Smew and a Bewick's Swan

26 Dec - a fine fairly mild Boxing Day. A quick check on Swillbrook at CWP gave good views of a drake and 4 redhead Smew on pit 46, but light too poor for photography. A Water Rail also heard there.
A drive over to the upper Thames in Oxfordshire then gave a county tick for Oxon, a Bewick's Swan with the Mute Swan flock at Chimney. I managed a distant record shot. A Peregrine cruised west, and a single Snipe flew over calling.

Bury Down and the Ridgeway

22 Dec - an afternoon visit to Bury Down in Berkshire gave good views of a ringtail Hen Harrier as it hunted over an adjacent stubble field and the associated large finch flock, which included at least 4 Bramblings - and towards dusk at least 3 Short-eared Owls appeared over the gallops - at times perching in the open, as well as floating low over the ground looking for voles.

Sawbills arrive

22 Dec - after the recent cold snap, a morning visit to CWP revealed Goosanders scattered around several of the pits, totalling 14 birds - there was a female Red-breasted Merganser, a very scarce bird in CWP, with the flock on pit 46 - a smaller bird with an indistinct neck ring, a slight crest and a slender upturned bill. Also there, 3 redhead Smew flew in briefly then flew off again.

Caspian Gull at Dix Pit

13 Dec - Hundreds of gulls at Dix pit in calm, sunny conditions - no sign of the 1st-winter Iceland Gull early afternoon, but several adult Yellow-legged Gulls with clean white head and prominent mirrors on wingtips - also an immature, probably 2nd-winter Caspian Gull, fairly dark mantle, distinctive head shape with slender bill, dark eye, almost completely black primary tips. See photo.

Cattle Egret at Fretherne

9 Dec - As part of the current national influx, a Cattle Egret was found at Fretherne in Glos and I saw it late afternoon with 12 Little Egrets, feeding in a damp field - dumpier, shorter-necked than the more elegant Little Egrets, with a yellow bill and green lores.

A week in Egypt, November 2007

19-26 Nov - a week at Luxor in Egypt, courtesy of Pulse magazine travel prize! A few days based by the Nile, excursions to see amazing temples and ancient sites, also lots of birds around the River Nile and islands, and adjacent irrigated farmland. Highlights included Crocodile Island, where I joined a boat trip one morning with local guide Abdul Youssef - birds here included Little Green Bee-eater, Nile Valley Sunbird, Marsh Sandpiper, many Herons of eight species, Little Crake, Glossy Ibis and Black-shouldered Kite. The marshy areas along the riverbanks held White-tailed Plover and Senegal Thick-knee as well as wintering palearctic waders such as Greenshank, Temminck's and Little Stints, Spotted Redshank and Ruff. Marsh Harriers and Black Kites hunted the riverbanks. Further south at Aswan and through the desert to Abu Simbel, African Pied Wagtail and White-crowned Black Wheatear were seen.
A fantastic place to combine birds and history, amazing to see carved temples 3-4,000 yrs old, and feel the ancient images of Egyptian life reflected in the Nile today and its waters giving life to the landscape.

Photos; Abu Simbel
Sunset on the Nile
Black-shouldered Kite
Philae temple
White-crowned Black Wheatear
Little Green Bee-eater
Glossy Ibis
Senegal Thick-knee
Little Egrets
Squacco Heron
Purple Heron
Pied Kingfisher
Crocodile Island, Luxor
Karnak temple
Rameses statue, Luxor

White-tailed Eagle at Cholderton

1 Dec - a morning visit to the Cholderton estate, on the Hants/Wilts border, in sunny conditions and the immature White-tailed Eagle was seen soaring immediately on arrival. Its huge size dwarfed the other raptors mobbing it, including a Peregrine and several Buzzards. Also seen - Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Red Kite.