A Brazilian taster

I've just come back from a monumental trip to the Atlantic rainforest in the State of Sao Paolo. The idea for this came from being blown away by the diversity of birds in the Pantanal and just wanting more of that. I hadn't been back long before I was planning this one for the following year. It did not disappoint. It does of course mean that I am now behind again as I've been back a week and am only now starting to review some of the 3000 photos I came home with. On the plus side I now have something to write about other than the constant watering of my many plants in this hot weather - this has been my life for about a month now and whilst I enjoy it a lot it does not make good blogging. By all accounts it was warmer in Wanstead than it was in Brazil, which I was a little sad to miss. Then again my bird feeder does not have things like this on it. On balance....

Brazilian Tanager

So of the 3000 images I've managed to get down to about 500 after the first pass. This sounds like a lot but actually birding came first, photogaphy a distant second. Most of the 3000 were just feeder session grabs between birding in the incredible forest fragments I was lucky enough to visit, and so will be somewhat unrepresentative of what I actually spent time doing. Nonetheless I reckon there will be enough images of the interior to accompany the words and give a decent feel for the place. Onwards!

A bit drastic

With apologies to anyone who came here for bird news

Agave attenuata is one of favourite plants. Planted en masse it is a wall of soft green architecture. Crucially it lacks the spines of others in its genus that regularly maim me as I move around the garden and the greenhouse. I have something like a dozen plants, all grown from small suckers of larger plants. Mostly on Madeira, where they grow like weeds in huge clumps, but I think I brought some back from the Canaries and mainland Spain on different trips. At that stage they were tiny, perhaps fifteen or so centimetres, possibly smaller than that. Planted in pots here in Wanstead they have thrived, grown quite large, but over the years they have also become extremely leggy, growing horiztonally and becoming rather awkward. I solved this problem by arranging them like a latticework, with the heads of plants growing some distance from their pots, with the stems crossing over one another. It looked vaguely okay until it didn't. For some reason that moment occured this morning. A bit of research on the web to confirm what I already knew. I could chop the top off the leggy stems, some two feet tall at this point, leave the cut to callous over and for a few roots to emerge, and then simply replant upright. What is more the stems will then grow new heads, possibly several, which can then be detached to form new plants. Or that is plan anyway. 

It took a bit of nerve to actually chop the first one and I ended up leaving one intact in case this doesn't work. I have every faith that it will though, succulents are generally a synch. In fact the last two weeks have been all about succulents - dividing bushy plants and replanting, and I think I doubled my Haworthias over the space of an hour or so. For if this rather brutal beheading of the Agave attenuata works, I will end up having doubled the number of plants. Perhaps even quadrupled because I also chopped the several feet of stem that I had taken off into small chunks, all of which have latent root nodes, and which with the proper care will I think root in their own right and create new plants. The heads are currently in empty pots whilst they air heal. I plan to try a couple methods. Some I will plant immediately in a nice succulent mix, others I will leave suspended until they put out roots, after which I will plant them up. Both methods are said to be successful, so let's see which works best. The rootballs and remaining stems look rather sad at the moment, but they have the summer to start anew. Hopefully in a couple of months I will have something to report back on. Other than compost...

Fife micro-patching

The view south over Lochore CP. One of the lumps on the horizon is the Bass Rock.

I'm up in Fife for a bit. The birding is better than Wanstead (not hard) but I would still class it as quiet, passage has dried up here too. I finally managed to track down a Cuckoo for my Fife list but that was the only realistic target this week, I missed all the good birds earlier in the month, including a Woodchat Shrike. The best birding up here is undoubtedly the East Neuk, which is where the Shrike was, but that is a bit far to get to in the mornings before work. Instead I've been concentrating on the sites that I visit regularly whilst I'm up here and that are closer to home, none of which are more than 15 minutes away, and trying to build up the number of species that I've seen at each of them. Far less chance of a rarity, but it means that things like Song Thrush have become interesting again.

Benarty ridge. The Cuckoo was in the pine plantation.

