Shoreham & Gloucestershire (17-26 July 2026)

Friday 17 July 2026. Mill Hill with Otis: 5 Swifts, Stock Dove, Red Kite, Buzzard, 3 Green Woodpeckers, House Martin, Skylark and Blackcap heard, 3 Whitethoats and 3 Linnets. Middle Road: Sparrowhawk.

Goldfinch on Mill Hill

Painted Lady on Mill Hill

Saturday 18 July 2026. Crown Road: 8 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Sunday 19 July 2026. Lancing Ring/Steepdown with Otis: 2 Kestrels, 2 Ravens, Skylark, 6 Swallows, Grasshopper Warbler heard, 2 Stonechats (1 carrying food), 2 Meadow Pipits and 7 Corn Buntings. Crown Road: 2 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Monday 20 July 2026. Crown Road: 6 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Tuesday 21 July 2026. Beeding Hill Triangle with Otis: 7 Swifts. 4 Stock Doves, Red Kite, Buzzard, 3 Kestrels, 3 Ravens, 3 Skylarks, Swallow, 8 Whitethroats, 4 Stonechats, 5 Meadow Pipits, 3 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches and 12 Corn Buntings. Crown Road: 2 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

juvenile Stonechat along the Monarch's Way at Warren Bottom

Meadow Pipit on Beeding Hill

Wednesday 22 July 2026. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: Swift, 2 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, 20+ House Martins, Reed Warbler, 7 Whitethroats, 7 Linnets and 6 Goldfinches. Crown Road: 17 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Thursday 23 July 2026. Dacres Gardens<>Bramber with Megan and Otis: 2 Stock Doves, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, Little Egret, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Red Kite, Buzzard, House Martin heard, Chiffchaff and 3 Whitethroats. Crown Road: 12 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Friday 24 July 2026. Shoreham Boardwalk/Fort with Nessa, Chris, Seb and Otis: 2 Oystercatchers. Crown Road: 4 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

11 month old Seb (with Gran)

Saturday 25 July 2026. Mill Hill with Otis: Stock Dove, Sparrowhawk, Green Woodpecker, Kestrel, Swallow, 2 Willow Warblers (my first this year!!), Blackcap, a Lesser and 6 Common Whitethroats and 4 Goldfinches. Crown Road: 2 Swifts over the garden at dusk.

Sunday 26 July 2026. Finally got my act together and went to Gloucestershire for the Long-tailed Shrike. A field avalable for parking (for £5), reduced M25 traffic on a Sunday (still afiarly grim on my return) and not being needed for family/dog stuff just about swung it. Very glad I did go as it was a nice birds and views were better than expected. Shoreham<>Eastleach Turville: 24 Red Kites over M40 (12 going and 12 returning). Eastleach Turville: first-summer male Long-tailed Shrike - very nice indeed. It was my first new bird in Briatain for almost a year and only my second since autumn 2023.

Long-tailed Shrike north of Eastleach Turville

looking a bit bedraggled (I had driven through some light rain on my way there)

digiscoped image, it was a bit distant for my bridge camera

Mostly Shoreham (03-16 July 2026)

Friday 03 July 2026. Knepp 08:50-13:50, with David Buckingham. 4 Stock Doves, Turtle Dove heard briefly twice, 2 Red Kites, 2 Buzzards, Great Spotted and 2 Green Woodpeckers, Swallow, Jay, Chiffchaff several, Reed Warbler heard, Whitethroat, 4 Bullfinches, 3 Linnets and 5 Goldfinches. My fourth visit to Knepp looking for Turtle Doves, current score being two black visits followed by two where briefly heard. In contrast I've seen Turtle Doves at Knepp every year from 2014-2025 although they've become increasingly hard to find in recent years. It is not helped by me being deaf in one ear although with DB's super hearing that wasn't an excuse today. 

unco-operative Purple Emperor at Knepp

replica German Foker DR1 Triplane over Knepp

Sunday 05 July 2026. Lancing Ring with Megan and Otis: Stock Dove, Skylark, 2 Sand Martins and 2 Swallows west, Chiffchaff and Blackcap heard, 2 Whitethroats and 3 Corn Buntings.

Corn Bunting at Lancing Ring

Tuesday 07 July 2026. Mill Hill with Otis: 2 Swifts, 2 Red Kites, 3 Buzzards, Skylark heard, Chiffchaff heard, 4 Blackcaps, 10 Whitethroats, 4 Song Thrushes, 2 Linnets and a Goldfinch. Crown Road: 20 Swifts over the road at dusk.

tatty Red Kite over Knepp

Wednesday 08 July 2026. Brooklands with Megan and Otis: Stock Dove, Little Grebe heard, 4 Reed Warblers heard. Crown Road/St Giles Close: 7+ Swifts at dusk.

Thursday 09 July 2026. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: Skylark heard, 8 Swallows west, 2 Long-tailed Tits, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat, 2 Linnets and 5 Goldfinches. Crown Road/St Giles Close: 8 Swifts and 2 Stock Doves.

