Category: Blog

Having played golf this morning and not wanting to pick up leaves in the garden this afternoon a late walk in Eastville Park seemed the best option.

It was a lovely bright morning for golf but it was surprising that, on such a beautiful wooded course, I saw very few birds and certainly didn’t get a sniff of a birdie.

We were well rewarded  because, as well as seeing our two old friends the kingfisher and the grey heron, we caught a glimpse of one of the the tawny owls we had heard reports of.

The first bird to greet us in the park was a grey heron

The lake is still very colourful

The tawny owl was just visible now that the leaves have fallen

The lake also looks remarkably colourful in my photos for this time of the year and for that time of the day but I don’t remember it looking that bright on our walk (oh the joys of Japanese technology and American software). However, with the treat of a tawny owl our smiles were certainly very bright.

Click below for gallery of all my photos from this afternoon:

On our way to WWT Slimbridge we had the privilege to share an act of remembrance with the local community of Slimbridge on the centenary of the Armistice at their local parish church where there was an incredible installation “Wire Soldiers” by the local artist Jackie Lantelli. The wire soldiers stand at the foot of each grave where a soldier, sailor or airman of either WWI or WWII is either buried or commemorated. See my photo album – https://www.facebook.com/media/set/…

At WWT Slimbridge we didn’t linger long but had plenty of opportunity to see at close quarters pintail, wigeon, teal, tufted duck, shoveler, lapwing, Brent, Canada and greylag geese, Bewick swans and a little further away cranes, mute swans and large flocks of golden plover.

Click below for gallery of photos from WWT Slimbridge:

Greenbank Cemetery in Bristol, close to where we live, is a wonderful place to view wildlife and nature. We thought, as we approach the centenary of the Armistice. it would be a good place to visit today in the rain. Although the trees were magnificent and,  in spite of the fact that there were many birds to observe, our thoughts (and my camera) were drawn to the large number of war graves that there are in this cemetery. There are 339 graves of men and women of many nationalities who were casualties of the First and second World War. Details of these men and women can be viewed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s website

Click below for a gallery of my photos from this morning:

As we didn’t get out at all the day before, due to the wet weather, we decided to have a trip down to Somerset. It was a murky start to the day but quite mild for November.

We started at WWT Steart Marshes and went in search of spoonbills which had been reported. The tide on the River Parrett was very low which didn’t push lots of interesting waders up on to the marshes but we were able to walk along the banks of the river and saw plenty of grey herons, little egrets, gulls and a few redshank. It was very grey but quite atmospheric.

The River Parrett looking towards the sea.

The River Parrett looking towards Bridgwater.

From along this path we could see the pool behind the Quantock Hide. There were three spoonbills but they were not being very cooperative and were hiding their spoon bills.

Spoonbills

Throughout the reserve their were large flocks of birds such as wood pigeon, linnets, goldfinch, starling, and lapwings but with the poor light they were not easy to photograph.

However, every now and again it was a little brighter and I did manage some shots of individual birds (and other animals).

Pied wagtail
 Linnets

Chaffinch

Reed bunting

Goldfinch

Goldfinch

Pied wagtail

Pintail

Grey heron with shipwreck

Lapwing on the River Parrett

On the way home we called in at Westhay Moor Nature Reserve in the hope of seeing bearded tit but we had no luck and the best we saw was a great white egret and great-crested grebe.

Gadwall

From the hides we did get lovely views of the Somerset Levels/

In the fields all around we saw lots of little egret, grey heron, buzzards and masses of starlings.

Little egret

Grey heron

Grey heron

Buzzard

Buzzard

And starlings everywhere

It probably would have been a great evening to see murmurations of starlings but by this time we had had enough and were glad to make our way home.

Click below for gallery of today’s photos:

I was so encouraged by my kingfisher photos from two days before (taken with a bridge camera) that I decided to return with more serious equipment, lugging a tripod too. The kingfisher was very compliant and presented itself in lots of different poses in the best possible light. I was very excited with the results and showed lots of passers-by in the park. However, when I got home disaster struck as the memory card became corrupt as I tried downloading the photos to my computer. I tried all sorts of ruses to convince my computer to recognise the card but not even the camera would recognise it; I had no option but to re-format the card.

I even tried returning to the park to take fresh photos but I never saw the kingfisher again. I had to content myself with taking photos of cormorants, a grey heron and a swan in odd light.

