywhere on the island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Spectacular lone seacliff is hosting hundreds of Common Murre. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Close encounters of overflying Great Skuas are not uncommon on Handa Island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The graceful Northern Fulmar became one of my favourite seabirds. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The wind and precipitation eroded these sandstone cliffs which is perfect nesting place for Common Murres and Razorbills. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

I enjoyed the view of a close Atlantic Puffin and the open ocean. It was really relaxing. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Guillemots are able to occupy the smallest edge for laying eggs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Hundreds of beautiful Razorbills were also nesting among Common Murres. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The breeding success of everyone’s favourite and adorable seabird, the Atlantic Puffin might be lower this year as Brown Rats returned to the island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Swimming and feeding Common Murres at sea. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Seabird-scape of Handa Island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Nesting Northern Fulmar. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Northern Fulmar dispute over the nest burrow.. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Spectacular sea cliffs in the northwest part of the island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

I believe this is a Heath Spotted Orchid. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Sweet warning to stay on the track. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Scenery from the top of the island. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Incredible vertical seawall holds tens of thousands of seabirds in Summer. iPhone 6s Plus

What a privilege is finding this cooperative Atlantic Puffin and having a breakfast next to it. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Puffins can melt the hardest heart. Simply beautiful bird. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

An elegant Razorbill was guarding next to its nest. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Razorbills were very active and flew to and off the cliff very often. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

If I had a sharp prime lens… Anyway, these photos are decent results from this Sony camera. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Razorbills were like photo models. They never stood still. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Communicating Northern Fulmar. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Northern Fulmar in flight. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Close-up flight shot of a Northern Fulmar. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

My favourite Razorbill photo from the island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

This is the Great Stack. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Patrolling Great Skua over the cliffs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

This Razorbill was just three meters away from us. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Razorbill has an absolutely perfect plumage and it’s hard to believe it is actually a mass of feathers. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Atlantic Puffins are simply lovable creatures. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Razorbills have bright yellow mouth which is useful visual alarm in threat and also during display. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Another angle of the confiding Razorbill. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Incubating Northern Fulmar with its mate. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Singing Rock Pipit on a sea cliff. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

We found a couple of Rock Pipits on the island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

It’s never enough to photograph Atlantic Puffins. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

It was a bit early in the season to see Atlantic Puffins full of fish in their beak. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Close view on Common Murres or Common Guillemots. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Wing flapping of an Atlantic Puffin. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Another seascape photo from the western side of Handa Island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

At the southern end the habitat changed from rocky shores to sandy beaches and so its birdlife from seabird colonies to Arctic Tern colony and nesting Eurasian Oystercatchers and Common Ringed Plover.

Sandy beach on the southern part of the island and the rocks with Arctic Terns. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Adult male Northern Wheatear on its perch. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Adult female Northern Wheatear was busy in collecting food. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Beautiful colours everywhere. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

At the end of the 6km long trekking the Sun was about to shine again. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

The last ferry was leaving at 16:45 and we decided to have a proper dinner in the Shorehouse Restaurant before we left for RSPB Corrimony Reserve. We had a healthy salmon with a mix of vegetables. We still had plenty of daylight for the next few hours of journey enabling enjoyment of the drive in the usually stunning northwest Highland.

On the way back to the Tarbet port in lovely sunshine. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Nice salmon dish from the Shorehouse Restaurant. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

 

Handa Island skua paradise

We woke up quite excited this morning knowing that in just a few hours we will be spending our time with thousands of seabirds. The lovely and for us, southern guys, the rarely heard Common Sandpiper territorial songs filled the whole bay. I want to wake up to this trilling song every day. What an underrated bird. As I sat on my ‘usual’ rock one of the Common Sanpipers flew high up to hillside and landed on a rock and started singing. It looked to be guarding over its nest or territory.

A well camouflaged Common Sandpiper on the hillside ner Tarbet harbour. Can you see it? Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

There was a surprising couple of Twite just landed in front me and started feed on the dead seaweed. They were soon followed by House Sparrows, Eurasian Linnets and 3 Lesser Redpolls. In the restaurant garden there was two Song Thrush, Rock Pigeons and an overflying European Siskin. At the hillside a Northern Wheatear and Barn Swallows were hunting.

