Diary 2002

Dec 31    Well that's it for another year. The website continues to be popular and sometimes too time consuming. I'm sure I'll keep it going though. Many thanks to all of you who have supported me this year, it is nice to be appreciated. On a personal note it has not been a great year, what with one thing and another, the lowest point being the death of my daughter's partner at the age of 26 in March. So I'll look forward to a brighter 2003. 

On a birding front it has been much better with several memorable moments and an unforgettable trip to Florida with loads of lifers, the trip to France however was blighted by English weather - Wet, wet, wet! The County's top birds have been the Frampton Ross's Gull and the Tidenham Chase Little Bunting without question.

As for the website the Gloucestershire Birding League was popular with all those who took part. I was unable to beat Tony's previous record, only equaling it on 187. I did listen to an elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker for an hour at Nagshead, but I never did see it and despite visiting Highnam Wood, Quedgeley N.R. and Frampton in the last three days (all possible sites) I still failed. I was the only birder to see the WWT full-winged Cape Teal that flew in and out of South Lake one evening when I was alone in the hide, but I don't think that will help my total. I know two local birders who did not take part have declared totals in excess of 190, so well done to them. Perhaps they and others may like to take part next year. I will host a table again if there is enough interest. I may not personally chase around quite so much, but then again I say that every year. 

If there is anything you would like to see on the website in 2003 please let me know. I always welcome anyone's contributions regardless of whether you are a garden birder or a hardcore twitcher. I will be especially interested in any dot.com millionaires out there who might like to fund The Gloster Birder. 

This only brings me to say sorry for rambling on - Have a Great New Year's Eve and a Very Happy New Year for 2003.

 

Dec 25    Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for your support in 2002. A special thanks to those who have made contributions to the site this year.

 

Dec 24    I decided to try for the drake Baikal Teal at Stanton Harcourt this morning, I know the BOURC won't accept it but who cares, its a nice bird. I arrived at 8am. There were only four other birders there. This included Dunbarton birder John Bell, how keen/mad is that journey on Christmas Eve. We searched from both ends of the lake for three hours with no luck. The light was often poor. At 11:10am I was about to leave, but decided to have one last look. Unbelievably the bird was bang in the centre of my scope view. I always have been lucky, I have done this before with rarities notably Common Rosefinch and Great Grey Shrike. It was a fairly dull individual although the white braces reminiscent of Green-winged Teal were the most outstanding feature in what was now good light. I got everybody else onto the bird and drove home happy. Other notable birds present were a male and four female Goldeneyes.

 

Dec 22   At last I connected with a female Merlin at Frampton after dozens of attempts. This takes me on to 187 species for the County this year. I had a really good morning at Frampton in sunshine today. I was really annoyed that, after urging birders to exercise caution and to keep to public footpaths here, the Bewick's Swans were flushed by a dog walker in the fields going right along the edge of the scrapes. As was the Little Egret although that didn't go far. Then a second man with two dogs walked right up the far edge of the scrapes with two dogs just to make sure there were no birds left. There is no access to these fields north of Splatt and its about time something was sorted out by the Estate and other interested parties here. It seems that you can go in the fields to shoot birds or to flush them with dogs but the only people who genuinely care about the welfare of the wildlife here are excluded. 

Apologies to anyone who was offended by the vile advert placed in the Guestbook yesterday. I have no control over messages like this being placed there, but I do remove them the instant I spot them.

 

Dec 13   Today I am pleased to put on-line Steve Dark's Mexico Trip Report. Click here or go to Trip Reports for this and others. I certainly found out that it was Friday the 13th the hard way, when a lorry started to shed it's load when I was driving home from work. In the ensuing chaos an unfortunate lady totalled her car in the back of mine while we all took evasive action.

 

Dec 03   The big news this week is obviously the Little Bunting at Tidenham Chase (see sightings for directions). It is still present today. I was lucky enough to be able to go straight from work Friday afternoon to see it before going off to the in-laws in Hemel Hempstead. It would have made for a miserable journey if it hadn't shown. It is remaining very elusive because of the nature of the terrain. However if you are patient you should be able to see it. Best times seem to be around midday and again at 4pm when the buntings get into the trees prior to going to roost. I think there is a reasonable chance that it will overwinter with the small flock of Reed Buntings. Let's hope so.

 

Nov 26   Today I was pleased to hear from Michael Force, the Canadian guy I showed around in the spring. He promised to stay in contact from the Pacific and today he was good to his word. He has assembled a pretty good list that would make most British sea-watchers green with envy. This is a snip from his mail.

"The central tropical Pacific now seems a very long way from our June birding trip to the Frampton Flashes and Frampton-on-Severn. Here is a list of birds I promised you, a little late as we're almost at the end of our 4 month voyage. We left San Diego 27 July and will be returning in a couple of weeks (8 Dec). We've been surveying the seabirds and marine mammals of the entire Hawaiian EEZ (including the Leeward Islands) on a US government research project aboard the NOAA ship David Starr Jordan. The list includes everything I've seen from the ship and doesn't include what my birding partner Brett Jarrett has seen, nor does it include any shore-based observations. As you've probably already guessed, this is proprietary data and the following information has to accompany the list, all or in part, in any form: 

Hawaiian Islands Cetacean and Ecosystem Assessment Survey, 2002, http://swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov/PRD/2002%20Cruises/HICEAS/hiceas_website.htm. 

Collected by Ecology Program of Southwest Fisheries Science Center http://swfsc.ucsd.edu/.  

Contact Lisa T. Ballance (mailto:Lisa.Ballance@noaa.gov) for more information.

List of birds seen from the NOAA ship David Starr Jordan, 27 July to 25 November inclusive:
Black-footed Albatross  18       Phoenix Petrel    1                

Mottled Petrel    54                 Murphy's Petrel    1    

Kermadec Petrel    34               Herald Petrel    5    

Hawaiian Petrel    97        Juan Fernandez Petrel   184  

White-necked Petrel   58           Cook's Petrel    170                  

Bonin Petrel    2,687                 Black-winged Petrel   264
Stejneger's Petrel   12              Pycroft's Petrel    1              

Bulwer's Petrel    184                Pink-footed Shearwater  35      

Flesh-footed Shearwater  2       Wedge-tailed Shearwater  16,014
Buller's Shearwater   5             Sooty Shearwater   392        

