Australian Long-finned Eel
Anguilla reinhardtii
April 12, 2005: Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, New South Wales
Seen swimming in one of the lakes in the Royal Botanic Garden.
Continue reading “Fishes”Fishes
Albacore Feeding Grounds
September 14, 2003
I took my first pelagic trip off the West Coast today, through Shearwater Journeys. It was a long day – we left at 5.30 a.m. and returned at 5.30 p.m. – and we saw a lot of terrific things, although not quite as many birds as I’d hoped to see.
Continue reading “Albacore Feeding Grounds”Short-tailed Shearwater
Ardenna tenuirostris
September 14, 2003: Offshore-WNW Pt. Sur (35-80 nmi), Monterey, CA
One of the birds seen on this pelagic trip.
Continue reading “Short-tailed Shearwater”Pink-footed Shearwater
Ardenna creatopus
September 14, 2003: Offshore-WNW Pt. Sur (35-80 nmi), Monterey, CA
My first sighting of this bird was of an individual floating in the water. I got a really good look at him, for which I was glad. Later, we saw several more, and by mid-journey, I was able to call these guys, as well . . . black neck, but light underneath. Cool.
Continue reading “Pink-footed Shearwater”Flesh-footed Shearwater
Ardenna carneipes
September 14, 2003: Offshore-WNW Pt. Sur (35-80 nmi), Monterey, CA
Saw just one of these early in the day. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a very good look – just a dark bird flying by. I’m going to trust the ID of others, though.
Continue reading “Flesh-footed Shearwater”Buller’s Shearwater
Ardenna bulleri
September 14, 2003: Offshore-WNW Pt. Sur (35-80 nmi), Monterey, CA
This was a bird that had been seen in the morning, but I’d missed it. When looking at shearwaters, I realized that this one looked different than the pink-footed’s (which is what I thought it was at first). Sure enough, it was different! I was thrilled that I was able to spot this (and that I saw a new bird). Saw a few more later in the afternoon, as well.
Continue reading “Buller’s Shearwater”Monterey Bay Aquarium
June 5, 2003
Looking for a fun way to spend the day, Eclipse and I made the two-hour drive to Monterey, to visit the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. This fit in well with the fact that we’d been watching “Finding Nemo” lately. One of my kiddo’s favorite parts of the film features the jellyfish forest, so our first stop at the aquarium was to visit the special exhibit on jellies – “Jellies: Living Art.” It’s a fantastic exhibit. We went through it several time, and I was pleased with some of the photos I took.
Continue reading “Monterey Bay Aquarium”Cinnamon Teal
Spatula cyanoptera
February 22, 2003: Coyote Hills Regional Park, Alameda, CA
In looking through the bird book the previous night, I was looking forward to the possibility of seeing these birds, as they are to be found in the area. I was in luck, and saw several throughout the day. My first were a pair, and later I saw a group of four males and one female. The males appeared to be fighting amongst themselves – flying and chasing one another around the pond. They are beautiful ducks.
Continue reading “Cinnamon Teal”Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnus
December 23, 2002: Aberlady Farm Field, East Lothian, Scotland
Driving home from Haddington around 2:30 p.m., I noticed a couple of swans in a farm field with a flock of pink-footed geese. A car was stopped at the side of the road, so I stopped too and asked the fellow in the car if I could borrow his binoculars. The swans were definitely not mutes, but a bit far away to tell whether or not they were Whoopers or Bewick’s. I decided to go home and return with my scope. The birds were still there, and I was able to verify that they were whoopers. Fabby! I’ve been trying to find a couple of these birds for quite a while, so I was so glad to find them before moving back to the U.S.
Continue reading “Whooper Swan”Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
November 6, 2002: Whinlatter Forest Park, Cumbria, England
While looking at the beautiful view from the overlook, I caught a glimpse of a bird – flashes of color – blue and pink. Somehow, I just knew it was a jay. However, it had landed somewhere and I couldn’t re-locate the bird right away. I looked in my book just to remind myself what I was looking for. Then, a few minutes later, it flew again. I didn’t get a long look, but enough to be certain that it was, indeed, a jay. On the way back from the nature centre, we stopped here again, and the bird (or perhaps another individual) was perched atop a branch, so I was able to view it for several minutes. It wasn’t too close, but still close enough. A beautiful bird!
Continue reading “Eurasian Jay”Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelope
October 3, 2002: Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, East Lothian, Scotland
Another life bird for me this day, although I didn’t realize I’d not seen them before until I began making this entry! Beautiful ducks.
