Category: Blog

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It seemed very hot (much hotter than the 24 °C recorded) when we took an afternoon walk around Duchess Pond on Stoke Park Estate. Even though we don’t see many birds at the moment it is comforting that we can now identify an increasing number of birds by their calls and their song. Around the lake we could pick out with confidence whitethroat, chiffchaff, goldfinch and greenfinch. The birds that we could see clearly were swifts as half a dozen soared above and occasionally swooped down to the lake for a drink. The goslings are growing rapidly and are being protected by very attentive parents.

Swifts

The main point of interest at the moment is the increasing number of dragonflies and damselflies. I must say that Wendy was very patient as I attempted to photograph these and the swallows. I am now (with the help of Larry Sweetland) beginning to ID a few of them. Just wait until I get in to butterflies!

Emperor Dragonfly

Black-tailed Skimmer

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Small Red-eyed Damselflies (by all accounts these are just coming out and will soon be more numerous than the Red-eyed Damselflies)

White-legged Damselfly

Azure Damselfly

Scarce Chaser

The water lilies are now beginning to bloom and I look forward to seeing the coots and moorhens scamper across them.

There were lots of youngsters sitting around the lake enjoying the sunshine and there was very little evidence of anti-social behaviour except for a few on bicycles and a motorised scooter.

I’m not sure the fishermen will be pleased with people swimming in the lake but I find this less of a problem than the people who leave all the litter and other detritus after their visit to the park.

 

 

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We needed a change of scene and drove south of Bristol to Chew Valley. It was wonderful to go along the lanes I had cycled when I was a boy growing up in this area and seeing the countryside in all its glory. However, I did feel a bit guilty spoiling the fun for cyclists and ramblers as we disturbed the peace of these quiet lanes.

Chew Valley lake

There are two ideal spots to view the birds on the lake. Unfortunately they are just where there are stretches of straight road where cars and motorbikes roar along at ridiculous (and no doubt illegal) speeds. It does seem rather incongruous that the two areas that draw a large number of people (and consequently ice cream vans) that vehicles can travel at such unsafe speeds. However, on this occasion, as bird hides and lakeside are forbidden to us, we did stop there to see the wildlife.

You can just make out a  greenshank if you look hard enough

The solitary oystercatcher

Herriot’s Bridge, to the east of the lake, was teeming with birds. A friendly bird watcher (I find they are either very obliging or grumpy and secretive) pointed out a distant greenshank. As I was stretching my telephoto lens to its maximum capability I also saw a solitary oystercatcher. Much easier to see were the grey herons and great white egrets even though they were quite far off.

Grey heron

However, eventually one great white egret flew much closer and gave me a glorious opportunity to photograph it in flight.

One of the frustrations of the lock-down has not being able to see these wonderful (and once very rare) birds which now seem to be here permanently. Even more frustrating has been not being able to see great crested grebes and their young which we look forward to every year.  We were delighted when we were treated to a family of great crested grebes as they came out of the reeds and made off to the lake. We were rather anxious when one chick got separated and was agitated by a group of Canada geese but it safely circumnavigated them.

Great crested grebe

Canada geese and goslings

A very agressive swan splits the family

On Herons’ Green there wasn’t as much to see except for pied wagtails with their young catching damselflies.

Juvenile pied wagtail devouring damselfly

Pied wagtail feeding its young a damselfly

The trip certainly lifted our spirits.

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An early morning walk started with a close view of a roe deer next to the motorway before we reached Stoke Park.

On the small pond there was a squabble between coots and moorhens – the coots seemed to be the aggressors but in their defence they did have chicks to protect.

We saw whitethroats and wrens in the swampy area.

The silhouette of a wren

Around the lake the Canada geese goslings are getting bigger very quickly but there were so many fishermen who had been camping overnight that we did not loiter especially as some were off to the bushes to relieve themselves. Sadly there were many signs of toilet paper around and about: I cannot blame the fishermen for all of this nor for the vast amount of litter that we saw in the park this morning but they clearly are culpable of some of the detritus.

Just a few examples of the large amount of detritus left in the park

A buzzard overhead was soon joined by a corvid which mobbed it.

We could hear green finches and goldfinches but I only managed to take lots of out-of-focus photos. I did manage one or two successful shots of long-tailed tits but I didn’t even get the two swifts that we saw in my viewfinder. Clearly too early in the morning for me.

 

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Lots of excitement this morning with Coal Tit fledglings in the garden.

 

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It was probably the news of a common mynah at Duchess Pond that got us out of bed for an early morning walk around Stoke Park and the thought that we could avoid the crowds.

We soon saw the common mynah who seemed to have adopted one of the many local fishermen who clearly had slept around the pond overnight.

Common Myna looking for the fisherman’s scraps

Fisherman’s friend

There were a few other birds too including swifts, greenfinches, goldfinches, whitethroats, blue tits and a thrush.

Other than the fishermen there were only a couple of other birders and one self-obsessed runner who almost brushed past us (and giving us no time to get out of his way) even though there are acres of land to avoid people.. Instead of going home full of the joys of spring I must admit to going home very angry.