Song Thrush on the top of a shed of the restaurant yard. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The harbour was pretty calmed with a single Red-breasted Merganser a couple of Common Eider, 3 European Shags, 4 Eurasian Oystercatchers, 4 Razorbills, a Common Murre, an overflying Great Skua and of course gulls.

Rocks around the island provided roosting sites for Common Gulls, Arctic Terns and European Shags. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Male Red-breasted Merganser was fishing all morning in the harbour. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Beautiful morning with calm water. Sitting at the shore and switch off mind is the best thing one can do. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Subadult European Herring Gull next to the ferry pier. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Just before 9AM the ticket office opened and we faced with a little challenge. On the Handa Island ferry website there was no mention about the ‘cash only’ ticket purchase and of course we had no cash with us. I suspected that when the first visitors arrived with cash in their hand. Unfortunately, there is no ATM in Tarbet so we had to miss the first crossing and pick up some cash from the slowest cash machine of the world in Scourie.

An hour later we finally jumped in the boat and in just 10 minutes we were greeted by a lovely girl, a local wardenwho gave a short introduction to the area then we started our 6km long trek. The first speciality was a dark form Arctic Skua which was standing next to its nest. On the way to the peak we passed some potential habitat of the few pairs of Red Grouse but we couldn’t find one. The whole island was under the reign of about 200 breeding pairs of Great Skua. I counted 49 of these formidable sea raptors on and around the island. It was a good introduction to the different colour phases of Arctic Skua for Dani, as both were present. The inner island has a relatively low diversity with just a couple of songbird species, including Meadow Pipit, European Sky Lark and Northern Wheatear but we saw Willow Warblers in the bushes and also British White or Pied Wagtails. Orchids were blooming along the wooden path.

Our first Arctic Skua on its guarding rock. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The plumage of the Arctic Skua is almost seems like a velvet and even with the sharpest lens it would be hard to get feather details. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Light morph Arctic Skua over its nest. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Whichever direction we looked to we saw incubating Great Skuas. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Arctic Skua silhouette against the cloudy sky. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

It was a fun to play with the camera on these tame birds

This Arctic Skua was standing just next to the footpath. There was a plenty of opportunities for terrific bird photography on the whole island. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

A group of Great Skuas had long bath time in the freshwater pool. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

A flock of preening Great Skuas after having a bath. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Incubating Arctic Skua. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Great Skuas often returned to the pool for anouther round of bath after shaking most of the water off the feathers in flight. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Great Skuas off for patrolling over the cliffs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Great Skua is shaking water off the feathers after having a bath and returning to the pool again. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani is under attack by an Arctic Skua couple. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani could easily have touched these defending breeders. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

On the northern part of the island there was the big thing. Visitors, photographers and birdwatchers enjoyed the view of thousands of seabirds on the cliffs and on the sea around the colonies. Amazing numbers of Common Murre and Razorbill with dozens of Atlantic Puffin are breeding on the island. On the top of the island, possibly the only freshwater pool provided excellent bathing opportunities for a flock of Great Skuas with the company of a pair stunning Red-throated Loon.

End of Part One. To be continued…

Self found rarity: Iceland Gull

After some shopping in Ullapool we headed further up north to a tiny village at the west coast, called Tarbet. This is a village where we will have boat ride from tomorrow morning to the adjacent Handa Island, a real paradise for seabirds including breeding skuas. From Ullapool we drove through some astonishing landscapes and habitats. Scotland is truly magical just as we’ve been told by everyone ever visited this part of Great Britain. Birdlife was pretty much the same on most of the open areas. European Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were singing almost everywhere. Common Cuckoos called frequently and been chased by these potential host birds.

We kept our eyes on the heather covered moors for Red (Willow) Grouse. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

A vintage car, an abandoned and ruined house at the lake surrounded by hills is all you need for a perfect love story movie. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

A very interesting geological formation is visible on the opposite Glencoul Thrust. In the diagonal pink layer of the 540 million years old Cambrian quartzite in covered a much older, 3,000 million years old Lewison gneiss. Unthinkable powers must have turned these hills upside down? iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

The blooming Gorse made this beuatiful landscape picturesque. iPhone6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Not far from Tarbet I spotted a Golden Eagle glided towards to main road behind the Loch A Bhadaidh Daraich. Unfortunately, I could stop the car a just a little further up on the hill and subsequently I lost sight of this majestic bird.

