26/01/2023 Covenham Reservoir, Lincolnshire

Falcated Duck: After a great week in Lincs working alongside Gary Allwood counting lapwing and looking for geese we didn't expect to see this great little duck.  

The BOU accepted the falcated duck onto Category A of its British list in 2019, giving this an extra urgency to see, so Gary and I spared no gas and made it in time before the light faded. 

Falcated Ducks are native to China and Japan, breeding in Eastern and Central Siberia. They are highly migratory, and vagrants have occasionally reached Europe and even Britain, though escapes from captivity cannot be ruled out.

Kestrel: The duck showed well as it paddled the entire length of the reservoir associating with a large mixed flock which mainley included mallard, not the best bird for it to be hanging around with. 

There will be plenty of speculation, assertions and opinion about the ducks provenance, all I can do is hope.

Great Northern Diver: Another decent bird on the reservoir was this long staying GND that showed well along the western side, feeding close before diving and appearing further out win the water. 

02/01/2019 North Wales

Reed Bunting: Bored by sitting at home over the festive holidays day, I decided to head  join the lads (Damion Young, Iggo and Patrick) on a trip out to the North Wales coast.

Our plan was to get a head start on a year list, not something I am doing but for me it was an excuse to catch up with mates and get out birding.

Black Guillemot: We started early and headed straight for South Stack in Anglesey, one of the fisrt birds we saw when we got out of the car was a merlin, a close flyby before landing on the cliffs. Here we also had red-throated diver, guillemot and chough and Damion had a harbour porpoise.

From here we headed down to Holyhead Harbour, except for two black guillemot a few shags and great-crested grebes there was nothing in the harbour, the day before were reports of divers, perhaps the calmer weather had been too nice to push the expected divers and grebes out of the harbour.

Slavonian Grebe: Our next stop was Penrhos/Beddmanarch Bay, and the only birds of note were Brent Geese, two Slavonian Grebes and a female type long-tailed duck. But we did have a nice spot of lunch and a hot cup of tea from 'Petes Burger Van' pretty nice it was too.

Great Northern Diver: From one side of the road to the other we headed across to the Inland Sea and enjoyed lots of birds!

We had great views of a golden eye and a flock of greater scaup flock, always good to see. We had a good walk here and enjoyed checking through the mass of birds feeding in the shallow sheltered waters.

Greater Scaup: There where plenty of waders feeding in the shallows including a dunlin, black-tailed godwit and grey plover . Lots of waders and wildfowl in these sheltered area and fantastic views of Mediterranean gulls, every other gull seemed to be a med here. The best birds had to be both black-throated and great northern divers.

Red Squirrel: I've been to Penrhos/Beddmanarch Bay numerous times but never realised there was a red squirrel feeding station here.

After only getting record shots of distant birds though my swaro scope I was keen to get some stonking, frame filling shots of red squirrels.

But alas, once again the ignorance of dog walkers with their barking dogs running free, off their leads come to scare of the timid mammals and all I am left with is a tail.....


I wasn't happy!!

Black Redstart: Our last stop was Kinmal Bay in Rhyl where the black redstart gave us a bit of a runaround and we only got some brief distant views before the light went.

Still I had a top day with some top company and we ended on 74 species.

09/12/2018 West Kirby Marina Lake, Wirral

Great Northern Diver: I've waited all week to catch up with the bird but had no chance of getting over to Wirral due to my work load.

Dunlin: West Kirby Marine Lake can be very empty and devoid of birds  but every so often it can throw up something decent and when it does it attract lots of local of birders, today was no different.








As I arrived there were a dozen or so birders and toggers frantically searching for the diver across a busy and windy lake, busy not with birds but boats. Yeah typically the sailing club was in full swing on the lake and the bird was on the move.

Flock of Dunlin: Eventually the diver popped up out of the grey-ish waters and showed, but not very close! Still it was nice to see.

After I had my fill of the diver IO spent some time with the roosting waders some of which came pretty close.

22/01/2016 Filey Brigg, North Yorkshire

Great Northern Diver: I was really hoping to see the three Richards Pipit that have been hanging around Flamborough Head's north landing for a week or so now, but yet again this pain in the backside bogey bird still eludes me.

I searched for hours in the first grassy field and the surrounding area of north landing and got very wet and very cold so made the decision to move on knowing that they would turn up in the afternoon.

I decided to go to Filey Brigg to catch up with the Surf Scoter, this bird too had gone, or at least I couldn't find it.

Still it was great to see this GND so close up riding the waves that were surging up against the Brigg.

White-beaked Dolphin: I also stumbled across this magnificent animal washed up dead, I had seen pictures on Social Media of a Glaucous Gull feasting on it, all I saw were Greater Black-backed and Herring Gull.

Ultimately it is really sad to see such a brilliant thing washed up like this however it is also incredible to see such a rare and elusive dolphin so close up.

13/01/2016 Ontario Basin, Salford Quays

Great Northern Diver: It's been almost an entire month since this GND has graced Salford Quays and it looks like it's moved from Central Bay in to the more enclosed Ontario Basin which is located opposite the Premier Inn Manchester Salford Quays Media City Hotel.




Good to catch up with Mr Jonathan Doherty who joined me on his lunch break and Roy who it's always great to bump in to.

12/12/2015 West Kirby Marina Lake

Great Northern Diver: Wet, soaked, drenched doesn't come close to how waterlogged I was after spending the afternoon bagging the GND at WKML.

The bird showed well unlike the RTD which spent all of it's time in the middle of the lake.

The rain didn't stop all day preventing me from getting a sharp image as the rain not only waterlogged me but my gear, still great bird to catch up with.

15/10/2015 Elton Reservoir

Great Northern Diver: It took me ages to pin down this bird during my early visit to Elton res, the weather taking a turn and the winds picking up made for poor visibility and choppy water dint help!

Eventually I caught up with just as the heavens opened and I got drenched, typical. Still great bird to see relatively close in.

29/12/2013 Southport Marina Lake

Great Northern Diver: OK its not a White Billed Diver but still very much a great bird.

The bird showed really well despite the bad light, it was actively diving for food and coming close to the prom at times.

However I never saw it with a catch, it never once came up with food,  I might be wrong but I don't think it will stay too long on the lake as hunger might just force it back over the dunes and back on to the sea.





Other highlights of the day included meeting the old Southport faithful and I'm sure we will cross paths again. And seeing the Slav Grebe at Pennington Flash.