My absolute best bird from a moving vehicle was when I was going on a package holiday with my family to Crete in about 1996. As nearly always happens to me, we were the last drop off from the airport with a 2 hour journey. From the coach there were very few birds to be seen until we crossed a bridge over a river when I had a few seconds view of a White-breasted Kingfisher. This was totally unmistakeable and the only one I have ever seen.

The internet was still then a bit flaky and difficult to navigate and it took me some weeks to find where to register this sighting with and then there was some uncertainty as to which river I was referring to. At this point I lost the email connection, but I had by then received the info that this was only the third record for Greece.

I never did manage to officially report this sighting. Additionally on this holiday I also found a Slender-billed gull on a nearby beach (at the time possibly the seventh for Greece) but could not find any way to report it.

-- Edited by Jeff Clarke on Saturday 10th of November 2018 09:43:10 PM

Black Woodpecker, seen today while driving close to Bansko ski resort in Bulgaria (never seen one before).

This morning the Booted Warbler, on the Great Orme was on a low branch next to the car park entrance as I drove in

Love this thread!

Short-eared Owl from the Tram going past Ashton Moss was nice. Golden Eagle and Hen Harrier from buses on Arran were also good. I bet train drivers in the Highlands do well.

This one must be pretty unique for a common British bird. I was driving home along Manchester Rd, Wilmslow yesterday when a small bird flew low across the road a few meters ahead. Well you always look don't you? I followed its flight towards a road side tree expecting the usual blue tit or such, but it had short, rounded wings and was dull brown overall apart from two sets of lighter brown wing bars: a treecreeper!!! I'd expect to see one perhaps on an off-road forest track, but not a very busy main road!!!

Hen Harrier on M6 <img src="www.sparkimg.com/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" alt="smile" title="smile" />

Siamese Fireback at Khao Yai NP, Thailand in March this year. It was my 3rd or 4th visit to Khao Yai, but the first with a vehicle, which allowed me to get to an area where these Pheasants had been reported over the years, early and late in the day. It was late Friday afternoon and the radar road was getting busy, with many Thais arriving for the weekend. I was driving slowly and my mood was at a very low ebb and felt ready to throw in the towel, when out of the blue this fine male walks out of the forest, right next to the car. Brakes on, window down, grab the camera. I managed to get some film of this beauty as I walked a short distance along the road before disappearing back into the forest. Suddenly all was well with the world, life was worth living again and a reminder as to why I am on this earth. Time for a whisky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv0JSdKiFSM

Green Woodpecker seen from the car flying over the A14 in Cambridgeshire yesterday afternoon.

Just back from a brilliant weeks climbing and Birding in Scotland, including 3 fantastic days on Islay.. Apart from the amazing birds to be seen on Islay in winter something else not quite as dramatic grabbed my attention.. On boarding the Ferry at Kennecraig, the "Hebredian Isles" bound for Port Ellen on Islay, I heard and saw a Rock Pipit flitting about on the Car loading deck..A short time later as the ferry was departing I saw the bird on an upper platform searching for food between the spaces on the green anti-slip matting.. On arriving at Port Ellen and departing the bird was still on the ship..
3 days later, departing from Port Ellen and standing on a windy deck above the loading level, there was , what I presume to be , the same Rock Pipit..I was pretty amazed to think that this bird had taken up permanent residence on a moving ship.. These vessels are pretty much non stop on the go for 12 hours or so a day back and forth, and if the bird stays on the boat, which it would seem to be doing, its certainly getting some miles in..I dont think I can recall hearing or reading of birds that exist on a constantly moving vehicle?? I know migrants drop onto ships all over the place in desperation, and that vagrants arrive here "jumping ship", but this bird seems to be doing it by choice and is happily staying on board.!! They are a pretty common bird on the shorelines on Islay and dont think it was looking for heat/warmth off the ship itself, as its relatively mild on the coast on Islay..
Either way, it impressed me, and would do even more if there was a nook or cranny on the ship and it bred there..

