Belated BY - 6th year! Herman&Kit

[Kitsafari]

303. Eurasian Curlew, North York Moors National Park 

The moors provided little to the count but we did add the Eurasian Curlew to our count. A pair was watching over a chick but they were so distant we could not get a proper shot.

 

 

 

 

There were cute lambs though that came quite close to the vehicle! they don't count to my BY sadly.

 

[Kitsafari]

On to Kensington Gardens in London where a resident Little Owl was said to be regularly present at the Round Pond, although a regular UK birder have found a family of eight last year. Disappointingly, we couldn't find it on the first day and I was too tired to go again on the second morning. Herman went but couldn't find the owl. On the third morning of the day we were flying back home, Herman was determined to find it, this  time armed with help from the UK birder, and he found it. Hoorah for him - hard work rewarded.

 

 304. Little Owl, Kensington Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

It was a lovely morning at Kensington Gardens and the Egyptian Geese have settled in very nicely, with the adults proudly parading a good haul of chicks.  Already in my count as #48. 

 

 

 The family in front of Kensington Palace, I think. 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

305. Canada Goose, Kensington Gardens

 

[Kitsafari]

306. Eurasian Magpie, Kensington Gardens 

 

[Kitsafari]

307. Great Crested Grebe, Kensington Gdns

 

 

[Kitsafari]

308. Lesser Black-backed Gull, Kensington Gdns

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

309. Mallard, Kensington Gdns

 

 

[Kitsafari]

310.Tufted Duck, Kensington Gdns

 

[Kitsafari]

311. Mandarin Duck, Kensington Gdns

 

 

[Kitsafari]

312. Mute Swan, Hyde Park

 

[Kitsafari]

312. Black Swan, Hyde Park 

 

The lone black swan is said to have been trying to cavort with his girlfiend - a mute swan!

 

 

I've adjusted the count for the black swan as I seemed to have double-counted the jackdaw in the list. 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Kitsafari

[Kitsafari]

That is it for our UK trip. It was a short trip for a total of around 97 species, excluding the common ones which we didn't count or photograph and those which we missed. we saw a Green Woodpecker along the road to Minsmere but the bird flew into the trees when we stopped further ahead. We also staked out a place in a forest for the golden oriole but although we could hear it calling, it just refused to come close.

 

Thought i'll add the sceneries of the areas we were at. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2023 by Kitsafari

[BRACQUENE]

Congrats with a well deserved 300!

[Tdgraves]

Well done on the triple century 

[Zim Girl]

Great shots of the puffins for number 300!

[TonyQ]

Well done on 300.

You got a great total for a short trip to the UK. I am only on about 140 and I have been here all year 

Bearded Reedling is a brilliant sighting and photos- far better than I have ever achieved.

I am really pleased you got to see the Puffin,and the Gannets are spectacular. Bempton is a great place for cliff birds. The Crossbill is a difficult bird to find.

Edited November 13, 2023 by TonyQ

[Kitsafari]

Thanks much @BRACQUENE @Tdgraves @Zim Girl @TonyQ

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Congrats on #300, well done. Really enjoyed your UK birds, agree with Tony, a great number for a short trip like that. Absolutely love all the Seabird photos, especially the Gannets and Puffins. And wonderful Reedling photos. 

[Kitsafari]

Thanks @michael-ibk.  the cliffs with the seabirds was quite an experience for us. I hadn't realise that crossbills were that tough to get as @TonyQ had said so we were very lucky to see it, even at a distance. 

[Kitsafari]

 

The next trip was to Bali. Some birder friends had been there and we were surprised at the number of endemics you could find on that touristy island so we had to go there as well for a 4-day birding tour and a 2-night chillout at Ubud. We haven't been to Bali for over 10 years, and I was disappointed with how far and deep the commercialism had taken hold, extending to the previously charming Ubud area. The once quaint and pretty rice fields are filled with "love swings" decorated with fake flowers to provide instagrammable photos for the selfies and wefies that profilerated as we walked down the hills to the fields. you even pay a fee just to walk down to the rice fields! Bali has almost completely lost its appeal for me now.  

But the birds were a different story. Several were lifer species for us, even though Bali is just a 2-hr flight from Singapore.  

 

313. Black Drongo

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

314. Black-naped FruitDove

 

male

 

Female

[Kitsafari]

315. Black-thighed Falconet

 

[Kitsafari]

316. Black-winged Flycatcher Shrike

 

 

 

[Kitsafari]

317. Cave Swiftlet, a near endemic with range in Sumatra to Java and Bali