Another great day on our trip to the Camargue with plenty of photo opportunities. I am afraid the photos will have to speak for themselves.
The star of the day: a cuckoo
Tag: Butterflies
-
27th May 2025 – The Camargue, France
Montagu’s harrier (at some distance) en route to Les Salins de Giraud on the coast Montagu’s harrier Black kite Just what you would expect in this part of the world – a greater flamingo Greater flamingo A fresh breeze but still quite warm Slender-billed gull Pied avocet through the tinted windows of the minibus Les salins de Giraud Other activities were available Spoonbills and egrets Bee eater Great picnic spot under a mulberry bush Barn swallow White stork in a steep dive Common cuckoo A common cuckoo A common cuckoo A common cuckoo A common cuckoo Gull-billed tern A feathered footman moth Allium and snails Orange-winged dropwing back at the hotel Frog in the hotel pond Hotel pond -
26th May 2025 – The Camargue, France
A selection of photos from our first days in The Camargue in the south of France. What a start!
Black kite over the hotel near Arles 
Griffon vulture near the hotel near Arles 
Griffon vulture near the hotel near Arles 
White stork with nesting material at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Glossy ibis at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Cattle egret at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Swallow at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Purple heron at the Marais du Vigueirat reserve 
Squacco heron at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Glossy ibis at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Coypu at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Painted lady butterfly at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Black-tailed skimmer at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Terrapin at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Common tern at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Black-winged Stilt at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Little egret and lunch at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve Night heron at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Night heron at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
White stork and young at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
White-tailed skimmer at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Speckled wood butterfly at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Yellow wagtail at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Large skipper butterfly at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Female demoiselle of some sort at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Camargue horeses at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Gull-billed terns and red-crested pochard at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Grey heron at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Glossy ibis at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Squacco heron at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Camargue wild horses 
Bittersweet or nightshade at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve 
Iris at the Marais du Vigueirat Reserve -
20th May 2025 – RSPB Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
If you have followed my blog through the winter I generally have something to complain about on my visits here: too cold, too wet, poor light, wrong lens, wrong settings, my incompetence etc. Not today: it was just a joy to be here. I’ll let you judge for yourself …
Scarce chaser 
Four spotted chaser 
Speckled wood 
Blackcap 
Four spotted chaser 
Great diving beetle Grey heron 
Great crested grebes 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Great crested grebe 
Azure damselfly 
Red admiral 
Four spotted chaser 
Robin 
Marsh harrier 
Marsh harriers 
Marsh harrier 
Marsh harrier 
Little egret 
Scarce chaser 
Common brimstone -
18th May 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol
We saw our first mute swan cygnets on our Sunday morning walk around Eastville Park. There were goslings, ducklings and moorhen and coot chicks everywhere. However, our walk was really enlivened by the late appearance of a kingfisher which announced itself very noisily (as they do) so that we couldn’t miss it.
Cygnets 
Mute swans and cygnets 
Canada geese and goslings 
Canada geese and goslings 
Very strangely – a pink-footed goose 
Kingfisher 
Kingfisher Kingfisher 
Speckled wood butterfly -
6th May 2025 – RSPB Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
Another great day at Ham Wall. Plenty of sunshine but a cold wind.
Lots of opportunities for great photos but I failed miserably as I was having camera problems which I haven’t got to the bottom of yet!
Editing has saved the day a little but far too many great opportunities missed.
The best of the birds? Glossy ibis, a red kite and a pair of common cranes.
A scare chaser 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Glossy ibis amongst the reeds Glossy ibis in flight 
Red kite 
Red kite 
Red kite 
Common crane 
Reed warbler 
Red admiral 
Red admiral -
29th April 2025 – RSPB Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
Another trip to Ham Wall on a beautifully sunny and incredibly warm day for late April.
So much wonderful bird song. Clearly the birds were loving it too.
There were lots of people there and so I avoided the hide where the glossy ibis could be seen.
Again there were plenty of views of marsh harriers but a little more distant than last week. I just missed a pair of cranes; by the time I arrived they were hunkered down with their brood.