Short-tailed Shearwater  9,897   Christmas Shearwater  8          

Black-vented Shearwater  8*  Newell's (Townsend's) Shearwater 42            

Wilson's Storm-Petrel  4        Band-rumped (Harcourt's) Storm-Petrel  8     

Leach's Storm-Petrel   155     Tristram's Storm-Petrel  3                            

Black Storm-Petrel   6*              Red-billed Tropicbird  1* 

Red-tailed Tropicbird   74          White-tailed Tropicbird  43

Masked Booby    72                    Red-footed Booby   342  

Brown Booby    120                     Great Frigatebird   38

Lesser Frigatebird  1                  Green-winged Teal  1
Northern Pintail   2                    Pacific Golden-Plover   95
Long-billed Dowitcher   4       Bar-tailed Godwit   9 (a single flock 116 NM NNE of Necker)
Ruddy Turnstone    24                Red-necked Phalarope   9*
Red Phalarope    11*                    South Polar Skua   5
Pomarine Jaeger    6                   Parasitic Jaeger    9
Long-tailed Jaeger   8                 Heermann's Gull    300*
Western Gull    303*                   Laughing Gull   1
Caspian Tern    10*                      Elegant Tern    5*
Arctic Tern    1*                          Forster's Tern    30*
Least Tern     6*                          Gray-backed Tern   6
Sooty Tern     3,726                    Black Noddy    271
Brown Noddy    1,183                   White Tern    1,129
Xantus' Murrelet    7*                 Cassin's Auklet    2*
Cliff Swallow    1                         Northern Mockingbird  1

Some of the species may seem surprising, especially the land birds, but as you know, they do get lost and show up in strange places! The White-necked Petrels were personally satisfying as that was the only lifer for the trip. The 14 species marked with * were only seen the day we left San Diego."

 

Nov 24   A reasonable weekend when I only got soaked once. I caught up with the Egyptian Goose at Coombe Hill yesterday and had nice views of the Whooper Swans. The goose took my County total to 185. This morning I wandered down Green Lane at Frampton where panoramic views across the scrapes produced a Lapwing , a Buzzard and a Stonechat in an hour. I did have excellent views of a Tawny Owl being mobbed, mainly by Blackbirds and being driven from tree to tree. I also had a late Chiffchaff but still no Merlin. Tony got Grey Partridge today taking him to 185 also. He also recorded 110 Red-legs (see Sightings). We have chatted tonight and for both of us barring scarcities the League is nearly at an end. He is hoping for the return of the Ring-billed Gull at Michael Wood, whilst I am ever hopeful of catching up with a Merlin and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Note: Green Lane is a public footpath and is accessed by crossing two fields from a small gate beside the towpath, just south of the reed bed that is south of Splatt Bridge.

 

Nov 21   There was an Egyptian Goose at Coombe Hill Canal yesterday. For those of you that missed the Frampton one in the spring (including me) you can count it for the Year Listers league if you catch up with it as Colin Butters did.

 

Nov 16   I caught up with the Bittern this morning at the CWP when I saw it in flight. Just reward for three hours in the rain there last Saturday when I saw little.

 

Nov 15   I thought I'd just write a small entry as it is very quiet both in the County and nationally at the moment. I saw the Short-eared Owl at Frampton yet again this evening, some years I really struggle to see SEO's but this year I have seen them all over the place. They are cracking birds though. I keep missing Merlin though, for me they are as elusive as ever. The Bittern remains in the CWP seen today by Ian Ralphs when it flushed from the track in front of him, lucky devil, a lifer for him.

I have put a link on the birding links page for a new Bird Forum hosted by Steve Elliott at http://www.birdforum.net I wish him well with it I can't seem to get you lot to use the Message Board for a decent discussion.

 

Nov 08   I have finally finished my Florida Trip Report. Click here or go to Trip Reports for this and others. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed reliving the memories when I wrote it. Please be patient whilst it loads, it is long. Thanks to Bridgette and Michael for the additional pictures.

 

Nov 03   Tonight I am pleased to mention Simon Mackie's new website. Simon has contributed several fine images to the galleries and sightings pages here. You will find him at http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/gallery . I managed to bump my County list onto 182 today with Black Redstart at Sharpness and Rock Pipit at Berkeley. Tony also added the redstart to take him to 182 as well. 

 

Oct 28   Hi folks, I'm back. I had a great trip which I will write up later - best bird was probably a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. I had about 84 lifers. I am pleased to publish a wonderful Trip Report from Philip Pope tonight for Ecuador and Galapagos. Click here or go to Trip Reports for this and others. The sightings have been updated retrospectively to 11th October. Normal Daily service is now resumed. Thanks to all who kept me up to date whilst I was away.

 

Oct 10   Well that's it I'm off to Florida with Colin and our families. Normal service will be resumed when I get back. My daughter is house-sitting so you can ring with messages or e-mail me as usual. The noise from Quedgeley will be the inevitable party. You could always use the Message Board and talk to one another .

I'm hoping for lots of ticks (not the creepy-crawly sort) and looking forward to swimming with dolphins and seeing the Space Centre. I'll let you know how it went. Don't find anything too rare while I'm away. See ya.

I received this tonight from Dave Evans The.Evansclan@btopenworld.com about his booklet : 150 Gloucestershire Birds in a Year, which gives month-by-month hints on where to go and what to look for in the county to achieve the target.  At only £2.00 a copy, incl. p&p, and with 36 pages, 14 b&w line drawings and checklist, it must be a bargain. Available from : Dave Evans, The Coach House, Bristol Road, Cam, Dursley, GL11 5JB or via the above E-mail address.

 

Oct 02    News received from Colin Butters today www.colinbutters.com "The Ross's Goose which was an escapee from somewhere (not WWT Slimbridge) and which first appeared in the area of Slimbridge and Frampton in 1993 has had to be put down. It was found recently at Frampton with a shattered leg. This bird was a regular winter visitor to Slimbridge since that year and maintained company with the Canada Geese. Although, as an escapee, it was not 'tickable' it was a lovely bird which will be missed this winter."

 

Oct 01    For the ringers out there or for birders who just like interesting records, take a look at this amazing albino Great Reed Warbler ringed today at the Moro Marsh (Sagunto, Valencia - SPAIN). Click here.

 

Sep 29    I have added a link today for the Somerset Ornithological Society . Go to Somerset Ornithological Society You might also like to try local birder Mike Jefferies photographic site  www.mikejefferies.net 

 

Sep 28    A quick look around Frampton this morning proved to be a nice walk but with few birds. Nebrow Hill Oakwood looks brilliant for migrants at the moment but it was very quiet, apart from a movement of Swallows and finches starting to flock. This area is a fine testament to the farmer who set it up and will surely pay dividends soon. The wintering Hen Harrier a couple of years ago is probably its best bird so far.

 

Sep 27    After having only two Ravens over the garden in 18 years here, and those together just 12 days ago, I had another one that cronked east at 9:30 this morning. This was followed by a pair of Siskins, which also flew east. Not bad for a suburban Quedgeley garden. 

 

Sep 25    With the website now at 20,000 visitors I would like to thank you all for all the support during its first two years. The affiliation to Amazon has not been a raging success, earning 77p so far, so I won't be giving up the day job. With the house currently in the grip of a very nasty stomach virus, I have spent some time surfing the net for Florida info, with our holiday not far away now. I have been sent the URL for an Asian wader site by the FLORIDABIRDS-L List, it has some great pictures for all you wader fans. 

Go to http://homepage2.nifty.com/stints/StintFan.html

 

Sep 18    A whole new set of changes to the BOU list was released yesterday. Probably the most interesting for the listers out there is that Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) has been added to Category A (split from Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) as a full species. Other new additions include Syke's Warbler. The new British List stands at 563 - Cat A - 540, Cat B - 14, Cat C 9. Full details at www.bou.org.uk/recnews.html .

