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Local Sightings

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Making the most of an extended Easter break, I chose to spend time around a few sites local to home (including the patch), the furthest of which was Fowlmere RSPB, a convenient 20 minute drive into Cambridgeshire. There is something uniquely satisfying about discovering wildlife within the local area. After such a wet and at times bleak winter, a couple of days of warm sunshine was most welcome and hopefully a precursor to an agreeable spring and summer. Having returned from Albania the day before, it was surprising to see temperatures lift to 26C on Wednesday 8th. And when the weather improves, nature responds. So instead of travelling further afield, the day (8th) started with a walk around the patch, that produced a surprise sedge warbler singing from the depths of a scrubby area at Weston Hills NR. A willow warbler attempted song along the hedgerow opposite Bush Wood, a late fieldfare flew north, a raven flew low west, and three each of corn bunting and grey partridge were pre...
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Estonia

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A destination popular with birders but one that I hadn't yet visited until now. Views from the airplane window across Northern Europe confirmed the obvious that it was going to be a cold one. Arrival was interesting as the pilot had to initiate a TO/GA, the first I'd ever experienced but it did provide an opportunity to have a look at the local area and the Baltic beyond. Picking up the hire car, I began the journey toward Kussamarre. It was as I imagined, bitterly cold and full of snow. Picking a spot halfway toward my hotel destination, I jumped out for five minutes and connected with a lovely male northern bullfinch . There was however very little around. Despite the cold and the snowy scenes, it was sparkling. The sun made a huge difference and I was full of anticipation as to what the next few days would bring. Arriving at Virtsu for the car ferry , a short wait and I embarked on the 30 minute sail across the straight. It was a real treat being on board and experiencing a ...
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Titchwell Marsh

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A lovely day out on a dull day that threatened rain that thankfully stayed away. Plenty of great birds at a fabulous reserve that deserves more than what has become an annual visit. Best of the day was the regular tawny owl roosting in a modest ivy-covered tree, two firecrest including a preening individual a matter of metres from a small assembled crowd. There were also two chiffchaff in the general area. Heading to the sea, a decent scan eventually revealed the four long-tailed duck , three great northern diver and a black-necked grebe along with decent numbers of red-breasted merganser . A female scaup on the Tidal Lagoon on the way back was a surprise but the usual assemblage of brent geese , wildfowl, lapwing and four avocet and the odd marsh harrier are standard fare for this site but a great place to see a range of great birds.
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Ripley - Killdeer

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Another moment of opportunity and despite the continual rainfall, I headed down to Hampshire where the killdeer  that had been present for a few days was still actively feeding on the far side of a relatively small waterbody near Ripley. Thankfully the rain largely held off. An immature white-tailed eagle sitting in a nearby tree was a bonus.
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Lourdes - New Years

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Just can't cope with having time off work and not having any travel plans to fill the time. The post-Christmas lull induced the inevitable skyscanner search of the cheapest flight over the new year. And so the search results returned Lourdes, £63 return on Ryanair from Stansted leaving on New Years Eve and returning the next day. It's not just about the flights though, there are hotels to consider and of course, places to eat for the evening. And it came to pass that everything checked out, the hotel felt less of a concern, but finding a table for dinner was a little more challenging, but we found a restaurant with availability close to our hotel which was a real steal. So we flew out on a crisp winter's day. The flight was really pleasant, as was the STN experience so no complaints there. It was great seeing Letchworth and Baldock from the air. On arrival, a bit of confusion at a very quiet airport, but we eventually jumped on a two euro bus that took us into the centre of...
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