February 28, 2008
LESSER SCAUP
This LESSER SCAUP was on show today on the Stourhead National trust Lake in Wiltshire along with a few TUFTED DUCK , GREAT CRESTED GREBE & some MALLARD .
February 27, 2008
YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER
This morning I had a look at Bowling Green Marsh in Topsham & saw 200+ AVOCET , 100+ BAR-TAILED GODWIT , 2 GREENSHANK & a COMMON RAVEN feeding on what looked like a dead swan ( Lets hope its not bird flu !! ) .
I then met up with my mate Andy & we went out to Trendlebeare Down to look for GOSHAWK & we were in luck with one showing very well for around 5 minutes , also seen were a few COMMON BUZZARD & COMMON RAVEN & 2 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER , after that we went to the Pottery Pond/Wood area of Bovey Tracey where there was a Male & Female BULLFINCH , a KINGFISHER , some SISKIN in the pond area & in the wood this YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER showed & called very well .
YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER . POTTERY WOOD . BOVEY TRACEY . DEVON . 27 / 2 / 2008
February 25, 2008
Northern Goshawk
This Morning I went up to Trendlebeare Down on the edge of Dartmoor & was in luck with a Male GOSHAWK showing quite well , also seen were 6 COMMON BUZZARD , 6 COMMON RAVEN & 2 DARTFORD WARBLER .
I then had a look around Yarner Wood for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but never saw any but there was a few MARSH TIT & 2 NUTHATCH seen .
February 24, 2008
ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD
Off to Kent today with a couple of mates & our first stop of the morning was at Wraysbury in Berkshire where we saw over 20 ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET & a GREEN WOODPECKER , we then headed off to the Caple Fleet area of Kent where there were 20+ MARSH HARRIER on show , then the ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD came up but was quite distant but all the features on the bird were seen making it only the 2nd one that I have seen in Britain .
Also seen were 8 BEWICK`S SWAN , a Female MERLIN , a Female HEN HARRIER & a Female PEREGRINE FALCON , 5 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE , 30+ GREYLAG GOOSE , 20+ BARNACLE GOOSE & a BAR-HEADED GOOSE !
We then went over to Elmley & saw 200+ GOLDEN PLOVER , 2 GREY PARTRIDGE & a LITTLE OWL
February 20, 2008
A new bird for the Devon list !!!!!
News of a 1st winter KING EIDER in North Devon a new bird for Devon had us making the trip the Northam Burrows / Appledore area with our first stop being at Appledore where we saw the bird ok but it was very distant ! so we went over to the Northam Burrows & this time we got a lot better views but the the bird was still a long way off to photograph .
What a MEGA bird for the Devon list !!
February 18, 2008
Hume`s Leaf Warbler
Today I went out birding with my mate Andy & our first stop was at the Central Park in Plymouth to look for the YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER that has been seen there & after a bit of a wait we ended up getting good views of the bird that was with 3 GOLDCREST .
We then headed down to the Tehidy Country Park in Cornwall & this time HUME`S LEAF WARBLER was the bird that I was after as Andy had already seen it & once again we had a bit of a wait but in the end I got superb views of the bird .
Our last stop of the day was at the Stithians Reservoir in hope of seeing the Bittern that shows well there but this time the luck ran out with no sign of it today but we did see this 1st winter RING-BILLED GULL !
RING-BILLED GULL . STITHIANS RESERVOIR . CORNWALL . 18 / 2 / 2008
February 17, 2008
CROSSBILL
The GREAT GREY SHRIKE was showing very well this morning in the valley below the Warren House Inn on Dartmoor & 3 COMMON RAVEN also flew over .
The next stop was at the Fernworthy Reservoir where there were 6 SISKIN , a Male & 2 Female CROSSBILL , 2 NUTHATCH , 2 MARSH TIT & a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER , but after seaching well for Willow Tit none was seen today !!
February 14, 2008
Great Grey Shrike
This afternoon I went up to the valley on Dartmoor below the Warren House Inn to look for the GREAT GREY SHRIKE that was seen there yesterday & I was in luck & get views of it but it was quite distant !! there was also about half a dozen COMMON RAVEN in the area as well .
February 13, 2008
ICELAND GULL
Today Andy Bond & myself went up to Minehead in Somerset to look for the juvenile/1st winter ICELAND GULL & we found it on a lamp post outside of the Butlins holiday camp , we then went to Wavering Down to look for the Great Grey Shrike but there was no sign of it !! but there was 3 GREEN WOODPECKER , 2 RAVEN & a BULLFINCH , our last stop was at the Cheddar Reservoir & we saw quite a few POCHARD & a GOOSANDER there .
Tuesday 12th February . 2008
Out to Dartmoor today for the Harrier roost & on the way there a stop off at Steps Bridge got us 2 DIPPER & a LESSER REDPOLL , we then carried on to the Birch Torr area of Dartmoor to look for Red Grouse but none was seen today & we only saw a few RAVEN & a great sight of 6 RED DEER stags but this was the best shots that I could get of them , at the Harrier roost we dipped out again with none coming in to roost & only saw a single PEREGRINE FALCON .
