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| Swansea, Glamorgan, WALES January 29th 2006 |
| I finally raised the funds necessary to pay the extortionate Severn Bridge crossing and twitch the male Black-throated Thrush in Swansea. It eventually showed pretty well for some photos. The fact that I didn't have to pay to cross the bridge again on the way home was another pleasant surprise. I suppose it would add insult to injury to charge you to get out of Wales.... Click the image below for more! |
| Lowestoft, Suffolk January 8th 2006 |
| Recently I have been mainly staying local and sticking to South Suffolk, with several trips down to Shingle Street for Short-eared Owls being the highlight, albeit with mixed success. The Ross's Gull in Norfolk about a week ago tempted me up there the day after it showed well at Cley, but obviously it didn't reappear, although the flock of Snow Buntings at Salthouse and a few other things almost made the trip worthwhile. Perhaps it wasn't surprising that the Gull didn't reappear after it had apparently been looking pretty knackered the day before and had even flown into a fence... However, on 6th January a Ross's Gull was reported at Lowestoft in Suffolk, perhaps the Cley bird wasn't pushing up the daisies after all! I got to Hamilton Dock as quickly as possible (which is a pretty slothful pace on the appalling A12), and missed the bird by 15 minutes or so. The photos on the web later on showed that it was clearly a different bird to the Cley individual, so perhaps that one succumbed. Fortunately, after being completely absent on the 7th, it reappeared on the 8th and hung around long enough for myself and many others to see it. The light was dismal and it wasn't very close - so not one for photos, but at least I saw it...... It has hung around for another week or so, but only showing very early in the morning (when it's barely light) before buggering off over the seawall or towards Lake Lothing, so I'm glad I'd seen it already and it wouldn't require getting up early. The revolting grey mess below is a 'photograph' of the Lowestoft Ross's Gull. I think you can just about tell what it is. |
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| Rainham Marshes, London/Essex February 8th 2006 |
| Good views of 4 Penduline Tits were obtained at Rainham. Thanks to the wardens for opening the reserve..... Click the image below for more: |
| Reading, Berkshire February 18th 2006 |
| I ticked off Laughing Gull last October when I managed to catch up with the long-staying bird in Yorkshire on the way up to the Paddyfield Warbler in Lothian. Unfortunately I didn't have any bread or other treats to hand, so it remained distant. Intriguingly, the bird in Berkshire which has been regularly seen at a roost site was located feeding during the day in a car park near the home of football (in Berkshire) - Reading's Madejski Stadium. Having sorted out my car's flat battery, I decided to check it out. No birders were present on arrival, so I actually had to locate the bird myself - hardly ideal for a lazy photographer. Fortunately I found it sitting on a lampost at the end of the car park. I dashed back to KFC to purchase some fries in order to tempt the bird down off its perch, which briefly looked like being a huge success as no sooner had I lobbed a handful of chips onto the ground, the Laughing Gull swooped down to pick one up. Unfortunately it then landed on another lampost, where it remained until it flew off, leaving me with a series of rather uninteresting photos. Local birder Jerry O'Brien managed to catch it in flight while I was busy hurling chips about. |
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| Yet another Sora... Click on the image below for more: |
| Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire March 7th 2006 |
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| I missed the Night Heron at Seaton in Devon on Sunday after it was flushed, but managed to tick off Bonaparte's Gull on the way home. With the bird back and "showing well" on Wednesday, I thought I'd better go and check it out. It proved to be ridiculously showy, seemingly not caring about the people just a few yards away. Click on the shot below for more: |
| Seaton Marsh NR, Devon March 22nd 2006 |
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| A holiday in North Yorkshire gave me the opportunity to travel up and tick off this stunning adult drake King Eider in Ayrs. Eventually it showed well enough for some record shots. Click on the image below for more: |
| Irvine, Ayrshire April 10th 2006 |
| The appearance of another lifer in the form of a Western Subalpine Warbler at Stanpit in Dorset meant that I had to travel from Suffolk to our holiday destination in Yorkshire via Dorset... The bird showed exceptionally well, click on the image below for more: Apologies for the slow download time etc, these images required larger file sizes to keep them from deteriorating severely. |
| Stanpit Marsh, Dorset April 8th 2006 |
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| This female Woodchat Shrike showed extremely well alongside a country lane in Hampshire, just up the road from uni. It seemed largely oblivious to people, and I managed some pleasing images. Haven't had time to go through them all properly yet, but click on the image below for more: |
| Hambledon, Hampshire May 8th 2006 |
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| Another showy Shrike, this time a stunning male Red-backed. Click on the image below for more: |
| The Naze, Essex June 2nd 2006 |