I’ve not been in the Deep South at all this trip, but I have been in the South until I crossed into Kentucky today. And it really is South too. If you head due East from Washington DC you hit Spain; and Charleston, the furthest South I will go on this trip, is on the…
Author: Mark
Born Bristol, UK
Educated: Cleeve House School Bristol, Bristol Grammar School and Downing College Cambridge
Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, Winter activity of pipistrelle bats.
NERC post-doctoral Research Fellow, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford University
Former Conservation Director of the RSPB, 1989-2011
I got a bear!
And bears trump everything else – except wolves. But it’s been a great day even without the bear (and there was a bear!). I was back on Route 178 heading northwest at 0640 – which made me feel good. 178 and I had spent some good time together yesterday evening and now I left Batesburg/Leesville…
Americans having sex – what a laugh!
2 May It’s late spring here in east Northants. It’s over a month since I saw my first sand martins, chiffchaffs, blackcaps and willow warblers. I’ve seen, locally, a good list of spring-bringers – those mentioned already and garden warbler, sedge warbler, reed warbler, grasshopper warbler, whitethroat, lesser whitethroat, cuckoo, nightingale, yellow wagtail, swallow, house…
Southern belles
The females of the deep South have a reputation for beauty, charm and politeness. I’ve now encountered a few. The waitress at the Dunes restaurant at breakfast today called me ‘Honey’ as I ate my eggs (medium, sunny side up)), grits (my first time – I was until today a grits-virgin) and hot cakes ((just another name…
On the road
Actually, I did go back to Rock Creek Park this morning, but to a new bit with some different people. Greg Butcher, the Conservation Director of National Audubon was kind enough to take me birding and on a stroll through the park next to Rock Creek itself. We added to the warbler list with Tennessee…
Rock Creek Park 2
Yesterday was great, and today was even better. Better in several senses – I was less jet-lagged, we had some good birds and we had some great views of a stunning Magnolia Warbler. The Rock Creek Park Crowd were regathering together in this green, wooded area within Washington DC soon after 615am. Warbler species added…
Confusing spring warblers
My old copy of the Peterson field guide has a couple of plates of confusing fall warblers. And they do look confusing. But this morning I got confused too – in the famous Rock Creek Park. I joined a group of birders and we were looking for migrating warblers high up in the trees. My guide was…
The same and different
You never imagine your holidays in the rain do you? But when I woke up at 4am local time it was raining hard. Still a Northern Mockingbird sang outside – I didn’t feel mocked at all. As well as the birds being different – or some of them anyway – we’ll come back to that…
A cure for jet lag?
I spent yesterday evening with a bunch of nature conservationists in Washington Zoo. And then we sat outside in the warm evening air, had a beer or two and talked about nature conservation and about birds. Not so different from Home really. In fact the topics were very similar – do we do nature conservation…
Around the States in 40 days
Comments Off on Around the States in 40 days
I got here and the first bird I saw was … a starling. Yep a small flock feeding on some grass in central Washington. But I am glad to see there is still a Northern Mockingbird in the street outside the Tabard Inn where I am staying.