NT
1976
1980
Overnight in Suffolk, in the morning at Breydon Water we saw 2 Short-eared Owls, lots of Shelducks and Cormorants, a few Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plovers, and a Corn Bunting.
At Minsmere along with the commoner waders and ducks, were 2 Spotted Redshanks, 6 Ruff, 20+ Bar-tailed Godwits and 4 Marsh Harriers.
A visit to Chew Valley Lake where noteable birds were a Green Sandpiper, 4 Curlew, a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull, an adult Little Gull, a Kingfisher, a Wheatear, a female Smew and 2 Grass Snakes.
1981
A drive to Radipole Lake where there was a 1st summer Bonaparte's Gull.
Also seen was an adult Mediterranean Gull and a Common Sandpiper.
At Lodmoor there was a 1st summer Little Gull, 5 Greenshank and a Black-tailed Godwit.
At Ferrybridge there were 7 Sandwich Terns with another 3 seen on the harbour, also 25 Red-breasted Mergansers there.
On Portland we saw 7 Wheatears and on the sea 17 Common Scoter and 3 Red-throated Divers.
Photos: Bonaparte's Gull.
Mediterranean Gull.
1982
A visit to Sand Point where we saw 11 Chiffchaffs, 27 Willow Warblers, 29 Goldcrests, lots of Meadow Pipits, 6 Tree Pipits, a Wheatear, 24 Sand Martins, 6 Ring Ouzels and with the flocks of mixed finches going through, a Redpoll.
1985
1995
At work at the BBC in Bristol, where I watched a small bat circling about 20-25 feet above an apple tree in one of the rear gardens of the houses in Tyndalls Park Road, (there were still a few back gardens here before the car park was built). It was warm and sunny and the bat was actively going after insects, later, I saw it again, in the same spot, flying in tight circles without dipping. Then a Magpie flew in and chased the bat, almost taking it, but the bat dipped just in time, then a second Magpie appeared and both birds continued to watch the bat, from a tall, nearby tree, until the bat moved off.
1996
Another evening visit to Chew Valley Lake to see the Little Bunting again, I missed it by half an hour, but I did see a Wood Warbler.
2004
Still windy and a morning visit to Chittening Warth where I saw an Arctic Skua flying down the estuary. I returned for the late afternoon tide and saw 15+ Kittiwakes, a Guillemot and a Common Gull, all unusual birds for here.
2005
A very windy day at Severn Beach where there were 13 Brent Geese on the shoreline, 100+ Wigeon on the water near the beach and by the 2nd Severn Bridge a flock of c200 Kittiwakes, doing their act of sitting on the water until the tide pushes them almost under the bridge, then flying a few hundred metres down the estuary, settling on the water again and repeating the show over again.
2017
A visit to Slimbridge where there were 2 1st summer Little Gulls, a male Garganey, a 1st summer Mediterranean Gull in with the many Black-headed Gulls, c40 Avocets, 150+ Black-tailed Godwits, 3 Snipe and a Kingfisher.
Later, on the way home I called in at Northwick village where there was a Little Owl.
Garganey
Mediterranean Gull
Little Gull
Little Owl