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The main aim in the new season is to write a book on Honey-buzzard, using my experience in British Isles, continental Europe and Africa, dating from 1993. Field work in 2025 in Northumberland will complement this task, filling in gaps and reinforcing findings. Broad headings for book are: Motivation, Historical Records, Rediscovery in Britain, Migration Patterns, Arrival and Display, Breeding Activity, Habitat, Dispersal, Wintering Grounds, Four Identification Models, Value of Field Experience, Further Studies, Bibliography. The initial costs of publishing the book in hard copy, running to perhaps 250pp, are well within my means. Some supplementary material may be published online.
Highlights of Year from Honey-buzzard home page at http://nickrossiter.org.uk/hbweb/index.html:
The last NB can be found here.
April 26th: maximum 13C, minimum 3C, light SW, overcast all day, dry. Was warmer further E with good numbers of butterflies out up to Corbridge, including Green-veined White, Small White, Orange-tip, Speckled Wood. But very dull in Hexham and none in flight. At Ordley had 2 Garden Warbler singing, a Nuthatch singing, 2 Swallow, a Song Thrush singing, an Oystercatcher calling, plus at 22:15 a Barn Owl on the roadside fence. President’s Night went well, including a Call My Bluff on some anecdotal stories on my past life! New bins have arrived at a local store. You will do it: keep strong: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
Black Kite continue to migrate (BirdGuides):
16:16 25/04 Black Kite Norfolk Strumpshaw (village) one drifted east over tip then Buckenham Woods late afternoon
Presumed Escape 19:45 24/04 Black Kite Suffolk Minsmere RSPB 14/04 bird that flew over here and Westleton Heath on 14 April was wearing jesses (has since been recaptured)
and the first Honey-buzzard appear in the UK:
14:29 26/04 European Honey Buzzard Kent North Foreland 14:18 male landed in trees by golf course then flew over club house
Reported 17:51 24/04 European Honey Buzzard Orkney Westray one reportedly circled over then continued north
April 25th: maximum 13C, minimum 5C, light E, overcast up to mid-afternoon, sun came out at ttime, dry. Made favourite cafe but not the same, although well looked after! New shorts and trousers arrived from CT and wearing navy shorts at lunchtime, changing into black chinos for concert. Ordered some new binoculars Hawke 12x50 for bird-watching from Amazon for £199; old pairs deteriorate very slowly but after a while need replacing; also ordered some new sports socks. Made 4Pt (Marriott Bonvoy) for stay overnight b4 setting off for GH. Funds have had a good week at +53k on some return of confidence; RKH, my largest holding, is up around 15%; I’ve sold around 45% of original holding of over 3.2m as enforce rule that RKH cannot make up more than 1/3 of any fund, of which have 6 in all; gain on whole funds ytd is +593k. Concert was gr8: more to follow on this. Made post-concert celebration: our bassoonist SR retiring after 44 years in post! Very sociable, had good chats with musicians including CM, AY, IB, MG. So back in hotel by 00:30 when having a long orange H2O to rehydrate! 2Moro is R President’s Night at Hexham Golf Club, celebrating me. Supporting tmfo: she’s a *: XXXXXX!!!
April 24th: maximum 13C, minimum 4C, light E, overcast up to mid-afternoon, sun came out at ttime, dry. It’s been a very dry month in the North-East with Durham noted as only having 8% of average for the month up to yesterday; what a contrast to last year. Did make T4m4l with M 4 good catch-up. Walked around Sele later from 13:30-14:15, seeing 2 Song Thrush, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Nuthatch, 2 Collared Dove, plus a Grey Squirrel. Had a Bank Vole on patio at ttime and Garden Warbler singing all day at Ordley. Have added some more Faro piccies before 15/3; just one day to finish the series now – 15/3. Had a great visit to West Dipton Burn/Letah Wood from 15:55-16:55, arriving just as the cloud from the east burnt back a bit more, giving some strong sunshine, even if remaining cool. Had 4 Common Buzzard (2 singles at 2 sites to Swallowship in E, a very agitated single N of Letah Wood, a single in territory to NW, N of Dipton Mill). Also to NW had a Red Kite, floating around from 16:25-16:28, a Black Kite up at 16:48 1 2 3 in contention with the Common Buzzard 4, a male Goshawk up at 16:35 N of Letah Wood 1 2 3, in contention with another Common Buzzard. So 7 raptors of 4 types. In 21 bird-types had single singing Blackcap, Willow Warbler, an agitated Chiffchaff. Am working on my 2 garden ponds, refilling them after they went almost dry, and that’s perking up the marsh marigold and the bog iris. Made G4g4s with a big turnout of D/R/Rg/A/P 4 gr8 chat. For next 2 weeks R is going to Germany so I will be fetching and bringing back the frail P; it’s a bit of a responsibility as he can hardly walk now. On the other hand tmfo is super-fit: so many kisses and good wishes: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! 2moro have concert in evening at GH, with party afterwards, staying overnight! About 10 Common Gull moving NE near midnight, calling, at Hexham SW.
April 23rd: maximum 13C, minimum 5C, moderate E, thin cloud coming over from North Sea, weak sunshine at times, dry. Went to Thornbrough, near Corbridge today, from 15:30-16:45. No Black Kite here yet but did have a pair of Common Buzzard in vigorous display! Total of 20 bird-types here included a Lapwing, a Common Gull adult, 4 Yellowhammer, an agitated Whitethroat, a singing Blackcap, a singing Chiffchaff, 2 Siskin. At Corbridge had 13 Sand Martin over the bridge over the Tyne at 16:50. Also had a Song Thrush at Letah Wood and 2 Common Gull adult at Ordley. Booked up for a classical Prom at GH for £55.50 on July 26th. Feeling more relaxed with no R this week but am featuring strongly in President’s Night this Saturday evening at Hexham Golf Club; my stint finishes on 30/6! 2moro may be seeing M at T4m4l and in evening making G4g4s. Have feeling that need to say goodbye properly but understand if she’s the Sleeping Beauty!! XXXXXX!!!
No Honey-buzzard on BirdGuides yet. Masses of Black Kite records on BirdGuides recently, most referring to a bird calling in at a tip in Shropshire:
18:47 23/04 Black Kite East Yorkshire Out Newton 18:30 one reportedly quartering oilseed rape fields east of Out Newton Road between 17:00 and 18:30
Negative News 14:46 22/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR no sign at landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
17:51 20/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 17:48 again over landfill from layby (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
Negative News 15:50 20/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 15:45 no sign over tip by 15:45; strictly no access to landfill
Negative News 12:27 20/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR no further sign over landfill from layby by 12:25 (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
10:27 20/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 10:23 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
08:27 20/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 08:23 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
18:08 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 18:07 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
17:47 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 17:00 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
16:00 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 15:30 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
15:02 19/04 Black Kite Cornwall St Levan 14:50 one flew low towards Raftra Farm
13:39 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 13:37 again over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
12:58 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 12:45 still over landfill then flew over nature reserve viewed from Heron Hide
12:42 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 12:41 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
12:09 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 11:30 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
11:02 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 10:59 still over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
11:01 19/04 Black Kite Isles of Scilly St Mary's one flew east over Old Town
10:13 19/04 Black Kite Shropshire Wood Lane NR 10:12 one over landfill (c 52.8867, -2.8571); strictly no access to landfill
April 22nd: maximum 14C, minimum 4C, light W, sunny intervals, warmer, dry. Much better day today: back in shorts! Have ordered 2 new pairs of trousers and 1 of shorts from Charles Tyr, cost £205. Ag tankard duly arrived, very nice plain example weighing 9 oz and gr8 to think was made in Newcastle in 1769; Newcastle Ag is not nearly as fashionable as Exeter Ag so maybe should look at former more! Bought 3 photo albums in Hexham to file away the family piccies from last week and a few more lying around the house. The Garden Warbler was still singing at home and the first Speckled Wood butterfly emerged. Went for walk around Sele after being thrown out of library at 17:00; had 18 bird-types including single Blackcap and Nuthatch singing plus 2 Oystercatcher heard. Gave £100 to Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s appeal for the Rothbury moors; with matched funding this week and gift-aid that becomes £225 for the charity. Priority booking has opened for next season at Glasshouse and will need to act by 5/5! Planning to be away for most of October (in Costa Rica) and later in Dubai, maybe for Xmas, but will probably book up regardless as discounts for more concerts outweigh the odd absence. Funds are +13k wtd on rise in RKH after Navitas, the Israeli operator of Sea Lion, moves ahead with the development, though we’re still waiting for FID (Final Investment Decision). Did make my favourite cafe where favourite lass happened to be on; she did look very beautiful today; very glad I went in to give my full support!! XXXXXX!!!
