Madeira Day 2

The next morning was free of firm commitments so I decided with some reluctance to visit the local tourist trap, the Cabo Girao Miradourou  At 589m above sea level, the cliff is reckoned to be the highest in Europe.  As I suspected it is largely a place for taking selfies and admiring the views detailed in the link above though possibly not bad value at five euros a pop given the prices at other tourist hotspots.

However I did manage one interesting sighting.  The wall lizards were already active on a rock just below the glass platform and in there among them were some birds I though might be rock sparrows.  I managed to get a few shots which turned out to be of island canaries, a different species to the atlantic canary seen yesterday and not obvious songsters.

Island Canary (and cactus)

Island Canary - front view

I had the notion that they might be hunting baby lizards as I understand some other small birds do but AI on the subject was not conclusive.

I also thought I might have seen at distance a bee that wasn't a buff-tailed bumblebee or a honey bee but it proved to be an old familiar - the common drone fly.

Common Drone Fly

This species was encountered on a number of subsequent occasions.

In the afternoon I was on a butterfly tour which proved to be a decided mixed bag in that not very much was seen but a couple of key endemic species did turn up.  

I had been previously warned that an untypically cold and wet winter and early spring meant that sightings had for a while been non-existent and were only just starting to pick up.

We headed West from Cabo Girao and the first spot was a riverside site where nothing turned up of note - no expected small whites, just a few more clouded yellow, the ubiquitous speckled woods and the odd red admiral. Plus at one point the tour leader had a mini mining bee on his finger.

He also noted that he thought the local goat had taken a dislike to him, but it seemed friendly enough to me:

Goat

I thought I might have seen a blue in flight but this couldn't be confirmed.

We then moved on to a levada that headed North towards the Fanal Lauressilva Forest, which is where it got interesting.

Here we encountered the Madeiran Speckled Wood, all the others seen up to then being the mainland European version.  The Madeiran Speckled Wood is a larger butterfly with different markings that are less precise on the underwing.  One of them landed in front of us but only briefly and once again I missed the shot, trying to focus through the viewfinder.

We were now in the area where the environment was favourable for the Madeiran Cleopatra.  In Madeira they actually call it Madeiran Brimstone, though my understanding is that the powers that be think brimstone and cleopatra are identifiably separate species. Prospects of seeing one were reckoned to be extremely small this year, although they had been sighted once or twice in the few days before my visit.  My hopes of bettering a brief sighting of a Cleopatra in France were not high.

Well in fact one did flutter down right in front of where I was walking.  It didn't settle but flew away along the treeline of the levada.  Realising that there was no other option, I attempted a speculative video, hoping to catch its path along the trees:-

Clearly that didn't work but if you watch carefully or stop the video around the five - six second mark you can see a butterfly shaped object against the skyline. This is not a UFO!  It is in fact - and you'll have to take my word for it - the Madeiran Brimstone (aka Madeiran Cleopatra.) 

As this was the butterfly I was keenest to see I was in favour of hanging around for a repeat performance, but we were duly ushered back to the van, where ironically the driver, also a Naturalist, had seen another iconic species, the Indian Red Admiral  - which of course the Madeirans call something different i.e. Macaronesian Red Admiral.

All our party got on the way back was more views of the Madeiran firecrests and chaffinches, one of which I did manage get a passable image of.

Madeiran Chaffinch

You can notice the greenish tinges not found on UK chaffinches.  This bird has the reputation of being exceptionally tame to the point of visiting restaurant tables in search of titbits.

We moved on to a nearby woodland site where the Madeiran Speckled Wood apparently breeds. On arrival we did see a few rising up into the trees but on foraging around nothing but a wild pussy cat.  I eventually sat down at a picnic table where it was a firecrest rather than a chaffinch that made bold approaches for possible handouts.

This area used to be home to the Madeiran Large White, recently officially declared to be extinct.

