Diary 2001
 
Dec 29   Well that's just about it for another year. I've now had three attempts at the Forest shrike and dipped every time, so now I'll leave it until the New Year. I trust you all had a very pleasant Christmas and all managed to tick off Turkey. It is almost certainly my last species of the year leaving me on 279 a good proportion of which were seen on foreign jaunts, which is just as well as many of the commoner species I did not see at home due to F&M. 
 
Dec 16   Colin and I rushed to New Fancy View yesterday afternoon to search for the Great Grey Shrike that had been reported. We met Tony there who had already put in three hours to no avail. We did see a couple of Hawfinches and three flyover Crossbills but no shrike. I put in another two hours from dawn this morning but only saw two Lesser Redpolls and a Goshawk. The shrike may well be seen again but who knows where, the Forest is a huge area, Woorgreens would be my bet.
As you may have noticed the old Message Board gave up the ghost on Thursday, the provider seems to have vanished off-line. I have put in a new Message Board yesterday but any outstanding threads which you wish to keep open will have to be re-posted.
 
Dec 03   I had a rewarding morning yesterday after a couple of weeks with little doing. I  stopped at Michaelwood Services and immediately found the Ring-billed Gull on the doorstep of the services clearing up scraps. Then I headed south and struck lucky straight away with the fine Ring-necked Duck at Hoars Gout, just over the border. I then headed for Frampton where I was just in time to dip the Richard's Pipit (although I had seen it in atrocious conditions on Friday). Anyway I caught up with Richard and Gerry before heading home. I had barely got through the door when the pipit came back on the pager, I made my excuses and drove back down. This time I parked at Ryall's Lane which is actually much closer. I got some really excellent views and there wasn't really any doubt in my mind that it was a Richard's Pipit, my third in the county. The RP and the RND takes my Year List (anywhere) to 279 and my British Year List to 217.
 
Nov 18   I've been away at the out-laws for the weekend. I managed to escape for a bit of birding on both mornings. Very quiet, no sign of the Lady A's Pheasants at Maulden wood. I think they may have reached the end of the line here as they have become very difficult over the last 3 years. However I saw the female Ferruginous Duck at Elstow.
 
Nov 05   It was nice to welcome the sites 5000th visitor this week. I never thought it would become so popular. So to all of you that visit this site Thank you. My report for our recent holiday in Tenerife is on site today. Hope you enjoy it.
 
Nov 04   Is it me or is the news on the pagers getting worse. Today we have had White Pelican, Lesser Flamingo, Black Swan, Ross's Goose and Sacred Ibis to name but a few. The quickest way for me to clean up on these species is hop in the car and go to Bristol Zoo. Also the worse words in the birding community keep appearing with increasing regularity. They are "possible and probable". Years ago a well-known local birder told me "Either it is or it isn't, and if you're not sure then it probably isn't". Wise words I think, it doesn't do to dwell on what might have been, you'll go nuts. 
 
Nov 03   I'm back safely from Tenerife. A week of hot sunshine saw me get 12 lifers, a few sub-species and the odd exotic, but a report on that will follow in a couple of days. With unfortunate timing I missed the CWP Isabelline Shrike along with several others who were considerably nearer. The only consolation is that this species is already on my British List.
 
Oct 21   An early visit to Frampton shore to look for this dodgy Pelican was very successful even though I didn't see the Pelican. I was stood at the top gate at 8:40am when a Black-necked Grebe flew in from the North and landed on the pool to the right of the gate. I had never seen one here before and quickly rang it around. Martin McGill confirmed that it was, unbelievably, the first record for WWT grounds. Also as the Trust boys drove up in their Landrovers a cracking Short-eared Owl was flushed and started to quarter the 100-Acre. What a great couple of hours.
 
