Madrid

I had a problem. UK Air traffic control was having a melt-down, and it was not certain if my flight home to London would run. Fine fine, spend another night in France or Switzerland, no? Well yes, that's what a normal person would do but my travel plans are generally more complicated than they need to be. In this case I was due to fly to Bogota from Madrid the following evening, a trip to visit a Colombian friend who was spending some time back home after a long period in London. So I might have been able to get back to Heathrow, but would that have allowed me to catch my afternoon flight to Madrid to connect with the long haul flight? With flights being cancelled in their hundreds and no end to the chaos, would that flight even leave London? I couldn't risk it, I had to be in Madrid, and this was all on separate tickets which meant that if I missed it I was on my own and wouldn't just be put on the next one. Plus I had a day of birding planned as soon as I arrived which I did not want to miss. So in the taxi on the way to Geneva I cancelled the following day's London to Madrid flight and replaced it with one from Geneva to Madrid that was leaving imminently! This was free as it happened, the magic of airmiles and BA and Iberia being in the same alliance - the only bit of marginally good news that evening. Indeed my friends were still in Geneva airport in the small hours long after I'd arrived in Spain.

The big issue of course was that my bag for Colombia was waiting for me in London. In it were were packed lots of clean clothes for the tropics, but also more critically my birding camera and lens. Bugger. Then again I had my binoculars and my passport, all a travelling birder really needs, and I could buy some clothes in Madrid now that I had a full day there rather than a matter of hours. Not ideal, but not a complete show-stopper by any means, and I was glad I had made a snap decision and could now get on with things - it is the uncertainty that drives you mad in these situations. Of course had I planned it better I would have gone direct from Geneva to Madrid in the first place and taken everything I needed with me, but the trips were not planned in this order - Colombia was (by my standards) quite a last minute thing, squeezed between Chamonix on one end and a visit to see my Aunt in America on the other. 

I like Madrid, I come here quite a lot and know my way around quite well now. After dumping my bag at a cheap hotel that was coincidentally close to Colombia Metro I went out for the evening to a tapas place I know and had a fun time watching the city go by. Even on a Monday evening Madrid is buzzing, especially so in August. Whilst eating prawns and having a glass of wine I constructed myself a little itinerary for the following morning to take in some birding, some clothes shopping, and finally getting some US Dollars, which had also been in my bag in London ready to go and which I had forgotten about up until this point. With this plan formed I returned to Colombia and went to bed.

The next morning I was up early(ish) and had a happy three hours walking around Parque Enrique Tierno Galvan in the south of the city, chosen because there were a number of Spanish ticks available. Yes eBird does govern my every waking move, why do you ask? This was really very pleasant, it was a warm morning and whilst I only recorded 30 species five of them were new including Garden Warbler, Western Bonelli's Warbler, and Pied Flycatcher. These latter were everywhere, and I counted at least 28 as I walked a circular route around the Park, quite exceptional numbers. Some were incredibly showy as they fed up, where was my camera? Excellent, missing it already. I hoped this wouldn't also be the case in Colombia, but at least I would get there and that was the most important thing.

