Sherborne and Hilfield April 30th

Nice surprise today- the same sparrowhawk as I saw about a month ago chasing pigeons in the rainy sky behind Sherborne Abbey, where I also saw my first house martin of the summer, with the weather seeming to be anything but summer like. Also bullfinch, great spotted woodpecker and a flock of c300-400 herring gulls went past at Hilfield.
The swallows also made another brief return today, but moved off as soon as the torrential rain slowed down a touch.

Hilfield April 28th

I hoped, in vain, that today would be the first of my monthly 1 hour bird watches in which I try to find as many bird species around Hilfield as I can. I waited until 4 in the afternoon for the torrential rain to turn to drizzle, but almost as soon I set out the rain restarted. I had to turn back after 10 miserable minutes, but I did find two blackcaps, a chiffchaff and 4 starlings (a bird we don't often see around here) as well as a number of the commoner species, including a buzzard and a long tailed tit.

Hilfield April 28th

On an early evening walk yesterday in some dreadful weather, I found a singing song thrush and blackcap as well as a greenfinch.

A night walk in search of the noctules and owls brought me just a large rat that was having a swim in the lake!

Hilfield 26th April

Lots of bird life around- singing song thrushes, great spotted woodpeckers, buzzards, treecreepers and raven which got mobbed by the rooks as it flew overhead. Highlight was the very welcome return of the swallows, but they do not seem to be fully settled and I couldn't find them again this evening. Lots of swallows flying around the garden as well.

Just to add to that, I heard both tawny and barn owls this evening and saw a noctule bat.

Hilfield 24th April

Saw two French partridges this morning, several swallows and buzzards around. Very worrying that there is no sign of our swallows yet....

Hilfield April 22

Lots of birds around back at Hilfield- the highlights were a pair of great spotted woodpeckers, several treecreepers, 4 singing blackcaps, large numbers of buzzards and some enormous flocks of herring and common gulls (up to 350). One pair of swallows appears to have returned and 10 other swallows passed over. The best two birds of the day, however, were a merlin which passed over the garden and a sparrowhawk which soared high above the house.
A short walk through the woods brought me blackcaps, treecreepers and a singing song thrush.

Jordan 13-21 April

We went off to Jordan for a fantastic week's holiday on the 13th. We arrived in Amman late at night on the 13th and went straight to sleep.

The next day, I managed to spot collared dove, feral pigeon, hooded crow, laughing dove and blackbird before breakfast out of the hotel window. Following breakfast, we headed to Wadi Rum, stopping off at Mount Nebo and Madaba along the way. On the drive to Mount Nebo, I added house sparrow, white-spectacled bulbul, common swift and a eurasian jay. Mount Nebo, the place where in the Bible Moses looked over the promised lands and may now be buried, with spectacular views over the Jordan valley, brought me a superb bird. As we admired the fantastic view, I saw a small flicker in a dead bush straight bellow me. It turned out to be a wryneck, a scarce passage migrant in Jordan. At Mount Nebo, I also found a  large group of blackcaps, a greenfinch and several spanish sparrows.

Our next stop, at Madaba to admire the magnificent Byzantine 6th century mosaic depicting a map of the holy land, brought me a black redstart, great tit and a lesser whitethroat. We reached the stunning wadi rum by early evening. The bedouin-style camp we stayed in was rather unclean and basic, but it was saved by its setting. On an evening stroll, I found tristram's starlings, some genuinely wild rock doves, brown-necked and fan-tailed ravens, northern and white-crowned wheatears, an orphean warbler, pale crag martin and the splendid sinai rose finch. After a great night walk, on which I heard a calling Hume's tawny owl, we had a very sound night's sleep. The next morning, my father and I went for an early morning's walk. For the first hour we quite literally only saw four birds, all rock doves. We then walked through a shrubby area, which contained an awful lot more birds. A lesser kestrel flew overhead, and in the shrubbery were olivaceous, scrub and arabian warblers as well as a chiffchaff. On the way back, I found a desert lark, eastern mourning wheatear and a male rufous-tailed rock thrush. We then returned and went on a two hour drive around Wadi Rum. On that drive, I found the only mammal of our trip, a sand fox that darted into a rocky gully, but failed to see any new birds. We then travelled to Dana nature reserve, via Aqaba for lunch.

