Nick Bonds Birding

Bittern - Lee Valley CP - Essex - 22nd January 2004

The drive to Cornwall on the 2nd produced all our target birds. The fantastic American Robin at Godrevy showed excellently, Raven and Purple Sandpiper were also seen here a year tick I had to wait a long while for in 2003!Hayle Estuary produced close-up views of a drake Green-Winged Teal, but the American Wigeon was far more difficult to locate. The most bizarre sighting was the Lesser Yellowlegs which we observed from Lelant train station platform again with close-up views and great photograph opportunities. The 2nd winter Ring-Billed Gull was seen at Helston boating lake and eventually we found Loe beach to view the female Surf Scoter on Carrick Roads. Also here was six Black-Necked Grebes, Great-Northern Diver and a Shag.

Up early the following morning (3rd) to travel back to Oxford in the hope of seeing and photographing the Baltimore(northern) Oriole in Headington, Oxfordshire. The bird again showed well but was fairly mobile so the camera stayed in its bag!Who would have thought looking back that Baltimore Oriole would be a year-tick!The journey was worthwhile even though it has been the third occassion I have visited as it was a lifer for Paul.

Again, up early this time to travel to Kent and bird the Dungeness area(4th). A visit to Greatstone produced Red-Throated Divers and hundreds of Great Creasted Grebes on the sea but the waders usually present were elsewhere at high tide. The ARC pit and the 'New Diggings' produced a pair of Long-Tailed Duck with a stunning drake. A single Great-Northern Diver also showed well and year ticks were in order with a single drake Goosander, Smew, Pintail, Goldeneye and a single Yellow-Legged Gull. The RSPB reserve was quiet but still managed to add Slavonian Grebe to our year list. The road leading to Denge Marsh road enabled us to connect with an impressive flock of 30c Tree Sparrows(thankyou to Christine in the RSPB visitor centre for putting us on to these). Scotney was full of birds with the highlights being a female Ring-Necked Duck, Black-Necked Grebe, Red-Throated Diver with year ticks added with Golden Plover and White-Fronted Goose. On the way to Rye we stopped of at another pit(not sure of the name) which produced a redhead Smew and a Common Snipe as a year tick, no Jack Snipe though! Pett Levels was our next stop and after a sea watch which included sightings of Common Scoter and Slavonian Grebes(3) we finally found the single Shore Lark and three Snow Buntings that had been reported here. The birds allowed you to get really close and I always enjoy watching these fantastic birds. A Red-Necked Grebe and a Peregrine Falcon hunting over Pett pools were a added bonus for the year list.

Hampshire and Dorset were our destination on the 11th and again produced some really good birds. The drake Lesser Scaup was seen at Studland little sea along with Scaup and Goldeneyes being the highlights here. The colour-ringed Great White Egret at Mockbeggar Lake, Blashford in Hampshire was located after a brief search. The day was finished with a visit to a traditional roost site in the New Forest but had no luck with Hawfinches, in fact the real highlight being fantastic views of two female and a male Bullfinch. I am leading a trip here in February so hopefully will have a better time here then!

A touch of local birding on the 14th produced 2 Tawny Owl's at Bushey Park and Water Rail at Barnes WWT.

The 16th saw me and Paul take a trip to Fairlop waters which produced an excellent Hume's Yellow-Browed Warbler which showed superbly down to around 15ft also calling. We enjoyed this bird for around 30mins and we also had a female Red-Crested Pochard on the sailing lake. Lee Valley was our next destination and in limited time year ticks were added with a couple of Bramblings and a stunning Kingfisher, also two superb drake Smew were seen but no sign after a brief search for any Bitterns!

The Yellow-Browed Warbler showed very well at Chichester gravel pits on the 18th with the rest of the day spent at Pagham picking up the usual waders with a couple of Spotted Redhanks and a perched Merlin being the highlight.

A couple of hours at Barnes WWT(21st) produced five Siskins and a brief but good view of the Bittern. The 22nd saw us take the drive up to Suffolk with Minsmere visited at first light. The drake Ferruginous Duck was seen along with year ticks which included Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Ruff and Marsh Tits. The journey home saw us visit Fairlop waters again to see the Hume's Yellow-Browed Warbler which was a lifer for Glen. The bird did not dissapoint despite the heavy rain. The Bittern watchpoint at Lee Valley also did not dissapoint, a single Bittern sat right in front of us feeding and was observed and photographed for the best part of an hour.

