Slimbridge Glaucous Gull

28 Jan - The Glaucous Gull I saw distantly on the Dumbles at the weekend was in one of the captive pens yesterday, and was much more obliging for a photo (copyright James Lees)....

Slimbridge classic

25 Jan - an excellent couple of hours at Slimbridge - the Holden tower revealed the 2nd year Glaucous Gull (3, copyright Martin McGill), a strikingly white bird with a hint of buff on the wings and a pink bill base. Then the organised walk provided good views of the imm male Snow Bunting on the seawall (photos 1+2, JM). Also seen - 3 Ruff, 3 Spotted Redshanks (4,JM), Black tailed Godwits, Curlew (5, JM) and Redshank, White-fronted Goose, Bewick's Swan and 2 Peregrines on the Dumbles. A Water Rail (6, JM) was briefly under the feeders.

Winter wildfowl and raptors....

24 Jan - a winter afternoon in Berks, Oxon and Bucks. First stop Lower Farm where the drake American Wigeon (1, copyright Marek Walford) showed well on the Trout Lake. The Ridgeway up at Bury Down was rewarding, the highlight being a perched female Merlin (2, copyright Steve Burch) in the sun. Short-eared Owls (3, copyright Steve Burch) numbered at least 4 here, and 2 Red Kites soared distantly. A female Hen Harrier was seen shortly after I left! Then up to Farmoor, and the pair of Scaup (4, copyright Farmoor Birding) were sleeping on F1 - there was a lot of sailing on F2, but I saw one of the Great Northern Divers (5, copyright Farmoor Birding )in the centre.
Foxcote reservoir near Buckingham produced good views of the drake Ring-necked Duck (6) almost immediately, and finally a Bittern (7, copyright Calvert Birding) flew then perched in reeds briefly at Calvert Lakes prior to dusk. A successful afternoon!

Great Grey Shrike and Waxwing flock in Glos....

18 Jan - a quick trip to Cheltenham in the morning and the 15 Waxwings (lower, copyright Paul Masters) were still in The Grove, showing very well on TV aerials or during forays into the berry tree. Later,a call from Kim Milsom put me on to a Great Grey Shrike (top, copyright Graham Cox) opposite Tesco's in Cirencester - good views 10 mins later of it sitting in a sheltered hedgerow in the setaside. Not a bad morning for Glos!

South Coast trip

17 Jan - an excellent day in Dorset/Hampshire. I started at Ferrybridge with excellent views of 20 or so Med Gulls on the high tide (top photo JM). Portland harbour was extremely productive, with Red-necked (middle), Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes, and Great Northern and Black-throated Diver. The debatable male Hooded Merganser was by the bridge at Radipole....
Langstone Harbour and Hayling Island held a good selection of waders on the rising tide - 20 Avocets, Greenshank and Spotted Redshank, 10 Grey Plovers and a few Ringed Plovers, as well as Black-tailed Godwits.
Finally, the Bittern at Ivy Lake put in an appearance (lower photo JM) and showed its amazing camouflage, as well as emerging briefly into the channel. The Bean Goose was on Ibsley water and 3 Bewick's Swans in fields alongside the A338.

Cornwall Twitch

10 Jan - a day trip to Cornwall with Martin McGill from Slimbridge - first stop the Snowy Owl at Zennor (top 2 pics JM). We had very good views of the bird down to 60yds, amazing yellow eyes and heavily feathered face, barred plumage being a female. Also seen in flight and being mobbed by the local Ravens. We then moved on to Penzance, seeing the regular flock of Purple Sandpipers (middle), also a flock of Sanderling, together with Turnstones and Snipe. A 1st-winter Ring-Billed Gull (lower 2) was showing well at Helston boating lake - finally we had distant views of the Great Grey Shrike at Stithians reservoir. A long drive but a successful day.

Glaucous-winged Gull.....

9 Jan - a trip to Teesside in search of the adult Glaucous-winged Gull that has been in the area for a week or so. After a 3-hr wait, I had good views of the bird on the reclamation pond, preening on the ice in bright sunshine - slightly larger than Herring Gull and heavier-chested, some head streaking, bright pink legs, and primary tips the same colour as the mantle. the dark iris gave a distinctive facial expression. The second British record, after the 3rd winter bird I missed in South Wales last year....also seen today for comparison, an adult Glaucous Gull. Juvenile Glaucous Gull and several Yellow-legged Gulls also present. A popular bird, especially the previous weekend, I was with a smallish crowd of maybe 50.....

Smew and iced-up CWP

8 Jan - most pits frozen over, a few open patches densely populated by wildfowl - 3 Smew (1m, 2f) pit 29, 4 Smew (2m, 2f) pit 57 (photo copyright Peter Pollard, also 3 fem Ruddy Ducks there), redhead Smew and 12 Goosander on pit 41. Single Snipe flew over pit 16 and Kent End Quarry. pit 74 held 14 Goldeneye on some small patches of open water. Later, 2 Grey Partridge seen in a stubble field near Driffield.

CWP and Blakehill

3 Jan - a sunny, frosty winter morning - an early look at the CWP produced 7 Smew (1 drake, 6 redheads)on pit 41 together with 14 Goldeneye - and a scattering of Goosander on several pits in the area.
A walk at Blakehill later in the morning was also productive - 7 Golden Plover flew over going west with c70 Lapwings, and 7 Snipe in total were seen. No raptors, but good numbers of winter thrushes, also a very cold-looking Stonechat by the cattle feeders.

New Years Day 2009

1 January - Cotswold Water Park, Forest of Dean, and the Cotswolds near Hawling. An excellent start in the CWP, with a Hawfinch at Swillbrook briefly, 3 redhead Smew at pit 29, and a scattering of Goldeneye and Goosander. The Slavonian Grebe (lower, copyright Richard Tyler) was still at Dudgrove pit 114.
The Forest of Dean was covered in hoar frost, but another Hawfinch (photo copyright Allan Chard) was at New Fancy View, and a male Brambling (top, copyright Allan Chard) was at the Speech House feeder.
Hawling produced excellent views of 2 Short-eared Owls (middle, copyright Martin Dyer) and a brief Barn Owl, also a flyover Peregrine. A total of 73 species for the day.