Oct 19   I successfully twitched the male Sardinian Warbler just down the road at Brean this afternoon. Finishing work at 1pm I headed south and saw two Ravens fly over Michaelwood as I went past the services. Arriving at Brean it was a long slog to the fort at the end of the point. If you do go here try to park on the road as the car parks are locked at 5/6pm and it will cost you £30 to get your car back. It was a long wait to finally get a tickable view of the Sardinian Warbler. I saw it in flight at 4pm after an hour and a half wait, then a rear end view as it dived into a bush at 4:15pm and finally it gave itself up and showed well but briefly three times perched on top of the bush at 4:45pm. Other birds here included Merlin, Raven, Peregrines, Wheatears and an incongruous Red-legged Partridge on the beach. Also four Red Admirals, two Painted Ladies and a Migrant Hawker (? I think). An excellent spot for birding and well worth another visit.
 
Oct 15   At last after an autumn of missing everything I finally got a trip out yesterday with Colin and his wife, Sue. We headed down to Devon in the early hours arriving at Prawle at 8am. We were hoping to see the Bobolink that was there. After three hours stood in fog and drizzle we were beginning to think it had been a mistake. Never mind, there were plenty of Cirl Buntings, a couple of Little Egrets and a few migrants to keep us entertained. The Bobolink finally took pity on us at 11am flying up from the cliff below and landing on brambles behind us. It was a super bird, looking rather more yellow than its guide book pictures. We had excellent close views until it flew down to feed in the set-aside field where it became quite elusive. It fed voraciously occasionally putting its head up to look around, looking rather like a small crake as it stretched above the vegetation. An excellent morning but horrible weather.
 
Oct 06   I finally got out and did some birding this morning, seeing the Grey Phalarope at Avonmouth before stopping in at Frampton where four Black Terns showed well. The Green Heron appears to have vanished and the thought of being part of a crowd booting the Gray Catbird back and forwards across the gorse at South Stack held little appeal. If anyone reading this knows the whereabouts of Hoar's Gout at Avonmouth where the Ring-necked Duck appears from time to time please let me know as none of the birders that I saw in Avonmouth had a clue. Is this private land?
 
Sep 29   Thanks to a nasty bout of gastric flu I managed to miss a planned trip to the Green Heron. I now have to hope it stays another week and then perhaps I'll get there next weekend.
 
Sep 26   I received these Wryneck pictures from Steve Dark today. They were taken by John Fairburn, it was in his garden in Stroud for about a week in Autumn 2000. Lucky Devil!
        
 
Sep 23   Well I succeeded in missing all of this weekend's rarities because of prior commitments. I hope some of you were luckier. I did have nice views of Buzzards and Ravens from Bridgette's uncle's garden in the Welsh valleys though.
 
Sep 21   I managed to catch up with the Baird's Sandpiper last weekend over the border in Somerset. It looks like I'm going to miss both of today's mega birds - the Red-necked Stint in Cambridgeshire and the Isabelline Wheatear in Suffolk - due to family commitments. Never mind perhaps they'll stay till next weekend. Some hopes :-(
 
Sep 12   After the horrific events in the U.S.A. yesterday I would like to extend my condolences to my U.S. visitors. No words can be adequate to describe what we saw. 
 
Today I have finally completed my trip report for our August visit to France. Go to France 0801. The weekend saw a reasonably successful trip around Cornwall taking in the King Eider, many seabirds, a Ring-billed Gull, an Ocean Sunfish and a few early migrants. I may post a report soon.
 
Sep 06   Just a note to keep in touch. I haven't done a lot of birding since I returned from France as my health has not been too good still. I did dip the Chew Spotted Crake with Colin and I saw ten Ring-necked Parakeets at Legoland Windsor last weekend. I really love those raucous parrots. After a year of running this website it was nice to welcome my 4000th visitor today. I wish I had a pound for each. Anyway many thanks to you all, keep on checking back. My France report will be online in the next couple of days.
 
Aug 18   Hi folks, I'm back from France and to be quite honest the reception I got from the British weather was hostile and made me want to turn around and go straight back. I could feel my suntan fading by the time I reached the M25. Although it was a family holiday I managed to do some birding (as you do!) and saw a good selection of birds including Black Kites, Honey Buzzards, Cattle, Great White and Little Egrets, Spoonbills, Short-toed Treecreepers and Crested Tits to name but a few. I will post a trip report soon. Oh, I also had a life tick (for what it's worth), Reeve's Pheasant, 35 one early morning. Best of all I haven't missed any good County birds whilst away but it seems that I picked a really bad time to miss the pelagic.
 
