Author: martintayler

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We made a last minute decision to go and try to see an osprey which has been reported at Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve on the Avalon Marshes in Somerset.

We set off from Bristol in bright sunshine and I was still full of optimism when I met a photographer in the car park and saw his magnificent photos of the osprey flying around the reserve; but when I realised he had been there since 6.15 a.m. and that he was setting off home because the light was deteriorating I began to suspect that I might not be so fortunate.

We did see the osprey but it was sitting on a very distant stump of a tree and never left its post for all the time we were there.  There were a few distant sightings of marsh harriers and a buzzard but not much else of interest and as the hide was very congested we didn’t spend long there.

A very heavily cropped photo of the osprey

Marsh harrier

Buzzard

Mute swans

Mute swan with seven cygnets

There wasn’t much activity either at the nearby RSPB Ham Wall and, as we really only had the morning available to us, I settled for a few photos of insects and a distant great white egret and a kingfisher.

Speckled Wood butterfly

Common darter

A very distant kingfisher

A great white egret in the same bushes

Disappointing maybe, but still lots of fun to see such a magnificent bird as an osprey.

 

 

 

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Rain was forecast for the afternoon and so a walk around Eastville Park this morning was a safer bet especially with the attraction of regular sightings of kingfishers.

They again proved the highlight as we spotted two around Colston Weir on the River Frome in the park.

We also saw 3 grey wagtails and 2 juvenile herons of note as well as a dragonfly and two Painted Lady butterflies (one looking very fatigued).

Note black feet of juvenile

 

 

 

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We went for a short walk to the park in the afternoon. It proved to  be much shorter than we anticipated as there was very little shade and it was really too hot for us.

There were lots of dragonflies but I didn’t have the patience (or the ability) to get any decent photographs.

About the best of my dragonfly shots

I did manage to photograph a Clouded Yellow butterfly (hence the reason for my blog) and a grey heron in flight.

Clouded Yellow

Grey heron

 

 

 

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Early morning in Eastville Park: spoilt for choice featuring 3 kingfishers, 3 grey wagtails, 3 grey herons, 3 cormorants, 3 robins and 4 juvenile gulls.

1 kingfisher

2 kingfishers

3 kingfishers

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I walked across to Stoke Park this morning before it was too hot and before the light was too bright; so no excuses about the light today.

I was hoping to see a whinchat. My mission was soon accomplished and so I then went in search of other birds and insects.

I was surprised to see a dozen swifts – I thought they had all departed. During the last  week I have seen house martins, swallows and swifts over Duchess Pond.

There was a buzzard over the woods.

Around Duchess Pond a grey heron posed and occasionally flew from one patch to another.

There was a Painted Lady butterfly and several damselflies and dragonflies.

Migrant hawker

The motorway was quite quiet for a change and I could have stayed all morning but, if I had, I would have had to spend the rest of the day editing hundreds of photos. So home I went and faced up to England’s dismal performance in the Test match.

 

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The weather has certainly bucked up today and it has been sunny and warm. Late in the afternoon we had a walk around our local park. In the full sunlight it was diffficult to pick things out but a Red Admiral butterflly and a couple of grey herons on the lake were easy enough (although difficult to photograph in the bright sunshine).

Red Admiral

Grey heron scrambling out of the lake having fished its supper

Grey heron struggling to swallow its supper

On the way home we spotted three kingfishers flying round together near the weir. I then had the opposite challenge of trying to photograph them in the deep shade; likewise with three grey wagtails one of which was enjoying the challenge of a large beetle.

European robin

Kingfisher

Grey wagtail devouring beetle

 

 

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I was looking forward to going to Severnside today as I was anticipating seeing lots of waders but I was greatly disappointed especially as, even though reasonable weather had been forecast, it was in fact very gloomy and quite cold.

I saw lots of Canada Geese (well over 400), mute swans, black-tailed godwits (quite distant on the wetlands), goldfinch, starlings, pied wagtails, house martins and swallows and, I realised when I edited my photos, a flock of more than 30 curlews. There were a few butterflies too.

Mute swans

Canada geese

Canada geese

Curlew

Curlew

Black-tailed godwits

Pied wagtail

House martin

Swallow

A (rather faded) Painted Lady

Common Blue

Bee

 

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I spent the morning painting the garden fence so I needed a treat in the afternoon. Do I really need an excuse? So, another trip across the road to Stoke Park.

Today it was the turn of the swallows. By  the marshy copse I could see reed buntings flying off to hide in the trees and a I also saw a painted lady butterfly. Around Duchess Pond there were still a few common darters (darting too much for me), some damselflies and a very distant  green spotted woodpecker.

 

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I played golf this morning and there were House Martins buzzing all around me on the course – perhaps the distraction was the reason I played so badly. So, this afternoon I thought I would have another go at photographing some over at Stoke Park.

I didn’t really have the success of a few days ago but it was still fun trying – more akin to fishing perhaps?

There was also a very distant kestrel and I managed a few acceptable shots considering how far away it was.

 

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Not quite knowing what the weather was going to do today we had an  early morning walk to Eastville Park where we spent quite a bit of our walk sheltering from the rain. Of note we saw a grey heron on the lake and more than 40 house martins flying quite high over the lake.

Grey heron on the lake at Eastville Park

At the weir we had a good view of a kingfisher but I was chatting to a fellow photographer and failed to get a photo.

On our return we grabbed some breakfast and then I escaped domestic chores and wandered over to Stoke Park to see if I could be any more successful.

The sun came out and I had a wonderful couple of hours photographing reed bunting, house martins and damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies. I also grabbed a photo of a green woodpecker and another grey heron. I also had another very good view of a kingfisher but again failed to get a shot as I was “chimping” at one of my dragonfly shots.

Female reed bunting

House martins

Common blue

Common darter

Damselfly

Common darter

Common darter

Woodpecker

 

 

 

 

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I couldn’t resist going back again this morning to see if I could get better shots of the whinchat. Thanks to Ali from Brixham who spotted it away from the reeds I was very pleased with the results. A very enjoyable hour. Not so many different types of birds this morning (mainly reed buntings) but that wasn’t my focus. A few butterflies too.

Chuffed again.

Reed buntings

Reed bunting

Reed bunting

Painted Lady

Common Blue

Whinchat

 

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Encouraged by what I had seen in the park yesterday I went back this morning to see if I could see the whinchat that has been reported in recent days.

First of all in the marshy area I saw reed buntings again. In the same area I also saw goldfinch, common whitethroat, a bluetit and overhead a kestrel (which was almost impossible to photograph as it was against the light).

Reed bunting

Reed bunting in flight

Aggressive reed bunting

Common whitethroat

Common whitethroat

Common whitethroat

Common whitethroat in flight

Just as I was about to move on I caught sight of the whinchat. It’s not that rare but I was dead chuffed to see it. I stayed for a while but that was the only sighting.

Whinchat

I did a loop of Duchess Pond and saw more goldfinches, a green woodpecker and moorhens, coots and mallards.

Goldfinch

Green woodpecker

Green woodpecker in flight

Juvenile moorhen

Coot putting its chick in place

Moorhen

There were also a few bedraggled butterflies.