Purple chicken in Lisbon

Probably once a year, my WP listing urge kicks in when a top drawer rare turns up outside of Britain and Ireland. It's been a decent autumn, with three 'dream' yank wood warblers seen (Wilson's, Cape May and Black-throated Green) and a few nice finds thrown in too. So with news of an American Purple Gallinule filtering out on Friday, and within easy reach of Lisbon airport, my weekend plans changed a bit (sorry Mum, Dad and Grandma!). And so, for the third successive Saturday (!!!) I found myself in the environs of Lisbon airport...

Here I was met by David Monticelli, who had been instrumental in whacking the news out and confirming the bird's identification. Going beyond the call of duty, David picked Gordon B and I up from the airport and we headed the 15 minutes or so to Parque Florestal de Monsanto - an area of woods and parkland within the city boundary, where the gallinule was favouring a small pool in a private, fenced off area. No sweat though, as this Belgian who is conversant in Portuguese had sorted out some access.

 

1st-winter American Purple Gallinule, Monsanto, Lisbon 9th November 2013

Given that temperatures were near to freezing at Heathrow early on in the morning, it was a pleasant feeling to be walking about in the 20 degree Lisbon heat and sun mid-morning and, immediately on arrival, the 1st-winter American Purple Gallinule was located sitting motionless having apparently just digested a large frog. Once finished doing this, the bird generally skulked slowly through the edges of the pond, either picking at the long grass or feasting on more frogs and even a dragonfly during the five or so hours I was present. The views were astounding at times, with it being fearless towards the 20 or so birders that passed through the site. This really was a quality bird and the experience was great - yes, it may turn up in Britain and Ireland again but history suggests it won't be about for long. With this bird though, it had found perfect lily-filled habitat, a plentiful food supply and it looked nice and healthy too.

David M and PAC watching the American Purple Gallinule on its favoured pool

Second White-throated Sparrow for the Azores

I really was so reluctant to come off Corvo on Wednesday. Despite Flores' westerly location, it was only on Thursday of this trip that I started to realise its potential. Albeit with 'just' a Bobolink and a couple of quality yank waders.

Friday 1st November dawned at Santa Cruz, this being my last day for this year's trip. I headed out for a couple of hours early on with Janne, Potu and the irrepressible Ilkka. With just a bit of time to play with, we stayed local and I was introduced to the rather daunting site of Fajã do Conde. Having had Hermit Thrush, Philadelphia Vireo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a couple of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks it has form although it was bloody massive. In fact, as I started to walk down and into the fajã it felt as if I was pissing into the wind a bit.

Janne, Potu and Ilkka had walked on while I decided to stop and check out a load of the usual suspects - Canary, check, Chaffinch, check, House Sparrow, check, Blackcap, check and then White-throated Sparrow, check. What the fuck man, there on a rock in amongst the feeding frenzy was a White-throated Sparrow - second ever record for the Azores and a tick for a couple of the Finns! I was a right dick and flapped, failing to get any photo in the couple of seconds that I had before it headed off into the abyss. These days, the skeptic that I am, I really do swear by the rule 'no photo, no bird' and given that I'm usually papping everything in sight, I wasn't best pleased. So after a text was sent to Janne, and the troops rounded up, we had a bit of a search of the area before the Finns widened the search a short way down the road. Still no sign, and I was cursing at my ineptitude rather than punching the air.

White-throated Sparrow at Faja do Conde, Flores 1st November 2013 - second for the Azores

However, after 20 minutes or so, I heard a strange call (well, a familiar American sparrow-type call) on the other side of the field so I started scanning. Then the relief set in, as I'd relocated the bird but once again, as soon as I'd done this, it flew - fortunately this time towards me and so, primed with the lens, started papping and shouted to the guys that I'd got the bird again. It wasn't long before everyone was having their fill of this pretty smart looking vagrant. Remarkably, the first for the Azores was on Corvo just a couple of weeks ago and this, the second, was a different bird.

Anyway, I'm now safely back in London after a torrid night's sleep in Lisbon airport (the local tramps had nailed their asses to my usual sleeping bench) and, thanks to Janne and especially Potu, I have contracted the flu/cold thing that nearly every birder on Corvo has had this year. It was a real pleasure to spend time on Flores with Janne and Potu, and we birded it hard, while Ilkka's fitness and determination shows that no stone wall is too high or too tough for a 71 year old to conquer!

