Jynxed!

No joy today with the Strumpshaw Fen Wryneck. I got accurate directions via BF yesterday and was all set to leave work at 4pm Friday evening to go see the bird when 'stuff' happened and it was 7pm before I left.
I rose at 6am this morning and was 'on site' by 7am but there was no sign of it. I gave it about an hour and fifteen minutes before declaring. An Osprey was present and at one stage flew over Rockland Broad across the Yare and over towards Buckenham carrying a large fish. So that was some consolation. It was also good to bump into Kit Day, who I rate as one of the finest bird photographers in the UK.
Footnote: now being reported from Strumpshaw Fen at 12.31pm!

Bigger footnote: I went back around 5pm and had reasonable views of the bird along the path close to the pump house - my third Wryneck of the week.  Not the best photos ever, but a smashing bird!

Wryneck, Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk - 31st August 2013

More from Latvia - Part 2

The alarm went at 5.30am the next morning, after those beers the night before, the spirit was willing but the flesh and the head were very weak.
Karlis on the other hand was raring to go. We arrived at Kolka Cape carpark at 6am and began searching for Two-barred Crossbills. After 45 minutes though I had to admit defeat. I was shattered and had a thumping headache so I retired to the car for a nap.
I did manage to get some sleep and the one time I opened my eyes a Hobby flew over (no, it wasn't a dream). Eventually I crawled out of the car and wandered around the carpark looking up in the pines. I had a Chiffchaff, two Crested Tits and a single Willow Tit (much paler, silvery looking birds than any I've seen in the UK)....subspp. borealis, loennbergi?
Anyway, at 10am we headed back to the hotel for breakfast, after some pancakes, eggs and coffee I started to feel a little but more compos mentis!
We checked out and headed away from Kolka following the road through the forest in the direction of Ventspils. The pine forest seemed to go on for ages, we kept our eyes peeled for soaring birds of prey but could only manage Common Buzzard and Ravens.

Road through the pines - Latvia - 8th August 2013

However, after 30 minutes of driving, Karlis hit the brakes and exclaimed 'Capercaillie'. He had spotted a female hunkered down along the roadside. We went into reverse and just had a enough time to take some photos from the car before she and her four chicks gathered up and slipped away into the woods.

Female Capercaillie - Latvia - 8th August 2013

Once we cleared the pines forest we entered more open farm country. A lot of oats and barley. The day had started to heat up and we had wider views of open country so our chances for soaring birds of prey were increased. Still we were mostly turning up Buzzards and Marsh Harriers, not even a Honey Buzzard. In due course though I spotted a smallish narrow winged raptor soaring over a corn field. I could see a ringtail so my first thought was female type Monty's. But the second I got it in the bins Pallid Harrier entered my head and at almost the same moment Karlis said 'is that not a Pallid?'. In the time it took for us to grab our cameras out of the car, the bird had drfited away from us. Neither of us got decent shots, we followed it as a distant dot as it drifted away over the fields, we turned off the main road and tried to relocate it but never managed to see it again. I rather fancied that in my initial glimpse through the bins, I got a light collar around the head and subsequent pictures do appear to show dark secondaries on the under side of the wing. But in the end we have to let it go as unidentified, pity though as its a good record for Latvia.
In the same general area we did manage to see a single Lesser Spotted Eagle. Shortly after we checked a spot for Red-footed Falcon. We had a bird harassing a Marsh Harrier that looked good for RFF but the sun was directly against us so we couldn't establish any plumage details other than to say it looked dark, but then, so can a Hobby in certain light. I felt it looked structurally wrong for Hobby, less long winged and short-tailed but this one too we had to let go as unidentified. We really weren't having a good day.
We contined on through the more industrial city of Ventspils. Stopping along the way to check any soaring raptor we could see. Mostly Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards. We did have two Great Grey Shrikes, one a juvenile and one an adult bird. We took a detour then and headed towards a breeding area in West / North-west Latvia for Bee-eaters. I have to say, not a species that I'd associate with Latvia and I wonder is this the northern limit of their range in the WP, probably close to it though, maybe as you go through Belarus and Russia they reach slightly further up. We managed to see 40-45 birds in the one area, both adults and juveniles so Karlis felt they had done well. They are subject to persecution by egg-collectors so I need to keep details minimal, quite sad really. In the same spot we heard a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (but didn't see it) and had two Hobbys, a few Blue-headed Wagtails, a juvenile Great Grey Shrike and several Black Reds.
In the city of Liepaya, Karlis wanted to show me a spot where Crested Lark and Tawny Pipit breed. Again, in my opinion, not species I think of when I think of Latvia, and possibly also at the northern limit of their ranges. But opposite an oil refinery and along a busy road we easily found a singing Crested Lark....seems amazing!

