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We felt the need to get away from the city today and where better to go than to the seaside? Weymouth, on the south coast. is only 70 odd miles from Bristol (although not the easiest of roads to travel on) and has a couple of lovely nature reserves.

Our first visit was to RSPB Lodmore but we didn’t stay long as, after a couple of hours of driving, we needed to find some toilets.

Little egret at Lodmore

Nearby RSPB Radipole Lakes is right in Weymouth and has a visitors’ centre and toilets adjacent. We were quite pleased to see some butterflies and dragonflies and then overjoyed to hear and then see bearded tits (or bearded reedlings as they are often now referred to) – one of our favourite birds. They were only there for seconds and then gone, but long enough for us to see them in binoculars and capture with the camera.

We moved on to Portland Bill for lunch but didn’t have much luck with birds other than a kestrel.

Chesil beach

We were then going to vist the swannery at Abbotsbury but the entrance fee was quite stiff and, as the weather had deteriorated, we didn’t think it was worth it on this occasion.  We then tried to find somewhere to have a cup of tea and a cake on the way home but, being England, all the cafés were closed by 4.30 pm. Never mind, a lovely day anyway.

Abbotsbury Castle

Pheasants enjoying the evening sun