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Jun 14 2018
Scotland Holiday Day 2 : 14th June 2018 Dumfries to Loch Lomond
Our plan after leaving Gatehouse of Fleet was to drive up to Lauriston – taking the scenic route – northwards and take our time getting to Balmaha on the banks of Loch Lomond (cue song) but our plans were somewhat altered by events. The road to Lauriston was delightful and led (to our surprise) over upland that looked rather like moors, then through forests and was generally very scenic stopping only to let flocks of sheep with their new lambs roam across the roads and flow around the car. We were about a mile short of the A762 which we intended to join when we discovered two huge trees had fallen over the road and taken down power lines with them. We had no option but to drive all the way back to where we had come from – to the degree that we almost passed the hotel we were staying in.
Jun 13 2018
Scotland Holiday Day 1 : Dumfries 13th June 2018
The first stage of our holiday, planned to take in a week on Mull as well as several other locations on the way to and from there, was a drive from Manchester to Dumfries where we stopped off at WWT Caerlaverock and also, a new site for us, at RSPB Mersehead.
Jun 05 2018
Birding Group Wales Trip 4th-5th June 2018
The birding group overnigh trip was to RSPB South Stack so, as usual, we all met up at RSPB Conwy around 10:30 to make our plan. Our plan was, naturally, our usual one. We had a quick look around RSPB Conwy before heading off for the Spinnies at Aberogwen near Tal y Bont. En route we got Red Kite and at Conwy we got our very first House Martins of the year which is quite extraordinary and suggests something is not quite right with the House Martin Population this year as it is quite something to see Swifts before House Martins !
May 31 2018
May 2018 : Summary
May 2018 : Summary
UK Species Year List to May: 131
Total UK Species in May: 81
New “Year Ticks” in May: 11
New “Life Ticks” in May: 0
May 29 2018
Upper Goyt Valley 29th May 2018
Our annual visit to the Goyt Valley saw a little bit of a dip in the weather; it has been a bit of a mini heatwave the last week or so. Still, it remained dry for us and we had a nice walk. Unfortunately – and unusually – we dis not see any Redstart at all. The lack of Pied Flycatchers here is, unfortunately, a common observation by birders at the site over the last couple of years.
May 22 2018
Burton Mere Wetlands 22nd May 2018
Our visit to RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands was another fine day and we immediately managed to get a couple of Mediterranean Gulls on the scrape. There were lots of chicks of all sorts on the water including a few Avocet chicks. The scrape had the usual ducks and just outside reception we got our first Whitehtrat of the year.
May 15 2018
Macclesfield Forest 15th May 2018
Our visit to Macclesfield Forest was notable mainly for it being a gloriously sunny day. As son as we set off up the hill from the car park we heard the yaffling of a Green Woodpecker, though didn’t manage to see it. There were surprisingly few birds in the woods though we got the commoner ones. The best were probably those on or near the water.
Apr 30 2018
April 2018 : Summary
April 2018 : Summary
UK Species Year List to April: 120
Total UK Species in April: 92
New “Year Ticks” in April: 22
New “Life Ticks” in April: 0