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Eastwood between Showers

Dodgy Portishead Duck

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 out, so more…

Goat Fell, Arran

Goat Fell

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: persecution in Scotland is an ongoing problem.

In any case, what chance more…

Musselburgh, East Lothian

Musselburgh

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 bigger surprise with the more…

1999: Velvet Scoters, Lunan Bay

Lunan Bay

Last century’s October trip through Angus continued on the 2nd:

“First stop on my way north from Auchmithie was not far but the lure of velvet scoters was too great. Lunan Bay is backed by sand dunes, which give one some good height for scanning the sea. Sure enough there were black more…

By Train to RSPB Bempton Cliffs

White Horse, Bempton

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 more…

Portland Bill & RSPB Radipole

Whimbrel

A bonanza for year birds at the end of the month. Guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, fulmar and gannet at the Bill, which also held rock pipits galore and a couple of wheatears. I was watching the last when a large wader took off behind them.

Somehow the bird looked all whimbrel but I couldn’t say how, apart from having watched hundreds of curlews over the winter. And having spent a great deal of Tuesday dismissing them down the more…

'Avin' a Larf

An artificial reef? In Clevedon? What fatuous idea would someone come up with next? What about the…

And so I went on for a good five minutes before happening to glance at the date above the Mercury article. Thursday April 1. Man, they had me going. It was a good one: just realistic enough to be [...]

Peregrine Falcon, Black Nore

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon

That seems to be the name – but what a grand one – for the stretch of coast between Sugar Loaf Beach and Redcliff Bay. I was returning from the latter when an oystercatcher and then a curlew started calling.

Birds’ alarm calls are always a cue to scan the heavens. Mostly, they remain empty but, often enough to make it worthwhile, they disclose more…