The Isle of Sheppey produced an excellent raptor day on the 23rd with the Rough-Legged Buzzard showing well along with at least a dozen Marsh Harriers, 2 Peregrine Falcons, 2 possibly a 3rd Merlin but we had to work a lot harder for a single ringtail Hen Harrier. A single Short-Eared Owl and six Long-Eared Owl's were exceptional finds. Dungeness produced a Mediterranean Gull at Greatstone, Razorbills at 'The Patch' and a singing Black Redstart at the power station. Two Whooper Swans were found along with 156 Bewick's Swans in a field on the route home just outside Old Romney.

Another amazing day on the 25th with an early morning start taking us to Devon. Prawle Point was visited first and as we got out of the car there was a male Cirl Bunting sitting in the tree next to us! A walk further east produced another flock of 13 birds including a couple of stunning males. Slapton Ley produced a superb male Penduline Tit which showed very well for around ten minutes before doing the vanishing act!Apparantley this bird was trapped Saturday morning and was bearing a Dutch ring. A lifer for me was the Dusky Warbler at Clennon Valley showing very well at times and was viewed down to around 12ft. 4-5 Chiff Chaffs were also present. The bird was also calling which helped. Our last stop was Bowling Green RSPB and the Glossy Ibis was showing very well as was the adult Spoonbill......top stuff!

A local visit to Bushy Park on the 29th produced a superb male Lesser-Spotted Woodpecker and at least 4 Lesser Redpolls amongst a flock of 75c Siskins. Also a pair of Goosander were predent early on the Leg of Mutton pond.

162 species for the month.

Cirl Bunting - Prawle Point - Devon - 25th January 2004

American Robin - Godrevy - Cornwall - 2nd January 2004

Green-Winged Teal - Hayle Estuary - Cornwall - 2nd January 2004

Lesser Yellowlegs - Hayle Estuary - Cornwall - 2nd January 2004

The month started with a trip to Norfolk with Seth Gibson via Suffolk(2nd). Westleton Heath was visited first and after a brief search we managed to locate the flock of Nortern Long-Tailed Tits which were superb and really stood out as the flitted amognst the heath. Also located hear was my first Woodlark of the year. Then in for a treat as Sizewell beach provided my first ever Iceland Gull(1st winter) and was seen mainly in flight. The bizarre feeling was sitting on the beach at the beginning of February in balmy t-shirt conditions! Strumpshaw Fen RSPB produced a single superb Jack Snipe and a single Willow and 2 Marsh Tits. Cantley marshes produced at least 5 Taiga Bean Geese. A Barn Owl was also seen. We spent the morning at Holkham freshmarsh on the 3rd and scanned through the untold number of Pink-Footed Geese in the hope of finding the Ross's Goose but had no luck but had better luck with the drake American Wigeon and 2 Pale-Bellied Brent Geese. The site also produced Peregrine Falcon and 40c Snow Buntings. We tried at Salthouse for the Glaucous Gull but again no luck. Serpertine at Cley enabled excellent views of 3 Water Pipits. As light was decreasing we managed to discover 2 adult Black Brants that came into roost with about 300 dark-bellied Brents. A good way to end the trip!  

