Hel Hath No Birdies

Owls.  Is there any more stunning family of birds?  I think not.  Their variety, appearance and, more often than not, mysterious nocturnal nature make them highly desired by birders.  If you ask anyone shelling out a few grand for an organized Lapland trip "What birds do you most want to see in Finland?" 99% will answer with the owls. They are simply the dogs bollix. Pygmy Owl, for me anyway, ranks high on the list of Europe's best Owls. These "grump-tards", as I call them with much affection, are by far the easiest owl to see here, a factor of both their abundance and their often diurnal habits.    They never look happy, always looking utterly pissed off with their situation, which I feel only adds to their charm. In fairness, their expression is understandable. They get no peace. Despite their small size they are formidable hunters, often taking birds much larger than themselves. Consequently, when discovered by any r...

The weekend started early with this cracking 2CY female Goshawk perched up outside the house as I arrived home Friday evening. It was the usual tip off scenario, as both Hooded Crows and Fieldfares were going ballistic as I hopped off the bus.     Goshawk -2CY Female The light was beautiful, casting a low gold on the trees, so I grabbed the scope from inside and took a few snaps. This is a common occurrence, especially at this time of year as young birds take up residence in the area for the coming winter.  During the summer, the resident breeding adults seem to see off any interloping immatures, and I mostly see the male patrolling the sky on a daily basis. The winter months often involves a build up of fresh juvs, second calendar years and adults, averaging a regular 6-8 individuals and the odd passer by. We had been planning for some time on a day trip down to Hanko this Saturday and it was looking like sublime weather. Duri...

Shameless jumping on the bandwagon here, but I am reminded that this time last year we were looking at that mind boggling influx of Siberian Accentor into Europe, of which Finland had a lion's share. I got in on the action a couple of days late, when 2-3 birds showed up outside the lab. It would have been rude not to, like.  This was a particularly fine way to get a lifer, in somewhat "natural" habitat, considering that many of these birds showed up in less than appealing dumps, wasteground and, if you're British, skips.       It didn't end with these couple of birds for me either, others showed up around the city, several of which I connected with, including one just a few hundred meters from our home, and one which was keeping company with a far rarer Black Throated Accentor .  As if the sheer influx of the Sibes wasn't enough, I had managed to see both vagrant accentors in the space of a...

Saturday was a washout, but Sunday was a stunning day and was looking prime for raptors. I made my way out to Kirkkonummi in the hopes of some Golden Eagles. I'm not sure if people have picked up on this reading the blog, but I kinda love raptors. And Golden Eagles are a rather special treat. This time of year the Kirkkonummi area floods with young Goldies, many of which stay the winter. Kirkkonummi did not disappoint. The sky was full of birds, with geese, Common and Rough Legged Buzzards, White Tailed Eagles and over a dozen Golden Eagles during the day. I started out at Gunnarsby, the other side of Saltfjarden, and picked up what looked like a Great White Egret in the marsh with the naked eye as I parked up. I'm not too sure what the story is with this. I could see 7 or 8 birders on Saltfjarden tower, who I can only presume could see this bird, though it is possible that the line of reeds obscured it from their viewpoint. It wasn't on the news services, ...

Our Final day was to be spent back in San Gerado De Dota, with the specific aim of getting Costa Rica's most iconic bird, Resplendent Quetzal. We had planned things this way, as the idea of a straight drive from the south of the country to San Jose was not appealing, and a second day of clean up in San Gerado De Dota would be welcome if we had missed anything in the area, such as Resplendent Quetzal, which we had missed out on the first day. We booked a guide for the quetzals in our hotel when we arrived the previous evening, and it was a 5 a.m start planned for the next morning. Our guide took us to a viewing area overlooking a wild avocado tree and it wasn't long before 2 Quetzals came calling. These astounding birds were quite used to onlookers and happily sat munching the wild avocados. Amazing looking creatures. The sheer spectacle of them. We spent half an hour just mesmerized by these birds as they posed gracefully in this spectacular setting, their stunning colours...