A busy intersection in Liepaya, Latvia

A Crested Lark sings from a rooftop in the same area.

We were too late for Tawny Pipit but they too bred within the confines of the oil refinery opposite (which is also good for Northern Wheatear and Black Redstarts).
We did a quick check of the beach also for passage waders but the hot weather had brought the crowds out and the waders were nowhere to be seen. Nice beach though!

Liepaya beach, Latvia - 8th August 2013

Time was getting on and we needed to hit the road back to Jurmala which would be a 2.5 hour journey back. Along the way we stopped at a spot where a Greater Spotted Eagle had been reported a few weeks ago. The report had been of an adult bird not a passing juvenile so Karlis wondered if it had spent the summer there. We checked the area for large soaring raptors and checked any tall trees or telegraph posts for a sitting bird but didn't find anything. If there was one in the area (and I believe one has been seen since), I reckon it was hiding in the shade. At 6.30pm it was still 32oC!

At that point we called time and had reached Jurmala by 9.45pm.

In my two days with Karlis I had three lifers (Black Woodpecker, Capercaillie and Parrott Crossbill), other highlights included Lesser Spotted Eagle, Bee-eater and Roller. Lowlights included failing to nail possible Two-barred Crossbill, Pallid Harrier and Red-footed Falcon and a thumping hangover on one of the hottest days in Latvia this summer, Riga city was 42oC that day also - hard to believe those temperatures when you compare it to the Latvian winter, where it can be minus 32oC!

I said it before and I'll say it again, I believe Latvia is a fine country for birding. Apart from six species of Woodpecker, Pygmy, Tengmalm's and Ural Owl, there is also breeding Booted Warbler, Blyth's Reed Warbler and lots of other good stuff. I would highly recommend Latvia as a birding destination. There are regular flights with Ryanair, Wizzair and Air Baltic from Dublin, Manchester, Luton and Stansted to Riga. The infrastructure is good and if you need a guide you can go the birding Latvia website Latvian Birding and send them an email.  I would recommend Karlis Millers as a guide, a very competent birder with detailed knowledge of where to find specific birds in Latvia (he's also Latvia's top lister). In fact if you check out that website on a regular basis then you will get a flavour for the sort of birds you can expect to see at any time of the year in Latvia. 

