I've got a bit of catching up to do on my blog, been doing lots of birding, coupled with lots of university deadlines and that is why I have neglected my blog these past few week. On the 25th of April it was a mad dash down to Spurn to see the female Rock Thrush. We arrived late afternoon to discover the bird distantly going up and down the fence in a rather random field with a small pond in the middle, the bird was showing well and then the call came on the radio "Caspian Tern! Caspian Tern flying North over the seawatching hut now". Like a war film scene the 60 or so twitchers legged it to the nearby bank and we watched the superb bird as it flew leisurely north past the crowd.
If you listen carefully towards the end you can hear the news of the Caspian Tern coming through on the radio:
(Rock Thrush - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
(Rock Thrush - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
Other than that there was nothing much to write home about, however wader passage started up and a Pectoral Sandpiper at North Gare was quality for money and a Temminck's Stint the next day an obvious bonus. On Friday gone I finally caught up with Wood Sandpiper when I found one on Lambton Pond, much to my delight after having missed the birds at Teesside.
However bird of the Spring so far must surely go to the superb male Collared Flycatcher at Low Newton, many thanks to Gary as always for the speedy call allowing me to get up in plenty time to enjoy this rather stunning specimen! A brilliant bird to see before my rather stressful exam the next day (Thursday).
(Collared Flycatcher - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
(Collared Flycatcher - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
(Collared Flycatcher - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
I have now seen most of the common spring migrants, however some do still evade me and a couple of things I expect to see in the dales are still yet to be seen. Not be long now until the Nightjars are in, what truly brilliant birds they really are. Anyway I am beginning to waffle so we'll leave it there.
More ramblings over this Iberian Chiffchaff at Boldon Flats NR, the one day wonder sang its heart out before never being seen again. On the evening it was heard to call and was noted as being quite unlike Willow Warbler and not like our "normal" Chiffchaff.
During the day the bird did produce on two occasions what sounded like a very Chiffchaff like "Chiff-chaff" song. This worried me, although the bird only did this 2 times in the 5 of so hours I spent with it I felt it warranted further investigation.
Please watch the whole video below, but please take special note from 31 seconds to 41, the bird appears to think its some sort of DJ and is singing both Iberian and Chiffchaff notes.
This concerned me at first, then I found recordings of Iberian Chiffchaffs from elsewhere which also do this, when speaking to Mr Garner about the bird on the phone it was suggested that perhaps what I was hearing was a conflict song. In essence what happens is that if the bird feels or thinks there is another Ibe in the area it will let out this conflict song. Listen to this song below from the Netherlands:
Here is exactly the same bird as above singing, though some may argue not quite as well as the Durham bird:
Wednesday started off as a typical day until I chanced upon and found a singing male Iberian Chiffchaff in South Tyneside, I was over the moon! A 1st for Durham, I had learnt the song over previous years with the hope that one day I may well bump into one, you just never know what is going to happen.
There will be more about this bird in the coming months in the DBC Lek and I believe BirdGuides are publishing a "finders keepers" article on this bird over the next few days. But for now here is a picture of the bird and a few sound recordings from myself and Mark Newsome.
(Iberian Chiffchaff - copyright Mark Newsome)
MARK NEWSOME RECORDING OF IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF BELOW
ANDREW KINGHORN RECORDING OF IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF BELOW
(Collared Flycatcher - copyright Andrew Kinghorn)
