Trip reports
 | Sunday, 19 January 2020 Having almost a full coach for this trip says a lot about this reserve, and blessed with a glorious cold sunny day, it turned out to be a most wonderful day's birding.... More... |
 | Sunday, 15 December 2019 Rushy Common and Standlake Common. The water level here was very high but held a vast number of wildfowl - tufties, teal, wigeon and mallard accounted for the majority but it was nice to see several pintails and seven or eight goldeneye.... More... |
 | Sunday, 13 October 2019 Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes, Hants. ...... A single black tern flew over on the seaward side. Then, to our delight, we watched an Arctic skua circling around a group of agitated gulls before landing on a spit of land. ...... More... |
 | Saturday, 28 September 2019 Farlington Marshes, Sunday, 15 September 2019 We unexpectedly joined a twitch for wryneck and eastern olivaceous warbler More... |
 | Sunday, 9 June 2019 Moving away from the pond we took a path across the heath to the far side; here we found a pair of redstarts. They were gathering invertebrates for their young, constantly on the move from bush to bush flashing their orange under-tails during flight...... More... |
 | Saturday, 11 May 2019 During the morning we made our way slowly along the delightful Dowles Brook, which meanders through the old woodland. Our first notable bird was a marsh tit; it was very active, feeding young close by in a hole in a tree stump. Grey wagtails were fairly common along the brook but our main hope was to see a dipper. More... |
 | Sunday, 14 April 2019 What was really nice was the number of bramblings still lingering on site, no doubt waiting for the wind to change direction before migrating. More... |
 | Sunday, 17 March 2019 Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire There were several nuthatches, greenfinches, chaffinches and tits backwards and forwards to some seed that had been scattered beneath the yew trees. In the surrounding trees we had views of coal tit, goldcrest, goldfinch and, yes! a hawfinch....... More... |
 | Sunday, 17 February 2019 Dorney Wetlands, Berks/Bucks Border. There are many alder trees along the edge of the river and it was in a group of these that we found several siskins feeding on the seeds, along with long tailed tits and a single goldcrest. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 January 2019 Four noisy ring-necked parakeets, perched on the visitor centre roof, greeted us as we arrived More... |
 | Sunday, 9 December 2018 Birds were few and far between and it was some while before we saw one actually perched - a corn bunting giving itself away with its rattling call. More... |
Sunday, 11 November 2018 Rushy Common and Standlake Common. Scouring the edge of the distant reed bed was most rewarding - we found a jack snipe, a common snipe and a bittern! More... |
 | Sunday, 16 September 2018 Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve, Hampshire. The tide on the Solent was out when we arrived so we started by scanning the foreshore for birds. We soon spotted oystercatchers, redshanks and turnstones, along with several ringed plovers that scurried about in the wet gravel searching for food. A flock of around 25 dunlins circled overhead but never landed. More... |
 | Sunday, 10 June 2018 It was a lovely warm summer's evening when nine of us set off for Greenham Common at around 7pm. The main objective was to hear and see nightjars. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 May 2018 Highnam Woods and Nagshead RSPB reserves It's a shame we can't include a recording of the bird song in this report... More... |
 | Sunday, 29 April 2018 Durlston Country Park and Studland Heath, Dorset. On a cool cloudy morning 26 members set off to the south coast in the hope of seeing some early migrants. We were not disappointed - we left the visitor centre at Durlston, heading for the adjacent woodland as we had heard a firecrest calling. More... |
 | Sunday, 25 February 2018 There was a good selection of wildfowl and in the bright sunlight they looked brilliant in their fresh breeding plumage, particularly teal, pintail, shoveler and wigeon. Small flocks of lapwings, golden plovers and dunlins were present and when these took to the air their twisting and turning was a wonderful sight. More... |
 | Sunday, 21 January 2018 WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. When we arrived most of us made for the Peng Observatory overlooking the Rushy Lake, to look for a reported little stint. And there it was! Just in front of us ............. More... |
 | Sunday, 19 November 2017 An unusual problem for a November trip - the sun is too bright to see the birds! More... |