Jul 22   Many thanks to Chris Powell of Gigrin Farm for providing a user friendly jpeg of my ugly mug, you will now find the Home Page loads much quicker. Visit his site at Gigrin Farm - The Red Kite feeding station ^v^  http://www.gigrin.co.uk  Email: redkites@gigrin.co.uk. 
A Purple Heron in the Water Park this afternoon is sure to give people the runaround. If you find it let me know, I'm an expert at dipping them.
 
Jul 08   We went horse-riding at Littledean this morning. Not much in the way of birds just lots of Willowchiffs and Garden Warblers and an unseen Raven calling. There were lots of butterflies especially Marbled Whites. 
However the good news is that the Riding School expects the Forest footpaths and bridle paths to re-open next weekend if no further cases of F&M are found. The last confirmed case was April 14th.
 
Jul 06   I received an e-mail today from Jeff Challenor who specialises in mosaics and has done some remarkable bird mosaics. If you fancy brightening up a patio or hallway then take a look at his site at http://www.jazzarenas.com 
 
Jul 05   I have found a new website tonight with some great video sequences of the 18 Griffon Vultures in Holland and some superb photographs. 
Go to http://www.cursorius.com/
 
Jun 28   I have been off sick for a week so I have very little news at all. My friend Pascal Raevel, in France, e-mailed me to say that the singing male Cirl Bunting that I had in Locquinghen last year was the first ever breeding season record for this site. This cheered me up quite a bit. He is going back this year to check again. It just goes to show it's worth reporting your foreign sightings, sometimes a fairly innocuous record is actually very important.
Back at work today I had a superb Garden Tiger moth (Arctia caja) on the overgrown scrap yard at the back of our works.
 
Jun 21   I have received the following story from Roger Wasley of Cheltenham Bird Club of breeding Ravens at Gretton :

Ravens - shooting theory
As you may see from Thursday's issue (21st June) of the Gloucestershire Echo, the two Ravens which bred in Gretton churchyard this spring are thought to have been shot.
As this was the first pair of this protected species to have bred in the area, the nest site was initially kept secret.
Three weeks ago one of the fledglings was found dead near the nest site and the other sibling found dying. The live bird was taken to the Vale Wildlife Rescue centre at Beckford, where it died.
At first it was suspected the young birds had been poisoned, but now it is suspected they died of starvation - having been abandoned by their parents.
The reason is that the parents are now thought to have been shot. A local shooter (there are pheasant farms locally) has been bragging in a Winchcombe pub how he shot two Ravens.
The police and the RSPB Investigations Unit have been notified and are investigating.
I have taken it upon myself to underwrite a 100 pounds fighting fund for the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the shooting of the Ravens. Two Common Buzzards and a Tawny Owl (both protected species) have also been shot in Gretton during the past two years. More birds may also have been shot.
The Echo reporter covering the story is Simon. Please feel free to call him and voice your opinion:
Simon 01684 273770 or e-mail the Echo on editor@glosecho.co.uk
 If you feel able, please pledge 5 pounds toward this fund, which should be reported in tomorrow nightıs Echo. I hope that a reward will flush out the culprit and, possibly, lead to a conviction.
Any support you can give in this matter will be gratefully received.
Roger Wasley Chairman
Cheltenham Bird Club
8 Working Lane, Gretton, Cheltenham, GLOS. GL54 5YU
Website: The Cheltenham Bird Club
Tel : 01242 603765 Mobile : 07973 154480 Fax : 01242 604391

Jun 11   The big national news today is that a returned male and an unringed female Osprey succeeded in hatching a chick last week at Rutland Water. For more details go to Ospreys
 
Jun 09   Frampton shore was like the Camargue at dawn today. There was an adult (ringed) and two first-summer Spoonbills, five Little Egrets and fifteen Grey Herons including one remarkably dark bird trying to fool people into thinking it was Purple Heron. Alas not! If you do visit please remember that there is no entry to Frampton shore due to F&M restrictions so view only from the canal towpath.
 
