Odds and Ends

28 April - it's difficult to resist picking up the binoculars this time of year, so a trip to Shorncote produced a good variety as ever, including a nice little party of summer-plumaged Dunlin accompanied by 2 Common Sandpipers and a LRP. Plenty of Warblers including Lesser Whitethroats and Garden W, as well as A cacophony of Reed and Sedge Warblers in the main Reedbed. A quick evening stop at Blakehill was well worth it with 2 male Whinchats and a line up of 7 Wheatears on the fence posts.

Ring Ouzels ...... half a dozen!

27 April - After an initially fruitless search for Ouzels at Cleeve Hill, thanks to Roy Shilham I checked the cattle pen area and after first seeing his 3 birds, a total of 6 Rouzels were seen feeding around the gorse bushes on the northern slope. Fairly wary as always, but with patience and by keeping still good fairly close views were had. Always exciting birds to see, en route to their remote northern breeding grounds. En route home, 5 Whimbrels seen on the tide at Fretherne, along with 3 Grey Plover, also Common Sandpiper and Dunlin, together with 3 Wheatears.

Hobby

26 April - A nice bonus after a rubbish day at work - A Hobby flew fast and low in front of the car, over Commonhead roundabout heading towards Coate. One of my favourite UK birds, and my first of 2017.

Swifts.......

24 Apr - Right on cue, the first Swifts this morning over pit 74 with a large hirundine flock. Always good to see them back for the 3 months they spend with us in the UK.

Weekend Warblers

23 April - A nice weekend of spring weather - a lot of summer visitors now back with a good warbler chorus, in particular Whitethroats, Sedge and Garden Warblers - also the CWP Nightingales are in full voice. Common Terns are also back, and Cuckoos are much in evidence.

Extremadura briefly!

21 April - A full day's birding in Extremadura courtesy of Carles Oliver, and a superb tally for a single, warm, sunny day, albeit windy. Early morning at Arrocampo reservoir and an impressive array of Herons - Night Herons flying to roost, Little, Cattle and Great White Egrets in the air - several Squacco Herons and a good number of smart Purple Herons, one of my favourites, struggling into the strong wind. Gull-billed Terns were feeding over the nearer part of the lake. Unseen warblers singing included Savi's and Reed, together with Fan-tailed. Black-winged Stilts and a Glossy Ibis were feeding in the adjacent lagoon. Next stop Santa Marta de Magasca, one of the highlights of the day - and excellent views in the low morning light of several pairs of stunning Rollers, displaying around nestboxes and presumably fairly newly arrived. Beautiful, and worth the trip for these birds alone. Also a female Montagu's Harrier hunting, with Calandra Larks singing and overflying Sandgrouse. The drive to the dramatic Penafalcon and Castillo at Monfrague was enlivened by more typical Extremaduran birds - Red-rumped Swallows and Azure-winged Magpies, and raptors soaring including Booted Eagles and many Black Kites, together with White Storks. Monfrague itself produced good numbers of Black Storks, including a nest on the cliffs, and amazing numbers of raptors - many Griffon Vultures and a few Blacks, with a supporting cast of Short-toed Eagle and Peregrine, in addition to numerous Black Kites. A Blue Rock Thrush sang from a rocky perch, and Crag Martins and Alpine Swifts fed overhead, the Alpines giving close views in the wind. The journey back to Madrid was punctuated by a stop at a roadside Bee-eater colony, in addition to more RR Swallows, Storks and raptors. A full but successful day........

Nightingales! and Stilts..........

20 April - An early morning stop at pit 43 CWP, and amazing views of Nightingales singing and feeding, a calm and slightly drizzly morning, but very close songsters, magical to hear them again, and at least 2 males quite visible at times, sparring for territory. My first Cuckoo of the year in the background added to the symphony of nature. One of the wonders of spring, the thrill is the same every April....... A quick afternoon look in at Slimbridge secured me views of 3 of the 6 Black-winged Stilts seen yesterday, at fairly close range on the South Lake. Possibly a suitable location for breeding ? An exotic combination when seen alongside the resident Avocets.

Farmoor / Otmoor

18 April - A busy spring period while the weather lasts. Farmoor this afternoon held a large (20+) flock of Yellow Wagtails, and a smart Channel Wagtail was along the causeway. No sign of the Bonaparte's Gull, morning is the best time to see it. My main reason for the short drive was to go to Otmoor during the peak of spring activity, and it didn't disappoint...... amazing to be at a screen overlooking a large reedbed, with a Bittern booming and a Marsh Harrier displaying, and to be not in East Anglia but in Oxfordshire! Also Redshank, Curlew, Lapwings and 4 Snipe. One of the Grasshopper Warblers was reeling actively in the car park field, other Warblers included Reed, Sedge, Garden and at least 3 Cetti's. Very nice views also of a Brown Hare close to the bridleway. An atmospheric hour or so with the sun dropping over the wetland. a wild oasis in the crowded south of England. No Cuckoo or Hobby yet......