Madeira Day 1

This year's attempt to hasten the arrival of Spring was a holiday in Madeira from 30th March to 6th April. It was fortunate that I planned for the whole week as the original Day 1 turned into Day 0 after heavy winds forced a detour and overnight stay in Fuertaventura (Canary Islands) only arriving at my designated hotel one day late at 4.00 pm. There was just time for a quick walk to find a speckled wood butterfly - which turned to be the first of several hundred during the week.

Fortunately I had nothing planned until a birdwatching tour the next day.

This required getting up at dawn to catch the bus to Funchal.  I don't really do sunrises and scenery but the view over Cabo Girao was quite impressive.

Madeiran Sunrise

After a quick breakfast I had time to take a quick look in the Municipal Park, where I was impressed by the brightly-coloured flowers produced overhead by some of the trees.  There was also a waterfall catching the low sun to show a small rainbow. 

Colourful Tree

Waterfall

The birdwatching took place to the East of Funchal.  On the coast nearby we found several of the noted trocaz pigeons, the nearest of which never fully emerged from the cacti, and a sample of the local kestrels.

Trocaz Pigeon

Kestrel

However the star turn was this Atlantic Canary, singing its heart out:

Atlantic Canary

Just a pity I thought it wasn't going to!.. Apparently this is the forerunner of the domesticated canary.

A brief visit to a levada near Camacha produced a good number of madeiran firecrest sightings as well as some madeiran chaffinches.

Firecrest

On some examples the crest on the Madeiran version is quite spectacular.  Gere you can't see it at all.

Then it was back to a rugged piece of coast near Canico where I was pleased to get my first sighting of a clouded yellow this year.

Clouded Yellow

This was also a known location for spectacled warbler, which I was keen to see as I only heard them on  a previous trip to France in 2015  Unfortunately it proved to be tricky as they were plentiful but weaving in and out of the undergrowth and I was cursing myself for not having brought the lens hood for my camera as it was hard to focus in the bright and windy conditions.  After some patience (others' as well as my own) I did manage to get a fairly acceptable shot.

Spectacled Warbler

You can actually see it has a bit of nesting material in its mouth.

There was also a brief distant sighting of bertholets pipit - another first for me - as well as of a couple of hoopoe.

After the tour I got dropped off at the Parque de Santa Catarina on the promise of a sedge warbler on the island, for which however I had no interest.  By now the wall lizards were out and about and there were a couple of the larger examples quickly apparent as soon as I reached the lake.

Wall Lizards

The slightly smaller one however is technically still a juvenile as it retains a stripe on the upper body.

I was to learn in coming days that the appearance of wall lizards signifies that butterflies may be around.  Just after I saw them I noticed that a monarch butterfly - one of my key targets - was fluttering past the island on the left hand side of the lake.  Anyway I decided (rather coolly, I thought) to snap the lizards and meet the monarch when it reached the other side of the lake.

This duly occurred but it refused to settle until I pursued it into a children's play park, when it did settle high up in a bush. I focused on the exact branch and took the shots, only to find later that they did not show the butterfly.  No idea what happened there.  The only other thing I saw on going round the lake was a bunch of very lazy muscovy ducks snoozing under a tree.

Muscovy Ducks

I then decided to return to the Municipal Garden as I'd noted that the wee restaurant had scabbard fish on the menu.  There was some time to sit around and observe during which I spotted a red admiral and this interesting looking hoverfly - later identified on iNaturalist as an epauletted hoverfly

Epauletted Hoverfly

The even better surprise came when another monarch turned up and posed reliably on a flower bed near some teenage girls.

Monarch - upperwing

Monarch - underwing

Overall, a pretty successful day.

Win some, lose some...

The siskins have continued to visit the garden.  I thought it was just a pair and so was quite surprised this week to see four of them on a feeder.  One couple however fled before my attempt to record the moment.

Also visiting, apart from a few two- and seven-spot ladybirds, have been a number of buff-tailed bumblebee queens prospecting the garden for possible nesting sights.  They were really tricky to photograph as they were either on the move or ferreting around in the undergrowth.  I thought I was about to nail it when one of them disappeared down a crevice in the decking.  I must have waited three or four minutes for it to come back into shot, which it never did.  So either it escaped by another route without me noticing or hearing, or I can expect a bumblebee nest in my decking...