Letham Pools - 97

My favourite spot locally, albeit that the water levels at the moment are a) too high and b) not managed, so the site is not as good as it once was. There is almost nothing of interest for a wader now. I managed to visit twice on this trip and added Great Crested Grebe, my top target. It wasn't there the second time I went so perhaps I got lucky - apparently it was my 47th visit so it must be quite a rare bird for the site. Top remaining targets are Osprey, Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap and Redshank. I also came away with the highest list I've ever had here, just over an hour saw me accumulate 41 species including Peregrine, Marsh Harrier and Raven. I'd love to see 100 here but I reckon the final three will be quite difficult.

Angle Park GP - 80

A very succesful few visits adding 13 species. Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher, this has taken over from Letham as the best inland spot for waders locally. Away from the water I found a host of common passerines like Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Skylark, Linnet, Swift and Song Thrush. There are quite a lot of targets remaining, many of them sounding pretty easy it has to be said as I've only started visiting this location quite recently. This is where I jammed a Great White Egret last September, which is I suppose what has encouraged me to go back.

Leven Shore - 78

This is the just about the closest bit of the coast to the house and one of the places I've visited regularly over the years. I think I must have lost the records of many of my visits as I could not find anything between 2008 and 2019 when I started trying to historically populate eBird. Oh well - I don't recall anything mega but perhaps a few common things might be missing as a result. This site is best in winter, with lots of sea duck and grebes, so on my lone visit on this late spring trip I saw only Eider, Common Scoter and Velvet Scoter. I did add Greylag and a singing Song Thrush near the river mouth though, with such gems as Blue Tit (it's mostly sand and water, not great habitat...) and Great Crested Grebe still to come.

Loch Gelly - 76

A site that is between the family house and Edinburgh and so quite convenient for a stop off. I first visited on a twitch over fifteen years ago, managing to get back from the Highlands in time to see both Ferruginous and Ring-necked Duck before dusk. I visit two or three times a year, adding a few species each time. This time it was a Great Black-backed Gull having a bathe. You view from the minor road on the north side, and whilst the mean-spirited landowner has unhelpfully placed a series of large boulders across the two pull-ins to prevent parking I am normally in a Land Rover and as such unstoppable. There are some simple things still to find like Pheasant and House Martin. All in good time.

The Wilderness - 74

I think I am done with this site, there is a new tenant who does not like visitors and has made it increasingly difficult to access and once you do get in viewing the pools is almost impossible. Whoever it is also cut down all the bushes west of the main lake so what was once really good habitat for Reed Bunting and other birds is now a wasteland. What they have not done is cut down anything around the lake itself, no doubt deliberately, and the bushes are now so high  that you cannot see most of it. They have also started shooting there, and there is a nice yellow sign warning of this. Thus my short visit this trip was very disappointing indeed. It was excellent at one time though, with a good amount of mud for waders and it is still one of the only places up here where I've seen Garganey.

Birnie & Gaddon Lochs - 60

Two connected freshwater lakes that are about ten minutes away at most. I've seen American Wigeon here. As it is designated a Local Nature Reserve it is obviously the best  and most popular place to take a dog for a walk and as a result I don't visit especially often, including on this trip. You can walk a figure of eight circuit around them both, and on the eastern side there is a rise with a good view. This winter just gone one of the many Great White Egrets in Fife spent a bit of time here so I've got this on the list too.

Loch of Lindores - 55

This is only a few minutes up the road from Letham and Angle Park, and as it is highly scenic I stop in from time to time. It is where I first found Raven in Fife, they're pretty much nailed on here. On this trip I added Grey Heron, Long-tailed Tit and Mistle Thrush, and with such a low total there are loads of possibilities, especially in winter.

East Weymss - 55

This is about the same distance for me as Leven Shore but for some reason I don't visit it as often. It is the best place in Fife to see Med Gull, and is a good spot to see what is going on in the Forth. I managed one brief visit this time and rather than look at the sea I concentrated on the woodland near the caves and the gully at the end. The result was seven new birds for the site, nothing special - Robin, Wren, Whitethroat and so on - but a minor thrill all the same. Blue Tit eluded me!

