Ethiopia, part one.

We have just come back from 2 weeks in Ethiopia and it's quite a job going through over 2,000 photos. Ethiopia was brilliant for birds of prey so I have done some of them first along with Bustards and Hornbills. We had a great time and although parts were really quite rough, especially the nearer you got to the Somali border, It was not as bad as we expected.

Halloween Invaders.

I believe this is a Harlequin Ladybird, which is an invasive species in the UK. They are called Halloween Ladybugs in some parts (I guess because they are most numerous around now).
As it is Halloween, I thought I would post them today. John

A Quiet Week-End.

Didn't get to see much over the weekend, like most of the birders in Cornwall we did try for the Scarlet Tanager on Friday but didn't see it and I was working on Sunday. The Black Redstart was taken at Kynance Cove on Saturday.

Not sure what's going on here. A lot of the trees at Croft Pascoe were covered in flies and they were occasionally joined by Butterflies. Are they feeding on sap? It was surprising how many Dragonflies we saw out and some even mating. Think the Caterpillar is a Pale Tussock.

Glossy Ibis

I finally managed some shots of the Glossy Ibis on Saturday. Whenever I've been to Stithians for it previously it has kept its distance.

Clouded Yellow

We don't usually post only one picture but it has been a quiet week for us, birding wise.

This Clouded Yellow is the highlight of the week. I took it while working at Penzance. John

Weekend Birding.

We did see a few birds over the week-end. Thanks go to Daniel Eva for pointing out the Wryneck at Kynance. The Pied Flycatcher was taken at Nanquidno Valley on Friday while looking for the elusive Hawfinch.

There are a lot of Juvenile Buzzards around at the moment, all in different plumages .

The Wonders of Stithians.

I managed to fit in a bit of birdwatching while doing some voluntary work at Stithians NR.

Lesser Yellow-Legs

Have not done a lot of birding this week but did get down to the very obliging Lesser Yellow-Legs at St. Clements this afternoon. Although mobile it came in quite close, the different angles making the water appear grey in some shots and blue or green in others. Earlier this week we also saw our only Painted Lady Butterfly for the year.

Painted Lady Butterfly looking very fresh so late in the season.