First Care Home to agree to a BIG Year Bird Garden

A milestone was achieved today for the "BIG Year".

Avon Court in Chippenham, Wiltshire will be the first care home to have a BIG Year bird garden. Installation will begin in February, just in time for this year's breeding season.

Avon Court Care Home, Rowden Hill, Chippenham

Avon Court offers a wide range of care for up to 60 residents, including nursing and residential, as well as dementia and palliative care.

This recently refurbished home has a newly created garden area which will be ideal for the location of the bird garden for residents to enjoy. This will dovetail with the home's popular activities programme to keep mind and body stimulated.

My morning continued with a trip to Corsham Park with my birding buddy Pete Blanchard. We captured 1 new species: Great Crested Grebe, and some additional photographs of a Goldcrest and Robin.

In the afternoon, we ventured further afield, ending up at Blakeshill Farm to try to capture a the Short-eared Owls, that had been spotted there yesterday. No luck with the "shorties", but we did see a Bard Owl quartering the site, but from some considerable distance.

The BIG Fund currently stands at £1300 and the bird species photographed tally stands at 12. Only 188 bird species to go!!

If you would like to make a pledge or donation, you can do so here.

Thank you for your support!!

Goldcrest at Corsham Park

Trip to Brean Cove - 4th January 2016

Although raining again today, I had arranged to pick up brother Paul from Bristol Airport. Paul has returned from Spain for a week to help celebrate my sister's (Sandra) 50th Birthday.

I had heard on the grapevine about the presence of a couple of Black Redstart at Brean Cove. They frequently winter in this spot each year.

My brother was easily persuaded to join me on the short drive to Brean Cove. After no more than 5 minutes on the beach and we spotted the Redstart along with a Stonechat and several Robins flitting between the rocks on the shoreline. The best 30 minutes of weather followed, along with some great photo opportunities.

11 species now photographed...just 189 to go!

A female Black Redstart is pictured below, and there are some more shots from the trip in my 2016 Bird Gallery

BIG Year Update - 2 Jan 2016.

Although, a lousy start in terms of the weather, I'm thrilled to report my BIG Year has kicked-off. With a target of 200 species photographed by the end of 2016, I was keen to make a fast start but, of course, the weather had other ideas!

The rain meant the only bird photography I managed during the first two days of 2016 happened with the aid artificial lighting in my garden. I'm happy with the results nonetheless, and I can report the tally stands at 6 birds down, 194 to go!

I'm visiting a care home on 6th January to discuss the installation of the first "BIG Year" bird garden...I hope to begin work in early February. I will keep you posted on the outcome.

We have one big trip planned in January and that's to the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil. We also have a several other trips planned throughout the year, including Spain, Shetland and the Isle of Scilly and lot's of local trips also. If you would like to join me on a day out, please let me know.

If you would like to support the fundraising, you can do so here.

Thank you for reading!

Goldfinch - taken in my garden.