I had a relaxed open air lunch at a place near the park popular with office workers. This is one of the reasons (there are many more) why Europe is so much better than the UK. People take lunch seriously. At Canary Wharf it is exceptionally rare that I don't eat my lunch at my desk. In Spain I would leave my desk, roll up my sleeves and put on my hat, and go to a local restaurant for an hour and a half whilst soaking up some sunshine. Which of the two scenarios is better for the soul? Anyway, very pleasant indeed, the Europeans have it all worked out and we could learn a thing or two. After lunch, which included a nice cold beer, I went shopping at Uniqlo which is a cheap source of OK-ish light-weight clothing in my experience. Pants and socks formed the bulk of my purchases but I also picked up a couple of shirts that I could wear until I could do some washing in Bogota. I think I may have changed into one straight away. I replaced my dollars close by and then spent the rest of the afternoon being a tourist and doing things like having an icecream, some more early evening tapas, and another beer. I returned to the hotel quickly to pick up my case and repack, and then went to Barajas where I was able to have a shower and repack yet again. The flight left on time just after midnight and as I settled down in my seat a sense of complete calm and satisfaction came over me. When travelling lots of things inevitably go wrong but they are quite often surmountable with a bit of tweaking provided you don't hang around. In the event I worked out that I would have been able to manage the turnaround in London although it would have been a matter of hours at home rather than a full day, and the flight to Madrid by some miracle did in fact leave as scheduled despite the chaos. It even arrived early! Such is life I suppose, but I have no doubt that my decision was the correct one. In a few hours I would be birding the western slope of the Cordillera oriental in Cundinamarca, that was all that mattered at this juncture.

One of the murals at the Colombia Metro. Very apt indeed.

24 hours in Tokyo

It would have been far too simple to go straight home from Kuala Lumpur so instead we went via Tokyo. We flew overnight and after getting rid of our luggage were exploring the city mid-morning. Now obviously you need more that 24 hours in a city to do it any kind of justice, and that's probably even more true for Tokyo where you could happily spend a week, but a day was all we had and as a taster it was terrific. It is fair to say we managed to do quite a lot in the time available - a nice wander around Meiji Shrine, the ordered chaos of the Shibuya crossing, the dim alleys around Yurakucho, a look at the Seimon stone bridge at the Imperial Palace, a stroll around the Sensoji Shrine and the surrounding shopping streets, a quick swim at the hotel with Mt. Fuji in the distance as the sun set, then a sensational traditional Japanese meal involving a dozen miniature courses that were works of art, and finally concluding with drinks on the 52nd floor with a live jazz band and the twinkling lights of the city spread out around us.

So what follows is a mini photo-essay as we dashed rather manically around the city. At 7am the following morning we were at Haneda and on our way home. Exhausting but exhilarating, and it's a country that I will no doubt go back to. There is just something about far-east Asia, and Japan is uniquely different and incredibly interesting. Tokyo was but an introduction and we're already wondering how we can get back there.

 

Am I on Shetland?

There is a funny buzzing sound. There it is again. Ziiip. Wait, is that a Pipit? Quite stripey. Ziiip. Oh, there are two. Ziiip, ziiip. Actually, there are several. Lots in fact. All over the place, two more on that putting green, another there with that Wagtail. Ziiip. Oh, one over there in that tree. Gosh, they're not hiding very well are they? Can't be a rare Pipit if I can see it can it? Ziiip. Let's have a closer look. Hmmm, yes, quite creamy on the front, lots of stripes. And quite greeny on the back. Olivey some might say..... Ziiiiiiiip! 

Ooooh, and what's that "boing" sound? Small bird, warbler sized. Chu-wee! Well, err, oooh, that's got a bit of an eye stripe! Very bold in fact. Lovely some might say. And what's this over here. Small, very acti....."Tsooo-wee-eeet!" JESUS CHRIST WHERE AM I???!!!

So where was I? Actually I was a little confused myself, I had just stepped off a plane but I had thought I was going to Asia, not Shetland. But here I was near Lerwick seemingly - long flight, must have been diverted. Warmer than I recalled but still, global warming and all that. Oh and what's this bird over here? Dark glossy blue, cocked tail, whacking great wing bar and white underneath. Oriental Magpie Robin! I was in Hong Kong after all, there hadn't been the mother of all mistakes. But what are all these autumn rarities doing here? The place is literally crawling with Olive-backed Pipits, Pallas's Warblers and Yellow-browed Warblers. 

Well, this is the beauty of migration. When UK birders step out of their cars into gale-force winds at Spurn, or sway onto the pier at Lerwick in early October, this is what they're all after. Asian birds. Hong Kong is twelve hours and six thousand miles away, the rarities we all chase have taken one hell of a wrong turn. They should be headed to the warmth of Southern China, to south-east Asia and to India. Instead they're jumping around a hawthorn bush close to the meridian.