 | Sunday, 15 October 2017 RSPB Pulborough Brooks Reserve, East Sussex. As we continued along the trail, a warden gave us news that a great grey shrike was visible from the West Mead hide but when we arrived it hadn't been seen for about 15 minutes...... More... |
 | Sunday, 17 September 2017 RSPB Middleton Lakes, Staffordshire. The only waders to be found were lapwings, and for some people, a green sandpiper. There were a few great crested grebes still with stripy-headed young, a little grebe and a little egret but the star bird was a great white egret. More... |
 | Sunday, 11 June 2017 A daytime, rather than our usual evening walk, found 30+ species though not the elusive woodlark... More... |
 | Sunday, 21 May 2017 Paxton Pits Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire. In the many areas of scrub we got views of lesser and common whitethroat, blackcap and long tailed tits. Chiffchaffs and willow warblers were heard but, sadly, only one nightingale. More... |
 | Monday, 15 May 2017 For our four-day group holiday for 13 members, we were based just north of Woodbridge at the Ufford Park Hotel. To break our journey to Suffolk on the Monday, we stopped off at Lackford Lakes Wildlife Trust reserve just outside Bury St Edmunds. More... |
 | Sunday, 30 April 2017 On leaving the car park, we first checked the conifers across the road for breeding crossbills but none were present. Nonetheless we did have our only sighting of a woodlark, along with a stonechat, in among the gorse. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 March 2017 Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes, Hants. On arrival, just a few yards from the coach, our first bird was a distant marsh harrier, skimming over reeds inland. We set off along the sea wall in glorious sunshine with a cool easterly breeze. More... |
 | Sunday, 19 February 2017 Spade Oak Nature Reserve, Little Marlow, Bucks. Great crested grebes were giving occasional courtship displays and, on the island, cormorants and grey herons were busy nest building. There must have been about a dozen grey herons on the reserve. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 January 2017 Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and Draycote Water, Warwickshire. Just beyond the visitor centre was a stand of alders where we spent some time watching a small mixed flock of siskins, redpolls and blue tits - a nice start to the day. More... |
 | Sunday, 11 December 2016 To our great delight a short-eared owl flew up over some rough grass and scrub and landed in a small bush about 70m away. We all had good views through a telescope. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 November 2016 Blashford Lakes and Stanpit Marsh Nature Reserves. Most of us saw one of the reserve's regulars, a great white egret, and some also saw one of the two black-necked grebes reported on the reserve's sightings board. One of our group also spotted the ring-billed gull that had been seen during the preceding week. More... |
| Sunday, 16 October 2016 Farlington Marshes, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve The weather forecast was for a dry day with some sunshine, so heavy rain on the coach journey south was a little worrying... More... |
 | Sunday, 18 September 2016 RSPB Pagham Harbour and Medmerry. The muddy creeks overlooking the harbour held a few redshanks, little egrets, greenshanks, ruff, oystercatchers and good numbers of curlew. Rather special were a couple of curlew sandpipers. More... |
 | Friday, 10 June 2016 Group Holiday to Spanish Pyrennees and Picos de Europa. Our hotel in the Pyrenees was high up in the Hecho Valley, with stunning views over high craggy peaks. Griffin and Egyptian vultures regularly appeared overhead before breakfast and a lovely variety of alpine flowers and bee orchids flourished nearby. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 May 2016 In the woodland, close to the farm, with a little patience, we got to see at least three pied flycatchers that were making use of nest boxes attached to oak trees. More... |
 | Sunday, 24 April 2016 Durlston Country Park and Studland Heath NNR, Dorset. Within a few yards of the visitor centre we found a firecrest feeding in the holm oaks. Constantly moving but fairly close-by it occasionally gave some good views. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 March 2016 Moving on around the reserve we found the female scaup that had been reported on site the day before. More... |
 | Sunday, 21 February 2016 In the meadows, skylarks were singing briefly, meadow pipits were up and down and good views were had of a peregrine sat on a grass hummock with some sheep close by. More... |
 | Sunday, 24 January 2016 Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetland Trust Reserve. Looking out from the Rushy hide across scrapes and grassland revealed an amazing mass of birds. There must have been about 100 pintails ........... More... |