Jun 01   As regular readers may have gathered I have been away this week staying with the out-laws (sorry in-laws) near Whipsnade, but all the big bird news was focused on other counties. On Sunday I shot up the M1 and caught up with Nottingham's big crowd-puller, a Little Swift. I had some excellent views especially whilst it was roosting on the bridge. I was able to see all the feather detail that usually goes unseen on any swift species. I did get very wet and cold for three hours until it left the roost at 8am but it was well worth it. Excellent pictures at Surfbirds.
Yesterday I made the short journey to Wishmoor Bottom in Berkshire. I had called in the day before whilst visiting family but I did not see the singing Wryneck. Unusually we had a Nightjar reeling at 5:45pm in bright sunlight and had good views of Woodlarks. Yesterday I arrived at 3:30am and had Woodcock calling in the dark. As it began to get light two Nightjars flew around my head. Wonderful! At 4:30am the Wryneck started singing and I immediately located it in a low pine. I had excellent views for over an hour, it did move around the area but always preferred pine trees to sing from. 
On our journey down last Saturday we had a wing-tagged Red Kite near Thame and today on our return journey we had a Red Kite in almost the same spot. There was another a little further on at Tiddington. Both these places are in Oxfordshire and with the kite's success in the Chilterns it now seems only a matter of time before they reach Gloucestershire again. My year list now stands at 238, but that includes my forays into Europe.

May 19   Colin and I spent an excellent day in Wales today. We started on the moors in Clwyd at 4am where we enjoyed excellent views of Black Grouse, Crossbills and Whinchats. At 8am we headed for Anglesey where we were lucky enough to connect with the Black-headed Bunting at South Stack almost immediately. It was a beautiful male which gave great views. We also had Chough, Puffins and a Hooded Crow here to name a few. A stop at Cemlyn produced only Sandwich and Common Terns in what seems to be a much reduced colony to what we remembered in earlier years. We then heard the Corncrake at Bull Bay, but seeing it was out of the question. Finally a super male Pied Flycatcher at Pentrefoelas was most welcome, especially as the Forest of Dean is still out of bounds. An excellent but tiring day in the Principality.

May 14   Yesterday I got up at 4am and headed south for Chew Valley Lake. Despite arriving there at 5:50am and other people arriving there before me, there was no sign of the Purple Heron. I am now getting rather good at dipping this bird having done the same thing by just a few minutes in the Midlands last spring. Other interesting birds of which there were no sign included the Savi's Warbler and the Night Heron. However I had a pleasant morning with seven Common Terns, a Black Tern, a Kingfisher, several Cuckoos and a Yellow-legged Gull to provide some interest. 

May 10   At last two Swifts over my house in Quedgeley this morning. A new report added today, our trip to Brittany in April. Go to France 0401.

May 07   A pleasant weekend spent at my brother-in-law's at Wokingham. At last my first Swifts of the year yesterday lunchtime over Theale G.P.s. A pleasant walk around Dinton Pastures C.P. this afternoon had plenty of birds including two Arctic Terns, a Common Tern, a Nightingale (singing in the open), lots of Blackcaps and Sedge Warblers, my first Garden Warbler of the Spring, a couple of lovely Grey Wagtails and an Egyptian Goose. Also a stop near Cirencester on the way back brought good numbers of Tree Sparrows.

April 30   My computer died over the weekend so I have bought a new one and I am currently restoring files and getting things back in shape. Consequently I have lost my Address Book so to anyone out there waiting for a reply please accept my apologies and e-mail me again at Mike@surfbirder.com Any old friends reading this please mail me anyway so I can pick up your addresses.

April 26   A new trip report added today, my Southern Spain holiday at Easter, hope you like it. Go to Southern Spain 2001.

April 23   I spent the weekend in Brittany on an excellent Birdseekers break with Colin, Richard and Gerry. The tour was led by Viv Stratton and his co-leader Chris Townend. It was most enjoyable and we got five out of the six woodpeckers we went for, missing only Grey-headed. Middle-spotted Woodpecker was my 12th lifer this month. I will post a report soon.

April 17   Welcome to my 2000th visitor today whoever you were. Many thanks for everyone's support and kind messages. Keep on visiting and I will endeavour to keep updating daily.