Footnote: Even though the swifts flew here from thousands of miles away I can’t help thinking the common mynah came here by plane or on a boat.

 

My day started well when I managed to photograph a Coal Tit on the bird feeder. It didn’t seem too worried about me standing quite close by.

Coal tit on the garden bird feeder

Later in the day we had another visitor – a robin who couldn’t make up his mind whether to come in to the garden or not.

Clearly the seeds fallen from the bird feeders were too much to resist

There are lots of bees coming in to the garden at the moment. I need to get to grips with identifying these.

 

We drove out in the country to find an isolated spot for a walk. We chose an area close to Oldbury Power Station, a decommissioned power station close to Oldbury-on-Severn on the south bank of the Severn Estuary.

Around the power station there are three lagoons in various states of disuse. These lagoons were large settling tanks, used during the dredging process for the tidal reservoir on the River Severn. The fine Severn silt was settled from the water, before it was discharged back to the river.

To the north of the power station we followed the nature trail which circumvents the two lagoons which are now completely overgrown. It was marvellous to be out in the country and, although we didn’t see many birds, we could hear loads (but not cuckoos which have been reported recently) and it was an amazing feeling to be out roaming through the meadows and woods and along the nature trail.

The nature trail around the lagoons to the north of the power station

Wonderful views across the Severn Estuary (but disappointingly no waders)

Azure Damselfly at the beginning of our walk

The meadow at the beginning of the walk

Woods early on the walk

Marsh orchid

Common dogwood

We could see and hear goldfinches around this pond

The overgrown lagoon

Views south towards the two Severn Bridges

Beautiful meadows

A very tired peacock butterfly

A comma butterfly

The star of our walk – a very cheerful chiffchaff

We had a quick look at the pond to the south of the power station before heading home.

Moorhen

Moorhen with chick

 

 

 

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It was a beautifully sunny and warm morning and so we went over to Stoke Park early in the hope of beating the crowds. However, we clearly weren’t early enough, certainly not to beat the fisherman who were creating an almighty din by strimming the grass to a cinder and painting lines everywhere and thereby destroying the wildness of the area.

I did enjoy trying to photograph the swifts as they swooped across the water. We also saw what I think was a House Martin but we didn’t get much of a view and it could have been a swallow. I’ll wait for the real “birders” to let me know.

Swifts over Duchess Pond

House Martin?

Wren

Canada geese and their goslings

The damselflies were just coming out as we left

 

 

 

 

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The weather was very mixed as we went for our daily walk to Stoke Park Estate. We didn’t stay long as there were lots of people about. I am very pleased to see so many people using the park but it was very difficult to keep at a safe distance and so we cut short the walk.

There was plenty of bird life but I couldn’t really focus my attention on photography. I still managed a few photos of two very proud Canada geese with their five goslings and a couple of distant swifts.

 

 

During the period of lock down due to the Covid-19 virus we have spent a lot of time in our tiny urban garden. We have tried to do all sorts to encourage wildlife in to the garden including paying attention to what we plant. We have also installed more nest boxes and feeders and even purchased a bird bath. Just as I was thinking that we really had gone over the top with this latter purchase I was delighted today to see the first bird make use of this new facility. And what a bird!

Just as I was getting ready to have a walk to Stoke Park, as part of our daily exercise, I saw from the bathroom window a jay fly into the garden and land on the bird bath. Luckily I had time to grab a camera a get some decent shots of it.

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Consequently I am feeling very chuffed with buying the bird bath. I am also pleased I painted the garden fence too as the jay perched on it before flying off. I only wished I had cleaned the bathroom windows though!

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We are getting more confident of going out to take some exercise but once again a few joggers showed how inconsiderate they can be by not keeping a sensible distance (they seem too preoccupied with achieving their “times” recorded on their gadgets).

When we were out this morning I thought I had two regrets: one, that I had the wrong lens to capture the lovely scenery and the second, I completely forgot because the scenery was so magnificent and it was a joy to be out in the sunshine despite the cool breeze.

We didn’t see many birds although we did hear plenty. In fact, I ask myself,  was it worth lugging a big lens up that hill just to have a few photos of a robin?

The biodiversity on the top of the Purdown is amazing since they have been taking back the scrub – well done to all involved.

We avoided Duchess Pond as there were fishermen all the way round enjoying what has been denied them in recent months.

P.S. I did have my phone camera to take the wide-angle shots.

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We  wandered over to Stoke Park yesterday and again this morning. We have benefited from the exercise and have enjoyed meeting people (at a distance). I have been very challenged to get photographs of the birds as they are either hiding well or moving too fast (as was the case with swifts today). It’s fun trying though.

Cormorant

Reed bunting

Moorhen with chick

Coot with chick

Chiffchaff fascinated by insect

Swifts (there were two to choose from and lots of different light to cope with).

Mallard

Canada goose

It was too cold for dragon flies and damselflies it seems but there was this moth in my garden:

I need to investigate this one – maybe a mint moth?