Non-stop Birding January to June 2023 Review

Here's a photo review of the first six months of this year. 

 JANUARY

Started the year off in Malta on a business trip. Managed to get a bit of birding in including having a look at the local 'Maltese Sparrows' which are either Italian Sparrows or hybrids depending on various academic opinions. 

Female Sardinian Warbler in Malta 

The first-winter Richard's Pipit was in one of my cousins traditional Maltese hunter's collection

Malta landscape shot

Back at the Old Vic, sadly we lost Holly's dad Bryan at the end of last year and he was in charge of the garden's electric fencing. Within a few days the garden Pony and Lazlo the Cockerel were on the loose. Lazlo eventually ended up in a Sunday roast.  

FEBRUARY

Found a couple of first-winter Caspian Gulls including this one at Beddington (one of the only records this year) and another on Sheppey (below) which is a good bird there

Russian White-fronts on Sheppey- I spent a bit of time on Sheppey in February investigating investment opportunities. We eventually settled on the Selsey Peninsula as our target area for a homestead investment. 

A family party of Common Cranes at Otmoor RSPB in Feb

Boxing Spring Hares at Otmoor

Oak Beauty- the garden moths started picking up 

MARCH

Another trip to Azerbaijan in March to look for Omid was again unsuccessful but the Little Bustard flocks and migration was mind blowing (above and below). We recorded 167 bird species in the two week trip. Trip report HERE

Nice to see Guldenstadts Redstarts again in Az (last saw them 20 years ago in Georgia) 

Turkestan Short-toed Larks in Az

Mountain Chiffchaff in Az (Vincent Legrand). 

Female Black Francolin in Az

Some good mammals in Shirvan NP in Az including Wild Boar (above) and Caspian Wolf (below) 

Snake-eyed Lizard at Shrivan NP, Az was a lifer 

Az birders March 2023

Back home and the highlight was this mating frenzy of Grass Snakes at Otmoor RSPB

APRIL

A couple of American ducks in Oxfordshire included this Lesser Scaup at Farmoor (a bird from Staines Res) and there was also a male American Wigeon at Otmoor 

A good spring for Brindled Beautys in the garden 

Frosted Greens had a good spring and also nice to get Blossom Underwing (below) 

An April fossil hunting trip to Sheppey with Jacob and the family was good fun. We also had another mini-trip to Arundel and Selsey to view some homestead options. 

We reached our target of 100 species of pets in April, the 100th species being a Malaysian Forest Scorpion

A late April/early May visit to our project site in Bulgaria was excellent. The local Pied Wheatears are always a highlight, first-winter male (above), adult female (below) and adult male (below that) . Recorded 193 bird species during the two week trip - Trip report HERE

Little Crake at Shabla Lakes was a Bulgarian lifer

Female Collared Flycatcher in Bulgaria

Co-found this Little Bunting with Pavel- a Bulgarian mega

Ortolan Bunting in Shipka (below). Spent some time on the Black Sea coast and also some at the Balkan Ecology Project HQ in Shipka- at the foothills of the Balkan range

MAY

The second part of the Bulgaria visit was a herping trip to the Kresna region looking for the mythical Leopard Snake (below) 

Greek Stream Frog- another herping lifer

Did a bit of moth trapping while in Kresna- these Peacock moths were fanstastic

Female Rosy Starling back on the Black Sea coast

On the way back to the project site in Bulgaria, a stop in the Burgas region delivered summer plumage Red-necked Phalarope (above) and Eleanora's Falcon (below)- Bulgarian ticks

Toothed Orchid in the Kresna region was an orchid lifer

Back home at the Old Vic in May, this Mocha (above) and Puss moth (below) were moths of the month 

Jacob helping out in the mini-farm at the Old Vic in May 

The garden Spotted Flycatchers had returned by late May 

JUNE 

The garden moth trapping at the Old Vicarage finally picked up in June following a pretty slow start this year- a few highlights included a good showing of Scarlet Tiger (above) and Lappet (below)

This Elegia similella was a garden first and local scarcity 

We visited Jaffa in Budleigh in June and Jacob and I twitched the Beavers on the River Otter. We also visited Kojak and Constantine on the same trip

A good year for Clouded Brindles in the garden (above and below-showing a bit of variation) 

Plenty of Hawkmoths in June 

The mini-farm doing well in high summer 

Our geese hatched in June 

Powdered Knot-horn- another garden moth tick in June

Spinach in my mum's garden in Wood Street was another moth lifer in June