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We felt the need to get away from the city today and where better to go than to the seaside? Weymouth, on the south coast. is only 70 odd miles from Bristol (although not the easiest of roads to travel on) and has a couple of lovely nature reserves.

Our first visit was to RSPB Lodmore but we didn’t stay long as, after a couple of hours of driving, we needed to find some toilets.

Little egret at Lodmore

Nearby RSPB Radipole Lakes is right in Weymouth and has a visitors’ centre and toilets adjacent. We were quite pleased to see some butterflies and dragonflies and then overjoyed to hear and then see bearded tits (or bearded reedlings as they are often now referred to) – one of our favourite birds. They were only there for seconds and then gone, but long enough for us to see them in binoculars and capture with the camera.

We moved on to Portland Bill for lunch but didn’t have much luck with birds other than a kestrel.

Chesil beach

We were then going to vist the swannery at Abbotsbury but the entrance fee was quite stiff and, as the weather had deteriorated, we didn’t think it was worth it on this occasion.  We then tried to find somewhere to have a cup of tea and a cake on the way home but, being England, all the cafés were closed by 4.30 pm. Never mind, a lovely day anyway.

Abbotsbury Castle

Pheasants enjoying the evening sun

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There were a couple of redshank on the shore when I arrived and I was feeling optimistic as the light was good. However, as I walked out along the the coastal path I could see very few birds on Northwick Warth and had difficulty picking out what was on the Pilning Wetlands.  I spent a little while trying to take photos of House Martins and was distracted by a distant buzzard.

House martin

Buzzard

Northwick Warth

I could see in the distance on the wetlands the great white egret, a couple of little egrets and a grey heron but all too far away for photos.

On my way back there were a couple of meadow pipits within reach.

Meadow pipit

As I reached the first pill box (there used to be a firing range here at Pilning) I met a group of birders and had a very enjoyable time chatting to them. Some of them had telescopes and were very generous in showing me a couple of curlew sandpipers. They were among a large mixed flock of ringed plovers, dunlin and turnstones but all really too far away for me to photograph (but it didn’t stop me trying!).

Dunlin

Turnstone

Starling

Ringed plover

I had a little bit of time to kill before going home to watch the Test match and so stopped at Aust Warth where I saw a kestrel.

Kestrel

Kestrel

Kestrel

 

 

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Only chance for a short walk around Stoke Park Estate this afternoon as I spent the morning playing golf. I probably saw more birds on the golf course than in the park but I managed a few photos and hence my blog.

The juvenile green woodpecker was particularly difficult to photograph as it was continuously in the shade and its colours are not as vivid as the adults.

The grey heron moved often around the pond and so I had a few chances of photographing it in flight.

The juvenile coots were very noisy.

 

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I set off to go birding in a T-Shirt and had even contemplated wearing shorts but when I arrived at New Passage on the Severn Estuary I was glad I hadn’t and even more glad that I had several layers and a waterproof. The tide was very high and had clearly crossed over on the Northwick Warth when at its highest an hour before.

This stretch of water is normally a narrow Pill leading in to the Severn Estuary between the two Severn Bridges

It was very poor light but I still managed a few passable photos of swallows, yellow wagtails, wheatears, starlings and waders (mainly black-tailed godwits) on Pilning Wetlands and flying over the Warth. I even worked my way along the Pill and saw the Great White Egret which has been there in recent days.

Swallow

Great white egret

2 yellow wagtails ( I saw 4 but others saw more)

Yellow wagtail

Wheatear ( I saw another one too)

Starling

Pied wagtail

Starlings

Black-tailed godwits

Little egret

Black-tailed godwits

Collared dove

Curlew

4 curlews

Linnet

Godwits on the estuary – this image is not really in black and white, just the weather

 

 

 

 

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We made a last minute decision to go and try to see an osprey which has been reported at Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve on the Avalon Marshes in Somerset.

We set off from Bristol in bright sunshine and I was still full of optimism when I met a photographer in the car park and saw his magnificent photos of the osprey flying around the reserve; but when I realised he had been there since 6.15 a.m. and that he was setting off home because the light was deteriorating I began to suspect that I might not be so fortunate.