 | Sunday, 6 December 2015 Wilstone Reservoir and College Lake Wildlife Trust Reserve. Several great crested grebes were present, along with a single little grebe. Wildfowl species included teal, shoveler, tufted duck, mallard and gadwall along with just a single goldeneye. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 November 2015 Pulborough RSPB Reserve, Sussex. Almost our first bird of the day was a Dartford warbler flitting between scrubby vegetation and a wire fence just outside the visitor centre. This lasted for about 10 minutes and then it disappeared but thankfully most of the group did get a view - what a start! More... |
 | Sunday, 11 October 2015 Titchfield Haven, NNR, Hampshire. In the reserve up to eight bearded tits were seen in the reed beds together with a wood sandpiper and a green sandpiper. More... |
 | Sunday, 13 September 2015 Looking down onto the edge of Middlebere Lake, a lone yellow-legged gull was on a post and approximately 900 black-tailed godwits were quietly resting on the water's edge. More... |
 | Sunday, 14 June 2015 Then, much earlier than usual, we heard the first nightjar's rattling, reeling song from trees to our left. After a prolonged pause, it flew to trees immediately opposite us, where it sang again. More... |
 | Sunday, 31 May 2015 Highnam Woods and Nagshead RSPB Reserves. A few of us also saw redstarts, tree pipits and a treecreeper, but the day's star species was undoubtedly a very obliging, singing wood warbler with a territory near the visitor centre. More... |
 | Monday, 18 May 2015 Travelling north on the Monday we had lunch and a birding stop at the RSPB's Lake Vyrnwy reserve. Amazingly, our first views from the car park hide were pied flycatcher, great spotted woodpecker, marsh and coal tit, nuthatch and siskin. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 April 2015 On arrival, we were greeted by the news of a vagrant night heron discovered on site only a few hours earlier .... More... |
 | Sunday, 22 February 2015 London Wetland Centre (Barnes). Without doubt, the day's star species were the bitterns; were there two of them, or just the one moving around? More... |
 | Sunday, 25 January 2015 Brownsea Island and Poole Harbour Great northern divers proved elusive but a long-tailed duck turned up trumps More... |
 | Sunday, 7 December 2014 We were pleased to see several red-crested pochards on the lake adjacent to the car park, but these paled into insignificance when we reached the lake near Lower Mill, because here there were almost 40 in the bright sunshine and close to the shore, all in full breeding plumage. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 November 2014 It was a very wet day when 24 of us visited this relatively new RSPB reserve on the Thames estuary, just east of London. More... |
 | Sunday, 12 October 2014 The tide was low when we arrived; Langstone Harbour, which borders the east, south and west sides of the reserve, was an expanse of mud with shallow, water-filled channels, ideal for waterfowl and wading birds. More... |
 | Sunday, 28 September 2014 Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes. After walking just a couple of hundred metres along the path, there were oystercatchers, curlews, turnstones, dunlins and redshanks feeding on the edge of a shingle-bank at harbour entrance and a couple of stonechats on the gorse bushes on the landward side. More... |
 | Sunday, 15 June 2014 We started out by walking a short way along the northern taxiway of this former military airfield. More... |
 | Sunday, 18 May 2014 On leaving the coach we heard a cuckoo calling in the distance and immediately spotted a kestrel and, sitting as expected on the top of a clump of gorse, a male stonechat. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 April 2014 A small flock of swifts overhead greeted our arrival and we heard the first of several male cuckoos calling. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 March 2014 Wilstone Reservoir and College Lake. On scanning the water from the top of the surrounding bund, many coots and tufted ducks, and a few great-crested grebes, were evident, but the species that caught and held our attention for some time were the large flocks of sand martins that were passing through intermittently, spending 10 minutes or so to feed over the water. More... |
 | Sunday, 16 February 2014 Hundreds of coots had congregated in Heron Bay; plus a few small flocks of goldeneyes, the males trying to impress the females with their courtship displays, which involved tossing the head back onto the back and then stretching the neck up with the bill pointing upwards. More... |