 

Sep 15    Gerry and I left at 5am for Rye Meads north of London hoping to see the Solitary Sandpiper that had been found on Friday. We arrived at around 7:15am and were with the second party allowed onto the reserve at 7:30am. We immediately had good views of the bird but it took off after a few minutes and flew off high to the north. We were allowed to remain in the hide and it returned after an edgy 35 minutes when we watched it for a further few minutes before we had to leave. Viewing was regulated because it could only be seen from a small hide holding about 15 people. People arriving later in the day were less lucky because it flew off at 9:20am and did not return until midday and then only for a short while. My second lifer in as many weeks.

We moved on towards home stopping at Wraysbury where we had at least 25 Ring-necked Parakeets. 

Finally whilst digging another pond this afternoon I had a new garden tick. A pair of Ravens cronked over putting on a fine flying display. A good day.

 

Sep 11    A sample letter regarding the mooted habitat destruction in Quedgeley is available by clicking here. I would urge you to send a copy of a letter along these lines to the City Council if you have the time. Please feel free to reword it to your style. We really don't need more houses in Quedgeley, and where else will we find Jack Snipe so easily in winter. If you haven't followed this story see the Message Board.

 

Sep 07    A very successful trip today with Tony Eveleigh, Mo Croose and Paul Taylor resulted in a life tick for us all. The Glossy Ibis at Budleigh Salterton was far more obliging than the four at Otmoor yesterday (which Paul dipped by about ten minutes). It was a very attractive bird with a super green glossy sheen, living up to its name, and a diagnostic curved bill. It fed actively in the fields for long period as well as commuting to the river mouth. We also had several Kingfishers, a couple of Little Egrets, a Raven, a couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies and loads of warblers to sort through. We also had two Spoonbills at Bowling Green marsh (usual pose - on one leg with head under wing). An excellent day in good company. 

Also belated news reached me today from Bev Mynett-Smith who had an adult Gannet fly over his house near Plock Court, Gloucester on the second of March this year. A good garden tick.

 

Sep 05    A new Trip Report on-line today. David Owen's recent trip to Lesvos. Go to Trip Reports. If anyone wants further information David is happy to give it. You can contact him through me at the usual address.

 

Sep 03    For those of you who don't have pagers, you may be interested to know that the CWP Great White Egret, which arrived via Porth Reservoir in Cornwall, was ringed as a nestling at Lac Grand-Lieu, Loire Atlantique, France on 14th May 2002. I received an e-mail today from Dr Loïc Marion who personally ringed it. The ring combination is three colour rings Orange Red Yellow on the left leg and a metal ring on the right leg (Museum Paris CA 60503). It hadn't gone over the fence from a collection so your tick is safe.

 

Aug 30    I had a long chat with Tony Eveleigh last night and it seems that the year listing league may be starting to get difficult. Tony has now reached 180, one ahead of me, and he thinks there are few remaining birds ahead unless we get a spate of Autumn rarities. However, he is in Scilly in October, I'm in Florida and Gordon's in Cornwall for a couple of weeks each. His only remaining easy ones are Turnstone and maybe Ring-billed Gull, if it returns. As for me I still have only heard Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and a few winter specialities are missing like Merlin, Long-eared Owl, Rock and Water Pipit and any wayward seabirds. I'm also missing Red Kite, which everybody else keeps stumbling into. We've all missed Quail. Tony just wants to beat his 187 and for myself I am looking forward to year end when I can put my feet up (or start again ).

 

Aug 26    I'm back from Cornwall after a nice relaxing weekend. I had a few nice birds including the Spotted Crake at Marazion. The pelagic was maybe not as successful as in earlier years but it depends on whether you had been before. An old sea-dog like me, with four pelagics under my belt, was a little disappointed that we didn't get the "biggie". Gerry who was on his first trip was well pleased with the selection, especially the Great Shearwaters which stayed with the ship all day. You just don't get views like that on coastal sea-watches. I was pleased to see Long-tailed Skuas, actually much rarer on this trip than Wilson's Petrel (although we were too late for them). I think the postponement was costly in terms of quality and quantity of birds seen. The first chance I got tonight I dashed to CWP and tucked away the Pectoral Sandpiper for bird 179 on my Glos Year List.

 

Aug 22   The new Message Board is on-line tonight and is a much better one than the old one. Hope you like it and use it.

Thanks to a timely call from Paul Taylor tonight I managed to connect with the Osprey at Purton taking me to 178 for the County this year. Funniest moment of the year came when Colin sprinted from his car to my scope as the Osprey disappeared into the distance. He just got onto it after running for the first time in 30 years.

 

Aug 21   The Gloster Birder is two years old today. Many thanks for all your support. BeSeen, the Message Board hosts are ceasing to provide the service after Monday, just as it was getting going, I hope to soon have a new board in place soon and I will try and transfer the messages. 

 

Aug 20   I arrived at the Water Park safe in the knowledge that the Great White Egret hadn't been seen for two hours. I walked for miles, it seemed, out from Pit 57. I met Nick and Deb who had also missed it last night. Walking back I heard the croak of a heron species and dived through the undergrowth to the water's edge, and there in the reeds in the corner of Pit 41 showing brilliantly was the Great White Egret. Bingo!

 

Aug 19   What an excellent evening to pick to go to the theatre. Not even I could persuade Bridgette that Cotswold Water Park was on the way to Malvern. Perhaps I'll get the Great White Egret tomorrow. I've already seen this bird in Cornwall anyway. I also failed in trying to persuade Bridgette that Portland Bill (Booted Warbler) was on the way to her brother's in Wokingham yesterday. I think I'm losing my touch.

 

Aug 18   How cool is this, Colin and I waited until there were two lifers were available to us at Elmley in Kent and then went yesterday. I wasn't worried that the Pallid Harrier might fly off in the week at all (well, except Tuesday when it vanished). The real bonus was the arrival of two cracking Marsh Sandpipers. They are the sort of bird I figured I would always catch up with eventually and had often dipped in the past. So at 6am yesterday morning we were in the hide enjoying them at close range before the heat haze developed. Then at about 8:15am we had our first brief views of the Pallid Harrier, or was it, the haze was awful, and it could have been a Monty's. Another brief view came at 9am, still not clinched though. Then at around 9:35am something wonderful happened, the bird flew across the road to the west side of the marsh and, at last with the sun behind us, we had cracking decisive views of this beautiful raptor. It was regularly harassed by a pair of Kestrels and eventually with patience frayed tried to take one down. We were able to watch this "silver ghost" for over half an hour. There were lots of other good birds here including a ringtail Hen Harrier, at least three Marsh Harriers, an Avocet and loads of Yellow Wagtails. As we had overnighted down and arrived at 3am we were on our way back home, mission accomplished by 10:30am.

