American Wigeon at Slimbridge, and Garganey at CWP

28 Feb - a morning visit to Slimbridge gave good views of the imm drake American Wigeon (lower photos) from the Kingfisher hide, also Cetti's Warblers calling. 2 Peregrines flew from the silo at Sharpness, but I couldn't find the Black Redstart in a brief search. 4 female Scaup still on Court Lake at Frampton. Glos year list up to 111.
Earlier, the drake Garganey (photo, copyright John Rock) showed well from the hide at CWP pit 68c. Also there, a Black-tailed Godwit and a Curlew.

Glos late winter birding

27 Feb - mild and sunny weather, and a successful morning's birding. In the Forest of Dean, 2 Dippers were on the stream below the Fountain Inn at Parkend, and up to 4 Goshawks were seen well in display at New Fancy View. Also there, 3 Ravens, and 2 Siskins and 2 Crossbills flew over.
At Ashleworth Ham, the 4 Whooper Swans were still along Stank Lane (lower pic), and good numbers of duck from the screen included 44 Pintail.
Finally, the Great Grey Shrike at Cirencester was fairly obliging, and I had the camera with me for a record shot (upper pic).

Sweden in winter....

19-22 Feb 2009 - an excellent long weekend with Naturetrek to the Black River Valley, central Sweden, guided by Daniel Green. Snowy conditions underfoot, -14 on the coldest night, sunny skies one day, snowing the next. A good haul of birds, including the photos above - Hawk Owl, Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Willow Tit, Grey-headed Woodpecker (copyright fellow participant Nigel Spencer, www.nigelspencer.co.uk), Pygmy Owl, Black Woodpecker and Siberian Jay. Also seen - White-tailed and Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Buzzard, Great Grey Shrike and Arctic Redpoll. The quiet winter landscape, with low sunlight, is truly stunning.

Long-eared Owl at Frampton, and Cirencester Shrike again

13 Feb - after scrutinizing the bushes south of Splatt Bridge, I spotted the wintering Long-eared Owl tucked up against the trunk of a Hawthorn, motionless and with its head obscured by branches - amazing bark-like camouflage on its back, with paler streaked underparts (lower photo, copywright Graham Watson). A Gloucestershire tick! A Water Rail called but there was no sign of the Bittern. Later, the Great Grey Shrike (upper photo, copyright Richard Tyler) was still at the Cirencester setaside, from the layby opposite Tesco's.

Gambia 30 Jan - 6 Feb 2009

A last-minute week in Gambia with Sunbird. An excellent week, although we did not see our main target, Egyptian Plover - they migrated upriver early this year. We did find 8 species of Bee-Eater, 4 Rollers, and 31 raptors! Photos above - 1.Painted Snipe, 2.Slender-billed Gull, 3.Yellow-billed Stork, 4.Wattled Plover, 5.Greenshank, 6.Pied Kingfisher, 7.Blue-breasted Kingfisher, 8.Grasshopper Buzzard, 9.Sulphur-breasted Bush-Shrike, 10.Black-crowned Tchagra, 11. Abyssinian Roller, 12a/b.Blue-bellied Roller, 13 a/b.Red-throated Bee-Eater,14.Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater. Altogether I recorded 25 new species. Highlights included - the creek crawl at Tendaba with assorted herons and Hammerkops, together with Blue-cheeked and White-throated Bee-eaters - the road along the north bank of the Gambia river, with many Vultures and Stanley's Bustard, and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters - Abuko with Green and Violet Turacos, together with Western Bluebill - and Tanji beach with Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls, together with Caspian and Royal Terns.