4 Common Cuckoos have been cahsed by Meadow Pipits around the hill and the lake. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

The family restaurant at the Tarbet port was already closed at our arrival so we prepared for a nice evening dinner at the hillside bench with a company of about 200 cheeky and annoying midges. Long daylight hours allowed us birdwatching quite late. I sat on a rock and enjoyed the acoustic of the little port surrounded by cliffs and hills. 4-6 Common Sandpiper were endlessly calling and making display flights around us and the territorial calls of Eurasian Oystercatchers filled the whole harbour. A Red-breasted Merganser and Red-throated Divers were fishing in the peaceful water. There were some gull activity as well. Common Gulls, British Lesser Black-backed Gulls, European Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls and a few Black-headed Gulls turned up or flew over the bay. As I followed an Artic Tern chasing away a Great Black-backed Gull a strange looking and flying gull crossed the field of the binoculars. WOW, it was a juvenile, 2Y Iceland Gull. A self found rarity finally.

The Iceland Gull crossed the bay and landed behind rocks on the left side where I lost sight. it was a clear and nice view but it would have been nice to see it through the scope. Anyway, I am very happy about this finding, as it was my first British record of this bird.

Sunset at the Tarbet harbour. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Seabirds of the Butt of Lewis – Part 4

We walked to the viewing point of the reserve. It is almost impossible to get close to the birds and disturbe them through such a wet bog, so having a simple hand piled stone wall was more than enough and it is a less distracting element than a covered hide. From here we again successfully located the Red-necked Phalaropes. The pair was in the very same blooming vegetation in the middle of the lake. They were actively preening during our stay. There were not much bird activity over the boggy lands. Great Black-backed Gulls made a couple visits what kept the local Northern Lapwing pair busy. Two Dunlin, a European Golden Plover, a Common Ringed Plover, 2 Eurasian Curlew, 3 Eurasian Oystercatcher and 3 Common Redshank called from the other corner of the lake and sometimes overflying Red-throated Divers broke the European Sky Lark songs. Around the gate 7 Rock Pigeon, a Northern Wheatear, 5 Hooded Crow, 1 Common Cuckoo, 2 Meadow Pipit have been seen. This protected area was clearly not the most exciting RSPB reserve I have ever seen, but the fact that Red-necked Phalaropes are nesting here makes this place special.

This is a good place for absolute distraction-free birdwatching. Dani obviously enjoyed it. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Wild Rock Pigeon with local sheep. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

I quite liked watching these pigeons no matter how similar they were to the feral relatives in most of England. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Red-necked Phalaropes must be in this frame somewhere in the dense blooming vegetation. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani is watching a Great Black-backed Gull mobbed by a Northern Lapwing. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Beautiful cotton field bog around the lake. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

RSPB viewing spot with 360° visibility. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

We finished relatively early plenty of time remained until to get to Stornoway ferry port. We used this opportunity to explore the extreme northern part of Lewis. Anyway the whole island could comfortably be driven through within a few hours. On the way to the Butt of Lewis we stopped at a few exciting places. At Borve village we watched feeding Eurasian Oystercatchers and a Dunlin, roosting European Whimbrels and found an Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit in gorgeous breeding plumage at the rocky tidal area. The godwit later took off and disappeared over the ocean. It must be on its Icelandic breeding grounds by now. Over the sea dozens of Northern Gannet flew to the north, a Great Northern Diver (Common Loon) was feeding close to the shore and Northern Fulmars were gliding over the waves.On the cliffs a pair of Rock Pipits chased each other.

Mainly Eurasian Oystercatchers were feeding among these mossy rocks in this small intertidal zone. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

After an emergency breaking at the Loch Barabhat we enjoyed wonderful views of a surprising Whooper Swan couple. I recognized them immediately by their jizz. At the edge of the loch two Common Sandpiper were displaying while a territory defending Eurasian Curlew attacked overflying Great Skuas. All of a sudden more and more Great Skuas turned up from the wast boggy area from the other side of the road. We loved the stunning views of 10 birds soaring over the pond and moving slowly towards the ocean.

