Welcome to my online wildlife diary, which I update from time to time with sightings, thoughts, comments and photos relating to birds, and nature generally. I am based in Gloucestershire but like to visit other counties, especially Norfolk, and like to visit foreign shores too.
The Saul Reed Warbler
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Friday 5th June 2015
Use your Emargination (apologies, I couldn't resist that one!)
After hearing it and seeing it only briefly on Tuesday evening, I went for another look at the Reed Warbler at Saul Junction at lunchtime. It has a very varied song, recalling at times Marsh, but for me it isn't that unusual but interesting nonetheless. It splits it's time singing-wise between the hawthorn bushes and the reeds nearer the path. It seems that when it is in the reeds its song has more of the chug-chug type notes that when it is in the bushes. Perhaps it is auditioning as a Marsh Warbler - but it will never be one :) There is an excellent comparison of Reed and Marsh on the Portland Bird Obs website here which I found extremely useful: http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/bpp_marsh_vs_reed_warbler_310506.htm
A very obliging bird
A good view of remiges - note the positioning of the emargination (on p3) and claws - long
Thursday 1st - Friday 2nd March 2018 One of 18 garden Fieldfares A different male Hawfinch arrived on the garden bird table on Thursday morning at 8.20am just as I was leaving for work and as it was snowing. The line of pale markings on the shoulder distinguishes this male from Tuesday's bird Dwarfing this Chaffinch On Friday I worked at home having decided not to venture out in the thick snow. The apples I put out created a frenzy among visiting Fieldfares , no less than 18 of them. Two or three of them, and one in particular, spent an awful amount of time trying to defend the apples and very very aggressive towards not only the other Fieldfares but anything else that posed a threat including seven Redwings , two Blackbirds , and a Song Thrush which were tolerated in the main as long as they sat quietly at a safe distant. Othe birds in the garden included a male Great Spotted Woodpecker , nine Wood Pigeons , 37 Chaffinches (but no Bramblings yet!), 14 Greenfi...
Saturday 31st October 2009 I spent an excellent day's 'gulling' with Richard and Andy at Appleford (near Didcot), Oxfordshire on Saturday. The target bird was the adult 'Azorean' Yellow-legged Gull, L. michahellis atlantis, which kept us waiting until mid-afternoon, long enough to become very familiar with the gulls on the pit just next to the level crossing. Gulls of particular interest noted were three Caspian Gulls , a first-winter and two third-winters (the third winters were very distinctive with their white head and, small dark eyes), seven Yellow-legged Gulls , an intermedius Lesser Black-backed Gull (much darker mantle and smaller than the usual graellsii) and a few 'Scandinavian' Herring Gulls , L. argentatus arentatus (much larger than the other Herrings) . A count of other gulls on the produced 180 Black-headed Gulls , 560 Lesser Black-backed Gulls , eight great Black-backed Gulls , 160 Herring Gulls and a Common Gull . Other birds seen wer...
Saturday 1st - Saturday 8th October 2016 Hoopoe - Maspalomas A week in the hot sunshine of Gran Canaria at the start of October produced some good birds despite this island not getting much representation in the available range of published bird guides. This isn't surprising since it doesn't hold any populations of the endemic Canary pigeon species which can be found on Tenerife and La Gomera, and Blue Chaffich is much easier to find on Tenerife; next to impossible on Gran Canaria. Based in Maspalomas at the southern tip of the island, my birding was incidental, or confined to the occasional short solo exploration on foot, in between simply being on holiday. A brackish lagoon, La Charca, stretches behind the beach at Maspalomas, cut off the sea by the beach, and with the dunes along one side. La Charca was always interesting to visit and turned up some good birds. The highlights included (no particular order): Canary Island Chiffchaff - common and vocal virtually ever...
Use your Emargination (apologies, I couldn't resist that one!)
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