gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

Kara (right) lands a blow on her opponent. She continues to practice Taekwondo most nights of the week. Photo by Janis Dreosti.

Top in her age/weight class. At a recent competition in London she was awarded a gold medal. Photo by Janis Dreosti.

The 23rd of April started sunny and keen to get fit for my upcoming African trip, thought I would go for hike along the coast path. To avoid the excessive charge in the village, I parked in the quarry above Kimmeridge and walked down to the beach. Note the Isle of Portland on the horizon.

It had become quite cloudy when I reached Kimmeridge Bay. This is one of Britain’s first marine reserves and protects a wonderful selection of inter-tidal species.

The coast path to the west of Kimmeridge was closed as it crosses the Lulworth Ranges as the army was on exercises, so I headed eastwards.

Just east of Kimmeridge is Clavell Tower. This folly, built in 1830, was in severe risk of falling into the sea due to cliff erosion and in 2006 was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt slightly inland. It has been renovated so that two people can stay there and thanks to this work will remain an important landmark on the Jurassic Coast well into the future.

Unfortunately the recent wet weather has had a devastating effect on the Jurassic Coast with numerous cliff collapses and landslides. The path was closed just east of Clavell Tower so I had no alternative but to retrace my steps and abandon the coastal walk. I headed home via Corfe Castle, which I seldom see from this angle.

Anita and John have been living in a flat in Upton for eight months now, but it takes Anita almost an hour to get to and from her job in Bournemouth. They have now found a flat in the centre of Bournemouth which is only minutes away from work. On the 24th I helped John and his friend Ian move their gear out of the Upton flat.

In the evening Margaret and I went over to help them settle in.

The flat overlooks the pedestrianised Old Christchurch Road. Its pretty quiet now but I told them that it will be a bit different at 11 pm on an August evening!

It might have been quiet but there were still some strange characters about. Here Margaret and Anita meet Snow White and the Four Dwarves in the road just outside the flat.

Kara arrived after Taekwondo and demonstrated the speed of her moves.

Amber birthday is in June, but as most of her friends will be involved in exams then, she opted to have a 16th birthday party at half-term break and had a camping and BBQ event at a nearby camp site. John opted to stay overnight for adult supervision and Margaret and I popped in to help. However the weather wasn’t too good, but eventually the tents got erected and the food cooked.

The cool and wet conditions didn’t stop Amber (L), Matt and Kara going swimming.

Lee seemed less inclined to go for a swim, but the others made sure that he did!

Eventually the food was ready and the kids settled in for a cool and rather damp evening. L-R Lillie, Kara, Amber, Matt and Lee. Charlie and Emily are out of shot.

Kara and her zebraesque friend Lilly.

The next morning fortunately was much drier and I returned to help them take down, but (with a few notable exceptions) organising teenagers to put things away is a bit like nailing custard to the ceiling.

The lovely atrium of the British Museum, usually just referred to as the BM.

Other treasures from the BM: enormous Assyrian statues.

The actual mummy of Queen Cleopatra

Another exhibit from the extensive Egyptology section.

A wonderful Anglo-Saxon helmet from the Sutton Hoo treasure.

A beautiful Grecian vase

Part of the famous and controversial Elgin Marbles. Originally on the Parthenon in Athens, should they be returned to Greece?

All but one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the Great Pyramids) has been destroyed but these enormous statues from the Tomb of King Mausolus (the original mausoleum) remain.

A beautiful bronze age shield.

A gorgeous Bronze Age gold cape found in Wales.

The Rosetta Stone, one of the most famous archaeological finds of all time. Dating from Egypt 196 BC the stone has the inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, ancient Greek and Demotic Egyptian script and allowed hieroglyphs to be deciphered for the first time.

Our weekend in London started with a visit to Portobello Road market.

Portobello Road was absolutely packed with tourists and progress was very slow.

Brightly coloured buildings are typical of this attractive part of London.

Attractive arcades full of interesting stalls.

…. all to the sound of steel drums.