 

Aug 12   The last day of my holiday, so I thought why waste it, I'll go and dip the Red-necked Phalarope at Goldcliff. So I did! I'm getting good at this dipping lark. Let's hope the Pallid Harrier stays till the weekend and we can go and dip that too. However it was a nice morning over the bridge and I did see 11 Little Egrets, a Hobby (on the deck, unusual and great views), a Green Sandpiper, a few common waders and two Clouded Yellow butterflies and a big blue dragonfly sp, which was impressive but I don't know what it was. 

I've archived the Diary for 2001 today so that this page loads quicker. I'm not sure why anyone wants to read my ramblings anyway but you'll find it in the Archives. 

On a more serious note there are building plans afoot in Quedgeley that need protesting about. For those of you that don't know it, this is the site which floods and gets good numbers of Snipe plus a couple of Jack Snipe each winter (I have taken some of you there). It also has many other birds and masses of frogs. I quote from the circular produced by the Council. "Gloucester's Local Plan will soon be open to public consultation. The Woolstrop and Clearwater Drive sites have been designated as public open space. However, there is likely to be 'some development' to the front of the Woolstrop site, if developers manage to have a planning application approved before the Local Plan is adopted, following public consultation." If you would like to protest about this loss of public open space (and a naturally developing wildlife reserve) make your views known in writing to : Local Plan Team, Planning Services, City Council, The Docks, Gloucester GL1 5EQ. There are six weeks from 05/08/02 to do so. All protests may help. Thanks.

 

Aug 11   Yesterday Gerry and I set off in good spirits for today's pelagic from Penzance. We saw the Great White Egret at Porth Reservoir with no difficulty and had excellent views. However on the approach to Penzance the message came over on the pager that the pelagic had been cancelled due to engine failure. We sought out Viv Stratton on Penzance quay and it was no hoax. The ship could not be fixed for several days so there were no alternatives. So we had a long journey home earlier than we thought. The only consolation was we didn't have the longest return journey - whilst we were on the quay three guys arrived for the trip from Finland! (they were all lawyers too, look out IOS Travel Co.). 

Just to put the lid on the day I have brilliantly deleted my birding e-mail folder containing over 600 mails. If you haven't had a reply on anything please contact me again.

 

Aug 02   I am holiday this week and will be tazzing around a bit visiting the out-laws and trying to fit in some birding, with the week culminating in the Scillonian pelagic. Therefore updates may be a little irregular. You can contact me throughout the week on Mike@surfbirder.com .

 

Jul 27   Together with Colin and Sue I successfully (hooray!) twitched the Stilt Sandpiper at Pennington marshes in Hampshire this morning. It was a cracking wader and well worth the early start and lack of sleep. On the way down we had a Barn Owl a couple of miles before Collingbourne Kingston and also a suicidal Hedgehog, Fox and Rabbits. We did have a couple of hours to kill before the Stilt Sandpiper got up but there was plenty to see here. The supporting cast included three Little Egrets, ten Greenshank, two Black-tailed Godwits, nine Snipe, a Kingfisher and a couple of Little Terns as well as good numbers of the commoner waders. I have a 100% success rate at this site, my last visit being for the Great Spotted Cuckoo in April 2000. After leaving here we stopped at a few heathland sites, and failed to find any specialities, but it was apparent that Stonechats have had a bumper season with juveniles everywhere. We also found a Redstart, a Whinchat, a Spotted Flycatcher and heard two or three Grasshopper Warblers, birds which I have only seen singles of in the UK this year till now. 

Duncan Dine also turned up a good selection of waders (see Sightings) at Kempsford and says the habitat looks so good it's sure to turn up a goodie soon. You heard it here first.

 

Jul 24    I have been asked today about the site's Message Board by someone wanting to use it. Perhaps it is not obvious but it is found through the yellow icon below the Visitor counter. It is under-used, maybe this is why, and could certainly do with some interesting debates. Please feel free to express yourself here. 

Good news today is that the pair of Bee-eaters in Bishop Middleham, County Durham have hatched young, I think the first successful breeding since 1955. They have evaded the eggers, who no doubt thought about it, and the four hour journey north seems very tempting now.

 

Jul 22    Tonight I have succumbed and become an Associate for Amazon Books. As much as I know people (and I include me in that) do not like advertising this is hidden away below my ugly mug on the Home page. It should only advertise relevant books and if you are a bookworm I would ask you try Amazon through this site. I have used them and they are very good and I have to start paying for my on-line time and effort somehow. Commercial break over! 

I am more pleased tonight to have a new article about the Gannet on-line, by Lee Evans and photos by Ian Lewington and a bit of help from me. Thanks Lee and Ian. Go to Articles.

 

Jul 21    Oops! I did it again. Another trip/dip to Devon to miss the Elegant Tern again. I travelled down with Gerry and Richard and we enjoyed a lovely day sunbathing by the seaside. As to the birds - we scrutinised at least 100 Sandwich Terns, saw a few Common Terns, which strangely people were trying to tick as Roseate's (well they were on the pager this week ) and saw a few nice waders including summer-plumaged Knot, Bar-tailed Godwits and Sanderling. It was also nice to see Steve Elton, a Cornish friend, who I had been on my first two pelagics with. 

Gerry and I are going this year and we might even be able to dip this tern for a third time on the way to Penzance if we're lucky.

 

Jul 19    A new Trip Report on-line today. Gerry Shilham's tempting June trip to Grenada in the Caribbean complete with photos . Go to Trip Reports. 

 

Jul 14    Today I have received a new website notification which may interest readers of this site. It is Paul Bowerman's Severnside Birds at Severnsidebirds. In the long-term I have placed this link on the Birding Links page.

 

Jul 12    I have heard from Michael Force today, the Canadian guy I showed around Frampton (see June 21). For those of you who are interested he has sent me a species list for his trip, which included nine lifers, three at Frampton. You can see his trip list here MF2002. Michael tells me that in less than 13 days he leaves for a 4 month cruise around the Hawaiian Islands and will send some updates.

 

Jul 08    Yesterday I went to the Forest trying to plug a couple of gaps in my County year list. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker continued to evade me at Nagshead, as did everything else, despite arriving at 6am. At New Fancy View from the summit I had a wonderful tit flock comprising 30+ birds, which included all six English species, with two Marsh Tits and a Willow Tit. Also with the flock were a pair of Blackcaps, a Treecreeper, two Chiffchaffs, four Goldcrests and six Chaffinches. Just before I left a Crossbill, my first of the year and 50% of my morning's target flew over. When I got in Richard Price called about an adult summer Mediterranean Gull on South Lake, WWT, so I went straight down and managed my second County tick of the day taking me to 175. This bird was in pristine summer plumage and was the best looking Mediterranean Gull I have ever seen, with bright red legs, red bill with a yellow tip and red eye-ring and white lids. Its hood was jet black and complete. 

Colin and I had waited all weekend for a good bird to escape to and what happens. Nothing! Yet the minute we are both back at inescapable piles of work today the Elegant Tern re-terns (sorry) to Dawlish. Oh well, C'est la Vie.

