NT
1979
A day trip to Portland on a warm, sunny day on the way seeing a Barn Owl. At the Royal Naval Cemetery on the Verne we saw 3 male Ring Ouzels, lots of Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers, a morning seawatch from the bill produced 10 Sandwich Terns, 2 Arctic Skuas, 7 Gannets, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 3 Common Scoters and on the rocks c25 Purple Sandpipers.
We returned to the Verne where there was a Hoopoe and a Ring Ouzel and 7 more by the Cemetery, plus a Redstart. At Ferrybridge the only birds of note were 14 Red-breasted Mergansers and 2 Eiders.
We continued to Lodmoor where we saw 7 Little Gulls, 4 adults and 3 1st summer birds, a Whimbrel, 4 Yellow Wagtails, a Blue-headed Wagtail, 2 Greenshank, 10 Redshank, 3 Common Sandpipers and 8 Grey Herons.
On a brief stop at Radipole Lake we saw c100 Sand Martins, c20 Swallows and 7 Ruddy Duck. We saw another Barn Owl on the drive home.
1980
Another day trip to Portland on another warm, sunny day. By the observatory there was a Redstart, but most of the morning was spent seawatching, seeing 14 Common Scoter, 2 Black-throated Divers, a Great Skua, 11 Gannets, 11 Sandwich Terns, 6 Common Terns,
6 Little Gulls, 4 Red-throated Divers, a Whimbrel and on the rocks 21 Purple Sandpipers.
Then we heard that an adult Franklin's Gull had been seen at Lodmoor, so we went there but no gull, but did see 6 Whimbrel. Then we heard the gull had been seen at Radipole Lake, but again we failed to find it.
We went to Ferrybridge seeing 12 Sandwich Tern with 16 more on the harbour, 2 Little Terns, a few Ringed Plover and Turnstone, a Sanderling, a Little Ringed Plover and on the harbour 44 Red-breasted Mergansers.
We searched several other places but no sign of the gull, finally we ended back at Lodmoor where the best was hearing 2 Grasshopper Warblers and on the sea seeing 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls in summer plumage.
1981
An evening walk through Leigh Woods where the best birds were 4 Nuthatches, 3 Bramblings and 4 Marsh Tits.
1983
Leading a Wingspan Bird Tour to Spain, 2 new reptiles and a new mammal seen today.
1984
Co-leading a joint Wingspan/Ibis and Bristol Ornithological Club tour to Cyprus.
1988
1996
A trip to Chew Valley Lake where I heard a Cetti's Warbler behind Herons Green Pool, across the lake there must have been a 1,000 or more Swallows and Sand Martins, also seen was a female Scaup, a female Common Scoter, an adult Little Gull and at Sutton Wick a Mealy or Common Redpoll.
1997
A trip to Chew Valley Lake where the best birds were a Dunlin and a Little Ringed Plover. From there to Blagdon Lake where there were a male and female Garganey and a summer plumaged Black-necked Grebe, back at CVL there was a 1st summer Yellow-legged Gull and 10 Little Gulls.