April 21st: maximum 11C, minimum 5C, light SE, bright morning, then cloudy with rain, cool. Not out in daytime, plenty to catch up from yesterday, which have done. Had a Garden Warbler singing in field at lunchtime, an early arrival from this beautiful singer. Did make G4g4s 4 good chat with A/R/P, with E on!! 2moro have Georgian Ag NCL tankard being delivered, then into HEX in afternoon as cleaner S arrives. Thinking of someone: XXXXXX!!!
April 20th: maximum 12C, minimum 4C, light E, sunny after dull start, dry, cool. Have updated Portugal 18/3 piccies from Lagos (below), showing many gulls and the impressive coastal scenery. Also completed records for London trip. Raptor totals were: 39 Red Kite, 6 Common Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel. In today’s great sunshine did quite a lot of local birdwatching in Ordley square where had 34 species of bird, including a Black Kite in aggravation with Common Buzzard at 13:15, total 2 Common Buzzard were at the local site; also had 3 Lapwing, 2 Curlew, a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Jay, a Swallow, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Tree Sparrow, 1 Bullfinch, 4 Teal, 1 Moorhen, 4 Greylag Goose, last 3 at Steel Pond. Butterflies comprised single Small White, Green-veined White, Orange-tip female, Small Tortoiseshell. Went to Whitley Mill area for an hour from 16:35-17:35 where had 5 Common Buzzard (pair displaying Slaley W, 2 displaying far to W at Rowley Burn, 1 up closer to W) and a Red Kite up for some time a little to W of Whitley Chapel, at 17:10. In total of 20 species also had single singing Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap, 2 Curlew, 3 Skylark, 6 Chaffinch. Butterflies comprised 2 of each of Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Orange-tip (male, female). Made G4g4s with L on; quite a few Haltwhistle lasses in made it quite lively!! Unsure what to do on my gorgeous rendezvous: instinct is to save the moments for later: XXXXXX!!!
April 19th: maximum 10C, minimum 2C, moderate E, dull, a little brighter in afternoon, dry, cool. Did have lunch in favourite cafe where well looked after but really missed someone!! Then onto bridge over Tyne at Hexham from 15:00-16:35 where had a pair of Osprey (different singles up at 15:48 and 16:03), a Black Kite (single up at 15:45 and 15:52), 7 Sand Martin, 2 Swallow, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Dipper, plus a lot more, with increase in summer visitors in spite of cool weather. Then 16:30 HEX-NCL and onto GH where met S/M for tea. Had an Atlantic-type Yellow-legged Gull at Prudhoe on the Tyne at 16:41: resting on stones, probably atlantis-type in broader sense, i.e. could be from Atlantic coast of Portugal or Spain. A Common Buzzard was near Corbridge. Concert in Hall 2 was entitled Ravel’s Tzigane with much music by Ravel and Debussy, some of it very lively!! I particularly liked the Sonata for Flute, violin and harp by Debussy and Ravel’s La Valse. Flautist and clarinettist were superb as was the harpist who showed us how to replace a string! Stayed for late drink at GH with J/M. Got back to NCL in time for last train, only to find it cancelled: a fatality on the line at Wylam. Northern Rail promised us a taxi but didn’t seem to be materialising so caught last bus at 23:25, arriving in HEX at 00:33. Trains moving towards NCL were backed up at HEX so passengers delayed by hours. Funds were +34k this week so recovered nearly all of losses for the previous week. XXXXXX!!!
April 18th: maximum 11C, minimum 6C, moderate E, dull, some rain in short bursts, cool. Quite a catch-up day on financial and bird records. Almost completed financial one and bird records are complete, except for Thames and Pitshanger. Went to DoW4g4s with D/D/D/C 4 good chat with C on!! Had a Barn Owl at Ordley on way back at 22:50. Booked up hotel at Berlin Airport for 25 May for £88 (including breakfast) where can stay before catching train to Leipzig via Dresden to meet son for Shostakovitch Festival. Have to hand masses of digitised old family photos, going back to c1900; will analyse and add some to WikiTree for posterity. Big sis did the digitisation a few years ago: well impressed! 2moro will visit favourite cafe even if someone’s away and it’s GH 4 concert in evening with Ravel. Last night was very moving: cannot get her out of my mind: XXXXXX!!!
Quite a few Black Kite on BirdGuides from 10/4-17/4, including an escape:
14:59 17/04 Black Kite Suffolk Aldeburgh 14:37 one flew over
12:06 17/04 Black Kite Kent Abbot's Cliff one flew west this morning
11:41 15/04 Black Kite Suffolk Benacre 11:36 one drifted north over Benacre Broad
Presumed Escape 21:03 14/04 Black Kite Norfolk Winterton-on-Sea escaped bird (wearing jesses) drifted south between Winterton and Somerton this evening
16:38 14/04 Black Kite Norfolk Whitlingham CP one flew south over east end
12:57 14/04 Black Kite Suffolk Westleton Heath 12:48 one flew north
12:46 14/04 Black Kite Suffolk Minsmere RSPB 12:35 one flew north over Vault Hill
11:46 12/04 Black Kite Kent Worth Marshes RSPB again over Minnis Flood
13:42 11/04 Black Kite Kent Worth Marshes RSPB 13:25 again over Great Wood
13:09 11/04 Black Kite South Yorkshire Thrybergh CP possible flew south-east this morning
09:14 11/04 Black Kite Kent Sandwich 09:12 one circling behind Pfizer Ltd building
08:54 11/04 Black Kite Kent Sandwich Bay one flew north
08:54 11/04 Black Kite Kent Worth Marshes RSPB one flew north
11:49 10/04 Black Kite Devon Clovelly 11:44 possible flew over road between Higher Clovelly and Slerra as viewed from moving vehicle
April 17th: maximum 17C, minimum 9C, light S, sunny, dry. We had parting chat in the morning b4 little sis went off to West Ealing and Paddington for Tiverton Parkway and Sidmouth. I caught District/Piccadilly to KGX and then 15:00 KGX-NCL with just 2 intermediate stops. Quick connection 18:23 NCL-HEX and home a little after 19:00. Birds today included a Kestrel at Tempsford, 20 Mute Swan at Peterborough, a Tawny Owl in Hexham and 2 Swallow at Houtley. Had quick supper of poached egg and beans and, after a bit of unpacking, made G4g4s where all the lads were! We had good chat with L/L on!! So pleased to be back: ultimate satisfaction with tmfo: she’s gorgeous: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
April 16th: maximum 16C, minimum 6C, moderate SW, sunny, dry after some rain overnight. Quieter day, we went for walk around Cleveland and Pitshanger Parks followed by Cinnamon Cafe for a bit of refreshment. Had a Red Kite low-down over Pitshanger Park, with several recent sightings here suggesting colonisation of site. Later we made a Greek restaurant Atlantis in Pitshanger Lane for dinner, which was very tasty; I had garlic mushrooms starter and Moussaka for mains, with bit of ww. All good chat; cost £90 for 3 of us. We carried on sorting out family piccies in the evening, finally each leaving with ‘own’ modern piccies from the whole collection, with big sis to scan older ones and share, so we can all work on them. Back 2moro on 15:00 KGX-NCL; looking forward to return!! XXXXXX!!!
April 15th: maximum 18C, minimum 7C, light SE, heavy rain at times, cloudy nearly throughout. Well we did make Barking on the Uber steamer service, quite fast, starting from Embankment where we had lunch at the Princess of Wales. From Barking Pier we got Suffragette Line to Barking centre and then District all the way back to Turnham Green, where we had meal with my nephew, his wife and the 2 children, aged 13 and 15, we’d taken on the cruise. Great-niece E aged 13, who’s now on grade 8 for cello, gave us a recital including a beautiful piece of Bach with much double stopping. She’s in Ealing Youth Orchestra, shortly to play at the Albert Hall. Back in Ealing we spent another few hours on the family photos. Someone tried to pick the wallet out of my pocket at Turnham Green, just managed to grab it back from his light fingers before he had a firm grip of it. He made out it was a joke – I didn’t take it further. Funds are a bit up wtd but not worked it out yet. 2moro will be more restful so may catch up a little but anyway will be back Thursday early evening. lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
April 14th: maximum 16C, minimum 6C, light E, cloudy, dry. We went for trip by car out to Hambleden Lock, near Henley, for walk by Thames. All very good with 10 Red Kite on the M40 plus 5 Common Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk, details recorded using the BirdTrack app, complete with GPS. At Hambleden, near Marlow, from 13:10-15:30 had 28 Red Kite and a single Common Buzzard; there was no hint of a Black Kite at any time. Also in total of 32 bird-types had 21 Canada Goose, 6 Greylag Goose, 2 Mute Swan adult, 2 Egyptian Goose, 2 Mandarin Duck, 16 Mallard, 1 Goosander, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Lesser Black-backed Gull adult, 4 Cormorant, 1 Kingfisher, 41 occupied Rook nests, 2 Swallow, 2 Blackcap singing, 2 Mistle Thrush, 2 Pied Wagtail (yarrellii). Total for raptors was 38 Red Kite, 6 Common Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk. There was a massed hatch of Caddis Fly on the wing. We came back to Ealing and went out to the Mediterranean Restaurant (Turkish/Italian) in Pitshanger where we had a good meal for £98 for the 3 of us; I had lamb chops chargrilled which were very tasty plus rw (Chianti). We then planned our boat trip for tomorrow to Barking from Westminster, via Thames Barrier; we’re taking my nephew’s children, returning for meal with nephew/wife at Turnham Green. We looked at lots of family photos later; we’re splitting them up. XXXXXX!!!
