BTD revisited

30 Oct - Another opportunity today to photograph the juvenile Black-throated Diver at Moulden Hill, and it was very obliging in the sunshine. Photos JM.

Black-throated Diver at Mouldon Hill

28 Oct - A juvenile Black-throated Diver was found today at Mouldon Hill country park in Swindon, a very rare bird inland and especially in Wiltshire - a county tick for me! I got some photos in poor light about 4.15-4.30pm.

Dorset Bird Club Conference...and Portland

27 Oct - I combined the Dorset Bird Club 25th anniversary conference - at Dorchester, and with some good speakers - with a lunchtime visit to Portland Bill, where the Isabelline Shrike (4) was at Culverwell(3) - it's either an adult male or adult female - and the Barred Warbler was still present, and, amazingly, in the same bush! A couple of Bramblings were also around. Sunny but with a north wind. Earlier, there were at least 50 Mediterranean Gulls at Ferrybridge (1,2), a good proportion of them adults, along with Brent Geese and Dunlin. Photos JM.

Sabine's Gull !

21 Oct - The rarest bird I've found! I was walking back with a friend along Brighton seafront, after breakfast, when this very graceful juvenile Sabine's Gull flew in front of me...I had no bins or scope! I got some photos of it on the shingle having raced back from my car. I then got the news out, including to the Sussex recorder, and local birders admired it throughout the afternoon. Photo JM.

Keyhaven and Pennington

20 Oct - A trip to Keyhaven and Pennington on the Hampshire coast, in calm but fairly cloudy weather. A fairly strenuous walk, firstly east from Pennington Lane towards the lagoons, and then west to Keyhaven village. A good variety of wildfowl and waders seen - Brent Geese have returned, and flocks of Teal and Wigeon present with the odd Pintail and Shoveler. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, and a drake Eider, were on the sea. A single adult winter Med Gull (7,8) was at Keyhaven beach with the Black-headed Gulls. Waders included Grey (6) and Ringed Plovers (5), Curlew (4), Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and a single Sanderling - also a Greenshank (2) and 2 Spotted Redshanks (3) with the Redshanks. Turnstones and Oystercatchers also seen. At least 25 Little Egrets (1) on the saltmarsh, also a Kingfisher seen in flight, and raptors included Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. A migrant Wheatear was on the beach. Photos JM.

Red-backed Shrike on Salisbury Plain

14 Oct - An amazingly confiding female Red-backed Shrike has been at Everleigh, on the edge of Haxton Down, for a week or so, and I saw it today - beautiful sunshine made for good photos. The bird was feeding very actively on insects and appeared to have a larder in one of the hawthorn bushes. The second sighting of this species for me in Wiltshire. Also 3 Red Kites seen on the return journey from Swindon via Marlborough. Photos JM.

Slimbridge again.....

5 Oct - A late morning visit, and a guided walk with James Lees over the high tide - excellent close views of the 1st-winter Pectoral Sandpiper on the saltmarsh, but no sign of the Buff-breasted. Also Curlew, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Redshank and a Greenshank calling. A single Egyptian Goose was with the Barnacles. A Little Egret was on the estuary. The photo of the Pec was taken by, copyright, Richard Tyler a couple of weeks ago.