Cormorants

Grey. heron

The resident mute swan

Initially I was devastated but I am old and wise enough to realise that much worse things happen in life; and even if I had got the “perfect”shot I would be back again to try and take more kingfisher photos. I imagine it’s a bit like fishing really.

I had a few jobs to do this morning and nearly didn’t go for a walk but, as it was such a beautiful autumn morning, I decided to do a quick lap of Eastville Park.  I was so glad I did as I had magnificent views of a male kingfisher throughout the park. The trees also looked wonderful and so I took far too many photos and unfortunately not all the jobs got done.

My walk:

Oh yes I nearly forgot – the kingfisher.

This is what most of us generally see of the kingfisher

Click below for a gallery of some of the photos I took this morning:

It was a bitterly cold morning at New Passage on the Severn Estuary and even though the sun broke through it remained cold. However, testing my constitution and my stoicism I spent a happy morning watching the waders on Northwick Warth. I did walk along to see what was on the Pilning Wetlands but I was looking in to the light (the sun hadn’t really broken through by then) and didn’t see much.

Regular birders spotting from New Passage probably didn’t even feel the cold

This Brent goose caused most excitement amongst the savants

There were huge flocks of wigeon and sizeable numbers of curlew, oystercatchers, dunlin, redshank and Canada geese. The regular birders were very excited by a Brent Goose (the first there this year) and some Whooper Swans which flew over.

Large numbers of curlew and oystercatchers

Redshank

I was pleased to get some close ups of wigeon in flight which I doubt would have impressed the local birders.

Plenty of Canada geese 

Wigeon (whistling) everywhere

Oystercatchers

Dunlin

Wigeon in flight

And if everything seems rather far away there are always house sparrows to photograph.

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning:

The day before the clocks go back and its gone bitterly cold to remind us that winter is just round the corner. We were well rewarded in our walk around Eastville Park by the sight of 2 grey herons, 2 kingfishers and a grey wagtail – oh and a cup of coffee and a bacon butty in Park One Café on the way home.

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning:

Another beautiful day. We had a trip to see if we could see the deer rutting at Dyrham Park (National Trust) and were lucky to get a few glimpses of them before heading off for our walk and our picnic.

Following a walk in Stoke Park we dropped down to come home via Eastville Park.

Stoke Park

With the benefit of the keen eyes of our young companions we spotted a kingfisher. As this was a non-birding walk (i.e. I didn’t have a long lens with me) I tied to capture its beauty with the wide angle that I had with me.

It’s always a soul lifting moment to see this beautiful creature.

Not really a birding day today: we had a trip to Southwold and then a walk down to the pub for lunch and back along the River Blythe. Sorry about all the boats but I’m sure the river comes under the category of “nature”.

We haven’t seen many redshank this week

My close up photos always make little egrets look quite large

The gull gives it some perspective

As it does with the gull and the turnstone

The ferry is very busy with the closure of the foot bridge further along

A visiting ship through the sand dunes on Walberswick beach

Male house sparrow

Female house sparrow

Male house sparrow

Starlings scarpering

Bath time

Meadow pipit

Maybe the same redshank

Honeysuckle and blackberries

These flowers are very popular in local gardens

Click below for gallery of today’s photos:

It was another beautiful autumn day in Suffolk today but slightly fresher in the morning than previous days and certainly a much cooler wind in the afternoon.

We made another trip to RSPB Minsmere and the day started well with a beautiful pheasant in full sunlight in the fields and a muntjac deer in the dark shade of the woods.

A common sight in the countryside of East Anglia at this time of the year

Muntjac deer

We walked out to the Island Mere in the hope of seeing larger birds and were rewarded with good displays of marsh harriers, great white egrets, grey herons and just one bittern; but all a bit too far away to satisfy me as a photographer.

Marsh harriers

Great white egrets

Cormorant

Grey heron

We then visited the North bushes and woodlands in the hope of seeing some smaller birds but saw absolutely nothing. Perhaps the earlier ringing activity had frightened them all away.

Not much bird life but plenty to please the eye

The woods at RSPB Minsmere

Before coming home we went back to Westleton Heath and saw a stone curlew, a stonechat and some distant red deer.

Westleton Heath

The very secretive stone curlew

Red deer which attract lots of visitors to Westleton Heath to see the stags rutting at this time of the year.