Category: Blog

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.

 

 

 

Our last day on holiday in East Anglia and we chose to revisit RSPB Minsmere – a combination of a good walk through woodland, marshes and coastland and plenty of opportunity for birdwatching.

There was very little activity in the first two hides (Bittern and Island Mere) but we did see a bittern in flight at the first. In fact there were so few opportunities for bird photos that my focus moved to insects and plants.

Goldfinch

Great crested grebe with small bird

There wasn’t much on the North Bank and the Scrape and Levels offered little more than we had seen before.

Black-tailed godwits

Black-tailed godwit

Black-headed gull bombing Canada goose

Shelduck

Black-headed gull chasing oystercatcher

Black-headed gull chasing oystercatcher

However, on the coast we saw ringed plovers and little terns which, along with the common tern on their fishing trips to sea, made my day.

Little tern

Little tern bossing a ringed plover

Ringed plover

Common tern

Common tern

Ringed plover

Ringed plover

Ringed plover

Little tern

Little tern

Common tern

Common tern

Kittiwake

We stopped off on the way back and visited Walberswick Church (new and ruins).

Walberswick Church

Click below for gallery of photos from today:

 

We had a very pleasant walk from Walberswick to Southwold and back. Not much to report except for some swallows, a few butterflies and the wild flowers behind the beach huts at Southwold , one of which was for sale (a single one) in an Estate Agents for £135,000. What a crazy world.

 

 

In the last two days we have visited some of the smaller reserves in Suffolk as well as making another trip back to RSPB Minsmere.

Hen Reedbeds (on the River Hen just outside Southwold) is a delightful small reserve with a superb platform looking across the roadbeds where you can generally see marsh harriers, grey herons, little egrets as well as many other birds. There is also a pleasant walk along the Blyth Estuary with three hides.

There were good views of reed buntings,warblers, linnets and a family of kestrels and distant views of marsh harriers and grey herons but I had a lens more suitable for insects and so was quite pleased to get a photo of a six-spot burnet moth.

On Wednesday we first went to Darsham Marshes near Westleton. Again a charming small reserve with a very pleasant walk through the marshes. I imagine for most of the year you would need wellies though.

There were loads of butterflies but not so many dragonflies. The best of the birds were swallows and a tree creeper.

We then went up on to Dunwich Heath to search for Dartford Warblers.

Whilst the rest of the country was sweltering in a heatwave we had to wrap up to fend off the cold wind coming off the North Sea.

But it was well worth it as we were rewarded with good views of Dartford Warblers.

We then dropped down to RSPB Minsmere. Just looking at the notice board of birds spotted that day will give an idea of why we like Minsmere so much.

A few of my favourites:

Avocets

Common tern

Black-tailed godwits

Kiitiwake

Whimbrel

Mediterranean gulls

Along the coast I managed to spot one ringed plover but kept our distance so as not to disturb it..

Click below for gallery of photos:

 

We love going to RSPB Minsmere (surely the Mecca for birders in the UK) as early as we can and at 7 a.m. on a lovely sunny day it was as magical as ever.

We were pleased to see the sand martins back and watched them for a while but I was quite frustrated  trying to photograph them.

Sand martins

We headed out on the north bank and were greeted by the call of a cuckoo. I was very pleased to track it down and, although it was quite a long way off, I was even more pleased to get a photo (a first for me).

Cuckoo

We spent a little while on the beach as it was just so beautiful and then went to the East Scrape.

What a cacophony at the East Scrape and what spectacular action. My favourite birds were the black-tailed godwits, the terns, the mediterranean gulls and the kittiwakes.

Common tern

Kittiwake

Black-tailed godwits

Black-tailed godwits

Black-tailed godwits

Sandwich tern

Mediterranean gull

Redshank

We didn’t stay long but continued round past the south hides to get back to the reception and café for some breakfast which was well deserved. En route we had a very good view of a whitethroat having his breakfast.

Whitethroat

Fully replenished we went to the Bittern Hide and eventually on to Island Mere.

We had good views of bittern, marsh harriers and a few grey herons and plenty of other birds, insects and fish.

Bittern

Marsh harrier

Whitethroat

Little grebe

Four-spotted chaser

Damselfly

We finished at 1 pm as we were quite exhausted and knowing that we would return later in the week.

On our return to our holiday property we were delighted (and amused) to be greeted by a partridge and 8 tiny chicks in the garden.

Red-legged partridge and chicks

Click below for a gallery of photos from today:

A very early morning walk at 5.30 am (well if I wanted to watch England play in the World Cup at 1 pm I had to make an effort) was well rewarded especially with my first Common Ringed Plover of the year. (The football was pretty amazing too)

Only minutes in to my walk and I spotted a muntjac deer in amongst the cereal crops.

On the marshes there were lots of reed buntings and sedge warblers (not so easy to photograph) and a single skylark and a solitary pied wagtail. A couple of swifts soared the reed beds too.

Reed bunting

Sedge warbler

Skylark

Swift

Pied wagtail (or is it a white wagtail?)

I saw only two Common Ringed Plover – but what a joy.

In the pools there were little egrets, avocets, black-headed gulls and oystercatchers but really a bit too far off for photos.

Little egret

A meadow pipit (?) believing it was a ringed plover.

There were not too many people around but evidence that someone had been clearing up plastic waste.

There were some amazing vegetation on the beach too.

The crops also looked great (even though the farmers must be complaining about the weather).

The insects were happy too.

Four spotted chaser

Click below for a gallery of photos from this morning’s walk (apologies for so many ringed plover photographs.: