Baikal Teal

Greylake, Somerset 

Having only fluked some flight views of the Baikal Teal. I decided to give the bird one more go. I arrived at the left hide and was told it had not long been flushed but looked to drop to the left. After a little bit of scanning I stumbled upon the bird with it in full view. I excitedly shouted "Got it" and panic ensued with many in the hide. It was difficult to give directions with the hundreds of birds on view but with a bit of help from Dave Boult. We managed to get people on to the bird. It slept pretty much all the time we were on it bar another quick lift of the head so pretty rubbish record shots. However, if you look carefully (especially the second photo), you can see the vertical white strip on its breast and the darker head colour can be seen in both pictures.. Also on site were Western Marsh Harrier, Great Egret, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Snipe. 

Baikal Teal 

Baikal Teal 

Baikal Teal

Greylake, Somerset 

I finally saw the Baikal Teal on my 4th attempt yesterday. Only a brief and very lucky to pick out flight view but a view non the less. Also good views of Western Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Great Egret, European Golden Plover and Common Snipe.

Baikal Teal

Greylake, Somerset 

I had the day off do I thought I would give the Baikal Teal another go as I dipped 2 Sundays ago but only had 1 hour on that attempt. Sadly, I spent 4 cold hours waiting with no joy. However, good views of a pair of Bearded Reedling, a Water Rail a few Western Marsh Harrier and a Great Egret. I'm sure the Baikal Teal won't be going anywhere for a while so I will give it another go soon. 

Western Marsh Harrier 

North Curry, Somerset 

On the way home I quickly pulled into a lay by just when you get on to the minor road from the A361 and managed quick bin views of 2 Whooper Swan.

Whooper Swan 

River Warbler

Ham Wall, Somerset 

The lure of this amazing lifer was too great today so I popped up this evening. I also gained a companion for the trip. Kevin Hale joined me for this great bird. Once on site and on route a fellow birder advised us its really showy, so we were confident we would see it. We could hear the bird reeling on our approach and we're on to the bird before even setting up scopes. The reports say "showing well" and they aren't lying. The whole time we were there it only went into cover for around 15 minutes. I wish every lifer was as easy as this. Also on site was a stunning Male Western Marsh Harrier, 1 Great Egret and plenty of Common Swift. On the way back to the car Kevin got a Eurasian Bittern that I missed. A great bird and great to meet and chat with Kevin. A very enjoyable evening.

River Warbler 

River Warbler 

River Warbler 

Garganey

Undisclosed site near Lower Durlston, Somerset 

I had the day off today (well earned after an 11 hour shift yesterday). I have been longing to get to the levels so off I popped. I headed for Ham Wall but topped off at a place I know is good for Common Nightingale. After a bit of hanging around, it was obvious I wasn't going to get lucky today. 

Ham Wall, Somerset 

I walked up to the first viewing platform and was treated to Eurasian Reed Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap and Cetti's Warbler on the way. On arrival I was informed of a Male Garganey. The bird was sleeping but I enjoyed the views. 3 Western Marsh Harrier put in an appearance soon after arriving as did 3 Great Egret. I short wait produced a lovely flyby Eurasian Bittern. An equally nice flyby Eurasian Hobby and as I was leaving a Common Whitethroat popped up and treated me to a song. A few Orangetip Butterfly was also pottering about. 

Shapwick Heath, Somerset 

I took a walk up to Noahs lake and on the way up, bumped into a local that advised there were 3 Little Gull on the lake. You cant yet get into the hide but I did manage to see the 3 via various gaps. Also on site were, 1 Western Marsh Harrier and 3 Great Egret. On the Butterfly front there were a few Common Brimstone and a single Peacock. 

Garganey (Male)

Great Egret

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

 Steart Marsh, Somerset

I had the day off so I popped here for the morning. I first went to Stockland Marsh in search of the Eurasian Penduline Tits. When they say Wellies are essential, they mean it. The trudge there and back though was worth it for views of male and females birds. On route I also had a fly over Female Hen Harrier and on site a Male Western Marsh Harrier.