At Aqaba, a Mallorca-style seaside resort, with its 200 yards of beach covered with sun loungers and tourists, I added baltic gull, eurasian hoopoe, masked shrike and house crow to my list. We soon arrived at Dana, where we stayed in Feynan Eco Lodge, an eco-freindly lodge that absurdly served no meat and provided no electricity to the rooms despite having dozens of solar panels. While driving into the lodge, I saw green bee-eaters, a griffon vulture and a willow warbler. On a late evening walk around the lodge, I found blackstarts, a pair of greater short-toed larks, a thrush nightingale and palestine sunbird. The next day, we went for a four-hour trek up Wadi Dana. On the walk, I saw some more griffon vultures, long-legged and steppe buzzards, common kestrel and a common redstart. The highlight was a juvenile levant sparrowhawk that cruised down the valley. The next day, I went on another early morning walk, on which I found a small flock of ortolan buntings and two hoopoes. We then drove down to Petra along a road which had some quite remarkable views. Before we left Dana, we saw the green bee-eaters again, as well as a little ringed plover by a large puddle caused by a leaking pipe and a exaltation of crested larks.

From the car on the way to Petra, I saw a pair of spur-winged lapwings by a small pond and a southern grey shrike. We stopped off at a view point, from which we could see huge numbers of birds of prey in the distance. There were certainly long-legged and steppe buzzards and a possible sooty falcon. We also were able to identify a short-toed snake eagle, which glided overhead. We then had a walk around Little Petra where we saw several sinai rosefinches. We then went on to our hotel in Wadi Moussa, the purpose-built tourist town with direct access to Petra. Opposite the hotel was an area of irrigated and lightly wooded farmland, which was quite literally swarming with hirundines, in fact every single species of hirundine in Jordan- barn and red-rumped swallows and house, sand, pale crag and eurasian crag martins as well as several swifts. Some birds of prey moved down the valley, steppe, long-legged and honey buzzards.

The next day we walked down into Petra itself, arguably the most remarkable place I have ever been. Among the ancient Nabataean buildings carved into sheer rock face, where huge numbers of hirundines, house sparrows and rock doves. The most remarkable sight came from in front of the treasury, where we sat down, only for several enormous flocks of migrating birds of prey to fly over. There were honey, long-legged and steppe buzzards, black kites, a booted eagle, some common kestrels and several unidentifiable falcons. The only new bird I got that day wandering around Petra was a female blue rock thrush. The next day we returned Petra. It was very hazy and there were no birds of prey around other than a kestrel and a steppe buzzard, but I did find a group of Bonelli's warblers near the entrance. We made our way up to the monastery, an awe-inspiring memorial to an ancient king carved into sheer rock face, where I found a male blue rock thrush and saw a group of European bee-eaters go past. We then walked to the High Place of Sacrifice, a place with stunning views of Petra. The number of birds, however, was a little less stunning. We returned in the afternoon and went for a look around the field opposite the hotel. All the hirundines were present in huge numbers, along with Upcher's, willow and a female Sardinian warbler, common and lesser whitethroat, blackcap and chiffchaff. Long-legged and steppe buzzards gave the hirundines a scare.

The next day we went back to the field very early in the morning. Almost immediately, I saw one of the birds I most wanted to see- a nightingale. It soon crawled into the undergrowth but I was over the moon. There were also several lesser whitethroats, chiffchaffs and ortolan buntings. Fantastically, I then found another four nightingales, all very close and a male Sardinian warbler.

We then drove up to the Dead Sea, via Shabak and Karak castles. At Karak, I found a pair of blue rock thrushes, rock sparrows and an alpine swift. At the Dead Sea, having spent as long as I was bare able floating in the incredibly salty water, then covering myself in the special mud the water produces, I managed to add little egret and Indian silverbill, a species that has become naturalised throughout the Jordan Valley after escaping as a cage bird in Amman, to my list. The next morning, our last of the holiday, I had a quick walk around the hotel's grounds. I found spotted and semi-collared flycatchers, another nightingale, a garden warbler, pallid and little swifts (among the huge numbers of common swifts passing over the hotel) and a cattle egret, to end a fantastic week's holiday.
Number of birds seen: 79
Jordan and year list

Sinai Rosefinch at Wadi Rum

April 13th

Very nice morning walk around Hilfield, several greenfinches around, two french partridges and a pair of swallows close to Hilfield. Still no sign of our swallows...
Just about to leave for a week in Jordan, can't wait!

