Cley Marshes, Norfolk, UK, 28-May-2011

4:20 PM - 5:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: A quick visit, whilst Kim & mum waited in the visitors centre, on returning from a coast drive.
Weather: overcast, windy (W), rain showers.
38 species

Greylag Goose X
Mute Swan X
Common Shelduck X
Gadwall X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Common Pheasant X
Little Egret X
Common Moorhen X
Eurasian Coot X
Northern Lapwing X
Common Ringed Plover 6 +
Little Ringed Plover 3 approx.
Eurasian Oystercatcher X - over then 2 in field.
Pied Avocet X
Common Greenshank 1
Common Redshank X
Black-tailed Godwit X
Dunlin 6 +
Black-headed Gull X
Little Gull 3 juveniles & well worth the stop-off to view them, wading in the scrape & occasionally flying around as they fed.
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Swift X
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Skylark X
Sand Martin X
Barn Swallow X
Common House-Martin X
Blue Tit X - one flew down to reeds where two sedge warblers briefly fought.
Sedge Warbler X
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X
European Starling X
Dunnock X
Pied Wagtail X
Reed Bunting X - heard.
European Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Sheringham Beach Front, Norfolk, UK, 28-May-2011

3:15 PM
Protocol: Incidental
Comments: Out for a drive up the coast with Kim, & a favourite stop-off point.
7 species

Northern Fulmar 2 along the coast at sea.
Great Cormorant X
Black-headed Gull X
Little Tern 1
Sandwich Tern 12 approx.
Common Swift X
Eurasian Jackdaw X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Wilstone Reservoir, Hertfordshire, UK, 21-May-2011

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: An evening return to the reservoir in the hope of seeing a good gathering of hobbys. I was disappointed with the raptors but saw an impressive gathering of swifts.
Weather: bright & sunny, breeze (W).
30 species

Greylag Goose X
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
Eurasian Wigeon 1 male - a complete surprise (escapee?)!
Mallard X
Common Pochard X
Tufted Duck X
Great Crested Grebe X
Great Cormorant X
Grey Heron X
Eurasian Hobby 1 amongst the swifts but not the congregation I was hoping for.
Eurasian Coot X
Lesser Black-backed Gull X
Common Tern X
Common Swift 100 + swirling above the reservoir.
Common Kingfisher 1
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Great Tit X
Eurasian Wren X
Common Chiffchaff X - heard.
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X - heard.
Blackcap X - heard.
Eurasian Blackbird X
Dunnock X - heard.
Reed Bunting X
Common Chaffinch X
European Goldfinch X - heard.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Hampstead Cemetery & UCL Sports Ground, Enfield, UK, 21-May-2011

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: After the success of autumn migration I wanted to give the patch a go during 'Magic May'.
Weather: bright, sunny, some clouds, breeze (SW).
21 species (+1 other taxa)

Feral Pigeon 50 ugh.
Stock Dove 3 on the sports fields, two on their own, one with wood-pigeons. A nice confirmation of an earlier site-tick from a brief sighting.
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 over. Another site-tick! One I had been hoping to see, it took a surprisingly long time to finally record it.
Common Swift X
Common Magpie X
Carrion Crow X
Coal Tit X - heard.
Great Tit 2 including one juvenile.
Blue Tit X
Long-tailed Tit X - heard.
Eurasian Wren X
Goldcrest X - heard.
Blackcap 2 , a pair.
European Robin X
Eurasian Blackbird X
Song Thrush X
European Starling X - over.
Dunnock X
Common Chaffinch X
European Greenfinch X
House Sparrow 1 female in central brambles.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Wilstone Reservoir, Hertfordshire, UK, 8-May-2011

9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Out to try to get 'Magic May' off to a start. I headed to Wilstone hoping to see hobbys & whether anything else had turned up.
Weather: bright, sunny, some clouds, breezey (W); rain early in the morning.
49 species