April 13th: maximum 16C, minimum 9C, light SE, rain showers, cloudy. Off on 10:46 HEX-NCL and 12:52 NCL-KGX. Had a Coot at Merryshields, the first recorded for me this year in UK! Also had a Yellowhammer at Letah Wood; this has been difficult to find this year. Let’s hope the long-overdue ban (from Jan 2025) in UK of neonicotinoids (the insect and pollinator slayer) starts to have an effect this year in helping insect populations (and hence those of birds) to recover quickly. Neonicotinoids are still used in some products as flea controls on dogs and cats; this may need to be reviewed as well as a treated animal can spread the poison all over the place while out for walks. I think they can also be used for domestic gardening purposes, another matter that needs reviewing. There are alternative insecticides which are much friendlier to biodiversity. Indexed piccies from Lagos 18/3 on the train. Made Ealing Broadway at 15:45 from PIC to Ealing Common and DIS. Gr8 to meet sisters again. My younger sister who met the relatives from Golders Green after my father’s death confirmed what the DNA has revealed: my paternal grandmother was Jewish! The DNA indicates Ashkenazi so western European origin, probably Germany. My late wife who was ½ German, and who was previously engaged to a Jew, was convinced I was part-Jewish. We’re going out to the Chilterns tomorrow and on Tuesday we’re going on a boat trip on the Thames. XXXXXX!!!
April 12th: maximum 20C, minimum 6C, light S, sunny all day, dry. Last of the good days evidently for a while weather-wise! Some work preparing slides for my remarks as President for R on Monday at the AGM when I’m away. Also completed draft of webpage for events for Brundibár Arts Festival; this festival celebrates Jewish composers in the Holocaust period and I’m a major supporter. Did get out to DoW4g4s for good chat with D/D/C/D. Funds were -38k last week, partly due to massive reorganisation selling a quarter of RKH and buying up masses of bonds, particularly € ones. The current portfolio is now much better balanced so more defensive hopefully against further Trump shocks but there’s still large investments in the Falklands so plenty of upside if things work out alright there. Gain is 505k ytd. Shall miss someone: XXXXXX!!!
Birds at Ordley included 3 Stock Dove, 5 Blue Tit, 2 Chiffchaff, with butterflies 1 Large White, 1 Small White, 1 Orange-tip female. A Red Kite was over woods to W of Slaley at 16:15.
April 11th: maximum 18C, minimum 5C, light W, sunny all day, dry. Concert by Hallé was indeed brilliant. Pianist Boris Giltburg in Rach 3 was one of the best I’ve ever seen! Shost 5 was very powerful. Rach 3 is one of the most challenging piano concertos to play, because of the complex rhythms that need to be played at high speed. Mv1 builds up an incredible climax and mv3 is fast and furious throughout; mv 2 is more restrained but still has some massive chords. Shost 5 is a bit of a facetious work in a way, designed to get past Stalin’s sensors with a dour opening before opening up into some superb crescendos when the censors may have switched off; mv4 is quite spectacular, ending with some rather baffling drum passages, maybe a joke of some kind! Whatever the feelings towards current Russia politically, there’s great warmth towards all Russian composers. Did some work on Brundibár Arts Festival website, saving 2025 details, and initialising it for adding the events 2moro. Lunch was gr8: she’s beautiful: must try and get in b4 she goes!! lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
Had a Brown Rat in Gateshead as walked back! Did 14k steps today. Kittiwake are settling to breed in spite of the bridge repairs with c200 adult noted. Had 3 adult Mute Swan on way in: 2 at Bywell, 1 at Wylam. A Moorhen was at Ryton and a Peacock butterfly at Blaydon. Leaving Hexham had a Large White and a Small White butterfly. A female Goosander and a White Wagtail were at Prudhoe. 2 LBBG ad were at Wylam. On drive home had a Brown Hare and 6 Rabbit. At Hexham at lunchtime had 20 House Sparrow and a LBBG ad N.
April 10th: maximum 16C, minimum 5C, moderate W, sunny all day, dry. Busy day socially with R&C4m4l with A/A/M 4 good catch-up, then sports night at Golf Club where another meal and we played dominoes, carpet bowls, snooker, putting! Tynedale won by 2 points, ironically coming from us in the final carpet bowls match as we had been put over to Tynedale to make up their numbers! Did have a stroll around HEX mid-afternoon!! Sports did not finish until 22:10 when hurried to G4g4s to meet the gang P/A/R/Rg/A 4 good chat, with L/A on!! Best was even later with tmfo: she’s gorgeous: loved the new angle: sensuous she is: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! 2moro it’s favourite cafe and the fancied one at lunchtime followed by concert at GH by Hallé with Rachmaninov PC3 (one of the hardest to play) and Shostakovitch 5. At 00:15 in Hexham SW a Tawny Owl was calling and c20 Pink-footed Goose moved N. At Ordley at 00:30 another Tawny Owl was calling.
April 9th: maximum 10C, minimum -2C, light E, overcast all day, dry. Made Prudhoe Dukeshagg from 14:30-16:40 in dull, cool weather. Raptors were good with a pair of Red Kite and a Common Buzzard up over Hyons Wood to W at 15:05-15:10, a Common Buzzard at Dukeshagg close-up at 14:45 and a Black Kite up over a wood briefly a little to E at 15:41, putting up 80 Woodpigeon. Other birds included a pair of Curlew, a Lapwing, 3 singing Chiffchaff, a Bullfinch, a Long-tailed Tit, a calling Common Redstart, a Linnet, in total of 21 bird-types. There’s a lot of building work on the N of the site, constructing a new estate. They’ve also constructed a road through the meadow into the back of the new estate to carry some timber out. Earlier at 14:00 at my local pond at Steel had quite a collection of waterfowl: 11 Greylag Goose, 5 Canada Goose, pairs of Goosander and Wigeon, 2 Redshank, 3 Teal, 2 Moorhen, a Mallard. A Grey Heron was at the W end of Riding Mill. Another queen Wasp emerged from hibernation in house, duly let out. 2moro it’s R&C in Slaley4m4l with A/A/M/S; think will then come back to HEX. Later it’s sports night at Hexham GC in match Hexham R vs Tynedale R – nothing too strenuous! Will finish with G4g4s!! XXXXXX!!!
Another Black Kite on BirdGuides, actually from Sunday:
12:46 09/04 Black Kite Herefordshire Hope Mansell 16:00 06/04 immature photographed on Sunday [6/4/25]
April 8th: maximum 14C, minimum -2C, light SE, sunny all day, dry. Result from blood test shows kidney operation normal so can proceed with new drug for bp control. Had good ‘phone call for 50 min with big sis who I’m visiting next week in Ealing; little sis is joining us. Had FB video chat with son for 40 min before he leaves for his trip E to Dubai, Australia (Melbourne), Malaysia, Cambodia, Dubai. Daughter and family are coming to Europe to escape the midsummer heat in Dubai; after a week with me they’re going to Devon where I might join them for a bit. Had 4 Long-tailed Tit displaying in front garden and a pair of Blue Tit setting up territory in orchard, plus butterflies: 3 Small White, 1 Comma. Last night had 2 Roe Deer at Dotland and the night before had a Badger at Letah Wood plus over Hexham last night some Black-headed Gull (c10) moving E and an Oystercatcher calling. Funds are -14k wtd; took advantage of today’s rally to sell masses of RKH and some other oil shares and put lots into government bonds so portfolio is now much more defensive than a week ago; also still have 213k cash after all the churning! These misguided tariffs are inflationary for US in that they raise price levels but deflationary as taxes in that they depress the amount a consumer can spend. In UK and Europe the US tariffs are deflationary in that they reduce commodity prices through reduced trade and reduce exports to US through tariff trade barriers. This is an important distinction going forward. 2moro out in afternoon as cleaner S arrives. XXXXXX!!!
