NT
On the 13th January:
1979
After a very heavy overnight frost, we set off from Bristol on a cold, sunny morning heading towards Cheltenham, but soon encountered quite dense freezing fog until we arrived at Dowdeswell Reservoir where it was sunny again. The bird we had come to see was on show, a male Ferruginous Duck and there were also 43 Pochard, 15 Tufted Ducks, 9 Mallard, 10 Coot,
3 female Goosanders and a Great Crested Grebe. In the nearby Dowdeswell Woods we saw a Marsh Tit, which was singing, and a Treecreeper.
We returned to Bristol via Chittening Warth where there was a flock of around 150 Chaffinches and 5 Bramblings, on the shore were about 200 Dunlin, 25+ Shelducks and 7 Wigeon.
1980
A very cold, frosty, clear, sunny afternoon at Chew Valley Lake, where in Heron's Green Bay there was a female Smew, around 10 Goosander, lots of other ducks, 50+ Canada Geese and a Pink-footed Goose, from the picnic area we saw 13 Dunlin and the long staying Greater Sandplover was still there.
1993
In Fiordland, South Island New Zealand, new birds were South Island Robin, Kea and New Zealand Fantail.
Photo: Kea.
2005
A drive to Kidderminster, to the town's shopping centre, where along one of the precincts were a line of Rowan trees full of berries. Here, flocks of Waxwings were coming to feed, in total around 160 birds, they would fly in in small flocks and feed rapidly on the berries for a few minutes, then fly up to nearby trees to digest them. Feeding with them were 20+ Redwings, 4 Mistle Thrushes and several Blackbirds.
By the afternoon feeding activity reduced and on my way back south I called in at Northwick Warth, where there were 2 Whooper Swans, rare birds in this area.
On the shore were around 2000 Dunlin, 400+ Lapwing, Curlew, Redshank, Teal and Wigeon.
Video: Also at Waxwings feeding on
rowen berries in Kidderminster.