Way out west update

It has been a topsy turvy couple of days to be honest. I am writing this from a hotel in Santa Cruz on Flores because with the dreaded northerly winds predicted for tomorrow (Friday), they said it would be touch and go whether the flight from Corvo will leave. And reluctantly, yesterday, I made the decision to bust a move and take the five minute flight (yes, five minutes) to the neighbouring island of Flores - where the runway is much less susceptible to cross winds. Before I left Corvo though, with the two Glossy Ibises still chilling out on the airfield, Ilkka somehow managed to find this Black-and-white Warbler in Da Ponte: -

Black-and-white Warbler Ribeira da Ponte, Corvo 30th October 2013

So I've tagged on to a Finnish team here on Flores - exceptionally good company and really enjoying things with Janne, Potu and Ilkka. It was mad windy when we awoke this morning, but bright. So we headed up to the old soccer field at Ponta Delgada where the shit really did start to hit the fan from the word go. A small wader feeding unobtrusively was quickly nailed as a Least Sandpiper - a bird I'd never found before - while also there were some leftovers from the last week or two with an American Buff-bellied Pipit, Semipalmated Plover and a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers still present.

Least Sandpiper, Ponta Delgada, Flores 31st October 2013

American Buff-bellied Pipit, Ponta Delgada, Flores 31st October 2013

Then, as if it were like a leaf being blown off a tree, a wader tumbled out of the sky from the west and looked as though it was heading into the harbour. Rushing through the fields, and then down the steps, we found this fresh bad boy Greater Yellowlegs looking up at us: -

Greater Yellowlegs, Ponta Delgada, Flores 31st October 2013

It was evidently new in the area, as it flew about a bit not really having a clue where to feed, before it departed high to the south towards the hillside to the south of Ponta Delgada. I was well pumped with this, and as we headed back up towards the soccer field, Janne had a bird fly over him that he thought was either a Bobolink or Dickcissel. With reference to the literature, having heard it call (a rather electric buzz), he initially favoured the latter (because the literature described the calls poorly!) but after probably an hour or so I located the bird and firmed it up as a Bobolink. It was extremely flightly, but remarkably, all four of us managed to see it pretty quickly before it flew out of sight behind a hillside. We then headed off to the lighthouse at Ponta do Albarnaz where all the birds had been blown away, and so were we...nearly.

Faja Grande was crap, but nevertheless provided a nice afternoon stroll as I checked the area from Ponta da Faja southwards, but a Spotted Sandpiper in the harbour at Santa Cruz rounded off a pretty decent day, especially considering Flores for me is always second choice out of the two westerly islands.

On the rock again

I've now finished my second day on the rock. You'll read this and think it has all been plain sailing, but believe me, it has been a real struggle. After nailing our 'last supper' on Sao Miguel on Sunday night, we (Lee G and I) arrived early afternoon yesterday and headed straight up to Pico (via the dwindling flock of Glossy Ibises that are now down to three - at least two of the original six have been found dead) where a Black-throated Green Warbler had been seen on Saturday (and heard on Sunday). With the weather excellent - little wind and the sun shining - we thought we had a decent chance. However, an hour ticked by and the daunting ribeira was deadly silent. Then another hour and with just the odd Blackcap and Canary to show, and not even a call to show for, Lee struck gold by finding it feeding unobtrusively in the canopy. This fourth for the Azores, a first-winter, was pretty mind blowing with a nice double wing bar, streaked flanks and a deep yellow cheeks. Once again, I wasn't going to leave Corvo without a new WP bird...


American Bittern, Fojo, Corvo 29th October 2013

Today, Tuesday, dawned cloudy with a moderate westerly breeze. After a token check of middle fields and around the airport - where there were still a couple of Glossy Ibises looking pissed off with life, and a load of newly released Cory's Shearwaters (locals collect young that are fresh out of the nest, get dazzled by street lights and end up in the village) - we headed up to the ribeiras. Lee and I did Cantinho, while the Finns took on the upper part of Fojo - both of us leaving empty handed. Between Cancelas and Fojo, while in a field watching a load of birds around a fruiting tree, I noticed a large bird coming quickly through the valley - it was obviously an American Bittern, and so I yelled to Lee who was close by and told him that it had landed out of sight in the lower bit of Fojo. The Finns were informed, and they did a professional job of getting on site quickly, just as Lee located it in a tree. Here it remained, rather skittishly before a band of fog and a brisk breeze forced it down into cover never to be seen again.

Glossy Ibis at the airfield, Corvo - one of an initial flock of six that was down to two today; two birds have been found dead on Corvo during October.

