APRIL 13TH, 2000; Pennington Marshes, Hampshire, England

A surprise business trip to England gave me a welcome chance to do some British birding. I went to visit my parents in Southampton and managed to get out one afternoon to Pennington Marshes. Several Little Egrets, Black-tailed Godwits and a confiding Spotted Redshank were some of the highlights. The prize, however, was this Great spotted Cuckoo that I managed to relocate sitting quietly among the gorse and bracken; sheltering from the cold wind.

At the end of the month, I took a visiting birder out to Bolsa Chica. There were good numbers of shorebirds, including this nice female Wilson's Phalarope.