More from Latvia - Part 1

After over a week of local birding I had arranged to head west with Latvian birder Karlis Millers whom I had birded with here in 2011.
Thursday morning I met Karlis at the Dzintari train station in Jurmala and we made our way directly to Kemeri National Park in the hope of Black Woodpecker. Not a great time of the year to see them, but I wanted to try, seeing as its a life bird.
At the first stop it was all quiet although I did come across probably the most voracious mosquitoes I have ever known (and I include Panamanian ones in that). Karlis was unscathed but I was eaten alive in under ten minutes.
We soon left that spot and further along stopped once more where, after a forty minute wait, I had brief views of two Black Woodpeckers as they flew across a forest clearing. Not the views I had hoped for but tickable nonetheless. In the same area a family party of Golden Orioles moved around the tree tops, when you hear that harsh shriek call they give, its not what you'd expect from such a handsome bird!
We continued up along the coast with our intention to stop at various points and look for passage waders. However, we needed to have been earlier and in most suitable places, people had already arrived and flushed the birds away.
In one spot though we had five Caspian Terns resting out on a sand bar. Probably my favourite tern species.
Eventually we arrived somewhere where the birds had not been disturbed. We scanned through the flocks of waders and in an hour picked out Little Ringed and Ringed Plover, Green, Common and Wood Sandpipers, Little Stint and Dunlin, Redshanks and Greenshanks, Ruff and Curlew Sandpipers. I was hoping for a Broad-billed Sand but it wasn't to be. Present also were many Common Terns, two Caspian Terns, Sandwich Terns and one Little Tern. After an hour the birds were flushed by some people and we moved on.
A little further along and Karlis wanted to check a spot for colured ringed Cormorants (some of which he rings himself). Just as we clim bed out of the car we noticed our back RHS tire was flat. Bugger!
By now the day had really hotted up, Karlis pulled around to the shady side of the road and began to take the wheel off. It was a narrow road, with some traffic. We must have looked an odd sight, the car blocking one lane as a shirtless Karlis changed the wheel.
After over a week of local birding I had arranged to head west with Latvian birder Karlis Millers whom I had birded with here in 2011.
Thursday morning I met Karlis at the Dzintari train station in Jurmala and we made our way directly to Kemeri National Park in the hope of Black Woodpecker. Not a great time of the year to see them, but I wanted to try seeing as its a life bird.
At the first stop it was all quiet although I did come across probably the most voracious mosquitoes I have ever known (and I include Panamanian ones). Karlis was unscathed but I was eaten alive in under ten minutes.
We soon left that spot and further along stopped once more where after a forty minute wait I had brief views of two Black Woodpeckers as they flew across a forest clearing. Not the views I had hoped for but tickable nonetheless. In the same area a family party of Golden Orioles moved around the tree tops, when you hear that harsh shriek call they give, its not what you'd expect from such a handsome bird!
We continued up along the coast with our intention to stop at various points and look for passage waders. However, we needed to have been earlier and in most suitable places, people had already arrived and flushed the birds away.
In one spot though we had five Caspian Terns resting out on a sand bar. Probably my favourite tern species.
Eventually we arrived somewhere where the birds had not been disturbed. We scanned through the flocks of waders and in an hour picked out Little Ringed and Ringed Plover, Green, Common and Wood Sandpipers, Little Stint and Dunlin, Redshanks and Greenshanks, Ruff and Curlew Sandpipers. I was hoping for a Broad-billed Sand but it wasn't to be.

Karlis checks for some waders spots

Present also were many Common Terns, two Caspian Terns, Sandwich Terns and one Little Tern.

Caspian Tern amongst Common Terns - Latvia - 7th August 2013

After an hour the birds were flushed by some people and we moved on.
 
A little further along and Karlis wanted to check a spot for coloured ringed Cormorants (some of which he rings himself). Just as we climbed out of the car we noticed our back RHS tyre was flat. Bugger!
By now the day had really hotted up, Karlis pulled around to the shady side of the road and began to take the wheel off. It was a narrow road, with some traffic. We must have looked an odd sight, the car blocking one lane as a shirtless Karlis changed the wheel.

The perils of birding!

You would have said the main thing was to get the wheel changed and car off the road. However as Karlis was taking off the tyre, we both heard a strange call from something flying over our heads. I looked around, Karlis looked up and exclaimed "What the F is that!!". We forgot about the car, grabbed our bins and cameras and just had time to see a fine European Roller fly over our heads.

Never mind the car - there's birding to be done - Karlis snaps the Roller before it disappears

A good record away from their traditional Latvian breeding area, so for a moment we forgot about the puncture and the heat and laughed to ourselves for our good fortune.