I retired to my sister's house overlooking Discovery Bay on Lantau Island, and gratefully received a large gin and tonic. Can't be too careful, got to keep the quinine levels high. I was where these birds were supposed to be. OBPs and YBWs are common winter visitors here, and it was absolutely delightful to be wandering around South Asia with them all around me. 

Crawling with megas

Screams Asia

The next morning I woke up early and wandered the golf course until I got kicked off it - I was apparently endangering myself. Before that happened I saw Dusky Warblers, Long-tailed Shrikes to die for, Daurian Redstarts to also die for, and a ton of other birds including various wintering thrushes as well as some of the common residents like Violet Whistling Thrush. VWT is as cool as it sounds. I kicked myself for not having brought a proper birding lens whilst nonetheless enjoying myself very much without one. This was not a birding trip in any way, though I had allowed myself my bins, but here are a couple of feeble efforts with the meagre focal length that I had with me.

Male Daurian Redstart. Like.

Female of above, on my sister's garden fence. If she had an interest in birds her garden list would be amazing. There was however no sign of the bird guide I bought her when she moved to HK.

OBP

Long-tailed Shrike. Superb.

Eastern journey

Oh, er, hello. It’s me. Been a bit quiet, sorry. I’ve been travelling again as it happens, and whilst I could have tapped a few things down I was having such a relaxed time I couldn’t be bothered. Some types of holidays do this to me I’m afraid, I lose all purpose and dynamism, and just flop about. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it feels lame sometimes.

I was in Hong Kong again, as well as Vietnam. Last year I went west a fair amount, but as all UK birders know, it is the east from where the gems come these days. I’ve been to Shetland a fair number of times, including last year, and whilst I missed the monster birds, I saw tons of visitors that had travelled a very long way to see me. I thought I would return the favour and go and visit them, seemed only fair. As regular readers will perhaps know my sister lives in Hong Kong, another pawn in the global financial system. I’d visited her twice in the last couple of years, once with the whole family, and the plan this time was to repeat that family trip in order to celebrate my Dad’s 70^th birthday. Unfortunately extreme misfortune – known in some circles as clumsiness - runs in the family, and at the start of the year he fell over and broke lots of things.  Like father like son. He could not travel, but as we were all booked up we decided to go regardless, toasting his milestone in absentia.

Given we had all spent some time in HK before, the main focus this time was a side trip to Vietnam. That’s not to say that HK is boring, far from it. It’s a monumental Asian city, fabulously interesting and if you head off the beaten track you really are in another world. However you can also get that in Vietnam, indeed somewhat more easily, and in our thirst for new experiences we took a quick flight across the South China Sea to Da Nang, and from there travelled down the coast to the heritage town of Hoi An.

Unlike a lot of Vietnam which is being rapidly concreted and westernised, Hoi An retains heaps of original character. Markets, old buildings and passageways, street vendors, and a short distance outside of the town paddyfield agriculture.  It is also firmly on the hippie trail so suited me down to the ground ahem. There is not actually that much to report - this was firmly a family holiday and I only managed to sneak out birding a couple of times, once in Hong Kong and once in Vietnam. 

More on what I saw later, but what I really wanted to say was that everywhere I went - from central Kowloon to my sister's garden on Lantau, from a temple in the mountains in Vietnam to sitting in a restaurant in the middle of Hoi An, from under a palm tree on a beach on the South China Sea to waiting for taxi at Chek Lap Lok - I was accompanied by the calls of Yellow-browed Warblers. They were simply everywhere and I think I drove my family to distraction with my constant excitement at hearing them, by pointing them out and by leaping up from relaxed meals to peer into trees. But to me it's the essence of being a UK birder abroad, the ability and joy at connecting events from the "scene" back home to the other side of the plant where you currently are, and understanding more clearly the miracle that is migration and vagrancy. These Warblers were supposed to be here, and my enjoyment at finding them everywhere I went was compounded by this feeling of everything being right and in place.

