Sabine's Gull !

21 Oct - The rarest bird I've found! I was walking back with a friend along Brighton seafront, after breakfast, when this very graceful juvenile Sabine's Gull flew in front of me...I had no bins or scope! I got some photos of it on the shingle having raced back from my car. I then got the news out, including to the Sussex recorder, and local birders admired it throughout the afternoon. Photo JM.

Keyhaven and Pennington

20 Oct - A trip to Keyhaven and Pennington on the Hampshire coast, in calm but fairly cloudy weather. A fairly strenuous walk, firstly east from Pennington Lane towards the lagoons, and then west to Keyhaven village. A good variety of wildfowl and waders seen - Brent Geese have returned, and flocks of Teal and Wigeon present with the odd Pintail and Shoveler. A pair of Red-breasted Mergansers, and a drake Eider, were on the sea. A single adult winter Med Gull (7,8) was at Keyhaven beach with the Black-headed Gulls. Waders included Grey (6) and Ringed Plovers (5), Curlew (4), Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin and a single Sanderling - also a Greenshank (2) and 2 Spotted Redshanks (3) with the Redshanks. Turnstones and Oystercatchers also seen. At least 25 Little Egrets (1) on the saltmarsh, also a Kingfisher seen in flight, and raptors included Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. A migrant Wheatear was on the beach. Photos JM.

Red-backed Shrike on Salisbury Plain

14 Oct - An amazingly confiding female Red-backed Shrike has been at Everleigh, on the edge of Haxton Down, for a week or so, and I saw it today - beautiful sunshine made for good photos. The bird was feeding very actively on insects and appeared to have a larder in one of the hawthorn bushes. The second sighting of this species for me in Wiltshire. Also 3 Red Kites seen on the return journey from Swindon via Marlborough. Photos JM.

Slimbridge again.....

5 Oct - A late morning visit, and a guided walk with James Lees over the high tide - excellent close views of the 1st-winter Pectoral Sandpiper on the saltmarsh, but no sign of the Buff-breasted. Also Curlew, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Redshank and a Greenshank calling. A single Egyptian Goose was with the Barnacles. A Little Egret was on the estuary. The photo of the Pec was taken by, copyright, Richard Tyler a couple of weeks ago.

Slimbridge Waders

29 Sept - An excellent selection of waders at Slimbridge this morning - the juvenile Red-necked Phalarope on the pools distantly from the Holden Tower (photo, copyright Martin McGill), and 2 Curlew Sandpipers and a Little Stint out on the estuary with the Dunlin, also a Sanderling with the Grey Plovers which numbered about 40. From the Zeiss Hide, 2 smart Spotted Redshanks going into winter plumage with the Redshank flock, also a Greenshank. A Knot also close to the hide and a Kingfisher calling. The Long-billed Dowitcher on South Lake with 150+ Black-tailed Godwits.

Pec Sand at Eton Wick

21 Sept - I had to go to Surrey to a meeting today, so on the way back I made the small detour off the M4, and had good vews of the juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper at Eton Wick by the Thames. Photos, 1 copyright Graham Jepson and 2, Ashley Stow. 3 Red Kites were over the M4 west of Windsor.

Straits of Gibraltar.....

13-15 Sept - A brief visit to Tarifa for the raptor migration at the Straits of Gibraltar (1-6), the winds were westerly on 13th, then swung to easterly on 14th, and good numbers of raptors seen - over 300 Booted Eagles (10), and over 150 Short-toed Eagles (7-8), mostly on the morning of 14th. Rather few Honey Buzzards (12), only 30, but that included a flock of 13 on 13th. Also 24 Egyptian Vultures (11) and 39 Black Kites counted. A high total of 47 Black Storks (13) seen, also a flock of 13 Bee-eaters, and 1s and 2s of Red-rumped Swallows totalling 11. Photo no 9 shows a bird I think is a juvenile Honey Buzzard, initially I thoght it was a dark phase Booted Eagle..... Early morning seawatches both mornings pruduced a total of 50 Cory's Shearwaters and 30 Audouin's Gulls. Two visits to La Janda ricefields (14) gave very good views of Montagu's, total 22 birds, (16) and 28 Marsh Harriers - several melanistic Montagu's seen, a couple of Montagu's also seen at Tarifa. Black-shouldered Kites (15) were fairly obliging at La Janda, also here 7 Glossy Ibis, hundreds of White Storks (18), an immature Purple Heron (17) and a Woodchat. Photos JM - the birds were mostly fairly high though, in sunny, windy conditions.