Ansers on a postcard

Welcome to June. No birds. June actually started a few weeks ago and so birding has already taken a back seat at Chateau L. One shall resume in August. One last foray yesterday however, the irresistable lure of overnight rain dragged me out. For nothing. It was pathetic, inland sites are the worst. Rainham had a Roseate Tern and a supporting cast of waders including Curlew Sandpiper. Wanstead had this.

They say the big one travels alone......so what is this? On Jubilee and looking as glorious as it did rare, it soon continued, ahem, its migration west. Answers (or Brantas) on a postcard please. This just screams June, it's enough to make anyone hang up their bins for a few months.

I've been busy in the garden. Naturellement. As birds decline so my other interests take over. This year the focus has been on succulents, so I've been splitting Agaves and repotting Aloes. Normally my greenhouse is organised by family groups, but this year I've mixed it up and made the benches more geographical. So now I have Aloe, Haworthia and Strelitzia dotted amongst the Cycads to create a miniature South African landscape. At the other end, Agave and Echeveria nestle amongst Mexican Cycads. Outside, now deemed safe for most things, there has been a frenzy of repotting Palms and Bamboo, Some of the larger Agaves are enjoying the fresh air, and yesterday I potted up about 30 Monkey Puzzle seedlings from community pots and bands. Indoor Palms, mainly Chamaedorea, are now poking out of the flower beds for the summer. It doesn't last long, but for a few short months I shall enjoy my small tropical paradise. 

Mid-Atlantic - May 2025 - Trip List

We vistited six States and finished on 131 species, a decent return for just three days. Delaware headed the list, with West Virginia a surprising second. New Jersey, added just because, trails on 33. For me Delaware and West Virginia were entirely new, but I also added birds for the first time in Pennsylvania and Virginia, whilst Maryland felt new as I'd constructed a list of perhaps two birds that I definitely remembered from visiting my Aunt a few years ago before eBird came into my life.

The full list of species has been lovingly curated below in the usual format - this is actually pretty straightforward once you have a method. As you can see a lot of Warblers, 20 I think, despite seemingly missing loads. Late April or early May is prime time.

quite

Mid-Atlantic - May 2025 - Day 3 - West Virginia and Virginia

We had arrived in West Virginia overnight and this being a new State it was important to get the list going immediately. This involved standing around the car for a couple of minutes ticking all the usual suspects like Mockingbird, Robin, Grackle and so on. This early in the morning there were a couple of Chimney Swift quite low - we hardly ever saw these during the day, not sure where they go. Perhaps they are very high up?

Our destination was Stauffer's Marsh, just over one of the first of the Appalachian ridges. We had to follow a very slow school bus for a while, bear in mind that this is 6.30am....poor kids. Once clear of this we found ourselves on a fabulous road that went up and then along a ridge. It looked like excellent birding as and soon as we found a place to stop we did. It was so productive we stayed in this one spot for over an hour generally being frustrated by Merlin which heard everything, almost none of which we could actually see. The tactic was to see what was being heard and then see if we could triangulate that and home in on it. This included pishing which was once again remarkably effective on some species. Birds we actually saw included Red-bellied Woodpecker and Northern Flicker and Pileated Woodpecker. On the Warbler front we added two Worm-eating Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler, but the full list of Warblers present was sadly much longer. Also of note was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo which we could hear higher up on the ridge calling repeatedly but which never came near us. Once we had actually seen this later on at Stauffer's Marsh we added it retrospectively.

Stauffer's Marsh

Stauffer's was excellent. There is small area to park that will hold perhaps half a dozen cars, and then you walk out to the water's edge and around a small section of it before heading into the forest and the creek. Yellow-billed Cuckoo seemed to be everywhere, the trees in front, behind, and on one occasion flying over the water. There were several Solitary Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper, and a Belted Kingfisher surveyed the pool. Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Barn Swallow sallied over the water, and a Eastern Kingbird flew from perch to perch. 

Within the treeline we found five species of Woodpecker, Red-headed being new, and a very smart Louisiana Waterthrush was on the small stream by the bridge and later relocated to the creek. Yellow Warblers were common, as were Common Yellowthroat, and a male American Redstart responded to pishing. The trail took us back via a meadow, and in this open area we had views of a fly-over Red-shouldered Hawk as well as a couple of Field Sparrow. In short this was an excellent area and we saw a lot in a short space of time.

