Safa Park, Dubai, 2012

The heat in Dubai was intense and I was unable to reach Safa Park before 10.00 when the sun was already very high and casting short shadows. On a fiercely hot Sunday morning, nobody was seen in the park and none of the refreshment stalls were open. Bring your own water. Most of the birds had sensibly tucked themselves away in the shade and gone quiet.

Hoopoes could still be seen picking in the lawns and tossing their prey up to catch it in their long decurved bills. Beautiful flame-flowered trees line the paths, but they looked washed out in the harsh sunlight.

A pair of Asian Pied Starlings, an introduced species, had made a messy nest from grasses and kite strings in one of the flame-flowered trees that line the paths. I was heading towards the waterfall in the centre of the park. This had proved to be a productive area on my previous visits.

Acacia-type trees here held Purple Sunbirds and some White-eared Bulbuls. It was a relief to be out of the sun for a short while, but the dragonflies quickly tempted me back out into the light. This one above, I think is a Green Skimmer, Orthetrum Sabina.

I base my guess on field guides of surrounding areas, but if anyone knows of similar odes to be found in the Middle East, I would be pleased to hear from them. The individual sitting out on the lawns is probably a Violet Dropwing, Trithemis annulata.

A Spotted Flycatcher gave me cause to look twice. It appeared to have an outsize bill and a very big eye. Again, I would be pleased if anyone can tell me a little more about it.

I was unable to narrow this one down to a species. I take it to be a reed warbler. It was seen a couple of times in the acacia trees near the waterfall

Don’t be tempted to catch the bus from the train station to speed things up. It may save a few minutes walking, but it drops you at the top end of the park, then you have to cross a main road and back-track to the gate. The few moments saved were lost by the bus waiting for 10 minutes before departing.

Crested Lark

Birds seen; 21

Mallard 3, Red Wattled Lapwing 15, Black-headed Gull 30, Eurasian Collared Dove 25, Laughing Dove 6, Rose-ringed Parakeet 4, Pallid Swift 4, Green Bee-eater 2, Indian Roller 4, Eurasian Hoopoe 12, House Crow 80, Crested Lark 3, Red-vented Bulbul 8, White-eared Bulbul 3, Graceful Prinia 2, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Common Myna 120, Asian Pied Starling 4, Purple Sunbird 12, House Sparrow 30, Nutmeg Mannikin 4.

For more posts from Safa Park follow the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/01/safa-park-dubai.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/03/safa-park-dubai-pt-2.html

Visit the dedicated Middle East Page for more from the area including; Mushrif Park and Ras al Khor

Oare Marshes, Kent, May 2012

Something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it straight away, but something was different. It took a while, but then it suddenly occurred to me that the rain had stopped. Could Britain’s wettest drought since records began be over? The sun appeared momentarily and the sound of lawn mowers began almost immediately after. The Great Outdoors beckoned and I followed, choosing Oare Marshes which has recently been hosting a Grasshopper Warbler according to the Kentos website.

I arrived too late in the day to stand a real chance of seeing the warbler but just in case, I hung around for a while by the scrub along the path leading to the West Hide. There were plenty of Common Whitethroats as well as Linnets and Chaffinches. The Grasshopper Warbler has a distinctive song, said to be like the sound made by a fishing reel, but sadly it kept itself to itself today and was not seen.

A pair of Eurasian Coot had two chicks which followed the parents around and kept me entertained while I waited.

The West Hide can be found at Google Earth ref; 51 20 40N 00 53 04E . A Whimbrel had flown over as I approached and it was standing right in front of the hide as I opened the shutter. On a small island in the lake overlooked by the hide was a Eurasian Oystercatcher and a pair of Common Shelduck preened on the bank. The only Northern Lapwing of the day was seen to the west of the hide.

I had returned to the road and started to walk in a clockwise circle around the East Flood. A Little Egret landed very close and began to fish without being worried by my proximity.

The tide was at its lowest point so most of the waders that had not been struck by the urge to move north would have been out on the mud of the estuary. A few Black-tailed Godwit in their summer finery remained on a small spit reaching out into the water.

The Phragmites reed beds along the shore path were alive with Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers singing and a Cetti’s Warbler popped out of a bramble thicket behind the seawall hide to swear at passers-by.

A brisk wind across the east side of the flood kept the birds low in the reeds and only a Sedge Warbler in the shelter of a small dog rose was seen clearly.

