UK debt

I returned from a family visit to the UK quite a while ago, and since I have been super busy and couldn't find the time to post a little more about the birding I did there. This wasn't a birding trip per-se, but with my ongoing eBird checklist streak challenge, I went out birding every day, even in the quietest period for birding in the UK. My four years outside of the UK made me re-appreciate even some of the commonest urban birds, which was nice. We were based with friends in Poringland, on the outskirts of Norwich, so most of my birding was done in that area. Local walks around the village were nice, as expected didn't produce special, a singing Yellowhammer was of note as they are pretty scarce around Norwich:

Slightly further away in Norfolk, an early morning visit to RSPB Hickling Broad was good. High breeding activity of many birds including Crane with babies, my first documentation photos of Bearded Reedling (fantastic birds!) and a most probable pratincole sp. that flew away without documentation. eBird checklist here.

We travelled with friends to Somerset for a few night of camping. A glorious morning visit to the three adjacent RSPB reserves of Shapwick Heath, Ham Wall and Greylake produced a singing male Little Bittern, and many Great Egrets, among many other breeding birds.

Western Marsh-Harrier

En route we stopped at Stonehenge, everyone was admiring the rocks and I was admiring rooks, and high densities of Corn Bunting and Skylark; no Great Bustard seen.

Rooks pic.twitter.com/hOiXdRENJi

— Yoav Perlman (@yoavperlman) May 27, 2022

I met up with Mike and we visited Dicklebburgh Moor OT NR, where we dipped on Turtle Dove (...) but were happy to find breeding Spotted Flycatcher in the nearby churchyard. So sad that this is the current state of the birds in the UK - and elsewhere, once common breeding birds are now something to write about.

On my final morning in the UK I visited RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, that was again bursting with breeding activity - so much bird song!

Till next time!

First international Yellow-legged Gull recovery and nice morning at UEA

Got nice news today from Cyprus. Robin Snape, David Preece and their colleagues from North Cyprus Society for Protection of Birds and Nature (KUŞKOR) read a colour-ring on a Yellow-legged Gull. They traced it back to me and Amir Ben Dov - we ringed it as a chick in the colony breeding in the Tel Aviv University Zoological Gardens in May 2013. This image is by David Preece!

This is our first international recovery after four years of ringing Yellow-legged Gulls at this colony. Only 365 km away but still a significant piece of information. Gulls from this colony move around quite a bit in Israel, but until this one we knew nothing about their longer-distance movements. It's about time we stick some GPS tags on them.

I don't have images of the specific individual that was resighted in Cyprus, but this one below was ringed together on the same day, photographed in March 2014 when it was almost one year old:

And this is how it should look like now, almost two years old:

Nice walk around the UEA broad this morning with Drew. He found a Grasshopper Warbler reeling earlier on and I heard it as well when I arrived. Lots of singing Reed Warblers, Garden Warbler, several Willow Warblers and generally nice to be out.

Off to Scilly soon, wish me luck.