Cotswold odds and ends

30 Nov - A cycle from Ciren to Winstone and back on the usual circular route. At least 4 Bramblings with the Chaffinches among the Beech mast, 30+ Yellowhammers, Fieldfares and Redwings in the hedges, and a Little Egret feeding in the stream at Daglingworth. Several Buzzards soaring in the fine although breezy weather, also a Sparrowhawk.

Blakehill revisited

29 Nov - A late afternoon visit and a relief to feel a bit of English rain after the heat of being away. Windy but drier and brighter after a wet night, so my thoughts that the Short-eared Owl might be active paid off, as it perched up on a post at dusk for a few minutes. Also small flocks of Fieldfares and Redwings moving at dusk, and a flyby female Sparrowhawk.

India 19-28 Nov 2018

One of my long-standing ambitions has always been to see a Tiger in the wild. These cats have always been in my consciousness, since I was a child - the combination of Jungle Book, exploration stories, zoo visits and an interest in nature. it is one of the world's ultimate creatures. Finally the opportunity was here with a short group itinerary to Pench and Kanha in central India. A flight to Mumbai and then on to Nagpur took us to central India with its culture shock of noise, colour and chaotic driving...... and to our first lodge. There aren't many Tigers and their forest habitat is huge, so sightings are by no means guaranteed. Morning and evening jeep drives took us through a mixture of forest. at times fairly dense, and more open savanna-type country, the good deer population throughout attesting to the presence of Tiger prey, and therefore the big cats themselves. Listening to the "barking" alarm calls of the deer, and also of the monkeys in the treetops, gives a clue to the predator's movements. Our 3 drives at Pench gave us a brief glimpse of a Tiger in a river bed and then in the undergrowth, but obscured and at a distance.....not very satisfactory....... We arrived at Kanha with renewed hopes as this reserve is usually quite productive for sighting, but we heard that the week before our arrival a female had had 2 of her 3 cubs killed by a male from another area, which had disrupted the Tiger behaviour. So day 3 at Kanha arrived and still no sightings - we had seen plenty of tracks in the sand but nothing more! We headed to the further reaches of our allocated sector, and a roaring in the nearby forest had us listening, every sense straining. Our guides used the twisty undulating tracks to get us as close as they could to our quarry as the sound seemed closer, and then as we came round a corner there emerging from the bamboo on the side of the track was a beautiful, sleek female Tiger - a memorable moment as she looked at us with her cold yellow eyes, then walked unhurriedly across the track right in front of us to disappear all too soon into the bamboo on the other side. The moment will remain etched on all of our memories....... We had 2 further sightings in all, of a large male Tiger in the grass, and then crossing the road, so brief views but time for a couple of photos and the experience will stay with me. Also plenty of birds at Pench and Kanha, with Ibis, Storks, Vultures, Owlets, and colourful Indian Rollers. But the best birding was on the coast of Gujarat on a 2-day extension I arranged with an fantastic local guide, Yashodhan Bhatia -there is no hunting or shooting in Gujarat, so the birds are generally fairly confiding - the highlight was superb views of a flock of several hundred Crab Plovers at the high tide wader roost, one of the world's most sought-after shorebirds - with the bonus of Terek Sandpipers and Great Knots. The Jamnagar saltpans were excellent for wintering waders, here we also logged Painted Stork, Marsh Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint, as well as great views of another of my targets, Great Thick-knee with its amazing upturned bill. All in all, a very successful trip - I count myself extremely fortunate to have seen Lion, Leopard and Tiger, all in 2018.

Slimbridge

17 Nov - A superb sunny day with lovely low light. Good views of 2 Jack Snipe from Martin Smith hide, on exactly the same island as I saw the bird a month ago. Despite the sun, no sign of the Bittern on a vigil from Zeiss hide, but nice views of waders including Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwing as well as a group of Common Snipe and Black-tailed Godwits. The duck including Teal, Wigeon and Shoveler looked stunning in the sun. 2 Peregrines causing chaos amongst the waders.