Easter Monday

17 April - Blakehill was pleasant in the spring sun with a chorus of Skylarks - also a confiding pair of smart passage Wheatears, a singing Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Swallows and a Mistle Thrush. A stop off at Farmoor didn't produce much with just 2 Swifts and a Common Sandpiper new for the year, and a large hirundine flock over the water in windy conditions, several Common Terns also present.

Scotland cont.......Musselburgh

17 April - A retrospective on Scotland - before returning home, a couple of hours also spent at Musselburgh on the rising tide. As usual, an impressive array of waders and sea duck - Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Grey Plover, Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Turnstones. Offshore, groups of Velvet Scoters, the males, very smart, and a few female Common Scoter. Also, unexpectedly, several Long-tailed Ducks including males moulting into summer plumage. A Red-throated Diver and a few Guillemots also present. Also Eiders displaying and a scattering of Red-breasted Mergansers. A nice variety of birds in good light, but I couldn't find the resident Surf Scoter......

Mainly Dippers.......

15 April - A strenuous walk up Sgurr Mor in Glen Dessary, the remote West Highlands today - prime Eagle country, but none seen in rather showery conditions. We did however see no less than 4 Dippers, including a displaying pair. Also several groups of Red Deer on the hill, and quite a few in the glen on the drive out in the evening.

Lochaber

14 Apr - Few birds on Carn Mor Dearg today in cloudy breezy weather, with snow above 1000m, but they included 2 Ptarmigan still in winter plumage, and a Snow Bunting. A Red Grouse also seen. Willow Warbler and Meadow Pipit heard, so back for the summer.

....and Evening at Loch of Lowes........

13 April - part 2 for today - after travelling to Scotland, a couple of hours at the Osprey hide at Loch of Lowes near Dunkeld on a beautiful still evening. A good performance by the Ospreys which are busy incubating their 3 eggs in a bulky nest in a Scots Pine - the male bringing in a large fish to the female, and seeing off an intruding Osprey, probably a young bird looking for a territory. Also seen - Red Kite, Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, Crossbills and Roe Deer.

Early morning

13 Apr - I had an hour or so early morning, so headed out after sunrise, as the weather is forecast to turn more unsettled. no Nightingales yet at CWP, bit Garden Warbler and Reed Warbler now in, and very showy Sedge and Cetti's Warblers, also Whitethroat song-flighting. 4 Oystercatchers flew over the Spine Road, and the imm Little Gull still feeding over pit 74.

Shorncote

11 Apr - An evening walk at Shorncote - 2 Oystercatchers and 2 LRPs the highlight, also Shoveler, 9 Teal, Shelduck, Little Grebe, Red Kite, House Martin (my 1st of the year) Swallow and 30 Sand Martins. Quite breezy for much birdsong but Cetti's Warbler and Blackcap obvious. Spring perhaps on hold with the cooler weather.

Bonaparte's Gull

9 April - The 1st-summer Bonapartes's Gull at Farmoor on F2, this rare nearctic Gull slightly smaller and more graceful than Black-headed Gull with black bill, gray head patch and pink legs. Farmoor also hosting my first Common Tern and Yellow Wagtail of the year. The vivid yellow of the Wagtail is always a sign for me that spring is really here.

Savernake, then Blakehill purple patch.......

8 April - A beautiful morning in Savernake, frustratingly a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker heard but not seen. No sign of Firecrests, but good views of Marsh Tits, Blackcaps, Jay and Nuthatch. Pit 132 at CWP produced Green Sandpiper, Curlew, LRP and 9 Shelduck. A quick evening look at Blakehill for Wheatears turned up trumps, with 2 Brown Hares enjoying the evening sun and allowing photos, instead of racing off to the horizon as is their usual behaviour

and, most unexpectedly, a superb Short-eared Owl hunting the plateau in full sunlight - the first here for 3 months - so, presumably, a passage bird. Also Curlew calling and 3 Roe Deer.

Warbler fest

6 April - A morning visit to Shorncote area - a good one, with a singing Whitethroat heading the cast (my earliest ever). Also Willow W, Blackcap and Cetti's very vocal. A LRP was on the waters edge, Green Sandpiper and Oystercatcher also seen together with Lapwings. 2 Sand Martins overhead and a female Wheatear on the rough ground. A Sedge Warbler at pit 43, again my earliest record, brought the days warbler tally to 6, spring is definitely here!

Several Orange Tip butterflies much in evidence in the sunshine but not settling for long.

Grass Snakes at Stanton

4 Apr - The sun came out this afternoon and gave me the chance to call in at Stanton country park where Grass Snakes have been seen daily in the stone walls during the fine weather recently. I suspected that the snakes might emerge into the afternoon sun after a cloudy morning, and after detecting movement I had good views of a Grass Snake, as it slithered unobtrusively along and between the stones, curling up on itself at times, greenish/black markings and slender scaly body obvious along with the beady black eye and the forked tongue. My best ever views of this species.

Spring

3 Apr - A sunny morning and a quick walk before work. Singing Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Cetti's Warbler at Waterhay...........