A Killdeer flew over the car as we headed back east towards Maryland and Virginia. Our destination was Harper's Ferry, a famous Civil War site where three states intersect at the Shenandoah River. We stayed on the West Virginia bit, birding Murphy Farm where the focus is on the historic battlefield. One of the cannons on display had an Eastern Bluebird nesting in the barrel, and the grassy meadow had Eastern Meadowlark displaying. We went into the woods here, there are several trails that head towards the river. We didn't go especially far as it was already nearly midday, but we went far enough to find Eastern Wood-Pewee, Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Baltimore Oriole, Parula, Redstart, Scarlet Tanager and Indigo Bunting. Yellow-rumped Warbler were especially common.

In the historic village/museum of Harper's Ferry itself we went down the to water to look at the Shenandoah. I've heard this name mentioned I don't know how many times in various songs and literature, it was interesting to actually be here. I'd imagine this place is very popular with history buffs. I do sometimes think is shame I only really focus on birds given how much other interest there can sometimes be at the places I visit. Best stick to sewage farms to ensure you know you're not missing out on anything else. Chimney Swift were over the buildings, and we finally picked out American Black Vulture amongst the commoner Turkey Vultures. 

At 2pm or so we crossed into Virgina, the final State of the trip. The sky was beginning to look ominous and as we arrived at Sweet Run State Park it started to bucket down. Thoughts of going on a long walk receded. Instead we birded along Arnold Lane near the sawmill and this was actually pretty good, with Raven breeding on a pylon, a pair of American Kestrel, Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, another Meadowlark, Bluebirds, Chipping Sparrow, a vocal Orchard Oriole and a distant Red-shouldered Hawk. 

We diverted south to Lake Frederick to add Great Northern Diver to the list, a bird rather incongruously floating around on a somewhat suburban lake, along with three Spotted Sandpiper, Brown Thrasher and Warbling Vireo.

The final site I had earmarked for the trip was the State Arboretum. This was picked for its proximity to Dulles rather than sensational birding, although the eBird lists looked decent. In the end it was rather a let-down really, very quiet at 4.30pm. We gamely struggled on though, building up a list of 23 species but it felt like the trip was over. A nice colony of Purple Martin were perhaps the highlight but we barely added anything new here. A last hurrah close to the airport resulted in driving in circles around some habitat that we had no idea how to access, at which point a dramatic thunderstrom called an end to proceedings. The rain was torrential as we closed in on the rental car centre, with dramatic forked lightning and dark charcoal skies. 

Eastern Meadowlark

Purple Martin

Northern Cardinal

Mid-Atlantic - May 2025 - Day 2 - Maryland and Pennsylvania

Today was about Maryland and Pennsylvania. Our first stop of the day was in the former, Swan Harbor Farm where the Susquehanna river empties into Chesapeake Bay. Arriving just after daybreak we found a Wood Duck in the water near the bridge just before you turn down the entrance lane. A good start and another new bird for the trip. We spent a bit of time in this area as it got light, listening mainly, picking out Hairy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great Crested Flycatcher and American Robin. Once at the Farm we parked in the visitor area and started on a circuit of the marsh - this on the left as you drive down and is a surprisingly large area. It was dull and overcast but with great birding all the way around, with a Solitary Sandpiper, and several of each Yellowlegs. More Wood Ducks, lots of Canada Geese, Red-winged Blackbird and Great Blue Heron, several Osprey and a Northern Harrier. We also heard a Sora and saw the American Moorhen which is apparently quite a scarce bird and which was being twitched by a couple of birders we saw later. A fair few Tree Swallow, Chipping Sparrow and American Goldfinch in this area too, and Northern Mockingbirds along the track. 

The wearther was holding (for now at least) and so crossing the entrance lane we walked around the south-western raised containment area. This seemed to be mostly dry, and contained lots of White-throated Sparrow, Cardinals, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher and a singing Prairie Warbler. Down by the Bay was not as birdy, but we added lots of Bald Eagle and a few Cormorant, and a Merganser flew north towards Harvre de Grace. Overall we spent about two and half hours here, really decent birding - the full list is here.

