Our trip for a stroll along the coast of the Severn Estuary, near the two Severn Bridges, started well with a view of a merlin and a sparrow hawk perched on the same dead tree on Northwick Warth.
As well as big flocks of linnets and starlings there were lots of waders, mainly godwits and redshank, but really too far out to get decent photos. However, we could also make out oystercatchers, curlews, grey herons and a little egret.
Slideshow of this morning’s photos:
I spent a very pleasant day birdwatching at Chew Valley lake. The water is very low (as in most parts of the country) and so most of the birds of interest were at quite some distance. Fortunately, I had my telescope with me and particularly enjoyed watching an osprey and a pectoral sandpiper.
I gather the marsh harrier I saw, with a tag VJ, is a Norfolk bird.
At the end of the day I managed to photograph two different water rails (generally very secretive birds).
Slideshow of today’s photos:
Just one bird (a nuthatch) at the end of our walk around the National Trust property of Tyntesfield in North Somerset has prompted me to write a blog. We always see robins here (and often buzzards) but the nuthatch was a first for me here. I have taken the liberty of adding (as a slideshow) a few of my non-nature photos too to be able to show what a fabulous place this is.
Slideshow of visit to Tyntesfield:
The beginning of our walk from New Passage to Severn Beach reminded me of childhood visits to this area when the sun never seemed to shine and there was endless mud. We could see lots of curlews and oystercatchers on the warth and godwits on the waterline but everything was too distant for decent photographs other than a gull capturing, and eventually swallowing, an eel. However, as we reached Severn Beach the sun came out briefly and we had decent views of common ringed plovers and dunlin.
With an early visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s reserve at Slimbridge we missed the Bank Holiday crowds and traffic. With the extended period of dry weather much of the wetlands were very dry but there was plenty enough to keep us occupied throughout the morning.
The highlights were ruff, greenshank, common and spotted redshank, avocet, lapwings and black-tailed godwits. We were so surprised by the dry conditions towards the estuary that we completely missed the common cranes which everyone else managed to see!
Slideshow of this morning’s photos
We made an early visit to see some very rare (for this country) European bee eaters at Trimingham, near Cromer in Norfolk. The forecast was good but it was very dismal when we arrived at 7:30 a.m.
I managed to get some shots in poor light and had to make do with that because by 9:00 a.m rain set in. So much for modern weather forecasting!
You can read all about these bee eaters on the RSPB web page and even see some decent photos of them.
Slideshow of this morning’s photos:
A little of the beauty of North Norfolk at Cley and Salthouse Marshes.
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… and so much more.
Lovely to be back in Norfolk (and seeing some birds again!).
A few photos from RSPB Titchwell Marsh where we stopped near the end of our long hot journey from Bristol.
Slideshow of my photos from this afternoon:
The sun brought out the damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies at Duchess Pond in Stoke Park this morning. A few birds too. Too hot to hang around though.
Slideshow of my photos from this morning
Yesterday it was all butterflies and today, thankfully, there were some birds to see. Brief walks in our local parks (Snuff Mills and Stoke Park) have produced lots of interesting things to see (and photograph).
Slideshow of my photographs on the walk through Snuff Mills
Slideshow of my photographs on the walk through Stoke Park
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 