Pot Pood?

A pre-prandial perambulation to the postbox produced a perfectly performing Pood Parbler, porry the p pey is ptuck pown.

What is plural for ibis?

Ibises? Ibis'? Ibi? Anyway, probably saw all 17 this evening at Slimbridge although no more than 11 at any one time, still nice though. Another four have rocked up in Somerset, surely Goldcliff will produce before long (Whinchat was the highlight today).

Any one of the 17 will do

Despite a good look round, I couldn't find a single Glossy Ibis on the patch, surely one of the Slimbridge birds will visit at some point. Did bag my first Gwent Gropper and House Martins of the year plus 1 Spoonbill, 1 White Wagtail, 13 Whimbrel, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Sedge Warbler, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Ruff and 1 Greenshank.

SPOO

An immature Spoonbill and a stonking summer plumaged Golden Plover were both present on Lagoon 1 at Goldcliff today.

On the move

The migrants keep coming, although in pretty disappointing numbers; Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Whimbrel were all added to the 'birds I have seen whilst wandering about the patch this year' list. Much more exciting was a patch-tick: Red-legged Partridge! He shoots, he scores! Oh, and the dusky-flanked Tufted hybrid has flown the length of the reserve and is now at Uskmouth, vis mig at its best. Just for comparison, with last weeks slightly over-exposed pics, I managed to obtain some slightly under-exposed pics today.

And again

Another duck, another possible escape, another reason to stick to passerines. Saul Warth in Gloucestcestcestcestershire looks like a smashing bit of habo by the way, presumably due to money from the hunting fraternity.

The migrants have landed

A reasonable haul of migrants this weekend: 2 LRP, 2 Ruff, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Greenshank, 4-5 Swallow, 2 Wheatear, 1 Sedge Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warbler and a metric tonne of Chiffchaffs. Also managed to get some half-decent photos of another of the regular aythya hybrids,... Tufted x Ring-necked? Tufted x something backcross??

Gwent tick and Gwent dip

Red-breasted Merganser at Goldcliff Pill, no Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Goytre.

R & R

Having dipped on the Glaucous-winged Gull yesterday, I couldn't face another go today, so popped down to the Land of Corn for a jolly, stress-free day, touring round for a few nice birds. At close of play the following had been hoovered up: White-billed Diver, Gyr Falcon, Franklin's Gull, Spotted Sandpiper, Dusky Warbler and 'Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat' (does anyone actually believe these can be positively identified in the field?). Quite a day out, especially given the views of the diver, outrageous!

Something to fill the void

Just a pic to prove I am still birding. This bird, present at Avonmouth on and off for the last 100 years, might have been the Gwent bird of sometime back. Some keen person should check out the dates in the reports just to be sure.