We did see the osprey but it was sitting on a very distant stump of a tree and never left its post for all the time we were there.  There were a few distant sightings of marsh harriers and a buzzard but not much else of interest and as the hide was very congested we didn’t spend long there.

A very heavily cropped photo of the osprey

Marsh harrier

Buzzard

Mute swans

Mute swan with seven cygnets

There wasn’t much activity either at the nearby RSPB Ham Wall and, as we really only had the morning available to us, I settled for a few photos of insects and a distant great white egret and a kingfisher.

Speckled Wood butterfly

Common darter

A very distant kingfisher

A great white egret in the same bushes

Disappointing maybe, but still lots of fun to see such a magnificent bird as an osprey.

 

 

 

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Rain was forecast for the afternoon and so a walk around Eastville Park this morning was a safer bet especially with the attraction of regular sightings of kingfishers.

They again proved the highlight as we spotted two around Colston Weir on the River Frome in the park.

We also saw 3 grey wagtails and 2 juvenile herons of note as well as a dragonfly and two Painted Lady butterflies (one looking very fatigued).

Note black feet of juvenile

 

 

 

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We went for a short walk to the park in the afternoon. It proved to  be much shorter than we anticipated as there was very little shade and it was really too hot for us.

There were lots of dragonflies but I didn’t have the patience (or the ability) to get any decent photographs.

About the best of my dragonfly shots

I did manage to photograph a Clouded Yellow butterfly (hence the reason for my blog) and a grey heron in flight.

Clouded Yellow

Grey heron

 

 

 

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Early morning in Eastville Park: spoilt for choice featuring 3 kingfishers, 3 grey wagtails, 3 grey herons, 3 cormorants, 3 robins and 4 juvenile gulls.

1 kingfisher

2 kingfishers

3 kingfishers

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I walked across to Stoke Park this morning before it was too hot and before the light was too bright; so no excuses about the light today.

I was hoping to see a whinchat. My mission was soon accomplished and so I then went in search of other birds and insects.

I was surprised to see a dozen swifts – I thought they had all departed. During the last  week I have seen house martins, swallows and swifts over Duchess Pond.

There was a buzzard over the woods.

Around Duchess Pond a grey heron posed and occasionally flew from one patch to another.

There was a Painted Lady butterfly and several damselflies and dragonflies.

Migrant hawker

The motorway was quite quiet for a change and I could have stayed all morning but, if I had, I would have had to spend the rest of the day editing hundreds of photos. So home I went and faced up to England’s dismal performance in the Test match.

 

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The weather has certainly bucked up today and it has been sunny and warm. Late in the afternoon we had a walk around our local park. In the full sunlight it was diffficult to pick things out but a Red Admiral butterflly and a couple of grey herons on the lake were easy enough (although difficult to photograph in the bright sunshine).

Red Admiral

Grey heron scrambling out of the lake having fished its supper

Grey heron struggling to swallow its supper

On the way home we spotted three kingfishers flying round together near the weir. I then had the opposite challenge of trying to photograph them in the deep shade; likewise with three grey wagtails one of which was enjoying the challenge of a large beetle.

European robin

Kingfisher

Grey wagtail devouring beetle

 

 

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I was looking forward to going to Severnside today as I was anticipating seeing lots of waders but I was greatly disappointed especially as, even though reasonable weather had been forecast, it was in fact very gloomy and quite cold.

I saw lots of Canada Geese (well over 400), mute swans, black-tailed godwits (quite distant on the wetlands), goldfinch, starlings, pied wagtails, house martins and swallows and, I realised when I edited my photos, a flock of more than 30 curlews. There were a few butterflies too.

Mute swans

Canada geese

Canada geese

Curlew

Curlew

Black-tailed godwits

Pied wagtail

House martin

Swallow

A (rather faded) Painted Lady

Common Blue

Bee

 

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I spent the morning painting the garden fence so I needed a treat in the afternoon. Do I really need an excuse? So, another trip across the road to Stoke Park.

Today it was the turn of the swallows. By  the marshy copse I could see reed buntings flying off to hide in the trees and a I also saw a painted lady butterfly. Around Duchess Pond there were still a few common darters (darting too much for me), some damselflies and a very distant  green spotted woodpecker.