19 Feb 25 - Shagging Dutch-style

On the Dutch Spectacled Eider twitch with Pete Moore, we quickly established that the Spectacled Eider hadn't been located early on our second morning. So, we decided to depart on the 10:00 ferry from Texel and head to a channel near the village of Anna Paulowna to look for a flock of Smew. After watching the male Smew displaying to the females, we needed to push onto our main target for the day at the Nature Park on the edge of Lelystad. Amsterdam has had a bad reputation for many years due to its red-light area, but we had a more interesting shag planned: with a nationally rare Pygmy Shag, or to be more accurate, a Pygmy Cormorant.

Bison carving

The Lelystad Nature Park has been tastefully designed to make it a popular visitor attraction with lots of lakes, as well as, things to keep younger visitors entertained.

Jay: This is the glandarius subspecies which occurs in North & central Europe

First we popped into the visitors centre to pay for the parking and for a call of nature. The Lelystad visitor centre had some unexpected stuffed Mammals.

Moose and Red Deer: Moose were extirpated from Holland about a millennium ago, while Red Deer still occur in a few National Parks

European Bison: Another species that hasn't occurred in Holland for many centuries

Thanks to Paul Rhodes for the following feedback on European Bison, which have been introduced into Zuid Kennemerland National Park, near Haarlem, to assist in vegetation control. They have come from the Polish Bialowieza Forest.

The gents toilets: I never expected I would be photographing gents toilets for the Blog. Not only were these three cubicles well decorated, but they were playing bird song inside the toilets as well

Presumably, this is a White Stork nest platform: Thanks to Paul Rhodes for the confirmation that it is

A large bat box

There was no news on the Pygmy Cormorant when we arrived, so we started to look around the lakes. This Scarlet Elfcap was the highlight: one of the few species of Fungi that I know.

Scarlet Elfcap: The Sycamore seed pod gives an idea how small this distinctive species of Fungi is

We had just reached the far side of the lakes, when Pete said, that there was some news that the Pygmy Cormorant had just seen. Unfortunately, we were heading in the wrong direction and it was quicker to backtrack to the car park and take the other path to the other side of the lakes. Eventually, we reached the right area, only to find it was perched at the far end of the lake. We started to watch it through the scopes & to grab some distant photos.

Pygmy Cormorant: there are only a handful of Dutch records of this species which occurs on inland lakes & rivers from South East Europe to central Asia

Tufted Duck: Males. Given the distance of the Pygmy Cormorant, these individuals were more distracting

While I was photographing the Tufted Ducks, Pete said that the Pygmy Cormorant had just taken off, before we could try walking closer. It did a distant pass, before disappearing from view.

Pygmy Cormorant

Pygmy Cormorant: With the Pygmy Cormorant disappearing, it was time to head to the railway station

We ran into a couple of Whooper Swans, as we were walking back to the car park. They looked suspiciously tame. Eventually, one walked onto the grass, where it was possible to see a ring on its leg and there was clearly a lot of damage to one of its wings when it briefly flapped them. Perhaps it was a wild individual, that had damaged its wing and has been forced to stick around at Lelystad.

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swan: The same individual, which had a damaged wing

The next part of the plan was for me to drop Pete at the railway station in Lelystad, so he could get a train into Amsterdam and met up with his wife, Claire and younger son, Rowan, who had arrived that lunchtime for a half term mini-break. My plan was for some Birding, a visit to some World War two battlefields and to visit Luxembourg: my seventy-nineth country. More about that in the next Blog Posts.

3 Oct 14 - Some Tame Waders At Keyhaven

Back to the afternoon of the day of Hampshire Birding showing ex-pat Clare around part of SW Hampshire on her first day of UK Birding: She normally gets out Birding around Delhi. After leaving Blashford Lakes, it was on for a couple of hours at the bridge at the base of Hurst Spit: which is always a good place to see some of the regular coastal species. The Birds are used to people & can be quite approachable here.

