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England and Scotland
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England and Scotland
Saturday, 16 August 2008 20:08
Written by Neil Gray

16 August 2008 Just back from 15 days visiting my family in the UK, where I managed to get in some birding in Greater London, Durham, Tees-side and the Scottish Highlands - the first birding I have ever done in the UK - chalking up 110 species (not including exotic/captive birds).

 

I spent the afternoon of my arrival day in London at the London Wetlands Centre in Barnes. This is an amazing place sitting next to the River Thames, surrounded by suburban office and residential blocks, with Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage stadium just across the river, and literally right beneath the Heathrow Airport flight path. It combines natural wetland with wild waterfowl, artificial ponds with (pinioned) exotic waterfowl from all over the world and some natural woodland areas. It has several bird hides, one of which, the Peacock Tower, is three stories high and boasts a lift! Bird feeders are also placed at strategic points in the woodland to attract the resident species. As well as many exotic waterbird species I managed to see the following among others:

  1. Bewick's Swan
  2. Mute Swan
  3. Greylag Goose
  4. White-fronted Goose
  5. Canada Goose
  6. Barnacle Goose
  7. Moorhen
  8. Coot
  9. Cormorant
  10. Great Crested Grebe
  11. Mallard
  12. Wigeon
  13. Ruddy Duck
  14. Tufted Duck
  15. Black-headed Gull
  16. Greenfinch
  17. Great Tit
  18. Lapwing
  19. Long-tailed Tit
  20. Magpie
  21. Ring-necked Parakeet
  22. Sand Martin
  23. Great Spotted Woodpecker

After London came a 6-day trip to the North-west Highlands of Scotland. We stayed at a holiday cottage on the Attadale Estate on Loch Carron. I got up early every morning for a walk around the grounds and picked up many species that I had not seen before (My British list up to now was compiled when I was still at school and stood at 56 species). These walks added:

  1. Twite
  2. Lesser Redpoll
  3. Robin
  4. Wren
  5. Meadow Pipit
  6. Grey Wagtail
  7. Pied Wagtail
  8. Coal Tit
  9. Blue Tit
  10. Hooded Crow
  11. Buzzard
  12. Chaffinch
  13. Dunnock

On one of our Scottish Highland days we went on a boat trip from Elgol on the south-west coast of the Isle of Skye, passing close to the Isle of Rhum and landing on Canna. The following birds were added on this trip and a separate drive around the Isle of Skye itself:

  1. Great Skua
  2. Shag
  3. Lesser Black-backed Gull
  4. Great Black-backed Gull
  5. Guillemot
  6. Black Guillemot
  7. Eider
  8. Rock Pipit
  9. Red-breasted Merganser
  10. Gannet
  11. Curlew
  12. European Oystercatcher

While visiting my father in Durham I took an early morning drive into the Durham moors between Stanhope and Middleton-in-Teesdale to look for game birds. I wasn’t disappointed, adding:

  1. Grey Partridge
  2. Common Pheasant
  3. Red Grouse
  4. Kestrel

Also while in Durham I went off for a pre-arranged morning’s birding to the Tees Marshes with a local birder from the Teesmouth Bird Club. Again, I was not disappointed, with some 57 species ticked for the morning, including a Water Rail that nearly took our heads off as it shot across the path along which were walking between ponds. Also of interest to a South African birder who had never done any marsh or coastal birding in the UK before were:

  1. Reed Bunting
  2. Linnet
  3. Pochard
  4. Shoveler
  5. Common Redshank
  6. Spotted Redshank
  7. Sanderling
  8. Dunlin
  9. Turnstone
  10. Black-tailed Godwit
  11. Mediterranean Gull

Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 September 2012 10:59 )