Welcome to my blog all about my birdwatching, wild bird ringing activities and moth recording at Linacre Reservoirs, Derbyshire; in Great Britain and abroad.
This afternoon, I spotted a record of a Dotterel (197), that had been found on Burbage Moor (on the Derbyshire/South Yorkshire border).
Jayne and I drove across (less than half an hour from home!), and after a short, uphill jog (!!), we enjoyed fantastic views, at the bird ( a juvenile) sat on the moor, approximately 20m away!
As well as all the amazing birds, during our time at Lake Nakuru, we continued to enjoy the mammals Kenya has to offer.
Some of the mammals seen had already been record in the Maasai Mara e.g. Cape Buffalo, Plains Zebra, Impala and Vervet Monkey, but we also saw 3 new ones.
After our time in the Maasai Mara, Jayne and I drove across to Lake Nakuru National Park/Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge for an overnight stay.
On arrival, we drove through the park, stopping off at the Lake for a short (1 hour) visit. The first birds we saw in the park were Yellow-collared Lovebirds, which we nesting in the entrance building!) Variable Sunbirds (male and female) were also seen in this area. Arriving at the lake we spotted Little, Cattle and Great Egret, African Openbill Stork, Black-winged Stilt, Lesser and Greater Flamingo (c.30), African Spoonbill, African Skimmer, Giant Kingfisher (a quick fly-past!), Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Cape Teal and, the best for me, Grey-headed Gull (3 adults and 1 juvenile).
Yesterday, I had my first visit to Rufford for a couple of weeks. It was bright sunshine (with a few rain showers) and 20 degrees, and there were about 70 Black-headed Gulls (c.40 juveniles). 7 darviced gulls were seen, and a new, metal-ringed bird was also spotted.
The darviced birds were: 258A (2nd sighting this autumn/winter), 207C (4th sighting since July), 258C (fourth sighting this autumn/winter), 221F (last seen in February 2025), 234F (second sighting this autumn/winter), 255F (first sighting since January 2025) and 2V03 (2nd sighting this autumn/winter).
Normal service was resumed today, as Jayne and I set out "twitching" again! This time, we headed up to Edderthorpe Flash, near Barnsley, to see a Grey Phalarope (196).
We found the bird straight away, thanks to the small group of birders there (!), and got decent, but distant, views, as it fed about 500m out on the water. Here's a heavily cropped image.
I don't often go out "birding" nowadays, without there being the potential for a "tick", but today was a little different, as Jayne and I headed over to RSPB Bempton Cliffs for our second time this year. The reason for today's visit was to see, and photograph, this year's juvenile birds (something we'd never done, despite saying we would every year!!).
The weather forecast was perfect, and, for once, it stayed perfect, with beautiful blue skies, little wind, and temperatures of 23 degrees. There were still lots of adult birds present, along with juveniles, in varying stages of development, and other, immature birds from previous years. The RSPB also have a great display showing how the birds develop, and change, as they mature.
In addition to the birds already listed, we managed to see many other species whilst in the Maasai Mara. Here are a list of them, with a few photos: Abyssinian Thrush, Pied Crow, Baglafecht Weaver (seen in the hotel grounds in Nairobi) White-eyed Slatey Flycatcher, Streaky Seedeater, Cape Crow, Long-tailed Fiscal, Ruppel's Starling, Lesser-striped Swallow, Hildebrandt's Starling and Variable Sunbird (seen enroute, in the Rift Valley).
Over the course of our African holiday, Jayne and I managed to spot 12 species of plover, wader and Thick-knee. The majority, as expected, were around the areas of Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha, but some were by the side of the roads, and included 8 species we'd never seen before.
The most common bird seen was the Crowned Lapwing. They were seen across most of the Maasai Mara, as well as, along most of the roads in Kenya.
Spur-winged Plover was another common bird, the first one being seen on our first drive in the Mara. It appeared to be nesting on the side of a lake where we were watching our first wild Hippopotamuses.
Arriving at Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha saw an upturn in the numbers of wading birds (obviously!), with the following seen: Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Common Sandpiper, and two new species, Kittlitz's Plover and Blacksmith Plover.
The last 2 species of wader seen were spotted in our second week, on Zanzibar. The first species: Water Thick-knee, was heard (first) and later identified, from our balcony, in the grounds of our hotel! Related to "our" Stone Curlews, it has a very similar appearance, but, unfortunately, its nocturnal habits meant that I only managed poor views, and even poorer photos, which I won't bother you with!! Here's a link instead.
The final species seen, also on Zanzibar, was Whimbrel. One bird was spotted feeding in an estuary close to the hotel.
Birds of prey were numerous in Kenya, but, unfortunately, quite tricky to photograph! Over the course of the week we managed to see 12 species, including 3 vultures.
Birds of prey seen were (in order of being seen): Black Kite (over Nairobi), African Harrier Hawk and Bateleur (both seen on the ride from Nairobi to Maasai Mara), Lappet-faced, White-backed and Ruppel's Vultures,
Black-chested Snake Eagle (all seen in the Maasai Mara), Augur Buzzard (by the roadside between Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru, also at Lake Nakuru),
African Fish Eagle (Lake Nakuru),
Tawny Eagle (roadside between Lake Naivasha and Amboseli), Eastern Chanting Goshawk (on roadside post in Amboseli) and African Black-shouldered Kite (on roadside, just outside Nairobi).