Stunning Whooper Swan couple was peacefully swimming on the lake. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

As we moved closer to the lake these Whooper Swans started singing. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

A couple of the 10 Great Skuas soaring over the loch. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Reaching the northernmost village, Eoropie, we walked through a pasture where lots of Arctic Tern were flying over the rocks. As we got through a herd of sheep and rabbits we had 3 Northern Wheatear and a Meadow Pipit. This place is turned to be a breeding territory of Arctic Terns and Common Gulls and possibly European Shags. We had 36 Northern Fulmar, 40 Northern Gannet, 70 European Shag, 11 Eurasian Oystercatcher, 1 overflying European Whimbrel, 4 Common Murre, 2 juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake, 17 Common Gull (probably under-counted), 18 European Herring Gull, 3 Great Black-backed Gull, 120 Arctic Tern and 2 Rock Pipit.

Some adult Common Starlings were feeding on the lawn. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani is trying to find a whale. Seawatching was very convenient with this tiny but powerful Opticron spotting scope. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Loose Arctic Tern colony on the rocks and on the shore. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

A few times all the birds blasted off the ground and loudly were flying around us. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Common Gulls were also nesting on the adjacent rocks. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The beauty of the elegant Common Gull is rather underestimated in breeding plumage. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

The green ness in the background is the Butt of Lewis with the North Atlantic Ocean. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Most of the terns seemed breeding on this sandy, shell covered platform. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Arctic Terns over the colony. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

European Shags roosting on the rocks farest from the shore. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Ringed Common Gull on a fence in blue. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

A little road lead us the Butt of Lewis, the tip of the Hebrides.This is place is marked by a nice old lighthouse (which was built between 1859 and 1862) and exciting cliffs with hundreds of nesting seabirds.It was just after 10AM and we thought it was a perfect place to sit at the edge of the cliffs and having our well deserved breakfast. While having our breakfast Northern Fulmars glided centimeters from us. The wingtip of one of them even touched Dani’s hand. It is a truly spectacular place and knowing that there is no Great Britain’s land further to the west from this point. The cliffs were mainly occupied by European Herring Gulls, Northern Fulmars, Common Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes, Rock Pigeons and Rock Pipits, but we saw British Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Northern Gannets and a Hooded Crow as well. Around the lighthouse a Northern Wheatear, a Barn Swallow and a British White Wagtail was singing. This place offers excellent opportunities for birds in flight photography with a good camera and fast lenses. Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot any whales from the calm ocean.

Lighthouse of the Butt of Lewis. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

For some reason people love photographing lighthouses, so do I. iPhone 6s Plus

Great Black-backed Gull is the king of these cliffs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Rock Pipit often made a visit to the yard of the lighthouse. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

This beautiful Sea Thrift is abundant around the coastal areas of Scotland and the Western Islands. it just makes the coastline even more beautiful in late May. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

How many shades of blue the ocean has. I whad been watching the waves for long long minutes and wondered why humans have been destroying this beautiful planet. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Northern Fulmar is one of my favourite seabirds. They were abundant around the colonies and their majectic flight was a pleasure to watch. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Most of the Northern Fulmars were incubating on their nest while the other parent were hunting over the ocean or rested around the nesting site. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

We didn’t really want to leave this place. Its remotness and extremetity is fascinating knowing that the next land behind this point to the west is North America itself. These cliffs have survived incredible storms and waves in the history and keep providing breeding spaces for the returning seabirds.
Our next primising trip was a ferry crossing bck to mainland Scotland from Stornoway to Ullapool. Interestingly it proved to be a bit different trip to compared to the crossing to Lochmaddy. During the 148 minutes the most abundant seabird was the Common Murre (183 birds counted but most probably a lot more overlooked). We had a Black-throated Diver, around 40 Northen Fulmar, 30 Northern Gannet, 3 European Shag, 3 Great Cormorant, 7 Great Skua, 1 Arctic Skua, 4 Razorbill, 3 Black Guillemot, 10 Atlantic Puffin, 93 Black-legged Kittiwake, 40 European Herring Gull, 1 British Lesser Black-backed Gull, 4 Great Black-backed Gull, 8 Common Tern, 3 Arctic Tern and a Common Raven (at Ullapool port). Just a few miles from Stornoway I saw bigger splashes in the water close to the ferry. I got real excited when I saw the large and tall dorsal fin and thought it was a group of Orca. I became a little suspicuous when I found that the fin was slightly bended backwards and not pointed upwards as the Orca’s. Based on my research on internet, the six animals I saw, must have been Risso’s Dolphins instead, although the body color was dark or even blackish (the Sun was behind me) and nothing close to grey or grayish and there were white patches in the side of the body. Feedback on this observation is much appreciated.

