Not too long ago, I complained (in this very blog) about my lot as a working bloke, working evenings from a hotel. After an extended spell of "leisure time" here I am, again, employed by a different company working the odd evening from a hotel in East Lothian.
Not as much of a chore as the last job, and now more prepared to make the best of it, I visited a few birding locations.
Seems strange, looking back over this last week that one day I got wet through in the rain...

After a so-so year and a little time off working, a new job required a few weeks in Northern Germany near the Harz mountains. This trip involved two weekends left to my own devices, so I planned some outings and did a little research.

I received some advice on where might be good for birding. Unfortunately my research didn't extend to the likely weather conditions in the mountains. My plans were trashed when I travelled there to find the afternoon temperatures around -12c. There...

Not the best day for a walk in the local park, with cold toes and noses we ventured to the local park as a break from staying indoors (cabin fever sets in very quickly lately!).

This is a park on the edge of the 'burbs' that we have visited over the last 30+ years. I've made a little mental list of the species we've seen and was pretty pleased to spot a half dozen Bullfinches recently for the first time in the park.

My wife was hoping to see Bullfinches again and...

My employer sends me to work a few shifts in Crawley from time to time. I don't enjoy working late shifts from a hotel, but have settled down to make the most of it. One advantage in winter, is that I have 5 to 6 hours of daylight time to myself each day.
Whilst there, I have visited the RSPB site at Pulborough and had a pretty good time, adding a few lifers to my list, most recently a male Hen Harrier.

Several birders were keen to share their sighting of Bewick Swans...

It's quite a while since my last entry and since my last forum entry.
Seems that I don't have much to report, but that's only because our sightings are run-of-the-mill.
Some highlights of the year since my last entry are probably the Crossbills near Loch Sunart, Cuckoos and various warblers around the same area.
We were feeling hard done to when walk after walk, we failed to see a Kingfisher other than in rapid transit. This was remedied almost accidentally when we happened...