My year list for 2011 was slightly better than last year, I managed to see 267 species in Britain and I had 4 lifers plus an armchair tick (Siberian Stonechat) so I’m creeping along ever closer to the big 500! My highlights of the year were trips to Speyside, Scotland in April; Shetland in September […]
For several weeks a juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard has been favouring an area of old pit workings just north of the city of Nottingham. It may well over winter here and it seems to be finding plenty of food. Only 20 miles from home, so well worth the visit. The bird showed well intermittently
2011 has been one of the best years in memory to see American Waders in Britain. At least 17 species had been seen up to 28th November. The only species not found at this time was Western Sandpiper. So it was inevitable that one would be discovered somewhere!. Cley NWT Reserve was
Chew Valley Lake & Blagdon Lake, both sites now in Somerset, must rank as two of the best inland waters in Britain for attracting rare birds. Chew Valley had managed to hold on to a cracking wader for well over a week. A juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, along with a supporting cast of 2 Long-billed Dowitcher
Yesterday, Saturday 12th November 2011, two lucky observers watched Derbyshire’s fourth/fifth Glossy Ibis for 15-30 minutes at Willington Gravel Pits, before the bird flew off and disappeared, much to the disappointment of several top Derbyshire Listers!! Lucky for me I didn’t need it for my Derbyshire List!! Needless to say there was no further sign
This morning I went looking for the Great White Egret at the local Gravel Pit complex at Barrow-on-Trent. No luck despite extensive searching, viewing from the footpath at Ingleby. Just a few Grey Heron & a single Little Egret and three female Goosander on the river. Oh well !! A couple of Common Buzzard put
My 28th consecutive trip to the “Sacred Isles”, the Isles of Scilly. What a week – 2 lifers; 3 “Yankie” passerines and 5 “Yankie” waders, plus a self found Dusky Warbler. Plenty of padders helped us to achieve 101 species for the week. Arriving on Saturday 22nd October, I was anxious to get the Northern
“Holy Gwacker Moley” – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read my MEGA ALERT on my pager Friday night. A Rufous-tailed Robin in Norfolk!! Saturday morning we were on site at Wareham Greens in North Norfolk early but unfortunately and mega disappointingly, the little bugger had done a runner. Two hundred other
