Arsenal win,Canal festival and finally 2 Goldeneye

Well been off the radar a bit but had a busy weekend birding ,working till 2pm on Sat
then dashing to Holloway road to see the Gooners on the big screen win a cup after
9 YEARS of near misses.

Then on Sunday the canal festival provided  some birds in the midday sun as we
walked the causeway between Bury and Stockers GP.

Egyptian geese with young and Cetti's warbler calling obliged and so to early
Monday morning arrived, when I finally saw the two remaining Goldeneye juvs with
the scatty female that can't cope with them.

Barne Elms fishery

Well it was a days trout fishing in the Thames valley near Pangbourne it only took an hour to get
there just of the M4 . This farm with its spring fed lakes was a veritable oasis.

The boys sat waiting for the off after munching their bacon rolls supplied by the
lovely Rosemary.

All  around us blackcaps were singing ,blue tits were feeding young in a nest box,
I  was soon in to fish a nice couple of Rainbows came quick and fast.

Over head and at rest a Red Kite showed well as did a pair of Common Buzzards on the
lake a Mute Swan with young and Canada geese with young fought over territory.

This lovely day came to an end as we joined the traffic on the M4 just a mile away
from this paradise.

Key West Florida

Well  it was more bars than birds and some fishing with my brother in law.

First a bit of culture a view of Key West church one evening.

A visit to a local nature reserve provided some goodbirds with my wife I don't believe it?

Some good warblers including black and white warbler.

Also Turkey vultures overhead and iguanas at our feet.

Well fishing produced a sand shark,grouper,mackerel etc and loads of comorants and
ospreys.

Finally sunset on the Keys produced American Skimmers what a bird.

Bonaire

Well Bonaire is pretty much like Aruba another Dutch Antilles island,but there is
always something for the birder even when on a tour.

1,000 steps down to a gin clear sea a divers paradise,but I was looking for exotic
birds when am I not.

Finally Yellow shouldered parrot obliged,along with other exotics as we moved
through the scrub land.

In the distance American Flamingos and waders and on the way to port a Saffron finch.

Bonaire and Aruba

Both desert like islands with cactus and xerophytic  scrub holding exotic species.

On Aruba the cacti was in abundance as we toured the island,looking for some
specialites.

Bubali nature reserve holds a variety of species and is not far from the port.

The brown throated parakeet is of the genus Aratinga and showed well from the
Tower hide.Some duck were present on this visit of note Blue winged teal and
Bahama Pintail.

Finally before leaving I saw and photographed a Yellow billed Cuckoo another
lifer American migrant.

The West Indies and Florida Keys

Sorry been of the radar for a while busy on the golf course,so here are some reflections from
March and April.

Grenada well a trip to the beach produced a dove in Grenada but not a Grenada dove.

Prior to Grenada we landed at Princess Keys, part of the Bahamas where I managed to
see Bahama Mockingbird a lifer on a desert island.

The beach here was deserted a few Bananaquits and vagrant warblers in the Tamarisks.

Next up Dominica this lush island was one of my favourites.