West Dorset, April 12

On a nice afternoon walk today, I found a lovely selection of warblers in a forest near the village of Chetnole, with dozens of willow warblers, chiffchaffs and blackcaps all in a little stretch of woodland. To add to that, three great spotted woodpeckers and two collared doves. Back at Hilfield, I found another willow warbler and several treecreepers.

Hilfield 12th April

Bit of a surprise this morning, several greenfinches, the first here for a couple of years, appear to be nesting in the woods.

Hilfield 11th April

Good numbers of the usual birds today, including a huge flock of immature gulls, presumably all herring and black headed, and 15 buzzards. I also heard my first willow warbler of the summer. Still no sign of our nesting swallows....

Hilfield 9-10th April

Back at Hilfield, the rooks continued to make their nests. Three mute swans passed over, and several buzzards were around. All the usual passerines were around and a treecreeper appeared to be making a nest, as did marsh, blue and great tits. The song thrush was singing in its usual tree and the first swallow of the year passed over on the 10th. Large numbers of gulls also passed over. No sign of our nesting swallows yet...

Skiing in Bardoneccia 2nd-7th April

Due to the lack of snow, our week's skiing in northern Italy allowed plenty of time to bird watch. On the drive from Geneva, there were plenty of Black Kites and corvids. At the resort itself, there were a great deal of interesting species, many of which passing through on migration. A walk around town every afternoon brought me several unidentifiable birds of prey, one a possible goshawk and one a probable peregrine, woodpigeons, huge numbers of crag martins, my first swallows of the year, several of which passed through the village, lots of white wagtails, another possible dipper, a fantastic female black redstart, fieldfares, blackbirds, a single male blackcap, great tits, blue tits, coal tits, a willow tit, long-tailed tits, nuthatches, magpies, jays, carrion crows, jackdaws, house sparrows, chaffinches, goldfinches and greenfinches. My only new bird of the trip was a singing wood warbler, but the birding highlight of the holiday was a golden eagle that soared high above our hotel for several minutes.

Life total: 1319

Lake District 24th March-1st April

Have just got back from a week in the Lake District, followed by a week skiing in Italy. In the Lake District I hoped to find some new mountain birds that I had not seen before.
 I was there for a week of adventurous activities and I was staying in a cottage on Derwentwater, which was swarming with waterfowl. On the lake, there were several Great Crested Grebes, Cormorants, Mute Swans, thousands of Greylag and Barnacle Geese, Canada Geese, Mallard, Teal, Red-breasted Mergansers, Coots and Moorhen. The highlight for me of the birds on the lake was the flock of about 50 goldeneye and the pair of Goosanders that came right up to my kayak when we were out on the water. While kayaking, I also saw lots of the common waterfowl, a grey heron, pied wagtails and a variety of gulls- black-headed, herring and lesser black-backed. A greater spotted woodpecker busily drilled holes into the trees around the cottage, where there were also plenty of chaffinches, nuthatches, robins, woodpigeons, collared doves,  wrens, dunnocks, blackbirds, great tits, coal tits, blue tits, long-tailed tits, carrion crows, jackdaws, magpies, rooks and goldfinches. On a late evening walk around the lake, I found lapwings, oystercatchers, the flock of goldeneyes, pheasants, a small flock of snipe, several pipistrelle bats and five roe deer. While in Whinlatter Forest Park, where I was mountain-biking, I hoped to find crossbills and red squirrels. Unfortunately I found neither of these conifer forest specialities, but there were hundreds of siskins, chaffinches, goldfinches, several buzzards and jays. Up in the mountains, during a trio of 8-hour treks, there were huge numbers of skylarks, meadow pipits and stonechats. While doing the extremely-enjoyable activity of ghyll descent (climbing down a mountain stream) there were several grey wagtails and a possible dipper. My favourite two birds of the trip I found while trekking, dozens of ravens and a remarkable tally of 10 peregrines! For me, my birding highlight of the trip was the 6 or so tawny owls that kept me awake while camping in Borrowdale National Park. On the return journey I saw several kestrels on the roadside.
Number of species seen: 52