essex buzzard

[David M]

Amazing to see a golden eagle perched so close to ground level, Mark. Nice wallcreeper too. Sound as though you had a good trip.

[essexbuzzard]

We certainly did, David!

Perhaps the highlight of this holiday was our morning with vulture man. Manu has been working with the vultures since he was a boy, and the support he provides is essential to keep the numbers of vultures increasing, when much of their natural food has been lost due to changing farming practices, and fewer livestock carcasses being available for them.

Griffon vultures are huge birds, and to have dozens of them swooping down just over our heads to land just yards away, is a truly spectacular, memorable encounter. Manu even talks to the vultures, and calling them by name!

While enjoying these impressive birds, we had a visit from a lammergeier, which was probably having a look to see what all the fuss is about. An adult, it did a couple of excellent fly-pasts, much to the delight of us all, before it was on its way.

[Wurzel]

Stunning stuff Essex It was good seeing you and Ester yesterday

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

...Griffon vultures are huge birds, and to have dozens of them swooping down just over our heads to land just yards away, is a truly spectacular, memorable encounter. Manu even talks to the vultures, and calling them by name!

While enjoying these impressive birds, we had a visit from a lammergeier, which was probably having a look to see what all the fuss is about. An adult, it did a couple of excellent fly-pasts, much to the delight of us all, before it was on its way.

That must have been an amazing experience, Mark.

It's usually hard to get within 50m of these birds when they're on the ground. The Lammergeier was the icing on the cake!

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks Wurzel. Our social get together was most enjoyable!

It was amazing, David. I rival to the buzzards and kites at the Welsh feeding sites!

Other birds were seen around the villages.

Starling and Spotless starling.

Cirl bunting at Alquezar

Blue rock thrush.

[Wurzel]

Cracking seeing those Spotless Starlings Essex and the cheeky Blue Rock Thrush...you're giving me a hankering to get away

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[essexbuzzard]

The last three birds I photographed are these.

Black redstarts were common in the villages in northern Spain. Their short song was familiar throughout the week.

In contrast, black wheatears are quite a rarity. Numbers are declining in Spain, so it was a delight to see them, even though at a distance.

Spain is good for larks, and it was good to see some of the more unusual ones. This is Thekla’s lark. Mainly found in Iberia, where it’s fairly common, it’s range just extends into SW. France.

[David M]

That's a wide variety of birds on your checklist, Mark. Which part of northern Spain were you based in?

[essexbuzzard]

Hi David. We flew into Zaragoza, and then stayed in Gallocanta, and the picturesque small town of Alquezar. Both new locations for us, and good to see another area of this brilliant country!

[essexbuzzard]

Alquezar.

[Wurzel]

Those Black Wheatears are a cracking find Essex I thought that I was doing well with a Pied Wheatear in Corfu but I think that tops it

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Alquezar.

Fabulous, Mark. Nice little spot.

Almost an Albarracin in miniature.

[essexbuzzard]

Thank Wurzel. I’ve not seen the pied wheatear, so you’re one ahead of me there!

Hi David, yes. Alquezar did remind me of Albarracin and, like that town, would probably get quite busy with tourists in summer.

The only butterflies I saw in November this year were a few Red Admirals. Here is one on the 17th, basking on a Scots pine.

So nothing unusual there, but the autumn leaves were excellent this year, which certainly makes up for it,and helped by a good sprinkling of November sunshine. Here are a few piccies. Firstly, the horse chestnut.

Wild cherry.

Beech has perhaps the best colour of our native trees.

English oaks were pretty good, too, and continued into December.

[essexbuzzard]

Happy New Year, everyone!

A great start! A flock of waxwings has been in Colchester for a few weeks now and, with improving weather, I at last got the chance to catch up with these brilliant, exotic birds on New Year’s Day. My first for some time, as this is the first invasion of waxwings for several years.

[trevor]

Well done with the Waxwings Mark. Two flocks, one of 18, and another of 12
have been ' twitched ' locally near me recently.
Have a for your first image!

Happy New Year.

[bugboy]

for those Waxwings, they remain a mythical species for me!

[Wurzel]

Cracking stuff Essex It's been a few years since I saw mine so I'll keep a look out when I visit the supermarket

Have a goodun

Wurzel

[David M]

Great start indeed, Mark.

Would so love to see these, but being so far west it's a long shot.

[essexbuzzard]

Thanks everyone. It was lovely to see the waxwings, especially after an absence of several years.

We are now well into January, so it’s time to have a look back at last years weather, and it’s effect on butterflies, and wildlife in general.

Winter. January saw near average temperatures and rainfall, but it was far sunnier than normal. My first buff-tailed bumblebee was seen on the 4th

February continued the sunny theme and, on a couple of days mid-month, it felt almost spring like. It was also very dry for most of the country. A Red Admiral was seen, while enjoying the snowdrops on the 20th, and several more buff-tailed bumblebees were seen during the month.

[essexbuzzard]

Spring. The most remarkable thing about spring 2023, to my mind at least, is that there was not a single spell of warm, sunny weather. Even at the end of May, I was still waiting for temperatures to reach 21C for the first time, something that goes unnoticed with statistics. Rain and snow in March was followed by a wet April. One of my local buzzard pairs failed to breed, and this is probably because the cold, wet weather, and the resulting food shortage meant the female was unable to get into breeding condition. The other pair did raise a chick, however.

Not surprisingly, there were no butterfly sightings in March, and most spring emerging species were a couple of weeks late, by recent standards. This probably just brings things back to normal for, say, that 1970’s, however. My first decent day, for butterflies, was not until 25th April, with Orange tips, GV Whites, Large Whites, Peacocks and Speckled Woods.

May was a rather cloudy month, although it became much warmer and sunnier in northern and western areas from mid month. A trip to Dorset over the late-spring Bank Holiday weekend showed as much, with warm sunshine and some early Lulworth Skippers At Durdle Door, and Marsh Fritillaries elsewhere. Meanwhile, many eastern areas remained cloudy and chilly, with an east wind.