Two more Black Kite on BirdGuides, giving 12 records year-to-date:
15:13 07/04 Black Kite Caernarfon Llanbedrog 15:45 06/04 one reported along track inland of Crugan Farm at c 52.8634, -4.4806 yesterday
13:57 07/04 Black Kite Dorset Hartland Moor 13:40 probable flew over
April 7th: maximum 14C, minimum -3C, light S, sunny all day, dry. Had blood sample taken at 09:10 at Sele for kidney test. Monday is busy lunchtime at R; today had a lot of trouble with a Google Chromebook, getting it to feed through to the data projector but we did it in the end just before talk was due to start. Donation to Forum enthusiastically approved; resisted putting donation to Myanmar relief to vote as charity not selected yet; no blank cheque! Made DM4g4s with R/P 4 good chat; Hope to catch up on some details of bird records 2moro. XXXXXX!!!
April 6th: maximum 12C, minimum -3C, light E, misty start then sunny, dry. Did the tour of Whitfield Moor this afternoon, going to Alston, down to Towsbank and Coanwood, and then back via Wolf Hills and Whitfield to the ‘Shire; not on the A69 at all; so many bikers and rally cars out today, very busy on road to Alston and on towards Brampton. country roads were very quiet. Had plenty of waders but not so many raptors but good half-day out doing around 70 miles in car in beautiful weather. More to follow … Made G4g4s with P/A/R and L on!! 2moro have routine blood test at Sele practice to check on new drug at 09:10, then usual big R meeting but no meetings after or Cncl this week so can relax more! Planning to go to Dipton Mill 2moro evening with gang but will check on fancied one later!! XXXXXX!!!
Results from trip west. On Whitfield Moor had a Common Buzzard calling, 2 Red Grouse, 1 Golden Plover, 2 Meadow Pipit. At Gilderdale Bridge had 8 Stock Dove, 2 Oystercatcher, 7 Curlew, 5 Black-headed Gull, 2 Raven (in territory), a Sand Martin migrating. At Barhaugh Hall had a Lapwing, plus a Peacock butterfly. At Williamston N/Parson Shields had a pair of Common Buzzard in display, 2 displaying Curlew, 1 displaying Lapwing, 2 displaying Oystercatcher, a singing Collared Dove. At Towsbank/Asholme Common had a Grey Partridge, 3 Red Grouse, 7 displaying Curlew, 5 displaying Lapwing, an Oystercatcher, a Raven (heard from wood), 8 displaying Meadow Pipit. At Coanwood Pond had 32 Greylag Goose, 4 Canada Goose, 4 Wigeon, a Little Grebe, 12 displaying Curlew. On way back had 2 Oystercatcher at both Wolf Hills and Agarshill Fell.
April 5th: maximum 9C, minimum 0C, light E, misty start then sunny, dry. A bit of a catch-up day after yesterday’s welcome break on music. What a week for markets: funds finished -158k almost wiping out the previous week’s gain of +196k. Spent over an hour on Friday morning, first thing, rebalancing portfolio by selling 277k of mining companies to add to the 106k of Brazilian assets sold the evening before. Ended day with 195k in UK gilts (government bonds) and 216k in cash. Have realised some losses on the UK mining companies, useful for reducing the capital gains bill as last day of trading in the tax year 2024-2025 was yesterday. Have retained most oil and gas investments but completely sold out of mining companies, which are not well placed to handle a recession, particularly in the decarbonisation sector; they could face major write-downs on assets not performing as expected. Still +544k ytd but obviously outlook is uncertain. On Falklands oil, both major shares are now booked at below zero as have sold enough to pay off more than my stakes. Did some basic tasks today: cleaned out the new stove thoroughly and gave the car a spring-time check of tyres and other matters. Made DoW4g4s with D/D/D/C 4 good chat. Tmfo looked gorgeous yesterday: XXXXXX!!! Had a Linnet in field plus single singing Chiffchaff and Nuthatch.
Two more Black Kite yesterday on BirdGuides:
20:29 04/04 Black Kite Devon Turf one flew low over The Turf
13:41 04/04 Black Kite Anglesey Valley Lakes RSPB 13:40 one flew north over Llyn Penrhyn
April 4th: maximum 13C, minimum 1C, light E becoming moderate E then light E again, sunny all day, dry. A day of music with lunchtime piano/tenor duo at Hexham Abbey, given by Chris Redfern and Tom Rowarth; the main work was Schumann’s Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love), with 16 love songs, some quite moving. RNS rehearsal at GH at ttime, was followed by full performance at 19:30 of Dvořák S9, from the New World, and Beethoven PC 1. The rehearsal was interesting in that the young female conductor Stephanie Childress clearly had her own ideas. The sole pianist Piotr Anderszewski also had his own ideas. They seemed to have agreed on how to proceed but in the actual performance, particularly in mv 3, the pianist reverted to his own way and didn’t look up at the conductor once; the orchestra just about held it all together; not sure the audience noted! The New World was performed very well: the conductor improved the dramatic contrasts and the orchestra followed well! All good events and plenty of social life! Went in/out by train. Did enjoy lunch at favourite cafe: didn’t realise that we shared interest in such a lovely activity: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! Had 6 Goosander drake at Newburn.
April 3rd: maximum 13C, minimum 3C, moderate NE becoming light E, sunny all day, dry. Had lunch with M at SWC, not bad but lacks the atmosphere of my favourite cafe!! Had poached egg for a change. We then made Abbey at 1pm for lunchtime concert by Robert Poyser on the organ, playing Bach (toccata, adagio and fugue in C), three variations on ‘Ave Maris Stella’ by Dupre and a Sonate d’intavolatura by Zipoli. Enjoyed the performance, particularly liking the Bach which had so much variety, including an explosive ending. Donated £15 to the Abbey for the concert. Enjoyed the walk to the lunch!!! Filthy day on the markets following Trump’s insane move on tariffs. Lost all of week’s gains on massive pullback, but relieved I don’t own any tech stocks. Am now moving into cash and UK bonds to preserve funds. Had 135k in cash by end of day, mainly on sales of Brazilian natural resource stocks where they seem quite complacent about the coming problems. Planning to liquidate some more positions 2moro: this could be the start of quite a slide but will keep the Falklands assets on their long-term potential. 2Moro is busy: early lunch at favourite cafe, another lunchtime concert at Abbey at 13:00, into Glasshouse for rehearsal at 15:30, real concert at 19:30, back on last train. Made G4g4s with A/R/P for good chat; lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
One more Black Kite today on BirdGuides:
12:41 03/04 Black Kite Devon Kingsbridge 11:32 one circled over Bearscombe Farm at head of Kingsbridge Estuary then flew north-east
April 2nd: maximum 13C, minimum 3C, moderate E becoming light E, sunny all day, dry. Still preparing home page for new Honey-buzzard season: archived season 2023, moved season 2024 into its place and set up an empty season 2025. Also set-up new spreadsheet for Black Kite 2025. Had 3 Swallow at Ordley this evening at 19:00 so summer is on its way (whatever the saying says!). Spent the whole day at home enjoying the garden and field. Had an impressive 25 bird-types, including a Black Kite putting up whole Rook colony at Slaley W as moved quickly to E at 15:40; this bird is a little to S of its previous breeding site; 3 Common Buzzard (2 sites: 1 to SW bird heard at 13:52; 1 to SE pair displaying several times); summer visitors: the 3 Swallow and a singing Chiffchaff; 336 Common Gull (36 ad E, 300 moving to roost at dusk); local breeders: 4 Stock Dove, 3 Lesser Redpoll; 2 Bullfinch, 2 displaying Lapwing, 3 Mistle Thrush, 7 Chaffinch (5 local, 2 flying E). Insects comprised 3 Bumble Bee on Hosta and a queen Wasp waking in house and released outside, plus butterflies: a Peacock, an Orange-tip female. Great to see so much wildlife in area. 2Moro out more: lunch at T and G4g4s. On Friday going to rehearsal at RNS starting at 3:30 so will need an early lunch!! Going to concert later as well. Hope the gorgeous one is keeping fit: XXXXXX!!!
From home page: 31/03/25 end-month summaries: Black Kite 2 birds at 2 sites; Osprey 1 bird at 1 site; Goshawk 2 birds at 2 sites; Red Kite 12 birds at 9 sites.