The Reed Warblers proved to be very camera shy, staying down amongst the cover so that the auto focus could not catch them.

Birds seen; 48

Graylag Goose 25, Mute Swan 4, Common Shelduck 40, Gadwall 2, Mallard 6, Northern Pintail 3, Common Pochard 8, Tufted Duck 10, Ring-necked Pheasant 1, Great-crested Grebe 1, Great Cormorant 7, Grey Heron 3, Little Egret 5, Common Buzzard 1, Eurasian Kestrel 2, Eurasian Hobby 1, Eurasian Moorhen 1, Eurasian Coot 8, Northern Lapwing 1, Eurasian Oystercatcher 6, Pied Avocet 16, Common Redshank 3, Whimbrel 3, Black-tailed Godwit 45, Black-headed Gull 35, Herring Gull 4, Common Tern 7, Common Wood-pigeon 15, Eurasian Collared-dove 3, Common Swift 6, Green Woodpecker 1, Eurasian Magpie 5, Rook 2, Carrion Crow 30, Barn Swallow 15, Common House Martin 4, Cetti’s Warbler 2, Sedge Warbler 3, Eurasian Reed Warbler 4, Greater Whitethroat 7, Northern Wheatear 2, Eurasian Blackbird 4, European Starling 35, Reed Bunting 6, Chaffinch 5, European Greenfinch 1, Eurasian Linnet 10, House Sparrow 5.

There are more posts from Oare Marshes at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/oare-marshes-november-2011.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/04/kicking-my-heels.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/glossy-ibis-at-oare-marshes.html

Visit the dedicated UK page for more posts from the area, including, Mote Park and Harmondsworth Moor.

Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bangaluru, India, May 2012

If you use leading questions or Pavlovian prompts in India, you may fall foul of a charming, but confusing cultural tradition. Questions such as “Am I going the right way for…….?” or “will the grounds of Bangaluru Palace be open at 06.30?” invite the answer “Yes”.  Phrasing the question as if you are seeking confirmation rather than information leaves the respondant with no option but to answer in the affirmative. To do otherwise would be impolite. Thus you are more likely to get confirmation of what you hope is true rather than what is actual fact.

Just so that you know, the grounds of the Bangaluru Palace are not open to the public until 10.00, so I had to do a quick about turn and head to Lalbarg Botanical Gardens instead. This misdirection had cost me about an hour and a half and the gardens were already very busy.

I entered from the northern Gate (Google earth ref; 12 57 14N 77 35 07E) and headed south past the floral clock towards the lake. Black Kites, House Crows and Common Mynas are gimmes in most Indian cities and Bangaluru (Bangalore), Karnataka, is no exception.

The first bird inside the gardens posed me some questions. Most accipiters seen on the Indian sub-continent will be Shikra, Accipiter badius, but this one appeared much darker than usual with a darker orange eye than I am used to seeing.

The light mottling on the back was unusual too. I put that down to ruffled feathers, but it flew across to another branch and settled, maintaining the ruffled look. The lack of barring on the tail left me with no other feasible options, so I will plump for Shikra, but would be interested to hear from anyone with more southern Indian accipiter experience.

The whole city of Bangaluru resonates to the rich, low trill of the White-faced Barbet and they seemed especially at home in the gardens. The density of calls meant that they sometimes coincided or overlapped and I could not decide whether a pair was singing in duet or two rivals were trying to disrupt each others’ claim to territory. I could not uncover any evidence or anecdote for either practice, so again, if there are any south Indian specialists out there……..

A small troupe of Bonnet Macacques lazed in a stand of bamboo, hoping for handouts from the Bangaluries(?). Just beyond, steps lead up to the big feature of the gardens, Lalbargh Lake. The banks have been shored up with a stone finish, but Indian Pond Herons and a Little Egret stalked the edges of a few unfinished stretches.

Great Cormorants and Little Cormorants fished in the deeper water or basked in the sun, wings spread wide. Woodland to the side of the lake in the south-western-most part of the gardens is usually quite productive and I found a White-faced Barbet nest here today. An adult visited regularly and another bird popped its head out from time to time as if impatient to know when the next visit might be.

A western lobe of the lake is very shallow and was almost dry in this second week of May. Lotus covers much of the area with thick reeds on the far side. Purple Swamphens tended their chicks among the lotus while a White-throated Kingfisher watched from the trees alongside.

Another familiar sound of the gardens is the hysteria of the Asian Koel. They were very common and obvious today even as midday approached. A female was being courted by a male who brought her gifts of red berries to match her eyes.

