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Meet up with Sam Woods today from Tropical Birding (ex-Beddington birder) and went round the farmlands. 

 Juvenile female Sparrowhawk. One of two today.

 Common Buzzard- had five today including a group of four together (presumably migrants)

 Eight Tree Sparrow were feeding in the sacrificial crop area (in the ruderal habitat).

The ringers caught a Sedge Warbler and a controlled Blackcap. Also had one Wheatear, 2 Yellow Wagtail and 4 Barn Swallow.

20+ Lapwing around. Also 10 Snipe in the Southern Lake wet grassland area and 5 Common and 4 Green Sandpiper around. 

 Good numbers of waterfowl about including 25 Shoveler, 50+ Teal, 15 Gadwall, 12 Mallard and 20+ Little Grebe

 An interesting 'Yellow-legged Gull' with dark head markings. A bulky bird possibly a hybrid Lesser Black Back?

 A juvenile/first winter Common Gull. The first Common Gull I've seen this autumn.

 Another 'Yellow-legged Gull'

 Common Darters- 10-15 today on our route

 Grey Dagger from the trap last night. A first for the year. Typical species in the trap now include Vine's Rustic, Pale Mottled Willows, the odd Jersey Tiger still, Brimstones, Willow Beauties, Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings, Lesser Yellow Underwing, Sqaure-spot Rustic, Flame Shoulder, Setaceous Hebrew Character and the odd Angle Shades and Carcina quercana. Other typical micros include Blastobasis adustella, Crambus falsella and Agriphila geniculea

 Eucosma sp. 

Horse Chestnut Leaf-miner on the computer screen

The most bizzare find today was this large fish on the bank of the Southern Lake- Tench? 

Carshalton Environmental Fair 2016

Carshalton Environmental Fair 2016

Male Yellow-legged Clearwing (the black 'tail' indicates a male, the female has a yellow 'tail'). Derek brought some pheromones with him to attract some specimens of the park's population of Yellow-legged Clearwings. 

Male Yellow-legged Clearwing. Carshalton Park is good for this species due to the presence of the ancient Sweet Chestnuts (that date back to around 1600)

Holly and the Spider 

The fair would not be the same without the Sutton Zero Carbon Band 

Northern Spain Round Up

Wildcats 

 Iberian Wolf

 Pyrenean Chamois 

 Spanish Ibex

 Stoat

Hybrid Wildcat x Domestic Cat

A great trip to Northern Spain. 

Mammals (15 species) 

6+ Wildcat, 2 Iberian Wolf, Spanish Ibex, Pyrenean Chamois, Red Deer, Wild Boar, Stoat, Weasel, Red Fox, Wood Mouse, Otter and Brown Bear tracks, Vole sp x 2 and a Bat sp.

Birds (90 species)

Highlights included European Honey Buzzard, Egptian Vulture, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Griffon Vulture, Golden Eagle, Booted Eagle, Wryneck, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Crag Martin, White-throated Dipper, Alpine Accentor, lots of Spotted and Pied Flycatcher, Black Redstarts, Firecrest, Iberian Chiffchaff, Wallcreeper, Short-toed Treecreeper, Golden Oriole, Red and Yellow-billed Chough and Spotless Starling

Herps (4 species)

Common Wall Lizard, Alpine Newt, Soane's Viper and Common Toad

Butterflies ( 14 species)

Highlights included Great Banded Grayling, Silver-spotted Skipper and a couple of Fritillaries

As usual went with Jaffa's company Wise Birding with a few of the regulars

TRIP DETAILS

SPAIN- Day 4 In the Mountains

Spent today up in the Pico d' Europos National Park having a look at some mountain specialities.

 Wallcreeper

 Alpine Accentor

 Alpine Chough- also Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Water Pipit, Griffon Vultures, Linnets, Northern Wheatear, Short-toed Eagle and Red-billed Choughs around 

 Spanish Ibex

 Alpine Newt

 Alpine Newt- note the lack of spotting on the belly 

 Wood Mouse- hiding in an oak tree after one his companions got eaten by a Weasel 

 Diving Beetles in a mountain pond

 Picos d'Europos

 View on the way back 

 Wildcat- spent the evening looking at the Wildcats and also looking for Brown Bear

Another Hybrid Wildcat 

SPAIN- DAY 3 Top Cat!

Wildcat- another stunning individual. We nick named this one 'Adam Ant' because of the face stripes

 Stoat

 Cantabrian Chamois

 Hybrid Domestic Cat x Wildcat. Note the lack of rufous muzzle, broad bands on back rather than a single black line and also (not visible in this pic) lack of stripes on neck and the tail was dark rather than dark tipped with stripes. Note the banded legs typical of Wildcat. 

 Wryneck- a few other passerines and migrants today including lots of Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Stonechat, Iberian Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Yellow Wagtails and White Wagtails. 

 Brown Trout and Gudgeon in one of the mountain streams 

 We found evidence of Otter here and also saw Red Deer wading in the water. Yesterday had Golden Oriole and Cuckoo in here. Also Iberian Green and Great Spotted Woodpecker today