 | Sunday, 19 January 2014 We heard the distinct deep trilling calls of common cranes in the distance and several flew into view; three landing, the others flying on. More... |
 | Sunday, 8 December 2013 As expected these days, our first bird was a red kite, almost stationary at times during its glide along the escarpment. More... |
 | Sunday, 24 November 2013 Wildfowl species, mainly wigeon and teal, were on the pools near to the Kingshill Farm car park, and a couple of peregrine falcons and a buzzard were perched on nearby fence posts. More... |
 | Sunday, 27 October 2013 Low tide was an hour after our arrival and once we'd left the extensive area of reeds, with its small hidden saline creeks, we were able to view some of the many birds feeding and loafing on the vast expanse of exposed mud in this former harbour. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 September 2013 Portland Bill and Lodmoor Reserve. From the cliff-top, a low-flying flock of around 30 common scoters caught our attention and we had good views of them as they rounded Pulpit Rock and headed off into the distance. More... |
 | Sunday, 16 June 2013 One of our members with exceptional hearing picked up a woodlark's song. And there it was! More... |
 | Sunday, 19 May 2013 On our arrival, one of the wardens told us that, so far, they had counted 23 singing male nightingales. More... |
 | Monday, 13 May 2013 Group Holiday to Northumberland. On a cool overcast Monday, 15 group members set off on the 330 mile journey to Beadnell in Northumberland. More... |
 | Sunday, 28 April 2013 Durlston Country Park and Studland Heath We were pleased to include black redstarts in a bird list of over 50 species on this trip to the Jurassic coast. More... |
 | Sunday, 17 February 2013 Among the dabbling duck species here was a lone male ruddy duck, maybe one of the few left in the country! More... |
 | Sunday, 13 January 2013 We arrived about an hour after low tide and most of us wanted to look over the exposed mud and scrub along the estuary before the water rose again. More... |
 | Sunday, 9 December 2012 Lee Valley Country Park, Herts. We firstly went to the nearby Bittern Hide which overlooks the small reed-bed on the edge of Seventy Acre Lake where a bittern had been occasionally seen, but not for a couple of days. More... |
 | Tuesday, 27 November 2012 Over the previous week there had been a lot of rain and by the morning of our walk virtually all the county's rivers were on red flood alert. More... |
 | Sunday, 18 November 2012 Pulborough Brooks RSPB Reserve. Just after our arrival at the reserve's visitor centre a water rail emerged from some low scrub adjacent to the building and began to feed in the short grass. More... |
 | Tuesday, 30 October 2012 Rectory Farm, Water Stratford, Buckingham. Over 70 species of wild birds have been recorded on the farm, including the grey partridge which has been re-introduced. More... |
 | Sunday, 21 October 2012 After collecting leaflets describing the reserve from the Warden at the Visitor Centre, most of us walked the northern area of the site during the morning, the highlight being a flock of 17 spoonbills, loafing and preening among curlews, redshanks and little egrets, on a sandy bank just off-shore. More... |
 | Sunday, 23 September 2012 The less common species on the day: pintails, shovelers, pochards, little-ringed plovers, dunlins, ruffs, green sandpipers, common snipe and common redshanks, seemed to favour a particular lagoon ....... More... |
 | Sunday, 10 June 2012 It had become quite dark by the time we'd moved on to a recently clear-felled area with a few birch trees and a dense field layer where we soon saw a roding woodcock and, after some churring song, a nightjar which on several occasions flew over to where we were standing. More... |
 | Monday, 21 May 2012 As the sun went down we got our first glimpse of a badger... More... |
 | Sunday, 20 May 2012 We were dropped off on the edge of the town of Bewdley, close to the start of our walk up the small Dowles Brook valley. More... |
 | Sunday, 29 April 2012 From the visitor centre's first-floor viewing area, we soon saw around a dozen of both little egrets and black-tailed godwits, several of the latter in full breeding plumage ....... More... |
 | Sunday, 18 March 2012 A green woodpecker feeding in the short grass between the hide and the water was suddenly joined by a wheatear which had flown in low over the adjacent scrape. More... |
 | Saturday, 17 March 2012 Group Holiday to Southern Morocco. In the Atlas Mountains, with the peaks covered in snow, the temperature was rather low. Near the snow line we eventually found target species for the area: crimson-winged finch, Atlas horned lark and rock sparrow. More... |
