Two Pewees

Eastern Wood Pewee. Bird 1, Lighthouse Valley. Found by Pierre three days ago.

Eastern Wood Pewee, Bird 2- Poco-D'agua today.

The lighthouse Valley

              

I limped my way to the Lighthouse Valley this morning (walked half of it backwards as easier on the gammy leg) and much to my relief managed to see the Eastern Wood Pewee.

Started to walk back to the road very slowly with Darryl but we couldn't get a signal to call the cabbie to come and pick my sorry state up back to town. So I started the 6km crawl back along the road. As we approached Poco D'Agua I was in mid-moan when I looked up to see something odd on top of a dead tree- another Pewee! Within a few seconds it was calling- an Eastern Wood Pewee. Had the same bird followed us out of the valley onto the road (visible from a car!) just to wind me up.

We got the pics, sound recordings and got the news out and after a couple of hours we found out that Vince and Mika had been photographing the Lighthouse bird all afternoon while we were watching this one- a second bird! The second for the WP- within three days of the first one.

Also had a Swainson's Thrush today - so with these two birds puts me in 2nd place for the Azores Bird Club Listing Table. 

Been a fantastic year this year- one of the best. New birds today include Black-throated Blue Warbler, the Swainsons, the new Pewee and a hybrid warbler (Brewster's type). Unfortunately my last full day today. 

AZORES BIRD NEWS
AZORES BIRD CLUB

Blackpolls etc

Spent the day in the village today. 3 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in one small field and 2 Blackpolls together.

Here's a few pics from Vincent from the last few days: More from Vince HERE

 Eastern Wood Pewee- first for the WP. Still on the island today.

 Chimney Swift

Veery

VINCENT LEGRAND PHOTOS

AZORES BIRD NEWS

First for the WP

The first Trifle ever on Corvo- a WP first.  An English classic (with a bit of improvising with what was available in the local shop)

Also another first for WP today on the island, an Eastern Wood Pewee which was in the lighthouse valley and due to my former injuries sustained on this rock meant I couldn't make the journey due to my dicky knee. So instead stayed around the village, made a trifle with Katt and family and then birded the village- not a bad haul:

A hefty looking Philadelphia Vireo (?) 

Chimney Swift (with worn outer primaries, presumably testament to a long hard journey). A new bird today.

Cliff Swallow- another new one. Also 2 x Blackpoll, Parula,  maybe a new Grey-cheeked Thrush, new REVs, a new Scarlet Tanager and of course the Pewee

Chimney Swift and Cliff Swallow

The Blue-winged showing well again 

Glimpsed the Ovenbird

AZORES BIRD NEWS

Here's the Star!

More great pics from Vincent HERE

AZORES NATURE

 More here: EXPLORATION TRIPS TO THE AZORES

To order a copy please email us at azoresbs@hotmail.co.uk with your name, email and postal address. £10 for UK and €15 euros (inc.P&P). 

FALL OF THE YANKS !

 Blue-winged Warbler! 

 Red-eyed Vireo on the rocks

 First-winter male Scarlet Tanager

 Two Rose-breasted Grosbeak (top bird a male)

 2nd first-winter male Scarlet Tanager- less black on coverts

 American Robin over Atlantic

Weather charts for today. A warm and moist light north-west airflow over Azores on the eastern flank of a high pressure. Jet stream deflected south over mid-Atlantic towards Azores. The warm air over the western Atlantic is presumably an important factor.

Wind direction over Eastern US/Western Atlantic previous day showing a more westerly airflow which is presumably a factor in the displacement. Interesting that this fall has occurred without a depression, supporting the observation from previous years that mid-Atlantic vagrancy is often associated with a westerly airflow, rather than fast moving depressions which are a key feature of North Atlantic/Trans-Atlantic vagrancy.

What a day! A fall of american birds with vagrants watched coming in off the sea, landing on rocks and isolated bushes on the coastline, Buff-bellied Pipits calling over head and twitchers running round like headless chickens. The days totals were: 

1 Blue-winged Warbler, 1 Ovenbird, 2-3 Philadelphia Vireo, 3-4 Red-eyed Vireo, 2 Scarlet Tanager, 4 Red-breasted Grosbeak, 1 American Robin, 1 Grey-cheeked Thrush, 3 Buff-bellied Pipit, 1-2 Indigo Bunting, 1 Great White Egret, 1 Blue-winged Teal

Without doubt other birds on the island. Looking forward to tomorrow.

AZORES BIRD NEWS

Corvo- False Killers

 False Killer Whales (pic Vincent Legrand)

 Cory's Shearwater

 East side of Corvo showing the infamous valleys

 Carlos and Katt- our skippers- thanks for a great trip!

 Still trying to work out what this was?

We took a boat out today for a Corvo pelagic. We had a pod of 5-6 False Killer Whales, Cory's, Manx and Great Shearwater. A great little trip.

When we got back a grey shrike sp had been found in Tennessee Valley so we headed straight there but no luck.

A few other bits and pieces on the island including the Veery. More here:

AZORES BIRD NEWS

Veery- First for the Azores

The Hungarian team found this beauty today. A first for the Azores.
What it's all about.