Links to wildlife photographs I’ve taken away from Blagdon Lake that you might enjoy too…
‘Twitches’ in the United Kingdom
I’ve had some mad escapades in the pursuit of rare birds in the UK, but none quite as extreme as arriving back off-island on mainland Shetland, to get news of the first Short-toed Eagle on the Isles of Scilly, packing up, catching the overnight ferry, driving to Bristol, staying overnight, and driving to Penzance in the early hours to get on the Scillonian hoping to see that mega – and we did! Utter madness…
2018 Bat Tour in Trinidad with Daniel Hargreaves
2017 Bat Tour in Thailand with Daniel Hargreaves (plus Birding extension)
2016 Bat Tour in Trinidad with Daniel Hargreaves
2015 Birding Trip to the Shetland Isles
2014 Bat Tour in Trinidad with Daniel Hargreaves & Holiday in Tobago
2013 Bat Tour in Trinidad with Daniel Hargreaves
2013 Day Trip to the Farne Islands, Northumberland
Another visit to one of my favourite seabird breeding colonies in the United Kingdom, it’s one you really shoudn’t miss. Set along the stunning Northumbrian coastline, a county of castles, wide open spaces, Hadrian’s Wall, and Kielder Water set in the Border Forest Park. Be sure to visit Cragside, my favourite National Trust property, and if you’re a bibliophile like me, stop by Barter Books for a browse and a cuppa, in what was Alnwick Railway Station. You won’t regret it.
2013 Farne Islands Photo Gallery
2013 Birding Tour in Ecuador with Alan Bone (led by Neblina Forest Tours guide Randy Vickers)
This trip was arranged with the considerable help of Xavier Munoz (Neblina Forest Tours) and guided by Randy Vickers. After discussion with Randy, we agreed we weren’t there just to tick birds, but to see them well. If that resulted in a few missed ticks then so be it. We had a great trip (apart from the unfortunate illness we both suffered) and when we came to reckon up our list at the end, we’d noted 382 bird species and lots more beside. Perhaps we should have done an extension to the Galapagos Islands too, but what an experience….
2013 Ecuador Photo Gallery
2012 Birding Tour in Alaska with Wings (leaders Jon Dunn, Rich Hoyer & Gavin Bieber)
2012 Holiday in the Replublic of Seychelles
2011 Birding Trip to the Shetland Isles
2010 Birding Trip to Extremadura in Spain with Jack Willmott & Pete Massey
Three of our birding crew flew to Spain and stayed at Trujillo in Extremadura. Our most remarkable find was the 5th Pied-billed Grebe for Spain, on the first outing. The whole area was still very rural, and with the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Monfragüe National Park close by, a haven for wildlife watchers. We explored the area around Trujillo on foot and in our hire car, using the quiet country byways wherever possible. The only mishap was when I put diesel in the petrol tank! I would highly recommend any birder to visit the region.
2010 Extremadura Photo Gallery
2009 Birding Trip to Lesvos, Greece, with Alan Bone, Jack Willmott & Pete Massey
2009 Birding Tour in South China with Sunbird (leaders Paul Holt & Wang Qingyu)
We’d birded with Paul a couple of times previously in India, so it was great to visit his adopted country and spend the Christmas and New Year period birding our way around South China with him and and partner Wang Qingyu (although, to my mind, this would seem to be East China, but who’s quibbling). There were many highlights, not least of which was seeing Scaly-sided Merganser and lunching in a local villager’s home, and seeing not one, but eight, Spoon-billed Sandpipers feeding together in the same estuarine puddle. Amazing!
2009 South China Photo Gallery
2008 Birding Tour in Iceland with Sunbird (leaders James Lidster & Yann Kolbeinsson)
This was another tour with Sunbird, to a place I’ve always wanted to go, not only for it’s wildlife, but for the amazing volcanic scenery, sitting astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and a hotspot, the Iceland plume. Then there is the ancient culture of sagas, Þingvellir, the open air parliamentary assembly (or Alþing) of Iceland, held there annually from around 930 AD to 1798, and the modern music scene, reflecting the land, sea and nature of which Icelanders are so proud. I love it.
2008 Iceland Photo Gallery
2008 Birding Tour in Northern India with Sunbird (leader Paul Holt)
2006 Birding Trip to Finland with Alan Bone, Jack Willmott & Pete Massey (leader Finnature guide Harri Tarvetti)
2005 Birding Tour in Arizona & Utah, USA, with Wings (leader Gary Rosenberg)
2005 Birding Tour in Southern California, USA, with Wings (leaders Jon Dunn & Guy MacKaskie)
2004 Holiday in the Algarve, Portugal
2004 Birding Trip to Washington State, USA, with Alan Bone, Jack Willmott, Pete Massey, Mark Ponsford & Brian Lancastle
2004 Birding Tour in Goa, India, with Sunbird (leader Paul Holt)
2003 Birding Trip to the Isles of Scilly