 | Saturday, 18 February 2012 Old Hall Marshes RSPB Reserve. In the eastern part of the reserve, two marsh harriers were hunting, with one eventually coming very close to us. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 January 2012 The bittern appeared by lunch time and spent half-an-hour outside the reed-bed, providing good views both for photographers and those just watching. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 November 2011 Blashford Lakes and Stanpit Marsh Reserve Then, on to Stanpit Marsh Reserve, an SSSI managed by Christchurch Borough Council and a short drive away, where the day's top bird for most of us, a glossy ibis, was watched close-to. More... |
 | Sunday, 30 October 2011 Large flocks of waders and wildfowl and a few 'gems' made for an enjoyable and rewarding trip. More... |
 | Monday, 19 September 2011 Calling in en route at Grafham Water, Cambridgeshire got us off to a very good start with close up views of a grey phalarope and a Sabine's gull still mainly in its breeding plumage. More... |
 | Sunday, 18 September 2011 Keyhaven and Pennington Marshes, Hampshire. Further along the path on one of the inland lagoons good views were had of a curlew sandpiper, spotted redshank and three little stints. More... |
 | Sunday, 26 June 2011 The sky was cloudless and dusk was a long time approaching before the first woodcock began roding in a large, circuitous route around us, calling occasionally. More... |
 | Sunday, 22 May 2011 Highnam Woods & Nagshead RSPB Reserves The highlight of the day for the lucky few was the sighting of a goshawk, flying fast and low from one side of the track to the other. More... |
 | Sunday, 17 April 2011 Portland Bill and Lodmoor RSPB Reserve, Dorset Then, on to Lodmoor, where four whimbrels were loafing with the wildfowl and the day's star bird, a long-billed dowitcher, provided good views for everyone in our party. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 March 2011 London Wetland Centre WWT, Barnes We arrived just as the entrance door opened and, on our way to the hides, a flock of siskins in an alder tree gave really good views. Some people also saw lesser redpolls in the same tree later. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 February 2011 The airborne flocks of wading birds were truly spectacular, swirling in the distance under the grey overcast sky like drifting smoke. More... |
 | Sunday, 9 January 2011 Poole Harbour, Brownsea Island and Blashford Lakes Despite a high tide, there were plenty of water birds giving good views; a couple of spoonbills were among the many avocets. More... |
 | Sunday, 12 December 2010 On arrival, we were immediately greeted by calling and singing corn buntings, perched on fence wires; a common buzzard perched on the top of a nearby hedge and a gliding red kite. More... |
 | Tuesday, 23 November 2010 The range of birds seen was tremendous - over 30 different Raptors, some very close by; 9 different Kingfishers including the Giant Kingfisher, the size of a crow; 8 different Bee-eaters all multi-coloured; 7 different Sunbirds with a range of iridescent colouring; plus such beauties as the Black Crowned Crane, Egyptian Plover, Greater Painted-Snipe, Abyssinian Roller, Green Turaco, Bearded Barbet, White Helmet-Shrike - the list goes on. More... |
 | Sunday, 21 November 2010 On arrival, we learned that a lesser yellowlegs, a grey phalarope, several ruffs, an avocet and a smew had been spotted on various parts of the reserve. More... |
| Sunday, 24 October 2010 Almost straightaway, we had good views of a water rail, one of several present on the Reserve, foraging, walking and swimming along the reedbed edge. More... |
 | Sunday, 19 September 2010 On arrival the warden showed us a fine roosting male tawny owl near the information centre, a highlight for one young visitor. More... |
 | Sunday, 20 June 2010 Roding woodcocks eventually appeared. Later, in the dusk, a nightjar started to churr, then appeared in silhouette on overhead wires before flying towards us and disappearing into the darkening shrubs. More... |
 | Sunday, 16 May 2010 Beaulieu Road Station, New Forest, Hants When the coach with 26 of us aboard travelled south the weather was overcast with occasional spots of light rain and a light breeze, and this was how it remained all day. We had a good start at Beaulieu Road where a flock of about 30 common crossbills were flitting about in the top of the grove of Scots pine trees, a stonechat was perched in the top of a gorse bush and a skylark was singing on the heath. More... |
 | Wednesday, 12 May 2010 When David Wilding, the Reserve Manager, met the 10 Oxford Local Group members who'd turned up at ten o'clock for a guided walk around the reserve the morning was fine and sunny but with the threat of a heavy shower. Around the car park willow warblers, chiffchaffs, common whitethroats, a turtle dove and a yellowhammer were some of the birds singing. More... |