Jack Snipe - Strumpshaw Fen RSPB - 2nd February 2004

Back to Norfolk on the 10th and had a superb male Golden Pheasant at Wolferton triangle, from here onto Snettisham RSPB to see the wader roost with stunning flight displays of literally thousands of waders. Titchwell was next on the agenda and managed to see 'Sammy' the resident Black-Winged Stilt. Searched in vain for Snow Bunting and Twite flocks on the beach but our luck was not in!Similar luck was in order at Holkham Gap with no sign of Shorelarks. What was to be witnessed as we sat in the Washington hide at dusk I cannot describe in words!!Untold numbers of Pink-Footed Geese arrived and the sight and sound is totally un-describable....go and see it for yourself!. Glen somehow managed to pull out the adult white-morph Ross's Goose that Seth was desperate to see as it was a lifer for him. Glen managed to get a lifer himself the following day as we stopped off at Cley so he could pick-up Water Pipits which did not dissapoint. Common Cranes were added to the yearlist at Horsey mill and a stunning Barn Owl brightened up the morning. Again as with the day before the day started well only for our luck to run out as we dipped Waxwings at Stoke Holy Cross and Jack Snipe at Strumpshaw. The day finished on a high with a fantastic Great-Grey Shrike at Weather Heath in Suffolk which showed very well although we waited around an hour for the bird to make an appearance, well worth the wait though! Between the three of us, 104 species were seen over the two days!

Dungeness was visited on the 12th with a single Firecrest seen at the observatory moat being the highlight and the seven Tundra Bean Geese were seen at Scotney. A single Hooded Crow was at Rye Harbour along with six Grey Partridges with 20 Corn Buntings being the highlight here. Last stop was Pett Levels where I managed to connect with Velvet Scoter for the year list. A similar route via Dover on the 19th enabled Pallas's Warbler near River to be added to the year list. The bird was rather elusive, but when it showed, it showed well in fabulous winter sun. A couple of Bearded Tit were seen at Dungeness RSPB and a single Little Stint was at Scotney. Two Hawfinches were seen at Bedgebury Pinetum on the way home.

I led a visit to the New Forest on the 22nd and was joined by eight other members. Highlights here included a ringtail Hen Harrier, male Merlin and Woodcock at Beuliea and Hawfinch at Blackwater. Stodmarsh in Kent was visited on the 25th and had excellent views of a pair of Common(mealy)Redpoll in the wood by the car park. Other highlights included a Bittern in flight and three Pink Footed Geese. Returned to Dover and luckilly the Pallas's Warbler showed after a 20 minute wait another lifer for Glen. The highlight at Cliffe Pools RSPB was a male Hen Harrier. The 25th saw me return to Dungeness and had similar birds to the previous weeks with a Slavonian Grebe on the ARC pit and the pair of Long-Tailed Ducks still present.

188 species so far this year. 

First trip of the month took us out looking for further migrants on the 4th. A seawatch at Dungeness produced plenty of interest with my first Common and 2 Artic Terns, 2 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Artic Skuas of the year and a noteable Great-Northern Diver flying west close in. Also a stunning pair of Black Redstart were noted around the power station. The land was quiet with a scattering of Wheatears and Chiff Chaffs. A Firecrest and 2 Avocets were the highlights at the RSPB reserve. Rye Harbour produced a single Long-Tailed Duck, Merlin, 4 Grey Partridges, Water Rail and small number of Wheatear.

The 14th saw myself and nine others take-off to spend a week in Spain, I am currently prepering a trip report for this in which many exciting species were seen.

Not been out birding since I got home but work commitments have enabled me to connect with 3 Common Swifts(26th), 20c House Martins (28th) and Common Whitethroat(29th) but got a full day in with a visit to Barnes WWT to look for White-spotted Bluethroat. Unfortunatley I got there 20minutes late so traffic cost me the bird! During this visit I managed to add Whinchat(2), Yellow Wagtails(20c), Reed and Sedge Warbler and a Common Sandpiper to my year list. There was plenty of interest to keep us going in the wet conditions as hirundines were passing through in hundreds but no Red-Rumped Swallows.

Another brief visit to Barnes on the 1st resulted in no Bluethroat again, this site was also visited early on the 2nd and again with no joy!!This day took us on a round trip of the following sites : Wraysbury produced my first Garden Warblers, Cuckoos and Lesser Whitethroats of the year, looked for Grasshopper Warblers here but no sign, Common Whitethroats and Blackcaps were abundant. Devils Punchbowl produced 3 singing Wood Warblers, a Common Redstart and 2 Tree Pipits but the highlight here was 2 Goshawks which was a nice bonus. A single Hobby was seen at Thursley with a supporting cast of Woodlark, Common Redstart, Dartford Warbler all showing well. Finished the day looking for Nightingales at Bookham Common but no sign as yet.