Our main reason for going to London was to see the rock band Muse at the Emirates Stadium. Muse are a relatively modern band (been around for less than twenty years!) and their complex style which includes a mix of electronic music and heavy rock with classical influences reminds me of the progressive rock I loved as a youth. Unfortunately our seats were in the ‘gods’ at the highest point of the stadium and Margaret got an attack of vertigo, however the stewards got us seats lower down on the extreme left of this photo, which was actually closer to the stage.

In a huge football stadium the band members look tiny (the guitarist in real life can just be seen below and right of his screen image), but images projected on giant screens allow a good view of drummer Dominic Howard and guitarist and vocalist Matthew Bellamy. The huge back drop was used for some fantastic visual effects.

These jets of flame were so powerful that the heat from them could be felt on the other side of the stadium,

As darkness fell it was time to dim the lights and for the audience to wave their mobiles around.

With it now fully dark, the lighting effects could really get going.

Bizarrely a giant robot appeared on stage ….

…. but my favourite moment was during the song ‘my guiding light’ when this enormous light bulb floated around the stadium, then an acrobat dropped out of the screw thread and performed above the crowd. A great show, great music and a great day out.

We had a number of attempts to ring migrants at the back of PC World early in the week but none have been very successful. Most migrants seem to have have passed through now. The retail park is always covered in litter in the early morning. Why McDonald’s customers are incapable of using the many litter bins is beyond me.

We also went to see the new Star Trek film. Certainly an amazing spectacle in 3D. I have long been a bit of a trekkie, and am glad that these recent prequel films have managed to keep the franchise going. Its remarkable that the concept has run for nearly 50 years.

I have failed to see Puffins at Portland this year so on the 16th I walked down from Langton Matravers to Dancing Ledge. A few pairs breed on the nearby cliffs and I have seen as many as 18 birds here in the past. I found one on the water and an RSPB boat trip to the cliffs a few days later found only two. Whether this decline has anything to do with the recent spills of PIB in the Channel is open to conjecture. Note the school party on a rock climbing course.

A Puffin on the water, a similar view to that which I obtained off dancing Ledge. Photo from the Internet.

On the 17th I made a return visit to Mordon Bog, this was more successful than on previous trips with Redstart, Siskin, Crossbill, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodlark and Tree Pipit all seen and plenty of other birds heard.

For some reason gorse bushes look particularly vivid this year,

Threatening clouds looked they would curtail the birding but the rain never amounted to much.

Margaret spent much of Saturday 18th rehearsing for the choir’s performance that evening, so I went up to Martin Down in the hope of seeing some Turtle Doves. I took the back route via Cranbourne and passed through these lovely bluebell woods.

Martin Down, just over the border in Hampshire is an fragment of the chalk grassland that once covered the whole area and is a haven for many invertebrates and grassland flora. Nightingales and Turtle Doves were once common but the former no longer occur and the latter hasn’t been seen there yet this year.

The lovely Orange Tip butterfly was some consolation …..

… as was this gorgeous display of cowslips.

The Barclays House Choir’s spring concert at St Peter’s Church, Ashley Cross. Margaret is just to the left of conductor James Eaton.

Soloists Pablo Strong and Ashley Duplechein gave a wonderful performance. It was a most eclectic mix of music , ranging from favourite operatic standards like March of the Toreador’s from Carmen, and the Anvil Chorus from Il Travatore to music from films and TV programs including pieces from Dr Who (hence the Dalek on the pulpit) and from Finding Nemo (hence the orange fish).

I keep getting in trouble with Amber for posting supposedly unflattering pictures of her on my blog, but she can’t complain of this nice pic of her and Auntie Anita in the pub afterwards.

Mandarin Duck male: A small population of this introduced duck breeds in the New Forest. A beautiful bird, but scant compensation for missing a  Dusky Thrush.

