I happened to notice a flyer for “Bird Watching” magazine saying that “August is traditionally a time for summer holidays, with plenty of sunshine inviting you into ‘the field’ (or down to the seaside)”. Well we headed to the seaside but there was very little sun.
Nonetheless, we had a great start to our seaside holiday in Blakeney on the Norfolk coast with a detour to the wonderful RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire. We were a little concerned about doing the trip to Blakeney in one day. So what did we do? We made the journey longer and took in the National Trust property at Belton House near Grantham and then on to this fabulous reserve on the edge of The Wash. We did have a stopover in the wonderful Lincolnshire countryside at Osbournby to make things a little easier for ourselves.
The sun shone on our visit to Belton House near GranthamFallow deer at Belton House (escorted by a pied wagtail)
At RSPB Frampton Marsh eyed hawk moth caterpillars in the car park set us off to a great start.
Eyed hawk moth caterpillarEyed hawk moth caterpillar Spoonbills were high on the star attractions listAvocets have got to be high on anyone’s list, especially with the super success story they continue to writeRuffs were everywhere but rarely very closeThe legs of the redshank were almost florescent in the dull lightSand Martin were almost impossible to photograph in this light so I was very happy with this shotAvocet in flight… and on its way backA peregrine caused this mayhem of godwits… but they soon came backThe ringed plovers were displaced too and disappeared over the salt marshSome of the godwits were unmovedGreenshank?Scaup?It was difficult to catch the spoonbills with their bills showingBut occasionally they were obligingRinged ploverThe greylag geese were easier to photograph but didn’t look at their best in the poor light
The sun failed to appear all day until we reached Blakeney. Hopefully a good omen for the week.
I’m afraid golf and COVID have limited my birding activities in the last few weeks.
This morning we had a walk along the Severn Estuary at high tide; even that was fairly limited as we had miscalculated the weather forecast. In fact, it was more a case of having the wrong clothing (as they say – there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing) and so we curtailed our walk when the showers set in.
On Northwick Warth (a saltmarsh on the edge of the River Severn) there were big flocks of black-headed gulls and pockets of curlews and oystercatchers (over 50 of each) within our range.
Oystercatchers and curlewsThe high tide spilling onto the warth
On the warth there were flocks of meadow pipits and goldfinches and even larger flocks of starlings.
Certainly not the best light for photographing swallows but they did come quite close
On the other side of the Severn Walkway is Pilning Wetlands which seem to have been filled in quite a lot since our last visit. We couldn’t work out if they were trying to improve the wetlands or destroy them. Hopefully, when the wet weather comes it will be a case of the former.
The light was very poor but on the first section of the wetlands we could make out over 50 redshank with a few dunlin and, I believe, a ruff. As it was high tide I imagine there would have been larger numbers of all these waders further along the wetlands but we were too “nesh” (certainly not my adjective nor one local to the west country) to carry on.
Amongst the redshank I can make out a dunlin and a ruffStarlings everywhereMeadow pipit on the wire
The weather forecast looks a little better going forward and so, hopefully, we will have better luck next week on our holiday in Norfolk.
But there again I wasn’t too good at interpreting it today!
I thought my birding opportunities for our trip to France were over; however, there was one last chance on our final day in Dinard.
The statue of Alfred Hitchcock in Dinard reminded me of opportunities for “birds”
Just as we had spent a few days on our journey south to our base in St Goustan doing things which were slightly cultural or touristy (the British D Day memorial in Normandy being very special), we have had a few days doing similar things on our return journey north through Brittany (the highlights being the Château de Josselin and the Cathedral in St Malo).
The British D Day Memorial at Ver Sur Mer in NormandyA skylark above the installation of fallen soldiersStanding with giantsA chaffinch breaking the silence of the memorial
Of course there were herring gulls a plenty at Dinard but I was particularly pleased to see one of my favourite birds – an oystercatcher. I’m not terribly good at bird song (but trying to get better) yet the oystercatcher can be relied on to announce its arrival and that’s one call I do know.
Herring gullThe beach at DinardAn oystercatcher in flight announcing its arrivalThe oystercatcher had to put up with mussels hereA cormorant was also quite happy to show off its catch.The château de JosselinThe cathedral of St Vincent at St Malo – completely rebuilt after the 2nd World War
Today we returned to the southern part of the Gulf of Morbihan to visit another nature reserve: the Lasné marshes at St Armel.
A departmental (county council) reserve since 1978, these ancient salt pans, dating from the Middle Ages, have since 2003 been restored and salt is once again produced here. There are now also two shellfish producers that use certain salt pans. The rest of the marsh is for the birds that occur year round on this very favourable site.
