Coming back down the A14 at lunchtime I diverted to Over, parking by the river I started searching for the golden plover flock. They were the other side of the river so after a bit of a walk I joined a few birders in the search. After a while the american golden plover was located. It was not a particularly striking individual but was easliy identified from some photos taken the previous day posted on the web. Grey wagtail and good numbers of stock doves present along with good movement of redwing and fieldfares.
Tuesday 28th October
Wilshire was the destination to visit the great bustard group and hopefully see some of the bustards. A beautiful morning and there were 5 great bustards on site, 1 from last year and 4 from this years introduction. A couple of stonechats. After having my fill and purchasing a few bottled beers from the gift shop I headed south. A couple of touristy stops on the way to Radipole Lake RSPB, where the hooded merganser a beautiful male was showing well. A complete contrast from the Kent bird which was very shy and skittish, this bird is fearless and could well be dodgy (although I have seen them very approchable in the states). I spent the rest of the day walking not much wildlife wise apart from ravens and a brown rat. The weather was a bit hit and miss and my walk lasted longer than expected and but the darkness finish produced a fox only having a compact camera with me the pic was a bit poor. The journey home was a bit bad with serious snow and dody driving conditions.
Monday 27th October
I was going to Kent later this week but re arranged my visit for today, arriving first thing at West Hythe, the green heron was showing well in the lovely winter sun, a bit different from my last one on Anglesey in torrential rain. The bird was showing down to 10 feet or so and feeding well entertaining the small crowd. It was well worth the visit. Next I popped into Dungeness where the red brested flycatcher was quickly located in the lighthouse gardens. Nothing else I headed for my appointment. Next stop was Blean woods, a black squirrel and brown rat were the highlights. Last stop was Oare Marshes but nothing out of the ordinary.
Saturday 25th October
Leaving for South Wales on Friday night, arriving in the Brecon area to put in a few more hours in my polecat quest. I was only an hour in moving between areas on a relatively large road when I finally spotted one, rounding a corner a polecat was on the verge after crossing a road, it quickly moved through the hedge, I stopped and was out but it had disappeared. Still I was happy. I spent the rest of darkness looking around no more polecats but great views of tawny owls and a barn owl On to Kidwelly, buzzard and a dozen red kites on the way. No sign of the Little blue egret on arrival but a dodgy snow goose was present. Despite loads of birders grilling all the little egrets no sign till dusk. Notable birds include snipe, green sandpiper, peregrine, merlin, hen harrier, kestrel and raven. The polecat helped ease the Heron no show so not a total loss.
Wednesday 22nd October
A real early and very cold start as I was booked on the red deer rut walk at Minsmere starting at 7am. I arrived a few mins late but just intome to join the small group. We entered a part of the reserve that is usually closed to the sound of bellowing deer. We quickly found a few hinds and a couple of yearling stags before finding a 16 pointer red deer stag making some noise. We found a few big stags and loads of hinds and small stags, grey squirrel, rabbit and exmoor ponies the other mammals. Good numbers of mixed tits and goldcrests, some vis mig was on offer mainly woodpigeons but a few redwings as well. Walk over and I headed for an appointment in Southend. On the way home I stopped in on Rossi but he was out probably because the sea was in Holland. I had news of good birds in Rainham so headed there. The serins performed well on my arrival but the richards pipit had done one. With plenty of light I went to Amwell for another crack at the fudge duck. I had the reserve my myself all the regulars were at Rainham. The Ferruginous duck was present on my arrival, as was a cracking cetti's warbler. The watchpoint had a water rail and a couple of little egrets but not much else of note.
Sunday 19th October
Travelling back through the Forest of Dean we stopped a Cannop Ponds another dead polecat on the way. Here we quickly found a drake Mandarin duck. AFter a quick bit to eat we parked up at the feeding station which was a buzz with tits particularly coal tits over 20 seen. nuthatches and marsh tits of note.
Saturday 18th October
I had a few other things to do and travelled round a bit, but saw good numbers of red kites and buzzards
Friday 17th October
Another NARRS survey attempt, with still no reptiles! A male sparrowhawk whizzed past me but nothing else. We were spending the weekend in South Wales arriving in the dark we drove down some likely small roads in suitable habitat and bingo we had a polecat but it was dead - drat. This was the only one we saw.
