NT
1975
A weekend in the Weymouth/Portland area, on the drive there we saw a Barn Owl. Our first stop was on Portland where we saw 5 Gannets, a Puffin, a Great Northern Diver, 5 Swifts, a Whitethroat, 2 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 2 Turtle Doves, 11 Corn Buntings, 2 Kestrels, 4 Wheatears, a Whimbrel, 2 Grasshopper Warblers and a Jackdaw eating a Slowworm.
At Radipole Lake there were 3 Little Terns, 3 Little Gulls, a small flock of 22 Dunlin, 20+ Swifts, 2 Common Sandpipers, a Common Tern and a first summer Mediterranean Gull, at this time still a scarce bird in this area.
Then to Lodmoor, where we saw a Cetti's Warbler, a very recent colonist and still rare in Dorset, also seeing Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats, Shelducks, a Grey Heron and a Sparrowhawk.
Dunlin at Radipole Lake.
1976
A visit to Leigh Woods where we saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker and heard another, 2 Nuthatches, 4 Jays, a Hawfinch and heard 2 more, a Wood Warbler, 2 Willow Warblers and heard a Marsh Tit.
1980
A day at Chew Valley Lake seeing 3 White Wagtails, 3 Yellow Wagtails, 1500+ Swallows and martins, 200+ Swifts, 3 Cuckoos, a few warblers, 5 Ruddy Ducks, 7 Common Sandpipers, 2 Sanderling, 4 Lapwing, 2 Dunlin, a pair of Goosander, a pair of Garganey and a Whinchat. Later we learned that just after we left an Osprey and a Marsh Harrier had been seen!
1981
A dull, wet morning, starting at Slimbridge where there was a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, 5 Tree Sparrows, 6 Yellow Wagtails, 14 Swallows, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Redshank and a Common Tern. At Frampton Pools there were lots of Swallows and Sand Martins, a Common Sandpiper, 2 Kingfishers and a Great Crested Grebe with 2 chicks. At the river there were 20 Whimbrel, 9 Curlew, 3 Grey Plovers, 4 Redshank, a Yellow Wagtail, a Sedge Warbler, a Swift, c35 Dunlin, 3 Bar-tailed Godwits, 5 Wheatears and 16 Wigeon.
1984
1985
In Tunisia, 2 new birds seen today.
1988
In Maryland, at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on a sound recording trip, no new birds seen today.
1995
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where there was an Osprey, then to Black Rock on the Mendips again seeing much the same as yesterday including the 3 Redstarts, also a Garden Warbler and 2 Ravens.
1997
On a filming and sound recording trip to the Ukraine for a series called 'Living Europe'.
2008
An evening visit to Battery Point where there were 5 Purple Sandpipers, a Wheatear, a Whinchat, a Whitethroat, a Swift and lots of Swallows.
2016
A visit to Slimbridge where there were 10 Common Cranes, a pair with 2 eggs in the Rushy Pen and a 2nd summer unringed bird on the Dumbles. Also, 39 Avocets lots on nests, lots of warblers including 3 Cetti's heard, a Greenshank, c60 Black-tailed Godwits and lots of Shelducks.
Video of Greenshank, also see here.
Photos: Greenshank.
Avocets.
Cranes.
2019
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where there were lots of Swifts, House Martins and Blackcaps, a few Swallows and Chiffchaffs, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a flock of Tufted Ducks and with them a female Scaup, and watched a least 4 Hobbies catching insects over the lake and reedbeds.