I then moved on to Steart Gate and after a bit of a search the Eastern Yellow Wagtail showed at very close range.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail 

Eastern Yellow Wagtail 

Tundra Bean Goose

Apex leisure park, Burnham on sea, Somerset 

A belated post from Wednesday (2nd December). I have been desperate to see the Tundra Bean Goose as it was a lifer bird for me. I have see Tiaga Bean Goose. 

I have been waiting for the national lock down to be over to travel. And as guidance says you can travel within tier 2 areas, I thought I would go for it. Due to the location I wore a face mask at all times (even though it was outside) as there were a number of people on site so I played it safe.

The bird shows ridiculously close, almost tame and I was able to enjoy great views of the bird. The two juvenile Greater White-fronted Geese (of Russian origins) showed and behaved equally as well.

Tundra Bean Goose

White-fronted Goose (Russian)

Somerset Marshes

Ottery St Mary, Devon 

I woke up to this amazing garden tick. A Northern Wheatear on my neighbours roof

Northern Wheatear 

Shapwick, Somerset

Had the day off so had a few hours around the marshes. I was treated to a Great Egret almost straight way on the way to Noah's Lake. At the hide at Noah's lake I just caught sight of the Osprey as it circled over the lake and out of sight. The Black-necked Grebe showed well, if not distantly. 3 Western Marsh Harrier gave pretty good views too. Back at the main path, another 2 Great Egret. 

Great Egret

Black-necked Grebe 

Ham Wall, Somerset 

A quick walk up to the first viewing platform. All rather quite on the birding front with the best bird being a Common Kingfisher at the bridge. On the Dragonfly front there were loads of Southern Hawker plus a nice Migrant Hawker. Disappointingly no Eurasian Bittern seen on either sites.

Great Egret And Whooper Swan

Greylake, Somerset
A very rare occurrence happened today. I had a few hours to myself. So I popped across the border in hope of the Garganey. After a decent search, I was unable to locate.I did see a few Great Egret, Common Shipe and Northern Pintail.

Curry Moor, Somerset
Despite some closed roads due to flooding I managed to find a spot to look for the Whooper Swans. After a bit of a look I was able to positively ID 2 birds as they were incredibly distant, even for the scope.

Smew

Chard Reservoir, Somerset 
I popped here again this morning with the youngest to see the Smew. Distant views as last time but again  enjoyed seeing the bird. Other bits and Bobs included, Eurasian Bullfinch, Great Creasted Grebe, Eurasian Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Great Creasted Grebe 

Smew

Chard reservoir, Somerset 
I have a few hours to spare this afternoon so it seemed rude not to make the short journey to see the female Smew. It was hanging around with the Tufted Ducks but always stayed too distant for a photo. Still, decent scope views were obtained and a nice to see bird.

Spotted Crake

Greylake, Somerset 

I had a day off so me and Pete went to Somerset for the Spotted Crake. Very soon after arriving at the hide the bird showed extremely well very close to the hide. Rob and Steph Murphy arrived as it was showing and we all got superb views. Also on site was a Great Egret and a Eurasian Hobby was around the car park.

Spotted Crake

Spotted Crake

Spotted Crake

Ham Wall, Somerset 

Next stop off to look for the Black-winged Stilt. We made our way to the second viewing platform to stake it out. A Great Egret popped in as did a Western Marsh Harrier. A few Waders kept us entertained with a Green Sandpiper and 2 Ruff. Rob and Steph joined us after a while but relocated to widen the search and up our chances. Unfortunately the bird was nowhere to be seen. 