For anyone who wonders what the bird looked like, here is a photo from the internet by Steve Ashton. http://steveashtonwildlifephotography.blogspot.co.uk
If only news had broken earlier, if only I had checked the bird news earlier, if only it hadn’t been the day of the concert, if only it had stayed until Sunday, if only I’d stop whinging and accept that dipping is a normal part of birding!!

On the evening of the 22nd we climbed up the chalk ridge that runs between Corfe Castle and Old Harry as a Nightingale had been heard there recently. The view was spectacular, although in the fading light you can see little of the landscape in the photo. The Nightingale sang well, but as always, was invisible. Later we drove around Hartland Moor where we heard one Nightjar and saw another.

The team birding at Neot Samadar: L-R: Paul Aubrey, Roger Walsh, Rachael Eele, Paul Eele, Gary Elton, Bob Gifford, Mike Gould, Dave Taylor, Terry Elborne & some bloke from Poole. Shaun Robson took the photo and Ray and Katie Knock were back at Lotan.

Most of the mist nets were erected in the organic garden. A few were also put near to the (empty) swimming pool.

A Hoopoe: just as wonderful to see in the hand as it is in the field.

Although only the nominate race occurs in the WP the sub-Saharan race ‘senegalensis’ can be identified by having more white in the secondaries. The southern African form, ‘africana’, usually treated as a full species, has much more white in the secondaries but has wholly black primaries.

Learning how to age a Hoopoe from the shape of the white areas on the tail.

There is some variation in the colour of a Red-throated Pipit’s throat but it isn’t clear if this is age or sex related.

Wrynecks constantly live up to their name by twisting their necks in a strange snake-like manner. This is thought to have evolved as a threat mechanism to predators. Photo by Terry Elborne

This female Masked Shrike was a firm favourite.

In the hand you appreciate what a huge bird Great Reed Warbler really is.

Since I started birding Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin has changed its vernacular name more often than Italy has changed governments. Also in that time there hasn’t been a twitchable one in the UK which is strange as they long-distance migrants and aren’t that rare in their Mediterranean and western Asian breeding grounds.

Thrush Nightingale (R) is very similar to the eastern race ‘golzii’ of Common Nightingale (L), especially from behind. Common Nightingales we see in western Europe are much more rufous. There are differences in the colour and length of the tail and the streaking/blotching of the breast but the length of the first primary (> primary coverts in Common, < in Thrush) is diagnostic, but obviously isn’t easy to see in the field.

A Common Quail that managed to escape being trapped for food on its long journey from Africa.

Stunning !

A Wood Warbler on route to some east European ancient woodland.

This tiny male Namaqua Dove was a real surprise.

Our last full day was the Sabbath and with the kids of school many came down to find out what we were up to.

On our final evening we drove down to Eilat ringing station (at the Birdwatching Centre) where they were ringing Barn and Red-rumped Swallows at roost. Bob looks pretty pleased to be ringing a Red-rumped Swallow.

On our final morning we did a little ringing before packing up and heading back to Eilat. We were just outside the town refuelling the hire cars when Gary got a phone call to say they had just trapped a White-throated Robin at the Birdwatching Centre. We quickly detoured just in time to see this mega in the hand. I have seen this species before in Turkey and Armenia but it was a tick for most of the crew.

And they then produced a second surprise, this fantastic male Levant Sparrowhawk. A very local breeder across Turkey and western Asia, Levants are hardly ever seen in winter in Africa and pass through Israel in late April when most visiting birders have left. We were lucky to see one of the vanguard at the very last moment of our trip. Photo by TE

Seen from the western Rift Valley escarpment Kibbutz Lotan stands out as a green oasis in the desert. The settlement close to the furthest mountains is in Jordan. Photo by Terry Elborne.

The accommodation at Kibbutz Lotan

At nearby Yotvata we saw this pair of Caspian Plovers on route from the savannas of East Africa to the breeding grounds in Central Asia. This is a male.

The rather dowdier female.

Black Bush Robin, a bird that I have seen before in Africa but not in the Western Palearctic. On my previous visits it was a very uncommon visitor to Israel, but now they are annual in small numbers in spring and may even have bred.

