27th August, 2009

A really mixed day for weather with a light SW wind and almost calm conditions, increasing wind and rain half the afternoon and then sunnier times, ending with a wild wind and lashing rain in the evening.!

Seawatch counts over 2 1/2 hours showed bird numbers differ substantially from day to day with 2700 Manx Shearwater and around 600 Gannet moving today, no waders other than 2 Turnstone and virtually no auks again and passage finishing much "earlier" even though the conditions were better. Similarly virtually no Fulmar were on the move, but variety was provided by several Arctic Terns, Arctic Skua and Great Skua. Kittiwakes appear now to be moving as almost 60 went south, some being of mixed parties of adults with beautifully marked juveniles.

At home the sudden arrival of 2 Northern Wheatear and a Whinchat suggested some passerines were on the move too, as had happened yesterday with the brief appearance of 2 Common Whitetroat, young birds that were obviously moving together.

Having been hooked on migration since an early age details of what routes birds used , where they went and how quickly they completed their journeys was a mystery until the recent use of satellite technology. Ringing recoveries showed their presumed eventual destination, but even this was complicated by some species moving around significantly , e.g. Swallow, in their winter quarters. Fascinating details are now increasingly being revealed that takes us another quantum leap forward in our understanding of migration . A report yesterday relating to Eurasian Hobby, based on work carried out by Meyburg and colleagues , is no exception. Large numbers of Eurasian Hobby have been ringed but virtually no recoveries ever received. A bird fitted with a transmitter in 2008 in Germany left its breeding area in mid August and went south to the island of Elba, where it took a "week out". It then continued south into Africa into its winter quarters in Angola, the whole journey taking 49 days with the average distance travelled being 174 km. per day ( more if you take out the "rest week" ). Absolutely stunning and underlining the fact that even the Common Whitethroats moving through the garden at this time of year may be an appreciable distance away the next morning!! My utter and permanent conversion into being permanently in awe of this phenomenon happened many years ago. Spending time on the east coast of Yorkshire, at Spurn Bird Observatory, and witnessing the arrival of Goldcrests from continental Europe in autumn was an almost religious experience!! The fact that a little bundle of less than 5 grams could make that journey across the North Sea, with all the potential accompanying difficulties, turned me into the obsessive nut I am today when it comes to anything to do with migration!!!

25th August,2009.

Five hours of seawatching was both thoroughly enjoyable and quite productive. Counts over a four hour period produced almost 1400 Gannet and nearly 2200 Manx Shearwater moving south. Other species on the move included a few parties of Whimbrel, over 50 Fulmar, odd Ringed Plover, a couple of Great Skua and a single Common Scoter. Perversely very few Auks were seen, which presumably means they are using different feeding areas.

Later, at home, a single immature Sparrowhawk put up 60/70 Meadow Pipits in the rush ladened field in front of the house, a good indication that numbers of the latter are moving towards their peak.

24th August,2009.

A fresh SW wind and fine conditions after the deluge of yesterday augured well for seawatching, and so it proved to be. An incessant stream of Manx Shearwater flew south including a single Balearic Shearwater which showed quite well. As the tide welled up at the southern end of Frenchman's Rocks 350+ Gannets milled around , diving incessantly into the frothy turbulence. A single Great Skua went through and a distant party of what appeared to be Bar-tailed Godwit struggled in the increasing wind. Three Whimbrel were also found on a rocky islet offshore . A small passage of LBBG had occurred previous to 1100 hours, the birds hugging the coastline as opposed to being offshore, a habit noticed many times previously, indeed small parties of birds sometimes move down the valley where the house is located in marked contrast to other seabird species.

Nearby a party of 7 Northern Wheatear suggested overnight migrants poised to make their next move!

Sadly the quality of the day deteriorated rapidly with the news of the death, in a boating accident in the Highlands, of Dr Mike Madders and his son , Daniel. A friend and colleague who'll be missed enormously and an ornithological research talent, especially on raptors and in connection with windfarms, whose loss will have reverberations worldwide.

22nd August, 2009.

A couple of things of note. In the post I put out about Cambodia the web address of the Sam Veasna Centre is slightly wrong. Sorry! It should be www.samveasna.org , it's an "a" not a "u" at the end.

Had to be based at home but managed some time out locally. Given I'm surrounded by wilderness and only a kilometre from the sea, local birdwatching can be as productive as anywhere!! As it was there was little of particular note except what I suspect to be the last , or close to it, of Northern Wheatear and Whinchat. We may yet get odd "Greenland" Wheatear through on migration.

21st August, 2009.

Well I've just spent what has resulted in two whole days organizing survey work, talking on conservation issues and similar matters without having had any opportunity for fieldwork. Sometimes the preparatory arrangements or follow up work required far outstrips the actual time spent achieving the objectives!! It's a mad world!!

