Before this epic summer the hottest summer I remember was the summer of 1976. That summer is often referred to as the year of the ladybird as swarms of ladybirds infested towns and cities across the UK, with many people even reporting being bitten by them.
I shall remember this year as the year of the hummingbird hawk-moth. Before this year I can only remember a few sightings of them in the UK, but this year they have almost been a common occurrence.
Recently “The Times” newspaper reported :
“Big enough to be mistaken for a bird, the moths brought by warm air from the south have been seen everywhere from the Channel Islands to Scotland”.
In the garden of the cottage where we are staying in Devon there is a buddleia which, as well as attracting numerous butterflies, has attracted several hummingbird hawk-moths.
They are not easy to photograph as their wings beats at 80 times per second.
And some of the butterflies:
Red admiralClouded yellowCommaClouded yellowPainted lady
I couldn’t resist a couple more hummingbird hawk-moths from later in the day:
The Times reports:
“Traditionally, the peak time for hummingbird hawk-moth sightings in Britain is August and September, so we’re only just coming into the peak now. We could end up with a lot more sightings before the summer is out.”
As I am currently constrained from travelling very far (no I have not been subjected to a restraining order) we have spent our summer holidays exploring the south coast of England from Hampshire through to Devon.
We are currently staying in a lovely cottage (recently restored from a dairy milking parlour) in the tiny village of Southleigh in East Devon (https://www.southleighholidays.co.uk).
One of the reasons for choosing this area is the proximity to Seaton Wetlands which we have never visited and which looked quite attractive on the website.
Our first visit this morning did not disappoint. The “Wild East Devon” website says of this area:
“Seaton Wetlands is a countryside haven, home to an abundance of wildlife.
The site is made up of four main areas: Seaton Marshes, Black Hole Marsh, Colyford Common and Stafford Marsh.
“Black Hole Marsh (BHM) was bought by East Devon District Council in 2008. Following planning approval, we created a saline lagoon on what was previously a drained agricultural field, with little wildlife interest. Islands were created on a large shallow scrape. The Environment Agencyworked with a local engineering company to devise an innovative self-regulating tidal exchange gate, allowing water of just the right salinity to enter the lagoon.”
Panoramic view of Black Hole Marsh from the Tower hideBreeding oystercatcherMainly black-headed gulls with black-tailed godwits, a curlew and 2 grey heronsBlack-headed gulls and a Eurasian curlew2 grey heronsBlack-tailed godwitKingfishers are common here but this was only an advert on the electric tram which runs from Colyton to Seaton alongside Seaton Marshes (and even has a halt at Seaton Marshes)Common redshankAnother of the trams Common redshank with lapwing behindThe dreaded impatiens glandulifera, “Himalayan Balsam”, which is very invasive Impatiens capensis, “Jewel weed”The sand martin cliff, installed in 2011Sand martinSand MartinSand martin waiting to be fedA curious reed bunting on top of the sand martin cliffCommon redshank at the foot of the reed bedsReed warblerWillow warblerThe island hideThe Tower hide. At the other end of the reserve there is the Discovery hut where refreshments and toilets are available.From the discovery hide where we could enjoy our coffee and bird watch (and tram watch) at the same timeMaybe a trip on the trams one day this week?
The best thing about our visit to WWT Slimbridge on another glorious hot summer’s day (apart from the coffee and bacon roll on arrival) was the shade provided by the willow-lined walkway which stretched from one hide to another. We didn’t stay long because we knew the drive home would be very hot and we had seen enough to lift our spirits.
Let’s start with a butterfly (Painted Lady) for a changeGulls don’t feature much on my blog but I’ll give some space to these two black-headed gulls which seemed a bit grumpy in the heat.This European herring gull looked quite sereneBlack-tailed godwit and spotted redshank standing in front of a northern lapwingCommon chiffchaffCommon chiffchaffCommon chiffchaffCommon chiffchaffGoldfinch Goldfinch showing a different profilePied wagtailGreen sandpiperCommon tern… and its partner common ternPied wagtails
Cattle Egrets were first reported to have bred in Britain in 2008, with two pairs nesting in Somerset. We have just spent the last two days birding on the Avalon Marshes in Somerset and saw large numbers of these birds at Catcott Marshes and RSPB Greylake. The colonisation that is taking place is probably due to climate change and with the continuation of this wonderful summer it certainly feels like there is a massive shift in our climate.
Cattle egret at Catcott MarshesCattle egret at Catcott Marshes Cattle egrets often spend time close to livestock like sheep and cows and grab the insects and worms their hooves disturb.Cattle egretCattle egret
We also regularly saw great egrets and little egrets which not so many years ago were also rare visitors to the UK.