Greylag Goose X
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
Mallard X
Common Pochard X
Tufted Duck X
Common Pheasant X
Great Crested Grebe X
Great Cormorant X
Grey Heron X
Red Kite 1 drifted over.
Common Buzzard 1 being mobbed by crows over distant Starstops reservoir.
Eurasian Hobby 3 hawking over the reedbeds.
Common Moorhen X
Eurasian Coot X
Common Tern X
Stock Dove 2
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Cuckoo 1 heard from the carpark.
Common Swift 2 at first then a good movement of 20+ later in the day.
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 heard.
Green Woodpecker 1 heard yaffling.
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Skylark X - heard from agricultural fields.
Barn Swallow 2
Common House-Martin 1
Great Tit X
Blue Tit X
Long-tailed Tit X
Eurasian Wren X
Common Chiffchaff X - heard from the carpark.
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X - heard in the reeds around cemetery corner.
Blackcap X - heard from the carpark.
Common Whitethroat 1 singing overhead then into hedgerow.
Spotted Flycatcher 1 within trees at cemetery corner. Again I was tipped off it would be around, I heard its high-pitched, almost mammal-like, call before eventually connecting for a decent view. I soon moved on not wishing to disturb a potential nester.
European Robin X
Whinchat 1 seen on far hedgerow from reservoir. I left the reservoir's hide for a walk up the hill to the canal & was informed by another couple of birders that the whinchat was on a hedgerow in a field along the canal, in the opposite direction to which I normally walk. I took the path & soon connected with it & had a very nice view of it. It was not disturbed by the heavy machinery nearby which was working on the canal. A life-tick.
Eurasian Blackbird X
Song Thrush 2 , first heard, then seen around cemetery corner.
Western Yellow Wagtail 1 also on a fencepost near to the blue-headed.
Western Yellow Wagtail (Blue-headed) 1 on the same line of hedgerow as the whinchat but much more distant from the canal. However it was still fairly easy to pick up with its distinctive plumage & blue head - a first for me. It kept coming back to a fencepost within the thinned out hedge, right where the other birders said it would be (like the whinchat was too), but it seemed to take one last, longer flight which took it much further away.
Pied Wagtail X
Yellowhammer X - heard.
Common Chaffinch X
European Goldfinch X
House Sparrow 2 , a pair collecting nesting material.

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Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, Krabi, Thailand, 1-May-2011

6:50 AM - 8:50 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Up & out early to have a proper look around the resort for birds rather than incidentally spotting them from the poolside.
Weather: overcast, hot & humid.
22 species (+1 other taxa)

Javan Pond-Heron X
White-breasted Waterhen 2
Common Sandpiper 2 again along the beach.
Spotted Dove 2
Peaceful Dove X

Black-bellied Malkoha 1 creeping up a tree just outside the room. Distinctive-looking with long tail, red-eye, pale head, bluish uppers, darker white-tipped tail.

Greater Coucal 2

swiftlet sp. X - several small, fast-flying individuals, one I picked out had a pale underbelly, but none allowed me to pin a definite identification.

Collared Kingfisher 4 on the side of a small off-shore island (Nak Amanda). Cobalt blue uppers including its head; white under with white neck ring. A life-tick.

Pied Kingfisher 1 in the mangroves on the resort, later in the day.
Indian Roller 1 atop a palm tree at the end of the resort. It was very nervous & soon flew off. I saw it, or another later from the beach.
Brown-capped Woodpecker (Sunda) 1 over, 'zee-zee' call & undulating flight.
Large-billed Crow X

Pacific Swallow X
Striated Swallow 1 amongst the swiftlets seen early on. It was distinctively larger & slower, with no red neck nape (unlike red-rumped).

Olive-winged Bulbul 1 with no obvious whiskers, churring call.
Common Tailorbird X
Oriental Magpie-Robin 2
Common Myna X
Olive-backed Sunbird X - frequent among the palms.

Oriental Pipit 1 on the garden between our room & the pool, seen later in the day after my initial walk. Long & lanky, walks on pale flesh/yellow legs - mini roadrunner - rufous upper, prominent supercilum, streaked head, lightly streaked chest, clean flanks & belly. A life-tick.

Tree Sparrow X
Nutmeg Mannikin 7 , initially 2 on a low shrub next to a path, then 5 later. Brown upper, streaked grey under, black face, with a bluish patch.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)