Black Kite national migration from BirdGuides from start of year. Note arrivals increasing from 31/3:
19:24 02/04 Black Kite Norfolk Croxton, Thetford one drifted high south this morning
14:58 02/04 Black Kite Devon Paignton 14:52 one reported over Blatchcombe Road
11:49 31/03 Black Kite Kent Worth Marsh RSPB 11:44 one flew in from the west and continued east towards the coast
09:39 31/03 Black Kite Kent Kingston 09:33 one flew from Charlton Wood and continued high NNE
21:08 16/03 Black Kite Cornwall St Erth one flew over late afternoon
17:45 01/03 Black Kite Cornwall Whitecross 15:26 one from A30 layby just south of Cockwells Lane with Booted Eagle
15:56 01/02 Black Kite Hampshire Crampmoor one reported off The Straight Mile
April 1st: maximum 13C, minimum 3C, moderate E becoming light E, sunny all day, dry. Made Dipton Wood S where had 14 bird-types including 2 displaying Lapwing, single Common Buzzard (1 up at 15:04 over Juliet's Wood, 1 circling over Healey Mill at 15:17), 1 singing Chiffchaff, 4 Fieldfare (in full breeding plumage, perched together at top of an oak tree), 1 Siskin, plus a Brown Hare and 2 butterflies: a Small Tortoiseshell and a Peacock. R meeting at Cnt went well, approved grant to Forum Cinema appeal at my instigation and delayed Myanmar decision for a month to see how the situation develops. Had gammon steak there and a rw to follow my g there as like to chill out after the meeting! County staff are very friendly. At Ordley had 4 Bumble Bee on the Hosta. Aim to do a local count from home 2moro but may visit HEX in afternoon. Funds are +91k wtd on Falklands situation; am micro top-slicing RKH every day but the reality of oil production starting there is imminent with FID (Final Investment Decision) expected mid-2025. Must add: this is not my typical investment performance!! Also sales have been from my ISA so far so no CGT; I had deliberately held most of my RKH in an ISA. Next Monday will transfer annual allowance of 20k cash from trading to ISA account. Glow will last a while: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
March 31st: maximum 15C, minimum 2C, light NW, bright start but then mainly cloudy, dry. R took up much of morning, planning 4 meal, then meeting took up a lot of energy, other than doing the cooking I seem to be doing most else! Then row brewing in evening on whether we should send some money immediately from Charity fund to Myanmar earthquake disaster. I’m urging caution because of instability there with the civil war and suggesting we wait a month before making a decision; also unhappy with the charity fund, which contains money raised officially for local charities, being used for international purposes. Will all be sorted at Cncl meeting 2moro at Cnt at 17:00. Preparing summaries for key raptor species for 1st quarter and will post these soon. Did make G4g4s with E/L on!! All good chat. Sensuous finish with the gorgeous one: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! Booked train tickets 13/4-17/4 for NCL-KGX for reunion with sisters, only £72 for the 2 advance singles after a £23 credit.
March 30th: maximum 14C, minimum 1C, moderate W becoming light W in afternoon, sunny all day, dry. Had a singing Chiffchaff in garden at 14:00 along with a pair of Tree Sparrow and 3 Goldfinch. Went to Wylam E, doing most of fieldwork from the bridge over the Tyne from 15:20-16:55. On way there had a pair of Common Buzzard displaying at Beaufront and on way back had an Osprey in the tall trees near the Tyne almost at the same place; this is the first Osprey sighting for year in the study area though of course saw a few at Faro. Many people would consider the star at Wylam was the Atlantic Grey Seal, a little downstream of weir, popping its head up! Raptors comprised a Common Buzzard and a Red Kite over the mound to SE, with another Red Kite to NE, considered making a pair. Another Red Kite was circling to W towards Prudhoe, over the Stanley Burn. There must be a lot of fish in the Tyne at the top of its tidal reach, with 5 Grey Heron, 8 Cormorant (7 ad, 1 1s), 16 Goosander (one local breeding pair plus flock 14 (7 adult male, 7 redhead)), 4 Goldeneye (2 adult male, 2 redhead), 1 Dipper, 1 GBBG ad. Maybe an Osprey will appear to claim a new site! Some piccies to follow … Did make G4g4s with A/R/P 4 good chat. Best of day was left to last: gorgeous moments with the tmfo: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
March 29th: maximum 10C, minimum 6C, fresh W, mainly cloudy, few drops of rain midday. Worked hard on records from last 2 days, not quite caught up, need to add records for 28/3 to BirdTrack. Met D/D/D/C for gr8 chat at DoW4g4s, who have 180 booked in for mothering Sunday for lunch! Dave H reported a Red Kite at Horsley on Tuesday, where he saw a pair earlier in the month. Dave P had a Red Kite at Stocksfield E, also early in the month. Wind still strong 2moro morning but dropping through afternoon when hope to do some further fieldwork. Much later should be at G4g4s!! XXXXXX!!! Tonight on way back from pub at 23:00, just past Newbiggin towards Ordley had a large black cat racing across the road into the birch wood. Never seen that before! It was really fast. Did donate to JG for the fancied one’s great achievement!! Sorted some more Faro piccies, leaving just 17/3 and 18/3 to do.
March 28th: maximum 11C, minimum 3C, moderate W, sunny intervals, heavy showers after overnight rain. Did make Bywell from 15:30-16:35 where had another Black Kite up from 15:52-15:57 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, 2 Red Kite, one agitated bird to N at 15:58 1 2, another to W at 16:01 3 4 5 6, a Goshawk male flying high to W putting everything up (all gulls and Corvids) at 16:21, 6 Common Buzzard at 4 sites (pair to E, one to N, pair to NE, one to W). So that’s 10 raptors of 4 types, making 17 of 5 types over the two days. At Bywell total was 15 bird-types including 12 Stock Dove (flock of 11), 93 Common Gull adult, 5 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch. Will sort the two day’s piccies out 2moro; don’t want to get behind this early in the season! Tmfo looked fabulous: she’s so alluring (and motivating!!). Funds have had a really good week: +196k to a new record and +702k ytd (+25.5%). Still mainly due to the Falklands oil development but also benefiting from rise in North Sea oil stocks on feeling that we need the industry for a while longer as the energy transition needs to be slowed down on cost grounds. Mining shares are down a bit more: Trump’s tariffs are not so good for international trade. Looking for good causes to support next week before the tax year ends! Have just given £100 to the Forum Cinema appeal. XXXXXX!!! At Steel Pond at 17:00 on way back had 7 types of bird: 5 Greylag Goose (pair), 5 Mallard (pair), 5 Teal, 2 Goosander (pair), 1 Moorhen, 2 Oystercatcher (pair), 1 Snipe.
March 27th: maximum 13C, minimum 4C, moderate SW, veiled sunshine all day, dry up until evening when some rain. Season kicked off today with trip to Hexham Tyne Green with views over Hexham NE from 13:35-14:50. Very good raptors with a Black Kite up over Hexham NE several times from 13:56-14:27 1 2 3 4 5, never had one so early before. A female Goshawk was also up over this raptor capital at 13:55 1 2. Had a pair of Common Buzzard up over woods to N of Hermitage and at least one at Hexham NE with another towards Dilston. So that’s 6 raptors of 3 types. No Osprey yet! A Tawny Owl was in Hexham much later, so that’s 4 raptors for the day. Met M at T4m4l: he’s furious at the way the country is going, being a strong socialist. Much later made G4g4s with P/R 4 good chat with L on!! 2moro it’s favourite cafe followed by some fieldwork at Bywell. XXXXXX!!! Total for trip to Hexham was 18 bird-types, including a pair of Dipper, a pair of Goosander, a calling Chiffchaff, 12 Herring Gull ad, 2 LBBG ad, 13 Mallard, a Greenfinch.
March 26th: maximum 14C, minimum 6C, moderate W, sunny all day, dry. Had usual good breakfast at hotel, then back on 10:46 train to HEX, where had left car. Cleaner S had come in yesterday afternoon so all clean. Beautiful day again. Catching up on records. On 24/3 and 25/3 had a Small White butterfly in garden at Ordley, plus on latter day a pair of Bullfinch and a pair of Tree Sparrow prospecting. Yesterday afternoon from the train had an Oystercatcher at Dilston a pair of Common Buzzard displaying over Stocksfield Station, 3 pairs of Canada Goose and a pair of Mute Swan at Merryshields, with 7 Goosander: pair at Ovingham, 5 drakes at Wylam E, plus a pair of Greylag Goose at Blaydon. Kittiwake could be heard from the Bridge at 22:30 to add to the 60 seen there last Saturday (21/3). On way back today had 5 Goosander: 3 at Wylam E (2 drake, 1 redhead), 1 drake at Newburn, 1 drake at Hexham; plus a male Kestrel at Dilston, and a pair of Tufted Duck on the pond W of Wylam. Did do a count at Ordley today in afternoon where had 21 species: a Blackcap (very briefly singing; making alarm calls from large blackthorn bush), usual 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Lapwing displaying, a Coal Tit, 4 Wren, a Nuthatch, 2 singing Song Thrush, 4 singing Blackbird, 4 Chaffinch. Had a bumble bee on Hosta. Funds rose to a new high today, with gain wtd +135k. 2moro expecting to be at G4g4s and should earlier be in Hexham at lunchtime to meet M. Booked 9 nights at Hilton Cariari DoubleTree San Jose - Costa Rica for £1250. That’s the hotel where the Raptor Research Foundation Conference is being held from 14/10-18/10. They’re some field trips as well. Have 2 beds!! XXXXXX!!!