Great egret at RSPB GreylakeLittle egret with great egret behind at RSPB Greylake
Yet, once again, the star of our birding on these two days were kingfishers which we saw regularly flying in front of the hide at RSPB Greylake.
Common kingfisherCommon kingfisherCommon kingfisherCommon kingfisherCommon kingfisher
There were also good views of water rails at Greylake.
Water railWater rail
From this small reserve we also saw marsh harriers (rather distant) and grey herons and a reed warbler.
Grey heronGrey heron mingling with the egretsReed warblerMarsh harrier
At RSPB Ham Wall there wasn’t a lot extra for us to see except for a common chiffchaff, great crested grebes and plenty of dragonflies and butterflies.
Common chiffchaffGreat crested grebe with its off springRed admiral butterflyMigrant hawker
But the best of them all was my namesake in French – “Martin Pêcheur”.
Common kingfisher – Martin pêcheur in French
If you are ever in these parts we can highly recommend The Swan at Wedmore where we stayed overnight.
As the beautiful summer continues we had a pleasant trip this morning to the World Wildfowl Trust’s centre at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire.
There were a few pleasant surprises with a wood sandpiper that was a little reticent to perform at first but came close and displayed very well. We don’t often see spotted redshank so they too were a pleasant surprise. Common crane are quite regular here now and we saw 11 in total and two flew over very close. I managed to photograph a sparrowhawk in flight but it was a last minute effort and a poor photograph. Green sandpipers have been here for our last two visits and again came fairly close as did the ruff. We haven’t seen little grebe here for a while and there was also a pair of common terns to complete the morning.
A greater flamingo was a surprise too but it was not a sign of global warming, simply an escapee from a zoo.
Hope you enjoy the photos.
Spotted redshankWood sandpiperLittle grebeLittle grebeCommon craneCommon craneCommon ternLittle egretPied avocetsWood sandpiperSpotted redshank (left) and ruff (centre)RuffCommon ternSparrowhawkCommon redshankEurasian lapwingWood sandpiper in flightWood sandpiperFemale and male ruffRuffGreen sandpiperWood sandpiperGreater flamingo Greater flamingoPainted lady was the only butterfly on display
We feel we get very good value out of a number of annual subscriptions we have to bodies such as The National Trust, the RSPB (Royal Society of the Protection of Birds), the WWT (World Wildlife Trust) and, at this time of the year, to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society).
We were very excited when the RHS announced that, this year, they were going to replace the annual Garden Show at Hampton Court in London with a show much closer to home at Badminton House (famous for its Horse Trials). However, come the day earlier in July we were rather disappointed as we had chosen a day in the middle of a heatwave and didn’t enjoy ourselves as much as when we had visited the RHS Garden Show at Hampton Court a few years ago. This year there were long traffic queues to get there (at least at Hampton Court a lot of people were able to use public transport which was not really an option here in the heart of Gloucestershire); the popularity of these events also meant that there were huge number of visitors and the facilities were stretched to their limit.
There is no doubt that the setting for the RHS garden show in front of Badminton House was very specialWe did enjoy seeing some of the “show gardens” but were not allowed to venture through them as had been the case at Hampton CourtAs close as I could get, fighting my way through the crowdsAn award winning “Cricket Pavilion” show garden – a six would have cleared the crowds of onlookersEveryone was considering drought tolerant plants
Although there are no major RHS gardens near to us there are a number of “partner” gardens that we can visit with our RHS membership. One of our favourites is the Yeo Valley Organic Garden close to Blagdon Lake in North Somerset, south of Bristol.
Our visit last week also corresponded to another very hot day but, at least, we didn’t have to contend with large numbers of visitors. There are some fabulous sections to this garden, which I have reported on in the past, but on our last two visits I have been fascinated that they have developed a new section (replacing “The Big Grass Bed”) which I would describe as the sort of terrain that you might see on the edge of a quarry or next to a building site. This “dry” garden is well suited to the hot conditions which we are enjoying at the moment and feature lots of plants which are drought tolerant. Clearly something all gardeners are having to consider in this part of the world as climate changes affect us.
Salvias are doing well in my garden too this yearA sneaky photo of a salvia in my garden before we set off on our trip to the Yeo Valley Organic Garden – they have been attracting bees in huge numbers.Quarry/building site?Gatekeeper butterflyDaucus carota – wild carrotDigitalis ferruginea – rusty foxglovePainted Lady butterfly on verbenaKniphofia – I like its common name of “torch lily”Painted Lady would be well camouflaged in the KnophofiaThe gravel garden is full of pollinators and butterfliesThere are great views of Blagdon Lake from the gardenMy only bird photo – very very distant cattle egret next to the lakeNow there’s a thought if you have the spaceInteresting water feature surrounded by drought tolerant flowersCommon blue damselflyWater feature to die forSouthern hawker in the bronze gardenLarge white butterfly attracted by the verbenaFlower bed in the Gravel garden
Still loads more to see but the heat was getting more intense and the garden café was irresistible: the frittata and the zero degrees Goram IPA (from the local Butcombe brewery) are both highly recommended.
