Glossy Ibis

Godwits, Kentish plovers,Lesser Yellow legg, Shelduck and a Peregrin Falcon on Cabo da Praia

Terceira birdwatchers meeting

Last week I organized together whit the local tourist ascocation ART the second Birdwatch meeting on the Azores.It was a great happening whit lectures, workshops and fieldtrips.
Of course I took some pics and even had 2 Azores tics.
I,m already thinking about next year. Up to the 3th.

Workshop Bird Photography whit Dutch photographer Menno van Duin

http://www.mvdphoto.com/Home.htm

The new lens.

10 days ago I finaly got a camara and a lens. Some kind of easyer than the good old nikon coolpix 4500 whit the even older Swarovski.

White rumped Sandpipers

Semipalmated Plovers

Eurasian Wigeon

Ring necked Ducks

Gadwall. Some Eurasian ducks are more rare than a couple of American brothers.

Common Chiffchaff. A rarity for the Azores. 

Atlantic Canary 

Azorean Grey wagtail

Blackpoll Warbler and Peregrine Falcon

While stil big quantities of waders stay around on the Island the other live stil goes on.Yesterday whit a group eaded by Dominic Mitchel we found the first Blue winged teal of the year together whit a juvenile Garganey on the center of the Island. As we had half a dozen of Bullfinches until 10 pm we still had a lot of time so we stopped on the field where I found together whit Camille van den Berg a flock of 32 White rumped Sandpipers.Whit thye flock stil there we had a incoming Semipalmated Sandpiper as a extra suprise . Still time for a fast jump to Seyte Cidades to search the Blackpoll Wwarbler found by Dominic the day before. After a while scanning the trees we spread out over the forrest whithout finding the bird but one of the members of the group spotted the Warbler on the last daylight so we al got a good look and some lousy pictures. This morning after dropping the group on the plane to Flores I decide to have another try to get some better pictures and two hours whit Jean Marie la Fontaine in the rain got the so wished result. Whit the first sun the bird showd briefly just enough to get some pics and than disapeared again.

But the day was not over jet. My girlfriend asked me to pick her up on Mosteiros beach after a walk whit the baby. Doing some shooting training on a Gull in louzy light conditions I saw something coming in on high speed flying straight to the Mosteiros Islets. I inmediatly reconize it as a Peregrine Falcon. Not bad for a day wich I had planned to cross whithout birding.

American waders festival on Mosteiros

What a day!!! Today a incredable wader party as not seen for some years on my local patch. After meeting  Peter Alfrey and Daryl on the bridge between Lagoa Azul and Verde we had a fast try around Sete Cidades whithout anything special coming up. Already tipped by Carlos Ribeiro about the increasing number of White'rumped sandpipers,21 until than, we went down to the seaside catching some sun.Before Peter and Daryl climed out of their car I spotted the Semipalmated sandpiper and some White rumped fellows like I did the last three days.

While trying to count the always moving White-rumped sandpipers we found the first Semipalmated plover and inmidiatly another one hopping around between the Turnstones and some red knots. Three american especies on the same spot. Not bad.

On the first count we stay on 8 WRSndpr,1 SPSndpr and than another SP plover called out of view.

Time for some pictures and after a nice sesion in the sun whit the upcoming tide sending us away we went on to see what Mosteiros stil had to offer. Next stop another flock of WRSndpr got us on 21. Same number as Carlos Ribeiro had counted earlyer on the morning. Obviously satisfied we went to have a fast look to the harbour where more two WRSndpr brought the total score on 23.

Time for a fantastic Octopus on the local restaurant to celebrate. Finaly after many days Mosteiros birding whit few big days my patch is starting to feel like heaven on earth.Autum on the Azores has definitly started.

And today we have 6 of them

Just a quick check on the way back from shopping I found the amazing quantity of 6 White-rumped sandpipers.

White rumped sandpiper

Just a little break between the clouds made me have a fast check on Mosteiros again. Yesterday the SP Sandpiper warmed me up and staying home starts to become a hard job.
I found it again on the same spot as yesterday and took a fast recordshot whit the old Nikon. On this moments I start thinking about the DHL van who should bring me my 400mm lence already last week but stil not arived.

Obviously glad that the bird did not leave us yet I went on searching some more pools and ramps and almost did not found the verry wel hided Whiterumped Sandpiper between the brown waterline. You could see that it just arived and I could aproach whithout any problem.
One new yank a day.Autum birding on the Azores has started.

Semipalmated sandpiper

Finaly hurricane Nadine got lost and opens the way for american vagrants. First check at the end of the day on my local patch Mosteiros brought me this Semipalmated sandpiper. Let the rest come soon.

Azores Goldcrest

Calm weather and wind from the east is delaying the influx of American  vagrants. So we are killing our time whit Bullfinches and the three supespecies of the very entertaining Azores Goldcrests

Finaly autum

Garganey day

Yesterday 3 Gaganeys all in differente spots of Sao Miguel Island

Spotted Sandpiper

Today two Spotted Sandpipers on my patch. On the last sunlight stil a distante picture whit my old Swarovski scope and a legendary Nikon Coolpix 4500 wich was a present from a verry dear friend.

Greather Yellowlegg

The second Yank. Greather Yellowleg on Sete Cidades

Lesser Yellow-legg

Today on Sao Miguel my first Yank of the season. May Isaac blow me some more.

Gerbybirding

Olof doing some dragonfly,s between  the Coot chicks and Green sandpiper.

Green sandpiper

First warming up for the wader season. Green sandpiper. Now just waiting for the first yank

Eurasian coots chicks (first for Sao Miguel )

Today a great day whit the discovery of a first succeeded  breeding atempt for Sao Miguel.

Azores Bullfinch

Purple heron

On the same day just near the blue heron in a remote pond another present. 17th Purple heron for the Azores.

Little Blue Heron

The 4th Litlle Blue Heron for the WP and 3th for the Azores was a great summer suprise. Never seen in Europe whit the amazing blue adult plumage it made several birders coming from the north of Europe to spot it.