European judges have ordered France to outlaw the hunting of songbirds using glue sticks, a practice described by campaigners as barbaric and a threat to endangered species. French hunters argued the method was traditional and justified exemption from an EU ban introduced in 1979. Until recently, the French government had successfully sought an opt-out that […]
Tag: Redwing
A day in the Glens
Thursday saw us make the two mile drive to the gatekeepers property at Glen Strathfarrar where we were given a permit to drive the seventeen miles through the private glen and I have to say it was a fabulous drive too. We also took the slightly longer drive of around sixteen miles down to Glen […]
November and Early December
Well, November seems to have passed me by without seeing a single bird of any note while much of the UK seemed to be awash with rare Swift’s. I have barely managed to get out due to work commitments and a general low ebb in my birding enthusiasm, this comes to me once in a […]
Quiet morning at Minsmere
At the crack of dawn we’re walking the north bushes at Minsmere only to find a few Brambling and a Bullfinch for our effort. An Otter and four Red Deer showed as we walked the north wall and lot’s of Beardies pinged all around but despite the calm didn’t show that well. On the wader […]
Rock Thrush at Pwll du Quarry, Abergavenny, Gwent
News of a male Rock Thrush found at Pwll du Quarry, Gwent (SO244119) on 12th October gave me twitching pangs. I had long wanted to see this species in the UK but previous records have either been too far away, fleeting stayers or I have just not had the time to go see them. But […]
Oslo in a nutshell
I took in quite a few of Oslo’s best localities today in chilly temperatures but without the rain that was forecast and with few new birds. Maridalen had 3 Lapwings in the morning but 6 by the afternoon which were stood on the ice – hopefully these (and more to come) will breed in the […]
Eversmann’s Redstart – Jubail
Whilst birding at Jubail I found a female Eversmann’s Redstart, a new species for me. Birding up to that point had been rather poor due to the overcast and windy conditions but it was made up for with this bird. I noticed a redstart on the track between the large reed beds and it almost […]
Hundreds of redwings have descended on our gardens
In the walled garden by the track to the beach is a stand of venerable old sycamores. They are among the taller trees to be found on South Uist, but nowhere near the height one might expect of them, considering their age. Faced with constant winter gales, they have seemingly expended as much energy reaching […]