We had to go to Cheltenham today (30 odd miles to the north of Bristol) and took advantage of the trip by calling in at WWT Slimbridge on the way home. We were really surprised how much there was to see from just a few of the hides.
Here are a few of my photos from today.
Oystercatchers matingGadwall in flightEurasian oystercatcherMainly black-tailed godwitNorthern lapwingEurasian oystercatcher with something much smaller than an oysterBlack-tailed godwitRuffRuffRuff in flightGreen sandpiperGreen sandpiper in flightGreen sandpiperBlack-tailed godwitNorthern lapwingGoldfinchYellow wagtailRuff and yellow wagtailBlack-tailed godwit, black-headed gull and shelduckBlack-tailed godwit and black-headed gullHummingbird hawk-moth
It’s been over seven weeks since my last blog as, again, we have been “confined to barracks”.
Unfortunately, on our last holiday my wife had a fall when we were out walking on a coastal path and the resulting fracture has restricted any meaningful sorties since then. With good support from her osteopath (and determination on her part) she made sufficient progress for us to embark on another trip to the south coast and make the most of the wonderful summer that we are enjoying in the UK.
We found an amazing rental cottage at Buckler’s Hard (the shipyard where boats for Nelson’s Navy were built) on the banks of the Beaulieu River, in the heart of the New Forest. This fabulous venue enabled us to do some local birdwatching and to visit some other nearby birding sites which were easy for us to access.
Buckler’s Hard
The cottage, a unique Grade II listed former bath house with thatched roof and rustic tree trunk veranda, was set in an idyllic location beside the Beaulieu River and was ideal for our purposes.
The Duke’s Bath HouseThe Beaulieu River
In the secluded extensive garden we enjoyed seeing a variety of birds and regularly heard redshank, curlew and oystercatcher on the river banks.
The garden to the rear of the Duke’s Bath House
Some of the birds that we saw in the garden:
GreenfinchSong thrushCommon blackbirdJuvenile European robinEuropean robinHouse sparrowGoldfinchStarling in the evening sunshinePied wagtail on the lawnReed warbler seen from a nearby bird hideCommon redshank on the banks of the Beaulieu River… and even a pup seal
In the evenings we were treated to the sight of adult barn swallows feeding their young and rabbits playing on the lawn.
Barn swallowsBarn swallowsBarn swallow
Our first trip out was only a dozen miles away to Calshot, a coastal village at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent. Calshot is notable for its role in the development of aircraft and flying boats. In 1913 the Royal Flying Corps established Calshot Naval Air Station (later known as RNAS Calshot and RAF Calshot) at the end of Calshot Spit and there are still the large hangars which are put to good use as activities centres.
Little egretOystercatcher with muddy billCurlewCommon ringed ploverCommon ringed plover in flightOystercatcher in flightSandwich ternA colony of Sandwich terns on Southampton WaterBlack-headed gull
Our next birding trip was again only a very short ride to Lymington and Keyhaven Marshes. The internationally important coastal marshes and mudflats are teeming with fish and, as a result, thousands of sea birds and waders flock here.
Curlew with sea lavenderCommon linnetEuropean stonechatBarn swallowMeadow pipitCommon tern
Both of these sites we would love to visit again, outside the summer season when we might expect to see even more birds.
For non birding activities we visited nearby Lymington and Beaulieu (but unfortunately we did not have enough time to visit the estate with its country house and excellent National Motor Museum) and spent a lot of time absorbing the atmosphere of Buckler’s Hard by visiting its excellent museum and taking a river cruise on the Beaulieu river.
We also had several visits to the Master Builder’s House (now a pub and restaurant) which, fortuitously, was only a hundred yards from our cottage.
The village of Buckler’s HardOutside the excellent museum at Buckler’s HardRepresentation of Buckler’s Hard in its boat builder heyday in the early 19th Century in the museumThe Montague Arms in the village of BeaulieuPart of the Beaulieu EstateIt was good to enjoy a pint of our local (Bristol) zero percent bitter on a stop-off for lunch on the way home!
This morning we explored the Middlebere Peninsula just south of RSPB Arne. Rain was forecast throughout the day. It didn’t materialise until the afternoon but the light was not good. From the avocet hide we could see an osprey on a nest. On the estuary there were shelduck, black-headed gulls, several little egrets and a few common redshank but everything was rather distant and didn’t make for good photos in the poor light. My best opportunities were near some National Trust cottages where there was a pied wagtail and some barn swallows.
