Summer WWT

29 June - An unsuccessful scan of the Dumbles for the Little Bustard seen at Slimbridge while I was away - compensation in the form of a perched Hobby, and very good views of Avocets with young on the Rusty Pen - the chicks varying in size from very small, to some closer to fledging. Even the smallest had distinctive upturned bills and were instinctively serving the water. An amazing conservation success story locally. The summering Med Gull also seen on the Rushy.

Nightjar fix

28 June - My annual Nightjar foray, on a perfect summer evening at Greenham Common, combined with travelling for a family visit. I arrived on site at 9.30pm as it was beginning to get dark, and within 10 minutes I heard a Nightjar calling - not seen, but heard churring with its slightly mesmerising call at close range over the next half hour. A roding Woodcock also flew over calling.

Spitsbergen 17-24 June 2019

What an amazing place ! A week-long trip on the Plancius, from Longyearbyen up the west coast of the archipelago. The pack ice is further south than usual this year, so we were unable to head round the north side of Svalbard at all, but this had the advantage of increasing our chances of seeing Polar Bears on the pack ice. The landscape is truly amazing, extremely mountainous with some snow cover and glaciation, which combined with the shifting mists and sea ice (in the north) is very impressive indeed. The ship has zodiac boats which can be lowered for access to shore-based landings, and also for cruises along the shoreline and fjord edge. A stunning landscape with generally very confiding wildlife - large numbers of auks - Brunnich's Guillemots and Little Auks - flying around low over the water, Fulmars including the arctic variant Blue Fulmars cruising around, but surprisingly no Ivory Gulls (I missed the only one of the trip). We did extremely well with Polar Bear sightings - no less than 7 being seen, including 2 very close individuals that afforded wonderful opportunities - the first found sleeping on the pack ice before walking towards the ship and giving us amazing views - and the second watched at close range from a zodiac as it snoozed on a blue iceberg. Amazing. We also had excellent views of Walrus, a family of Arctic Foxes, and Seals, as well as Whales - 2 pods of Belugas, 2 Minke Whales, a Humpback, and the biggest of them all - the Blue Whale. All these seen well at fairly close range. The diversity of bird species is very limited at high latitudes, but superb views of a pair of confiding Red-throated Divers, Long-tailed Ducks, a drake King Eider with the numerous Common Eiders, and both Arctic and the scarcer Long-tailed Skuas. The only passerine present is the confiding Snow Bunting. Ghostly-looking Glaucous Gulls and Kittiwakes were numerous. Shorebirds included the very common Purple Sandpiper, as well as Turnstone and Ringed Plover. A fantastic few days, with 24-h daylight thrown in up at 78 degrees north...... the sun doesn't set between April and August! Strange to have it beaming down at 2am.

Wet Wet Wet

13 June - A really wet, cold few days. Probably very bad news for fledglings, especially waterfowl and waders. Swifts and hirundines feeding low over the lakes and in the lee of any trees in a desperate search for insects. Despite the weather, Little Egret seen in flight and Cuckoo calling.

Brief Scottish Foray

7 June - A short Scottish trip for a weather window and Munroing, in the Glenshee area. The breeding season up on the hills, and several Golden Plover heard, with a pair (presumably nesting) seen well. Ptarmigan also heard, and I flushed a pair that I didn’t see til they flew, amazingly camouflaged when amongst the rocks. Lower in the Glen, 5-6 pairs of Curlews seen and heard, but not a single corvid seen all day - the two related? The biggest surprise and highlight was a summer-plumaged Black-throated Diver on an upland loch. Also seen, several Wheatears and numerous Meadow Pipits, And a singing Ring Ouzel heard on the cliffs, as well as several Red Grouse, archetypal species of the heathery slopes of these hills.

Avocet trio in CWP

4 June - Having missed an Avocet at Pit 74 earlier in the spring, I was pleased to get a report that 3 birds had arrived at Pit 200 Kent End. I headed there straightaway and had good scope views of the birds busy feeding - interestingly, 3 Avocets were at Farmoor this morning but flew off, so could well be the same birds - presumably, as his species increases as a breeding bird at fairly local sites such as Slimbridge, records in the Water Park will become more regular. With a Sanderling at the same Pit a week earlier, I’ve seen a reasonable selection of waders locally on spring passage this year. Also present, a juvenile LRP, very good to see.

Crane.......

4 June - A new CWP bird for me in the form of a Common Crane (at an unspecified location). Seen in flight initially. Cranes have been seen occasionally in the Water Park in recent months.

Odds and Ends

1 June - A Hobby powered over Marston Mersey this evening presumably after hirundines and Swifts, and yesterday evening (31st) a Sanderling dropped in to Pit 200 - always a late spring migrant as a high Arctic breeder.

Ham Wall

1 June - A warm fine day, a morning at Ham Wall - 2 flyby Bitterns plus lots of booming early on, lots of Great White Egrets, an obliging male Marsh Harrier, a day-hunting Barn Owl and Cuckoos going non-stop, and. Great Crested Grebe family of 5 stripey chicks. En route home, 2 Cattle Egrets at Catcott also a calling Quail. An enjoyable trip.