For me the treat was several very melodious reed warblers and so I will give them prominence on my blog.
Reed warbler 
Reed warbler 
Reed warbler 
Reed warbler 
Yellow brimstone butterfly 
Hairy dragonfly 
Great crested grebe 
Hobby 
Hobby about to take a dragonfly -
22nd April 2025 – RSPB Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
One of the great things about Ham Wall is that, right from the car park, you hear lots of birds at close quarters. The loudest were the blackcaps and the garden warblers but, although I had fleeting views of them, I couldn’t for the life of me get a photograph of therm. I had to settle for robins and dunnocks.
European robin 
Dunnock It was nice to feel the sun too, although it was tempered by a cool breeze. I was also very heartened to hear my first cuckoo of the spring.
I spent a while trying for photos of a glossy ibis. I thought I had missed it when it flew over me early on but I managed to catch up with it feeding in the reeds close to a hide.
Glossy ibis 
The iridescent feathers of the glossy ibis were very attractive in the sun 
Occasionally the glossy ibis ventured out from the reeds 
Great white egret, which not very long ago would have been as rare as the glossy ibis in this area 
Great crested grebe looking quite glorious 
Great crested grebe 
Moorhen 
Grey heron on the nest with its young The sun also brought out the butterflies. I saw a few distant orange tipped butterflies and some peacocks at closer range.
Peacock butterfly 
Peacock butterfly The very best thing about Ham Wall at this time of the year is the booming of bitterns which you hear all around. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to see one. They are very secretive birds but it is amazing how many times I have managed to see them here.
However, I was compensated, at the Avalon Hide, by close up views of marsh harriers.
Marsh harrier 
Marsh harrier 
Marsh harrier Marsh harrier 
Marsh harrier From the Avalon Hide I could see the weather was deteriorating and so headed back to the car park where I arrived just as the rain started.
On my way back I had a short stop to watch 3 hobbies hunting dragonfly. By then it felt too cold for dragonflies but the hobbies proved me wrong.
Hobby catching a dragonfly 
Hobby eating a dragonfly “on the wing” 
Hobby 
Hobby 
Hobby -
15th April 2025 – Arroteia, The Algarve, Portugal
Our last couple of days on The Algarve have been particularly blustery and we have restricted our birdwatching activities, as most days here, to the mornings.
Yesterday we walked around our “local” patch at the Olhão salt pans. Again, probably because the tide was very low, there wasn’t very much to see. The highlights were probably an overhead spoonbill, another Sardinian warbler and some little terns.
Eurasian spoonbill 
Eurasian spoonbill 
Sardinian warbler 
More crabs too! 
Little tern 
I’m not surprised the small white butterfly was looking rather bedraggled in the wind 
A pair of white storks still preparing their nest 
Swift – as sharp as I could get it with its speed, the wind and my old age. Today we made our way to the area near Fuzeta where we had been a few days ago and walked through to the Arroteia birding area further east.
Pied avocets in flight 
Sanderling 
As we sheltered from a short shower we saw our first greater flamingos of the week fly over. 
House martins everywhere but no easier for photographing 
The reason for the salt pans Greater flamingos 
Our first stonechat of the week 
The best of this pool was the cacophony made by the frogs 
Mum and ducklings 
The flamingos were quite secretive 
A flock of golden plover 
Ruddy turnstone 
Sardinian warbler 
Common redshank 
Common sandpiper 
Whimbrel back at Fuzeta after lunch 
The heavy showers (on the horizon here but soon to hit us) forced us to quit our post prandial stroll and head back to Olhão 
Fuzeta lifeboat station -
13th April 2025 – Tavira, Algarve, Portugal
Tavira is a popular tourist destination on The Algarve. However, there were very few people, only those out for a little exercise, as we started from the outskirts of Tavira along the edge of the Tavira salt pans.
The salt pans here are very extensive but, surprisingly, there were very few birds too. Probably, as the tide was low, they had moved out onto the Ria Formosa.
The start of the salt pans at Tavira Nonetheless, there was plenty to see and the walk towards the ferry to Tavira Island was very pleasant.
