Dorset

26-27 May - A quick visit to Durlston on the Dorset coast on arrival on the south coast, on the last of the hot sunny days - a couple of flyby Guillemots seen. A beautiful if quite breezy afternoon with a slightly hazy, fine view. Downshay Farm provided a restful and convenient base for our trip to meet old friends. The following day was cloudier following an overnight storm, but a visit to Brownsea Island was rewarding as always - after a walk around the island the 9 of us all went to the DWT hides on the lagoon, and the real bonus was 2 Roseate Terns on a sandbar - complete with pinkish flush, black bills and overall pale, short-legged appearance. One of my favourite seabirds and a south coast rarity - indeed, they had gone the next day. A lot of activity at the Sandwich Tern and Common Tern colonies, busy with nest-building and pairing up. A few passage waders still present - Greenshank and Black-tailed Godwits, together with a few breeding Oystercatchers.

Blakehill

22 May - A quick evening walk was unsuccessful in hearing any calling Quail, but a Cuckoo was singing to the west of the fields, and Grey Heron and Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over. Highlight was really good views of 3 brown Hares, one of which hopped to within 7-8 m of me as I was upwind and keeping still. Also 4 Roe Deer feeding.

''Tis the season for Hobbies........

21 May - A lunchtime visit to Somerford Keynes area of CWP which at this time of year attracts feeding flocks of Hobbies in fine weather - no less than 10 birds circling high feeding on hatching insects alongside Common Terns, Swifts and hirundines. A further 4 birds were over adjacent pits 42/44. Also a Cuckoo singing.

Scottish odds and ends

17-20 May - A few birds logged during 3 days Munroing in overall fairly decent weather, perhaps not as many as I would expect in May but including a distant Golden Eagle, obliging Ptarmigan, Red Grouse, displaying Golden Plover and several Wheatears - also Dipper and Common Sandpipers - Wood Warbler, Redpoll and many Siskins in the woodlands with quite a few singing Cuckoos.

Central Sweden.....

11-14 May - A short trip with Naturetrek, and a very successful one it turned out to be, to the Black River Valley with Daniel Green. From our base at Satra Brunn, we explored the forest and wetlands of this scenic and sparsely populated area. The first evening we set off in search of one of the main targets of the trip, to a quiet forest clearing at Skagersta - where after a wait, a shape silhouetted on a spruce materialised into a superb Great Grey Owl, a magical bird with a mesmerising stare, giving a feeling of tremendous privilege in sharing its world. We spent 2 evenings in total watching this bird, a huge owl floating around the clearing on silent wings yet surprisingly inconspicuous at times. The hotel grounds themselves held an extremely obliging pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, as well as Pied Flycatchers and nesting Fieldfares and Redwings - interesting to see and hear singing on their nesting grounds. A male Black Woodpecker was seen well in the nearby forest, where Cranes were calling, and we also had the chance to see Ural Owls at 2 nestboxes, with good views of the adults perched nearby, at times blending well into the birch trees - less impressive than the Great Grey, but with a strangely hypnotic gentle stare. Other highlights included a Hazelhen seen well in flight, as well as the highlight of the last morning, a rogue male Capercaillie which we watched displaying at close range, and which decided to see me off in no uncertain terms. The lakes and adjacent marshes and wetlands were bursting into life for the spring - migrant Barnacle Geese on their way north were alongside arriving summer visitors such as Whinchats and Black Terns. The lakes were a superb spectacle - highlights included Ospreys and an adult White-tailed Eagle, smart adult Little Gulls with summer plum Black Terns - Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes in breeding plumage - and migrant waders including numerous Wood Sandpipers alongside Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper. Other passerines seen included Brambling, Wryneck and a singing Thrush Nightingale, Grey-headed Wagtail and other highlights such as Hobbies and a flyby Montagu's Harrier. The last stop was a breeding site for Ortolan Bunting where 2 males were singing, and a garden feeding station with up to 4 feeding Hawfinches! A very successful trip.

Waterhay

10 May - Another fine evening and spectacular sunset. On a late evening visit to pit 68 Waterhay I finally heard the Grasshopper Warbler singing - my first ever in the Wilts section of CWP. Also a Cuckoo calling, and Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warblers. Plenty of Swifts back now, including the local birds screaming around in the evenings - they're only here for 3 months of the year, so I never take then for granted. A Red Kite over central Swindon, Old Town this morning.

Bank holiday birding

1 May - a showery day and an east wind, good for spring birding. I headed for Frampton where Black terns had been seen on the sailing lake, and had good views of one bird together with several Common Terns. Distinctive smaller size, dark plumage and dainty flight. Always good birds to see on their spring migration. Another was performing well in front of the hides on South Lake at Slimbridge, where numbers of the waders present were moulting into their breeding plumage - male Ruffs with their head and neck finery, and smart chestnut Black-tailed Godwits. A first-year Spoonbill was present on the Tack Piece, and the summer walkway out to Mid Point resulted in views of a very showy singing Grasshopper Warbler, exceptional for this normally skulking species. Summer-plumaged Grey Plovers also present on the river. Finally, a check at Shorncote revealed the Greenshank still to be present, always elegant and one of my favourite waders - accompanied by 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 LRPs. In addition, a Hobby appeared and circled at close range, and a male Yellow Wagtail perched up obligingly. Other birds today - Cuckoo, Nightingale, nesting Avocets. A very productive session and home for a late lunch......