My Son, Vietnam's answer to Angkor Wat. Known principally for it's wintering Yellow-browed Warbler population.

Rambling down a Fjord

Did I mention I went to Barcelona? No? How about Stavanger? I went there too. Boredom, basically. The family were away, I should perhaps have been with them but that’s another story. Anyway, with a weekend to kill – in June I might add, so no decent birding possible* - it was a choice of hanging around Wanstead seeing manky Mallards and doing a pile of useful but boring jobs – or going and doing something interesting. I chose the latter, and seeing as I have not done a lot of travelling recently, decided to push the boat out and go to Barcelona for the day. And then as that wasn’t enough to keep the Mallards at bay, I also booked up a fjord cruise in Norway for the following day. My carbon footprint is terrible, then again the planes would have left without me. Is it OK to say that?

So, an early start to get to the airport, but Barcelona isn't far and it wasn't long before the shuttle bus dumped me at the Placa Catalunya, at the top of Las Ramblas. I've been to Barcelona a few times, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Nothing. Nothing beyond walking around a lot, and having tapas for lunch. And so that is precisely what I did. I visited no Gaudi landmarks, went to zero museums or galleries. I meandered, I got lost down side streets, I wandered around markets, and sat on benches. I found my favoured tapas bar, and after overdoing it on Cava, had a nap in the sunshine by the sea. In other words it was highly unpleasant and I cannot for one moment recommend it. As mid-afternoon beckoned, I met a colleague who happened to be in town, and we had an extremely large beer together in a palm-lined square. Horrible. It was a relief to get back on the plane I can tell you.

The Catalans know how to live

Las Ramblas is full of interesting sights

I have no idea. Meccano possibly.

Possibly the best Tapas bar in Barcelona

Lunch. First course.

A listing shop

Think I got away with this one

I elected to stay at Heathrow, and so the following morning was fairly relaxed with a decent breakfast in the lounge and then off to Norway. Beautiful weather in the south-west, and my pre-booked cruise up the Lysefjord was on! I wandered around Stavanger old town for a while, breathed in the clear air, spent my ISA on lunch, and then got on the boat. It was wonderful. I honestly cannot think of anything quite as pleasant that I have done for quite some time. I just stood on the deck and admired the view. For three hours. Various things were pointed out, but I wasn't listening. Beautiful is all I can say. Perhaps that's what the boat captain was trying to say too. We stopped twice, once to feed some 'wild' goats, once to collect some water from a waterfall in a bucket, which all the passengers then partook of. Cliched, yes. Cool and refreshing, also yes. And that was that really. Once back at Stavanger I had another wander round town, and then caught the plane home. The whole thing was remarkably easy and relaxing. 

Stavanger, famous for its staute of "Little Boy and Ducks (and Panther)"

Stavanger Old Town. Picturesque in buckets.

The Costa Stillafloatia was in town

How are you feeling today? A bit Tractor.

Idyllic

The entrance to the Lysefjord

Horrible

More horrible

Monolith

Binoculars? Nope, not on either day. Sometime it's really good and positive to do something different. I tend not to do "tourist". I fly to major cities and then head the other way, and learn very little about the country I'm in. Can't say I learned a great deal about Spain or Norway, but the point is that I was free from the stress that is constant birding. Or something like that. It was a pleasure not to need to attempt to identify every moving speck, to be able to have a nice cold drink, to eat proper food rather than either starve in the middle of nowhere or eat junk, and to not worry about light, flushing, exposure theory or whether my battery was going to run out. I've got a few more of these lined up, and if they're as fabulous as this weekend was, it could become a regular feature. 

*apart from summering megas like Short-toed Eagles of course