Avocets were the principal birds on view 
A few cormorants too 
3 eurasian spoonbills and a grey heron 
More avocets 
Crabs everywhere The best of the birds we saw were on the river where several little terns entertained us for a while.
Little tern in full dive
Little tern 
Little tern 
Little tern 
European red-rumped swallow European red-rumped swalllow We then headed for Santa Luzia, famous for its octopus restaurants.
The rising tide at Santa Luzia 
Santa Luzia 
Santa Luzia 
The climate is clearly very temperate here 
The port of Santa Luzia is very pretty … 
… but clearly a working port. -
12th April 2025 – Quinta de Marim, Algarve, Portugal
After exploring the Saturday market in Olhão we took a taxi a few kilometres east to Quinta de Marim (or Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim).
The market at Olhão we a plentiful supply of snails We had visited this estate earlier in the year. The 3 km trail takes you through various ecosystems – dunes, salt marshes and pine woodlands and it was interesting to see the different flora from our last visit in February.
The Iberian azure-winged magpies seem to love the pine woodlands 
Speckled wood butterfly 
Sardinian warbler 
Quinta de Marim tidal mill 
Grey heron practising its ballet Half way around the circuit there is a hide overlooking a freshwater pond. We spent quite a while here as there was a heavy shower but fortunately there was lots of activity with a huge colony of egrets.
The colony of egrets 
Pochard 
Colony of egrets (little and cattle) – some with their young and others still building their nests 
Little grebe 
Cattle egret looking for nesting materials 
There were also large numbers of grey herons around this pond 
Red-veined darter 
Wild gladiolus We realised that last time we had missed a pathway and this time, by taking the recommended route, we came across a dilapidated noria. The noria is a device, inherited from the Arabs, used to raise water from a well. The power for the elevation of water was provided by the circular movement of a donkey or a mule. The water drawn from the well is stored in a tank, from where it is distributed through small aqueducts, until it reaches the orchards and vegetäble-gardens.
Noria 
Noria Red legged partridge at the very spot where we had seen a hoopoe in February 
The correct path! 
Spanish festoon butterfly 
Cattle egret next to the horse -
11th April 2025 – Olhão, Portugal
We were rather devastated yesterday when, setting off for a walk around the salt pans at Olhão right next to our hotel, we found the path had been closed by a new construction project. We abandoned our plans and decided to take the ferry to Culatra, one of the islands in the Ria Formosa.
There were limited birding opportunities but from the ferry we saw a distant colony of spoonbills and egrets.
Spoonbills and egrets On Culatra there were plenty of yellow legged gulls and lesser black-backed gulls as well some Audouin gulls.
Audouin gull On the return journey we could see oystercatchers and a small flock of common ringed plovers which easily overtook the ferry.
Oystercatchers 
Common ringed plover Today we managed to find a way around the blocked path without too much of a detour and, despite the disappointing cloudy conditions, enjoyed a very enjoyable walk around the salt pans. We were well rewarded with plenty of birds and a pleasant walk.
White stork with nesting material 
Little egret over the salt pans 
Ruddy turnstone 
On several of the salt pans there were large number of waders 
A shelduck stands proud of the grey plover, dunlin, sanderlings and ruddy turnstones 
Kentish plover 
The first of several western yellow wagtails which we saw around the salt pans 
A black-winged stilt 
Common ringed plover 
Crabs everywhere 
A view inland across the salt pans 
A little tern behind the dunlin 
Common greenshank 
Common greenshank in flight 
3 more western yellow wagtails appeared 
Western yellow wagtail 
Sardinian warbler 
Sardinian warbler 
Little tern 
These looked larger than dunlin and I wondered if they were curlew sandpiper 
View back across the salt pans towards Olhão 
White stork 
White stork with mini snack 
White stork building a nest on a chimney tower 
The white storks should be pretty safe up there -
26th March 2025 – Eastville Park, Bristol
Lovely bright colours in the park this morning on our morning stroll with our first peacock butterfly of the season and the (very) common kingfisher..
Peacock butterfly 
Common kingfisher 
Common kingfisher 
Common kingfisher
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 