A day spent birding on the Somerset Levels is always a special treat. However, by midday I was beginning to think this might be the exception. However, the sun burnt through the mist by about one o’clock and I saw some lovely birds in the afternoon to go with the magically atmospheric scenery that I had seen in the morning.
I was disappointed that Catcott Lows was closed due to tree felling but I probably wouldn’t have seen much as it was still very misty.
On the approach roads I did manage to see very close up (but behind branches) a Common Buzzard and a Kestrel.
The approaches to Catcott Lows at 11 am this morning.Common BuzzardSilhouette of a Kestrel
I headed over to Westhay Moor.
The approach to the new hide at Westhay MoorFor most of the morning the view from the hide was more misty than this. Photo software is very clever at “dehaze”.
The best moment of the morning was when a bittern flew straight in front of me but by this time I had given up hope of taking bird photos.
Definitely a lot of use of “dehaze” to get this photo of a Common SnipeFinal views from Westhay
At this point I decided to move on to RSPB Ham Wall (and its toilets).
The sun had burnt through en route but the fields were still steamingA Robin, the first bird to greet me at Ham WallYou can’t have a Robin and not a BlackbirdGreat White Egret from the viewing platformFrom here on there were glorious reflectionsPlenty of close ups of smaller birdsNorthern ShovelerGadwallGreat Crested GrebeGreat White EgretGreat Crested Grebe
We have been lucky enough to spend the last 10 days in Andalusia in Southern Spain – five of them on a birding trip to the Doñana National Park.
It has been surprisingly cold at times but we have had wall to wall sunshine and seen Spain at its best with doses of tourism in Seville (3 days), Málaga (2 days) as well as the 5 days immersed in nature in Doñana.
The birding holiday was organised by ingloriousbustards.com and was superb. As an accidental birder I know my limitations. I’m a keen amateur photographer who likes taking photographs of birds and so there were certain aspects of the holiday which were a little disappointing. At times I was frustrated that the sightings were so distant and my photographic opportunities were limited.
Yet, I did enjoy the trip and the owners of ingloriousbustards.com, Simon and Niki, were excellent birders who located a huge number of different species (124 and counting) and ensured that we all had the opportunity to see them through telescopes. By the end I was carried along by the enthusiasm and knowledge of all these “real” birders and was wishing I had taken my telescope so that we could have spent more time viewing the birds.
DAY ONE
Our group of 10 was picked up by Simon and Niki at Seville train station in 2 minibuses and driven the 80 odd kilometres to El Rocio in Doñana in just over an hour. Throughout the week I always felt comfortable with their driving, which I see as a big bonus on such trips. We were then straight into birding.
We spent the first session birding around the lagoon adjacent to El Rocio and had our first picnic lunch, as all days, in the field with uninterrupted birding. The picnics were simple and nutritious, with delicious hams, cheeses, fruit and other locally sourced products and a glass of juice or wine (organic of course) and plenty of water.
We started our birding adventure on the far side of the lagoon at El RocioThere were White Storks overhead in our first minutes of birding
Niki and Simon took our cases off to the hotel and we followed on foot enjoying more birding opportunities. The lake was teeming with waders and waterbirds and, in particular, the Greater Flamingos and Spoonbills looked spectacular.
Greater Flamingos with red deer in the backgroundEurasian Spoonbills
However, it was just as interesting seeing the small birds around the outskirts of the lagoon such as Chiffchaff, Sardinian Warblers, Waxbills, Common Redstart and two birds which certainly caused me some excitement, a Hoopoe and a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (a first for me).
Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerEurasian HoopoeBlack RedstartJuvenile European SerinWhite WagtailBlack-winged StiltChiffchaffGlossy Ibis catching the last rays of sunshine
After moving into our rooms we were off out again with another inspection of the lagoon. Close-ups of Western Swamphen, Cattle Egret (at the feet of horses this time), Black-tailed Godwits, and Glossy Ibis and distant deer in the evening sun were my favourite memories of this session.
We had all our evening meals at 8 o’clock in the local restaurant. The meals were all very good but for me the tuna and the swordfish were standouts. I cannot comment on the vegetarian options but I heard no complaints; but I can say that the wines which accompanied meals were good and copious.