Stornoway Port from the ferry. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Spectacular hills emerge from the sea near Ullapool. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

The happenings of the rest of the day will be summed up in my next blog post.

Further north in the Hebrides for Red-necked Phalaropes

The plan to explore the closer area around Lochboisdale early in the morning, died last night. My bed was ridiculously comfortable and I simply couldn’t wake up at 4AM. I tried hard again at 5AM and I thought at 6AM I will jump out of the bed. It just didn’t work. At 7AM the lady of the house knocked on the door saying that the preordered classic English breakfast was already on the table. The breakfast was nice. Well, sort of… Dani still needs to get to used to this sausage and mushroom thing. After we checked out we headed back to the north to catch our ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh allowing enough time for birding slong the way.

As we got some insight of the birdlife of the west coast of the Uists, I wanted to see how the landscape and its birdlife changes on the eastern part (east of the A865 road). Our first stop was at the Loch Eynort which is a massive but narrow loch at the beginning but turns into a huge loch towards the Sea of the Hebrides. As most of them, this loch is enclosed by hills and higher mountains. The 620 meter high Beinn Mhòr looked to be very promising for Golden Eagle, from the other side of the loch. A pair of Red-breasted Merganser moulting into breeding plumage provided cracking views, then further to the east we heard a Corncrake, but annoyingly it didn’t pop out of the grass. From the foothills a Common Cuckoo was calling Near the Pier at the bottom of the Beinn Bheag Dheas, a familair bird song emerged from the tiny scrub. It took a good 5 minutes before we had perfect views of the endemic Hebridean subspecies of Eurasian Wren (Troglodytes t. hebridensis). This unusually pale wren was busy in collecting nest materials from the lichen covered scrub and mossy rocks. Over the little cottages wild Rock Pigeons flew.

Bad angle shot of the Red-breasted Merganser pair feeding just under the bridge. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Panoramic view of the Loch Eynort at low tide. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

From the other side of the loch we had much better view to the opposite hills, the Beinn Bheag Dheas and the giant Beinn Mhòr. We started scanning the mountain ridge in a hope to catch a gliding or soaring Golden Eagle and after two minites a majestic bird flew opposite to us. Dani quickly spotted the scope on it and we enjoyed the view until it descended in the valley of the two named hills. Unfortunately, we couldn’t spot it again.

The cloudy Beinn Mhòr is the highest hill of the South Uist with the 167m high Beinn Bheag Dheas in front of it. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Just after returned to A865 a Merlin entered a nesting territory of a Northern Lapwing pair. It took just a fraction of a moment for the lapwings to start chasing away the intruder – with success.

By crossing the lovely Bagh nam Faoileann strait we took a left turn to possibly the only Red-necked Phalaorpes site in Benbecula. A NatureTrek team was already at the site and saw Red-necked Phalarope sleeping in the vegetation at one the little islands. The bird was later disturbed by a pair of Common Shelduck and flew to the other small island. It wasn’t a satisfying view so we left the area after a 20 minutes wait.

This is the gorgeous An Ceòthan bay with sandy dunes just next to the Benbecula Airport. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Driving through the azure Oitir Mhòr intertidal zone. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Our deadline to catch to booked ferry approached slowly but we allowed a few minutes for ourselves to try for a better view of the Black-billed Cuckoo. At the same house a small group of twitchers looked at one direction at our arrival. I slowly and quietly pulled over and we were ready for the bird to reunite. It was out sight for a more than 10 minutes when I saw a bird movement from the other side of the yard. I was the only one looking to the opposite direction and when I spotted the cuckoo one of the twitchers had to say, – That must be a House Sparrow. – without even raised his binoculars. I was sure in what I saw and walked to the other side of the hedge where the Black-billed Cuckoo was sitting on the fence with no cover at all.