Otis

Friday 10 July 2026. Old Toll Bridge to Lancing Hill and back with Otis: 2 Grey Partridges, 5 Stock Doves, 4 Swifts, 2 Oystercatchers, 9 Lapwing, Redshank, adult Mediterranean Gull, 3 Little Egrets, 4 Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Skylark, 6+ Sand Martins, 25+ Swallows, 20+ House Martins, Reed Warbler and Blackcap heard, 4 Linnets, 10 Goldfinches and a Corn and 2 Reed Buntings. While walking back, just south of Lancing Equestrian Centre hundreds of Rooks and Jackdaws starting flying around in a big panic over Lancing Hill. It was several minutes before they dispersed and I could only think that a large raptor had gone over. Scan as hard as I could failed to pick up anything. Buzzards and Red kites are fairly frequent in this area and I'd suspect it was something bigger (Osprey/White-tailed Eagle)?

Song Thrush on Lancing Hill

big fish from the Old Toll Bridge

Saturday 11 July 2026. Shoreham Boardwalk/Fort with Megan and Otis: 2 Swifts and an adult Mediterranean Gull. Crown Road: 3 Swifts at dusk.

Sunday 12 July 2026. Worthing Prom with Megan and Otis: 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and a Sandwich Tern offshore. Crown Road: 5 Swifts at dusk.

Monday 13 July 2026. Mill Hill with Megan and Otis: Swift, Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Skylark heard, 4 Swallows, Whitethroat, 4 Linnets and Goldfinch heard. Crown Road: 5 Swifts at dusk.

Tuesday 14 July 2026. Old Toll Bridge to Adur Saltings (on a rising tide) with Otis: 5 Oystercatchers, 4 Lapwings, 5 Whimbrel, Curlew, 2 Common Sandpipers, 10 Redshank, Greenshank, 4 adults and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull, 5 Little Egrets, Blackcap, 4 Meadow Pipits, 2 Pied Wagtails, 4 Linnets and 2 Goldfinches. Crown Road: 6 Swifts at dusk.

Little Egret from the Old toll Bridge

Whimbrel on the Adur

adult and juvenile Mediteranean Gull by the houseboats

juvenile Mediteranean Gull by the houseboats

Wednesday 15 July 2026. Brooklands with Megan and Otis:2 Sparrowhawks, Buzzard, Kestrel, Chiffchaff and Blackcap heard. Adur saltings from bus (very high tide): 11 Little Egrets. Coombes Field 4 Dogs with Megan and Otis:  A Jay and 9 Goldfinches. Crown Road: 3 Swifts at dusk.

Thursday 16 July 2026. Adur with Megan and Otis: Oystercatcher, 4 Lapwing, 2 Whimbrel, Reed Warbler, Linnet and 3 Goldfinches. Crown Road: 6 Swifts at dusk.

Jersey Tiger in Old Shoreham

Living off memories - TRIP INDEX 2026>1974

The following lists and gives links to the relevant blogs of all the foreign birding and some family trips that I have been fortunate enough to have done. It is ordered by year with the most recent first. Blogs of the older trips use scanned slides, some having degraded badly with age, or digitised prints of varying quality. Some use photos taken by those I was with. These are usually easy to tell as they are significantly better than mine (and in most cases acknowledged). Many of the older blogs are based on my unreliable memories as my notes were very lacking in detail, other than the birds seen, something I now greatly regret. The blogs were initially done to find a 'home' for boxes of old slides which I had not looked at for years, my dad giving me his slide scanner providing the necessary impetus to digitise them. Doing these blogs has brought back many very happy memories, and a few sad ones. I’ve been very fortunate to have various like-minded friends whom I have been able to travel with. Sadly several are no longer with us.

Kagu, New Caledonia August 1998 (digitised print originally taken with an instamatic).  One of my all-time top five birds. Giant Pittas (1987), displaying Wilson's Bird of Paradise (1993), displaying Western Parotia (2013) and Royal Penguins (2023) are the others. Recent Hooded Grebe (2024) and Waved Albatross (2025) are not far behind although a top 10 requires a bit more thought

2026:   FRANCE Nord Pas-de Calais (June) here

            BRAZIL Amazon (April) starts here

            COLOMBIA (February/March) starts here

2025:   FRANCE Somme (June) here

            GALAPAGOS (May) starts here

            INDIA North East (January) starts here

2024:   ARGENTINA Southern (November) starts here

             SPAIN Cantabria (September) here

            USA Alaska (June) starts here

            CYPRUS (March) starts here

            PANAMA (February) starts here

2023:   NEW ZEALAND and BIRDING DOWN UNDER Cruise (December) starts here  

            FRANCE Boulogne (June) included here

            INDIA South and Andamans (January/February) starts here

           

