Paul's Birding Diary

Sunday 29th August 2010 A good selection of waders at Slimbridge today - from 9.30-10.00am before high tide up to 20 Curlew Sandpipers and two Little Stints were on the estuary at Middle Point along with c90 Ringed Plovers, c90 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit and 14 Black-tailed Godwits . Later on in the afternoon, 11 Curlew Sandpipers were on the Top New Piece (below) plus six Ruff , six Snipe , a Greenshank , two Green Sandpipers and five Black-tailed Godwits . A Spotted Redshank (below) was on South Lake also three Redshanks , 78 Black-tailed Godwits some of them very close to the hide (top photo) and four Snipe .

Saturday 28th August 2010 A visit to Edgehills in the Forest of Dean today produced two Black Darters (above and below) c10 Emerald Damselflies (next photo) and three Southern Hawkers (below) , also a Common Darter . Here's another Black Darter photo, this time with the sun illuminating it:

Tuesday 24th August 2010 A couple of photos here of one of two Brown Hairstreaks at Whitecross Green Wood, Oxfordshire. Three Silver-washed Fritillaries were the highlight at nearby Bernwood Forest and 100's of Common Darters and many Hawkers were at both sites, with a Hobby taking advantage at Whitecross.

Sunday 15th August 2010 A selection here of insects from home and away today, starting with a very impressive Great Green Bush-cricket , spotted by Andy, on Rodborough Common: Then Adonis Blue and Chalkhill Blue , also on Rodborough Common: Next, a particularly strikingly coloured Dark Bush-cricket , one of four in the garden today (the rest were the more usual grey-brown colour): An finally, a Ruddy Darter at Croome Park, Worcestershire, this afternoon:

Saturday 14th August 2010 A good range of birds at WWT Slimbridge this morning. The Yellow Wagtails are still following the cattle on the Tack Piece, with at least 30 seen (photo of a juvenile above) and 50+ House Martins and Swallows also making the most of the insects. Before the high tide a Knot , a summer-plumaged Golden Plover and an adult Yellow-legged Gull were on edge of the Dumbles. My first Spotted Redshank of the year was on South Lake as were three Common Redshanks , a Green Sandpiper, two Ruffs , 18 Black-tailed Godwits (below) , and c35 Sand Martins . A good number of waders were on the Top New Piece over the late-morning high tide including eight Greenshanks , eight Green Sandpipers , 48 Black-tailed Godwits , 129 Dunlin , 12 Ringed Plover , two Ruffs and the Spotted Redshank had from South Lake had also joined them.

Saturday 31st July 2010 I rounded off the month with a trip to look for the Quail at Roel Gate, near Hawling with Andy. Between Hawling and Roel Gate, we watched a Red Kite for a few minutes from 8:40am before it drifted west (above, note the wing tags) . At Roel Gate, at least four Quail were calling either side of the Windrush Way at SP061239, and at least 25 Corn Buntings (below) were in the Barley fields, plus c8 Yellowhammers , two House Sparrows and several Linnets . We finished up at Prestbury Hill and walked round the Bill Smyllie reserve but few butterflies were evident in the overcast, breezy conditions, though we did find a Silver-washed Fritillary in Happy Valley (Below) . Birds noted included three Redstarts and a Tree Pipit .