Paul's Birding Diary

Saturday 26th - Sunday 27th February 2011 Regular visitors to the garden lately include Siskins (at least four) and Bramblings (at least three) and increasingly healthy numbers of Greenfinches (highest count nine this month); a selection here of further Siskin photos below) : Male Female .. and a (male) Greenfinch photo taken at the same settings as the two photos above, with no cropping, showing the vast difference in size: The highlight on Saturday was two adult Mediterranean Gulls , one in full breeding plumage in a field near WWT Slimbridge, just over the canal bridge on the right, and another with a less developed hood turned up on South Lake during the morning (below) . The female LESSER SCAUP and one of the drake Greater Scaups were on the Rushy and there was a good selection of wildfowl and waders around the hides, with the Black-tailed Godwits being my first of the year. A trip to Highnam Wood with Andy on Sunday morning produced two drumming LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKERS; ...

Sunday 20th February 2011 I was a bit frustrated yesterday at not being able to range too far due to other commitments, but had a pleasant session at Slimbridge nonetheless, with good views of a Cetti's Warbler at the Zeiss Hide, and of one of the the first-winter male Scaups in the Rushy (second from bottom photo) . Frustrated, because I knew a nice mega was taunting me from not far beyond the Oxfordshire border. It didn't matter anyway because I got very good views this morning of the ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVE at Chipping Norton (record shots above and below) as it perched in a nearby tree for about five minutes or so, after I had waited less than an hour. I thank the very nice people who allowed me and other birders into their garden, with proceeds to help provide care and support to Daisy, a local girl who contracted meningitis just before Christmas; I wish Daisy all the best. Scaup: Yesterday also brought some nice birds in the garden, including four Siskins (below) and t...