Rob Archer

Hobby for me

a self found Richardson's canada goose whilst attempting to hitch a lift on the isle of mull last February
I don't drive, does this count...

for me my first sighting of a Crested Carracara in Florida, a bird i really wanted to see and my first glimpse was a fly by as i was driving and could not pull over, good enough of a view to nail the ID though so a nice drive by first,

Most bizarre sighting was again in France. Driving past Angers from the airport we saw something that looked strange following the route of the river. As the sighting got closer we were amazed to see a microlight being followed by a few Cormorants !
I have seen geese doing this on nature programmes but have never heard of anything else doing the same.

I had a Bustard run across my path in France. Unfortunately there was a lorry coming the opposite direction and I couldn't swerve out of it's way as it ran directly in front of my car. I ended up hitting it.

Reading Paul's report about France got me thinking about my best birds seen from my sister's car in the Loire Valley. As she lives on a farm in rural France I have seen a long list whilst driving around country lanes. Here are some of the better ones :-

In June this year we went to Samuur for the day, showing my sister's partner the troglodyte houses along the riverside road. As we turned the car around on a car park me and Ian (even though he is not a birder) immediately saw a Night Heron perched on a stick on an adjacent marshy area.

Another one for Ian was as we drove along the motorway near Angers heading for my flight home. Two White Storks flew overhead.

In the farm area, near Durtal, I have seen amongst other things :-
Black Woodpecker on a telegraph pole.
Ortolan flying into the farm area. I got out but never found it again.
Long-eared Owl flying across the front of the car returning from friends at night.

With the 7 Red-rumped Swallows still being present at RSPB Marazion this morning, myself and Henry Cook couldn't resist another look at them.

On leaving , the birds were still visible from the car and therefore take pride of place under this section.

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Saturday 6th of October 2012 07:42:07 PM

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Saturday 6th of October 2012 07:43:13 PM

Had a Bittern land on the bonnet of our slow-moving car in Hungary. It came up from a road-side ditch in the Hortobagy, touched down for split-second as I hit the brakes and then flew on, non-the-worse for the encounter!

Just come back from Iceland where Red-necked Phalarope and Barrow's Goldeneye were regulars from the car.

Cheers David

Common Crane.

A lifer for me in 2008, a single seen from a train between Delhi and Bharatpur.

Then, in 2010, I saw a further eight in an anonymous field from a train in Poland, presumably on migration.

And last year we went to the Hortobagy in Hungary, travelling by train. Between Tiszafured and Hortobagy we saw at least a hundred cranes (plus my first Saker Falcon) from the train, which was just as well as at Hortobagy Halasto the little train which takes you to the far end of the reserve, where the thousands of cranes congregate, wasn't running and it was too far to walk in the remaining light so we saw none on the reserve.

Not yet caught up with the East Anglains cranes so I'm in the odd position of haveing seen over a hundred cranes on three separate occasions, all from behind a train window.

Whilst taking the car ferry across the Magellan Straits a few years ago we had to stay in the vehicle and the sides of the ferry were very low so we could see out of the car,although the cars engine was off technically we were moving as the ferry was obviously in motion,birds seen from the car included:-
Southern Giant Petrel
Black Browed Albatross
Magellan Diving Petrel
Wilsons Storm Petrel
Antarctic Fulmar
Pintado Petrel
and a few others I've forgotten

Lilac-breasted Roller from the back of a Toyota Landcruiser last Monday afternoon in Hluhluwe Game Reserve is my current personal favourite

Long-toed Stint here and a whole bunch of other waders whilst driving around the Kings project at Laem Pak Bia, Thailand last February. Also Black-winged Kite, Pied Harrier etc driving around paddyfields north of Phetchburi. Indian Rollers on fence posts, Green Bee-eaters on wires here

I'd previously posted Houbara Bustard from Fuerteventura in 2009. I can also add Little and Great Bustard from Portugal in 2006 and Great Indian Bustard from a jeep in the Thar Desert, NW India in 1988

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Sunday 17th of June 2012 11:32:33 AM

Seen quite a few barn owls and local too. The best one was at burtonwood near fiddle inth bag at about 1am. I stopped the car and it was hovering at side of road yards from me.

Roller, Golden Pheasant and Woodlark are amongst my better ones that spring to mind.

How's Rough-Legged Buzzard for you?