Paul's Birding Diary

Sunday 22nd May 2016 Duke of Burgundy, Edge Common, Glos. This morning two Duke of Burgundy at Edge Common; the only other butterfly was an Orange Tip . Duke of Burgundy I also spotted lots of Common Twayblade just starting to flower. Common Twayblade, Edge Common At Burford this afternoon there were lots of Mayflies on the River Windrush. Mayfly - I think Ephemera danica Also at Burford, a Red Kite was soaring overhead. Red Kite, Burford, Oxon

Sunday 8th to Tuesday 10th May 2016 Iceland Gull, Longney Crib (in Grain-o-vision TM ) An immature Iceland Gull at Longney Crib on 10th May was nice to see after dipping it the previous evening. This late date bird was almost the same date as my sighting last year with Andy of an immature Iceland Gull seen on the river at WWT from the Holden Tower.  On the local patch I recently managed to photograph this Nightingale , no mean feat! Nightingale in full flow On Sunday, an Amigos day out taking in Frampton and the Forest, 92 species, finished at WWT on a very warm afternoon, with very close views of a Common Sandpiper on WWT South Lake Common Sandpiper, WWT Common Sandpiper, WWT These captions make the photos line up better

Monday 2nd May 2016 After finding a local Nightingale on Tuesday (26th April) near the canal, it has since moved nearer to my house. This short piece of film captures the song:

Sunday 24th April 2016 Black-necked Grebe, Woolston Eyes It's been a while since my last post, and that's just down to not getting round to it! Anyway, here are some highlights from my trip with the West Midlands Bird Club to Woolston Eyes NR and Burton Mere RSPB reserve in Cheshire on Sunday. Woolston Eyes At Woolston Eyes, sandwiched between the Manchester Ship canal and the Mersey, Black-necked Grebes are the star attraction. I noted 12, all in stunning breeding plumage. A designated SSSI, the reserve comprises four large lagoons or 'beds' used in rotation for depositing material dredged from the canal. A footbridge bridge crosses a redundant arm of the Mersey to Number 3 Bed, effectively an island surrounded by the river. Access in normally permit only - details: www.woolstoneyes.co.uk     The footbridge, Woolston Eyes Other highlights of the visit included a female Marsh Harrier and two adult Mediterranean Gulls , plus my first Reed Warbler of the...

Saturday 6th - Sunday 28th February Great Grey Shrike, Crabtree Hill The first trip of the month was to the Cotswold Water Park with Mark, and a long walk (nearly 6 miles) covering several pits looking for Smew. It hasn't been a good winter for Smew and we drew a blank, but year-ticked Goosander , Goldeneye and Red-crested Pochard . Little Gull, Tack Piece, WWT The next morning I spent at WWT Slimbidge. After a quiet couple of hours I was just leaving via the shop and happened to see Martin and Neil. They told me there was a Little Gull on the Tack Piece, so I headed straight there in time to see it. A Bar-tailed Godwit , which I had thus far missed, was also on the Tack Piece with the Black-tailed Godwits , so that was a nice bonus. I've seen the Barwit a couple of times since on South Lake. Bar-tailed Godwit, South Lake, WWT Bar-tailed Godwit, South Lake, WWT The last two Saturday mornings I have spent carried out Winter Random Square Surveys. Last Saturd...

Saturday 23rd - Sunday 24th January 2015 Siberian Chiffchaff, Shorncote, CWP Saturday morning I visited the Cotswold Water Park but confined my time to Shorncote, one of the last few parts of CWP I still enjoy visiting. Not one but two SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFFS were present along the stream, along with up to a dozen common Chiffchaffs . Also seen, a Water Rail (others heard), two Cetti's Warblers (another heard), a Grey Wagtail and a Stonechat . Siberian Chiffchaff - the same bird as the top photo - I didn't get a good shot of the other one Male Black Redstart, Sharpness Female Scaups from Robbie Garnnett hide, WWT On Sunday I spent the morning with Andy and Mark, starting at Frampton. A Tawny Owl  was the highlight. At Sharpness a male Redstart was showing well. At WWT the highlights were two female Scaup on the Tack Piece, where I also counted c120 Black-tailed Godwits and the White-fronted Goose flock were present along with the five Greenland White-front...

Friday 15th January 2016 Penduline Tit, Horsbere Brook FSA, Gloucester I spent Friday afternoon watching two male PENDULINE TITS at the Horsbere Brook Flood Storage Area in Gloucester. Penduline Tit is not only a county tick but also a lifer, one that has eluded me on more than one occasion previously. Also here were two Stonechats , a Chiffchaff , a Reed Bunting and 30 Snipe . On a very cold weekend I also saw a Great Grey Shrike at Horse Lawn in the Forest on Saturday, but very little about in the forest finch-wise. I did year-tick Marsh Tit , Mandarin and Little Grebe at Cannop Ponds.