Into the park. Lots of rarities and some very close ups.
Our first sighting in the park was a Booted Eagle. More rarities followed with Marbled Ducks, a male Garganey and a Ferruginous Duck. I achieved some photos but nothing that I would like to publish. We did have good views in telescopes, however.
A quirky Western Swamphen up a tree was little easier to photograph.
Western SwamphenWhite storksWhite StorkPenduline TitWhite StorkStonechatCattle EgretMarsh HarrierSpectacular view of 170+ Common CraneGolden Plover
This was a very special day. We were driven by guides from Doñana Nature in search of the Iberian Lynx – the most endangered of all wildcats in the world.. I was amazed when we had a sighting. I must thank Stuart for his assistance in capturing shots with my camera of the lynx through an open window of the minibus which I could not access. The excitement was not diminished in any way.
Our second sighting of the Iberian lynx
Distant views of Spanish Imperial Eagle were also pretty special but my favourite “bird” moment was two little owls brilliantly camouflaged in some tree stumps.
Little owls well camouflaged in the tree stumpsIberian Grey ShrikeA Dartford Warbler during our lunch break.Eurasian hoopoe also during our lunch breakIberian MagpieFemale Sardinian WarblerSpotted RedshankGreen SandpiperWood SandpiperGolden PloverA very distant Spanish Imperial EagleThere’s a Barn Owl in there somewhere!My best effort of the BluethroatThe little owl was a little more visible on the way backRed-legged Partridge
We had a long journey in the minibuses via Seville to Chipiona, just south of Sanlucar de Barremeda on the eastern side of the Guadalquivir River. We went to see Little Swifts which roost there. I managed to see the last one leaving the roost but sadly no photos.
Little swift roost
Then on to the salt pans at Bonanza, north of Sanlucar de Barremeda.
Top spot for me was an Osprey but a Kentish Plover was also pretty special.
OspreySanderling and DunlinPied AvocetBlack-winged StiltLittle EgretKentish Plover
At the third site, from the roadside near three pools north of Bonanza we had good views of White-headed Ducks and large roosts of Black-crowned Night Herons.
White-headed DuckBarn Swallow and Little GrebeEurasian Crag-MartinBlack-crowned Night HeronJuvenile Black-crowned Night Heron in flightJuvenile Black-crowned Night HeronGreater Flamingo
The group were off again birding for a morning session but we had to leave the group early as we had trains to catch from Seville to Malaga via Cordoba but managed a couple of hours birding on our own around the lagoon. The Glossy Ibis were particularly stunning in the beautiful morning sun, and along with the spectacular views of El Rocio we were left with wonderful memories of this birding trip.
Last morning in El RocioGlossy IbisWestern SwamphenBlack-tailed GodwitA Little Egret (ready for Crufts?)Barn Swallows
El Rocio is a very special place with its sandy roads and cowboy culture. At the end of our stay it was building up for the visit of huge numbers of horses and horse riders. I’m not sure if I would want to be there with such large numbers. It was great fun with just a taste of the culture.
Sadly things are not flourishing in Doñana. Simon and Niki pointed out to us the problems created by strawberry growers in and around the park which are well documented in the following articles which appeared in The Times Newspaper.
Strawberry farmers can take their pick of illegal wells
I spent the day at Chew Valley Lake which, even though I am now out of my surgical boot, is currently my go-to place for birding as I don’t have to walk any great distance. At least I have ventured out of my garden!
The local birders I met all said that it was a very quiet time at the lake, suggesting that poor weather over the Iberian Peninsula had held up migrants. I did see some house martins but no other hirundines.
In fact, there wasn’t a great variety of birds around but I was so pleased to see a pair of great crested grebes perform the beautiful, highly ritualised moves of their courtship dance, including the weed ceremony.
Other highlights were 3 hobbies and a male gadwall.
As I am currently somewhat restricted on my birding activities I thought I would take Stephen G Hipperson’s advice in my last blog and do some garden birdwatching. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic I have been used to making do in this way at various times in the last two years. In this blog I present a short video of birds I have seen in (or over) my garden during the lockdowns.
I had a very uneventful day birding near Weston-super-Mare. I started at the disused airfield in Weston which I had never visited before. There were lots of gulls (to be expected by the seaside), lots of starlings, a little egret, goldfinches, a meadow pipit and a pair of stonechats.
