Pine Creek Marshes, Fairfield CT, 16/Feb/2025

Fox Sparrows in wintry conditions at Pine Creek, Fairfield; snow underfoot & worsening icy rain, but worth it for what is my favourite sparrow species. pic.twitter.com/RasqDOJoWO

— Marcus (@aucarius) February 16, 2025

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Sunday 16th February, Pine Creek--Ditch Trail, Fairfield CT USA.

Sherwood Island State Park, Fairfield CT, 15/Feb/2025

At Sherwood Island State Park, CT, this morning, among others continuing Merlin & my first American (Buff-bellied) Pipit, my 700th life tick! pic.twitter.com/RMN8gK9GJH

— Marcus (@aucarius) February 15, 2025

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Saturday 15th February, Sherwood Island State Park, Fairfield CT USA.

Medical Blvd., Sarasota FL, 03/Jan/2025

Yesterday’s lifer White-faced Ibis at Medical Blvd, Englewood FL.
Unexpected twitch after breakfast so only had my bins & not ‘proper’ camera; phone record shots taken tho.
2025 off to a great start, & last day of a lovely break. pic.twitter.com/KRit2BeSbT

— Marcus (@aucarius) January 4, 2025

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Friday 3rd January, Medical Blvd., Sarasota FL USA.

Sherwood Island State Park, Fairfield CT, 19/Oct/2024

Eastern Meadowlarks at the model airplane field.

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Saturday 19th October, Sherwood Island State Park, Fairfield CT USA.

May 2019

First outing this ‘Magic May’ was back to the traditional nightingale haunt at Lee Valley with Isabelle. Unfortunately the satnav took me a different car-park and from there I didn’t know how to get the same spot as last year! However after a longer than usual walk we found our way to the familiar area near Bittern Hide, but we ran out of parking time, and legs, to get to the same place we’d heard nightingales the year before.

Neverthless we heard two Cuckoo and saw one in a tree as we had lunch by one of the creeks. We also saw plenty of Garden Warbler at 70 Acres Lake near the footbridge, a great place for them.
The second and last outing was to RSPB Rainham Marshes for pond-dipping with Isabelle again and after that a walk around about a third of the reserve. We found greater pond beetle, dragonfly nymphs and lots of back-swimmers during the dipping, and on the mini-beast hunt, mosquitoes found us!

Birds heard and seen at the Woodland Discovery Centre, while we were pond-dipping, were Lesser Whitethroat, Song Thrush (I also found a snail anvil with lots of broken snail shells), Chiffchaff and the first of several Cetti’s Warbler (I even saw one later).

On the way back from the pond-dipping, we took a detour through the cordite storage area because of a singing Cuckoo, but we, and others there, did not see it.

During lunch we sat on a bench overlooking the marshes and saw plenty of activity, including Redshank with chicks, a couple of Sand Martin and House Martin, Swift, Kestrel and one or two Water Rail grunting and squealing from nearby reeds.

Friday 24th, Lee Valley Regional Park, Hertfordshire, UK.
Thursday 30th, RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex, UK.

May 2018

Only one outing, but for a couple of ‘magical’ May birds.

During my first spell in London (2005-2011) Lee Valley Park was a good place for Nightingales and Cuckoos, amongst others. On returning to London in 2016, I took my eldest daughter during half-term to see if they were still there and we were treated to the amazing song of a nightingale during our lunch. A couple of Kingsfishers were also piping while zipping up and down one of the creeks and a cuckoo called from the other side of the lake.

I also recorded returning Swift from the garden on the 25th.

Saturday 5th, Lee Valley Regional Park (70 Acres Lake), Hertfordshire, UK.