Here's a brief report on a holiday trip to the UK. It was a combination of family visiting, general relaxation and some birding. It was my first birding in the UK for some 20 years so fellow Brits may find some of it a bit odd!
To England by Eurostar on 13th October. Picked up a hire car at Ashford and then drove up to Oxford. This drive produced several Buzzards (good grief, when I lived in Devon I rarely saw them east of Exeter!), Jays everywhere (inc in Oxford city centre), Sparrowhawk and, of course, Red Kites over the M40.
14th October at Farmoor Reservoir: a few Great Crested and Little Grebes, Tufted Ducks, many Greylag Geese, Common Snipe, Gadwall and a Yellow-legged Gull (first winter). 37spp in all. Nice place and I wonder if the Yellow-legged was Caspian?!! I don't think so as the bill was quite heavy.
16th at Ripley (Surrey): about 20 Redwing passed west and a Ring-necked Parakeet also seen.
17th at Pagham Harbour produced 60 spp in the day, including Stock Dove, Curlew, Redshank, Little Egret, Chiffchaff, Kingfisher, Grey Plover, Stonechat, Reed Bunting, Short-eared Owl, Brent Geese, Pintail, Greater Black-backed Gull, Red-legged Partridge, Swallow, Oystercatcher, Red-necked Grebe, and Common Scoter.
18th at Pagham Harbour again for a short visit before meeting up with family; produced a couple of Blackcap and a Cetti’s Warbler.
19th at Thorney Island (am) was a bit disappointing with access difficulties and strong winds. But did add Whimbrel, Common Gull, Linnet and Turnstone to the trip list.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls seen on a gravel pit just east of Chichester.
20th at Pagham Harbour (east side) produced Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Golden Plover and a Merlin.
21st at Selsey Bill was disappointing, given the strong southerly wind and absence of anything interesting. Went back to West Field at Pagham and found a Dartford Warbler.
It was interesting to be back in the UK birding after all these years but apart from the absolute delights of Pagham Harbour (not just the birds but the overall environment of the place and ease of access) I must confess to little or no desire to return to the UK (and not just for birding reasons!).
The Short-eared Owl was probably my favourite bird of the trip and I'll try and upload a photo later.
David
Hi David
Glad you found Pagham to your liking! It's never disappointing. I don't get there as often as I'd like as I'm the other side of Sussex but always a pleasure when I do get there.
Re buzzards: they are a species that is doing extremely well in Sussex. I see them on a daily basis on my inland East Sussex patch. They are even breeding a few hundred yards from my house and it is common to see three or four soaring together. Gotta be good news to see so many youngsters. As you've been absent for so many years other Sussex species doing really well are Peregrine and Raven.
Happy Birding.
Joanne
[QUOTE=joannec;1628994]Hi David
Glad you found Pagham to your liking! It's never disappointing. I don't get there as often as I'd like as I'm the other side of Sussex but always a pleasure when I do get there.
Re buzzards: they are a species that is doing extremely well in Sussex. I see them on a daily basis on my inland East Sussex patch. They are even breeding a few hundred yards from my house and it is common to see three or four soaring together. Gotta be good news to see so many youngsters. As you've been absent for so many years other Sussex species doing really well are Peregrine and Raven.
Happy Birding.
Joanne[/QUOTE]
Joanne
Thanks - I really liked the relaxing atmosphere around Pagham. The spread of the Peregrine has been quite remarkable and a good example of early warning systems in respect of pesticides. When I first started birding in the early 1970s there were about 4 pairs breeeding on the cliffs of north Devon and north Cornwall; and that was probably it for southern England. Now they're everywhere - I recall a pair displaying over the Thames around 1990 close by what is now the Tate Modern (the old power station). What a great surprise that was. I guess it's no surprise they're back in Sussex as it was, historically, a good area for them (at least pre-DDT days).
David