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...

Friday 28th January 2011 Five Purple Sandpipers were at Battery Point, Portishead, over the high tide this afternoon (photos above and below) . Very nice they looked too in nice lighting conditions as they picked amongst the Channelled Wrack, and well worth the detour from my 'taxi' duties to Bristol. Three Rock Pipits and a Turnstone provided further interest here. A stop off at Aust Warth produced no owls despite a wait from 3.45pm until dusk, although one Shortie was reported earlier.

Sunday 23rd January 2011 Some photos here of the WWT Pink-footed Goose , which flew in very close to the Holden Tower late morning with a couple of Greylag Geese . The less advanced first-winter male Scaup was the only Scaup of any kind on the Rushy this morning. bit there was masses of birds on the Tack Piece, including many White-fronted Geese , Wigeon , and Dunlin , plus a couple of Ruff . Watching the Dumbles for the Marsh Harrier of perhaps Merlin produced only four Buzzards in terms of raptors by 11.30am. Final approach, flaps down: Nice close view: That's almost too close - but a nice aerial view!: In the garden, a female Brambling was visiting the feeders for a second day, and a Siskin was also making use of the local dining facilities.

Saturday 8th January 2011 The group of swans comprising an adult Whooper Swan , seven Bewick's Swans (4 ad. and 3 juv.) and nine Mute Swans (5 ad. and 4 juv.) were still in a field at Longney this morning, near Waterend GR SO 757140 (below) . At WWT I had nice sunlit views of the first-winter female Lesser Scaup (top photo and more below) and the two first-winter Greater Scaups (bottom photos) in the Rushy Pen, while the female Smew was on South Lake. Lesser Scaup: Greater Scaups:

Friday 7th January 2011 On a rather damp day, a Mistle Thrush continues to visit the garden to feed on the apples I have put out (above) . Also today, two Siskins on the Nyjer feeder, 17 Chaffinches and three Goldfinches , and three Bullfinches (2m, 1f) were to the rear of the garden.

Monday 3rd January 2011 The morning out with Andy produced some very good birds, starting with an adult Whooper Swan with a group of seven Bewick's Swans and eight Mute Swans in a field at Longney, SO757140. I overlooked the Whooper as a Bewick's in the field as it was hidden behind a Mute feeding when I scanned with the bins and only showing some of the yellow bill. I took some photos though and when i studied them, one photo only showed the Whooper in full view! (below: all three swan species, Whooper Swan left of centre) . At Sharpness, a redhead Smew was on the pool by the SARA lifeboat station (below). We finished at Slimbridge, checking out the Rushy Pen for the Lesser Scaup. After checking through just about every Aythya, which included the two first-winter male Greater Scaups , we heard that the Lesser Scaup had been located on the Big Pen. Within two minutes we were on the Lesser Scaup , a first-winter female. Most of the time it was asleep, as in the photo below...