I had to go to Harlow, so it was an ideal opportunity to visit Amwell, I met David Arch (Stort crew) by accident and we scoured the reserve failing to find the fudge duck that had been present, it was there somewhere as it appeared later in the evening, kingfisher the pick of what was on offer. The red backed shrike was MARGINALLY better as it was flushed by a sparrowhawk on my arrival and I could not refind it before it started raining.
Monday 13th October
Another touristy day in Cornwall but we headed home through Devon and stopped for some red deer not much else of note.
Sunday 12th October
The vireo was back and mid morning we were in the garden other side of the farmyard, the red eyed vireo showed briefly on arrival but it took another 30 mins before my wife had actually seen it, it showed very well moving round the garden bushes and trees. We did some touristy things popping in on the unarmed stick insects on the way. 4 were found easily in a few mins. Last stop was the Hayle RSPB but it was pretty quiet apart from a nonce stringing curlews into godwits.
Saturday 11th October
I felt there must be one good bird around in Cornwall. News of a bobolink was it but it came to nothing, but a red eyed vireo was more promising. We headed to Sennen stumbling upon the possible azorean yellow legged gull one for the experts I am afraid. On to the vireo in the farmyard but it had disappeared and after an hour or so it was time to go, but a short eared owl showed a couple of times to reduce the boredom.
Friday 12th October
This trip to Cornwall for the wife's birthday had to be a bird minimal trip (see the above trip reports) to understand the reason. But the flycatcher going Thursday night as we travelled down was disapointing, not much seen at all apart from the first stoat of the year
Tuesday 7th October
I was in Ely for a meeting so spent a hour or so with the glossy ibis and the bar headed goose on a pleasantly warm and dry evening. The ibis was always quite distant and the goose close, but both feeding contently with mute swans.
A few garden highlights over the past few days, the great spotted woodpecker has returned, a sign of winter. And the male sparrowhawk has been regular. Locally a couple of foxes, a fallow deer, bank voles and both common and pygmy shrews and the warm wet weather has brought the toads out.
Saturday 4th October
A day out with the stortford Crew, but with little about we thought we had better tick off the local good bird. At Sutton Gault the glossy ibis was still present a little disturbed by the shooting nearby and was a little flighty. Good views were had on a bitterly cold and very dark and dismal morning. A bar headed goose was present with the swans, but the shooting kept most other birds away. We travelled the short distance to Ouse Washes RSPB reserve, where tree sparrows were easy to come by on the feeders. The reserve held all the usual birds, large flocks of flyover greylag geese was unexpected. A kingfisher was an excellent spot and whooper swans had started to arrive with about a dozen on the reserve, but no other migrants at all. A large selection of ducks were also present and a couple of Marsh harriers kept them on their toes. After a cup of tea we headed north to Sculthorpe Moor in search of Willow tits. There were recent reports so we headed off hopeful. Marsh tits entertained on the bird table amongst a good selection of birds a buzzard. A field vole picked up the scraps from underneath the birdtable. We headed to the new hide, bumping into a large mixed tit flock with goldcrests and a treecreeper amongst them. The new hide was still not open, so we walked back to the last hide. On the way our hopes of a water vole were raised with some ripples and a glimpse of something in the rushes, but a moorhen appeared from the spot in the rushes dashing our hopes. The last hide was pretty much birdless but a look at the sightings book made us hang on for a little longer. It did improve a nuthatch and a sparrowhawk hunting a few of the commoner birds that had joined us, before a cracking male golden pheasant put in an appearance in the now fading light. It showed well for a little while before heading off. A couple of hares were in a field south of Swaffham.