Margaret and I searched for a very elusive individual at Km 19 without success so I was very pleased to get such good views of these birds and voted it my ‘bird of the trip’.

Afternoon at Yotvata sewage works. Early in the week, southerly winds produced dust storms that obscured the sun and depressed migration. A switch to northerlies and clearer skies mid-week was most welcome.

The general feeling was that there were much fewer migrant passerines around this spring than normal. Rain in Sudan, providing an alternative refueling stop and unregulated bird trapping for food in Sinai were suggested as reasons. Even so if we came across such ‘low’ numbers of Blackcaps back home as we experienced that week, we would declare it a major fall!

It wasn’t too hard to find ‘ringtail’ harriers migrating against the dramatic back drop of Jordan’s Rift Escarpment, it was identifying them as Pallid or Montague’s that was the problem.

This Tawny Pipit was found in an open desert area at Km 76. The surrounding vegetation is the result of the heavy winter rains, most years this would be completely barren. Photo by Terry Elborne

One of the first birds we saw at Lotan was this superb male Semi-collared Flycatcher. Photo by Terry Elborne.

Here for comparison is the superb Collared Flycatcher, one of Europe’s most attractive breeding birds. Not all as easy to identify as this adult male! Identification of the ‘black-and-white’ flycatchers in female or first year plumage is complex and resulted in lengthy discussions.Photo by Terry Elborne.

A few Palestinian Sunbirds were seen around the kibbutz gardens. Photo by Terry Elborne

A pair of Pale Crag Martins were often seen over our nets but avoided all attempts to trap them. Photo by Terry Elborne

Flocks of migrant Ortolan Buntings were seen in desert areas. Photo by Terry Elborne

At the Km 20 salt pans loads of cute Kentish Plover chicks were running about. See earlier posts for pics of the adults. Photo by Terry Elborne

This Broad-billed Sandpiper was an excellent find at Km 20. Oman and the Gulf is the nearest wintering area for this species and they seldom pass through Israel on their way north. Photo by Terry Elborne

This Red-necked Phalarope would have spent the winter at sea in the Indian Ocean before heading overland to its breeding grounds on the Russian tundra. Photographed (along with a Slender-billed Gull) by Terry Elborne at Km 20.

Marsh Sandpiper, one of the most attractive of the ‘tringa’ Sandpipers. Photo by Terry Elborne.

From mid-week onwards, migrants flocks of raptors and storks would appear over the kibbutz from 1000 – 1200. These are White Storks but we also had good numbers of Black Storks, Buzzards and Black Kites with a few Ospreys, Short-toed, Booted, Lesser Spotted and Steppe Eagles.

Green Bee-eaters were a common site around the Kibbutz. Photo by Terry Elborne

Squacco Herons were seen on most bodies of water however small. Photo by Terry Elborne.

Birding at Km 33. L- R: Rachael Eele, Paul Eele, Bob Gifford, me, Roger Walsh, Mike Gould, Shaun Robson, Dave Taylor. Photo by Terry Elborne.

Early morning fog was not what we wanted at Durlston, but it was very atmospheric.

Walking along the shore of Wareham Channel ……

.. and then we had to find away through this very wet marsh. No sign of the Savi’s but we did see an Osprey and a Marsh Harrier and several groups of Whimbrel.

At the weekend Margaret and I had a wander around Mordon Bog in Wareham Forest. There weren’t birds around but Cuckoo and Tree Pipit were highlights.

Margaret at Mordon Bog

On Bank Holiday Monday, the girls wanted to go to the beach at Sandbanks. This was the same day I was fog bound at Durlston. The fog seemed to have cleared on my way back but once be drove down to Sandbanks we found I was wrong.

Although the sun almost broke through, it remained quite cool. A shame as most of the country had the hottest day of the year. Amber, Janis and Margaret at Sandbanks.

Kara playing ‘catch’

A number of straps secured between posts provided great fun for the girls.

Amber struggles to stay on ….

