The Deskbound Birder: Slavonian Grebe

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Pennington Marsh - 21st February

On a bright sunny morning I had a few hours to spend at Pennington Marsh. It is sometime since I had been down to the marsh and so I was looking forward to my time here. I walked a pretty standard route taking in Butt's Lagoon, Fishtail Lagoon, Jetty Lagoon and out to Oxey Lagoon. As expected there were excellent numbers of waders and wildfowl to be seen on the falling tide with highlights being 250 Golden Plover off Pennington Lane, four Ruff, Peregrine, Marsh Harrier, the long staying Purple Sandpiper on the mudflats just east of the jetty, two Slavonian Grebe off Oxey Lagoon and also a Red-necked Grebe off Oxey Lagoon. Also just off Oxey was a seal, I didn't see it very well but I think it was a Common Seal, and a little more surprising was a recently dead Common Dolphin, see here.

After a couple of hours on the marshes I headed into the New Forest and spent an hour at Denny Wood seeing little but for the standard resident woodland species many of which were in full territorial song. A Red Kite soared overhead, still a relatively uncommon species in the forest.

Purple Sandpiper - By the jetty at Pennington Marsh

Roe Deer sporting fine fresh velvety antlers - Pennington Marsh

The Lapwing are just starting to display on the marshes - Pennington Marsh

A fine male Pintail - Pennington Marsh

Red-breasted Merganser - Oxey Lagoon

Red-breasted Merganser, male displaying to the female - Oxey Lagoon

Red-necked Grebe - Off Oxey Lagoon

Slavonian Grebe - Off Oxey Lagoon

Brent Goose - Pennington Marsh

Red Kite - Over Denny Wood

Treecreeper - Denny Wood

Coal Tit - Denny Wood

Mistle Thrush - Pig Bush

Monday, 6 June 2016

Alaska - 6th June (Day 10)

Today was primarily a driving day and when we awoke to rain we were quite relieved that this was not the weather we had been provided with yesterday when we were looking for Smith's Longspur. We headed out of the Denali Highway Cabins at 05:30 driving the highway south from Paxton. We were quickly out of the mountains into a surprisingly flat landscape dominated by spruce forest, a brief stop produced a Red-tailed Hawk of the very dark form known as Gunlocks Hawk, and 25 Bohemian Waxwing. We birded Gulkana Airport where a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek is present but we had no luck with this. However, the birding around the lakes to the east of the airport was excellent and we had great views of a Slavonian Grebe on nest, Alder Flycatcher, Northern Waterthrush, Lesser Yellowlegs and, in terms of rarity, best of all two Rusty Blackbird, a species that is rapidly declining. We then drove on south to the Tolsona Wilderness Camp ground where a Great Grey Owl nest has previously been present but we had no luck and the birding here was dominated by thousands of mosquito but we did see Northern Flicker and Boreal Chickadee. A lunch stop at the Sheep Mountain Lodge where Boreal Owl is occasionally present in nest boxes was once again met with disappointment. On outwards towards Anchorage on persistent rain and strong winds we searched the spruce along the highway for Hawk Owl but with no luck. So, a three owl dip day and with the rain falling we headed to Anchorage, checked into the Motel 6 and went for dinner at the Rustic Goat before crashing at around mid-night after a few too many beers.