Today , at Rutland Water in Leicestershire the British BirdFair commenced for three days. The proceeds this year will go towards the Preventing Extinctions Programme being administered by BirdLife. It is expected that over 20,000 birdwatchers will attend the event over the three days. One element of the above programme is that BirdLife are to initiate enquiries into 47 bird species not seen within living memory , some of which for up to 184 years. Whilst this may seem a little strange, the locations and habitats of most of these are predominantly in remote, little visited , hostile environments, some of which are isolated islands. The thinking behind this initiative acknowledges the need to publicise losses and extinctions, about which there is ample evidence, but that it would also be irresponsible to allow some of these little known small and fragile populations to possibly slip into extinction without first being sure nothing can be done to retain their presence, whatever their numbers. Some stories we are all familiar with , but if efforts are made they sometimes can bring about extraordinary success , as with the Seychelles Magpie Robin, which in many respects was in precisely the same situation until action was taken.

19th August,2009.

Yet another day of rain and mist, but with the dreaded midges emerging en masse too due to the mild conditions.

Spent the whole day sorting out BTO matters, arrangements for the upcoming survey of Grey lag Geese and collecting a moth trap for a neighbour. The trap was provided by Butterfly Conservation some time ago and left with the Islay Natural History Trust for easy transfer. A couple of identification guides are also available to make life easier! Whilst its use might only result in some of the commoner species being recorded it will extend our knowledge of the distribution of moths on Islay which is grossly under-recorded . It links to the mains electricity supply so there's no fiddling around with car batteries and the like!

Can recommend the film " Vantage Point". It deals with a supposed modern day assassination attempt of a US President. It's violent, and not a very comfortable film to watch , but it employs some intriguing flashback sequences, presenting a different theme and perspective on each occasion for the same time period until the final uninterrupted "run" to the end.

Numbers of Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting have been visiting the feeders. Based on adult males and numbers I guess up to five families of Siskin have been in attendance with all the squabbles that entails. An apt opportunity for identifying the differences between the juveniles of all the different species given they're just outside the window.

18th August,2009.

News recently, via BirdLife International, that a higher count than anticipated (161 ) of White-shouldered Ibis at Western Siem Pang, Cambodia had been realised was most encouraging. Contrasted against this , another source of information reported that studies since the 1980's of Kenya's wildlife showed it to have reduced by up to 40%. A far less reassuring comment that global conservation was progressing in a consistent fashion. In the latter report a particular comment caught my eye, which I personally believe is critical to the success of many of the initiatives now being undertaken. It was acknowledged that , where there was local community involvement, the declines and degradation of habitat had been significantly less. Having seen such at work, particularly in West Africa and Cambodia, I would very much agree with the conclusion.

In Cambodia the Wildlife Conservation Society, an American organization founded in 1895 and currently involved in over 500 conservation projects in 60 countries ( see http://www.wcs.org/ ) , has been involved in various initiatives aimed at improving the populations of ibis, stork and vulture species and several others . It has provided help and guidance to the Sam Veasnu Centre ( SVC ) which, in turn, has links with various community based schemes in the country similar to those alluded to above.

In 2008 , as part of an Oriental Bird Club tour, I had the privilege to visit many of the key sites in Cambodia and see several species that are " on the brink" , including White-shouldered Ibis. The SVC provided a guide (see below ) in addition to the services of BirdTour Asia.

Sophoan Sanh spoke good English, proved to be an experienced birder, was well travelled within her own country and others nearby and extremely knowledgeable about Cambodian culture. Supporting her was a group of drivers and ladies who did the cooking whilst we were in some of the more remote places.

That year only 130 people visited the Tmatboey community based project , mostly within January and February when weather conditions are at their best. This particular community protects the Giant Ibis and White-shoulderd Ibis within the adjacent dipterocarp forest areas besides overseeing the provision and cleaning of the accomodation facilities which have been built. Income is fed back to the community from such visits and it's pleasing to report that 2008 met its financial targets and the objectives of the business plan ( you can't escape business plans nowadays , not even deep in the forest!!! ). A year round presence , not just aimed at showing visitors birds, but ensuring hunting is controlled, watching for forest fires and ensuring habitat is maintained and census work undertaken, is all a part of the service provided.

Simple, straightforward, but effective and a lifeline for both the birds and the community that itself would have had to depend on natural resources within the 30 years of civil strife that ravaged the country. Now, with economic prosperity improving, conservation is part of the fabric of opportunity that is benefitting both isolated communities and the wildlife in their adjacent environments.

In 2009 the SVC ( see http://www.samveasnu.org/ ) organized two SVC Super Tours, birding trips which visited 11 sites in 14 days!! A wide selection of birds was seen at mouth watering sites such as that shown here.

These are to be repeated in 2010 ( in January and February ) besides there being another Oriental Bird Club Tour.

