Unseasonably cold......

30 Apr - Last day of April but very cold northerly wind. A Whimbrel flew over pit 74 mid-morning, and a Nightingale in full song, but unseen, from Twitchers Gate. Eysey rather quiet, a single Ringed Plover with the LRPs and Lapwings. Hirundines still feeding low over the Lakes.

Eysey waders

29 Apr - 2 Whimbrels at Eysey this morning in the cloud and cold NE wind, also Greenshank, RP, LRP and Dunlin. Very cold.....

Great Skuas at Farmoor......

28 Apr - I called in at Farmoor to see if any waders had dropped onto the causeway in the drizzle. 7 Common Sandpipers and 3 Dunlin were on the causeway but the most memorable sight was a mass of hirundines and Swifts feeding low over the reservoir and causeway, and buzzing by at arms length. Bedraggled Yellow Wagtails were perched alongside hirundines on the parapet. The biggest surprise was 2 Bonxies sitting on the water on F1, grounded by the rain - they flew off after I left, at about 2.15pm. Also an Arctic Tern on F1, with a Common for comparison. Bad weather for birds, but good for birders.....

Is it Spring??

27 Apr - Cool breezy and wet. A check at CWP revealed large flocks of hirundines feeding low over the water. Waders at Eysey included 13 Ringed Plover and 4 Dunlin, together with LRP and Oystercatcher, also a flock of 7 Yellow Wagtails brightening the gloom. 2 Arctic Terns flew over pit 16, and a flock of 14 Black-tailed Godwits still on pit 74. A wet, cold forecast the next few days......

Spring morning in the Forest.......

26 Apr - a cool but sunny and (initially at least) fairly calm morning in the Forest of Dean, where the leaves are just emerging. An area of deciduous woodland held 3-4 singing Wood Warblers, and I had good views of a couple of these birds with their attractive green upper parts and yellow throat. Best of all is the shivering song which seems to epitomise the western oak woods. Open heath at Crabtree held several singing Tree Pipits. Moving on to Speech House, the tall spruces produced a singing Firecrest which showed well. An hour at Nagshead Lower Hide added a pair of Pied Flycatchers and a male Redstart. All in all a very successful morning, with all the specialities of the Forest seen.

White-wingers

25 Apr - An extraordinary gathering of white-winged Gulls currently in fields at Wootton Bassett, 2 Glaucous and an immature Iceland Gull present this morning, all with a small flock of mixed large Gulls. The Glaucous very large birds with heavy heads and bills, and striking white primaries, whereas the immature Iceland has a much more gentle facial expression / head and smaller bill. Presumably these northern gulls are all on spring passage...... Windy, cool and showery this morning, so a brief stop at Greenham Common only produced flight views of Woodlark, and no sound of Dartford Warbler - have these been decimated by the freeze up of late winter ?

Swifts!

24 Apr - Cool, showery and breezy - as might be expected, a flock of c50 hirundines over pit 74 trying to find insect food, joined this afternoon by my first Swifts of the year - 5+ birds, scything through the air on swept-back wings. Always good to see them return.

Unexpected Ibis ........

23 Apr - A morning visit to Slimbridge mainly to see the Avocets that are now nesting, but when I called in to the Martin Smith hide on the off-chance, the Glossy Ibis was visible in the reeds just a few feet away, and feeding in the morning sun just a few feet from the hide, posing for the camera at times ....... together with a Little Egret nearby, a nice pair. Avocets are on site in good numbers, and feeding and interacting with some nests visible, but generally fairly distant from the hides. Also some summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwits but the light not good to admire their chestnut colours. A pair of Med Gulls have this year built a nest on South Lake, and the adults were looking smart with their jet-black hoods and red bills. As usual, an enjoyable visit and I was later leaving than I intended ! En route home, a quick check at Eysey and now four Greenshanks present, along with 3 Ringed Plovers, LRP and sum plum Dunlin.

Otmoor spring .........

21 Apr - Perfect weather for a spring visit to Otmoor with a red sunrise over a slightly misty landscape. A Warbler chorus including Grasshopper Warbler, and at least 3 Cuckoos calling including a very active bird. Waders included displaying Redshank and Lapwing and drumming Snipe, also a bonus passage Whimbrel. A pair of Marsh Harriers, a booming Bittern, and a flyover Crane completed the line up. Spring at its best. En route, the flood at Eysey held 6 early morning Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Greenshank, as well as the usual LRPs and Oystercatchers.

On hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring.........

20 Apr - That special moment when you hear the first distant Cuckoo proclaiming his arrival from the forests of tropical Africa for his brief visit to the UK, and for us the quintessential harbinger of Spring. So good every year to get that magical moment despite the ever-increasing noise and steady development that threatens their remaining habitat. This year the call echoes across pit 74 from the wood opposite to the gate, Cleveland Lakes is always a good area for them with many Warbler nests to parasitise.

Nightingales

19 Apr - Nightingales have returned to undisclosed locations at CWP west, and I had excellent views this morning of 2-3 birds singing and chasing as they set up their territories. They are always easy to see for a week or so, then become their usual elusive selves. Also a plethora of Warblers present on a beautiful spring morning.

Osprey at Dawn !

18 Apr - Having missed the Osprey the previous day, I woke up early and figured the bird would still be present after a cloudy wet evening. Indeed ......5 mins after my arrival at the Broadwater at 6.20, the bird flew low over the valley and hovered briefly, before nmoving off west. Poor light but I got a couple of record shots. I waited til late morning but surprisingly, the bird did not reappear to catch a fish and it wasn't seen again..... so the early start was well worth it. A good spot for raptors with Red Kite, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and a distant Peregrine all being seen, as well as a Raven. An evening leg-stretch at Shorncote added Lesser Whitethroat and Reed Warbler for the year, but no sign of the Otter with 3 cubs that had been sighted in the morning. Fantastic evening light on the reedbeds as the sun dropped into the western sky. A Nightingale heard singing nearby at dusk.

Farmoor

16 Apr - Spring is one of the best times to visit Farmoor, and although a breezy day, this afternoon was worthwhile. An adult Little Gull was still present, together with 3 Common Terns, also up to 4 Yellow Wagtails and 3 Swallows. Later at Sherborne Swallows and House Martins were feeding over the Broadwater (but I missed the Osprey).

Warblers slowly arriving......

15 Apr - back to cool damp weather, but 6 species of Warbler singing at Twitchers gate this morning - Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, Cetti's Warbler and Blackcap, with the new additions being Sedge Warbler and Common Whitethroat.

Ring Ouzel at Blakehill

14 Apr - A personal first for Blakehill, a male Ring Ouzel feeding around the mounds - wary but gave reasonable views after a while. Also 7 Wheatears present, my first of the spring. A beautiful spring day. Several Willow Warblers in sing along the roadside hedges in CWP.

Spring on hold ...........

2 Apr - A dreich Easter Monday, but 25 Sand Martins over pit 74 from the gate at midday. Also a Cetti's Warbler bravely singing in the chill. The R Thames massively flooded across the surrounding fields.