April 15   Well I'm back from a superb week of holidaying in Spain - 11 lifers, beautiful scenery, unrestricted birding and masses of birds. I will post a report soon. A few pictures are already in the General Gallery at Gallery2.htm. Due to incredibly bad timing just about everybody missed a first for the county in the shape of a Red-rumped Swallow (if accepted) at Slimbridge the day before it re-opened. As with all really good birds it only stayed a couple of hours before vanishing. PS : Dear Worried (whoever you are?) No I haven't given up, just on holiday but if you had read the diary you would have known that. 

April 06   I'm off to Spain tomorrow for one week for some sunshine and unrestricted birding. Look in next weekend for updates. I don't know whether I should be more nervous about the flight (strictly for the birds) or my daughter house-sitting.

April 04  

WWT Slimbridge announced today that the visitor centre will reopen on Friday 6th April 2001. Please note that precautions remain in place, and as such access to the more remote parts of the reserve remain closed for now (the Holden Tower and the South Lake access specifically). WWT also asks that all visitors make use of the disinfected mats provided and that birders are not tempted to stop off along the road through Slimbridge to bird watch, but travel straight to the centre itself.
 
March 30  I found a migrant male Wheatear (again 31st) near Brookthorpe whilst walking the lanes near home. If it hadn't been for the restrictions I may never have found it. Also plenty of butterflies including a lovely Brimstone.
 
March 24  Success with the Ring-billed Gull at Michaelwood this morning. Also four male Wheatears together and a northbound Swallow at knee-cap level at Severn Beach were my first harbingers of spring. 
 
March 20  New trip report added today. Alright I know its not that new but its taken me six years to copy it from longhand onto my computer. Go to Sweden 1995.
 
March 17  Very little to report I'm afraid and F&M making it all but impossible to bird any areas well known for spring migrants. Time to catch up on jobs and records maybe. At least I have Spain to look forward to in a few weeks. Anyone out there with a recent site for Eagle Owl or Imperial Eagle near Fuengirola ? Currently the records will only include any easily accessible birds with no conflicts possible like today's Ring-billed Gull at the motorway services.
 
March 12  Well it had to happen I suppose, Foot and Mouth confirmed in the County. I think we will be doing very little field birding in the coming months. A very depressing thought with migration just starting. I am covering areas just around my village at the moment, thank goodness for one or two patches with a few birds in the middle of housing estates. 
On a lighter note try http://www.xs4all.nl/~sbpoley/ukrbiga.htm for a little light reading. You could even subscribe to this newsgroup for more exchanges of views.
 
March 08  A new trip report added today - France May 1998, a holiday in Brittany. Go to France 0598. 
 
February 28  With all the Foot & Mouth restrictions it is getting harder by the day to find somewhere to go birding. I guess we will all have to knuckle down to some serious garden bird watching (try looking here for instance http://www.bto.org/gbw/gbwhome.htm ) or maybe a walk round an urban area. There is a definite need to be responsible about our watching instincts away from home at the moment whatever our private thoughts about what is going on in our countryside. The Citizen tonight announced a large part of the Forest of Dean is off limits to walkers. Most reserves are closed to the public and now British Waterways have suspended access to canal towpaths.
 
February 25  Many thanks to Andy Chapman for showing me his local patch at Quedgeley today. The excellent views of a Jack Snipe was a real bonus. The other notable thing here was the masses of frog spawn, hope it succeeds before the land dries out.
 
February 24  A stonking female Goshawk at New Fancy View this morning took my year list on to 138.
 
February 23  Another quiet week has passed, the lull before the storm (I hope). At the weekend I failed to find anything at Frampton and even if it had perched on my scope I would have struggled to have seen it in thick fog. Sunday on a family visit to Cardiff, I attempted to see the Ring-necked Duck at Uskmouth, couldn't find the right pool and fell down a six foot bank, painfully, for good measure. Tuesday on another family day out in Somerset we detoured via Hinckley Point where I dipped the Bonaparte's Gull, in fact the tide was so far out it was probably nearer USA than UK. All in all a very successful week. Not! 
 
February 11  An excellent trip to Norfolk today brought me 23 year ticks taking my year list to 135. The highlights were Rough-legged Buzzard, Hen and Marsh Harrier, four Barn Owls hunting together and ten cracking Waxwings at point blank range. Other notable species included Shore Lark, Twite, ten Purple Sandpipers, Long-tailed Duck, Black-winged Stilt and two Mediterranean Gulls.
 