In the end I had to make do with a brief video of one visitor:

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen

Also heard but not seen in the garden and nearby have been a few chiffchaff.

Yesterday I was out for a walk at Geltsdale with V&A together with recent arrival E, who managed to sleep through the proceedings uninterrupted.

I soon saw a curlew on approaching the car park and found a couple of stonechat on arrival.  Eventually we headed South nominally hoping to happen upon a whinchat but without much conviction.  Instead we came across numerous chaffinches and a reed bunting pair.

Stonechat

Reed Bunting

Further sightings overhead were a couple of kestrel mobbing a buzzard and a possible pink-footed goose.

The weather was quite warm so there were also a couple of butterfly sightings - both peacocks.

Having covered the likely whinchat area, we set off back via the former quarry where short-eared owls have been turning up.  We were probably an hour or two too early to be successful.  Instead there were several lapwing and on the way a very distant roe deer

Lapwing

Roe Deer

The lapwing seemed to be on the verge of proving a display flight but never quite went through with it. 

I always think the rockier sides of the quarry area look good for peregrine falcon, who would be due to nest about now, but none were seen.

On the way back we did however meet up with a decent flock of fieldfare.  They saw us and kept on the move.  Distracted by another bumblebee queen, I missed the best chance of a photo. They can't be with us for much longer this year.

Yesterday I had planned to head West to Parkhead on the bike, but the cycle path was closed and I didn't fancy the proposed hilly detour.  Instead I took a more casual trundle along the banks of the Derwent, which did produce a couple of active goosander. 

Goosander

Returning by the Tyne was less productive apart from a couple of cormorants and a brief check at the hide at Clara Vale produced nothing of note at all.

"Win some, lose some..."

No surprises

In terms of rarities, you wouldn't say too much has turned up in the North East this year and so it has been with my own sightings.

I was pleased to see that the siskins have continued to appear in the garden so that I managed to get a better picture of the pair.

Siskins

However an instant drop in temperature to -4C the night after the butterfly appeared and a continuing chilly and wet spell has ruled out further butterfly sightings.

Last Sunday I met with J&J at Nosterfield Nature Reserve in North Yorkshire where we saw a number of birds but nothing to get excited about.  Here's a summary of the results, not necessarily in the order seen:

Cormorant et al	Curlew
Shoveler	Lapwing
Teal	Tufted Duck

Wigeon

However it was J who arguably made the best sightings, first discovering a flock of what we worked out were linnets in a tree and then finding a beetle.  Unlike another lady walker, I made nothing of it and didn't get the camera out.  Later I realised I had just seen something quite uncommon :- a bloody-nosed beetle.

Bloody-nosed Beetle Sign

Apparently this was the earliest in the year that one has been seen there...

Stirrings of Spring...

After several weeks of monsoon conditions, there have been several bright and warmer days with even some sunshine.

Not really to do with this has been the appearance of both male and female siskins in the garden.

A siskin and part of a siskin

Not a rare bird and sighted often locally but this is literally the first time I've found them in my garden here, perhaps because there are no conifers in the area apart from a few hedges.  In Dumfries they were regular visitors. Interesting that they've gone for the sunflower hearts and not the peanut feeder nearby.

I was thinking that I hadn't heard a greenfinch singing for ages and they too have started appearing.  There was one singing in a high tree when I set off down Hookergate Lane, then possibly more in a tree by some houses by the old Post Office on Sunday.  I tried to take a photo on my phone but it didn't work.

One thing I didn't expect on the same day was to get a close up of a goldfinch.

Goldfinch

Unfortunately it was dead but didn't appear to have been bitten so maybe flew into something.

However the clearest sign of Spring came yesterday when temperatures approached 15C and I made my first sighting of a butterfly this year.  It was clearly sunning itself.

Peacock

I suspect this may be the first sighting of butterfly in a garden on the facebook pages I visit, although small tortoiseshells have been spotted near Blanchland.  I've yet to see a bumblebee queen though I'm sure they must be about.