Thursday 2nd October
I had been tempted by one of my bogey birds, the rustic bunting in Cumbria all week but with some prior engagements I had not been able to go. But today I headed to South Walney arriving just after 9am. News was bad a birder had been there since dawn and they had not seeded the path to lure it in since the weekend another birder joined us but after almost two hours no sign. We did find a couple of lesser redpolls braving the rain. A few rain showers and I headed back to the car park for a rain jacked the early birdwatcher decided to leave. I headed back and the other birdwatcher had a couple of birds on the path, a minute later I had the Rustic Bunting . I went back to the car park but the other birder had left, we put out news and hoped he cheked it. It stayed on the path for 15 mins but all the birds left just before the early birder returned. The birds started to return a short while later and were just building up in numbers when a merlin shot down scattering the lot. A short while later the rustic bunting had returned to the path. I headed off to find the phalarope which proved to be very elusive and other birders told me it had flown off. I did a bit of sea watching I almost had a red clean sweep with a red throated diver, red necked grebe and several red breased mergansers but a leaches petrel off Piel Island spoilt it. The grey phalarope took off from the sea not far from me (how did I miss it) flew over my head to the pools. I carried on to find the geese, a single pink footed goose and 10 emperor geese on the spit. I found a few twite on the path but nothing much else. I headed home as the stilt sandpiper had not been seen.
Saturday 27th September
I joined a PTES organised bat event in the Savernack Forest in Wiltshire, I have been before and had an excellent time. The early morning fog lifted to an excellent day so a return visit was overdue. In the morning we checked bat boxes in the forest in two groups. We found a lone noctule but not much else until the last box in our section where we pulled 18 brown long eared bats out. We joined the other group where they were looking at barbastelles bats. The last box was occupied by a dormouse. We then checked the totem pole which held one common pipiestelle. After something to eat we met for the evening event, but I drove over a broken bottle in the car park and ruined a near new tyre. The evening was quiet despite excellent conditions, we did catch 9 natter's bats and a single Daubenton's.
Thursday 25th September
I met Stephen just north of Cambridge and we headed north, the journey went well with no hold ups in the A1 roadworks, good news being sent to us all the way up. We arrived on site, paid our donation and headed for the hedge. Viewing was difficult with the high hedge in the way but a 20 min wait was all we needed before we found the Brown Shrike, sharing the hedge with a juv red backed shrike. It was a little distant but good scope views were had. After a while we moved on to the old fall plantation where a red brested flycatcher showed quite nicely, netertainign a large crowd. A couple of yellow browed warblers were also present. We had a good look round but pickings were slim, whinchat, redstart, blackcap of note amongst the stonechats.
A return to the shrike, and the field was open so viewing was much better but it was still distant, having our fill we returned home very happy.
Wednesday 24th September
I had to be in Ipswich in the evening to drink loads of Ale, so Minsmere was an obvious choice to spend the afternoon. A miserable day overcast with showers, but a few things to see. The first was the pectoral sandpiper showing distantly from the east hide with a supporting cast of a bar tailed godwit and several spotted redshanks. A flyover bittern was a bonus. The weather was ideal for some migrants but a goldcrest was all I could find. A brief moment of sun brought out the butterflies and dragonflies. A muntjac was to quick for me, but the red deer were more helpful. I had to hot foot it back to the sluice just in time to see the back end of great white egret flying away. My next stop was Westleton heath, where a wheatear and a couple of dartford warblers was all I could muster before Ipswich and Beer. The news of the Brown shrike came through and plans were made.
Saturday 20th September
I had to be in Kent so arranged with the PTES to join a dormouse nestbox check. A few fallow deer spotted on the way. After a cup of tea the small group headed into the woods to check 50 nest boxes. The first few were empty but one had a female with three very small babies, it was quickly replaced. We had a few other boxes with dormice in and managed to get a few pics. We disturbed a woodcock during our rounds. The walk back produced a young slow worm basking in the glorious sun. I headed off to my appointments. Early evening I headed to see the wild boar on the Kent / East Sussex border. I disturbed two wild boar on the track that moved off noisely, but no more sightings despite several noisy ones nearby. Two foxes and a few rabbits were also present and a mid sized bat passed by. Two woodcock and a nightjar the bird highlights.
The great snipe visit
After a well organised first day, I assumed and all indications pointed to a repeat of an organised flush early afternoon. Ideal and when news of the presence of the Great Snipe I headed straight off. I had the bad news by text but was close so went to the site. The news was that some birders had tresspassed and annoyed the landowner and all access had been stopped. A local birder and I took a look from public rights of way but no sign. I was very annoyed a few selfish people spoil it for everyone.