There are other areas under review in Cambodia. Kae seima, Mondulkiri, in Eastern Cambodia sounds enticing to say the least. Until relatively recently this area only had one road linking it to the country's infrastructure, is said to have the most diverse range of habitats in Cambodia, has elephants, eight species of cat , including tiger, and a wide variety of bird species. It's certainly the one I hope to visit at some future point.

So, to everyone who has not yet visited SE Asia, give it a try , sign up for a real adventure and see sites and birds you'll never forget. It is truly fantastic, utterly unspoiled and the food is unbelievable! Contact the SVC and they'll do the rest. Believe me whether it's exploring the backwaters of the Sonle Tap by small boat, camping deep in the forest near to a trapeang that attracts White-winged Duck or venturing out on the vast Mekong River to see the newly described wagtail that lives out its existent on the small islands in the middle, you'll come back with memories that I suspect have no match with any others previously. At the same time you'll be chanelling the much required income directly into front line bird conservation schemes that deserve our support as they're linked to world threatened species! Do it!!!

17th August,2009.

A day necessarily combining birding and domestic calls, although it meant I could cast around more widely than usual. Quite pleasant weather with some good viewing conditions.

Almost calm conditions over the outer loch (Indaal ) enabled a good examination for divers. It was actually devoid of birds!! An odd gull and nothing else, which was a surprise. We appear not to have had any summering Great Northern Divers this year, although ,of course, birds could move on to the open sea as conditions improve. Whilst odd reports arise from time to time, feeding Shag way out in the loch's centre are likely to have confused the unwary, but even these were absent!!
In the inner loch waders are improving in numbers almost daily and various groups of Dunlin and Ringed Plover were present along with larger species too far out to gain a view of given the tide state . As yet duck have not begun to arrive and a few mergansers and Eider were the only representatives. The lone Barnacle Goose , wary as ever even after a lazy summer, strutted along the strand , quite separate from the gathering of 500+ Grey lag Geese on the edge of the Merse.

At Gruinart waders were again much in evidence and the tide state more convenient for viewing. Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling , Redshank, Greenshank, Knot, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed godwit, Curlew and Oystercatcher.....a veritable bonanza that kept me going for ages!.
A lone Osprey sat out the tide on an emergent sandbank, diligently preening for ages and then simply resting after what, one imagines, might have been a long flight previuosly.

At home Siskin and Lesser Redpoll families feed with Goldfinch and Reed Bunting and single Northern Wheatear, Whinchat and a Common Whitethroat were nearby. "White" wagtails are now more obvious, with some really handsome individuals, doubtless arrived from Iceland.

16th August, 2009.

Up and "on station" before dawn given a WSW F6 wind that was surely going to produce some good seawatching. Well it did, in the sense of close views of birds forced close to shore, but I hadn't reckoned with the heavy squalls in the early part of the three hours and the much reduced visibility that went with them. Counting was hopeless and very wet but , thankfully, no exceptional passage was in play. Interestingly very few auks were in evidence , the only noticeable slight "lift" in numbers being from Manx Shearwater with about 2000 going through , but little else. A nano secondsworth of a possible Sooty Shearwater, that would have been seen easier from Ireland (!), was the only bit of excitement. The weather did improve, but bird variety remained low and so I eventually squelched my way home after checking a few other sites. I actually prefer to be running wet than " warm and wet , a particularly disgusting condition in my view!!!

Warblers finally seem to have gone past peak with birds at home now being predominantly Siskin, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch and Wren at the feeders with a few other species just visiting the garden , including three Song Thrush which spend an inordinate amount of time in mock battle.

14th August, 2009.

It's hardly credible that the weather could be so different!! Rain, mist and, around 1700 hours , the Postie arriving like a wet sponge! Had all this been yesterday it would have been tractors and 4WD's called in to clear the car park!!

Working on the adage that , if it's fine then you're out, if it's wet and really horrible , get the fire in and play catch up with all the outstsnding jobs! Such was today, one of paper and computer work!

Recently some disappointing news has come in from my contact in Venezuela. Apparently Chavez is , in effect, closing down the country with a whole series of totalitarian laws and actions. Seizure of property, as I reported on previously, threats to State employees, new education laws are all now part of the upheaval affecting the country. It shouldn't be forgotten that there are many who will favour such actions given raised aspirations for an improved lifestyle and, in many respects, I can understand and fully support initiatives aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of people less well off . Sadly it's the methods employed that appear to let down the resolve!! The seizure of Hatos El Cedral and El Frio, both designated Important Bird Areas, with a future intention of putting both areas under rice cultivation is disappointing at best. International NGO's appear to be showing no interest , which is probably understandable given Venezuela is outside of any "network" within which they can exercise any influence.

One can only hope that, in future times , this independence, born of a Cuban model (?) , will see the same maturity emerge that affected the latter island wherein tourism , and birdwatching in particular, brought about a renewed vision of its natural habitats and the part they could play in the economy. Having said that, I see various trips are still being advertised by "Bird Tour" companies to Venezuela , so all is not lost quite yet.