A Somerset & Bristol Birder Travels the World » pictures

Corn Bunting, Dyrham Park

Andy — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:55:38 +0000

It’s been a good few weeks for this species: first, one up in East Yorkshire; then near Martin Mere; now, not quite on the National Trust estate but by the road down to Marshfield, which is their local stronghold. Another bunting, a yellowhammer also showed, for only the third time this year – a far [...]

Spotted Flycatcher, RSPB Ham Wall

Andy — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 10:27:42 +0000

Another new species for my Somerset list with an adult feeding two juveniles yesterday evening. Technically Lytes Cary should have the honour because a spotfly was hawking near the pictured bits of topiary late afternoon. In the name of efficiency though I’ll not add that National Trust house to my site inventory, unless it comes [...]

Eastwood between Showers

Andy — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:26:07 +0000

More like downpours today and last night, so a little reluctant to venture on to Portbury Wharf. The shopping needed doing anyway and the route back from Eastwood and Battery Point allows that.

I included the Point in a forlorn hope that the gale-force gusts may have blown something up the Bristol Channel. The tide was [...]

Red Kites, Devil’s Bridge

Andy — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:36:32 +0000

These birds are really branching out from their Rhayader stronghold. The last time I was up the Ceredigion coast, albeit back in 1998 at RSPB Ynys-hir, I had no record of them. Now you’d be hard put to miss the species. Ones and twos all the way down from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth, then inland to [...]

Goat Fell, Arran

Andy — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 20:25:37 +0000

Golden eagle would sound nice as the star species of an ascent of the island’s highest point but consider this: the 2007 Arran Bird Report notes only half a dozen sightings from thousands of contributions. These may not be all the submitted records and certainly they don’t include the known nest sites. Quite right too: [...]

Whinchats, Glen Orchy

Andy — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:42:36 +0000

Yes, whinchats. In the plural. Two family groups five years since my last sighting down in Galloway Forest. The year list gallops on to 185 – my best since 2004.

And no, this chap isn’t a whinchat. He was browsing near Loch Tulla when I pulled into the car park and quite unfazedly carried on browsing. [...]

Musselburgh, East Lothian

Andy — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:37:43 +0000

This is one of my most southerly locations for velvet scoter. It’s also good for common scoters and reliable for little gull. All three were in evidence last week, and a common sandpiper gave me a nice bonus as my 96th species for the site. It’s one of my top spots. I got an even [...]

2000: Summer Bird Count, Los Trancos Woods

Andy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:57:40 +0000

On June 3 I officially added my 152nd Santa Clara species:

“Nancy Teater and I spent three hours basically walking the Franciscan Loop this morning. It’s amazing how long a couple of miles can take when you’re seriously trying to ID birds!

“We started with the indigo bunting – as obliging as ever. It even perched on [...]

Swifts, Chew Valley Lake

Andy — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:54:11 +0000

Heron’s Green Bay is where I’ve seen the herons, or rather egrets. I must remember that because I’m always confusing it and Herriott’s Pool – two t’s in this seems to be the consensus for its spelling. The Bay is the first public access point on the way in from Bristol if one follows the [...]

By Train to RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Andy — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:26:51 +0000

From April to September expect a visit average of 40 species, including the mainstay of British seabirds, for which the country is internationally important. In fact the spectacle is so grand that on no account should you miss it. Further specialities are yellowhammers in the surrounding farmland and tree sparrows on the Centre’s feeders. Take [...]