European Roller - Latvia - 7th August 2013

We took in a couple more coastal stops before reaching a small village just in time to get the tyre repaired. As the mechanics worked the skies darkened and the thunder started to rumble. By the time we reached Kolka it was pouring rain. The upside though was that the rain cooled things down a bit. We checked our bags into a very nice guest house and decided to use the final couple of hours of daylight to look for the Two-barred Crossbills at Kolka Cape.
We hung around the car park at Kolka which Karlis reckoned gave us the best chance of seeing any Crossbills. As we chatted to the ladies in the reception shop we heard a single Crossbill fly over. But the bird appeared bigger and chunkier than any Common Crossbills I'd seen before and also gave a louder and much sharper sounding call, I had a decent view as it disappeared behind some pine tops and was happy to go with Parrot Crossbill.....my second lifer of the day. A short-time after we had a small flock of Common Crossbills fly over which included two smaller Crossbills trailling at the back, we rather fancied them for Two-barred Crossbill but could never relocate the flock. We hoped they might come down to drink in some of the pools around the car park but that didn't happen.
As the light faded we headed back to the guest house and enjoyed a very nice meal washed down with a couple of fine Latvian beers. The craic was good and Karlis and I continued to chat about the birding scenes in Latvia, Ireland and the UK. One beer followed another and it was 1.30am before we called it a night. I would pay for it the next day but I really enjoyed the evening!

A decent sprinkling on Blakeney Point

There was all sorts of good stuff in Norfolk yesterday but I had things to do and the weather was bad so it was Sunday before I could make it out. Nick and I met up at 7.30 this morning in Norwich and set a course for Blakeney Point.
I was hoping to catch up with a Booted Warbler as it still remains a life bird for me. We took a slight detour first and stopped at Gramborough Hill to look for Wryneck. We got there just ahead the crowds and managed decent if not distant views as it moved from one set of brambles to another before finally perching out in the open on a fence post with a Spotted Flycatcher and a Whinchat for company.

Wryneck, Gramborough Hill, Norfolk - 25th August 2013

We viewed it in the company of ten or so others but the numbers seemed to be swelling as we made our way back. We stopped briefly to take a couple of shots of this quite tame Dunlin.

Dunlin, Gramborough Hill, Norfolk - 25th August 2013

After that we reached Coastguards, we gathered our gear together and began the long trek out along Blakeney Point. I had my 500mm f4 lens, tripod and head, bins and rucksack. A lot to carry on an eight mile round trip across shifting shingle. My shoulders are aching as I write but it was worth it. We didn't come across any 'rare' stuff but lots of good scarce migrants.
As we walked the first stretch towards Halfway House, we had decent numbers of Whinchats and Redstarts, several Yellow Wagtails, a few Wheatears, one Pied Flycatcher and a single Garden Warbler.

Garden Warbler, Blakeney Point, Norfolk - 25th August 2013

We asked various people along the way if there had been any sign of the Icky or Booted but it was negative news on that front.
One gentleman I met along the way was Tom Green, who in the late 1960's had spent a year on Cape Clear Island as bird warden. He wrote about his experiences in the book 'Echoes from Cape Clear' - see more here.
It was good to hear of experiences back then, finding firsts for Ireland like Western Bonelli's and other great birds like American Redstart. It's sad to think that BWI don't even have a warden there right now.
Anyway, while we walked we had a nice dark phase Arctic Skua chasing a hapless Common Tern along the seaward side of the shingle. We stopped at The Hood where we enjoyed views of a second Wryneck before coming around the opposite side heading towards the plantation where birders behind us flushed yet another Wryneck. We took a little bit of time to try for better views of that Wryneck without success. Nick and I decided to head on while Tom called it a day and bid his goodbyes.
At the Plantation a small group of birders were relaxing, having their lunches and watching some migs flitting about.

Birders watch the Plantation at Blakeney Point - 25th August 2013

There were at least two Pied Flys in there, three Willow Warblers and one Garden Warbler. The Pied Flys were quite obliging as they dashed out after moths, caught them and returned to perch on the wire fence as they devoured the poor moth.

Swallowing one moth.....

and eating the next one!

I watched the plantation as I ate my lunch (very relaxing) and then headed over to the small red-brick building nearby where a very smart male Common Redstart was making some sallies after moths and other flying insects. Now, I have been trying for ages to get decent Redstart shots. Mainly at East Wretham Heath but also over in Latvia - I've had zero success. This bird was a little less bright than a full summer male but he was smart nonetheless. In my first efforts to get a shot, he seemed to get spooked by my shutter sound. Eventually, I crept close, lay flat on my belly with my lens resting on my rucksack and that seemed to do the trick. He couldn't really make out a human form from my shape, so he was happy enough to perch out in the open and soon got used to the shutter clicking. I got the best shots I've ever managed of Common Redstart.
I filled a 8GB memory card, but here's a sample of two.

