It doesn't really matter where I go birding these days as migration can be witnessed anywhere. This morning I went to the local park at the edge of the city to count migrating Redwings and other passage birds. The Tattenhoe Valley Park is a long stretch of semi-natural wooden and bushland habitats, small pools and [...]
I raised the bar today and left home before 5 AM to have a full morning migration-watch at yesterday's spot (near Littlecote, Buckinghamshire, UK). I ended up birding for 9 hours and 15 minutes and it was epic, especially in the morning. I arrived at the watching spot still in complete darkness with conditions perfect [...]
Before the rain started pouring down in the afternoon, I spent a few hours birding outside Milton Keynes at my newly approved eBird hotspot, and it did not disappoint. The Littlecote Farm road is always a good place to watch birds. There must have been a lot more migrating Common Chaffinches as they flew over [...]
I have been birding for more than 4 decades but witnessing bird migration today made it one of my most impressive birding days ever. I had a few experiences in the past of watching arriving or departing birds but today's experience was another level. I started my line-transect eBirding just north of Northampton and shortly [...]
Following the heavy raining in the last few days. the River Ouzel in Milton Keynes caused major flooding the Ouzel valley park. The otherwise passerine-filled valley with hedges and riverside bushes was transformed into a temporary wetland. While the access to my regular local patch routes was limited, I managed to get to different viewpoints [...]
The previous day's strong easterly winds pushed a few Leach's Storm-petrels close to the shore in East England. Being a potential life bird, I headed to the Minsmere RSPB Reserve with first lights. Finding a freshly killed Tawny Owl close to Minsmere seemed to be a bad omen for the day. Luckily, I saw a [...]
In the last several weeks there have been increased number of reports of Blyth's Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus dumetorum) in the United Kingdom from Scilly, Cornwall to the Outer Hebrides and Shetland. While this is not a life bird for me, I wanted to see one with good views. I saw my first Blyth's Reed Warbler [...]
Another storm, this time it was named Dennis, arrived for the weekend again, making birding almost impossible. As I'm on the recovery from my knee problems, I didn't really mind, but I felt the desperation of going out all Sunday. European Stonechats perched and Cetti's Warblers and European Robins sang along this trail. © Gyorgy [...]
After seeing the Eastern Yellow Wagtail on a dung-heap in Norfolk, I visited two of the local dung depot around Milton Keynes. I know about two dung-heaps near Leckhampstead, Buckinghamshire and both proved to be a survival spot for wintering songbirds. Steaming live-stock dung deposit on a harvested crop-field. © Gyorgy Szimuly The heat, this [...]
So we kicked off a new year and a new decade with the traditional 'First Day of the Year Birding' with mixed emotions and a little bit of confusion. What this new decade will bring, we will only know in 10 years time? Anyway, birding never disappoints in distracting my disturbed mind and giving it [...]
