A trip to Aberystwyth

The submerged fforest and peat layers at Borth should be visited, very impressive. Sanderling earning a living amongst them, a ‘long billed’ Great tit at Ynys-Hir. Also Sand martins there. The Starling roost at Aberystwyth was a must – all finished off by a helicopter rescue from Constitution Hill

Southerness and RSPB Merseside

Although we did not see any Barnacle geese at WWT Caerlavorock we did see massive numbers in the fields behind Southerness lighthouse and at RSPB Merseside. Also at the RSPB reserve lovely sights of Yellow hammer and Tree sparrow.

WWT Caerlaverock Dumphries

This has to be one of the nicest WWT reserves. No birds in pens – everything that visits does so because it wants to. Lots of Whoopers, flocks of waders, Blac tailed godwts, Redshank, Curlew + spotreds and, Yellow hammers. Unfortunately it rained ‘big time’ whilst we were there. An unusual visitor was a Green winged teal

Lancashire and Cumbria

Lancashire and Cumbria A trip to fields near Cockerham was well worth to see (long distance) a huge heard of swans – c 220 Whooper, 40 Bewicks, 100+ Mute and a Black swan. Not many places where a spectacle such as this can be seen. Next to Pilling marsh where we saw 1000’s of Pink footed geese. An old haunt of mine with my father from 50+ years ago – memories and the sound of ‘pink pink pink’ Finally Heysham Power station and a new reserve where we saw Wigeon, Teal Shelduck, Waders, gulls and in particular two little gull all against the setting sun on a particularly peaceful evening

Gulls at Newgale

There have been a number of unusual Gulls so far this year at Newgale. Still present is this Nelsons Gull (sometimes known as a Viking gull) eg Hybrid Herring gull x Glaucous gull. Cross breeding sometimes occurs in Iceland and Greenland