Birds seen; 25

Great Cormorant 8, Little Cormorant 6, Grey Heron 1, Purple Heron 1, Little Egret 1, Indian Pond Heron 6, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, Black Kite 120, Brahminy Kite 4, Shikra 1, Purple Swamphen 15, Eurasian Moorhen 2, Red-wattled Lapwing 1, Rose-ringed Parakeet 35, Asian Koel 25, White-throated Kingfisher 1, White-cheeked Barbet 25, House Crow 200, Large-billed Crow 60, Jungle Myna 30, Common Myna 50, Purple-rumped Sunbird 1, White-wagtail 1. 

Seen on walk to palace; Red-whiskered Bulbul 1, Yellow-billed Babbler 2,

Lalbagh Botanical Gardens consists of 240 acres of lush woodland, lake and landscaping close to the city centre. A metered tuk-tuk cost IR60 from the centre of the city, but expect a small surcharge for heavy traffic on the return journey.

Other posts from Bangaluru can be seen below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/bannerghatta-national-park-bangalore.html

Visit the dedicated Indian page for more posts from the area.

Matheson Hammock Park, Miami, Apr 12,

Proposed new legislation may allow companies to redirect their property portfolios to help shore up their under-performing pension funds. Administrators at APS and NAPS have been quick to see the potential for reducing their deficit.

The Miami skies were laden with dark, heavy clouds and I had delayed my adventure as a dawn shower passed through. I was returning to Matheson Hammock, but this morning, I wanted to explore the inland part to the west of Old Cutler Rd. SW 52^nd St cuts off from North Kendall Rd and access can be had through a small barrier that denies access to unauthorised persons (Google Earth ref; 25 41 10N 80 16 36W ). The barrier is universally ignored, especially by dog walkers who gathered in large numbers this Saturday morning. A reedy pond can be found on the right immediately beyond the gate and would be worth a look after the dogs finished swimming. In the distance peacocks were calling and parrots screeched from the tops of palm trees. Another palm tree by the road hosted an Eastern Screech Owl.

This individual appears to have quite a long, wry overbite. Is this normal in Eastern Screech Owls? Common Starlings and a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers shared the palm trunk and all made their home within easy reach of each other. .

I was still hoping to find some migrants after the disappointing show yesterday evening and was pleased to see a Great Crested Flycatcher on the utility lines. Across the road, another GCF was chasing a vireo through a leafy tree. Anywhere else, I would have assumed that it was a Red-eyed Vireo, but in Florida, there is the chance of the very similar Black-whiskered Vireo. The bird was driven off by the flycatcher and I didn’t get a good chance to see the ‘whisker’ needed for a confident identification. Rather gallingly, it probably was a Black-whiskered as they are more commonly seen in Florida at this time. Most Red-eyed reports appear to come from birds returning south in the late summer and autumn.

Mourning Doves were seen in the woodland here and Eurasian Collared Doves were common along the roads. A track leads east towards a marshy corner of the park. After rain there was half a chance that some snakes might be out to catch some sun and I had to tread carefully through the long grass to get close to a Golden-winged Skimmer.

A flock of Cedar Waxwings had flown over a couple of times and now I found them settled into the bare branches at the top of a dead tree. Another path leads out from the park towards Old Cutler Rd. and emerges opposite the Fairchild Tropical Gardens. The flashlights on the wing of a Black-throated Blue Warbler showed up in the gloom of the understorey.

Now I was back on familiar ground and hoping to find more birds than yesterday, but only the Northern Cardinals called from the picnic area and a Black Vulture was seen in the distance. An American Great Egret stalked the edge of the Alligator pond and caught a small fish.

The road leads through the mangroves and a Racoon crossed ahead of me. A booth takes fees for parking, but bicycles and pedestrians pass for free. A road to the right leads to Matheson Hammock County Park which I must explore on my next visit. There are a lot of reports from this area on eBird. Continuing straight past the booth brings you to the car park. A Laughing Gull was begging for scraps from people in their cars.

As yesterday there were no birds out on the banks or in the grassy shallows. A kite surfer was standing out on the bank with the water up to his thighs. Perhaps the height of the tide or the presence of the surfers could have something to do with the lack of birds.

Sea grass has been washed up along the shore by the car park and the Ruddy Turnstones were feeding here with a few Semipalmated Sandpipers. 