This is one of the 16 Black-bellied Cuckoos ever recorded in Britain. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Black-billed Cuckoo frequently used this fence for looking for insects and catepilar larvae.

More detial of finding this spectacular bird was published in the BirdGuides online Webzine (click on the photo for getting the article) Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

After the cuckoo watching we headed to the port of Berneray to check in on time. I don’t know how, but even with GPS navigation in front of my nose, I missed a junction and almost missed the ferry check-in. Thanks to the drivers with the same risk of being delayed, I quickly and easily adopted to their racing style and got in the lane three minutes before deadline.

At the tiny Berneray ferry port a Spotted Flycatcher was flycatching. I was looking forward to have another ferry crossing which this time took only 1 hour. The ferry crossed the Sound of Harris between Berneray and South Harris zigzagging between small islets. As I expected it was quite birdy. 12 Red-throated Divers crossed this small strait during this single hours. I’m not sure they were still in migration or just moved in an out between inland nesting sites and the open sea for feeding. The strait must be rich in food as Northern Gannets were actively hunting around the ferry. A Great Skua and Arctic Skua was flying northeast and around 90 Arctic Terns were hunting around the islets and larger rocks. We haven’t seen to many alcids but Black Guillemots was the most abundant among them with 28 birds.

Ferry crossing the Sound of Harris. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Rocky islets accross the ferry route. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

From Leverburgh we drove west on the A859 and enjoyed the spectacular scenery, the sea, the mosaic of sandy and rocky beaches with emerging hills straight from the other side of the road. We passed the beautiful Blue Reef Cottages offering amazing view to the North Atlantic Ocean.

We couldn’t resist walking into the shallow water of the large intertidal sandflat between Northton and Scarista and enjoying the close company of a small feeding shorebird community including 12 Eurasian Oystercatcher, 2 Northern Lapwing, 1 Common Ringed Plover, 4 Common Redshank, 1 Dunlin, 4 Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull and 6 European Herring Gull. At the coastal marshes we heard a singing territorial Dunlin, found a family of Northern Lapwing and an incubating Eurasian Oystercatcher which kept an eye of a patrolling Common Raven.

Beautiful sandy intertidal zone with crystal clear shallow water preferred by shorebirds. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani enjoyed the warming up water in the chilli wind. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Guarding Northern Lapwing over it’s chicks. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Another interesting Eurasian Oystercatcher nest just at the edge of the main road photographed from a wider perspective. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Beutiful shiny oystercatcher eggs. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

Northern Lapwing chicks are master of hiding when parents are alarming. We didn’t manage to locate them in the grass until they started feeding again. It’s just fascinating. Sony Cyber-shot HX400V © Gyorgy Szimuly

It’s very hard to think about birdwatching when driving through such places like this stunning bay. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Almost every bay, like this, had a few Eurasian Oystercatchers or European Herring Gulls. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Dani promised himself to swim in the ocean no matter how cold it was. I joined him and hell, it was a freezing 8°C cold. I couldn’t feel my legs and pretty much anything… iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

While Dani was swimming and enjoying photographing in the cold water, like a good dad, I prepared our beach style breakfast. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

This was the beach where we stopped for doing something different than birding. Of course I kept my eyes on the distant waters. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Just another visual orgasm from Scotland. Could you believe it? iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

Son and his dad selfie time. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

From this beautiful coastal area we started our journey up to the north to the Loch na Muilne RSPB Reserve which is known to be another nesting site for Red-necked Phalaropes. On the way, at Arivruaich, we stopped to watch European Golden Plovers flying over the road, but we couldn’t manage find them on the hillside moorland.

Away from the coastline we drove through magical lochs, hills and moorlands. iPhone 6s Plus © Gyorgy Szimuly

We arrived late and it was very cold there. We managed to make a short visit to the viewpoint just to know where we go next morning. We did see a Red-necked Phalarope pair, a few Eurasian Curlew, Northern Lapwing, Rock Pigeons and a lot of Common Starlings were flying for roosting to the cliffs at the shore. The night was very cold and misty.