Male Common Redstart - Blakeney Point, Norfolk - - 25th August 2013

And a short movie clip here

After that, we decided to make our way back. I had a little spring in my step after getting some decent shots but the shifting shingle soon got rid of that. We had plenty more Redstarts, Whinchats, Willow Warblers, Spotted and Pied Flys on the way back but by the time we had gone past Halfway we were knackered. Nick suggested we drop down onto the hard sand and do the last bit the easy way. I had run out of water so by the time I reached Coastguards I was very tired and very thirsty. We were thinking of heading towards Stiffkey to look for the Greenish Warbler but it had been negative news on that since earlier in the day. Anyway, we were both wrecked, it was now after 5pm and we'd been out since 7.30am so it was time to call it a day.
Nick said today on Blakeney was 'a decent sprinkling' rather than a fall! I was very happy with that 'decent sprinkling', even if I had been looking at many of these species a few weeks ago in Latvia. A pity not to see Booted, Greenish or Icky but I can't complain. I have a cold beer in the fridge to round off a great days birding.

Black Terns and Barred Warblers

Yesterday morning I ventured out to the local woods but after one hour gave up. It was pretty dead, mainly Robins, Chaffinches and Great Tits. Even the Wood Warblers seem to have cleared off. The best I had was a single raggedy looking Crested Tit and a family of Goldcrests.
In the evening I headed up towards the Lielupe River area, it was still pretty hot at 5pm but at least there was a little more action up that way. First off I had a couple of Common Redstarts at the edge of a garden just before the whole area opens out into meadow. I hung around for a better view and had a single Pied Flycatcher and a Spotted Fly in the same tree. After that I walked along a narrow path that looked good for Wryneck but all I could dig out was a White Wagtail (Latvia's national bird though).

Juvenile White Wagtail, Lielupe, Jurmala, Latvia - 4th August 2013

After that I did a few circuits of the paths around the reserve. The shrikes are still present of course, although they had moved to another area presumably put off by all the weekend visitors. In fact I thought it might be better to steer away from people myself so I headed out along the meadow trail where I had seen the Whinchats a few days ago. I passed by a series of orchards and allotments and was interested to see a lot of birds fly catching, it seemed that there were a lot of flying ants and everything from Gulls, Starlings, Shrikes, Crows and Terns were having a go. Quite fun to watch the shrikes dashing after flying insects. At one stage a Garden Warbler jumped out and joined in the melee.
As I walked I came across a small pool that was full of several very fat looking frogs. I've no idea what species they are but they're the second biggest frogs I've ever seen (the biggest being bull frogs in Namibia a few years ago).

Amphibian species of some kind - a big one at that!

Further along the meadow trail the Whinchats were still present as were several Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings. I reached the end of the trail just by the edge of the river and noticed that a group of about ten small Terns had joined the Gulls hawking insects. I'm not too good on telling marsh terns apart outside of the breeding season but I'm certain these were a mix of adult and juvenile Black Terns. All three occur in Latvia although Whiskered is the least common. They were a bugger to photograph though so this record shot is the best of my efforts.

Black Tern - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 4th August 2013

That's the first time that I've seen marsh terns in this area, it really does keep turning up the surprises this place.
It was nearly seven o'clock by now and time for dinner, I began my walk back but stopped briefly to take a photo of this Hooded Crow as it perched on a sorry looking goalpost. I have to say after over six months in the UK, it was nice to see a Hooded Crow again, obviously they're all over Ireland and you get used to them, but I think they're a handsome bird. In fact, I might even miss them a bit!

Hooded Crow - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 4th August 2013

This morning, Polina and her Mum headed into Riga for some shopping so I took off reasonably early with a packed lunch back to the same area. The weather was at first a little cooler and the sun not so harsh. The shrikes had moved back to their preferred area (Monday - therefore far fewer visitors). The male as ever continues to keep a watchful eye over his off-spring and got very upset when a local cat ventured into his patch.

Male Red-backed Shrike scolds a local cat.