February 11, 2008
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Today was a very nice sunny day so I went for a trip out to Steps Bridge today & it got me a LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER , 2 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER , a GREEN WOODPECKER , 2 NUTHATCH , 2 TREECREEPER & a few MARSH TIT .
Later on in the day I went down to the Recreation Ground in Topsham & saw a Male & 2 Female BRAMBLING in with a mixed flock of CHAFFINCH , GREENFINCH & GOLDFINCH & on the River Exe there was a Male & Female RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
BRAMBLING . THE RECREATION GROUND . TOPSHAM . DEVON . 11 / 2 / 2008
( European ) GOLDFINCH . THE RECREATION GROUND . TOPSHAM . DEVON . 11 / 2 / 2008
February 10, 2008
Saturday 9th February . 2008
A trip up to the Slimbridge WWT in Gloucestershire today with a couple of mates on a lovely sunny day got us 50+ BEWICK`S SWAN , a BEAN GOOSE that was in with a flock of 100+ WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE & some BARNACLE GOOSE , a 100+ GOLDEN PLOVER , 2 RUFF & a SPOTTED REDSHANK .
We then went for a look at the Cotswald Water Park in Wiltshire to see if we could catch up with SMEW for the year & we were in luck & see 4 Male & 6 Female birds , also seen were a Male & Female GOOSANDER , 14 RED-CRESTED POCHARD & a Male SCAUP , our last stop of a brilliant day was near Broadhinton where we saw 4 TREE SPARROW .
RED-CRESTED POCHARD . THE COTSWALD WATER PARK . WILTSHIRE . 9 / 2 / 2008
February 8, 2008
Black Redstart
A quick look at Shelley Beach in Exmouth got me this 1st winter Male BLACK REDSTART that has been around the area for a while now , another Black Redstart flew off but I couldn`t say for sure that it wasn`t this bird that came back to rocks again where I managed to get this shot of it .
February 6, 2008
LONG-TAILED DUCK
Today I went down to South Devon with my mate Brian & in Start Bay we saw 7 VELVET SCOTER & on Slapton Ley there was a Male & 2 Female SCAUP , 3 Male & 3 Female GOLDENEYE & numerous TUFTED DUCK & GADWALL , our next stop was at Beesands Ley & a walk to Tinsey Head got us the LONG-TAILED DUCK that has been around for a few weeks & 50+ COMMON SCOTER , we then went back to the ley & saw the Female RED-CRESTED POCHARD & a 100+ COMMON POCHARD & a CHIFFCHAFF .
We then headed back to Torbay & at Broadsands we saw 8 Male & 4 Female CIRL BUNTING , 2 BRAMBLING & 3 CHIFFCHAFF & a look in the bay got us 4 BLACK-NECKED GREBE & 2 GREAT NORTHERN DIVER .
February 5, 2008
Birding In Wales
Today four of us went over to west Wales to look for the Pacific Diver that has been seen there !& on the way there we had 2 RED KITE near Carmarthen , we then arrived at the Lls-Y-Fran reservoir in Pembrokeshire & after a bit of a walk we connected with the that we had come for the PACIFIC DIVER , also seen on the reservoir were 8 GREAT CRESTED GREBE , a BLACK-NECKED GREBE & a BLACK-THROATED DIVER .
We then headed back towards Cardiff & stopped at the Lisvane Reservoir near Llanishen where we saw a 60+ TUFTED DUCK , 2 LITTLE GREBE & a SPOTTED SANDPIPER that had just started to show spots .
Our last stop of the day was at Portbury in Bristol for the Male RING-NECKED DUCK that has been at this site for quite a while , also seen were 12 GADWALL & a Female GOLDENEYE .
RED KITE . Nr CARMARTHEN . CARMARTHENSHIRE . WALES . 5 / 2 / 2008
PACIFIC DIVER . LLYS-Y-FRAN RESERVOIR . PEMBROKESHIRE . WALES . 5 / 2 / 2008
BLACK-THROATED DIVER . LLYS-Y-FRAN RESERVOIR . PEMBROKESHIRE . WALES . 5 / 2 / 2008
SPOTTED SANDPIPER . LISVANE RESERVOIR . LLANISHEN . WALES . 5 / 2 / 2008
February 4, 2008
FALCATED DUCK
This morning I went to look for the FALCATED DUCK on the pond at the Countess Wear sewage works & after looking for over an hour all I got was a very very brief view of the bird before it vanished from view again , also at the site was this GADWALL , a GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER & a CHIFFCHAFF .
Then a quick look at the River Side Country Park got me this CORMORANT & 7 COMMON SNIPE & at the Matford Pools there were 200+ LAPWING & a mixed flock of FIELDFARE & REDWING
