Category: Blog

Snuff Mills

First walk for Wendy through Snuff Mills as part of her rehab.

Only Grey Wagtails and a Dipper (and a couple of butterflies).

So pleased that Wendy made a circuit of Eastville Park this morning.

Not much chance for photography; Great Tits and the wonderful Grey Heron (might be common but so magnificent) and a Wood Pigeon in the blossom.

Durdham Down

A walk on The Downs hopefully to see Peregrines. Disappointed from that point of view but  pleased with photos of a Kestrel, a Song Thrush and even Magpies which look wonderful in the sun. Threw in photos of a Robin, a Great Tit and a Lesser Black-backed Gull as a didn’t have much luck with the Peregrines.

Eastville Park

Great to see some ducklings – are they the same ones as before?

Heron, Chiffchaffs (such poor photos, so no photos), Canada Geese chatting up and frightening off, and a Jay quite resplendent at the beginning and end of the walk. A Great Tit for good measure.

Eastville Park

Late afternoon walk around the park. Nothing much of note other than a Grey Wagtail and a Chiffchaff. No ducklings on the lake – were they hiding on the island or had they met their fate?

Eastville Park

Too much chatting and not enough photography – but very enjoyable. First ducklings in the park. Lots of Lesser Black-Backed Gulls waiting in anticipation of an easy meal. Sometimes forget how beautiful Mallards are. Blue Tit and a Great Tit on the way home. Goldfinches too.

Eastville Park

Walks and bird watching opportunities have been very limited in recent weeks. Also struggling to get used to a new camera and lens but enjoying the challenge.

Grey Wagtails are looking quite bright now.

Took the easy option of photographing a Heron to get used to camera i.e. sitting on park bench and studying the menu options.

Long-tailed Tits, and Chiffchaffs nest building. No Kingfisher at all today!

Portland Bill and Weymouth

On a bitterly cold day and, for the most part, in poor light we spent the morning at Portland Bill and the afternoon and early evening at the two RSPB sites in Weymouth. We were treated to well over 50 different species. The highlights on land at Portland Bill were Wheatears and Meadow Pipits (even a ChiffChaff in the net at the Ornithological Centre) and a Short-eared Owl and at sea Guillemots and Razorbills. At Weymouth of special interest were Sand Martins, Spoonbills and a Marsh Harrier.

Portesham, Dorset

On our way to Portland with friends we stopped off at Portesham in Dorset to see if we could see a Pallas’s Warbler that we had been told about. We weren’t disappointed as, with the help of some obliging twitchers, we soon spotted the Pallas’s Warbler and got a reasonable shot.

Not much else of note – I was too embarrassed to be photographing the Chaffinches, Long-tailed Tits and Great Tits on view in the company of experienced twitchers with huge lenses!.

The last shot was of a very distant shot of a Kingfisher on a fence as we walked behind Chesil Beach towards the Abbotsbury Swannery.