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San Marino

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Across the decades, it has been difficult to separate San Marino with Formula One. As a passive fan of the F1 circus, memories are inevitably drawn to the tragic grand prix weekend of 1994 at Imola that saw the lives of Roland Ratzenburger and the late great Ayrton Senna perish during a long period where the sport was perilously dangerous and where the safety of drivers were inevitably compromised for entertainment. No one remembers the Rubens Barrichello crash either that could so easily have gone the same way. 'I remember where I was' moments, as a late teenager staring out at the mid-distance of my bedroom window barely comprehending what had unfolded over that ill-fated weekend. And so, those events have been inextricably linked to the country itself. It's taken me until now to visit this small autonomous country located an hour bus ride from the coastal town of Rimini.  From there, a two-Euro bus heads straight into the city where the search for the Tabacconist commenc...
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August 2026

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Sunday 2nd August - Frampton Marsh August is upon us, a month where the thrill of the migration season starts to build. Waders especially are well on the move from their Arctic breeding grounds. Frampton Marsh is an exceptional reserve to witness the steady increase of wader movements through the season. This site had attracted some interesting waders over the last week or so.  Much of the reserve was relatively dry but the pools between the visitor centre and the northern track were the most productive. No fewer than 24 spoonbill were roosting within the centre of the floods, and a single wood sandpiper foraged along the near shore. From the Reedbed Hide, the two black-winged stilt were still present along with a selection of common wading birds that also included a (foy) winter plumage spotted redshank .  The reserve was relatively quiet but walking west toward the reedbed revealed two green sandpiper , a dozen flyover yellow wagtail and a distant singing quail beyond t...
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July 2026 - Long-tailed shrike

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Friday 31st July - Baldock Some early autumn local interest with two marsh harrier (1 juv, 1 second-summer) seen while on a bike ride in the countryside. The juvenile was seen from the Wallington Road, while the second-year bird was seen from the model airfield.  Saturday 25th July - Buckenham Marshes A nice weekend in Norfolk visiting Sea Palling and a couple of trips to Buckenham Marshes where some early autumn waders were present including three  avocet , one black-tailed godwit , five ruff , and green sandpiper . A single cattle egret was also present on the marsh. Sunday 19th July - Eastleach Martin, Glos An unprecedented period for the long-tailed shrike coming off the back of a 1st-winter bird in Fife. Its swift disappearance followed the appearance of an individual on the Gloucestershire / Oxfordshire county border. Initial suggestions was that it was the same bird relocating but it was quickly confirmed that this was an adult bird and therefore different to the one...
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Warsaw

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An early summer trip to Warsaw with the hope of enjoying some warm Polish weather sunshine to celebrate Kat's birthday with her parents for a change. There are some things you can plan for, but much like the UK, the weather is largely unpredictable. It was disappointingly cool and cloudy.  The journey out however was especially memorable. As a treat, I'd purchased Club Europe tickets for the outbound BA flight. Critics of BA abound in the airline business, but having experienced their premium European service, there is nothing but praise for the front-end product offering. The BA lounge in T5 is by far the best that the terminal has to offer. Large floor area with plenty of food and drink, and great views across the airfield. The only issue was that despite the booking, we were located on different rows (Row 1 and Row 2). Immediately stepping aboard the aircraft (A319), I had a quick word with the amazing cabin crew that gratefully moved us both into Row 1. We were set for a re...
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