March 25th: maximum 15C, minimum 3C, light SE, sunny all day. Did make Matthew Bourne’s production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at TR. It was very entertaining but had some doubts: not convinced by the leading romantic players both being men and by all the swans being men; would have liked a real orchestra rather than recorded music; and feel the beauty of Tchaikovsky’s music and choreography was lost. I do wonder what Tchaikovsky would have made of it: he was not so attached to a philosophy as Wagner was so might have been amenable if popularity was increased but I do feel he would have been saddened by the loss of pathos, which characterised so much of his work. Whatever, I enjoyed it, particularly the start of Act 1 and Act 3, Scene 1, which were more hetero! The dancers were incredibly fit, all credit to them!! The elegance and plaintiveness missing is well shown on this video Bing Videos by the Kirov Ballet of St Petersburg, particularly look at 38:00-58:00, depicting the dances of the swans. I particularly like the moving dance from 55:00-58:00; this has a plaintive theme, for the sad state of the swans (as maidens turned into swans by the evil Rothbart) and an upbeat march (they’re going to strive to become liberated with the help of Prince Siegfried); the sensitivity of this dance just did not register with Bourne’s boisterous approach which was popular with women, who predominated in the audience. Earlier had good meal at Pani’s with L. Rebranded hotel SZ as 4PtFlx seems to work well with it becoming a little more upmarket; but WiFi connection was a pain with Marriott’s registration system. They’ve kept on the same staff so very pleased with that. Made Br later – all brilliant!! Funds +60k wtd on acceleration in Sea Lion project for RKH. XXXXXX!!!
March 24th: maximum 12C, minimum 6C, light W, sunny all day, dry. R meeting at lunchtime was enjoyable but hard work, chairing it. Did some routine IT work for R later. W made delivery of £94 worth. Did make G4g4s where great to have E back from Florida! Feeling washed out at end with sinusitis: straight home. XXXXXX!!! It’s weird ballet 2moro at TR, staying over!
Reassuring news from RKH as pace to production is potentially accelerated:
Rockhopper Exploration plc("Rockhopper" or the "Company"): Sea Lion Operator's Update Sea Lion Operator’s Update - 07:35:01 24 Mar 2025 - RKH News article | London Stock Exchange
Rockhopper Exploration plc (AIM: RKH), the oil and gas company with key interests in the North Falkland Basin ("NFB"), notes the recent publication by Navitas Petroleum LP ("Navitas" or the "Operator") of and an updated NFB independent resource report conducted by Netherland Sewell & Associates ("NSAI") (the "March 2025 NSAI Independent Report") on behalf of Navitas. The report reflects work carried out to mature the resource base and accelerates later phases of the development programme in the build up to FID. Overall resources at Sea Lion remain unchanged. As a result of the work carried out, a significant number of barrels have been moved from 'Development On Hold' to 'Development Pending' classification.
The home page for RKH shows the healthy price rise this year ROCKHOPPER EXPLORATION PLC RKH Stock | London Stock Exchange.
March 23rd: maximum 8C, minimum 1C, light NE, murky all day but dry after heavy overnight rain. Feeling the chill today with no sun and very damp feel to weather. Had 2 Tree Sparrow prospecting for a nest site in house along with a pair of Great Tit; a Coal Tit was in a hedge. Five March Moths were on the road. Caught up with everything records-wise except for some of Faro shots, which working on. Doing the Tuscany records for 2015 was particularly satisfying as some rare butterfly and moth shots. Made G4g4s with P/R and L on!! Hope to get out for a walk 2moro afternoon after R. It’s G4g4s much later!! XXXXXX!!!
March 22nd: maximum 13C, minimum 5C, light E, overcast morning but dry, light rain afternoon leading to a very wet evening with heavy rain. Did get out in garden for an hour early afternoon, hearing a Chiffchaff singing and seeing a Goldcrest in top of conifers. 400 Starling were in a pre-roost gathering close to home. Had 2 Oak Beauty at front porch in evening plus 4 March Moth on the road. Copied all of Faro piccies onto desktop (4.95 GB) and also transferred across financial info and some updates done in Portugal such as the 2019 trip to Toulouse (butterflies), 2015 trip to Tuscany (butterflies), 2019 Grindon Lough records of Caspian Gull, 2020 records of butterflies in one day (18/7) at Prudhoe. Some indexing of piccies is still required for the Tuscany records. Quite a lot to do at home: washing clothes, sorting out paperwork brought back, and getting kitchen sorted. Did get out to DoW where met D/D/D/C for good chat! House has warmed up quickly on return having set minimum levels by thermostat for absence. Going to ballet Swan Lake by Matthew Bourne with L on Tuesday, with dinner at Panis b4. I’m staying at Four Points Flex, was SZ! R restarts for me on Monday and it’s G4g4s 2moro!! XXXXXX!!!
March 21st: maximum 13C, minimum 6C, moderate E, mainly overcast, dry. A busy 1st day back having rehearsal at Sage in afternoon and full performance in evening with good social with fellow partners of the Sinfonia. Met my sponsored partner MG for 2 good chats. Concert was very exhilarating: making Bach sound very popular as he deserves to be. We heard Back’s Brandenburg Concerto, three Sinfonia from Cantata, Violin Concerto 1 and 2, Chaconne, Orchestral Suite 3. Particularly liked the violin concertos where director Maria W excelled. Went in and out on train. Earlier had very satisfying visit to favourite cafe where she did look absolutely gorgeous!! lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! 2moro it’s catch-up at home with whole day at home except for DoW in evening with the Daves! Funds are down this week but are just 1k down over the last 2-week period while away.
March 20th: maximum 17C, minimum 13C, moderate SE, some veiled sunshine before heavy showers and a thunderstorm at ttime. Last night was wild with howling wind across my balcony with driving rain at times. Caught 18:10 Jet2 from Faro, back in NCL 30 min early as tail-wind speeded us up; lots of turbulence across Bay of Biscay. So made G just a little late at 22:15 where met R/P/Rg for good catch-up. Passionate reunion with tmfo: so glad to be back: lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!! 2moro have RNS rehearsal in afternoon but hope to catch-up in a few places b4 that, just a bit earlier than usual!!
At Faro recorded 12 types casually around lunchtime, including some nesting activity: 3 Swallow collecting mud, a White Stork carrying weed, 10 House Sparrow at nest-holes. Had as many as 14 Atlantic YLG on a bank (9 ad, 1 2s, 4 1s 1). 2 Bonelli’s Warbler were in scrub and the male Black Redstart was seen again; also had a feeding Spoonbill 1 2 3 and a close-up Grey Plover 1 2. Final sightings were from the Airport at ttime with 9 types seen in final farewell: 1 Common Swift, 2 Med YLG, 5 LBBG, 2 White Stork, 1 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 1 Magpie, 4 Spotless Starling, 3 House Sparrow. Running total is: 106 species from 324 records, 8 complete lists, 16 places. This is complete as far as I know but could change as a few more piccies compiled.
March 19th: maximum 17C, minimum 12C, fresh SE, almost a gale, weak sunshine in morning, dry up to early evening, then heavy rain. An ominous day weather-wise with wind increasing steadily and everything beginning to bounce! Noted 6 Pallid Swift over city centre at 15:00 with one bird entering a potential nesting hole. When looked out at 17:00 the migrant scene looked more active with 40 Common Swift up over the hotel and the buildings to E, and 50 Black-headed Gull (20 ad, 30 1s) moving E with 2 Slender-billed Gull mixed up with them 1. So that’s all brilliant with running total: 106 species from 303 records, 7 complete lists, 16 places. Wonder whether the Swift will all be gone by morning or will there be a fall of other migrants: here until 18:10 so plenty can happen yet! Flights look unaffected by the near-storm. Completed much of Tuscany 2015 final records, with extra mainly on butterflies. Attended ANPA 2025 conference preparation on Zoom from 17:00-18:00; I’m going to give a paper in mid-August on AI/CT. Might stay at Ealing with big sis for a bit of it, to have good chats and to stop paying exorbitant costs for Oxford hotels. 2moro have a few gratuities to make for truly helpful people!! XXXXXX!!!