A Garden Warbler was chack-chacking again in the same area, I took a close look through the bins and could see two birds and then realised that I had made a novices mistake by identifying them a few days ago as Garden Warblers, they were in fact Barred Warblers. Not bad, very impressive, solid looking birds. Both juveniles, but you could make out the light barring on the under-tail coverts, the pale wing bars and size wise they were that bit bigger than Garden Warblers. Another challenge to shoot though, so record shots again.

Juvenile Barred Warbler - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 5th August 2013

They kept coming back to this dried out Giant Hogweed plant, I'm not sure what they were getting from it, seeds or insects but it was a popular spot for several species of warbler (I had Reed/Marsh, Great Reed and Common Whitethroat in there too).
While I watched them a small Acro decided I was too close and popped up for a better look, scolding me as it did so. At first I thought Reed Warbler because it was quite buffy, but on closer inspection of the shots I took, its head-shape and bill size don't seem right for Reed. The bill looks too stubby, the head rounder and the overall facial expression slightly softer and 'kinder' if you know what I mean. I couldn't really see enough detail on the tertials or the length of the primary projection to really tell. I will say though, that in June and July, Marsh Warblers are by far the commonest Acro in this area so I rather fancy this is a juvenile Marsh. It also gave a softer 'tick' call (like a Lesser 'throat) than I've heard from Reed. Answers on a postcard!

Juvenile Marsh Warbler - I think??

By that stage it was time for 'bistro' (Russian word for 'quick'). I found a shady spot and tucked into my lunch. As I ate I watched a couple of Willow Warblers (including one singing somewhere out of sight), two Chiffchaffs, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, several Great Tits and this Pied Flycatcher (looks a little too worn to be a juvenile I think).

Pied Flycatcher - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 5th August 2013

From then on the day started to heat up, the light was that little bit harsher also. I continued to walk the area hoping for better shots of both the Barred Warblers and of course the Shrikes. Absolutely no joy with the Barred but one of the juvenile Shrikes obliged.

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 5th August 2013

While I was attempting some distant shots of a Great White Egret, this juvenile Great Reed Warbler showed briefly. I had the 1.4 extender on and no time to mount everything onto a tripod so what could have been a lovely shot is just a little blurred. Maybe without the extender it would have been different, handholding at 700mm seldom works!

Great Reed Warbler - Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 5th August 2013

All the same though, I'm very fond of Great Reed Warblers, big, solid and confident. I love Acros but it's hard to get good clear views of them, Great Reeds are different though. Maybe because of their size they tend to be more brazen and out in the open! This one I reckon is a juvenile because of the fresh, warm looking plumage.
With that I called it a day. Like I say, this place keeps turning up surprises, like Black Tern and Barred Warbler. Who knows what else is lurking!

Take me to the river!

I wanted to head back up to the Lielupe river area to try for some better Red-backed Shrike photos but it was harder than I first thought. I got into position opposite one of their favourite posts, made myself comfortable and started to wait. No sign after an hour and the sun which was beating down on my back was getting hotter and hotter (mid summer in Latvia can be in the mid-thirties, hard to believe that in mid winter it can be in the minus mid-thirties!).
Eventually the male appeared flying towards the post but obviously got sight of me at the last minute and banked away. The strategy appears to consist of the male keeping a watchful eye on the family as they hunt. He perches atop a high tree or post scanning the area for any danger and calls the juvenile away with a few screechy sounding alarm calls if danger beckons. If he decides to move them to a new area, he seems to check it out first and then calls them to him once the coast is clear. What a good Dad!

The sentinel keeps watch!

Meanwhile one of the youngsters hunts below - look at the size of those feet!

