Category: Blog

In yesterday’s blog I said the weather here in Cornwall was “as good as it gets”. Well, I was wrong as today it got even better: with not a cloud in the sky nor a breath of breeze the sun glared down on us all day long.

We made our way to Kenidjack Valley which is just outside St Just and a few hundred metres north of Cape Cornwall. This had been suggested to us as a good birding site and indeed only a few days before a wryneck had been spotted in the valley. However, other than a few robins and a couple of wrens, there weren’t many birds to be seen. But in the glorious sunshine we saw quite a few butterflies and we were not at all disappointed as we had some wonderful views of the Cornish coast and in particular we saw lots of Cornwall’s tin mining heritage.

Cape Cornwall – the chimney stack dates back to 1894, when Cape Cornwall Mine was in operation, extracting tin and copper from out under the sea. Now, the site is part of the Tin Coast and Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. 

Relics of Cornwall’s tin mining industry

Robin

Robin

Wall

Small Copper

Small White

Small tortoiseshell

Small Tortoiseshell

 

Better still we had a wonderful view of a wheatear which posed and flitted about showing why “wheatear” derives from the Old English for “white arse”.

Wheatear

Wheatear

Wheatear showing its white rump

After our walk through the valley and along the coast we then drove on through St Just to Sennen where we had spectacular views of the cove and a couple of  oystercatchers, pied wagtails and again lots of gulls.

Oystercatcher

Pied wagtail

Pied wagtail

Sennen Cove

 

 

 

On a beautifully sunny and warm September day (as good as it gets) we visited the Hayle Estuary in Cornwall.

We walked from the station at Lelant along to the Old Quay Inn where we could see a plethora of gulls, waders (including oystercatchers, curlews, teal , wigeon and spotted redshank), Canada geese, a greylag goose, grey herons and little egrets. We were too far away to capture much in detail but it was wonderful to do some birding sitting on the decking of The Old Quay Inn having a refreshing drink.

Hayle Estuary

Greylag goose

Oystercatcher

Curlew

We then drove on a little to visit RSPB Ryan’s Field and then RSPB Camsew Pool where the highlight was a Sandwich tern and a rock pipit.

Sandwich tern

Rock pipit

Little egret

I am sure there were lots more but we needed the help of more experienced birders. However, the only other birders we saw were standing on the busy B3301 and that didn’t really appeal to us.

Click below for gallery of photos from today:

A pleasant trip to Chew Valley Lake today chatting to other birders and seeing a few birds from a distance at Herriotts Bridge and Herons Green.

Great white egret on the lake from Herriotts Bridge

Great white egret on the other side of the road

Hobby at Herriotts Bridge

Hobby at Herriotts Bridge

Peregrine at Herons Green

Peregrine at Herons Green

Buzzard at Heron’s Green

Buzzard at Heron’s Green

Immature black-headed gulls having a drink at Herons Green

Click below for gallery of today’s photos:

Following some very heavy overnight thunderstorms we started the day with a visit to the smaller nature reserve of S’Albefuereta just north of Alcudia and then, after lunch, we returned to S’Albufera. It was extremely humid and most of the hides were quite unbearable. Perseverance was rewarded with good views (and some good shots) of black-winged stilts, spotted redshank, green sandpiper, spotted flycatchers, purple and grey herons  and even an avocet.

Spotted flycatcher

Stonechat

Marsh harrier

Glossy ibis

Black-winged stilt

Spotted redshank

Spotted redshank

Green sandpiper

Green sandpiper

Spotted redshank and black-winged stilt

Spotted flycatcher

Purple heron with grey heron behind

The ubiquitous little egret

Avocet

A kite (not the avian sort)

Click below for gallery of photos from today

When we first arrived in Majorca the first bird we saw was a hoopoe, which I gather is fairly common here on the island. On that occasion I didn’t have my camera with me and have spent the last couple of days searching around the farmland adjacent to the hotel where we are staying searching for an opportunity to get a photo. I was particularly pleased to get another opportunity today when we revisited the Parc Natural de S’Albufera.

Hoopoe

Crested coot

Black-winged stilts – is this really the time for this?

Glossy ibis

A lone avocet

Cattle egret

Juvenile little ringed plover

We restricted our visit today to a couple of hides near the information centre and were very pleased with what we saw. The highlights were a glossy ibis, a purple heron, ringed plovers, green sandpipers, snipe, lots of black winged stilts, little egrets, cattle egrets, purple swamphen,spotted flycatchers, a local crested coot with Ariana Grande type ears and several other birds which I need to research.

Crested coot

Snipe

Black-winged stilt

Green sandpiper

Purple heron

Purple swamphen

Spotted flycatcher

The new hide at the reserve has proved the most successful for us. It must be amazing here when birds are migrating to Africa later in October, especially as that seems to be quite a rainy season.

Audouin’s gull

Click below for gallery of some of the photos from today’s visit to the Parc Natural de S”Albufera on Majorca:

Well its just like what they say about  London buses, you don’t see one for ages and then two come along together. Not really together, as the osprey we saw today was a long way from the last one in Somerset: this one was on the Parc Natural de S’Albufera in Majorca.

