A week in the UK

Earlier this month I participated in the World Congress of BirdLife International in Cambridge, UK, celebrating 100 years of the most powerful conservation partnership in the world. I represented BirdLife Israel - Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. It was a great celebration indeed, meeting so many friends, old and new, from all over the world. It is truly inspiring and empowering to feel a part of something so big, a giant, special, sometimes a bit crazy family, working together for nature and people. After several years of zoom meetings, it was awesome to meet people in person, actual people with legs and all. 

The congress included a European Partnership Meeting, where important work was actually done, and included amazing displays of solidarity with our partners in Ukraine and Belarus (check this Youtube video). Then there was a Partnership Fair, like a mini BirdFair where each organisation could present their work. This is my stand, adjacent to MME/BirdLife Hungary and natur&ëmwelt/BirdLife Luxembourg:

Something very weird happened during the Partnership Fair

I *think* I just arrived at the @BirdLife_News World Congress and watched Jarvis Cocker play two songs about birds but there's also every chance that this is a mad dream? pic.twitter.com/JalngpridP

— Rory Crawford (@redkingcraw) September 13, 2022

Of course, I had to keep my checklist streak. In most days I walked around local sites, such as Stourbridge Common and Ditton Meadows. As expected, with the weather and location, there were very few migrants around, still enjoyed it. Tried to force a Reed Warbler into becoming a blyth's, without success. Nice to share that moment with my mate Simon from BTO, where banana posture just ain't good enough.

Had a good time with my mates from Cornell Lab, including an early morning visit to Fen Drayton Lakes RSPB, providing Cullen with quality life birds such as Eurasian Green Woodpecker and Common Kingfisher.

Then I headed over to Norwich for a long weekend of birding and birding friends. Two mornings were spent seawatching off Sheringham. The wind wasn't perfect but the sea was nice and rough, and I enjoyed birding with mates. There were many birds that I enjoyed, even some OK stuff - Cory's Shearwater, Sabine's Gull, Long-tailed Skuas. There were many skuas in general, divers, scoters - birding experiences that an Israeli like myself appreciates. And it was cold! I really enjoyed feeling cold after the scorching hot summer in Israel.

Just finished a 10 hour(!) sea-watch at Sheringham, 6am to 4pm. Going east were 206 Little Gull, 80 Arctic Skua, 12 Great Skua and 3 Pom Skua, while 6 Sooty Shearwater went west. Other highlights were 90+ Manx, 2 Long-tailed Skua, 3 Black Tern, 2 Hobby and a Puffin. #rbnNFK 😀 pic.twitter.com/nLNgdsqzoB

— Drew Lyness (@DJLbirding) September 16, 2022

On my final morning went with Robin to Cantley Sugar Factory, which was alright. Many hirundines over the pits, some shorebirds, first Pink-footed Geese. Among the House Martins there were a couple of striking birds that the late Martin Garner would have enjoyed. Extreme Common House-Martins I guess.

Was I one week too early, or was the nighthawk one week too late?

Not sure what’s more British? A large bunch of twitchers looking at a bird on a garden fence from point blank range or the lady turning her back on it and getting her knitting out! 😂🇬🇧 #wantagetwitch vs #wantageknit pic.twitter.com/oDOLqUopWH

— David J Bevan (@djbevanphoto) September 27, 2022

Migfest

I missed the actual event at Spurn this weekend, but an early morning visit to Tsor'a Valley near my house more than made up for it. A true migration feast, compressed into three hours. Started walking through the large recently-cut alfalfa field south of Tal Shahar. It was packed with birds - clouds of Yellow Wagtails flying low over the field, swarms of Willow Warblers collecting caterpillars on every bit of vegetation, skyfull of thousands of hirundines hawking over the field, Whinchats, wheatears, shrikes - simply fantastic in the golden sun. Numbers of feldegg and flava Yellow Wagtails are about even now:

flava Yellow Wagtail - adult male (lovely broad greenish GC fringes)

1cy (female?) flava Yellow Wagtail (narrow whitish worn GC tips)

feldegg Yellow Wagtail (adult male)

I tried, without real success, to capture the spectacle of a flock of 800 Yellow Wagtail flooding the field, moving from side to side with every passing raptor. Not easy to get them in flight.

Willow Warblers were present in strong numbers too. For example, in a 5X5 patch of unmown vegetation remaining around an irrigation pipe in the middle of the alfalfa field were 30 WIWAs.

That same patch also held several Savi's and Reed Warblers, including this one that repeatedly adopted a 'banana posture':

Out of this same patch I flushed another Locustella sp. I got on it in flight as it flew low over the field and disappeared in the cut alfalfa. I was 99% sure I saw streaked upperparts! I walked up to where it landed, flushed it again - still couldn't 100% positively confirm it had streaked upperpats. I then lost it and spent another frustrating 20 minutes searching for it in the field. Personally I know it was a Grasshopper Warbler but cannot do anything with this record. 

This is the time of year when we see in Israel intriguing House Martins, with darkish underwing coverts, streaked undertail coverts and shallowish fork, but still Northern and not Asian.

Now there's a turnover between adult (above) and 1cy (below) Red-backed Shrikes:

I was pleased with double figures of Roller (12), all 1cy bar this fine adult:

Still more Cretzschmar's present than Ortolans:

I quickly visited Yitzhak and Yosef who were ringing in the reservoir - they were very busy!

Wryneck - always entertaining

Quick video before release

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Crimson Speckled - very common

I had to leave just as the first raptors were taking off.

Short-toed Eagle

That was fun! Check my full eBird checklist here.

Tsor'a sunny morning

Yesterday (25/12/09) had a couple of free hours in the morning, so went to have a quick look at Tsor'a. The weather was beautiful - sunny and warm, and the birds evidently responded to that. There were hundreds of swallows hawking above the alfalfa field, among them a single House Martin. Prinias and cisticolas were singing in full blast, even though I think this isn't the real business yet but more of a practice for spring. Note that this male Prinia hasn't developed the black bill and gape yet, so I suppose it isn't involved in any relationship now:


This Hen Harrier flew over the field and spooked the hundreds of pipits and skylarks:


I paid Yosef's ringing course a visit. They had quite many birds, including this stonking male cyanecula Bluethroat: