Author Archives: hootbot

About hootbot

Professional design agency photographer and amateur birder.

New Year, New Challenge

Posted on July 27, 2019

Last year was all about the 200 bird challenge. It was a great way of getting myself out of bed in the morning, and it was great fun. But with that completed I’m going to spending my spare time this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abney park cemetery, balham, Birding, Birdwatching, Common Buzzard, epping forest, Fieldfare, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Greater Scaup, green sandpiper, Hainault, Kingfisher, Mistle Thrush, mute swan, ornithology, peregrine, Redwing, skylark, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Walthamstow Reservoirs, walthamstow wetlands, waxwing | Leave a comment

The Final Run

Posted on July 23, 2019

After returning from Morocco it was time to turn our attention back to the mission of trying to get 200 bird species in the UK before the year came to an end. Surprisingly, we were back in the game before … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #my200birdyear, ashdown forest, Bullfinch, Caspian Gull, cliffe, Cliffe Pools, crossbill, eagle pond, grey phalarope, Little Owl, owls, rustic bunting, snaresbrook | Leave a comment

Southern Morocco

Posted on December 30, 2018

Normally we have our main holiday abroad each year in spring, but after we were unable to fly for a while due to medical reasons and knowing we weren’t going to get the all-clear until April anyway, we decided instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged african crimson-winged finch, agadir, atlas mountains, bar-tailed desert lark, barbary falcon, barbary partridge, black wheatear, black-crowned tchagra, black-winged kite, bonelli's eagle, booted eagle, boumalne, boumalne dades, common bulbul, cream-coloured courser, dades gorge, desert, desert lark, desert warbler, desert wheatear, egyptian nightjar, erfoud, greater flamingo, greater hoopoe-lark, hoopoe, house bunting, lanner falcon, little swift, maghreb lark, maghreb magpie, marrakesh, merzouga, morocco, moussier's redstart, naturetrek, northern bald ibis, Osprey, ouarzazate, pin-tailed sandgrouse, plain martin, purple heron, sahara, sardinian warbler, short-toed eagle, southern grey shrike, southern morocco, spectacled warbler, spotted sandgrouse, Stonechat, subalpine warbler, temminck's lark, thekla lark, tristram's warbler, turtle dove, white-crowned black wheatear, woodchat shrike, zitting cisticola | Leave a comment

Summer Additions

Posted on December 27, 2018

After returning from Norfolk with a healthy-looking yearlist it was time for the usual lull as spring calmed down and summer took hold. I had a few ideas of species we could look for during this time, with specific plans … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ashdown forest, bat, Birdfair, black tern, Cliffe Pools, cuckoo, daubentons bat, fishers green, Hobby, Lee Valley, lesser whitethroat, nathusius's pipistrelle, natterer's bat, nightingale, nightjar, Osprey, Pied Flycatcher, pipistrelle, Rainham Marshes, red-backed shrike, soprano pipistrelle, spotted flycatcher, staines reservoir, Stone-curlew, tawny owl, Walthamstow Marshes, Walthamstow Reservoirs, Wanstead Flats, weeting heath, whinchat, woodcock | Leave a comment

Norfolk in Spring

Posted on August 21, 2018

Ah, mid-May and it’s time to return to Norfolk with Marcus of the Bird ID Company. We go at least once a year but this was the first time we’d gone in spring, with arriving migrants being the main targets. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged avocte, Bar-tailed Godwit, Barn Owl, bearded tit, bittern, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackcap, Brown Hare, buzzard, Chiffchaff, Cley, common sandpiper, Common Scoter, Common Tern, cuckoo, Curlew, Dunlin, fulmar, garganey, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Hobby, Holkham, holme, House Martin, kelling, kestrel, Kittiwake, lesser whitethroat, Linnet, little gull, Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Little Tern, Marsh Harrier, mediterranean gull, Norfolk, orange tip, peregrine, Pied Wagtail, red kite, Redshank, Reed Warbler, ringed plover, sandwich tern, Sedge Warbler, siskin, Spoonbill, stiffkey fen, Stonechat, Swallow, temmnck's stint, Titchwell, Turnstone, turtle dove, wells, Wheatear, whimbrel, whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Wood Sandpiper, Yellow Wagtail | Leave a comment

Spring Additions

Posted on August 4, 2018

After a great time in Scotland the next day out was a damp Saturday where we headed over to Wimbledon Common in the hope of finding the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers that had been there, but to no avail. Plenty of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ashdown forest, Black-necked Grebe, brambling, Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaff, common sandpiper, Common Tern, Garden Warbler, Hobby, House Martin, lesser whitethroat, Little Ringed Plover, Rainham Marshes, red kite, redstart, Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, short-eared owl, skylark, staines moor, staines reservoir, Swarovski, swift, Tree Pipit, Walthamstow, Walthamstow Reservoirs, walthamstow wetlands, Wanstead Flats, Wheatear, whitethroat, Willow Warbler, woodlark | Leave a comment

