Scotland Sept 17............

7 Sept - at last a window of fine weather coincided with me being free and Munro no 200 was clocked up. Birds seen during the Munroing included Meadow Pipits and Wheatears, now moving south on passage - a flyby female Merlin and several Buzzards, together with Siskins and Redpolls wherever there was forestry. A bit of additional birding logged 2 Crested Tits at Culbin Forest and a lone Whooper Swan at Ardersier which has apprently been resident for a while. Udale Bay gave distant views of waders on the tide, including good numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, but the highlight here was 2 flyover Ospreys, one of which gave a close pass. The 7th Sept was a day I had booked with Philip Price of Lochvisions - Otters! We arrived on the west coast of Argyll and more or less immediately were treated to an Otter sleeping on the rocks - we managed to stalk it fairly close keeping downwind, and were rewarded with a superb display - it fished and ate 2 large FLounders in front of us in the seaweed, yawned, rolled, snoozed and cleaned its fur, and was then joined by another animal! After this the day couldn't get any better, but we saw 1 or 2 more animals as well as an adult White-tailed Eagle and an Osprey. Superb, despite the rain most of the day that made everything v wet including the camera. A memorable experience, and some decent photos despite the initial adrenalin!

CWP pit 132

27 Aug - An early evening visit to probably the best current wader spot in CWP and a good variety of waders on show - as well as a Wood Sandpiper, 3 Greenshanks, 4 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sands and a juv LRP. A Hobby was perched up in a dead tree. Definitely worth keeping an eye on this drained pit the next few weeks.

Otmoor

26 Aug - A morning visit to Otmoor on a fine bank holiday Saturday with increasing sun, warm and humid. initially quiet but a few things in view from the first screen - 6 Snipe, a Greenshank, Green and Common Sandpipers, a flyby Kingfisher, a juvenile Marsh Harrier, 6 Red Kites, and briefly on a dead twig, my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year. Following directions from Peter Barker the warden, I headed over to the fields adjacent to the rifle range and the old hedgerow and scattered bushes here held 3-4 Redstarts, including 2 obliging males, also another Spot Fly and a mixture of passage warblers. Using an old target wall as cover it was possible to get good views of the Redstarts flycatching. A Hobby also flew over here. Home just as the traffic was starting to build.

Water Voles at RWB...... and Blakehill

25 Aug - I'd heard a lot about the Water Voles on the restored canal at Wootton Bassett so I went to have a look this morning - and very obliging they are. I saw 5 in half an hour...... fairly quick in and out of the bankside vegetation, but a few photos had as they swam low in the water collecting food. lots of bankside tunnels obvious to see. An evening walk at Blakehill was productive - 3 Redstarts including a male that perched out - a Wheatear - and a brief Whinchat. Also 2 Lesser Whitethroats with 4-5 Whitethroats, and Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

WWT again

24 Aug - Another early visit to Slimbridge, arriving for the members only entrance time of 8.15am. Nice views of Black-tailed Godwits on the Rushy together with LRP, Ruff and Green Sandpiper, and atmospheric reflections on a calm morning. A large mixed flock of Dunlin and Ringed Plover from the Zeiss hide (high tide) and more Ruff, Godwits and Dunlin on South Lake. A few early Snipe arrivals too.

Odds and Ends

21 Aug - A few weekend odds and ends - a superb brief, but close, view of a Hobby as it flew over the garden Saturday morning - 3 late Swifts over Ciren Sat eve - a flock of 7 Buzzards over Winstone - and a Redstart at Blakehill that was out in the open for once. An autumnal feel with some rain and cool temperatures.

CWP (E)

18 Aug - A morning visit to pit 132 in the eastern CWP - a flighty Greenshank still around, also a couple of Common Sandpipers. flyover Hobby was a bonus.