NT
On the 13th October:
1974
A trip to Berrow, where on the beach were 40 Oystercatchers, 2 Curlew, 63 Shelduck, 7-8,000 Dunlin, 200+ Ringed Plovers, 3 Grey Plovers and 20+ Sanderlings.
1978
We spent most of the day on St. Agnes, quite a bit of it watching a Semipalmated Plover, a 1st British record. Also seen on the beach were c15 Ringed Plovers and several Sanderling and Turnstones, around the rest of the island we saw a Yellow-browed Warbler, a Firecrest, 3 Goldcrests, 5 Willow Warblers, a Pied Flycatcher, a Yellow Wagtail and a Little Bunting.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Semipalmated Plover.
1979
Today started on St. Agnes where we saw a Peregrine, a Raven, a Whinchat and 2 Wheatears. Then we caught the boat to St. Mary's, and, in the area near the Airport saw 4 Whinchats, a Melodious Warbler, an immature Rose-coloured Starling and 2 Black Redstarts. In the Porth Hellick area there were 2 Firecrests and a Subalpine Warbler, then at Holy Vale we saw a Spotted Crake.
Immature Rose-coloured Starling, drawings by Laurel Tucker.
1980
On St. Agnes where there was persistent rain for most of the day, only clearing by mid afternoon, we saw 3 Spotted Flycatchers, 5 Firecrests, 2 Black Redstarts, 3 Whinchats, 3 Lapland Buntings, 5 male Snow Buntings and a Merlin. On Gugh we saw another Whinchat and the Isabelline Shrike again, back on St. Agnes there had been a fall of lots of Redwings and Song Thrushes, and we watched a warbler in one of the hedgerows which wa a possible Booted Warbler.
1983
A better day on St. Agnes, where we saw the Northern Parula Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak again, also seeing a Pied Flycatcher, a Spotted Flycatcher, a few warblers and a different Subalpine Warbler.
1987
The first full day in Tennessee on a BBC sound recording trip, 1 new bird seen today.
2020
A visit to Chew Valley Lake to see the Lesser Yellowlegs which had been there for a few weeks! Distant, but good views before it walked out of sight. Also seen around the lake were 18 Great White Egrets, 9 Cattle Egrets, 7 Little Egrets, lots of duck, Coots and Great Crested Grebes including Pintail and Shoveler, a Green Sandpiper, a Snipe, a Raven and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Great White Egret.
Cattle Egrets.
2021
A drive to Hampshire, surprised that the sat-nav routed me via Newbury, after a few hold-ups and wrong turns, arrived at Normandy Lagoon near Lymington. I joined other birders on the seawall, apparently the bird I had come to see was feeding somewhere on the Solent! It gets pushed, with the Dunlin flock, onto the lagoon towards high tide, so we had a hour or so to wait. During that time I saw 100+ Canada geese, 25+ Redshank, 4 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plovers, 4 Turnstones, a Little Egret, a Peregrine, a Marsh Harrier and as the tide came in 8 Brent Geese. Then the Dunlin started to arrive, building to 100+, with them was an adult Little Stint and finally I had good views of the Western Sandpiper, a new British bird for me. https://youtu.be/5JROBHmwnF8
Next