The morning of Saturday 9th May began with somewhat of a waiting game. So Richard and I set off to a local reserve in the Erewash Valley. An area of small pools and marshland with one pit ideal for migrating waders. A couple of Wood Sandpiper had been found a few days earlier so whilst […]
A great deal of Saturday the 2nd of May 2015 was spent at Whisby Nature Park in Lincolnshire, with the elusive Nightingale. This local nature reserve has become famous in recent years for one of our best songsters. Izaak Walton, a famous English writer, wrote about the song of the Nightingale – “breathes such sweet
After domestics on Saturday, I was looking forward to some local birding on Sunday 19th April. Richard & I set off for our local reserve at Willington Gravel Pits, with the intention of visiting a nearby RSPB reserve in South Staffs, later in the morning, where a pair of Black-winged Stilts had been found on
Saturday 14th March 2015. After a very rough crossing on the way back from our week on Shetland, it was nice to get our feet back on “Terra Firmer” and head straight off to Seaton Park and the River Don, to try and find the Harlequin Duck. A first winter drake has been present on
In my view and of course if it is possible, it is well worth making the effort to see any North American bird in Britain. So when a Laughing Gull was discovered at New Brighton, on Merseyside, around the 5th of February, I had this bird on my radar. Keeping my fingers crossed, I hoped it would
Waxwings have been very scarce this winter, unlike the last two or three, when many hundreds arrived from Scandinavia. It seems that this winter the berry crops in Northern Europe have been good and therefore these birds have not errupted on their nomadic wanderings. Thankfully however, in recent weeks small numbers of Waxwings have arrived on
A few hours at my local patch produced a couple of year ticks and some good photo opportunities. Three Gadwall, a few Fieldfare and a Song Thrush moved my patch year list on to 50. I decided to spend some time at another local site, to try my luck with a few more photos, before
Rutland Water never fails to provide a wide variety of winter Wildfowl. Only just over an hours drive from home, so a great place to pick-up a few “Year Ticks”. Today, Sunday 18th January, was no exception, with plenty of ducks and grebes and other waterfowl on offer. Smew can be difficult to year tick,