With torrential rain, and poor visibility, late afternoon was spent back in the village where a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers were on the airfield and a Wheatear was by the windmill. With just five of us birding here, there must be a lot more out there but weather conditions really weren't conducive for finding stuff so we'll take the bittern from what was essentially a wash out.

In the middle of the Atlantic again

Half-term couldn't have come sooner. And predictably I've headed out to 'the rock' (Corvo)for the fifth successive year. I've got as far as Sao Miguel today, and with the news that the Black-throated Green Warbler is still about today, I'm wishing Monday would come sooner. Only those who have been to the Azores will realise how dull the eastern and central islands are compared to Corvo, but I tried to make the most of the day on Sao Miguel in damp and dull conditions.

I started off with the Oystercatcher at Ribeira Grande - a species I'd not seen on the Azores - and more interestingly, this bird is of the Central Asian race longipes; note the massive white collar, large amount of white in the wings and brownish upperparts. Jizz wise, it also appeared really leggy. About as interesting as Oystercatchers get for sure!

Lagoa das Furnas and the surrounding fields full of shite were quiet, save for a female Pintail and half a dozen Teal. And after stopping off at Vila Franca do Campo, where I papped atlantis for an hour or so, I headed to Praia do Populo to get my usual digs for the next couple of nights. Scanning through the bathing gulls, I came across a massively shawled, pale-mantled bird that immediately pressed all the right buttons for an American Herring Gull. Although distant, I was more than happy this was a blindingly obvious 3rd-winter smithsonianus; amongst the atlantis, any 'Herring Gull' here stands out.

1st-winter Azorean Yellow-legged Gull; this is the third 'pink-billed' 1st-winter I've seen in the last couple of years. An almost unheard of trait in nominate birds. Look at those dark shins too!

The drizzle (and tiredness) got the better of me this evening, and I didn't quite last out until dusk for the gull roost at Ponta Delgada. Anyway, better go as need to do a taxi run to pick up Lee G from the airport. More tomorrow hopefully.

Parrots in the rain

I was prepared for today. I'd looked at a number of weather forecasts, with all saying it was going to be grim. And it sure was and typically, with my waterproof jacket that probably hasn't been waterproof for the last decade, I got extremely wet. Fortunately though a small group of Parrot Crossbills - four of them in all - decided to bed down last night at Gunner's Park, Shoeburyness, Essex and because of the abysmal conditions were still about this morning. Two males and two females about, getting blown about in the seafront pines - extremely showy, so even in the poor conditions managed a couple of average shots.

male Parrot Crossbill, Gunner's Park 13th October 2013

Must admit that structurally, they were really bull-necked and all birds seemed to show a relatively meagre 'crossed-bill' so all pro-Parrot features. Being a London birder, Crossbill isn't a species I see often at all so regular experience would help - though I was slightly underwhelmed by the smallish lower mandibles and actual bill size. Though the deepening kink towards the bill tip was pretty unique on these smart birds. I'd have liked to have watched them for longer, but with me and optics thoroughly soaked enough was enough.

Yesterday, with just the morning to play with, I headed out to some local spots. There was a 1st-winter Arctic Tern at Woolwich Ferry at high tide, while Crossness produced an adult Little Gull off the golf centre and an Arctic Tern that flew through mid morning could feasibly have been the same as that at Woolwich.

A quick trip to Kent

After yet another weekend has gone, and it's back into the school routine supplemented by being the Azores Bird Sightings bitch (a job in itself in October!), time to reflect quickly on yesterday's events.

News of the continued presence of a nice adult Lesser Grey Shrike on Sheppey, well found by Mike Buckland the previous evening, meant John A and I headed out of London for a change of scene. Arriving at Harty Marshes in the warm sunlight was pleasant for the time of year, and though a lovely bird, the harsh light, haze and distance put the whole event in the 'good scope views' category. I haven't seen too many Lesser Grey Shrikes in Britain, so a nice adult like this was decent enough.

adult Lesser Grey Shrike Harty Ferry, Kent 6th October 2013 - a bit distant but note the extensive white primary bases, long primary projection, white outertail and pale-based bill

After yesterday's dip, we then re-visited Cliffe and the Lesser Yellowlegs was seen from the viewing ramp; looking into the bright sunlight, rather distant and with a haze probably ranked this as one of my more forgettable experiences of this species, not least with the showy bird in Galway a couple of weeks ago still in the recent past.

Back in London, there was no sign of the Little Gull at Woolwich Ferry and with the Thames Barrier having a test day, and with its gates up, loads of gulls were attracted to the churned up sediment and current; shame that I could only find a single adult Yellow-legged Gull amongst the larids. So that was it for the first October weekend of 2013