Return to Scotland

Posted on July 30, 2018

So, after a pretty intense and determined start to the year, it was finally time for our first guided trip. Jem and I first tried Scotland in February 2015, on one of Heatherlea’s short breaks. We really enjoyed the holiday … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aviemore, birds, Birdwatching, Black Grouse, black-throated diver, blue hare, cairngorms, Coal Tit, Common Scoter, Crested Tit, crossbill, dipper, divers, findhorn, fulmar, glaucous gull, Goldcrest, golden eagle, goosander, goshawk, Grey Partridge, Guillemot, heatherlea, highlands, Hooded Crow, Kittiwake, long-tailed duck, loons, lossiemouth, Merlin, mountain hare, mountview hotel, nethy bridge, peregrine, pink-footed goose, ptarmigan, purple sandpiper, raptors, raven, Razorbill, Red Grouse, red kite, Red Squirrel, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-legged Partridge, red-throated diver, rock pipit, scotland, siskin, Slavonian Grebe, Snipe, snow bunting, speyside, Stonechat, Tree Sparrow, Waders, White-tailed Eagle, Whooper swan, yellowhammer | Leave a comment

Back in the Game…

Posted on June 4, 2018

The relative failure of last year’s home birding meant I was pretty upset that I’d only managed to get 163 species onto my UK yearlist. My target every year is to at least beat my worst ever total – that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #my200birdyear, Amwell, avocet, birds, Birdwatching, bittern, box hill, Bramfield, Brent Goose, Bullfinch, connaught water, Dartford Warbler, Dunlin, eagle pond, epping forest, Essex, fairlop, Goldcrest, goldeneye, goosander, green sandpiper, Grey Partridge, Hertfordshire, horned lark, jack snipe, lesser redpoll, little bunting, Little Egret, Little Owl, london, London Wetland Centre, marsh tit, newlands corner, ornithology, peregrine, photography, Rainham Marshes, regents park, Sanderling, serin, shoeburyness, Shorelark, Smew, snaresbrook, staines reservoir, Stonechat, Surrey, thursley common, Turnstone, two tree island, Walthamstow, Walthamstow Reservoirs, walthamstow wetlands, water rail, woking | Leave a comment

The Missing Year

Posted on May 19, 2018

I didn’t update my blog at all in 2017, and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, during the first half of the year I was just a bit lazy. I fully intended to update my blog as normal, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aquatic warbler, arctic warbler, Barn Owl, barred warbler, bee-eater, biaowieza, biebrza, bison, bittern, Black-necked Grebe, black-winged stilt, bluethroat, brambling, Bullfinch, buzzard, Caspian Gull, citrine wagtail, Cley, collared flycatcher, common sandpiper, corncrake, crossbill, cuckoo, Curlew, curlew sandpiper, Dartford Warbler, dipper, elmley marshes, firecrest, forest of dean, Goldcrest, goosander, goshawk, great grey shrike, Great White Egret, green sandpiper, Greenshank, grey-headed woodpecker, hawfinch, Hobby, jack snipe, Kingfisher, lesser spotted eagle, Little Egret, Little Owl, Little Stint, mandarin, marsh warbler, montagu's harrier, naturetrek, Norfolk, Penduline Tit, peregrine, photography, poland, Pygmy Owl, red-backed shrike, red-breasted flycatcher, red-necked grebe, red-necked phalarope, Redshank, Ring Ouzel, river warbler, rosefinch, ruff, sheppey, short-eared owl, spotted eagle, spotted flycatcher, Spotted Redshank, Stiffkey, Stonechat, tawny owl, temminck's stint, three-toed woodpecker, thrush nightingale, Titchwell, Walthamstow Reservoirs, walthamstow wetlands, whimbrel, whinchat, whiskered tern, white stork, white-backed woodpecker, White-tailed Eagle, white-winged tern, Wryneck, Yellow Wagtail, yellow-browed warbler, yellowhammer | Leave a comment

Review of the Year – 2016

Posted on January 9, 2017

January The year began well, with days out at Rainham for Marsh Harriers and Short-eared Owls, Thursley Common for Great Grey Shrike and Dartford Warbler (and a surprise Red Kite floating past Dev’s flat in Woking), Strumpshaw Fen for Marsh … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aberystwyth, alpine chough, aragon, ashdown forest, Barn Owl, beachy head, bearded tit, birds, Black Kite, Black Redstart, blue rock thrush, booted eagle, Bramfield, buzzard, Caspian Gull, ceredigion, chough, citril finch, common sandpiper, corn bunting, crested lark, Crested Tit, crossbill, crowned mantis, Curlew, curlew sandpiper, Dunlin, eagle owl, eastbourne, egyptian vulture, Fieldfare, Glossy Ibis, goosander, Grasshopper Warbler, green sandpiper, Griffon Vulture, hawfinch, Hen Harrier, hen harrier day, Hobby, honey buzzard, hoopoe, Ibex, jack snipe, lammergeier, lesser whitethroat, Little Owl, london, marmot, Marsh Harrier, marsh tit, mid-wales birdwatching, naturetrek, Norfolk, nuthatch, owls, peregrine, photography, Pied Flycatcher, purple heron, purple sandpiper, pyrenean chamois, pyrenees, rainham, raven, red kite, Red-legged Partridge, red-throated diver, redstart, Redwing, Reed Warbler, rock bunting, rock thrush, rosefinch, RSPB, ruislip lido, russia dock, rye harbour, Rye Meads, Sanderling, Scaup, scops owl, short-eared owl, snettisham, Spain, Sparrowhawk, spotted flycatcher, staines moor, Stonechat, strumpshaw fen, thekla lark, Treecreeper, twite, Waders, wales, Wallasea Island, wallcreeper, Walthamstow, Walthamstow Marshes, Walthamstow Reservoirs, wells-next-the-sea, western cattle egret, western orphean warbler, western subalpine warbler, Wheatear, whinchat, whitethroat, wicken fen, yellow-browed warbler, yellowhammer, ynys-hir | Leave a comment