Stodmarsh on the 10th produced a couple of drake Garganey's, upto ten Hobby's, singing Nightingales in the car park plus Turtle Doves. North Kent was visited on the 15th with a single reeling Grasshopper Warbler at Northward Hill RSPB also 2 Cuckoo's here. A British lifer was seen today with a sub-adult Purple Heron which showed well on occassions although heat haze hampered any photograph attempts!

They say there is nothing like finding your own birds and although working outdoors in New Malden, Surrey on a glorious sunny day (17th) a calling Herring Gull grabbed my attention and looking to the skys I noticed that it was chasing off a superb male Honey Buzard. The bird was in view for around five mintues I guess and was directed off in a north-westerly direction by the distressed gull. I alerted a few local birders and described the direction the bird was heading in, hoping that someone else can enjoy my find. I am still un-sure that anyone else in the area saw this bird but I did notice reports on various internet news sites. A full record of this bird has been sent to the relevant county recorder.

The Dungeness area was covered on another fine day(24th) with many highlights which included at least six Black Terns at 'the patch' with my first Little Terns of 2004 also putting in an appearance. Also got fantastic views of a male Wheatear of the Greenland race. A pair of Hobbies put in appearances hunting over the ARC pit and Denge Marsh, with 3 Avocets, 2 Common Sandpipers also seen at the latter site. Excellent views of a pair of Baerded Tit were also seen with at least two Lesser Whitethroats seen and heard and a showy male Cuckoo around the reserve. Fortunatley finished work earlyish on the 25th and a dash to Cliffe Pools in Kent enabled me to see my first White-Winged Black Tern which was stunning feeding around the pool viewed from the 1st viewing mound. This is one bird that I have always wanted to catch up with in Britain so to get it less than two hours from home was a bonus. Then another dash from here to Oare Marshes to see the summer-plumaged male Red-Necked Phalarope which was viewed in fading light but still showed well enough to obtain excellent views. My only other Red-Necked Phalarope was a juvenille ironically at Cliffe Pools a few years back.

Again restricted to local visits to Staines reservoirs throughout the month with again some quality local inland birds seen with a single stunning summer plumaged Black-Necked Grebe, juvenille Garganey both worth a visit alone, one bird that has eluded me so far this year has been the Green Sandpiper, but managed to add this bird to my yearlist with a couple of birds at Staines. The last day of the month provided me with my bird of the month in the form of a American Golden Plover that was present at Old Hall Marshes RSPB in Essex. The bird showed very well aswell as giving excellent views in flight and despite heat haze managed to get some photo's which will be on here soon. Although this bird was not a 'lifer' for me the last one I saw in Britain was a single a Pennington Marshes in Hampshire on July 31st 1998 which I also managed to photograph. A single Wood Sandpiper managed to put in a brief appearance at the same site and plenty of those 'elusive' Green Sandpipers were present! 239 for the year so far. 

American Golden Plover - Old Hall Marshes RSPB - Essex - 31st July 2004

Well, in a month that has so far involved plenty of work and a move of house, there has not been a lot for me to report really although I did enjoy a Surbiton club trip to Elmley Marshes RSPB led by Danny Cooper on the 8th. 2 Wood Sandpipers showed well from the Counterwell hide with other waders enjoyed included Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Ruff, Avocet aswell as Common and Green Sandpipers. Good numbers of Kestrel were also present along with good views of Marsh Harriers. A good day out and a place well worth checking out. Staines reservoir was visited briefly on the 21st with a single juvenille Black Tern, 5 Wood Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 10 Greenshank, 17 Black-Tailed Godwits, 1 Black-Necked Grebe, 2 Garganey and 2 Yellow Wagtails being the highlight. Alas two days spent at the Portland bird observatory with Glen Maddison (29th and 30th) enabled me to get some decent birding done, but unfortunatley all was quiet with not a lot seen with plenty of looking. Wheatears and Swallows were the only migrants showing in excellent numbers. A stiff westerly breeze did not help conditions but a Pied Flycatcher brightened up the day in the observatory garden. A Knot, Sanderling and several Turnstones were seen at Ferrybridge with large numbers of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers. Nice to get away and good to see many familiar friendly faces at the observatory. Check out the latest news and the Bird Observatory's website www.portlandbirdobs.btinternet.co.uk/aa_birdslatest.htm 240 species for Britain this year.