Lasné marshes Avocet landingAvocet chickBlack-winged stiltIt was great to get a view of the avocet’s legsThis kestrel was easily seen off by a black-winged stiltAvocet in flightRedshankI’m not surprised these cyclists were checking their maps
After this visit we headed back to Séné (where we had visited earlier in the week). After lunch in a very friendly Breton Crêperie we returned to the nearby nature reserve. This time we didn’t go round the reserve but followed a few trails which have viewing platforms looking towards the reserve.
Little egretsA solitary swift
There were plenty of butterflies today and some interesting flora:
Large skipperMarbled whiteGatekeeperSpeckled woodDeadly night shadeLychen
Just as we were finishing our walk we heard a zitting cisticola. I had just one go at photographing it before it flew off and was quite pleased to get a reasonable shot.
With a spectacular rugged coast to the west and beautiful sandy beaches to the east, the Quiberon Peninsula offers 14 km of varied landscapes. We spent most of the day on the rugged west coast enjoying a walk along coastal paths which were quite accessible to us and having a leisurely lunch in the very popular “Le Vivier” seafood restaurant. Sitting on the terrace of the restaurant we had close up views of herring gulls which had clearly learnt their manners from British seaside resorts.
Herring gullSpectacular scenery of la Côte SauvageHerring gull
Not many other birds (except for cormorants) but plenty of flora.
Some sort of thyme I thinkSea campionSea thrift (not so pink now)A different type of thyme… and these lovely yellow flowers (which one search suggested Italian hawksbeard)HoneysuckleA parasitic plantEven the dock was quite vivid with a little sunshine on it.Squabling gullsA quite imperious herring gull
Yesterday was a “birding” day and we saw very few birds, today was a “non-birding” day and we saw loads.
Our visit to the Château de Suscinio brought plenty of surprises: as well as the visit to the wonderfully restored 800 year old castle we had a lovely walk around the natural park which is separated from the gulf of Morbihan by sand dunes which, in themselves, are of great interest with their huge biodiversity.
The château de SuscinioSileneSamphireQuite some biodiversity. I think I would have been happier with a swallow-tail butterfly which are seen here.
We saw no bluethroats, which are reported here, but I was not too disappointed as the poor weather, with very poor light, meant that I would have had poor photos. I’m quite happy to wait for better weather to see these beautiful birds .
The swifts screeching around the castle were a highlight – you’ll have to take my word for it as I didn’t manage one decent shot of a swift.
I was, however, very happy to see a Kentish Plover, as these are often reported here. We only managed to see one though.
Kentish ploverAt least linnets stand out in the gloomStonechats don’t always pose at the top of a branch
There were plenty of pied avocets, black-winged stilts and common terns which, although not too distant, were quite difficult to photograph in the poor light. I’m not really complaining as if we had wanted to be assured of better weather we wouldn’t have come to Brittany. At my time of life it’s better to be complaining about drizzle than extreme heat!
Pied avocetsA pied avocet chickKentish ploverThe château de Suscinio across the waterWild teaselCommon tern swooping to drinkBlack-winged stiltLittle egretCattle egrets across the castle’s lake – by now the rain had fully set in
Supposedly the Marais du Brennegi is a great area for bird watching.
“The ancient salt marshes, sandy peninsula and large mudflats offer a superb environment for observing birds. Among the breeding birds, one can observe Kentish Plover, which generally settle on the large sandy beaches.”
Well, we had a lovely walk but I managed only one bird photo (of a blackbird!) and only one butterfly in focus (although we did see small coppers and a marbled white).
BlackbirdSpeckled wood
However, all along our walk we heard skylarks singing, so we are certainly not complaining. Perhaps, though, they were complaining about the grey skies and the chill wind!
As the French say, “faute de grives on mange des merles” (Beggars can’t be choosers). Well, I certainly wasn’t going to start eating blackbirds so I turned to photographing the flora of the shore line.
Matthiola sinuata, commonly known as sea stockThe marram grass and the dunes are well protected hereCentaurium erythraea commonly known as European CentauryAllium sphaerocephalon – round-headed garlicIs this (and does this?) Heal-All (prunella vulgaris)
In the afternoon we visited “Les alignements de Carnac” – the most extensive group of conserved megaliths in Europe.
The stone alignments in Carnac were erected in Neolithic times. They are the most famous and most impressive examples of standing stones from this period, with some 3000 standing stones.
We didn’t see them all but that was probably because we had had enough of the chill north-west wind
The largest marsh in the Gulf of Morbihan, the nature reserve covers 530 hectares made up of a mosaic of mud flats, marshes, coastal lagoons and meadows.
There are excellent walkways and a good number of hides. However, the windows in most of the hides do not open and it was often difficult to take photos.
Nonetheless, we made the most of a mainly grey day and saw some terrific birds.
For us a pair of turtle doves were definitely the standout birds, although close ups of avocets, black-winged stilts and a water rail (even through a grubby window) were pretty special.