February 09  The Gloster Birder passed 1000 visitors today, many thanks to everyone who checked in, and especially to my regular readers and correspondents. Today also brought my first Skylark of the year at Nympsfield and nine Yellowhammers at Bagpath taking my year list to 112.
 
February 07  Today I have put all the trip reports on to one page because the frame was getting cramped. 
 
February 04  A new trip report added today - France May 1999, hope you enjoy it, I did. Go to France 0599. It was nice to meet and talk to David Cromack of Bird Watching Magazine at the Bird Fair at Slimbridge today. The event seemed to be well supported and should help the cause of the Common Scoter as a result.
 
February 03  A trip to the Forest of Dean with Colin was not very fruitful, a motor rally was disrupting not only the roads but the forest tracks as well. Best avoided today. A Green Woodpecker took my year list to 110.
 
February 02  A very quiet week just a few common additions to my year list and very little to report, but I am still here.
 
January 21  My first visit to Slimbridge this year. It was either that or visit relatives. What a choice! Another seven species added to my Year List taking it to 104. A Siskin near the Holden Tower was my 100th species of the year.
 
January 20  Off across the Severn Bridge this morning to look for the four Common Cranes near Newport. Many thanks to a very friendly Welsh farmer named Godfrey who allowed me onto his private land to look for them, unfortunately they were not there. However I saw them later from the other side of the river. Year list 97 species. 
I also discovered a new website called www.i-bird.com last night, which has some stunning photos on the photo contest page, notably of Pine Grosbeaks. Well worth a look.
   
January 13   Today I went on a round trip with the boys, Gerry, Colin and Richard, taking in the Swindon Laughing Gull, the Portland Surf Scoter plus lots of divers and grebes and finished on Salisbury Plain where we failed to see any raptors or owls but three Woodcock were a surprise and a bonus. This round trip took my year list to 90 species, already nearly half of last years total, following three months illness at the end of 2000 which left my annual total looking as sick as I had been.
 
January 07    A trip to the Forest of Dean with Colin brought us a lone Hawfinch at Moseley Green with another three Hawfinches and a male Brambling at New Fancy View. Also we had fifteen splendid drake Mandarins at Parkend with a lone female who was spoilt for choice. Year list total 60 species.

January 01   Today I adopted the Siberian Blue Robin way of bird-finding at the Cotswold Water Park with Colin and Sue. I dived over a stile and behind a hawthorn hedge to answer the call of nature, I looked up to see a Bittern flying towards me. I managed to get Colin onto the bird before it flew away but unfortunately Sue missed it, but my dignity remained intact. 49 species for the day plus another two heard.

Diary 2000

 
December 31    I wish you all a bird-filled year in 2001. Maybe some new firsts for Britain - how about Black Woodpecker (breeding in the Forest of Dean would be nice).
 
December 28    Yesterday I saw the drake American Wigeon at Slimbridge, although it looked good to me, I shall wait for further pronouncements. Having found a drake American Wigeon at Ashleworth Ham that was not accepted and having seen a second-winter bird there that was also not accepted I will not be surprised if this one goes the same way. It wouldn't happen in Norfolk !
 
December 24    I've been away visiting family over the weekend before Christmas and did a bit of birding at Tring Reservoirs. I saw the White Pelican of unknown origin and my first Goldeneye of the winter (a drake). The pelican had a rosy pink flush to the neck and chest, is this normal for European White Pelican I wonder.
 
December 23    Top shopping tip for those post-Christmas sales - go to Sainsbury's at Dudbridge (no I don't have shares) - four out of my last five visits have given me cracking views of Dipper on the River Frome in the corner of the car park.
 
December 16    Although it's now South Gloucestershire I went and saw the first-winter Rose-coloured Starling at Hanham this morning (16/12) with Gerry. It is a cracking bird, nicely pink and black with a partial crest. Well worth a look. Still present on 29/12/00.
 
This weekend my website got its 500th visitor, thanks to all that have taken the trouble to browse here from time to time.