Slimbridge

28 Sept - An early morning arrival at Slimbridge, and superb views of a Snipe in low sunlight from the Rushy, with Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank also present along with Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit. A Greenshank briefly from Zeiss hide, and Red-breasted Goose and 2 Brent Geese from Kingfisher hide. A beautiful sunny autumn morning.

Back to Shorncote

26 Sept - My first visit to Shorncote for several months, and I was disappointed to see that improvement" work had destroyed the stream bank and wet area adjacent to the first hide, and a gravel path has also been bulldozed through. Such is "progress". Anyway, the rest of the area is as before.....there is always something to see.... my tally included 2 Green Sandpipers and 2 Snipe, 3 Little Egrets, 2 calling Water Rails, a Kingfisher and 4 Little Grebes. A Whinchat (patch tick) and a pair of Stonechats were feeding in the rough ground. Raptors included a female Sparrowhawk and a loose group of 6 Buzzards. Good to visit the patch again for the start of the autumn/winter period, and hopefully the habitat damage will mitigate in time.

Waders galore .......

21 Sept - A big wader day as it turned out. First thing, I had decided to head SW to Davidstow (a quick journey as M5/A30) and I had really good views of the assembled waders here, in morning sun after the early rain cleared- including 2 confiding, smart Buff-breasted Sandpipers which posed well, also Ringed Plover and Dunlin. I then headed back via Farmoor, where an inland rarity, a Red-necked Phalarope, had arrived - much rarer than its cousin the Grey which I've also seen (and found!) this autumn. Very nice views of this tiny bird with its needle-thin bill, spinning on the choppy waves as it found microscopic food particles. A productive day.

Last garden Swallow

19 Sept - A Swallow I saw this evening turned out in retrospect to be the last of the summer (or autumn) for this year....... a lone bird feeding in the breezy conditions.

WWT again.......

16 Sept - A morning visit to Slimbridge, always mentally relaxing especially with the camera. The highlight was 3 juvenile Curlew Sandpipers from Zeiss hide, feeding in a loose group in the morning sun. Also very nice views of a group of Snipe from Hogarth hide, close for the camera but a little into the sun.

Farmoor

15 Sept - A quick trip to Farmoor as 2 Little Stints reported - one of my favourite waders. Fortunately, I arrived just in time, as the first bird had departed and the second flew off about 10 minutes after I arrived, but not before I got a few decent photos. The wader passage at Farmoor has been poor this year, maybe due to a lack of easterly winds?

Post-storm Sabine's Gull

14 Sept - Storm Aileen blew through on 12th Sept (see previous post re Grey Phalfest) and news broke of an inland juvenile Sabine's Gull - to be expected at this time of year - and only an hour or so away. I drove to Daventry reservoir and the bird was still present - it flew off shortly after I arrived, giving good flight views of the striking wing pattern - then returned and fed on the shoreline. A charismatic Gull, one of my favourites, I think a combination of the striking flight pattern and the fact that it is a pelagic species and seldom seen close to land. Stormy weather is bad for bird, but good for birders.

Slimbridge waders .............. self-found Grey Phalarope !

12 Sept - The morning after Storm Aileen I was undecided where to go - I thought a look at Slimbridge (which I always find therapeutic) was in order. The Curlew Sandpiper was on South Lake as expected, my first of the year, and I checked the Rushy, Green Sandpipers and Ruff with Black-tailed Godwits as usual. I was going to return via Farmoor, but decided to check Robbie Garnett hide - and when I looked out there was a Grey Phalarope spinning away in full view! I did a double take, and then put the news out on Twitter, and WWT staff started to arrive within a few minuted to view this very scarce visitor. There was in fact a good scattering of these birds across the country, doubtless due to the storm that blew through and displaced them from the Atlantic. Always good to see (or find!) and attractive fearless high Arctic breeders. SO my trip to Oxfordshire wasn't necessary after all...... always better to find your own!

A bit of a Twitch

12 Sept - A fairly rare opportunity today - a free day and my first "twitch" for a while, several good birds within range, including 2 waders, one of my favourite groups. I headed first for Chipping Sodbury common where a juvenile Woodchat Shrike has been in residence for several weeks - in morning sunshine it was feeding actively and with patience it allowed a fairly close approach, a smart bird at close quarters, and feeding from exposed perches as is usual. Also present, Whinchat and Wheatear. Then to Lodmoor in Dorset and a duo of waders from North America - firstly, a diminutive Least Sandpiper which was very obliging, tiny and mouse-like, and a juvenile Stilt Sandpiper, more elegant with a decurved bill, but still small compared with the adjacent group of Black-tailed Godwits. Good views of these vagrant waders in the sunshine - then a detour to the Bill where after a wait I had reasonable views of the Wryneck that has been present for a few days - my first in the UK for several years, amazing cryptic plumage as always. An adult Med Gull at Ferrybridge rounded off a good day!

Scotland Sept 17............

7 Sept - at last a window of fine weather coincided with me being free and Munro no 200 was clocked up. Birds seen during the Munroing included Meadow Pipits and Wheatears, now moving south on passage - a flyby female Merlin and several Buzzards, together with Siskins and Redpolls wherever there was forestry. A bit of additional birding logged 2 Crested Tits at Culbin Forest and a lone Whooper Swan at Ardersier which has apprently been resident for a while. Udale Bay gave distant views of waders on the tide, including good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, but the highlight here was 2 flyover Ospreys, one of which gave a close pass. The 7th Sept was a day I had booked with Philip Price of Lochvisions - Otters! We arrived on the west coast of Argyll and more or less immediately were treated to an Otter sleeping on the rocks - we managed to stalk it fairly close keeping downwind, and were rewarded with a superb display - it fished and ate 2 large FLounders in front of us in the seaweed, yawned, rolled, snoozed and cleaned its fur, and was then joined by another animal! After this the day couldn't get any better, but we saw 1 or 2 more animals as well as an adult White-tailed Eagle and an Osprey. Superb, despite the rain most of the day that made everything v wet including the camera. A memorable experience, and some decent photos despite the initial adrenalin!