 

Jul 03    Tonight I am pleased to replace the old General Gallery with a new one containing some much better photos of some national rarities and scarcities and one or two commoner species. I am always pleased to receive your photos/videos and to showcase them on the site. Just e-mail me at the usual address if you want to contribute anything. 

I have received some nice compliments by e-mail over the past week about the way the site is growing and improving and importantly is free. I would love to find a way of making it pay without charging the readers, all ideas gratefully accepted (as are large financial donations ). 

I also received this today from Chris McManus "I've just seen a bird about the size of a small magpie with a wide red stripe extending from its bill, over the top of its head ending at its shoulders, its body was a bright lime green colour and it had yellow tips to its wings. It was spotted on 3 July at 1:30pm at RAF Innsworth". Any ideas? E-mail me please.

 

Jul 01    Today I have received a couple of new website notifications which may interest readers of this site. 

The first is James Packer's The Somerset Birder at http://www.somersetbirder.co.uk/ 

The other is Colin Butters website at http://www.colinbutters.com/ Colin is a regular contributor to this site. In the long-term I have placed both of these links on the Birding Links page. Tonight I have received a short Norfolk trip report tonight from Colin which can be found on the Trip Reports page.

I finally caught up with two Barn Owls in the Cotswolds on Friday night but it was my fourth attempt and I needed to wear my lucky pants and to see a pair of Magpies on the way. All I want now is to get lucky with Red Kite and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. 

I have been off work today with a chesty summer-cold which curtailed my birding over the weekend but a male Greenfinch on my bird table today is about as rare as a Hoopoe around here. It's nice to still be able to get pleasure from the commoner birds occasionally. 

 

Jun 28    Tonight I have launched a new County Gallery. Frankly my old box-Brownie type images were OK when the site was launched but now I have much better images available. Many thanks to all who sent in photos. There are some images of recent and some not so recent birds in the County.  Please be patient whilst waiting for these images to load as they are larger and consequently of better quality than the thumbnails in the daily sightings page. Others are record shots and lack better quality but are important (i.e. Frampton Richard's Pipit - only image obtained). Some of these images have not been published on the sightings pages. I will soon be updating the General Gallery in the same way.

 

Jun 22    Two new Trip Reports on-line today. Gordon Hodgson's May trip to the Outer Hebrides complete with photos and my more modest chill-out in Northern France in May also. Go to Trip Reports. I am also pleased to add a Video page to the site today, which I hope will have more videos soon.

 

Jun 21    It was my pleasure to give Mike Force of British Columbia, Canada a guided tour of Frampton tonight. He got several lifers. It was nice to see someone get so enthusiastic about birds we take for granted. Mike contacted me through BirdingPal http://birdingpal.org/ an excellent tool for birders visiting new countries. Mike is a seabird observer on a Marine Mammal survey ship (how great a job is that!) followed by two months on the Antarctic survey plus a good deal of free time in Chile. 

 

Jun 15    Thanks to those of you who have already replied regarding Spotted Flycatchers. I toured the Cotswolds very early this morning but failed to see any owls or hear any Quail at several previously successful sites. The weather wasn't any help though, every time I went further than 50yds from the car it rained. I can't wait for a balmy summer evening, I can just about remember what they were like.

 

Jun 14    A really quiet week with no new County news. All the birds are going quiet now that they are flat out feeding young. It was nice to see a female Mandarin with five ducklings at Splatt Bridge in the week. I have searched a few local sites for Spotted Flycatchers this week but so far to no avail. I'm sure they must be in by now but I haven't heard of any. I did see a large gathering of Swifts over Eastington in the week, but generally I think their numbers are down. 

The birding league has slowed down considerably after the flurry of activity through May, when many Brownie points were used. On a personal note although I have reached 170 species, Tony's 187 still looks a long way off. I'm sure I can manage 180 but 187, maybe.

 

Jun 08    I'm back from our family break in France. I did more eating and drinking and relaxing than birding. However I did manage a few walks, the highlights were Melodious Warblers in the village (Caumont), Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage at Le Crotoy, Marsh and Hen Harriers, Crested Larks and a male Reeve's Pheasant in Hesdin Forest. One of the village Melodious Warblers had a remarkable range of mimicry in its song, it included Kestrel, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lapwing and Whitethroat. I note that British Birds covers our disappearing farmland birds this month, well I know where they have disappeared to, they are all in France. The fields around our village was enough to make you weep, there were lots of Skylarks, Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Grey Partridges and Yellow Wagtails to name but a few. I saw more Yellow Wagtails in one field in 10 minutes than I have seen all spring in Britain. Not such intensive farming practices may be a reason. It's nice to see hedgerows dividing fields, flowers amongst the corn and natural margins. I also had a Red Kite being mobbed by crows over Junction 13 (Newbury) of the M4 this afternoon. All I want now is a Gloucester one.

For those of you who asked about the reported Golden Oriole in Churchdown I am indebted to Colin Butters who has now seen photos of the bird in question. It seems that it is probably an African Oriole or another escaped species, at any rate it was not a Golden Oriole.

 

May 31    I am off to Northern France for a week tomorrow. I will reply to all e-mails when I get back. I would also like to welcome Chris Britton to the league today. I'm hoping for a relaxing break with lots of wine, a few good birds and nothing too gripping in Glos. Once again my daughter is house sitting, oh dear! Au revoir for now.

 

May 27    I have received a couple of local interest stories from Vincent Jones of The Barn Owl Centre. Here they are : 

"On Wednesday 15th May 2002 we were called out to an injured wild Barn Owl, the Owl, which was an adult female was found within an area of good habitat on the top of Cleeve Hill near Winchcombe. The owl had suffered a severe wound to the elbow joint of the wing caused by an air rifle. We rushed the bird to Neil Forbes at Lansdown Veterinary Surgeons based in Stroud. Sadly the birds wing was beyond repair due to extent of the damage caused by the rifle shot. The decision that was made by the vet and ourselves was to have the bird put down. This is a sad outcome on a bird that needs protection."

"On Thursday 23rd May 2002 at approx 3.30pm we encountered a near visitor to the Centre. Whilst talking to some guests I noticed in the sky above us two crows mobbing a bird, which I thought at first glance was a Buzzard. The height of this bird was approx 800ft. I noticed the bird was flying very clumsily and I then noticed that the shape was different than that of a Buzzard. By making out the shape it became apparent that it had a forked tail. Red Kite. Because of the birds clumsy flight pattern and not seeing one around here before, I decided to whistle the bird down thinking it was a captive bred bird that had escaped. To our amazement the bird quickly responded and turned to come down. It dropped from say 800ft to about 100ft but sailed swiftly over the area we were standing. The bird was definitely a juvenile red kite that showed a great interest to what was below it. When the guests left I rang Jemima at the National Birds of Prey Centre to see if they had lost one, the answer given by an assistant was no. Maybe this was just a very inquisitive bird that was lost. We will never know."

Other birds that have spotted around the new Centre

Female Peregrine Falcon,  flying very low say 50ft. 2 sightings

Hobby, dive bombing our Eagle Owl when out Flying.