Continue reading “Eurasian Wigeon”Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsis
June 30, 1996: St. James Park, London, England
Along with the huge flocks of pink-foots there was a small flock of these pretty geese – only half a dozen birds at most.
Continue reading “Barnacle Goose”Birding the Bass
August 16, 2002
While living in Scotland, this is one of the adventures I didn’t want to miss – a chance to see the northern gannet rookery on the Bass Rock, off the coast of North Berwick. It was well worth the trip!
Continue reading “Birding the Bass”Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchus
October 4, 2001: Marine Terrace, East Lothian, Scotland
From inside our home, I heard a cacophony outside and rushed out to find THOUSANDS of pink footed geese flying overhead, one huge flock after another. Eclipse also enjoyed seeing and hearing these birds. What fun! Flocks like this flew over several times in the next few weeks.
Continue reading “Pink-footed Goose”Little Owl
Athene noctua
September 13, 2001: Marine Terrace, East Lothian, Scotland
While Kevin and I were sitting in the kitchen late this evening, I heard an unusual sound from outside. I went outside to listen to what was obviously an owl calling from a tree very near where I park my car. I decided not to go looking for it with a torch, but did get to listen to it for several minutes. After coming in, I listened to my British Birds DVD and determined that the bird was a Little Owl. Not common here in East Lothian, apparently, so quite a lovely surprise!
Continue reading “Little Owl”Eurasian Hobby
Falco subbuteo
May 19, 2001: Lee Valley Regional Park, Hartfordshire, England
When we arrived at the park, we ran into a local birder who told us that there were several of these birds present in the park, so during our walk I’d kept an eye out for them. We were almost back at the carpark before we spotted them: a total of three birds. For the most part they were flying a bit farther away than would allow us a good look, but one of them flew fairly low overhead once, and then passed by again on its way back from where it had come. The lighting was terrible – overcast and grey – so the bird was backlit without enough sun to show us the red that’s supposed to be on the lower underparts. But the bird had distinctive facial markings with a lot of white on the face and was heavily streaked on the breast with dark markings in contrast with light ones. It wasn’t a kestrel, so the only thing it could have reasonably been was a hobby.
Continue reading “Eurasian Hobby”Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
May 18, 2001: Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve, Kent, England
After learning from another birder that these birds as well as reed warblers were in the area, I wanted to be able to get a good enough look to ID some of them, as I was not experienced enough to differentiate between their calls. I never did get a really good look at one, but several times I did see these birds in a parachuting song flight – the bird would rise up out of the reeds, going about six feet above the tops of the reeds, and then back down again. This is the song flight of the sedge warbler, so I was able to ID at least one of the two birds!
Continue reading “Sedge Warbler”Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufa
May 17, 2001: Capel Fleet Raptor Viewpoint, Kent, England
We spotted these birds on the other side of a hedge. As our car drove by, it startled them into running along the hedge, but we were unable to get a good view because the hedge was in the way. There was little traffic on the road, so we stopped to see if we could locate them again. I assumed they were gray partridge – same size and general color – but when we finally spotted one we discovered that they were red-legged partridges, a new bird for both of us! By the time I got a good look, only one bird was visible and only its head at that, poking up from behind a fallen log. A very striking profile though, with the white and black markings on the face and a very distinctly red bill. I didn’t get to see the red legs however, because the bird didn’t come out from behind the log again while we watched. A pretty little bird, and fun to chase down and see.
Continue reading “Red-legged Partridge”
Little Stint
Calidris minuta
May 16, 2001: Réserve Naturelle Nationale de la Baie de Somme-Parc du Marquenterre, Picardie, France
While watching the Ringed Plovers and Dunlin at Hide #5, I noticed this bird which was noticeably smaller than either of the previously mentioned species. It resembled a sanderling, but the habitat and behavior were wrong. Based on the size (and location), I realized it was a stint of some sort, poking around in the mud. It was a very pretty little bird – black legs and a medium-to-short black bill, white underneath, and delicately patterned on the back in black, brown, and a warm pinkish color. The head was similarly colored, but the neck appeared somewhat lighter – not white, but not as colorful as the rest of the bird’s upperparts. A look at the field guide confirmed that this was a juvenile little stint. What a lovely little bird, and one I was pleased not only to see, but also to ID. (Shorebirds are not always easy)!
Continue reading “Little Stint”Garganey
Spatula querquedula
May 16, 2001: Parc du Marquenterre, Picardie, France
There were a few of these birds in the collection, but I also spotted a single pair in the area of Hides #7 and #8. A surprisingly small duck and fairly drab, but the white crescent over the eye is distinctive. By this time Eclipse was soaking wet from playing in puddles and starting to get really restless, so I was hurrying a bit. I hope to see these birds again soon and study them a bit longer.
