Round Britain Tour May 2014

I have a few vacancies on my next ROUND BRITAIN TOUR of 17-26 May 2014, attempting to beat the record of 209 species recorded in May 2013. The trip should entail seeing over 95% of those species occurring in Britain in summer, including the Scottish specialities such as Capercaillie, Crested Tit, Ptarmigan, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Sea Eagle, Corncrake, Twite, Rock Dove and Red-necked Phalarope, Red-billed Chough in Wales and Honey Buzzard, Goshawk, Montagu's Harrier and Dartford Warbler.

As with all of my UK tours, accommodation is either B & B or Premier Inn/Travelodge type and birding is generally dawn until dusk (weather permitting)

For full details, email me at LGREUK400@aol.com

The putative TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL at Farnham Heath (Surrey)

Adult male Wing-barred or Two-barred Crossbill, Farnham Heath, Surrey, March 2014 (Robin Stride)

This male crossbill has been present in Surrey for over a month and is seemingly paired up with a female Common Crossbill. It has obvious white wing-bars but they are infiltrated with a buffish wash. It is daily reported as a male Two-barred but in my view, and others such as Gerry Hinchon, it is more likely just a very well-marked and wing-barred COMMON CROSSBILL. It reportedly makes ''jipp jipp' call notes and does NOT respond to the playback of Two-barred. It is one of a number of male Common Crossbills with broad wing-bars recorded in Britain during this year of the invasion of Two-barreds.

Close Encounters of the GLAUCOUS GULL kind

With a flood of severe storms originating from Greenland, Canada and NE North America, the UK and Ireland have enjoyed a bumper (and rather unusual in terms of modern times) influx of GLAUCOUS GULLS, predominantly juvenile but also involving a healthy crop of adults. Today, I was in the fortunate position to come face-to-face with a juvenile on Dungeness Beach (Kent) and in extremely inclement weather conditions (gale force winds), I was able to get up close and personal..........

IVORY GULL in County Wexford

A first-year IVORY GULL has been present at Tacumshin Marsh (County Wexford) for just under a week now, showing very well at East End, close to the car park. It represents the first Irish record since 2008, Ed Carty kindly listing the previous records -:

1847 Feb Blennerville Kerry 2 birds [1 immature shot]

19th Century Full details unknown

1905 27 March Belmullet Mayo 1 bird [found dead]

1913 16 Feb Marina Cork [leg + wing found]

1913 25 March Teelin Pier Donegal [immature] [shot]

1931 late March-early April off Down coast

1969 16 Oct Ballycotton Cork [adult]

1971 06 Aug near Bunowen Pt Galway [adult]

1978 26 Nov-01 Dec Bangor Down [immature]

1980 01-09 Jan Ballycotton Cork [immature]

1983 25-26 March Wexford Harbour [adult] [found dead on 26th]

1988 21 Jan Dungarvan Wexford [immature]

1989 02 March New Forge Belfast [immature]

1998 31 Dec Newport Dump Mayo [adult]  

1999 09-10 Jan Kinsale Cork [adult]

2009 03-08 March Baltimore Cork [immature]

2014 08-14 Jan Tacumshin Co Wexford

Storm-driven GREY PHALAROPES

With tidal surges of over 25 feet and Atlantic storms arriving quicker than your average bus, it is hardly surprising that a number of GREY PHALAROPES have been displaced. When I heard that one had been providing observers with crippling views on the South Coast, I could not resist and spent a couple of hours with it today. It was favouring the tiny paddling pool just east of Hove Lagoon (Sussex) and was present for a second day. It was ridiculously confiding, so much so that I ended up with over 900 decent images of it - a selection of which I present below. There was a nice crowd too - mostly Sussex Boys.......

The scene - paddling pool to the east of Hove Lagoon

Tony Cook in action

John King and Gary Messenbird enjoying the view

Luke Dray getting up close and personal