Nocturnal sounds .......

31 July - the juvenile Tawny Owls have been quite vocal in recent nights in the nearby trees, and heard squeaking again at dusk tonight - also a Hedgehog wandering around happily on the gravel area outside the front door.

CWP after the deluge

30 July - A look at Pit 200 this afternoon after an extremely wet morning, and 3 Hobbies emerged to feed on dragonflies and insects in the intermittent sun. Also 13 Common Terns on the spit, including a juvenile.

CWP

27 Jul - Green Sandpipers and Lapwings on the move, with birds at Pit 74 and Pit 200 - 2 Common Sandpipers also at Pit 74.

Anglesey 15-22 July 2019

A few days at Malltraeth, with a view of Snowdon from the front door! (Weather permitting....). Plenty of Choughs at the tip of the Lleyn peninsula, including family parties calling in flight..... seabirds including a few Puffins at South Stack, and the Malltraeth estuary with the adjacent Cors Ddyba RSPB reserve..... Curlew and Redshank on the estuary, with the reedbed at the reserve holding good numbers of Warblers, the best being the long-staying Savi’s Warbler, heard reeling. A male Marsh Harrier also seen hunting. The highlight was a visit to Cemlyn Bay and the Tern colony, predominantly Sandwich Terns with a scattering of Commons. Also heard here the mournful “singing” of Grey Seals, which I have never heard before.

Puffins Galore ..........

8 July - A late breeding season visit (on a fine summer day) to Staple and Inner Islands, the seabird colony was in full swing, with Puffins especially whizzing past with beakfuls of fish, alongside the Guillemots and ever-smart Razorbills in their jet-black plumage. Also Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Gannets cruising past. Not forgetting the aggressive Arctic Terns dive-bombing the visitors! A cacophony of sound and constant movement of birds whirring in all directions, a very impressive spectacle. As usual, lots of photo opportunities, but original composition and focussing on flying birds more of a challenge.........

Owls

3 July - Last night, a real surprise, a Little Owl perched on a telegraph pole at dusk within a mile of home - the first I have seen here for several years. This evening, on another perfect summer evening, a couple of squeaky young Tawny Owls calling in the trees at the bottom of the neighbour's field. Plus superb views of screaming Swifts every evening during the current fine spell.

Southern England specialities

2 July - A morning on the open areas of the south, I’m keeping the location deliberately vague as first of all I had good views of a Stone Curlew, in one of the stronghold areas for this species, and while watching it I listened to a Quail calling - then, nearby, distant flight views of a male Montagu’s Harrier as it circled over in the morning sun. A productive and successful visit.

Night Heron

2 July - An evening visit to Pittville Park in Cheltenham, where an adult Black-crowned Night Heron has been present for a couple of days. As the name suggests, this species is crepuscular, as indicated by it's large red eye, so after a short wait, the bird flew in to the island in the lake and commenced feeding. The bird is an adult in breeding plumage complete with head plumes. It crept about on the roots overhanging the water, giving very good views. I saw a Night Heron at this same location back in 2014, so this could possibly be the same individual ?? Good to see a rare bird at last in Glos, after missing last week's Little Bustard and Red-backed Shrike due to being elsewhere / work.