Clare looking towards Hurst Castle & Lighthouse: The original fort was built on the orders of Henry VIII to protect the Western end of the Solent & was completed in 1544. It was updated in Napoleonic times & again in the 1870's, with further additions in the Second World War

Brent Goose: The common South coast subspecies is bernicla which is commonly known as Dark-bellied Brent Goose

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover: 1st Winter. The scaly edges to the wing & mantle feathers with pale edges and a darker inner border indicates this is a 1st Winter Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover: 1st Winter. Adults would have a blacker lower face and band above the white forehead and a darker breast band. This is a new species for the blog

Turnstone: Adult male. The extensive chestnut in the wings indicates this is an adult which has still retained a lot of its bright Summer plumage. The extent of whitish in the face suggests it's a male

Turnstone: Adult male. I can't resist another photo of this great looking Turnstone

Turnstone: Winter adult: A more typical plumaged adult for the start of Oct

Turnstone: 1st Winter. They are much duller than the Winter adults

Black-headed Gull: The Winter plumage only has this black spot behind the eye. Clare saw more Gulls today than in her 3 years of Birding in India

Rock Pipit

Finally, it was time to head back to Cadnam & drop Clare back at her car. As this was also Clare's first visit to the New Forest, then we went via the Rhinefield drive & bumped into this cracking stag Red Deer.

Red Deer: A great finale to the day

1 Nov 13 - First Snows Of The Winter

The Mourning Dove was seen at first light, but it wasn't on view in the hour Ewan & I spent looking for it a little later that morning. We didn't hang around too long as Mike, the community ranger, had suggested a visit to Kilmory in the North of the island. This is a long valley heading off from the centre of the island with a number of small plantations at the Northern end. Overall, it was going to be a 10 mile walk. Once out of the village, the track climbs steadily into hills.

Rum: The track initially follows this river, but quickly leaves it

Rum: Looking back on the lower slopes above Kinloch village

Rum: This old winch has seen better days

Rum: A more typical of the upland moorland

On the walk a pair of White-tailed Sea-eagles headed down into Kinloch bay along the far ridge and presumably the same pair came back along the near hillside.

White-tailed Sea-eagle

Ewan disturbed a Snow Bunting on the track & it ended up feeding on the finest of grass seeds in a small quarry. However, it was surprisingly unapproachable for a Snow Bunting. A second bird was found on the walk back.

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Rum: The upper part of the Kilmory valley, with Skye in the distance

 Rum: The lower part of the Kilmory valley as another squall arrived. Fortunately, in the gusty winds, the rain clouds quickly passed through

The Red Deer in the Kilmory valley has been part of a long term study & the numbers are not managed in this part of Rum. As a result, the Red Deer were reasonable approachable.

Red Deer: A young buck

Red Deer: Two females

 Red Deer: The general colouration was quite variable in the females

Unfortunately, I failed to get a picture of the best mammal seen on Rum: a Pygmy Shrew. The small size & lack of Common Shrews on Rum helped resolve the identification. As I've not been involved in any small mammal trapping, I've never managed to identify the Common/Pygmy Shrews I've seen before.

I had seen several Wrens & they appeared darker than the Dorset Wrens I'm used to. The regular UK subspecies, indigenus, reaches to the Inner Hebrides, with the darker hebridensis subspecies on the Outer Hebrides.

 

Wren: Presumably the darker hebridensis subspecies

I got back to Kinloch in time to have another look at the Mourning Dove which appeared about 30 minutes before dusk.

I started the following morning with a quick bit of birding around the village, prior to a look around Kinloch Castle, which I remember watching on the BBC Restoration series. This is an over the top hunting lodge and was only inhabited for a few weeks each year. Construction started in 1897 using imported red sandstone from Annan and took 3 years to build. It was the first private residence in Scotland to have electricity using hydro electric power, which still supplies the village today. Sadly, there is a £15 million price tag to restore it to its former glory.

Kinloch Castle

Kinloch Castle: The entrance room

Kinloch Castle: The dining room

Kinloch Castle: An early telephone for receiving calls, but not being able to talk back

Kinloch Castle: The ballroom, complete with balcony for 14 piece orchestra

Kinloch Castle: The castle had a collection of live Hummingbirds, until the heating failed, they died and ended up in this case

Kinloch Castle: Sadly, water damage in the castle isn't uncommon

Kinloch Castle: This elaborate shower provided a 360 degree hot shower

A Song Thrush proved that they are tame and approachable away from the Scillies.

Song Thrush

The Loch Nevis ferry arrived for the scenic return to Mallaig, via the smaller islands of Muck & Eigg.

The Loch Nevis ferry

After all the rain of the last couple of days, I wasn't surprised to see snow on the mountains.

Snow on the mountains behind Fort William

I travelled back South overnight, hoping that as the weather in Cornwall improved, that the Hermit Thrush would be relocated. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Still hoping for 3 ticks in a week was just being greedy.