NT
1977
An evening visit to Leigh Woods seeing a Wood Warbler, a Spotted Flycatcher and the pair of Hawfinches. The pair had become very secretive, we never saw the male enter the nest but did see him leaving, approximately every 10 minutes, the female we presumed was sat on the nest. We did see the female once, when she flew to a nearby tree and dropped a faecal sack, then cleaned her bill along the branch and returned to the nest. Both birds were inactive from about an hour before dusk.
We didn't visit again until June, when we failed to find any Hawfinches, this was the last recorded breeding of Hawfinch in the Bristol area.
1980
We were in East Anglia with Tim Cleeves, Roy Smith and Bob Richardson, attempting a 'Big Day' which started at midnight in Santon Downham hearing a Nightingale, 2 Nightjars and a Tawny Owl, from there to Wheeting, then west and back east along Burdock Lane between Hockwold and Feltwell and then to Wangford Fen, hearing 7 Nightingales, 2 Stone Curlews, 2 Tawny Owls, 3 Lapwings, 2 Little Owls, 2 Sedge Warblers and 2 Cuckoos.
At Dawn we were at Lakenheath where we added more species including a Kingfisher, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 2 Whinchats, 2 Redpolls,
2 Tree Sparrows, a Golden Oriole with 4 more heard and seeing 5 Cuckoos. At Wheeting we saw 2 Wheatears, a Coal Tit and a Yellowhammer, back at Santon Downham we added a Woodlark, 2 Spotted Flycatchers and 2 Tree Pipits to the list.
Then to Minsmere where we saw a Marsh Harrier, lots of Avocets, a Ruff, a Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, lots of terns, a Bearded Tit, a Grasshopper Warbler and a Fulmar. At Hinton Hall there were 6 Redpolls, a Lesser Whitethroat and we heard another Nightingale, at Westwood Lodge heard 3 more Nightingales, saw another Marsh Harrier and Tree Sparrow and added Bullfinch.
North to Lyng where there were 11 Egyptian Geese, a Little Ringed Plover and 2 Gadwall, at Felbrigg we heard 2 Redstarts and a Nuthatch, and at Kelling Triangle we heard a Wood Warbler and a Blackcap, at Weybourne there was a male Black Redstart and 2 Wheatears.
Our last stop was at Cley where we saw a summer plumaged male Bluethroat, 3 Grey Plovers, 2 Greenshank, a Spotted Redshank, 7 Ruff, c55 Dunlin, a Wood Sandpiper, 5 Little Stints, 3 Common Sandpipers, 3 Curlew Sandpipers, c20 Avocets and 2 Yellow Wagtails. A great day seeing 121 species of birds.
1981
1982
Leading a Wingspan Bird Tour to Point Pelee in southern Ontario. 1 new bird seen today.
1983
An early start, at Westleton Heath we heard 2 Nightjars and 2 Nightingales. Then to Walberswick where the best seen were 5 Cuckoos, 6+ Bearded Tits, a summer plumaged Grey Plover, 3 Marsh Harriers, 6 Turtle Doves, a Water Vole, a Weasel and 2 Yellowhammers. At Benacre there was a good selection of waders, terns and ducks, with the best being a Sanderling and 2 Yellow Wagtails. Then to Dunwich where there was a stunning female Dotterel which we watched for sometime. Later, we went to Westwood Lodge seeing 2 Marsh Harriers, 2 Cuckoos, 2 Yellowhammers and 7 Redpolls.
1985
In Tunisia, no new birds seen today.
1991
1996
On a birding holiday to Turkey. 3 new birds seen today.
1998
A visit to Nags Head in the Forest of Dean, seeing all the usual woodland birds including 2 Wood Warblers, 2 Redstarts, 2 Pied Flycatchers, a Treecreeper, a Garden Warbler and hearing a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
2004
A walk along the estuary from Channel View Farm to the River Yeo where the best birds seen were 3 Whimbrel. Later, at Severn Beach there were c200 Dunlin, c80 Ringed Plovers, 19 Sanderlings and 2 Ruddy Shelducks, with rings.