NT
1976
Overnight at Cley, in the morning on a look around the reserve and its margins we saw a few terns and waders, including 9 Knot, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, a Sanderling and a Whimbrel, 2 Little Gulls, a Yellow Wagtail, 11 Turtle Doves and heard a Bittern. On Salthouse Heath there was a Marsh Tit, a Coal Tit, 3 Tree Sparrows, a Cuckoo and a Yellowhammer. Then we went to Holkham Woods seeing a few warblers, a Cuckoo, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Treecreeper. From there to Felbrigg Hall where after a little bit of a wait we saw
3 Honey Buzzards above the woods and a Sparrowhawk.
Then a visit to Hickling Broad where there were 8 Grey Herons, a Turtle Dove with several others heard, a Cuckoo plus 2 heard, lots of Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, lots of Reed warblers, a Sedge Warbler, 9 Common Terns, 5 Redpolls, 4 Bearded Tits with more heard, a pair of Marsh Harriers, a Tree Sparrow and a Coypu.
Our last stop was Breydon Water where we saw lots of Shelducks, a Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpipers and a Whimbrel.
1977
Today we started at the Vale Pond where there were 6 Sand Martins, a Common sandpiper, a Pied Wagtail, 12 Turtle Doves and several Reed Warbler singing in the reeds. Then a drive to Jerbourg and along the road to Petit Port we saw 13 Whitethroats, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, a Blackcap, 2 Garden Warblers, a Mistle Thrush, 2 Turtle Doves and a Kestrel. At nearby Petit Bot Bay there were 6 Spotted Flycatchers, a Garden Warbler and 5 Ravens. On the way back we stopped at Kings Mills Tanks seeing c60 House Martins and a pair of Grey Wagtails, the only breeding pair on the island. Finally, at Baie de Port Grat there were 33 Ringed Plovers, 6 Dunlin and 8 Sanderling.
1979
Overnight near Minsmere, in the morning a visit to Westwood Lodge where we saw the male Montagu's Harrier again, also 2 Cuckoos, 2 Marsh Harriers and 10+ Turtle Doves. At Potters Bridge there was another Marsh Harrier, a Spotted Flycatcher and a Hobby.
1980
An early drive to Steart to see a Black-winged Stilt, also there were 10 Yellow Wagtails, a Grey Partridge, c25 Grey Plovers and a few other waders and 150+ Shelducks. Photos: Black-winged Stilt.
1981
1983
We were back at Chew Valley Lake at Nunnery Hide, but could only find 1 Whiskered Tern, the duller of the 2 we had found the previous day, and only saw 1 Common Tern. We also saw a Cuckoo and a Turtle Dove.
Then we went to Draycott, just south of Cheddar, where there were 2 Turtle Doves and a male Cirl Bunting.
Whiskered Tern drawing by Laurel.
1991
1995
A drive to Scotland on a sound recording trip to the Isle of May, my destination was Anstruther, but I had enough time to go to nearby Auchmithie. As soon as I arrived the bird I had come to see was on show, a 1st summer Eye-browed Thrush, a new British bird for me, although there had been several recorded in Britain, this was only the 3rd spring record. Also seen in the trees were several Tree Sparrows.