Evan John got in on the act but I couldn’t stay on long enough for any photos to be taken!

I made a couple of visits to Portland in search of seabirds. The most successful was today (9th). Although very strong winds were forecast they didn’t materialise until the afternoon, after I had gone home, but I did see a Pomarine and Great Skuas, lots of Arctic Terns and a few Manx Shearwaters.

I wasn’t the only birder seeking seabirds at the Bill

All attempts to photograph seabirds failed except for this Cormorant taking off close to the Bill. Interestingly the shape of the greenish gular patch is diagnostic of the Atlantic nominate race, which is exactly what you would expect.

This resident Graceful Prinia was a retrap, ie had been ringed at this site previously.

The eastern and western forms of Orphean Warblers are now treated as separate species. In Eastern Orphean Warbler voice, genetics and the marked undertail coverts are the diagnostic features.

Thrush Nightingale (aka Sprosser) is a regular migrant in April. Although darker and greyer than the Common Nightingales we see in western Europe, it is not so different to the eastern races of Common Nightingale, so care is need in the field and in the hand. Fortunately the length of the first primary and the emargination of the 4th primary is diagnostic.

The best bird of the day was this Hawfinch. An uncommon bird in the UK it usually remains in the tree tops and is seldom ringed as an adult. The huge bill can crush cherry seeds and could certainly do serious damage to my fingers, hence I took a ‘head only’ shot.

Later we visited the nearby Israel Museum and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, which is housed in this building, designed to look like the storage jar that the scrolls were discovered in.

Photography is banned inside the exhibit, so this photo is taken from the internet. Discovered in 1947 the Scrolls date from 2nd century AD and are one of the most important archaeological finds ever, preceding the oldest original biblical documents by almost a thousand years.

We only had a couple of hours to look around the rest of this very extensive museum. We chose to only look at the archaeology section, which was absolutely superb. Even so we only skimmed the surface. If we ever go back to Jerusalem than a longer visit to the museum will be high on the agenda.

In the outdoor section of the museum is a scale model of Jerusalem at the Second Temple period, ie the time of King Herod or of Christ. To the right is the Valley of Kidron. The model is dominated by the Temple, sitting on the site that is occupied by the Dome of the Rock today. Inside the Temple is the Holy of Holies. The Western Wall, as it is known today, is the nearest part of the left hand wall of the Temple Mount.

Margaret admires an outdoor sculpture at the museum.

The view from the Mount of Olives over Palestine showing the ‘separation barrier’ that divides the Israeli Arab area around the Mount from their kin in Palestine.

The chapel at the Shepherd’s Fields – the tradition site for the visitation of the shepherd’s by the ‘multitude of heavenly hosts’

The entrance to the Milk Grotto

The ornate interior of the Grotto

A sudden heavy shower had us running to the Church of the Nativity for shelter.

The Church of the Nativity, said to be established in 326 AD by Helena, the mother of Roman emperor Constantine. It was later destroyed but was rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century.

Part of the original floor mosaic of the 4th century church.

Pilgrims kneel to kiss the very spot where they believe that Jesus was born.

Perhaps the low point of the day was passing through the ‘separation barrier’. Erected between 2000 – 2006 to separate Israeli and Palestinian areas, it has divided communities in two and has effectively imprisoned Palestinians within a stockade. Whilst understanding the Israeli’s need for security, it seems regrettable that 20 years after the Berlin Wall came down that this sort of structure should be necessary anywhere in the world.

We were dropped on the far side of the Old City of Jerusalem and so made our way through the winding streets and along the famous Via Dolorosa to the Lion Gate. It was Friday afternoon and the Arab quarter was eerily quiet as they departed for Friday prayers, meanwhile Jews headed off for the Sabbath, whilst Christian organisations could be seen leading groups …

.. or dodging their way past crowds at the many retail outlets.

As we reached the Lion’s Gate we found masses of troops and police preparing to confront Muslims leaving the Al Aqsa Mosque. We heard shouting ahead and wondered if we should proceed, fortunately it was only boys selling food from carts to the emerging crowds.

