Author: martintayler

Gannet fest at RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the East Yorkshire coast with our friends from Sheffield.

Guillemots, Razor Bills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars (also Tree Sparrows) but unfortunately no Puffins.

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Spending a few days with friends in Sheffield and, as they are keen birders, we went to a local park to try and see a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker which one of our friends had seen.

Not so lucky with the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but I managed a Great Spotted Woodpecker and some other woodland birds, notably a Nuthatch and a Treecreeper.

We couldn’t hang around as we were setting off for Bempton Cliffs on the East Yorkshire coast.

Just a very brief blog mainly to record what a beautiful day it was, with sunshine throughout the day and quite some warmth in the sun.

An amble around Eastville Park didn’t produce anything very stunning, but felt it was worth recording anyway.

Of the birds the most frenetic, if not quite the noisiest, was the Great Tit by the lake.

The blossom was magnificent too.

Another beautiful sunny morning. I had quite a wait to get a glimpse of a Peregrine falcon and then another wait to be able to get some photos. All very enjoyable as I was in the company of a keen birder (who made the spot first each time) who was a season holder for Bristol City and Bristol Rugby – certainly a glorious opportunity for schadenfreude except that I am sad to see these two clubs perform so badly this season!

An early morning walk (well early for me) from Aust Warth through to New Passage in beautiful sunshine and not too fresh.

Not a lot of bird action though. Regular viewings of Meadow Pipits and then a couple of Linnets. Surprisingly very little on the estuary with only 6 Shelduck and 1 Curlew.

On the way back a couple of Grey Wagtail – there have been reports of White Wagtail but I wouldn’t have a clue about the difference – and 4 Shoveler on the pools.

Didn’t know what this bird was – perhaps female Linnet?

An early evening walk around Eastville Park. There was nothing memorable to record/photograph except some lovely colours, full of optimism with Spring on our doorstep. In the park the first bluebells I have seen – and Hyacinthoides non-scripta (our native bluebell) and not Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish bluebell) which are popping up in our garden.

3 different venues on a glorious sunny day, starting at WWT Steart near Bridgwater, then on to West Hay Moor Nature Reserve and ending up at RSPB Ham Wall.

Not much at WWT Steart other than Curlew (and in to the sun).

Reed Bunting and Grey Heron were the best from West Hay Moor.

Three different types of Egret (Great White, Cattle and Little) was the main feature of RSPB Ham Wall.

The Cattle Egrets were a first for me. Also the first time I have seen the Great White Egret with its black bill.

Wall to wall sunshine throughout the day and quite some warmth in the sun without the wind. The Tufted Duck and the Pochard looking resplendent in the sun.

The whole purpose of this blog is to show that it’s not always as easy as you would hope.

I went to Uphill to look for the Short-eared Owl that I had seen earlier in the month with two other keen birders. 3 pairs of eyes and we were bound to get some good sightings. As it turned out we saw nothing of note and the little I did see I managed only poor shots.

After Uphill we went on to Sand Bay in the hope of seeing a Dartford Warbler. No success.

Even the Goldfinch photos I thought I had captured successfully (and joked about) were marred by branches covering the bill.

Only a few Dunnocks, a Wren and a House Sparrow for a morning’s work.

Work? Oh no it wasn’t, just a lovely morning out with a couple of chaps with the same interest. I must say it wasn’t a successful birding trip but great fun all the same.

Although there was bright sunshine as I drove through Bristol as soon as I arrived in the Chew Valley it was misty and murky and rather mystical.

At Herons Green I saw a flock 30 or more Sand Martin chasing the masses of flies but they soon disappeared. There were plenty of  Tufted Ducks, Pied Wagtail and Chaffinch and a few distant Great Crested Grebe but not much else.

From Moreton hide I could see Golden Eye, Shelduck  and some very distant Scaup.

At Herriotts Bridge there were some more Golden Eye amongst the Tufted Ducks.

The sun was coming through at Blagdon Lake but all I could see were Coots close up and two Buzzards overhead.

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Great to hear the Bitterns booming at RSPB Ham Wall and even better to get such a great view of a Bittern.

There was a chill wind when we arrived but with the warmth of the sun it soon dissipated enough for us to have our picnic al fresco.

There was an early sighting of a Glossy Ibis, a good view of Little Grebe and then Great Crested Grebe courting.

When we reached the Avalon hide there was lots of action with a Marsh Harrier going up and immediately followed by the most amazing views of a Bittern.

Not what I was looking for on a cold and gloomy morning!

At Aust I was looking for Short-eared Owls but only saw a Meadow Pipit.

At New Passage I was particularly looking for Little Ringed Plovers but only saw (of note) a Merlin, 2 Little Grebe, 12 Redshank, a flock of 30 Turnstone and a Curlew.

Very blustery and quite dull at Chew Valley Lake today. The best was seeing Goldeneye displaying by throwing their heads right back. 

Great Crested Grebe are looking attractive as they come in to breeding plumage.

Lots of Tufted Ducks and all sorts of Gulls (which I need to get to grips with). The Mute Swans all seem very active, as were all the birds when the Buzzard flew over (but they all seemed oblivious to the drone).

Great fun talking to all the enthusiastic (and very knowledgeable) birders.