NT
On the 13th July:
1975
A drive to Packington Gravel Pits, near Coleshill, east of Birmingham, where there was a White-tailed Plover, a 1st British record.
The bird was seen on a muddy spit in a large pool with a Ruff and 30+ Lapwings nearby. Also there, were at least 5 Little Ringed Plovers and 2 Dunlins.
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White-tailed Plover drawing by Laurel Tucker.
1977
We stayed in the hostel in Uyeasound overnight, which is only a couple of hours at this time of year, in the morning we had a look around the bay seeing 4 Black Guillemots, 6 Eider, a Snipe, 4 Redshank, 2 Fulmars, a Red-throated Diver and a pair of Blackbirds. We got a lift to the ferry and took the ferry to Fetlar, on the trip seeing lots of Puffins, 20 Black Guillemots, Fulmars, Gannets, Arctic and Great Skuas.
It was wet, windy and cold on Fetlar, but we did see a Red-necked Phalarope with 3 juveniles, masses of Arctic Terns, lots of Arctic Skuas, Whimbrels and Oystercatchers, 30+ Golden Plovers, also a few Bonxies, Wheatears, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Red-throated Divers. We returned to Uyeasound, where new on the beach was a Sanderling and a Twite.
Puffins on Unst.
1982
An early morning drive to Weymouth, where at Radipole Lake there was a Squacco Heron, a new bird for us. Also seen were 2 Little Terns, an adult Little Gull, a Green Sandpiper, 5 Common Sandpipers, a Cuckoo, a Kingfisher and lots of warblers including 2 Cetti's Warblers.
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Drawing of Squacco Heron by Laurel Tucker.
1997
On a sound recording trip to the Picos de Europa Mountains in Northwest Spain.
2016
A trip to the Forest of Dean seeing only a single Wood Warbler, a Mistle Thrush, a Treecreeper, several Nuthatches and a hind Fallow Deer with a fawn. On the way back at Coalpit Heath there was a Red Kite.