By now it was approaching 9am and the weather was deteriorating. It had been breezy all morning but now the first spots of rain were arriving. We drove up to Susquehanna State Park on the west side of the river with the intention of birding the Ridge trail near Rock Run, but before we could really get started the heavens opened. We added a Baltimore Oriole, a Northern Waterthrush and an American Redstart before being forced to rapidly retreat - fortunately we were not especially far from the car. It seemed very localised though, and sure enough a short distance south at the Lapidum boat ramp it was dry enough to start birding again. The trees around the car park held Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler and a few other bits, and yet again we were bamboozled by singing birds that we simply could not get eyes on. Moving on to the Picnic area we experienced much the same, spending an hour under the cover of the canopy whilst hearing a constantly singing Kentucky Warbler that never showed. We did however manage to see both Nashville Warbler and Black-and-White Warbler here, and our first Eastern Phoebe.

By now the rain had set in properly and birding was impossible. Pausing for breakfast seemed like a good idea and we found a Denny's just over the river in Perryville. It was completely clear this side of the river but rather than go birding we stuffed our faces. I had a lumberjack slam which was totally ridiculous, that I couldn't finish, and that ensured I did not to eat for the rest of the day. We stayed here for an hour or so, consulting the rain radar whilst being restored by hot coffee and hash browns. It seemed that whilst not done there was a temporary gap we could use to add a few birds we had missed earlier.

Back at Lapidum we rapidly added a Caspian Tern and several Ring-billed Gulls on the river, and huge rafts of Double-crested Cormorants. Close to the crossroads here we had views of three Yellow-throated Warbler together, brought in by pishing, and a brilliant Worm-eating Warbler. Back at Rock Run a short session near the bridge added Spotted Sandpiper, Belted Kingfisher, Prothonotary Warbler and a friendly White-breasted Nuthatch. Driving north along the river and stopping at various points added Wood Thrush and Cerulean Warbler, but with the rain now starting to return and Pennsylvania beckoning we decided to call time on Maryland and get going.

White-breated Nuthatch

We crossed the State Line shortly before 3pm and could not resist stopping to get the list going. So a random pull-in near Stewartstown was where we kicked off with Yellow Warbler, Tree Swallow, Blue Jay and Song Sparrow amongst other species. Our first destination was still some way away though and we did not arrive until close to 4pm. This was the Lake Redman Boardwalk and was thoroughly enjoyable with a Green Heron, some nesting Warbling Vireo and Orchard Oriole, and some really showy Red-winged Blackbirds. The trees held some unexpected Cedar Waxwing, I guess we associate the family with cold weather but it's just a regular bird here in the US. This tiny trail also had Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Kingbird, Baltimore Oriole, Song Sparrow, Rough-winged Swallow, Northern Flicker and several Yellow Warbler.

Red-winged Blackbird

Our final destination of the day was Gifford Pinchot State Park near Harrisburg which has several sites you can bird around a large lake. We chose the east side as it was closest, but I later felt the west side had better trees. Mick talked me out of it and we spent the rest of the day here seeing quite a lot. The best area was perhaps around the car park and a little further south, with our first Yellow-rumped Warblers in the trees with a Palm Warbler, a Veery near the lake and a Scarlet Tanager along a trail near the frisbee course (yes, this is a thing). Overall we saw close to 40 species here ensuring that our Pennsylvania list ticked over quite nicely, but it wasn't until the end of the day the we found any Warblers and as ever they were right at the top of the canopy. American Robins were everywhere, and Wood Thrush began to sing as the day drew to a close. 

Chipping Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse

American Robin

We were not quite done though. Using eBird's target function we found that between us and West Virginia was a reliable site for Eastern Whip-poor-will in the Michaux State Forest. We were astounded as we arrived close to the pin along a quiet mountain road just after dark to see a bird in the car headlights. There were perhaps two or three present, feeding along the road, sometimes perching on it, and making a huge racket. Fantastic! I had only ticked this bird for the first time in Maine two years ago, and had not actually seen the birds, so get a view of one was really quite special. Our lodgings for the night were in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and we arrived pretty late. Luckily the Denny's extravaganza meant we didn't need to find somewhere to eat.