Buzzards, plenty of.

Kestrel. A Common visitor

Little Owls. Very Common

Tawny Owls. Every Night

 

May 25    I went to Beachley Point this morning in very promising seawatching conditions and saw nothing even though Severn Beach had an interesting selection of seabirds. I could even see a Fulmar under the second crossing and glimpsed a petrel sp. and also a very distant Gannet. In Gloucestershire however - Nada, nix, nowt - they may as well have built a wall instead of a bridge. The birds seem to regard it as a tangible barrier. Therefore I was extremely pleased when a sub-adult Gannet turned up in the Glos section of the Water Park. So I went back for the second time in 24 hours and had excellent views. A County tick for me and for several others. I also got ticked myself, so I commend John for identifying me from the photo on the front page, notoriety at last. 

I also received a short note from Vincent Jones which may or may not be of interest introducing The Barn Owl Centre : Web Site: www.barnowl.co.uk  The Tythe Barn, Brockworth Court, Brockworth, Gloucester, GL3 4QU. Tel: 01452 865999.

 

May 21    I thought these two pieces of non-local news I have picked up today may be of interest. First some very encouraging news from the Cornish Wildlife newsgroup. A pair of Choughs in West Cornwall have raised four chicks to fledging at a protected site, the first to breed successfully in England for 50 years.

Secondly, for those of you hoping to tick off Honey Buzzard this year (not in Glos sadly), a new Honey Buzzard watchpoint is opening in Norfolk at the weekend. It is 4 mls SE of Fakenham, 1-1/4 mls SSE of Great Ryburgh. From Great Ryburgh church take Mill Road SSE to a car park on the right just beyond a bridge over a disused railway.

 

May 20    Yesterday we went to Devon in the vain hope that the Elegant Tern would return to Dawlish Warren. It didn't. It wasn't a great day all round really. The traffic was heavy, the journey seemed to take hours and the weather got worse with each mile south. My best moment was seeing the group of four Black-winged Stilts at South Milton Sands, eclipsing by one my previous best British total of three at Radley, Oxfordshire in 1993. They seemed to be attracting quite a crowd because of the no-show by the tern and the scurrilous rumours now surrounding the Titchwell bird (escape?) which I don't believe. Michael's best moment was finding a £10 note floating in a beach puddle and Bridgette's best moment was getting home. 

Today I have added my County list to the Gloucestershire Year Listers league and I hope that others may like to do the same. Go to the link behind my name if you are remotely interested. I know some people just don't like listing.

 

May 17    I would like to welcome Steve Dark to the listers league today. I am just clinging to the top spot but probably because Gordon is out of circulation this week. I managed to see Cuckoo today taking me to 161. Probably the latest I have ever seen one. Is it me or are they scarce this year. I also managed a second Marsh Harrier today at Frampton, another female.

 

May 10    I received this tonight, can you help? Local police have received an anonymous call regarding illegal shooting of birds in the Winchcombe area, specifically Grey Herons at Wormington Grange lake. If anyone hears anything that might confirm this please contact PC Cuthbert on 01242 276197.

 

May 08    It's nice to welcome Phil Pope to the Year Listers League today. Two new members in two days can't be bad. At some stage I'll try and gather together some lists and see if I can establish how many species have been seen in the County so far this year.

 

May 07    I would like to welcome Dave Pearce, a regular contributor to the sightings page to the Year Listers League today. It has been passed on to me that birders are walking along the edges of the top flashes by the river at Frampton. If this is you please don't do it, there is no public access, everything gets flushed, birds are nesting and they are better viewed from the towpath anyway. Thank you.

 

May 05    I thought I would cross the bridge this morning and try and see the Hudsonian Whimbrel at Goldcliff. Unfortunately it just didn't happen despite walking miles in the effort. I think it may have been seen by a few birders briefly in flight for a few seconds just once between 5:30am and 1pm, the time I was there. The sighting at 5:30am involved a bird where the rump wasn't seen and it wasn't seen in flight, it just looked like one! So if you are going, be prepared for a long day, unless you get lucky. On the plus side I had some wonderful close views of a Short-eared Owl and also saw three Little Egrets and my first Lesser Whitethroat of the year. This reserve has been wonderfully well developed in a sympathetic manner for birders. It has received the kind of attention Frampton shore could benefit from.

 

May 03    I've just returned from a pleasant afternoon at Frampton. The Arctic Terns are still putting on a splendid show on the Sailing Lake with a dozen still present. Also probably the most obliging Nightingale in the County is now singing from the top of a Hawthorn tree here, Mediterranean style. I also had my first Hobby of the year around the church by the canal. 

The Gloucestershire Year Listers League is proving very popular with its participants, perhaps turning us all into avid County twitchers. If you haven't sent in a score yet please do, the more the merrier. I really think Tony's record of 187 should go this year with the current leader only 36 species from passing it with 8 months to go. Please don't think I don't want to hear from you if you are just watching your garden, this league is open to anyone. We are all interested in each others birding achievements at any level.

 

Apr 28    I'm back, bet you thought I'd called it a day. To be honest so did I. I have spent ages on the phone at a frightening 50p a minute to a Technical Support Team (and for all the good it did they may as well have been a Surgical Support Team). However I joined a Blueyonder PWP newsgroup and found several other people with a similar problem since the upgrade and a Blueyonder Techie (thank you Tom Banks) had posted the answer. So sorry for the absence, I had lots of e-mails enquiring where the page had gone. Thanks for that. If anyone finds any links that have died please let me know at the usual address.

It was my birthday yesterday and I got a new scope (Leica APO Televid 77) and what a revelation it is.

My best bird over the past few days has been the cracking male Ring-necked Duck at WWT. Also I am always happy to see the Swifts arrive, brilliant birds.

 

Apr 21    I have only got into butterflies in the last year so a Holly Blue in my garden today was a life tick as well as a garden tick. Three visits to Frampton this weekend resulted in a few new migrants, although the major arrival has not really happened yet. What price an Alpine Swift for Gloucestershire? Now that would be something. Year list 165, County list 140.

 

Apr 20    I have been awash with e-mails of support and for that I am grateful. None of you want to see this website close and in truth I don't either. So I will be carrying on, how could I let so many good people down.

 

Apr 18    I have already stated the facts about the Ross's Gull elsewhere and I'm not going to do it again here. I would like to say many thanks for the letters of support I have received today. On a brighter note I received this message today, which may interest any Francophiles out there. "My name is Chris McManus and I also live in Gloucester. Our house is a holiday rental and let out between April and October each year. Our house is situated in the Northern Charente in a very rural environment but with connections throughout the Charente-Maritime. Follow www.maisondhibou.freeserve.co.uk (the House of the Owl!) to check out the house. Incidentally, if you know of anyone looking for a May break we have 10% off all weeks, in addition to which I am prepared to give an extra 5% to anyone you recommend." France is very rewarding for a relaxing holiday with good birds where Black Kite, Bluethroat, Short-toed Treecreeper and Crested Lark, for example, can be found with ease. Check out my previous Trip Reports for details.

