Star Lane Summer update

Turtle Dove (heard) was a new addition to the Star Lane list today.
Also of interest was a second (and third but looked as if it had been cut/chewed off) bee orchid.
Pyramidal orchids are now up to 5 but still no sign of a Common Spotted Orchid.
There are good numbers of Dragon and Damsel Flies but I'm going to have to brush up on those before I can report on those. Butterflies have included Painted Lady, Large and Small Skipper, Small Tortoiseshell, Large white, Holly Blue, Common Blue (picture) and lots of Meadow Brown.

Seven Whale Thriller

It's been some morning. I got a tip-off from Phil, my builder friend next door, that a pod of Humpback Whales were passing the heads (counted seven in all). Then, the brick cleaner told us Michael Jackson was dead. Unforgettable!

Canvey West End (continued)

Also of interest today were...
Lots of Marbled White (above top), Tube Web Spiders (I think) (above left), unidentified vetch style bush (middle) and masses of Pyramidal orchids (right).

Common Spotted Orchids

Fathers Day was marked this year with a trip to Canvey West End for some orchid hunting.
It's a fantastic place to see Common Spotted Orchids and we were treated to a display that really showed off how varied in size, colour and markings this orchid can be.
I could have shown more, but I've edited it down to my 3 favourite flowers of the day...
From left to right; mass of orchids, perfect specimen, stunning pink and white version, and a perfectly white albino version.

Uncle Pete's

Uncle Pete's house

Bar-shouldered Dove

Crested Pigeon

Female Satin Bowerbird
We've just been up the coast to celebrate 'the Queen's birthday' with Uncle Pete and family. He owns his very own Rainham Marshes in a place called Raleigh, NSW.

On the trip up I saw three new species: Pied Butcherbird (joined us for a roadside lunch), White-necked Heron and Brahminy Kite.

Others added during the weekend: Buff-banded Rail (Surprisingly tame for a rail. Drinking from Pete's recently flooded swimming pool.), White-headed Pigeon, Regent Bowerbird (c40 'brown birds' and a single male around Bellingen Island).

And, of note in and around Raleigh: a pair of Osprey nesting on the the rail bridge in Urunga took flight every time a freight train passed through; 20+ King Parrots in Pete's back yard; an Emu off the road near Bellingen; Black, Little and Grey Headed Flying foxes roosting on Bellingen Island.

Everything but birds

Pictures taken at Star Lane over the last few days...
Bee Orchid (top left), Tufted Vetch (top right), Lesser Broomrape (I think), Painted Lady butterfly, dead mole, Common Lizard (minus tail and pregnant).

Gray Catbird, NYC

I went for a run along the Hudson early this morning and found a couple of Gray Catbirds. One was singing beautifully, the other was making cat noises.

Back to Sydney now.

New York

The view from The Standard hotel
I'm in New York for the first time on a last minute 'business' trip. My only free time was this Memorial Day morning so I got out early in search of lifers.

From the hotel I took a walk along the Hudson towards Central Park. It turned out to be a who's who of British scarcities.

The first species in the book was Brant with six birds loafing around within spitting distance of the West Side Highway. Others along the way included 3 Mocking Birds (great singers), 3 Ring-billed Gull (nice to see sub-adults for the first time), 6 Mourning Dove, Double-crested Cormorant, 5 Common Grackle, Blackpoll Warbler and numerous American Robins.

It was hard to know where to focus and God knows how many I didn't identify, especially as my only reference was an old book for the Western region.

That amused my new friend Irvin who took pity on me in Central Park. Irvin is 89 years old and the self–proclaimed 'oldest birder in Central Park'. He has been patrolling the patch since the Great Depression (1932) and boosted my list with consummate ease.

Here's what we found during a charming hour together. Baltimore Oriole, Common Yellow throat, Black-crowned Night Heron, Tufted Titmouse (heard), Blue Jay, Red–bellied Woodpecker (3 heard), Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Cardinal, Warbling Vireo (heard).

Can't wait to come back.

Blue tit news

This time last week I was convinced that my Blue Tits had abandoned their box, but I was wrong and here's the tatty looking evidence.

Black-browed Albatross

I saw my first albatross species today. A black-browed albatross swept past South Head just before we went to the shops. Magic.