NT
1975
An overnight drive to Kent for the weekend, Our first stop was Stodmarsh where we saw and heard the bird we had come for, a Savi's Warbler, a new bird for us.
Also seen were 4 Cuckoos, 2 Cetti's Warblers with 3 more heard, 3 Water Voles, lots of Bearded Tits and Sedge Warblers, a Blackcap, 5 Reed Warblers, 30+ Swifts, 4 Snipe, a Short-eared Owl, a Turtle Dove, 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 3 Redshank, 4 Gadwall, 10+ Shoveler and we heard a Spotted Crake.
Then a brief visit to Sandwich Bay where we saw 5 Yellow Wagtails, a Blue-headed Wagtail and a Wheatear. We continued to Dungeness seeing 4 Wheatears, a male and 2 female Black Redstarts, 3 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 Whitethroats, 30+ Common Terns, 6 Little Terns and 11 Sandwich Terns. Our last stop was the ACR Pits where there were 5 Black Terns and 10+ Common Terns.
1977
An evening visit to Leigh Woods, where we saw a Wood Warbler and heard another, also 2 Marsh Tits and we saw the Hawfinch pair and there was possibly another pair. We watched the pair nesting by the cottage, the female always entered the nest through the ivy at the back of the tree, where there was most cover, when leaving the nest she either perched on the next tree or flew below the woodland canopy to nearby trees.
1980
A day in the New Forest, starting at Tantany Wood where we saw 7 Wood Warblers, 4 Redstarts, 2 Treecreepers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Cuckoo, a few Marsh Tits, 2 Tree Pipits, a Blackcap and 2 Spotted Flycatchers. At Stubbs Wood there was another Redstart, 4 more Wood Warblers, a pair of Hawfinches and another Tree Pipit. We continued to Beaulieu Road where we saw 4 more Tree Pipits, 6 Woodlarks, 5 Siskins, 5 pairs of Stonechats, 3 Hobbys, a pair of Kestrels, a few Curlew, 12 Fallow Deer, a Garden Warbler, a Cuckoo, a Redpoll and a Crossbill.
We returned to Stubbs Wood, this time seeing a male Golden Pheasant, 4 Nuthatches, a Cuckoo and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
1981
1982
Leading a Wingspan Bird Tour to Point Pelee in southern Ontario.
1985
In Tunisia, no new birds seen today.
1988
In North Carolina on a sound recording trip, then a drive to Virginia.
1989
The day of the strike at BBC Bristol, many of us were at the 'Back Gate' not crossing the picket line, Neil Hipkiss was in his camper van making cups of tea for us. After a couple of hours most people got fed up and started to leave, so I dragged Neil away to introduce him to birdwatching, at Nags Head in the Forest of Dean, to which he reluctantly agreed.
It was a warm, sunny day and walking through the woodland we saw lots of the commoner birds, also 3 pairs of Pied Flycatchers, 3 pairs of Wood Warblers, 4 pairs of Garden Warblers, a male Redstart, a Treecreeper and 3 pairs of Nuthatches. Neil enjoyed it really!
1993
On a sound recording trip to Scotland, staying at Nethy Bridge, my first stop was Loch Garton seeing lots of Chaffinches, Siskins, Coal Tits and Willow Warblers, also several Wrens, Goldcrests and Tree Pipits. From the visitor centre I could only see one Osprey, on the lake there were 8 Goldeneye, 2 Goosander, 2 Greylag Geese, a Wigeon, 3 Common Sandpipers and several Oystercatchers, also seen were Red Squirrels and Roe Deers.
Later, a visit to Abernethy Forest where there were more Chaffinches and Siskins, Mistle Thrush, around 8 Scottish Crossbills and a Woodcock.
1997
On a filming and sound recording trip to the Ukraine for a series called 'Living Europe'.
Red-footed Falcon.
2004
A visit to New Passage seeing a Great Skua sat on the water off-shore, c11 Whimbrel and lots of Shelducks.
2006
A visit to Severn Beach where there were c60 Dunlin, c20 Ringed Plovers, 6 Sanderling and a female Red-breasted Merganser, a rare bird here.