It was a glorious morning for birding at Westhay Moor on the Somerset Levels. I had hoped to see bearded tits (reedlings) but, although I did hear them, I had no success in seeing them. However, I did have several sightings of reed buntings and a kingfisher but didn’t manage any photos.
There were plenty birds there to keep me clicking (although modern cameras thankfully don’t even have to make that annoying sound) and I was not disappointed with the photos I took.
View from the North HideGreat white egretGrey heronStonechat are much more obliging than bearded titsMarsh harrierMarsh harrierIt felt more like Norfolk with this flock of Canada geese flying overWigeonGadwall Shoveler Little grebe A (very) distant jayI was most surprised to see a swallow late in the afternoonQuite the star of the day
Following a very wet day yesterday, it was great to get out and enjoy a walk along the Severn Estuary between New Passage and Severn Beach. The tide was already quite low when we arrived at New Passage but we were allowed some distant views of waders. However, before we reached Severn Beach there was nothing to be seen and my camera was packed away for the return journey.
Grey heronLittle egretTurnstoneRedshankOystercatcherCurlewWe often see grey wagtails on the rocks, sometimes even a robin but the wren was a first for usFlocks of Canada geese and wigeon on the Warth The two bridges on this section of the estuary are always a delight to see
On our way to Steart Marshes in Somerset to do a spot of birdwatching we discovered a gem of a garden at Cannington near Bridgwater. In fact, we spent most of the day at The Walled Gardens of Cannington and left only a small amount of time for Steart Marshes (which was just as well as the wetlands were very dry and not as exciting as usual).
One section of the garden was called “The Mediterranean Garden” and it was such a beautiful day that you could easily have thought that you had been transported to the Mediterranean.
“The Willow Monster” with Cannington Priory behind A section of the Mediterranean GardenWedding Cake Tree A section of the Blue Garden A dunnock adorned the wallThe Bishop’s GardenThe Southern Hemisphere GardenThe rose beds were quite amazing with lots of flowers still in bloomThe Botanical Glasshouse was worth the visit aloneIt felt cooler in the glasshouse than outdoorsSuch wonderful colours everywhere
Slideshow of photos from the Walled Gardens of Cannington:
There weren’t many waders at Steart as everything was so dry but we saw plenty of raptors looking for a meal.
A lone little egret on the marshesKestrel in flightLittle egret in flight
A pleasant enough day birding in the Chew Valley but I didn’t have much in the way of photographs at the end of the day as the water levels are still very low and all the waterbirds are quite a way out and the light was not great.
Great white egret at Herriots Pool at Chew ValleyCommon buzzard at Herriots Pool at Chew ValleyRather a lot of coots in the middle of the lake at ChewGreat crested grebe at Blagdon LakeMale and female tufted ducks at Blagdon Lake
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 sparrowhawk perched on the same dead tree on Northwick Warth.
Prince of Wales Bridge, Severn Estuary
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.
CurlewWe always seem to see pied wagtails in this same spot at New PassageGrey heron and little egretThe red legs of the redshank stand out on the mud flatsStarlings on the Prince of Wales Bridge (will it now be The King Charles III Bridge?)The oystercatchers stand out amongst the godwitsWigeon making their way up the Bristol ChannelRedshank
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).
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.
RobinSpeckled wood butterflyNuthatchTyntesfieldTyntesfieldIn the walled gardenThe orangerie
A walk in the rain this afternoon to Duchess Pond in Stoke Park Estate to try and hear a Cetti’s warbler which had been reported earlier was rewarded with a decent view of a spotted flycatcher.
There were nice views too of a grey heron which was flying around the pond.
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.
Quite a mucky jobCommon ringed ploverDunlinDunlin in flight
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!
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.
European bee eaters
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!
Bee eater with breakfastBee eatersBee eater with goldfinchesBee eater with linnetBee eater with starlings
You can read all about these bee eaters on the RSPB web page and even see some decent photos of them.
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 