Continue reading “Garganey”Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
May 15, 2001: Spinney Wood, Kent, England
I heard a bird singing a very distinctive song that I didn’t recognize, so I went to investigate. I followed the song until I was sure I had the correct tree, but still couldn’t spot the bird. So, instead, I concentrated on memorizing the song, so I could still go back and have a chance of IDing the bird later: it was a strongly whistled song in a definite rhythm 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, with an occasional 1-2-3-4 thrown in. It reminded me of a waltz. Finally I spotted the bird, and was amazed to see a willowchiff – but obviously not a willow warbler. So, it must be a chiffchaff, but the song does not sound like chiff-chiff-chaff to me (they way they say it does in the books). But couldn’t imagine what else it could be. After I got home, I checked out the song using the British Birds DVD I’d bought on the trip, and sure enough, my bird was a chiffchaff. I still think that chiff-chiff-chaff is not a very good description of the song. I may start calling them waltz birds in protest.
Continue reading “Common Chiffchaff”Grey Partridge
Perdix perdix
May 11, 2001: East Lothian, Scotland
We hadn’t gotten far when I spotted some suspicious brownish lumps in a farmer’s field. We pulled over for a better look (fortunately, we were on a small country road with no other traffic) and I was pleased to see these two pretty little partridges. I was rather surprised to identify them as gray partridges, as they are much browner than gray, at least from my angle. They had reddish faces, drabber-colored bodies except for the distinctive dark red belly patch. Kevin and I were both able to get nice views before the birds noticed us and flew to the back of the field. Wonderful little birds, and a great start to the holiday! A life bird not half an hour from home.
Continue reading “Grey Partridge”Water Pipit
Anthus spinoletta
May 5, 2001: Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, East Lothian, Scotland
While up at Gullane Point, I viewed a bird which has given me quite a bit of entertainment. I spotted this bird near the rocks by the grass up above the point, and it flitted over to perch about halfway up one of the large rock formations. The bird was just about at my eye-level, and sat there quite long enough for me to get a good, long look. It even turned around, so I could see the back and tail. When I was actually looking at the bird, I had NO IDEA what I was seeing – not even able to put a category on it. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful pink breast. Quite richly colored – not a bright pink, but a beautiful rose pink, deep and rich. No obvious streaking on the breast, either. The head was grey, and the bird had a delicate, dark bill, like that of a dunnock (thin, pointy, medium length). The image I still carry in my mind of the bird is a full frontal view of that pink breast, slightly puffed up, with the little face peeping at me. When the bird turned around, I could see that the head was definitely gray, and the back was brown. The difference in the two colors was quite distinctive – not gray blending into brown, but a gray head and brown back. The tail appeared black and white to me – white stripes down a dark tail. The wingtips also appeared black/dark. The stance was upright, and the leg appeared reddish, but at the time I thought that could have been caused by the lighting. (It was bright and sunny). This turned out to be a bit of a controversial bird – when I told some of the local folks about it, the consensus was that it would be a very unlikely bird to see here. Usually, that would make me question the ID, but I spent so much time with this bird, and took such detailed notes, that I’m satisfied that I identified it correctly, and it was somewhat out of its normal range.
Continue reading “Water Pipit”Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilus
April 29, 2001: Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, East Lothian, Scotland
As soon as we’d crossed over the boardwalk, we spotted a little bird flitting about in the trees – a willow warbler. It was explained to me that pink legs = willow, black legs = chiffchaff, but the best way to really be certain is to hear them sing. We saw LOTS of willows throughout the day, and I had a lovely view of one singing while perched in a tree. So, not only was I able to figure out the bird, but I’ve learned the song, as well. I did have plenty of practice – we heard them throughout the day, as well. Didn’t see a chiffchaff (Ian guessed that you’ll see one chiffchaff for every 25 or so willow warblers), but now at least I’m somewhat better prepared.
Continue reading “Willow Warbler”Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritima
April 29, 2001: Aberlady Bay Local Nature Reserve, East Lothian, Scotland
Saw this bird with several turnstones and a dunlin. A pretty nondescript streaky brown sandpiper, which I would certainly not have been able to ID in the US (as differentiated from Westerns, etc.). But, I am told that it is the only sandpiper that looks this way in the area, so I get to count it! I didn’t get a really good look at the bird, but I did get glimpses through the scope.
Continue reading “Purple Sandpiper”