Win some and lose some...

I took the opportunity to try some birdwatching with AMG in North Northumberland yesterday, the weather being not totally sodden if windy.

The main targets in mind were a juvenile white-tailed eagle that had been patrolling up and down the coastline and a flock of white-fronted geese on the estuary at Alnmouth.

We started with the latter, which were not to be found.  Instead there was a large number of wigeon - probably over 100 - and a lone curlew patrolling the mudflats.

Wigeon

Curlew

I knew that the eagle had appeared a good deal further South at Holywell Pond. As a firecrest and some yellow-browed warblers had been seen not far away in the Whitley Bay area, it looked like we should have headed South rather than North... 

I hoped it would return to where it was first seen - East Chevington Reserve where there are also marsh harriers, but we received the news on arrival that it had headed further South still into Durham.

However consolation was on hand as a red-necked grebe was reported on the main lake.

First we checked a flock of geese in one of the fields, which all turned out to be greylags.  I looked to see if there were any pink-footed geese but couldn't find any.

Greylag Geese

Hurrying along to the South Hide, it was indeed possible to spot the red-necked grebe but a bit difficult to photograph as it spent mmost of the time with its head tucked in. Never mind, this was a first ever sighting for me.

Red-necked Grebe

You can just about make out a hint of red as it starts to change to summer plumage.  

There were also a couple of goldeneye and, on moving to an observation platform a view of what were taken to be more curlew paddling just off a small island.

For some reason I mentioned as we left that whimbrel are similar to curlew. and on checking the photos I did start to wonder if several of them were indeed whimbrel.

Goldeneye

Curlew or Whimbrel?

It's difficult to tell in a shot at such distance but they do look a little pale and slender and there seemed to be the hint of an eye stripe on one or two birds.

A Minor Breakthrough

Things have been pretty quiet still - until yesterday.

Last week I had some time on the way back from Matfen on a bike ride, so I did a diversion via Whittle Dene Reservoir in the hope of seeing a little owl, though the few minutes I spent there meant there was little realistic chance of success.  I spent longer at Wylam to check for early run salmon at the fish pass but the river was full and the current possibly too strong for them to take it on.

Then yesterday i took advantage of the next spell of reasonable weather to follow up reported sightings of a slavonian grebe at Killingworth Lake.  As ever there was plenty of activity at the car park end where the ducks get fed and as I moved round anticlockwise I got good sightings of tufted duck (always a favourite) and goldeneye (one single male and a pair) and eventually a great-crested grebe.

Tufted Duck

Great Crested Grebe

Male and female Goldeneye

Eventually, I got to the far end of the lake where the slavonian grebe was said to be, only to be told by a twitcher that I'd missed it by about two minutes...

So I started foraging along the bankside, only to find a couple of greylag geese sailing along.

Greylag Goose

Then, on doubling back to where it had been first seen, there it was again! It seemed perfectly at ease and at times came within a few yards of the bank where we were taking repeated photos, paddling strongly and diving now and again for tiddlers.  It wasn't a first sighting as we encountered several breeding on a loch near Findhorn when I was there with V&A - but I certainly would not have expected to see one at Killingworth Lake. I was also surprised that there was only one of them and still in winter plumage.

Slavonian Grebe...

...in close-up

The above shots were taken when it got close to.  You can even see the drops of water on its back from diving.

Buoyed by success, I decided to try my luck at Clara Vale hide, where a green woodpecker had been seen a few days back.  A young lad was there already and said that though he had occasionally seen the green woodpecker, it had been an extremely quiet day with no notable sightings.

But as he was speaking, he caught a partial view of a little egret the other side of the island. Sure enough, it emerged briefly to allow a few photos before being frightened off, probably by some playing squirrels.

Little Egret

I think you can just about still see a fish in its beak.

Then it began to rain and we downed tools.

Meanwhile, there have been sightings of a white-tailed eagle at East Chevington. I ignored them at first, thinking it was probably a juvenile seeking territory and would move on quickly.  However it seems it has stayed on for at least a few days...