Red-Backed Shrike - Bockell Farm, St.Margarets - Kent - 12th September 2004

Osprey - Fulling Mill Pond nr Maidstone - Kent - September 26th 2004

Portland was visited again the weekend of the 5th+6th with little on offer in terms of grounded common migrants but good numbers of hirundines and wagtails departed south early on. A single Turtle Dove was the only noteworthy bird to report on the island with Clouded Yellow and Painted Lady butterflies seen. A trip off of the island produced a spectacular Wryneck that showed well on and off at nearby Lodmoor RSPB. We were literally viewing this bird whn news of the Western Isles Purple Martin broke! Also Langton Herring was visited which is part of the Fleet nature reserve, we were hoping to see Osprey and the reported Red-Backed Shrike here but in the schorching September heat a female Redstart was our only reward. A morning sea-watch the following morning was more productive with 5 Great Skuas seen along with a excellent Balearic Shearwater drifting west ensuring that yet again Portland produced another lifer for me! 

Kent was our destination for the following weekend. North Kent was visited on the 11th with our first stop being Northward Hill RSPB which enabled distant but good views of the Pectoral Sandpiper that had been present on the pool seen from the Marshland Viewpoint for a couple of days. Hobby and Turtle Dove were also seen here. At least 5 Curlew Sandpipers were my first for the year in Britain at Oare Marshes, 5 Little Stint were also present close-by along with good number of all regular waders. Grove Ferry the same afternoon produced the bird-of-the-day for me, a single Blue-Headed Wagtail showed very well, as did a Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Green Sandpiper, 2 juv Curlew Sandpipers, 5+Ruff and 3 Whinchats.  The following day we started at Dungeness which proved to be very quiet but a morning spent here produced a female Merlin and a 1st winter Meditteranean Gull at the patch. A few hours spent at Bockell Farm at St.Margarets produced a juvenille Red-Backed Shrike(above), which was seen upon arrival plus Pied and Spotted Flycatcher were seen in the sheltered woodland. Before retiring home I just had to pop into Staines again, this time to see a inland Manx Shearwater that performed well on the South Basin.

A return but unexpected visit to Staines on the 24th after receiving a call from my uncle of news of a Leach's Petrel reported. Working in  nearby East Sheen this allowed me to get there in good time and fortunatley the bird showed well on the north basin. This bird was a lifer for me, and hence leaving work I had no optics with me so a big thankyou goes out to 'Dennis' who kindly allowed me to view this fine individual through his scope and I must also thank my uncle Gary for the call and not forgetting my brother for letting me leave work!.

A day trip to Kent on the 26th and the unusual location of Fulling Mill Pond nr Maidstone to see the juvenille Osprey that was present. The bird showed well eventually and perched out in the open to enable me to photograph in poor light. We also saw the bird in flight which was the highlight for me. A trip to St Margarets produced plenty of Chiff Chaffs, four Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher. Also at sea a dark phase Artic Skua was mobbed by Black-Headed Gulls and a Sandwich Tern close-in.

Black-Throated Diver - Bough Beech - Kent - October 30th 2004

Got the month off to a excellent start with a early morning trip to Minsmere on the 1st. Obviously the Curlew sp. was on the agenda but also a potential lifer was in hand also with a Bairds Sandpiper. Leading upto the hide we were informed that the Bairds was still present but no sign of the Curlew but a Yellow-Browed Warbler was showing not far from where the Curlew was being viewed from. Upon visiting the hide the Bairds Sandpiper was located showing well at times plus also showing why the bird dissappears for periods as he ventured behind island 63. Here we also saw a presumed escape Red-Breasted Goose with a large flock of Barnacle Geese. Further along the track the Yellow-Browed Warbler showed very well and was quite a bright bird. Upon scanning various Curlews and giving the bird in question some considerable time I decided to leave and enjoy the Yellow-Browed again aswell as many Bearded Tit's pinging overhead. I have never witnessed numbers like this before! So no Curlew(possible Slender-Billed) but a short track to Landguard enabled me to pick-up another lifer in Britain with a single Bluethroat that skulked at the bottom of a set of brambles. The bird showed well at times but again went missing for long periods. A very productive day indeed!