GND revisited

16 Nov - Another visit to Pit 125, and further views of the Great Northern Diver in the murky weather, quite close at times, but poor light for photography.

The Cotswolds

15 Nov - A nice late autumn morning, beautiful colours still on the beech trees. Highlights included large numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings in the hedges, a male Stonechat, a pair of Ravens and a Grey Wagtail.

Great Northern Diver in CWP .........

13 Nov - Good views this morning of the moulting adult GND found by Ian Ralphs on 10th. When I arrived it was fairly close in, with the sun behind me, reasonable photo opportunities as it dived for Crayfish. It then moved out further from the shore. Possibly the same bird as the juv/winter individual seen on the same pit last winter? Or a storm-driven bird after last weeks weather, and coincidentally on the same lake within CWP? Hard to say, but always a good bird to see.

Dumfries

12 Nov - Before returning home, a morning session in Alan McFadyen’s woodland hide. 3 different Sparrowhawks seen on brief visits. Also 3 cooperative Red Squirrels, Jays, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches. Rather poor light though with frequent showers.

Glen Etive

11 Nov - A day of hill fog and mist lower in the glen - few birds on the Munros, quality not quantity, namely 2 Snow Buntings briefly and excellent view of a Ptarmigan perched up on a boulder in the sleet, appropriately turning white for its winter plumage.......

Vintage Musselburgh

10 Nov - I had several hours free after travelling, so with sunny, then later cloudy/bright weather and light winds, I headed to Musselburgh and the usual expansive views over the Firth of Forth, the timing good as the tide was rising. The wader flocks were being pushed off and flying round to the lagoons to feed, so good looks at the flocks passing by in the sun - Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits in good numbers, with Curlew, Grey Plover and Knot as supporting cast alongside Dunlin and Redshank. Offshore amongst the Eider, Long-tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter, all looking very smart in the low sun, I managed to get brief views of the White-winged Scoter which has been present on and off for a few months - obvious white tick behind the eye, with a knob on the less- yellow bill. A real rarity from North America. The icing on the cake was a small flock of Twite along the seawall, and 2 unexpected Short-eared Owls that emerged in fairly good light to hunt the rough grass, despite lots of walkers being present being a weekend. A classic early winter East coast day!

Another local Hoopoe .........

8 Nov - Having missed the Hoopoe in west Swindon in the summer, I was surprised and pleased to hear of another that has been present for a few days at Hilmarton near Calne. I had a narrow window to see it this afternoon, so fortunately it was present on my arrival, feeding by the farm driveway. Fairly distant, but good views in the open. It was flushed by a vehicle after a few minutes so a well-timed visit. My 3rd Wiltshire Hoopoe.

The Cotswolds

6 Nov - An afternoon trip to the Cotswolds, and a couple of SEOs showing on and off, unfortunately, in terms of photos, after the sun went in. Also a bonus of a couple of flybys from a ringtail Hen Harrier. Fieldfares moving in reasonable numbers, and a dozen or so Golden Plovers calling then warily on the ground.

A local walk

4 Nov - A leg stretch at Blakehill late afternoon - no Owls, but 2 male Stonechats, 80-odd Fieldfares and 18 Redwings in several flocks, 3 Snipe briefly in flight.Hopefully we will get a SEO later in the winter.......

WWT

2 Nov - The forecast of a sunny calm morning, and a visit to WWT for the early access, and wonderful early morning light on the duck on the scrapes, which were frozen round the edges. Teal and Shoveler glowing in breeding plumage, a Water Rail creeping along the reed edge on the ice, and a scattering of Snipe - together with a wheeling flock of about 80 Golden Plover over the Severnside fields, with Lapwings, Dunlin, Curlew and a Ruff also present. The first lone Bewick's Swan of the winter, Indri, was being pursued around the Rushy by the very aggressive resident Mutes, and will be glad when more of her compatriots arrive...... A quick walk at Blakehill in the evening conditions revealed no SEOs but a nice male Stonechat was very active.