LGRE Tour Updates
Have a few days off now before my next (18th) tour of Turkey and will be addressing all emails, list updates accordingly
My annual ‘Highland and Islands’ Scottish tour was extremely successful, with a total of 144 species recorded. The six participants were able to enjoy spectacular views of playing OTTERS, point-blank views of ‘Limpy’ – a female PINE MARTEN we have fed in consecutive years and ARCTIC HARE, along with breeding SCOTTISH PARROT CROSSBILLS, a nesting pair of CRESTED TITS, two displaying male PTARMIGANS, crippling views of feeding male CAPERCAILLIES, over 25 lekking cock BLACK GROUSE, several OSPREYS, numerous breeding pairs of GOLDEN EAGLES (including a memorable nest changeover of one pair), some fantastic views of nesting adult WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLES, MERLIN, WHIMBREL, SHORT-EARED OWLS and commoner species such as COMMON RAVEN, TWITE, ROCK DOVE, GOOSANDER, WHINCHAT, COMMON REDSTART, TREE PIPIT, DIPPER and WOOD WARBLER. SLAVONIAN GREBES and all three diver species were in full finery and a full suite of seabirds were seen crossing to the Outer Hebrides, whilst rarities ‘scooped up’ including an awesome male COLLARED FLYCATCHER and a pristine summer-plumaged WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN. Bookings are now taking place for my 2010 tour
The May tour of the WESTERN SAHARA and MOROCCO also proved exciting and challenging this year, with 180 species recorded highlighting in the finding of no less than 9 CRICKET LONGTAILS at Aousswerd, including a pair feeding three fledged young. We also recorded 8 breeding AFRICAN DESERT WARBLERS, several AFRICAN DUNN’S LARKS, 90+ BLACK-CROWNED FINCH LARKS, over 120 DESERT SPARROWS, LANNER, FULVOUS BABBLERS and 10 adult KELP GULLS, 3 LESSER CRESTED TERNS, 4 AFRICAN ROYAL TERNS and 26 AUDOUIN’S GULLS.
Morocco yielded MOUSSIER’S REDSTART, excellent numbers of MARBLED DUCK and RED-KNOBBED COOT, breeding WHITE-HEADED and FERRUGIONUS DUCKS, large numbers of passage PIED FLYCATCHERS, BARBARY PARTRIDGE, BROWN-THROATED SAND MARTIN, large numbers of AFRICAN DESERT and RED-RUMPED WHEATEARS, successful breeding of ISABELLINE WHEATEAR, good numbers of TRUMPETER FINCH and AFRICAN SCRUB WARBLERS, outstanding views of THICK-BILLED LARKS, BARBARY FALCONS, 60+ CREAM-COLOURED COURSERS, 30+ GREATER HOOPOE LARKS (many in full display) and 63 NORTHERN BALD IBIS in and around the breeding colony.
The Atlas Mountains held breeding ATLAS PIED FLYCATCHERS, ATLAS RAVEN, BARBARY APES, SEEBOHM’S WHEATEARS (large numbers), DUPONT’S LARKS and TRISTRAM’S WARBLERS, whilst the desert regions near Merzouga produced breeding PHARAOH EAGLE OWL, BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATERS and numerous MOROCCAN PIED WAGTAILS.
For me, the undoubted highlight (apart from the Longtails) was the sight of 85+ ELEONORA’S FALCONS flycatching overhead at dusk and the exceptional numbers of EUROPEAN TURTLE DOVE (442+) and SPOTTED FLYCATCHER that we recorded on the trip.
Prior to Morocco, my 27th tour of ISRAEL had proved very successful at the end of March with 230 species recorded in 10 days, including ORIENTAL HONEY BUZZARD, CASPIAN PLOVER, NUBIAN NIGHTJAR, HUME’S TAWNY OWL, GREAT BLACK-HEADED GULL, EURASIAN BLACK VULTURE, MARBLED DUCK, CITRINE WAGTAIL, SINAI ROSEFINCH, STRIATED BUNTING (22), ASIATIC SCRUB WARBLER (20), ASIATIC DESERT WARBLER, ARABIAN WARBLER, HOODED WHEATEAR (4), AFRICAN GREEN-BACKED GALLINULE, LILITH’S OWL, McQUEEN’S BUSTARD, TEREK SANDPIPER, DEAD SEA SPARROW (17), STRIATED HERON, CASPIAN STONECHAT, ORIENTAL SKYLARK, NAMAQUA DOVE, SEMICOLLARED FLYCATCHER, ARABIAN BABBLER, LICHTENSTEIN’S SANDGROUSE, BIMACULATED LARK (3), BLACK BUSH ROBIN, BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER, LONG-BILLED PIPIT, BLACK FRANCOLIN, GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO (9), CLAMAROUS REED WARBLER, SYRIAN SERIN, GREATER SPOTTED EAGLE, amongst the many highlights.
If you would like to join me on any 2010 tour, please email me, whilst I still have places on this year’s SCANDINAVIA (25 June to 6 July), AZORES, EGYPT, CYPRUS and POLAND tours.