Another day, another lifer! A two-hour journey down to Poole in Dorset, a short ferry-ride to Brownsea Island and then some expenditure paid to the National Trust at various stages - I was eventually watching a very rare wader for Britain.....a juvenille Western Sandpiper on the 3rd. The bird showed well and down to the matter of feet at times and was being continually harrassed by Dunlins, which made for a nice comparison. I do not often moan, but in this case I am going to, but why is there always the minority that have to get that 'a little bit closer look'. Consideration for other pepole is obviously not on the agenda for the like, especially when there was a child present with his family who could well have been having his first birding experience!Eventually and sensibly a queing system was arranged and this eventually eased the growing tension! Apart from the groan, a fantastic place-with Curlew Sandpipers, Black-Tailed Godwits, Greenshanks, Avocets, Little Egrets all showing in good numbers. A Common Seal was seen on the boat trip back to Poole.

Spent a couple of days birding at Portland did not produce anything of note except a couple of Firecrests but managed to add to my British list with a 1st winter Spotted Crake at Beddington Sewage Fram on the 29th after a four hour wait, the bird showed well, a Water Pipit put in an appearance aswell. A few good birds were seen in Kent on the 30th with a very confiding and still almost in full summer-plumaged Black-Throated Diver(photo above) seen and photographed at Bough Beach reservoir and a short trip to Oare Marshes produced my first Grey Phalarope of the year. A Rough-Legged Buzzard and 2 Hen Harriers on Harty Marshes capped off a fine day.

254 for Briatin so far in 2004

Cattle Egret - Firsdown - Wiltshire - 21st November 2004

Bewick's Swan - Walland Marsh - Kent - 20th November 2004

Due to another busy month work wise, I did not actually manage to get out until the 20th. A visit to the Dungeness area produced a few winter 'goodies' in the the form of a drake Lesser Scaup that was present at the Sussex end of Scotney GP, 2 Tundra Bean Geese and 20 Bewick Swans were all seen in the Walland Marsh area. A lifer for Britain was obtained on the 21st with a Cattle Egret seen at Firsdown, nr Salisbury in Wiltshire. I found it hard to get excited about this bird having seen so many in Spain earlier in the year but all the same I had not until now seen one in Britain! I led a walk on behalf of the Surbiton club on the 28th, where again some good winter birds were seen and seen well. The highlights were 8 Goosander present in the harbour, 6+Meditteranean Gulls and a couple of Slavonian Grebes offshore there.

 255 for the year so far

Egyptian Goose - Bushy Park - London - December 2004

GOING!!!

GOING!!!!!!!!!!!

GONE!!!! Tawny Owl - Bushy Park - London - December 2004

Ring-Necked Parakeet - Bushy Park - London - December 2004

Spent a few hours on the 5th looking for Waxwings at New Hythe GP in Kent but was unsuccessful but had better luck with my second Pallas's Warbler of the year at New Romney. The bird showed very well and was only disturbed by the Romney steam train that passed occassionaly. Apart from that the only other trips out were to look unsuccessfully again for Waxwings in Bracknell and a winters morning in Bushy Park, London. Was in for in for a couple of lifers late month, the 19th took us to Titchwell in Norfolk. Pretty much the first bird of the day was a stunning (Coues's)Artic Redpoll which was feeding alongside 2 Mealy Redpolls. 2 Black Brants were also seen amongst Dark-Bellied Brents but we were out of luck with the reported King Eider offshore there. A brief and frustrating search around Norwich enabled us to catch up with only 3 Waxwings, but 3 is better than none!my first ones of 2004!

I visited Attenborough Gps on the 29th to see the Sora, which showed well for a while before low direct sunlight was to restrict viewing. I also visited Walpole boating lake in Gosport and eventually caught up with the adult Ring-Billed Gull, but had no luck with the reported 3w Iceland Gull.

258 species for Britain in 2004, a personal best!!