NT
1978
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where there were c5,000 Swifts over the lake, a long way off in the centre of the lake were 4 terns, probally Common, we also saw a Garden Warbler, a Dunlin and a Common sandpiper. Then a drive to Stock Hill where we saw a Tree Pipit, 2 Redpoll, another Garden warbler and 3 Whimbrel flying over.
1979
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where we saw 2 Whitethroats, a Cuckoo, 76 Black Terns, 6 Common Terns, 9 Dunlin, a Yellow Wagtail, a Lesser Whitethroat, a Garden Warbler, a Ruddy Duck, 200+ Swifts and a Whinchat.
1981
1982
Leading a Wingspan Bird Tour to Point Pelee in southern Ontario.
1983
A drive from Bristol to Cambridge, seeing 2 Turtle Doves on the way. We were in Cambridge for Laurel to see John Burton of The Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, as tomorrow was the day of 'The Big Bird Race' between David Tomlinson's Country Life team and Bill Oddie's Fauna and Flora team. John was organising Bill's team and also doing preparatory work on a book of the event which he wanted Laurel to illustrate. So, we were to spend the next week in East Anglia visiting the sites the teams had gone to, for Laurel to sketch each location. The book came out later in the year, published by Collins.
1984
A trip to Nags Head in the Forest of Dean seeing 7 Garden Warblers, 7 Willow Warblers, a Tree Pipit, 10 Wood Warblers, 9 Blackcaps, 12 Pied Flycatchers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 2 Green Woodpeckers, a Treecreeper, a Chiffchaff, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 4 Redstarts, 4 Crossbills, 2 Nuthatches and a Stonechat.
1985
In Tunisia, 1 new birds seen today.
1988
In Maryland, at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on a sound recording trip, a new amphibian seen today.
1991
1993
I looked out of the window from the hotel in Nethy Bridge to find it had snowed overnight, outside it was wet and windy, so sound recording was off for today.
Later, when it started to clear, I watched a couple of Red Squirrels chasing each other around a pine tree in the garden, and, on another pine saw 2 Treecreepers.
Treecreeper.
1996
On a birding holiday to Turkey. 1 new bird and a new mammal seen today.
2000
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where birds of note were 2 Cuckoos, a Common Tern and the annually returning male Ring-necked Duck.
2019
A drive to the Quantock Hills, visiting Hodders Combe for the first time. Excellent oak woodland with the path following a stream along the combe. I had very good views of a Wood Warbler only a short way into the wood, then saw and heard another 12 birds. Further in had good views of a Pied Flycatcher and heard another. Also seen were 4 Marsh Tits and 2 Grey Wagtails. There were lots of Blackcaps and several Chiffchaffs, and I heard 2 Green Woodpeckers, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Cuckoos.
Photos: Hodders Combe and Pied Flycatcher.