Chicago

4th to 11th July

Bird list:

Red-winged Blackbird

Brewers Blackbird

American Crow

Black Duck

Peregrine Falcon

Northern Flicker

American Goldfinch

Common Grackle

Laughing Gull

Black-crowned Night Heron

Savannah sparrow

Downy woodpecker

American crow

Mourning dove

Northern mockingbird 

Purple Martin

Bank swallow

Barn swallow

Black crowned chickadee

Chimney swift

Haweswater - a walk around Bampton Common

Lovely walk getting views of Haweswater and the fells. A few mipits and wheatears in evidence but highlight was high-flying peregrine. Thursday 2nd July.

Blencathra

Wednesday 10th June. Walk up to Blencathra via Sharp Edge! Little bird life but a number of yellowhammers at the start of the path plus a few wheatears and mipits higher up. Met John and Sue from the Albion on the summit! 

Butter mere

Monday 8th June. Evening walk around Buttermere with two cuckoos heard but not seen. At least seven common sandpipers plus merganser, buzzard and kestrel.

Anglesey

17th to 19th May 2015. Sandwich Tern, little Tern and common tern off Beaumaris and newborough warren. White throat and Stonechat at newborough forest.

South Stack. Kittiwake, Fulmar, guillemot and razorbills. Chough also seen.

Bowfell

Long climb up Bowfell from Old Dungeon Ghyll. Cuckoo heard at NT car park. Wheatears on bow fell slopes, ring ouzel singing but not seen.

Swifts return

Saturday 2nd May. Swifts return to Arnside - one seen going into SPAR shop holes. This is an early return date. 

Another barbon trip

Wednesday 29th April. An early morning trip to barbon. Three redstarts seen plus several pied flycatchers heard. Two tree pipits singing and visible on the tops of the bushes. No sign of any cuckoos. 

Cartmel

26th April. A walk from Cartmel including Rusland scar. Blackcap and white throat and willow warbler much in evidence. Plenty of hirundines over Cartmel village. 

Pied Billed Grebe again

23rd April. Managed a return visit to see the Pied Billed Grebe - again early morning and this time it was very visible in the reeds and then came out in full view. The otters were seen again plus marsh harrier, first house martin of the year plus rattling lesser whitethroat.