2022:  FRANCE Somme (September) here

           BRAZIL SW Amazonia (May/June) starts here                

           COSTA RICA (April/May) starts here

2020:  SPAIN Fuerteventua (February) starts here

           MYANMAR (January) starts here

2019:   FRANCE Somme (September) here

            (BALI and) BORNEO (August) starts here
            NORWAY Varanger Fjord (March) starts here

            SRI LANKA (January/February) starts here

2018:  MADAGASCAR (October) here

           SPAIN Mallorca (September) here
           PERU North (June/July) starts here

           FRANCE Somme (May) here
           ECUADOR (February) starts here

2017:  BOLIVIA (November) starts here

           GREECE Northern (October) here
           FRANCE Somme (September) here
           MONGOLIA (May) starts here
           GUYANA (March/April) starts here
           TRINIDAD and TOBAGO (March) here

           JAMIACA (February) here

2016:  GHANA (October/November) starts here

           FRANCE Somme (September) here

           JAPAN (June/July) starts here
           NORWAY & FINLAND (May/June) starts here
           MEXICO Southern (February/March) starts here
           USA California (January) starts here

2015:  BRAZIL (September/October) starts here

           FRANCE Somme (August/September) here

           INDONESIA Lesser Sundas (August) starts here
           USA Arizona (April/May) starts here
           ECUADOR (January/February) starts here
          

2014: FRANCE Brittany (September) here

          COLOMBIA (July/August) starts here

          SPAIN Extremadura (April) starts here        

2013: FRANCE Normandie (September) here

          INDONESIA West Papua (August) starts here

          FRANCE Corsica (May) starts here

2012: FRANCE Somme (September) here

          MALAYSIA Sarawak & Sabah (July/August) starts here

          TURKEY (June) starts here

          

2011: TAIWAN (April/May) starts here

          ETHIOPIA (February) starts here

2010: UGANDA (June) starts here

          CHINA Shanghai, Wuishan, Yangxian & Pingtai (May/June) starts here

2009: VIETNAM Cat Tien & Da Lat (April) starts here

2008: NAMIBIA (July/August) starts here
          PHILIPPINES (April) starts here

2007: INDIA Eaglenest (March/April) here     

          

2006: PAPUA NEW GUINEA (July/August) starts here

2005: INDONESIA Sumatra & West Java (June/July) starts here

          USA Texas (March/April) here  

2004:  PAPUA NEW GUINEA (June) starts here

           CUBA Western (April) here
          

2003:  CAMEROON (April) here

           JAPAN (January) starts here

2002:  CHILE (April) here

2001:  GAMBIA (October/November) here

           PUERTO RICO & DOMINION REPUBLIC (April) starts here

2000:  CHINA Qinghai (June/July) starts here

           CYPRUS (April)

           

1999:  ECUADOR (August/September) here

1998:  AUSTRALIA and NEW CALEDONIA (July/August) starts here        

1997:  VIETNAM (March/April) here 

1996: NEW ZEALAND (August) starts here

          PHILIPPINES (April) here

1995: MADAGASCAR (August) starts here

1993: INDONESIA Irian Jaya (August) starts here

1992: INDONESIA Sulawesi and Halmahera (August) starts here

1991: SOUTH AFRICA (August) starts here

1990: ARGENTINA (August) starts here

1989: ICELAND (June) here

1988: BRAZIL (July/August) starts here

          THAILAND Peninsular (March/April) here 

1987: MALAYSIA Sabah and Peninsular (July/August) starts here

1986: ECUADOR and VENEZUELA Henri Pittier July/August 1986 starts here

          AUSTRALIA Queensland and Northern Territory (March/April) starts here

1985: COSTA RICA and PANAMA Canal Zone (July/August) starts here

1984: BOTSWANA (December 1984-January 1985) starts here

          PERU (July/August) starts here

1983: KENYA (July/August) starts here

1982: VENEZUELA (December 1982-February 1983) starts here

          ASIA (January-July)

           MALAYSIA Peninsular (January/February) starts here          

           THAILAND North (February) starts here

           NEPAL (March/June)
              Jomson Trek (March) starts here
              Kathmandu/Ilam bailout/Kosi/Kathmandu (April) starts here

              Everest Trek (April/May) starts here
              Kathmandu/Chitwan/Kathmandu (May) starts here

              Langtang Trek (May/June) starts here

              Kathmandu to Delhi (June) here

          INDIA (June/July)
              Ladakh starts here
              Kashmir starts here

1981: AUSTRIA (July) here

1980: THAILAND (December 1980-January 1981) starts here

          CANADA Ontario (May) starts here

1979: NEPAL (November 1979-January 1980) starts here

          CANARIES (June/July) starts here 

          ISRAEL (March/April) starts here

1978: THAILAND (December 1978-January 1979) starts here

1977: KENYA (December 1977-January 1978) starts here

          MOROCCO (April) starts here

1975: FRANCE Carmargue and Pyrenees (May) included here

1974: MAJORCA (October) brief mention here