Apr 14    Aylburton Warth was quiet this morning with little about although a Badger out in broad daylight was good to see. The afternoon livened up with a Whiskered Tern in the Water Park just over the border in Wiltshire at Pit 74. It was my first since 1997 in Majorca. My only other British record was at Bredons Hardwick in 1994 just over the border in Worcestershire. It was nice to see Gerry and Richard amongst others there. We did discuss how to persuade it into Gloucestershire but it didn't take the hint. The only bit of bad luck was as we returned to our cars we all managed to dip a fly-through Osprey. Year list 162, County list 133. 

I received this note from Jeremy Voaden today - 

" I stopped at Cleeve Hill radio masts last Friday on way home to look for Ouzels. Left car (empty of valuables) for half an hour. When I returned, the windows were smashed and my diary and some papers stolen - of no value. Met a warden there and another driver (walking her dog) who said this happens 2-3 times/day. Guidance is to leave NOTHING in car at all."

 

Apr 13    Alright I know I said I was done with Cleeve Hill but Dave Pearce's good run of finding Ring Ouzels tempted me up there at first light. As I enjoyed a coffee in the car park I counted 98 Fieldfares and a single Redwing in the adjacent field. Gerry Shilham arrived unexpectedly and we made the short walk down the slope and there were the Ring Ouzels (2m & 1f). One other flew off north. Nice 'n' easy! When Gerry left my run of good luck continued with Grey Partridges at Whitehall, a Tree Pipit at West Down and on the road between Whitehall and Brockhampton a flock of 12 Corn Buntings on the ploughed field on the right. I'm even top of the league for a few hours. I love Cleeve Hill!

 

Apr 08    I am also pleased to see birders joining the Gloucestershire Year Listers league - today we welcome Steve Owen, Mo Croose and Andy Chapman. Come on people don't be shy, it's only a bit of fun.

 

Apr 06    I went to the new pit complex (84/85) in the Water Park this morning. It is a very promising development and I had several good birds the best of which was a pair of Garganey. I then made the usual mistake of going to Cleeve Hill and it didn't take me long to realise why I hate the place so much - motorbike scramblers, dog walkers, golfers, horse riders, near hypothermia and no birds. So I think I'll pass on Ring Ouzel for the County list this year (I saw one in Cornwall anyway, on the flat). Year list now at 157, Glos list a reasonable 128.

 

Mar 30    I went to Cornwall yesterday with Colin and Sue. We had one of those days where everything clicked. The highlights were Woodchat, Black-eared Wheatear (stonking British tick), Hoopoe, adult Night Heron and a male Ring Ouzel. We also saw an Adder, my first for years. If only we had days like those in the County, so let's get out there and make it happen. 

I find it unbelievable that my site that started as a bit of fun has received its 10000th visitor today after only 18 months. So to all of you that have stumbled across my site on a regular basis or whilst looking for birds of a different nature, Thank You for your support. Mike.

 

Mar 24    The 1999 Gloucestershire Bird Report is finally available. Well done to all concerned. Copies are available from Peter Jones - 2 Beech Close, Highnam, Gloucester, GLOS GL2 8EG Tel : 01452-413561.

 

Mar 23    I received this today from Colin Butters "From now until the end of May, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) staff will be undertaking a wader project in the area of the 100 acre at Slimbridge/Frampton.  It would be appreciated during this time that if a birder sees the WWT Landrover parked in this vicinity they do not approach the vehicle.  It is hoped to keep disturbance of the birds to a minimum and the concentration of the staff to a maximum.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation".

 

Mar 19    This has been a very difficult and horrendous week for us all following the sudden death of my daughter's partner at the age of 26 last Monday. Many thanks to all who have expressed messages of support at this time. I have taken solace in the quietude that birding can provide and have witnessed a trickle of early migrants through Frampton. 

 

Mar 09    Today Colin, Sue and I headed up to Anglesey early in the hope of seeing the Gyrfalcon that had roosted at North Stack. I had missed the first Devon bird due to holidays, I missed the next Devon bird due to illness and we both dipped the Cornwall bird last time so we were keen to see this one. The weather was poor when we arrived but we managed to briefly see the bird at roost through a kindly offered scope. At 9am we had reasonable but distant views of the bird flying high over the end of the stack. I managed to scope it and could see that it was a stocky pale falcon with broad wings and a longish tail. Some people were confused at this point by a Peregrine up at the same time, but the differences were marked. Unfortunately it soon disappeared and was not seen again. So a new lifer but not the greatest of views. At 10am a maelstrom of a windstorm erupted, driving people off of the stack. It was fierce and frightening, birders were being blown off their feet, Colin and Sue were unable to get down until the wind abated and one poor man flattened by the wind remained on his back unable to get up. 

Also today we had 5/6 Choughs, a Hooded Crow, 3 pairs of Ravens and a Barn Owl at Shrewsbury on the A5 coming home.

 

Mar 08    I am pleased to have received an article from Lee Evans about "Displaying Northern Goshawks and where to see them in 2002". To read this article go to Goshawks.

 

Mar 02    I had an excellent morning in the Forest although it started slowly. I walked from Speech House to Staple Edge, checking each clearing on the way and after two hours I had seen very little. The best birds were a pair of Stonechats. Jane Fry arrived and told me that this was where she kept seeing the shrike, this was my sixth attempt, and although the bush where it should have been was there, the shrike plainly wasn't. Another hour passed during which time I had the real bonus of seeing a Firecrest. I decided to leave and go home. Half way back I met Jake and Neil and Val. They persuaded me to show them where the shrike should be, so I went back with them, and lo and behold, Great Grey Shrike, just like that. Also a Goshawk overhead and a Willow Tit completed an excellent morning.

 

Feb 24    To quote Victor Meldrew "I don't believe it". After my fifth attempt since December to locate the Forest shrike yesterday, which failed, some lucky devil has turned it up again today. The first confirmed sighting since January 1st. Apart from that not a bad weekend with Goshawk and Dipper in the Forest yesterday, Brambling at Highnam this morning and Spoonbill and Greenland White-fronted Geese at WWT this afternoon. Its surprising how easy they are in isolation. 8 geese in front of Zeiss hide, all Greenland, dead easy. Thanks, Paul. However 8 Greenland's amongst 1500 Europeans, different story.

Highnam has never been muckier (isn't it always) and in the Forest neither Mallards Pike nor New Fancy View car parks were opened by the Forestry Commission before 9am. Year list now a feeble 132, Glos list a reasonable 106.

 

Feb 22    I received further information today from Gordon Avery regarding the Ovenbird. It was not seen in a garden in Dymock but in fact was at a village north of there and in Worcestershire. At no point did it come into Gloucestershire. Therefore it won't be making the County list (until I find another one in a Quedgeley garden and that will be open to all-comers for a large fee ).