Lots Of Year Ticks In Somerset

Near Lower Durston, Somerset 
I popped along to a site in Somerset that I know holds Common Nightingale. I wasn’t disappointed as I had good but brief views of one bird. Also on site were a few Common Swift, Eurasian Blackcap, Great Spotted Woodpecker and lots of Song Thrush. Also on the Dragonfly front were good numbers of Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Hodders Combe, Somerset
I have never been to this site but inspired by Dave Stones blog I thought I would give it a try. Within 10 minutes of being on site I was on to a Wood Warbler. I eventually came across 2 birds in total. Also on site was White-throated Dipper, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Treecreeper and Eurasian Blackcap. I liked this site and I will visit again soon.

Ham Wall, Somerset 
My last stop off to get a few more year ticks. Great flight views of Eurasian Bittern, 2 Eurasian Hobby, a flyby Common Kingfisher and a very distant Common Cuckoo. Also of note where 4 Great Egret, 2 Western Marsh Harrier, what seemed to be a larger amount of Common Swift, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and Common Reed Bunting.

A Reservoir, A Lake And A Marsh

Cheddar Reservoir, Somerset 
I had the day off so decided to pop to a few places I’ve not visited for a good while. This was my first stop, with my main target of Red-crested Pochard. After a good search I drew a blank but the following notable species were logged. Common Loon, Greater Scaup, Common Pochard, Grey Wagtail a Male Mandarin Duck and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Greater Scaup (Male)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (Male)

Mandarin Duck (Male)

Common Loon

Chew Valley Lake, Avon 
I always struggle to bird this place, especially without a permit.
Targets here were the Lesser Scaup (not reported for a while but could still be on site) and Long-tailed Duck. I stoppped off at a couple of spots. The best I could muster were 4 Male Common Goldeneye, a Female Greater Scaup at the lay-by at Herons Green Bay, a few Mew Gull at the dam and several Common Pochard and a white Eurasian Coot at Herriotts Bridge. I always struggle with birding this place due to the size of the site so feeling a tad deflated, I moved on.

Goldeneye (Male)

Mew Gull

Steart Marshes, Somerset
A final site before heading home. The main target heat was Short-eared Owl. I started off at Otterhampton Marsh where 3 Eurasian Spoonbill showed distantly. I moved to Steart Gate for the target species and wasn’t disappointed, with 2 individuals on show. Also a major surprise was a Twite. I had heard that there had been a few reports of this bird but I wasn’t expecting to see it. It was rather flightly and skulking (not surprising with 2 Short-eared Owls on the prowl.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Winter Wildfowl Spectacle

Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
I had my annual winter visit to the WWT centre today. I do love visiting at this time of year to witness the wildfowl spectacle. My target was the Holden Hide as this gives a good viewpoint of the reserve and you can usually get all the main species the reserve has to offer. From the hide there were large groups of (Bewick’s) Tundra Swan, Whooper Swan, Greater White-fronted Goose, and Greylag Goose, there were a decent number of Barnacle Goose but they were always very distant as were the 7 Common Crane that were on site. 2 Peregrine Falcon were again distant and hunkering on the ground from the wind, From the Martin Smith hide were 2 Ruff. There were also 3 Pink-footed Goose on site and I wasn’t sure if they were captive or not. Either way, they were a welcome site.

Pink-footed Goose 

(Bewick’s) Tundra Swan

Common Moorhen  

Greylag Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose

Whilst onsite it had a look around the captive enclosures so I could brush up on those rarer species that turn up in the UK including some of those mega American diving Ducks.

Ruddy Shelduck (Female)

Goldeneye (Male)

Common Goldeneye (Female)

Lesser White-fronted Goose

Common Eider (Male and Female) 

Red-breasted Goose 

Snow Goose

Smew (Male)

Canvasback (Male)

Redhead (Male)

Cackling Goose

Bufflehead (Male)

Barrow’s Goldeneye (Male)

Greater Scaup (Male)

Lesser Scaup (Male)

Ring-necked Duck (Male)

Westhay Moor, Somerset
On the way home I popped here in the hope of a Bearded Reedling. At first the place seemed devoid of life but things picked up with a Male Western Marsh Harrier and a Merlin. I heard a few Bearded Reedling but I failed to locate any birds.