So the up-shot of all that is getting a photo of any of them will be quite tricky. Also the light was very strong and the day was very hot.
I decided to leave the area and take a little stroll around. Perhaps I might come across that Wryneck again. As I passed a small stand of conifers a movement caught my eye. A small Phyllosc was poking around the upper branches of a stunted fir tree. At first I thought it was a Willow Warbler, then a very pale Wood Warbler before I finally saw the thin off-white wing bar and realised it was a Greenish Warbler. It didn't hang around for long but I was pretty pleased to have seen it all the same.
After that, I found a path that went past some apple orchards before coming out onto some open uncut meadow. I hadn't taken this route before and figure now that if I had been here earlier in the summer the chances would have been good for Corncrake, it was perfect habitat and the bird is still hanging on in Latvia. Anyway, before I reached the open meadow I had a couple of Reed Warblers, several juvenile Common Whitethroats and another RB Shrike family (they've done well this year it seems).
I was just thinking Whinchat when off in the distance I could see a small chat like bird sitting up on a piece of thistle. As I scanned I could pick out three of four more including two rather shaggy looking adults (obviously moulting). I had to do a bit of creeping around on my belly before I could get in anyway close for a shot. This juvenile posed on a clump of nettles before catching sight of me and hare-tailing it off in a right hurry. The result is not too bad though, if I say so myself.

Whinchat, Lielupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 2nd August 2013

After that I took off home. Today I gave the birding a break but stayed in the back garden all afternoon. I even cut the grass for Polina's Mum. I was rewarded with the presence a very nice Lesser Whitethroat mooching around some bushes by the back fence. What great garden birds!

Back in the Baltics

I'm in Latvia for a few weeks. Always a good birding location as you can see from some of last year's blog posts Birding in Latvia.
This time its a little bit late in the summer for anything to be singing or showing well, last year I was here in early June and enjoyed great views of singing Wood Warblers, Greenish Warblers, RB Flys, Great Reed Warblers and lots of other stuff.
The Wood Warblers, Pied Flys and Common Redstarts that frequent the back garden and local woods are still here but are lying low and its usually only recently fledged juveniles that are giving any sort of views.
For the last three days Polina and I took a overnight ferry to Stockholm from Riga. I had hoped for a little more action once out in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Latvia but it was pretty quiet. Coming through the many small islands into Stockholm things picked up a bit as I enjoyed close views of the many Baltic Gulls (fuscus race of Lesser-Black Backed Gull), Kittiwakes, a small group of Barnacle Geese and a distant White-tailed Sea Eagle.

'Baltic' Gull - Stockholm to Riga ferry - 31st July 2013

We came back into Riga today and I decided to take a stroll around the small area of meadow which forms a little nature reserve at the Lielupe River near Jurmala. Its only a ten minute walk away but can be a real gem.
This afternoon didn't disappoint. Several Great Reed Warblers were visible briefly darting from one reed bed to another. A Garden Warbler put in a brief show too. Usually I see and hear plenty of Common Rosefinch and Marsh Warblers in this area but they all seemed to have moved on. I had a female Pied Flycatcher in a small orchard hunting insects off a low branch as an Icterine Warbler called from further in. I had done a full circuit of one of the pathways before coming across a family party of Red-backed Shrikes. Two years ago in mid July I also had a family of RB Shrikes but in 2012 none.

Juvenile Red-backed Shrike, Lieplupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 1st August 2013

Chomping on a tasty bug!

So it was good to see they had returned and bred successfully. I spent a while trying for decent shots without great success but did manage to see a Wryneck briefly while I watched the Shrikes. Here is the epitome of a record shot!

Wryneck -  Lieplupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 1st August 2013

With both juvenile RB Shrikes and Wrynecks in the one bush - it felt like Central Bog on Cape Clear Island in October!
It looks also that Great White Egrets have bred in this area, I don't recall ever having seen them here. One treated me to a very nice fly-by at one stage.

Great White Egret - Lieplupe River, Jurmala, Latvia - 1st August 2013

Time had run out on me and I needed to make my way back. But it was a hard place to leave. Between there and the house, I had a Lesser Whitethroat, two Black Redstarts, a male Common Redstart and several Spotted Flycatchers.

Spotted Flycatcher - Dzintari, Jurmala, Latvia - 1st August 2013

I'll more than likely head back up to the Lielupe river in the next few days and try for some nicer Shrike shots.
Meanwhile I have a plan to go birding with Karlis Millers next week where we will head as far as Kolka Cape and then down the coast towards Ventspils and Liepaya looking for passage waders and who knows what else!