Charlie Spencer Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 (edited) We'll be in Bath for several days in May. I've started tagging the expected May birds in my new 'RSPB Pocket Guide'. (They're called 'divers', not 'loons', by the way.) I've traded e-mails with the local RSPB chapter and will be joining them on one of their walks! I'll show them we can dip and misidentify and take blurry photos just as well in the States as they can! https://group.rspb.org.uk/bath/news-blogs/news/field-trips-2023/ Anybody birded the birthplace of our favorite activity? Any hints or tips specific to the region? Any cultural errors to avoid? Thanks! Edited January 31 by Charlie Spencer 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birds are cool Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 Never birded outside of the US Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IKLland Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 3 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: Anybody birded the birthplace of our favorite activity? Any hints or tips specific to the region? Any cultural errors to avoid? Thanks! Maybe post over on Birdforum, there’s a lot more people from outside the US on there. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 13 hours ago, IKLland said: Maybe post over on Birdforum, there’s a lot more people from outside the US on there. I looked there before I posted here. For the SW region forum in general, and Somerset County in particular, there were only a few entries from 2022. For as diverse as that site is, it always seems like a ghost town. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Cochrane Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 4 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: I looked there before I posted here. For the SW region forum in general, and Somerset County in particular, there were only a few entries from 2022. For as diverse as that site is, it always seems like a ghost town. If you post a question asking for general information here, you'll likely get some quick replies. The county-by-county forums aren't that well developed or used that often. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirVive Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 On 1/31/2023 at 10:39 AM, Charlie Spencer said: I'll show them we can dip and misidentify and take blurry photos just as well in the States as they can! Charlie at his best! Self depreciating humor usually works anywhere. Got a laugh out of me anyway 😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 25 Author Share Posted May 25 Casual non-birding observations: The cars don't have bumper stickers or rear window decals. No sports teams, nothing political, none. No billboards either. The Brits do 'green' MUCH better than we do. Apparently the notion of T-shirts as souvenirs hasn't occurred to the sales or marketing departments of tourism attractions. I'm an American, I'm accustomed to every roadside produce stand and children's petting zoo offering a range of T-shirt options. Other than some generic Union Jack or London gear, there's nothing. I deliberately came over short a couple of shirts, planning to buy some. Nope. 14 lifers so far. The asterisks beside Mute Swan, House Sparrow, and Eurasian Collared-Dove are gone from my list, although I don't have a European Starling yet. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 https://ebird.org/tripreport/135053 36 species. 28 were lifers, three more were European endemics previously 'starred' on my eBird as US invasives (HOSP, MUSW, EUCD; oddly, no EUSP). I have a couple of photos left to ID so there may be one more. The birding high point of the trip was Saturday's 4.5 hour, 5.5 mile walk with the local RSPB chapter. 28 species on my list of the group's 32; 10 were lifers. They started late by our standards (9:30), but didn't linger as long as most groups I've been out with here. If the bird didn't show in a few minutes, they were off to the next spot. They were as friendly and helpful a bunch as one could hope for, doing their best to be sure the Yank saw as many species as possible. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiscalus quiscula Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 2 hours ago, Charlie Spencer said: oddly, no EUSP). European Storm-Petrel would be quite unusual away from the immediate coast- did you mean European Starling (EUST)? 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 18 minutes ago, Quiscalus quiscula said: European Storm-Petrel would be quite unusual away from the immediate coast- did you mean European Starling (EUST)? Cut an old man some slack! It's just possible I'll get a starling out the bus window tomorrow. That's how I got the Red Kite, on the bus from Heathrow to Bath on our first day. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted June 3 Author Share Posted June 3 (edited) I saw this stuck on the wall in a random alley in Bath and thought of y'all! 'Bin day' is when the locals put out the trash cans for pickup. Edited June 3 by Charlie Spencer 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 Photos are all up. Thanks to those who helped with a handful of ID problems! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake Fingers Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 On 1/31/2023 at 12:39 PM, Charlie Spencer said: I'll show them we can dip and misidentify and take blurry photos just as well in the States as they can! Did ya? Did ya show ‘em??? Nice photos and congrats on the 27(28?) lifers by the way! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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