 

Feb 11    I found it unbelievable tonight when I opened my copy of "Birding World" and found that the Ovenbird reported on Surfbirds had actually been in a garden in Dymock, Glos. It had reportedly been in a garden from Dec 20th until Jan 16th. No-one got to see it and the County Recorder knew nothing about it until I rang him tonight. Oh, what might have been ! Never mind I'll have to look for one in October when I go to Florida. It hasn't been reported to Gordon yet so it is still a long way off making the County list, I wonder if escape has been considered, apparently Booted Eagles do it all the time .

 

Feb 10    I also lost half of the Guestbook signatures and most of my e-mail addresses so if you were waiting for a reply please mail me again, thanks. 

An excellent morning getting not only a Leach's Petrel at Severn Beach but also the drake Green-winged Teal at WWT.

 

Feb 08    I got sent a BadTrans B virus on Tuesday and it took me from 6pm Wednesday till 1am Thursday to rebuild my computer from scratch. A sobering reminder not to open e-mails with attachments even if they look genuine (as this one did). Even though my AV software caught the virus eventually a lot of stuff got trashed. Also the Blueyonder server has been having problems for the last two days but that too is resolved now. 

It was nice to see at lot of old friends at the Bird Fair at WWT last Sunday and to try out so of the products on display. Bridgette was with me to control my urge to buy books but in the end it was me edging her away from the wonderfully carved (and very expensive) ducks. 

 

Feb 02    Colin and I travelled to Plymouth early and finally connected with the adult Ross's Gull, having dipped the one at Fleetwood in 1994, and this had been our first chance since. We had an edgy hour and a quarter wait before it finally flew in. Wow! What a stunning little gull, a vision in pink. I even forgave my boss who refused me a day off last week because we had auditors in. The weather was not as bad as forecast and we managed an excellent day. Our supporting cast included Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, 6 Great Northern Divers, 4 Black-throated Divers, a Red-necked Grebe, 3 Black-necked Grebes, 5 Slavonian Grebes (and Great Crested and Little), 12 Little Egrets, 100 Common Scoter, 100 Redshank, a Greenshank and a Kingfisher.

 

Jan 27    A quick run around the Forest this morning was productive, before getting the second soaking in two days. Almost my first bird was a perched Hawfinch just outside of Speech House. Then I went to Woorgreens where I was surprised to find that a lot of water had been drained and there was now a large "beach" all the way around, which could be good for over-flying waders in the spring. I had a Jack Snipe here which flushed out of the reeds at my approach, the last bird, after a cloud of 43 Snipe had flown almost as one just previously.

 

Jan 25    For those of you who have seen the report on the BirdGuides website of a Rough-legged Buzzard at Sharpness, please be aware there is no suppression going on. This bird does not exist, a bit like a Norwegian Blue Parrot, in Gloucestershire anyway. I received this BirdGuides reply via Colin Butters today which explains all. "The sighting you refer to was entered against the wrong site in our database - as I understand it, it was in fact a report of the long-staying bird in Cornwall which for some reason had been mixed up with another record. We usually enter a correction before deleting incorrect records but it seems this may not have happened this time. Sorry for any inconvenience caused." Regards Dave Dunford Web Producer, BirdGuides Ltd.

 

Jan 21    Colin M and I had a successful morning on Saturday around Frampton and Slimbridge. We got most of the geese on offer but could not locate any Greenland Whitefronts. We were in good company because Pete Alder couldn't find any either, and he would know better than most. However the geese came in close and we had nice views of the two Tundra Bean Geese and an apparently "new" young Pink-footed Goose, not reported before. I finished the morning on 85 species. 

Today I have launched a fairly light-hearted Gloucestershire Year List league, I hope you will all send in your scores. It might prompt a few of us to get out in the field a bit more often and maybe find some good new County birds. Go to Gloucestershire Year Listers .

 

Jan 15    It was disappointing to read today that the BOURC have placed the Booted Eagle present in various counties from autumn 1999 in Category D of the British List. I am not so sure there is proof that it is an escape, having read the notes on the BOU site. So it looks like a case of guilty until proven innocent. I have no particular axe to grind having seen this bird in both Cornwall and Somerset, but I have also seen lots on Mallorca, I am never fussy where I see my birds.

 

Jan 13    On a personal note I managed three more year ticks on a trip to Tescos, I stopped at Elmore and had Stock Dove, a pair of Red-legged Partridges and a Little Owl. Not bad for a trip to the shops.

 

Jan 12    Colin and I had a very successful day in Cornwall and Devon gaining excellent views of the Bonaparte's Gull at Millbrook and the Bittern at Stover C.P. The latter was particularly memorable as it is rare to get such good views of Bittern anywhere. Our day list was padded by Mediterranean Gull, Little Egret, Spotted Redshank and Kingfisher to name but a few, taking my year list to 80 species. For other year-listers out there, the female Scaup at Millbrook is feral and has been there for 13 years, long enough to be on the electoral roll. 

 

Jan 10    I was saddened today to read of the death of Ivor Rattley in September last year. I had no idea, this is what happens when you're out of circulation for a while. Ivor regularly appeared at my elbow when I was birding at Frampton and we would share news. One of my earliest memories of birding at Frampton with Ivor dates back to 29th October 1989. How do I know the date so well? I was at Frampton breakwater in a roaring sou'westerly and had just discovered, three Leach's Petrels feeding just offshore. I thought this was great, a lifer for me, but no-one, least of all the County Recorder, was going to believe me. Mobile phones were not invented (well if they were they were as big as Dom Jolly's) and I thought no-one will be out in this weather. Then, startling me, a voice at my elbow said, "Anything about?" It was Ivor and I knew my records were safe, see the 1989 Report GIR/MLK, and I was happy to take second billing. He will be sadly missed. 

 

Jan 06    A local runaround this morning failed to find either the Bittern found at Frampton last night or any of the rarer geese at Slimbridge. The fog was bad at Frampton and got worse by 9am. Quite frankly an Emu could have been hiding in the reeds and I wouldn't have seen it, there are those of you who might say I wouldn't have known the difference anyway, but having found the last Bittern there on the 31st December 1988 I know I would. Well done to Gordon Hodgson for finding it, a just reward for continual patch-pounding. I did hear the geese at WWT and was able to see a few White-fronts, but my hearing is not acute enough to separate out the Beans, Pinks and Greenland's on call. A pale-phase Buzzard at Elmore took my year list to 64 species. 

I have been asked what the Gloucestershire year list record is, if anyone knows please let me know. I would be willing to host a Gloucestershire year list league table if anyone is interested. Just submit your totals and highlights as and when by e-mail.

 

Jan 01   Happy New Year to you all, I hope it is good to you and filled with lifers. 

I started the New Year with my fourth attempt at the Forest shrike which again failed. I did have nice views of a Willow Tit at Mallards Pike, sometimes a difficult bird to find, I only saw this species in France in 2001. Other highlights were few and far between but a male Blackcap coming to feeders at my sister's house at Westrip was nice to see. I think it is the first time I have recorded this species on the first day of the year. My first bird of the year was a Blackbird and my last species of 2001 was the same as the species I started it with, Black-headed Gull. I finished today on a meagre 37 species, but the Forest was very quiet indeed.