March 18th: maximum 17C, minimum 14C, light S, dry with sunny periods, some cloudy with rain shower midday. Out to Lagos today on 10:23 train, arriving around 12:15, and staying until 17:20, back in Faro at 19:16 (but ran 10 min late). Cost €15 return. Weather was beautifully sunny in Faro for breakfast but when arrived in Lagos a big black cloud and rain was a bit of a dampener. Fortunately weather in afternoon cleared-up and it was nice and sunny. Lagos is much more a typical seaside resort than Faro, though it’s difficult to pin it down. Faro is pretty hedonistic, maybe more emphasis on the beach/sun in Lagos than in Faro. Lagos is on the W side of the bay with sandy beaches 1 2 and spectacular cliffs and rocks 3 4 5 6 with, across the bay to E, other resorts 7 with beautiful and more traditional Carvoeiro at the E end 8! I go to Lagos because it’s on the train route! A statue of Goncalo de Lagos is near the entrance to the port 9. XXXXXX!!!
Knocked up quite a bird list today adding Crag Martin (2 N in Faro), Stonechat, Thekla’s Lark, Great Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Common Buzzard (two singles at Silves, Figueira) , Kestrel (two singles at Silves, Portimaŏ) on way out and a Montagu’s Harrier adult male (at Mexilhoeira) on way back. At Lagos had 3 Iberian Magpie (moving through a patch of trees near the cliff twice), a Hoopoe (over the marina on way there and back, nice symmetry!), a Gannet 1s flying W at sea and a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin on the cliff-tops. Walked 15k steps today, quite an effort! Running total is: 103 species from 293 records, 7 complete lists, 16 places. The coast this far W on the coast is the preserve of Atlantic YLG with 85 noted (65 ad 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12, 7 2s 14 15 16, 13 1s 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31) and just 2 Mediterranean YLG (both 1s, one feeding, other moving W). LBBG passage was obvious with 45W (42 ad, 3 2s) and just one adult 1 2 and a 2s in the harbour. Turnstone were tame in the harbour 1 2. Had one Pallid Swift in habitat and plenty of Blackbird and Greenfinch. Had a female Kestrel on the cliffs, making 3 birds for the day. Total was 23 bird-types, much less than you’d get further E but it’s different! Butterflies comprised: 8 Small White, 2 Large White, and single Red Admiral and Clouded Yellow. Coming back into Faro heard a Ring-necked Parakeet at dusk, yet another new species, to add to the list tomorrow. Funds are +4k wtd.
Storm warning Martinho for 19th/20th for Portugal – strong winds, heavy rain, flooding on high tides, affecting the south, including the Algarve. Might affect my travel back! This has been the wettest winter and spring for 20 years in Portugal: “Algarve’s water restrictions reduced following record rainfall.“ Portugal Resident “Rain was very much in evidence as the outgoing social democrat minister admitted that dams in the south haven’t seen so much water for 20 years”.
March 17th: maximum 16C, minimum 13C, light S, heavy rain overnight, sunny in morning, then continuous rain for rest of day (not showery with sunny spells as forecast!). Got out for 4 hours in morning, not trusting the afternoon forecast, which turned out to be right. Had 45 species, including 6 new: single Water Pipit, Herring Gull (1s), Greenfinch (9, amazingly conspicuous today), 2 Serin (1 singing), 1 Raven (heard), 1 Kingfisher (flying low though channel). So summary for trip is: 93 species from 251 records, 6 complete lists, 7 places. Lots of interest today with large movement of LBBG W (33 ad) and MYLG E (23 ad, 3 2s). Wader numbers remained high with 57 Dunlin and 22 Ringed Plover. Had single Short-toed Lark and Black Redstart (ad male), plus 2 Western Bonelli’s Warbler and a Chiffchaff. Insects comprised: 3 Large White, 2 Small White, 1 Clouded Yellow, plus 3 Carpenter Bee. Then the rains came down! Forecast to clear 2moro for just one day so off to Lagos in the far W by train for day trip. Have had a heavy cold since 13/3 with hopefully day 4 16/3 the worst; feeling more energetic today, helped by good diet in hotel, including buffet breakfast, snack lunch, aperitif for dinner with Brazilian bar-lass, dinner tonight (olives, chicken, 2 rw). Staff in one of Faro’s best hotels are very motivated to look after you! XXXXXX!!!
March 16th: maximum 17C, minimum 13C, fine start at breakfast, light rain by afternoon, becoming heavier in evening. Forecast was accurate today after aspersions cast yesterday. Decided to have a break from birdwatching today, enjoying the sun in the morning and catching up with some records in the afternoon. Not given up! Watched the NCL vs LIV cup final on the bar TV after a bit of chatting up the barmaid! Knew it was going to go to 1-2 in added-on time (things are never done the easy way!) but magnificent performance by NCL to get their first domestic trophy since 1955. Sorted out some of the insect records for Tuscany May 2015; needs a bit more work 2moro but some gr8 shots so worth doing! Chatted to a boatman in from Madeira in the evening; the bar’s a very sociable outfit, helped by an effervescent Brazilian lass, who’s chief bar-keep! XXXXXX!!!
March 15th: maximum 15C, minimum 12C, sunny up to late afternoon, moderate NW, dry. Beautiful morning, probably as good as it gets this time of year. Out of Faro to E from 10:00-14:00, walking through old salinas towards the port. So many waders: 14 types: right on the Atlantic Flyway, such an important resting and feeding place between their wintering areas in Africa and their breeding grounds in the far north. Interesting were 5 Curlew Sandpiper 1, 87 Dunlin, 37 Kentish Plover, 20 Sanderling, 22 Ringed Plover, 21 Knot. A Spoonbill flew W as did an Osprey moving W at moderate height at 12:10 1 2 3. White Stork were nesting 1 2. Swallow numbers were up to 21. Heard at night 14th/15th 5 Greylag Goose. An adult male Kestrel was displaying over buildings on E of harbour, 2nd site. I flushed in salinas an Ortolan Bunting where a Dartford Warbler was seen by a large bush. Insects included a Small White, a Red Admiral, 4 Carpenter Bee. Had 43 bird-types today and running total is: 87 species from 206 records, 5 complete lists, 7 places. Hotel was busy this evening with 2 large family gatherings in for dinner. Earlier had lunch in the bar. I’m not sure whether they’ll have the big match on the bar TV tomorrow: will keep an eye open! Rain is supposed to be moving in tomorrow afternoon but have not found the forecasts to be very reliable: some wishful thinking, maybe, as regards sunshine! Costa Rica is my next main bird trip in October with Raptor Research Foundation. Gr8 place to go. XXXXXX!!! Quiet a few piccies to follow from here to complete the visit series ???.
It’s difficult to underestimate the importance of this bird site. See here
Chosen by the Portuguese people as one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal, the Ria Formosa has had a protected status as a Natural Park since 1987 and is a must-see on any nature lover’s bucket list. Ria Formosa’s bird-watching season kicks off in autumn when migration begins.
Ria Formosa, a protected lagoon located on the Easternmost coast of the Algarve, is one of the most important wetlands in Portugal. It measures 60 kilometres along the Algarve coast, from the Ancão Peninsula (Loulé) to Manta Rota (Vila Real de Santo António). This Southern area in Portugal has an astonishing diversity of habitats: dunes and sandbanks, saltmarshes and saltpans, various watercourses, fresh and brackish water lagoons, reedbeds, woodland, and farmland.
Over 200 species of bird have been recorded here, some of them very rare or endangered. The natural habitats make it a prime position for migrating birds to rest on their travels each spring and autumn. One of the things we love most is that Ria Formosa’s birdwatching is very accessible, and some of the most satisfying spots are the easiest to get to. From the town of Faro, you can explore areas of the park on foot, by bike, or by boat.
This amazing Natural Park is also a Natura 2000 site (Special Protection Area for Birds and Special Area of Conservation), Ramsar Convention site, and Important Bird Area (IBA – BirdLife International).
March 14th: maximum 17C, minimum 9C, mainly sunny, moderate NW. Changed plans for today as still rather cloudy and thought best to leave trip to Lagos until next week. Morning was sunny enough and decided to use my balcony to gr8 effect scanning over the marismas. Had some good success this way seeing 2 Tufted Duck W, a Grey Heron arriving from E and landing on the marshes 1 2, a Spoonbill W, 7 Common Tern (6 ad 1, 1 1s) settling to feed, a Caspian Tern resting, 2 Sandwich Term resting, 11 Collared Pratincole in a group resting 1, an adult Audouin’s Gull resting with LBBG, a Bar-tailed Godwit feeding, an Osprey moving W at 13:55 at moderate height near the coastal dunes, 5 noisy Whimbrel. Went to sleep in afternoon with sweet dreams of absent friends!! Then buffet dinner in hotel on top floor, which was very comfortable with good service! Funds finished tumultuous week +12k as some move from tech-stocks into value-stocks; ytd is +520k gross. lok2tmfo: XXXXXX!!!
