27th December 2013

With news breaking of a MEGA in Dorset on Boxing day Arch quickly assembled a carload for the following morning......... Destination Portland Harbour.Target Brunnich's Guillemot (1st mainland twitchable bird) we  arrived on site in appalling weather to news that it had been seen but briefly after an hour or so the bird finally appeared out of nowhere & gave decent views but due to a time limit we had to leave (Shame as the bird put on quite a show after we left!!............

21st December 2013

Took a trip up to Budby Forest,Notts for the Parrot Crossbills which had been present for some time & occasionally showing well! Almost as soon as we arrived at the site the birds were seen singing & preening above the large drinking pools & eventually a few of the 14 came down!!

6th-8th December 2013

A little bit of local birding on the 6th produced 5+ Common Chiffchaff & a Siberian Chiffchaff showing well & calling at the outflow on Edison Rd,Coleshill (Pity I didn't have the camera!!) Whilst on the Saturday met up with Archie,John & Jules & travelled up for the Baikal Teal which was eventually found by our very own Arch so a big thumbs up other birds seen included Great White Egret & Merlin a few pics below... Sunday 8th was spent down in the Wyre Forest,Shropshire with Andy Jones looking for Two-barred Crossbills which we heard well but getting onto them was difficult & only managed several flight views but still a good weekend in all.......

23rd November 2013

Had a trip down to Holt,Norfolk with Archie & Jules for the Parrot Crossbills arriving on site about 8:30am & soon watching upto 11 Birds feeding actively in the Spruces!! After a cpl of hrs we headed for Cley but not much doing apart from a male Merlin & a Imm Marsh Harrier showing reasonably well off the east bank...

17th November 2013

Made the long trip down to St Brides,Pembrokeshire today in the company of John Hague,Archie Archer &Tony Barter for the Western Orphean Warbler!! A fantastic day with the bird showing much better than expected!! & only a short wait before we could get a place in the garden!!!

4th November 2013

With a good forecast for sunshine I headed back to Farmoor Reservoir,Oxon for the Grebes & was soon having superb views of both birds in nice light if not a little windy!! Also had rather nice views of a Juv Common Sandpiper which refused to come out of the shadows!!

                                                Many more Photos on my Website!!

3rd November 2013

Decided on heading North to meet up with good mate Rich "Tricky" Dawkins today & have a day doing Snow Buntings on the Cleethorpes coast! We arrived in the carpark & within minutes Dean Eades & Nick Clayton had pulled up beside us! After having a bit of a laugh we got our gear ready & all headed out! Unfortunately the Buntings were rather skittish & after a cpl of hours we left Dean & Nick to it & headed over to the boating lake to have a play with the confiding Pochards! A good day for catching up if not the best for birding............  

1st & 2nd November 2013

With a long weekend off work I'd decided just to hang loose & wait for any news! I had planned on going down to Farmoor Reservoir in Oxon after a msg about a showy Slav Grebe but was just to knackered after my night shift on the Thurs/Fri but late afternoon a txt from John Judge & then Archie alerting me to the news of a "Mega" midlands bird in the form of a Dusky Warbler had me making the short journey up to Marsh Lane! despite failing light managed some very nice views & vowed to go back in the morning with the camera!! Sat arrived & a txt from Arch telling me the bird was still on site had me heading over but with a large noisy crowd present decided to head south for Farmoor! Just over an hour later I was walking the perimeter of F2 & was soon watchin a showy Slav Grebe & managed a few OK shots before heading further around for the Red-necked Grebe which had turned up which showed well but distantly in rather dismal weather! A good few hours but not the best for photography.......

20th October 2013

Hadn't really planned anything for Sunday as I'd got the dreaded man-flu but when Archie txt to say that there was a Hoopoe showing well at Annesley, Notts & that he would drive I wasn't going to miss out!!We arrived on site to get the dreaded call that it had flown off but we carried on regardless certain that we would re-find it which we did,with quite a large crowd gathering Darren Chapman & myself left them to it & went to an area where Daz had said it favoured & sure enough the bird came in exactly where he said (Nice one mate) Also had 3 Black-necked Grebe on one of the pits an enjoyable cpl of hours........

More Photos Here

19th October 2013

With news breaking of a Semipalmated Plover in Hampshire during the week I put out a cpl of txts about going sat morning & the seats were quickly filled by Adam Archer & Mike Feely!! We made our way down to Hayling Island & after a few false starts the bird finally flew in giving distant but reasonable views thru the scope before flying off & being relocated on the beach about 5mins drive away! Where the quite large crowd gathered & again had good scope views over a prolonged time although the weather wasn't the best!!! Not the most inspiring bird but a lifer for all 3 of us....