The long slog up to the Mount of Olives.

Not many birds today, this Hooded Crow was all I got to photograph.

There are a number of conflicting claims to the spot where Christ is said to have ascended to heaven. This small Mosque of the Ascension (Islam treats Jesus as a prophet of God) was next door to our hotel and has been in Muslim possession since the 12th century. The nearby Russian Church of the Ascension marks an alternative claim, but was closed that day.

Today we saw locations commemorating the very start and very end of Jesus’ life. This stone marks the point where he was said to have ascended to heaven.

The view eastwards from the Mount of Olives, overlooking Palestine. The Dead Sea is just visible in the haze and the Jordanian side of the Rift escarpment is visible in the distance.

The Garden of Gethsemane, where according to tradition, Jesus was arrested prior to execution. Some of the these olive trees have been proven to be over two thousand years old so would have been witness to the events.

The Church of all Nations in the foreground is adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane with the Russian Orthodox Church behind. You can see what a hard slog we had each day to get back to the Mount of Olives.

The domes of the Russian Orthodox Church

Another ‘gosh’ moment from Margaret

A Greek Orthodox Church marks the claimed site of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary.

The view westwards from the Mount of Olives. The Dome of the Rock dominates the view, the Old City walls can be seen in the lower part of the picture. The weather on April 4th and 5th was cold, grey and windy.

I got up pre-breakfast and searched nearby gardens in the hope that some migrants would have been grounded but conditions were too bad for birding, however this Lesser Spotted Eagle was photographed later on our way down to the Old City and a flock of 500 White Storks was seen later in the day. The coverts are a little paler than the remiges and there is a just discernible pale double comma at the carpal, conclusive ID features.

The current Old City walls date from the Ottoman era, in the foreground is the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, and excavation of buildings from the time of King Herod.

As we entered the Old City we got caught up in the numerous Bar Mitzvahs that were being conducted that day.

After an extensive security check we entered the plaza adjacent to the Western Wall. Jews do not enter the Temple Mount, the location of the First Temple built by Solomon and the Second Temple rebuilt in 515 BC, in case they step on, the now unknown, location of the Holy of Holies, but the nearby Western Wall is a site of pilgrimage and is considered the most holy accessible Jewish site. We could not enter any closer because of the bar mitzvahs in progress.

Orthodox Jews

From the Western Wall it is only a few steps to the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock where Muslims believe Mohammed ascended to heaven and many believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son. It is considered by some to be the centre of the Earth and where Adam, Cain, Abel and Noah made ritual sacrifices.

Although I entered the Dome of the Rock on my visits in 1982 and 1986, we were not allowed in today.

I am always impressed by the intricacy and beauty of Islamic architecture.

Another view of the Mount of Olives, this time from the Temple Mount. To the right of the Russian Orthodox Church can be seen one of the many huge Jewish Cemeteries that cover the western slope of the Mount. The belief that the dead will be redeemed on the Mount at the Day of Judgement has meant that many are buried here, hoping to get a good place in the queue.

Our journey through the Old City was by way of narrow and often covered streets.

Small shops and stalls flank the narrow passages

Cauliflower is unpleasant enough in its natural state without dying it yellow or purple!

Having visited sites holy to Judaism and Islam it was the Christian faiths turn. This is the entrance to the  Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

This is believed by many to be the actual site of Christ’s crucifixion.

Pilgrims touch the slab on which they believe Christ’s body was lain.

Pilgrims queued and sang praises as they waited to enter the Holy Sepulchre itself, the claimed site of Christ’s burial and resurrection.

The actual site upon which Jesus is said to have been interred.

Millennia of worship by so many branches of the Christian faith has led to some superb decoration of this most holy of sites.

Back in the warren of streets, you are constantly asked to view goods and haggle over the price, especially in the Arab quarter. This is something that many tourists love but I am rather uncomfortable with.

A couple of days touring Jerusalem left me pretty knackered.