We met a very gruff attendant at the information office and then ended up walking for miles without seeing anything special (other than a Purple Gallinule – Purple Swamphen and a dead snake) only to realise that all the best things to see were close to the information office.

There were little egrets (and a few cattle egret) everywhere.

The other highlights were black-winged stilts, avocets, Audouin gulls,ruffs and both grey and purple heron.

Although it was very hot it was also very overcast and not particularly good light for photography. However, I’m sure we shall be going back when its a bit brighter.

Some extra photos from yesterday’s trip to RSPB Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve.

 

 

When you haven’t had much luck with your bird photos surely the best place to go is the Somerset Levels which rarely disappoints.

Avalon marshes with Glastonbury Tor in the background

Today was a much fresher day but it was really beautiful at RSPB Ham Wall and Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve. We were often sheltered from the fresh breezes but fully benefited from the sunshine.

Close up of a buzzard

Great white egret

The skirmish between marsh harrier and buzzard

Juvenile great crested grebe

Great white egret

Even the mallards looked their best in the sunshine

At RSPB Ham Wall we enjoyed the frequent sight of great white egrets and little egrets and then were entertained by the scuffle between marsh harriers and a buzzard. But the most exciting moment was at Shapwick Heath where we saw an osprey fly in with its supper and pose confidently on its post and devour its prey.

Osprey with its supper

The journey there and back was also a sheer delight through the British countryside at its best.

Click below for gallery of photos from today

 

 

It’s been over a month since I have done a bird blog due to other commitments and a lack of opportunity; even on the odd occasions I have been out birding  I have failed to produce a blog due to there being few birds or having poor photos. However, I spent a pleasant morning today at New Passage on the Severn Estuary and at Pilning Wetlands.

The tide was a little too low for good photos but with my telescope I did get good views of  plenty of waders on the mud (mainly black-tailed godwits, redshank, oystercatchers, a little egret  and a curlew. I’m sure real birders would have noticed more but I’m more and more convinced I’m a photographer having a go at birding.

Good to catch the yellow feet of the little egret

Curlew amongst the black-tailed godwits

When I moved to the wetlands I could see yellow wagtails by the cattle on Northwick Warth but, looking in to the sun, it was difficult to make out much, except for some pied wagtail amongst the Canada geese.

Yellow wagtail to the right of the cow

A lovely morning though in the sunshine and with very little breeze.

With the weather a little cooler we had a pleasant walk through Stoke Park and Eastville Park either side of the M32 motorway. It’s interesting to see the work being carried out in Stoke Park which has drawn a lot of criticism locally but with lots of scrub cleared, new fences and hedges created, stone walls repaired and lots of new saplings planted we could see nothing but positives.

Clouds over Stoke Park – a very welcome sight

At the beginning of the walk, at Duchess Pond, there were some young Canada geese goslings with their parents and late broods of ducklings. The lilies on the pond look very attractive and there were plenty of gatekeeper butterflies and  damselflies.

Gatekeeper butterfly

We saw one of the buzzards that we regularly see flying over our house and from Purdown (at the top of  Stoke Park) we could see a peregrine falcon on Stapleton Church spire.

Peregrine on the church spire – trust me.

The first blackberries are ripe in the middle of July

In Eastville Park a grey heron looked a little bedraggled and black-headed gulls competed with the mallards and Canada geese for scraps from people feeding them.

On the River Frome there was a pair of grey wagtails which, although quite bright, were very well camouflaged in the river. There were beautiful demoiselles damselflies too.

Grey wagtail

Beautiful demoiselle damselflies

 

 

 

I had a walk along the Severn Estuary from Northwick to see the changes being made to the Pilning Wetlands.

You can’t see very much at the moment but it is all looking quite promising and I enjoyed chatting to the owner Richard Parry who is making a good effort to improve the wetlands. It would be interesting to see his lodge at Hara Langano in Ethiopia which he talked about.

There was a ruff and a dozen black-tailed godwits but everything was too far off and in to the sun to get a photo.

The best I got were some swallows and a female linnet. Four grey herons kept moving around the wetlands but they were not as tame as those in Eastville Park.

Swallows

Female or immature linnet

I saw a distant kestrel at Aust but the heat haze ruined any chance of a decent photo.

Terrible shot of a kestrel – after all it is Friday the 13th!

I wan’t going to do a blog for this walk through Eastville Park and along the River Frome to Snuff Mills as there wan’t much bird life at all, but I suppose you need to report your failures too.

The highlight was a grey heron in flight and a couple of butterflies but none of the more exotic butterflies that others are reporting.

Grey heron launching itself from the lakeside

Peacock butterfly on its favourite plant – the buddleia 

A painted lady butterfly

Fish stocks in the river building up after the close season – the heron will be happy

We’ve moved on from the dandelion seed heads – it’s now time for the thistles.