Sunday 20th May 2013 – Early morning at Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire. I've said this before, I really like birding at this RSPB reserve and there is allways plenty to see. The place is never overcrowded, unless of course there is a major rarity, and the reserve is easy to work. It is one place where Turtle […]
The discovery of a Dusky Thrush was announced on the pagers late evening on Friday 17th May in Margate Cemetery, Kent. A much wanted Siberian vagrant, so this was going to be a huge twitch. Another lifer within a week of the Collard Flycatcher – Wow whats happening – I never had a lifer last year and
On the 4th May 2013, my wife & I visited Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, in the English County of Suffolk. People have lived and farmed in the area since the end of the Stone Age. Sutton Hoo is now owned and managed by the English National Trust, being given to the trust in 1998. The exhibition,
A morning in May spent on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire is always a delight. With patience and a wee bit of local knowledge, a number of good summer migrants can be found. This morning we were fortunate to find two Woodlark. The Woodlark is relatively silent now as they are feeding young, so we were very luck to find
My first opportunity of the year for a "Lifer" arrived Wednesday 8th May at the tiny village of Low-Newton-by-the-Sea in Northumberland. It was a first summer male Collard Flycatcher, unmistakable and a superb little bird. Many thanks to the finder and I am sure a well deserved find. I decided that if it was still present Thursday
On the 2nd May, 2 Grasshopper Warblers arrived on my local patch and were "Reeling" and showing reasonably well on and off. Over the next couple of days or so I have been watching, from a safe distance, one bird in particular, to find out it's favourite singing posts.This morning, with a little patience, I was
Local Patch Notes from STAUNTON HAROLD RESERVOIR, DERBYSHIRE – from 18th April up to 5th May. Since returning from Varanger in Northern Norway most of the summer migrants have now arrived. Highlights of the Webscount on 21st April were 2 pairs of Mandarin, still 41 Tufted Duck, reduced to around 16 on 5th May, Pair of Oystercatcher, the
Our annual trip to the Scottish Highlands commenced on 25th April 2013, returning on 29th April 2013. Usual stuff and usual fantastic B&B accomodation. The weather throughout the trip went from atrocious, to spring like, with some warm, albeit brief, interludes of sunshine. Funnily we managed to dodge the bad weather and never got wet but did
