We stopped off at Chew Valley Lake on our way to Midsomer Quilting to see an exhibition of 12×12 quilts and just managed a couple of shots of goosanders which I thought were worth recording.
The following image of the Somerset Levels at the exhibition at Midsomer Quilting seems quite relevant too:
AN EXHIBITION OF 12X12 MINI-QUILTS ON THE THEME “WHERE IN THE WORLD”
On the Levels – Pam Webb
On our walk around Eastville Park we spent a while looking for the reported firecrest, but no luck. I was quite happy to see a dozen long-tailed tits (one of my favourite birds) and enjoyed the good light to see lots of the the regular attenders. No kingfisher today but plenty of others had seen them.
Long-tailed tit
Long-tailed tit
Blue tit
Grey wagtail
Grey wagtail
Female mallard
Muscovy duck
Black-headed gull
Lesser black-backed gull
Mute swan
Robin
Robin
Carrion crow
Grey heron
Click below for a gallery of all my photos from this morning’s walk:
It was a beautiful morning and so I couldn’t give up a chance for a brief walk around Stoke Park Estate this morning even though I had less than an hour.
There wasn’t a lot about; however, I was very pleased to see a green woodpecker – the first for a long time.
I also saw a flyover grey heron (surprisingly high up), 4 meadow pipits and 6 long-tailed tits. There was surprisingly little on Duchess Pond – just 4 moorhens, 2 mallards and a solitary black-headed gull on the usual post.
We went out to Chew Lake to try and see a hawfinch that had been reported but we had no luck.
The light was not too good so I was very happy to have lots of great white egrets to concentrate on.
“I am considerably bigger than you” said the great white to the little egret
Goosanders flying by
Black-tailed godwit centre stage
… before flying off with his mates.
Lots of meadow pipits at Villice Bay (40+)
… and pied wagtails at Villice Bay and Herons’ Green
Lots of wigeon (and teal) too.
And in our garden before we left, a blackbird:
They say the sun always shines on the righteous; it was very gloomy when we set off but very sunny by the time I had a camera in my hand at Slimbridge; so make of that what you wish.
Some of the highlights of today:
Pintail
Pintail
Pintails
More pintails
Greylag goose
White fronted goose
Shelduck
Crane
Redshank
Bewick’s swan
Teal
Lapwing
Lapwings in flight
Crane
Curlew
Teal
Click below for gallery of shots from today:
I didn’t really have time for a walk but it was such a beautiful morning that I decided I had to fit one in.
The colours in the park were magnificent but there wasn’t much bird life – not even the reliable stonechats of recent visits.
I was just about to give up, thinking that the 4 moorhens were all I was about to see when I spotted a couple of goldfinches feeding on the teasels.
However, they didn’t hang around for long; but my morning was made when I saw the flash of a kingfisher. How this little bird lifts the spirits. It disappeared in to a bush only to re-appear and settle on a fence.
I know a kingfisher is really no big deal, but I was very happy.
Click below for a gallery of my photos of this brief walk:
A morning free to go birding and the weather changes for the worse. Never mind, in between the rain I did manage a few shots of interest.
There are reported to be 30+ great white egrets on the lake and as I watched from Herons Green and Herriott’s Bridge I must have seen a good deal of them. Unlike the grey herons, which mainly stayed put in the same spot, they constantly moved around the lake.
Great white egret at Herons Green
Great white egret at Herriott’s
A grey heron with its catch and a tangle of weeds
Grey heron and little egret at Heron’s Green
Grey heron moving up a couple of metres at Herons Green
The lapwings were almost out of my range to get decent shots, as were the black-tailed godwits, but a few came relatively close as did a goosander.
Black-tailed godwits at Herons Green
Goosander
The colour of the wigeon came through the dark grey light (above) as did the flash of green of the teal (below)
Great white egret in the rain
Great crested grebe near the dam
You can generally count on pied wagtails at Herons Green
Click below for gallery of shots from this morning:
There was not an awful lot around this afternoon. A song thrush on the path leading up to the motorway and a couple of blue tits; two stonechats, 3 goldfinches, and a meadow pipit in among the reeds beyond the pool and a couple of moorhens and a black-headed gull on the pond.
Did anyone dump a Christmas tree there?
Song thrush
Stonechat
Meadow pipit
Goldfinch
Stonechat
Photo gallery of today’s photos:
A sunny window to take a short walk in Stoke Park and I was rewarded with good views of fresh autumn stonechats (2) and meadow pipits (3) and a grey heron. There was also a solitary goldfinch, 2 black-headed gulls, moorhens, mallards and a fleeting visit of two grey wagtails.
The teasels looked lovely too.
I went for a stroll around Eastville Park this morning and set off in the sunshine; but by the time I was down by the river the sun had disappeared and it was cold and dark and not much bird life around. However, after a chat with a few of the locals, the sun reappeared and a few birds made their appearance.
A kingfisher flashed by on the river, then a grey wagtail came close by and posed in a log.
The dipper was in its usual spot on the river and the grey heron was standing like a plastic model on the small island on the lake.
The black-headed gulls were keen to be fed by passers-by as well as plenty of mallards and a moorhen.
The dipper was still there sunning itself on the river bank as I headed home.
i still find the homeless people living in tents around the park quite upsetting.
Grey wagtail
Dipper
Black-headed gulls pinching the pigeons’ food
Grey heron
Moorhen
Dipper stretching its wing
A lovely sunny day but quite cold for a trip to the Somerset Levels: we went first of all to Westhay Moor in the hope of bearded tits but no luck and not much else other than lots of shoveler and widgeon.
At Ham Wall we saw no marsh harriers (which I think is the first time ever) and really there was not much exciting about: only one brief view of a great white egret. The most attractive birds were shovelers, gadwall, lapwings and even mallards with their new coats. Right at the end I had my first view of a redwing this year.
I couldn’t resist!
Mallard
Lapwing
Gadwall
Shoveler
A distant cormorant
Gadwall in flight
Redwing
A quick walk around Stoke Park Estate late this afternoon (which isn’t very late now that the clocks have gone back) and a pleasing number of birds: a male and a female stonechat, a wren, a meadow pipit, 11 long-tailed tits, a greenfinch, and 8 goldfinch.
Long-tailed tit
Male stonechat
Female stonechat
Wren
Meadow pipit
Click below for gallery of photos taken this afternoon:
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 