Heat Wave

30 June - A heatwave until 27th, with temperatures up to 30 degrees and increasing humidity. An evening walk at Blakehill with a bit of a breeze on 26th - fairly quiet, with no sign of Curlews, but a female Reed Bunting seen alongside the usual Skylarks, also Kestrel (hopefully breeding nearby) and a Buzzard. Green Woodpeckers also seen regularly at Blakehill. On 27th, cooler and a bit more windy, an adult Dunlin on Pit 200 with 9 Lapwings, and a fairly productive look at Pit 74 with a Red Kite, 4 Common Terns, and at least 35 Swifts and over a hundred hirundines (mainly Sand Martins) feeding low in the blustery conditions. A Hobby over on 29th also at Twitcher's Gate, but otherwise fairly quiet as we approach the quietest time of the year bird-wise.

Red-backed Shrike

24 June - A local, after-work trip in the heat (30 deg) and a wait in the sun resulted in good views (in the end) of the male Red-backed Shrike at Horsbere S of Gloucester. This small site has also previously hosted wintering Penduline Tits.... After a while gazing at the sunlit strip of hedge where the Shrike had earlier been seen, we looked round the other side where it was happily feeding, darting down into a sunlit weedy area, presumably after insects. As the sun dipped and the temperature dropped, it became more active a gave excellent views perched on the top of the hedge and on the fenceline. A very smart bird, and my first in Glos.

Midsummer Barn Owl ......

22 June - the last few evenings, with the sunset not being til 9.15 and clear skies, have seen the local Barn Owl emerge before dark and begin its hunting, especially on the evening of 19th following a very wet 36 hours. Excellent views of it hunting the field opposite the house at dusk in fairly good light - with its typical buoyant and very elegant flight, the pale plumage eye-catching as the light gradually fades. Unfortunately, with the field due to be cut for hay any day now, this spectacle will be short-lived, but a magical experience with the setting sun and red sky as a backdrop.

Blyth's Reed Warbler

20 June - There has been an unprecedented influx of Blyth's Reed Warblers into the UK this spring, mostly on the east coast. One bird in particular, at Far Ings nature reserve, has been giving exceptional views. I arrived early, with a sunny forecast after a couple of cloudy, breezy days, and the bird was audible as I walked up the lane to the waterside bushes where it has been holding territory. The song is distinctive, with loud chattering and some mimicry, and a lot less guttural than Reed Warbler. The bird was giving astounding views as it moved between song posts on its territory, overall the same colouration as, but slightly larger than its common congener, with short primaries and a fairly large head - it also adopted the "banana" pose at times. An incredible opportunity to see this species at close quarters - I've previously had 'scope views in Scandinavia, but nothing to be compared with this. Afterwards, a morning with a seabird fix at Bempton was in order. Gannets are the main fare here, and were constantly gliding and diving offshore, but a good population of auks as well, with quite good numbers of jet-black Razorbills in particular. Small numbers of Puffins too, perhaps 30 seen in total, mostly in flight. Kittiwakes are also here in large numbers (with their characteristic calls echoing along the cliffs) together with stiff-winged Fulmars. Also of interest, a sizeable colony of Tree Sparrows around the buildings.

Quick stop-off .......

19 June - A quick after-work stop at Twitcher's Gate fortunately coincided with the finding, and only brief appearance of, my second-ever Sandwich tern in CWP, the first being several decades ago and in Glos - this bird appeared after prolonged rain showers, and stayed for a short while only, calling characteristically as it did so. Noticeably larger than the accompanying, resident Common Terns.

Spoonbill ...........

17 June - One of the species that always excites me is Spoonbill, such an exotic looking bird, it looks special, and is indeed special to see in CWP with few records. One was found on Pit 74 from Twitcher's Gate this afternoon, but not seen early evening - when I heard about it I set off to have a look about 9pm, but of course this time of year it is light til about 10. Various White Egrets were on the scrap but not the bird in question, and I left about 9.40 as it started to get dark. Halfway home, I had a message to say that the bird was indeed still on the scrape and was feeding - so I headed back and had brief but good 'scope views as it fed behind the bund, being partially obscured at times despite being such a large bird. The bill had a yellow tip indicating an adult-type plumage, but the views were not good enough to see whether the primaries were white of whether there was any crest present, indicating breeding plumage. Another good bird for the Water Park and the year list.

Ospreys

15 June - An insect trip to Paxton allowed a short detour to Rutland Water - the visitor centre and hides are currently closed, but the Manton bridge nest is viewable from the road, and allows good scope views. There are no less than 4 large chicks on the nest, which must now be distinctly crowded...… both parents were also in attendance at one stage, as the second adult brought in a fish. Good to get an Osprey fix with Scotland still closed....

Return to WWT

11 June - having pre-booked a ticket, it was very good to make a return to Slimbridge. Not the best time of year migration-wise, but at least 50 pairs of Avocets breeding and some chicks now independently feeding, with their already-upturned bills, while their parents keep a watchful eye for roving Gulls and other predators. Also a pair of Oystercatchers with 2 part-grown young, and the non-breeding flock of summering Black-tailed Godwits. 2 pairs of Little-ringed Plovers breeding, with the nest ingeniously enclosed in wire by staff to minimise the predation risk. Nice to be back!

Otmoor

8 June - My first visit to the reserve since the winter, in view of lockdown, and I'd forgotten how good a reserve it really is. I had the place more or less to myself as currently only the bridleway is open, with the path and screens still being closed due to restrictions. In an hour or so I tallied the following - Turtle Dove feeding on scattered grain, Hobby flyover then perched, displaying Redshanks, drumming Snipe, calling Curlew, hunting male and female Marsh Harriers over both the reedbed and Greenaways, and best of all 3 flight views of Bittern including 2 birds calling and duelling in flight. Not to mention numerous breeding Lapwings, Red Kites and a plethora of Warblers including deafening Cetti's and showy Reed and Sedge, as well as Reed Buntings. Numerous Little Egrets and a Common Tern also seen. The Bitterns appear to be breeding away from the main reedbed, perhaps encouraged by the lack of visitor disturbance during the lockdown in April when they started nesting. A little bit of East Anglia or the Levels, on the outskirts of Oxford!

Cuckoos this spring

1 June - A Cuckoo calling at Blakehill this evening. They've been regular here this spring, for the first time for several years. It's been a good year for them also in the Water Park, with singing males being fairly numerous, and females also seen and heard bubbling. Let's hope that their decline has been reversed or at least halted. Interestingly, although the southern English population has been declining, they are increasing in Scotland. This must depend on several factors, including migration and wintering areas, host species populations and food supply.