March 13th: maximum 16C, minimum 10C, sunny, fresh W breeze, approaching gale in exposed places, a few heavy squalls. Read in Portugal News that the current wet spell is doing wonders for river and reservoir levels, alleviating water shortages. Went out to W of Faro today on foot from 11:50-15:30; it was wild but fortunately the line of showers was going mainly to the E. At one point though a really threatening squall was coming straight towards me and, like a mirage, found a restaurant in the next building where they opened the door against the wind to let me in! Bird watching went surprisingly well in the conditions, getting 36 types. New types for trip included an Oystercatcher, 4 Meadow Pipit, an Avocet, a Red-rumped Swallow, a Montagu’s Harrier 1s 1 (near the Airport, a resting migrant), an LBBG adult 1 of intermedius type. In the park, which has many rough areas, had 4 Western Bonelli’s Warbler (migrants, very active in bushes), a Sardinian Warbler, 2 Crested Lark. 46 Greater Flamingo 1 were in a lagoon near the Airport along with 12 Black-winged Stilt. Yet another Osprey was in the same area as the Montagu’s Harrier, flying low-down to seek shelter from the squall. 3 Mediterranean Gull, all 2s 1, were on a bank in a lagoon. So up to 74 species now in trip. Funds are back to all square wtd with one day to go.
Had dinner in the hotel: olives and garlic bread, followed by house steak, washed down with 2 rw; very good value for €44 including tip. 2Moro weather looks good so off to Lagos by train, cost €16 return for 91km each way. Lagos in Nigeria was named by a Portuguese sailor from the Lagos I’m visiting tomorrow, pronounce La-gosch. It’s more like a typical seaside resort than Faro with a long beach and some spectacular offshore islands. Missing sadly the rendezvous 2moro: XXXXXX!!! But not the following week!
March 12th: maximum 16C, minimum 11C, light SE becoming moderate SW, dull with rain up to 15:00, then dry with brighter spells. It was a wet morning as forecast; caught up with some desk jobs, including piccies from yesterday; balcony is really useful as can still go out for breathers and have a look round. Had lunch in the hotel and dinner also with ultra thin ham for starter, a vegetable stew for main course and a beer. Made late night bar in the hotel as well: the Portuguese are more exciting than thought!
The sun came out at 15:00 as promised so got straight out for a walk. Found some scrub by harbour walls to hold a few small birds: 2 Bluethroat, a Western Bonelli’s Warbler 1 2 3 4 5, and also in this area had a Black Redstart and 3 Goldfinch. Waders added were a very vocal Whimbrel, a bubbling Curlew and a strident Greenshank. Interesting totals during day were 38 Dunlin, 8 Swallow, 3 Pallid Swift, 6 White Stork (3 nest-sites in progress), 8 Shag ad, 37 Little Egret at 2 roosts. Had 28 bird-types in all. No butterflies today. 2Moro weather is better so going to explore W of Faro area in walk from hotel. On Friday hoping to go to Lagos, quite a lot to the W, by train! Up to 69 species from 116 records, 3 complete lists, 7 places.
A pair of mating Kestrel in the centre of Faro by the railway station 1. Not over-romantic: the male flew by screaming loudly and dived on top of the female who was sitting on a ledge; three seconds of action; the male thought that was great with beak open 2; then off he flew; she sat there in afterglow 3. They're obviously going to breed on this old building 4. Shows what a diet of mice can do for you! Not really a lot of foreplay or afterglow!! Hope we do better as humans: XXXXXX!!!
March 11th: maximum 17C, minimum 11C, moderate NW, sunny periods, one shower in morning, otherwise dry. Did get the train to Vila Real at 09:55, getting there at 11:02, cost €5.6 each way for the 53km. Installed the Portuguese Railways app; a glance around showed no-one was using it, nearly all with bits of paper. Guard on way there said that although the app claimed to hold your ticket, the real one was in the email sent to you.. On way back did it perfectly with pdf in email containing the QR code; guard was quite surprised it worked! Got lunch from a new branch of Aldi, opened near the reserve, €5.13 for a sandwich, lemon drink and a chocolate biscuit. After return had dinner in the glasshouse on the harbour front: olives with garlic bread starter, lamb chops, chips and salad, 2 rw, 1 Americano, all for €37 including tip €4. With long overdue crash on over-valued US stock exchange, would not expect my funds to rise so fall of 14k wtd is not too bad.
Had the most amazing day’s birdwatching at Castro Marim from 10:55-16:45, getting 53 different bird-types, including 4 raptor types: 1 Osprey fishing in the river on the boundary between Portugal and Spain 1 2, a Black-winged Kite hunting and displaying a little to N: one cropped image 0 with uncropped 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, a Marsh Harrier fem/imm hunting over the marsh, 3 Kestrel, a male and 2 female hunting the marsh and near the Station; 215 Greater Flamingo; 40 Spoonbill; 11 White Stork including 3 W 1; a Purple Heron W 1; a Pallid Swift; 15 Short-toed Lark displaying; a Caspian Tern W 1 2; 2 Spotted Redshank 1; 6 Black-winged Stilt including a pair displaying; Swallow numbers increased; a flock of 30 Common Waxbill 1. Butterflies there were 1 Clouded Yellow, 1 Large White,1 Moroccan Orange-tip male, 1 Spanish Festoon, 7 Small White. On way had 6 Cattle Egret at Fuseta and a Bee-eater at Tavira. Running total for whole trip is: 61 species from 88 records, 2 complete lists, 7 places. 2Moro it’s going to rain and drizzle, so will catch-up on some old records but after that it’s looking good with wind dropping and plenty of sunshine. Today was pretty bracing at times but I’ve been in my shorts both days to keep up the NE England image! Hope the fit one’s just that: XXXXXX!!!
March 10th: maximum 16C, minimum 14C, fresh SW, sunny intervals, heavy showers. Ate very well todathe app claimed to hold your tickety with large brekfast, lunch and dinner, making up for a few days of under-eating! Don’t think I’m going to keep this up. Had a few spells of nausea at home, suspect some bug; some friends had full-blown Norovirus. Food is a lot less expensive here with dinner in hotel for 3 courses and 2 rw coming to €42, including tip, just £35. For lunch I had omelette, chips and salad for €19 in a harbour-fronting restaurant. Breakfast is ‘free’ including anything you want. Balcony is very useful allowing me to sit outside watching the bay, sitting in the sun. Did have shorts on today. I had paid for room at the front but not for a balcony. Weather was dramatic toady with each 30 min of strong sun followed by 15 min downpour and 15 min cloud. The harbour-fronting restaurant was leaking a bit! Here’s a piccie of my hotel 1 (Eva Senses): I’m on floor 3 straight ahead: plenty of room in the bed!!
Total for birds today was 25 types. Migrants were scarce, suggesting major arrival from Africa not here yet. Did have 4 White Stork, 6 Sandwich Tern, 4 Swallow, 2 Sand Martin, 2 House Martin. The only raptor was an Osprey hunting over the marismas to E at 11:32 and 11/41 1 2 3 4. Surprisingly Atlantic Yellow-legged Gulls (24: 4 ad, 4 2s, 16 1s) outnumbered Mediterranean YLG (6: 2 ad, 4 1s). A pair of AYLG were close to mating 1. LBBG were the commonest gull with 68 noted. Saw many residents including a Zitting Cisticola and a Cirl Bunting. Had one butterfly: a Large White. 2Moro looks best day of the week so taking train to Vila Real on the Spanish border, where hope to see a Black Kite or two, as well as some heathland birds. Weather looks better for next week so will leave boat trips to then. In progress is tidying-up of News and Season Summary as move home page into 2025. XXXXXX!!!
Recent relevant references: (more reading here)
Mark Mallalieu, The 2024 European Honey Buzzard season in Sussex, BirdGuides (2024).
Shaw, KD, McInerny, CJ, Little, A, Little, K, Nadin, JS, & Goater, R, An exceptional season at a central Scotland Honey-buzzard study area, Scottish Birds 37(1) 3-13 (2017).
Forsman, Dick, Separating Common Buzzard and European Honey-buzzard, at p.302, in: Flight Identification of Raptors of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, Christopher Helm (2016).