This is the first time that I have been able to see their semi-webbed feet as they stepped across the sea grass. It was interesting to note that the webbing is not apparent when the bird lifts its foot and is sometimes more obvious when the webbing stretches across a grass stem with a toe either side .

Birds seen; 

Horned Grebe 1, Brown Pelican 8, Double-crested Cormorant 15, Great Blue Heron 1, American Great Egret 2, Green Heron 1, Black Vulture 1, Ruddy Turnstone 12, Semi-palmated Plover 3, Laughing Gull 6, Eurasian Collared Dove 6, Mourning Dove 15, Eastern Screech Owl 1, Chimney Swift 8, Red-bellied Woodpecker 20, Great Crested Flycatcher 4, Cedar Waxwing 250, Northern Mockingbird 6, Blue-Jay 4, Fish Crow 6, Common Starling 25, Black-throated Blue Warbler 1, Northern Cardinal 6, Boat-tailed Grackle 40.

Also seen, but away from Matheson Hammock

Common Gallinule 1, Eastern Kingbird 1, Least Tern 1,
The Common Gallinule is marked in red as this is the first I have seen since I realised that it had been split from the Common Moorhen.

For other posts about Matheson Hammock, follow the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/matheson-hammock-miami-usa.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/matheson-hammock-miami-april-12.html

Visit the dedicated USA page for other posts from the area

Matheson Hammock, Miami, April 12

A trip to Miami at the end of April would surely bring a bagful of migrants. An internet search introduced me to the Nutty Birder who has produced a migration timetable for the eastern states and confirmed that the warblers would be on the move. E-bird’s status bargraphs showed that they should be present in great numbers. So how did I miss them?

We landed late and arrived at the hotel with only a couple of hours of daylight left. The next day was forecast to be rained out, so a quick flit to Matheson Hammock could be my only chance for an outing this week. The cycle ride takes about 30 minutes, but I was stopped by a Blackpoll Warbler along the way. This filled me with confidence despite slim pickings during the rest of the ride.

The entrance to Matheson Hammock from Old Cutler Road opens onto a picnic area with a small lake. The trees here are often very productive and I had envisioned spending the evening around this area, but it was deathly quiet with only Northern Cardinals chipping their alarms. Apart from a very approachable Yellow-crowned Night Heron, there were no other birds seen here.

Surprised, I moved on to the car park by the shore (Google Earth ref; 25 40 49N 80 15 25W) hoping to find White Ibis and an assortment of herons in the bay. Grassy shallows and banks usually attract good numbers of birds, but here again, it was very quiet. A watersports school, specialising in Kite-surfing, has been set up in the car park and I wonder if the birds have been disturbed by the action out on the water.

Apart from a few Ruddy Turnstones on a bank, there were no waders and only a couple of herons flushed as I cycled past a gap in the mangroves. A Magnificent Frigatebird floated pterodactyl-like in the distance. The Brown Pelicans used the ground effect to skim across the surface of the water, hardly having to flap.

An Osprey provided the highlight of the evening by plunging into the water for a fish. It juggled its catch to make it more aerodynamic and shook itself dry in midair before carrying the fish away.

A rising series of buzzy notes called my attention to a Prairie Warbler which was singing, full-throatedly, from a mangrove right in the shoreline and reminded me that I should have been looking for migrants. A last look in the trees between the entrance and the Fairchild Tropical Gardens as the sun set only brought more Cardinals.

Birds seen;

Brown Pelican 8, Double-crested Cormorant 20, Magnificent Frigatebird 1, Great Blue Heron 1, Little Blue Heron 1, Yellow-crowned Night Heron 3, Black Vulture 1, Osprey 2, Ruddy Turnstone 6, Laughing Gull 4, Eurasian Collared Dove 6, Mourning Dove 4, Chimney Swift 3, Northern Mockingbird 2, Common Starling 15, Prairie Warbler 1, Blackpoll Warbler 1, Northern Cardinal 12, Boat-tailed Grackle 50

Matheson Hammock is about 5 kms from Dadeland North Metrorail Station. Follow North Kendal Rd east to the T-junction. Turn left and cross the river, turning immediately right onto the continuation of North Kendall Rd. At the next T-junction turn right onto Old Cutler Rd. Matheson Hammock is 1 km on the left (Google Earth ref; 25 40 57N 80 16 22W).

See below for other posts from Matheson Hammock;

http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/matheson-hammock-miami-usa.html

Visit the dedicated USA page for more posts from the area.