A friend paid me a visit on 16th December to drop off Christmas Cards, just before he left, he picked up a Waxwing perched on a high Conifer tree at the bottom of our road. The bird spent the rest of the late morning feeding in a neighbours secluded garden. My neighbours kindly allowed me access to their garden, and I was able to take a few photographs. It also spent time in the afternoon, perching on the tops of conifers and silver birch trees, covering a wide area, and using them as vantage points. It would then perform flying […]
On 13th December 2023 I made one of my regular visits to Foremark Reservoir, and whilst scanning through the Great Crested Grebes, I found a diver. At first I thought it might be a Black-throated Diver, but it was along way off and I couldn’t at this stage rule out Red-throated Diver. I put out the news on the social media platforms, but then when I went to re-look at it, and it took me a further hour before I managed to relocate it. Fortunately it re-appeared just off the dam wall and I could confirm its identification as an […]
Staunton Harold Reservoir, my local patch, in south Derbyshire, has had regular Great White Egrets since I found the first one for the site back on 7th August 2020. On 21st November 2023 I encountered an unprecedented 6 Great White Egrets, along with a minimum of 15 Little Egrets. I met up with a good local birder and friend, Mike Blavers, who had returned to the county for a few days. We had an amazing morning, not only with Great White Egret, but also a Red Kite, 2 Goosander, 2 Teal, a drake Pochard and a Raven. Then at nearby […]
My wife and I decided to take a late break in Majorca, during early September. We spent a week at Port de Pollenca, basically just relaxing in the very warm sunshine for the time of year, eating Paella and enjoying a few beers. I made the decision, before we left, to switch off and just chill out for a few days, but Audouin’s Gull was a major distraction, and I was so glad I brought a camera with me. Around twenty or so were a regular sight, in the early morning and early evening, just opposite our hotel.