Great grey shrike still on Waddington fell

Edinburgh, Scotland for the Calcutta cup

I've been up to Edinburgh this weekend, to attend the Calcutta cup match at Murrayfield.





















Jill isnt to fond of camping in March, so we visited our usual campsite, Mortonhall, but stayed in their wigwams!














Excellent comfort but still all the fun of camping.
The campsite was near deserted in comparison to its capacity during the Edinburgh festival, when we camp in the tent.

Being an early riser, I get out and about for a bit of birding before Jill gets up. The usual birds were around, buzzards, a good population of bullfinches, a couple of late(ish) redwings, and these jackdaws (who have already started nesting).





























I should have visited Vane Farm or a few other good site I know in the vicinity but a weekend of food, drink, comedy clubs and rugby had us exhausted.

Hesketh out marsh
As usual, this was not a dedicated birding trip, just a rest stop whilst I was delivering in the area. Its the first chance I've had to have a look here. Looks like theres a lot of scope (pardon the pun), but I arrived at low tide, and thus didnt see much.
A couple of distant merlin, many shelduck, lapwing, golden plover and my first little egret(1) and stock dove(4) of 2010.
I'll def return here soon, for a full days birding.

Campegine, Reggio Emilia, Italy 24th-28th Feb

Found a dead Tawny owl (unringed) next to the road at the Eagle at Barrow pub. Hopefully not one of "my" birds. My summer tawny owl roost is only 500m from here. I still havent managed to get the owls to use my nestboxes. The pair usually turn up at the summer roost at the end of April. I'll find out if this was one of the pair then.

I'm barely back from Lanzarote and spotted a waxwing on the way back from tesco, Blackburn. Jill was driving when I spotted it in a bare tree, as we left sunnybower, driving back to Billington via Whalley old road. View was fleeting but I'm 100% certain.

Lanzarote 26th Jan - 2 Feb 2010


















































































































































































































































(Full list in order seen)

Hoopoe - first bird seen from airport and then fleeting view at Yaiza
Great grey shrike - sedond bird seen from airport, common on the plains and elsewhere
Kestrel - widespread, many seen daily
Yellow legged gull -abundant
Collared dove - abundant, also some barbary sp.
Turnstone - most common wader, seen daily
Spanish sparrow - abundant
Black necked grebe - 4 seen on main salt lake and Salinas de Janubio (SdeJ)
Redshank - flock of about 6 at SdeJ
Greater Flamingo - single (apparently a long stayer) at SdeJ
Grey Heron - - single at SdeJ
Black winged stilt - up to 20 seen at SdeJ
Common sandpiper - 1 maybe 2 at SdeJ, 1 at Playa chica
Black headed gull - single at SdeJ
Grey plover - single at SdeJ
Kentish plover - 3f, 1m at SdeJ
Trumpeter finch - common on the plains (El Rubicon and El Jable)
Houbara bustard - 2 seen just outside the town of Munique, 1 on Rubicon plain.
Berthelots pipit - common everywhere
Lesser short toed lark - common in flocks on the plains
Pallid swift - 2 then 1 (on different days) seen over Playa Chica
Whimbrel - twice (on different days) at Playa Chica
Sandwich tern - daily at Playa Chica
Egret sp. - 5+ fly-bys but never good enough views to separate Cattle from Little
Linnet - circa 5 at Playa Chica
Sanderling - single at Playa Chica
Raven - 1 at Yaiza
Starling - circa 6 at Playa Chica