Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 7 Oct

After my trip to Scotland we had a family excursion this afternoon and popped up to Ham Wall RSPB reserve for a nice walk (I was also hoping to see the Pectoral Sandpiper which was present but it failed to show during our time on site). There were good numbers of Wigeon present and numerous Snipe and Lapwing. A single Great White Egret dwarfed its Little Egret cousins. A foraging flock of Long-tailed Tits and Goldcrests contained at least one Chiffchaff. On the way back to the car I bumped in to an old friend from Wales who I'd not seen for years, so I good end to a nice afternoon out.

Scotland - Tues 2 Oct to Sat 6 Oct

A short break to Scotland started off early Tuesday morning with a ten hour drive ending up at Loch Garten RSPB reserve at 4.00pm. An hour or so at the reserve before checking in to our hotel in Nethybridge produced just one Scottish speciality...Red Squirrel.

We did see some very obliging Coal Tits, a couple even brave enough to land on an out-stretched hand!

Three Goosanders flew over and we later relocated them and two others on the loch itself. As we drove in to Nethybridge I spotted a Dipper on the stream, a good end to a long day.
An early start on Wednesday and a short drive to Dorback Moor where we were treated to great views of Black Grouse. At first we thought there were just three birds present but when they took to the air and flew past we were surprised to count nine individuals. We also connected with our first (of many) Red Grouse of the trip, with a couple on the moor.

On to Abernethy Forest and the first of eight attempts to see Capercaille! No sign of this massive grouse but I did locate a couple of Crested Tits. Next stop the top of Straithcairn, also known as the Findhorn Valley and after dodging a couple of showers we finally got distant views of an adult Golden Eagle. Our final stop of the day was at Curr Wood where our patience paid off as we finally located a hand-full of Parrot Crossbills.

Day three was spent on the coast with various seawatches along the Moray Firth. Starting at Nairn we had a very smart looking Hooded Crow on the beach.

Out to sea a couple of Long-tailed Ducks and both Common and Velvet Scoters. As we moved round to Burghead and Hopeman we also added Eider and Black Guillemot to the growing trip list. A lone Blackcap was found in the scrub at Hopeman and was the only warbler of the trip. Two visits during the day to Findhorn produced a large flock of Pink-footed Geese and a small herd of Whooper Swans. Waders were represented by large numbers of Redshank and smaller numbers of Knot, Dunlin and Golden Plover amongst others and several Turnstone were seen in the various harbours we visited.

Our penultimate day started off with a pre-breakfast trip in to the forest to try again for Capercaille (and fail again!). Next stop the Cairngorms and a walk up to Corrie Cos, this was extremely hard work but our determination paid off with a very obliging Ptarmigan that I picked out amongst the rocks, though heavy mist was a bit of a problem!

A Snow Bunting was seen but missed by me, but I got lucky as I saw and heard three more fly overhead. We also saw a Mountain Hare as we walked up the path. Back down and off to the Findhorn Valley for a second visit. Along the way we disturbed a large covey of Grey Partridge and on reaching the top of the valley were treated to wonderful views of two sub-adult Golden Eagles. A Merlin also put in an appearance, as did a single male Common Crossbill (noticeably smaller and more delicate than the birds we had seen a couple of days earlier). Another couple of attempts at the end of the day looking for Capercaille were again unsuccessful.
The final day of our mini-break and after breakfast and checking out of the hotel we made one final attempt to get the one bird missing from our lists, and this time fortune was on our side as we drove down to Forest Lodge a female Capercaille was sat in the track in front of us. We watched this cracking bird for several minutes until a rather inconsiderate cyclist hammered past the car and flushed it. A brief stop at Loch Garten RSPB failed to add anything so we undertook the long drive home, getting back to Somerset by 7.00pm after a brilliant trip with a total of 100 species on the final list.

Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 30 Sep

An afternoon family trip out today and we decided to go up to Ham Wall RSPB reserve as we had not ventured that way for several weeks. There was a feeling of winter approaching, not in the weather (it was a lovely afternoon), but there were a number of returning wildfowl on the reserve. A flock of thirty-one Wigeon flew over and there was also a fair sized flock of Shoveler and Gadwall on the water. A single Great White Egret was the rarest bird seen this afternoon.
A buddleia played host to a couple of Red Admirals and a Comma and there were lots of dragonflies on the wing.

Sutton Bingham - Sun 30 Sep

Just an hour at the reservoir this morning, and it looked as if there was not going to be much happening, and indeed from the northern end there was nothing of note at all. So down to the south and a short walk around. A few Swallows passed through south and a couple of Meadow Pipits flew over calling, as did a Yellow Wagtail. On the water there were at least fifty Great Crested Grebes.
One slight surprise, a Comma was sunning itself on a bramble bush.

Portland & Ferrybridge - Sat 29 Sep

An afternoon out with Tristan and a jaunt down to the Isle of Portland to twitch a Red-backed Shrike! Arriving just after 3.30pm I parked in Southwell and walked towards the Bill and then up on to the fields. I bumped in to three other birders, none of which had seen the bird, so I left them to it and trusted my instincts and made for a vantage point where I thought I might have a chance. And sure enough my gut instinct proved correct as within minutes I was looking at a very smart female-type Red-backed Shrike. After a good look I managed to attract the attention of the other birders in the area and get them on the shrike also. So job done and good job too as there was little else about other than Meadow Pipits.
On the way back home I stopped off at Ferrybridge and walked along to view the assorted waders on the mud. I set up my 'scope and saw a nice lot of Ringed Plovers and Dunlin and a single Sanderling. Three Black-tailed Godwits were also present and I also got on two Curlew Sandpipers that had been present for a few days. But time was against us and we had to get back home for dinner, so no time to stop anywhere else but a lovely afternoon out.

Briantspuddle - Wed 19 Sep

Ellie had a meeting this afternoon and so I had the opportunity to take Tristan out for a couple of hours, so we headed south and paid another visit to the small heathland reserve just outside Briantspuddle. As we got out of the car a couple of Siskins were calling and flitting around in the top of the fir trees. We then walked out on to the heath where I was hoping to connect with Dartford Warbler having missed the species on my two previous visits to the site this year. As I waited and scanned the gorse a couple of small flocks of Meadow Pipits flew over, they really seem to be on the move at present. Eventually, I heard a Dartford Warbler calling from a patch of gorse behind us, but only saw a flick of a tail as it vanished into the undergrowth...and that was it! Time up as Tristan needed to get back for his tea, but another year tick...albeit a crap view! Oh yes, and I also saw my first Small Copper of the year, and it was a beauty.

Batcombe Hill - Sun 16 Sep

A quick jaunt to the south of Yeovil this afternoon and Tristan and I took a walk around Batcombe Hill. It was a route I'd never taken before and after an easy first couple of kilometres it soon changed in to an up hill slog and my lack of fitness really told by the time I got back to the high ground. What birds did I see for my efforts? Not many...one of the fields I passed through contained a jittery flock of around twenty Meadow Pipits and the only other birds of note were a couple of fly-over Stock Doves. A couple of Speckled Wood butterflies were also seen.