European turtle doveWater railBlack-winged stiltAvocetShelduck and godwitsJuvenile robinStonechatCommon ternGrey heron and little egretLinnet catching the odd ray of sunshineEuropean turtle dove
I spent my teenage years in the Chew Valley and regret that, at that time , I had little interest in nature. I did enjoy the aesthetics of the pretty village cricket grounds and always enjoyed cycling the lanes. I do remember occasionally taking in the wonderful scenery of this beautiful part of the country; but I failed to show interest in the specifics and failed to learn any of the names of the flora or to spend time studying the birdlife. What a waste!
However, I hope I have made up for it in recent years.
This morning we crossed the city before most people were active to visit an amazing garden south of Bristol in the Chew Valley – the Yeo Valley Organic Garden near Blagdon.
The view from the garden caféThe gravel garden
It was a bit early in the day (and still quite fresh) to see the great variety of butterflies that we usually see here at this time of the year. We had to make do with a scruffy Painted Lady and lots of damselflies.
Painted ladyCommon blue damselfly
There were birds to be seen too; notably robins, blackbirds, goldfinches, chaffinches, chiffchaffs , pied wagtails, and swifts and house martins flying across Blagdon Lake.
Pied wagtailLots of pollinators in the gardenThe view to Blagdon LakeCanada geese over the lakeSwifts over the lake… and a little closerThe goldfinches were much closer stillChaffinch singing its heart outCommon chiffchaffThe birch groveBig grass bedThe veggie gardenThis bed of alliums was probably my favourite area todayThe red and lime bedsThe bronze gardenThe bronze gardenGlasshouse
Despite the sun not appearing very often the garden still looked stupendous. I hope some of my photos do justice to this lovely garden.
After a tasty lunch at the on site café we stopped off at the village of Ubley and had a quick visit to the local church.
The garden caféUbley Church north façade Ubley Church south façade
Sadly, our return journey across the city was rather tortuous as we got caught up in the traffic of people going Saturday shopping. If they only knew, they would have been much better off driving out into the countryside!
We had a stroll around our local park this afternoon. We had hoped to see a tawny owl and a pair of owlets of which we had seen reports but, although everyone we met in the park had seen them, we were out of luck.
Grey heronA very shy grey heronA young coot (whatever they are called)
There were plenty of new arrivals such as ducklings, cygnets and goslings but they are all getting larger (or smaller in numbers where they have been predated!).
The last of a brood of ducklings2 swans and five cygnetsCanada geese and goslings
The best of the birds was a little egret which a few years ago would have been a real rarity.
Little egretLittle egret
Plenty of damselflies too and beautiful and banded demoiselles in abundance.
Beautiful demoiselle
Female beautiful demoiselleLarge red damselflyBeautiful demoiselleAzure damselflyBeautiful demoiselleA very handsome lesser black-backed gull
Little egretCanada gooseGreylag/pink footed goose (escapee?)Magpie (and why not?)
From time to time I publish a blog on this site which has very tenuous links to birds. The justification on this occasion is that on our visit to Wells in Somerset there was an installation in Wells Cathedral by Peter Walker entitled “Peace Doves”.
After our visit to the Cathedral we also visited a local garden, Stoberry Park, which was open as part of the National Garden Scheme and some of my photos could be categorised as “nature” photos.
The centre of Wells with the Cathedral behindThe west façade of Wells CathedralThe installation “Peace Doves”
Slideshow of photos of Wells Cathedral:
Stoberry Park was just north of Wells and had magnificent views looking down onto Wells Cathedral and beyond to Glastonbury Tor.
The pond had lots of dragonflies/chasers but I didn’t have the right lens to make the most of the opportunityThe walled garden was spectacular… and featured lots of aeonium which I gather have to be taken into a warm glasshouse each winterThe roses were at their best… ferns tooThe garden featured lots of sculpturesTea and cakes on the lawn were an attraction for many (which we couldn’t resist either)
Another trip to RSPB Ham Wall and another dull day. At least it stopped raining during my visit.
In this light it was always going to be about big birds and there were plenty of big birds to see: great bitterns, great white egrets, great cormorants, mute swans, marsh harriers, common cranes and grey herons were the biggest on display.
This great white egret was blocking my path to the Tor hide, but I didn’t mind waiting… especially as I had to manoeuvre my way past this groupI didn’t have to wait long for the great white egret to move onThese greylag geese were the first action from the Tor hideQuickly followed by a pochard… and then a great spotted woodpeckerCoot chickssoon to be replaced by a grey heron… who didn’t stay longGreat white egrets were very activeA great bittern surprised me as I made my way to the Avalon hideGreat bittern in full flightGreat bitternGreat white egrets everywhereMarsh harrier from the Avalon hideGetting ready to landThen a male marsh harrier appearedI was so busy trying to photograph swifts in poor light that I nearly missed this common craneYou can see why I had no chance with the swiftsHow could you miss such an enormous bird?Great cormorant taking offThe great white egrets were quite showyBut a nice way to end my day
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 