Pied wagtailBarn swallowBarn swallowBarn swallowOsprey on nest at top of postDistant redshankLittle egretBlack-headed gullBarn swallowBarn swallow
We had an early lunch at the visitors’ centre at RSPB Arne and then explored the Shoreline trail but the rain set in and, apart from a song thrush, a blackbird, geese and oystercatchers, there wasn’t a lot to photograph.
Song thrushSong thrushSong thrushBlackbirdOystercatcher with small wader behindOystercatchersCommon carder beeThe rain setting in
This morning we discovered Durlston Country Park for the first time.
The coastline from Durlston Country ParkDurlston’s Jurassic coast
Durlston Country Park is a 320 acre National Nature Reserve consisting of beautiful clifftop walks with stunning views, a recently renovated Victorian Durlston Castle with its historic Great Globe, a visitor centre, cafe and Anvil Point Lighthouse. It’s located just 1 mile from Swanage and only 15 minutes from where we are staying. The Park, which is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site is owned and managed by the Dorset County.
The Great Globe – constructed of Portland stone in 1887 – is one of the largest stone spheres in the world and weighs about 40 tonnes and is 3 metres in diameter.
On the circular cliff top walk we had good views of guillemots and razorbills in the sea below the cliffs and even better views of northern fulmar and herring gulls flying by and, along with the rock doves, settling on the cliffs.
Northern fulmarRazorbillMainly guillemotsNorthern fulmarNorthern fulmarRock dovesGuillemot enjoying the wide open spaces of the sea after being jammed tightly together on the rock facesAnvil Point LighthouseCormorant or shag?European herring gull
On the return part of the walk, back from the cliffs, the best of the birds we saw was a common whitethroat but the flora was interesting too.
We have just arrived on holiday on the south coast of England, in the county of Dorset. The area we are staying is known as the Isle of Purbeck on the Jurassic Coast. Despite its name, it is not actually an island—it is a peninsula bordered by the English Channel, Poole Harbour, and the River Frome.
Today we visited the RSPB nature reserve at Arne. Arne is situated on Poole Harbour and within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The landscape of heathlands, ancient oak woodlands, wetlands and mudflats is truly stunning and teeming with wildlife.
When I visit such nature reserves I can’t help thinking about the thousands of hours that volunteers have dedicated to making them such phenomenal places to visit. On our visit today we met a number of such people who helped us by telling us about osprey and white-tailed eagle projects and even helped us to spot both of these birds.
Some of the photos of our first day in this area showing the variety of wildlife:
The ruins of Corfe Castle, close to ArneTree pipit on the heathlandHeather on the heathlandEuropean herring gull catching a crabEmperor dragonflyFour-spot chaserCinnabar mothFoxgloves between heathland and woodRed admiral butterflyPainted lady butterflyUnderside of painted lady butterflyRhododendron, very attractive but quite invasiveOystercatchers on the mudflatsLittle egret flying over the estuaryBlack-headed gullShelduckGrey squirrel in woodlandSikka deer in the woodlandCommon buzzardOsprey on nestWhite-tailed eagle being mobbed by another (smaller) birdOutdoor entertainment – a poetry and song event on a Jurassic theme at our local pub, The Square and Compass, at Worth Matravers.A great way to start our holiday – the local beers and ciders were good too.
Stoke Park Estate is only half a mile from our home but I have not been able to get here for over 6 months. Today was forecast to be over 30 degrees Celsius so this morning we decided to have a walk there before it was too hot.
It’s a very pretty spot but since the 1970s it has had a motorway (one of the main arterial roads leading into the city of Bristol) passing through it. It’s quite amazing that it has been spared house building which has been quite intense on this side of the city.
Duchess Pond in the Stoke Park EstateThe M32 passes along the south side of Stoke Park
The main attraction were swifts (and one house martin) which were swooping down on the pond for drinks. There were plenty of other birds to see such as Canada geese and their goslings, moorhens, coots, greenfinch, goldfinch, blackbirds, wrens , chiffchaff and a green woodpecker but the challenge for me (ambitiously with only a 70-200 lens) were the hirundines. I was pleased to photograph my first damselflies of the season too.
Common swiftCommon swiftHouse martinLarge red damselflyLarge red damselflyAzure damselflies Greenfinch in flightCommon swiftCommon swift taking a drinkCommon blackbirdCanada geese and their goslings on Duchess PondCommon swifts above the pondThe short walk to the tunnel which passes under the M32 and into Stoke Park
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 