Little egretMeadow pipitHerring gullStonechat
I moved on to Uphill where I saw even less. Just another meadow pipit, a little egret and some teal.
Meadow pipit
In the afternoon I had a pleasant walk on Sand Point – I only saw a few stonechats but the light was so poor that I didn’t take any photos.
There were lots of waders on the foreshore (and on the warth) at New Passage this morning but generally they were too far away for my lens. However, a few redshank and turnstone came closer and allowed me to get some close-ups. The meadow pipit on the rocks on our walk to Severn Beach was probably the highlight for me. although I did confuse it for a rock pipit at first.
More for those with telescopesRedshankRedshankRedshank in flightTurnstoneWigeonMeadow pipit
I managed to get a short fix of nature this morning whilst self-isolating at home but I didn’t stay long outside as, with a strong north-easterly wind, the temperatures had plummeted.
The bird feeders in our garden continue to go down but I get little or no opportunity to photograph the birds on them because as soon as I go in to our small back garden the birds disappear. I can see them from the bathroom window but that’s too geeky for even me to photograph them from there. Consequently I am restricted to photographing birds discretely with a long lens in neighbours’ gardens or on nearby rooftops.
The woodpigeons were easy to spot but I didn’t see any of the collareddoves which have been around recently.
There seemed to be more housesparrows this morning. It is very encouraging to see them as, although once quite abundant locally, they had disappeared in recent years.
Male sparrow
Female sparrow
I could hear goldfinches but didn’t see any today.
The dunnocks appeared again and instantly made for the car across the road to look at themselves in the wing mirrors or at their reflections in the car windows.
Dunnock getting ready for the day ahead
On the same wall I also saw a robin.
\European robin
In a distant garden there were a pair of blackbirds. I haven’t seen any locally recently but I have heard them. That’s the next thing – recording bird song!
The best I could manage of this male blackbird
On the roof tops there were jackdaws, crows and magpies.
Two jackdaws
Before going in I spotted a huge bee busy on a flowering red currant next to the back door.
I made a mental note to myself to learn the names of different types of bees. As Simon Barnes writes in the Sunday Times today:
” I can’t kiss you. I can’t buy you a pint. I can’t invite you to drop by and watch the football. All I can offer is the best thing in the world. Nature”. He goes on to say:
“It all starts with noticing. The second stage is seeking the name, and that will give a greater intimacy, as names do.”
But enough was enough and I disappeared indoors to find some chores to do.
We have been self-isolating at home all week. We had a 7 am walk in our local park last Saturday but didn’t feel safe as people, especially runners, came very close to us (even though I often pretended to be looking for a bird in the bushes). On Sunday we travelled to the Forest of Dean where we managed some exercise in isolation. However, reading what NHS workers had to say, and pleading with us to stay at home, we have remained at home. Neighbours and friends have helped with shopping. It has seemed very strange because it has always been in our nature to help others and now we find we can only help by staying at home.
To some extent I have enjoyed painting fences, building garden storage, cleaning the patio and so on as the weather has been wonderful for this time of the year. However, I have missed my camera (and nature) and today I self-indulged by taking photos from in and around our tiny urban garden. If I can’t go to nature, I’ll have to let nature come to me. I could see a herring gull, goldfinches, sparrows, dunnocks, wood pigeons and collared doves, jackdaws, crows, starlings, blackbirds, a robin (only heard), blue tits and great tits (only heard),bees and a peacock butterfly.
Unfortunately, all of the birds (except the blackbird on the washing line) were outside of the garden and I hope that neighbours don’t think I am being a voyeur with a long lens. I hope my photos are the proof of it.
Male sparrow
Female sparrow
Dunnock getting ready for the day ahead
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European robin
The best I could manage of this male blackbird
Two jackdaws
Goldfinch
Dunnock
Wood pigeon
Jackdaw
Male sparrow
Male sparrow
Magpie
Female sparrow
Dunnock
Female sparrow
Jackdaw
Dunnocks
Dunnocks
Dunnocks
Dunnocks
Female sparrow
Female sparrow
Collared doves
Peacock butterfly
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 