Definitely one of our favourite gardens to visit locally, Yeo Valley Organic Garden set in the beautiful countryside of the Chew Valley and adjacent to Blagdon Lake was as stunning as ever this morning. This was not a birding visit but it was pleasing to see our first hobby of the season, even if it was rather distant hunting dragonflies over the lake. There were also a few butterflies and insects to challenge my photography skills.
A distant Eurasian hobby in flightThere’s always a robin Painted lady butterfly on alliumSpeckled wood butterfly on beech hedgeRose chafersRose chafersThe wisteria were probably the stand out plants of today
Selection of photos of some of the wonderful plants in the garden:
We could see a pocket of fine weather this morning and headed for our “safe place” at Slimbridge on the Severn Estuary.
We weren’t expecting much activity as not much has been reported here recently – serious birders are probably down on the estuary looking for migrants. However, there was plenty to keep us happy with lots of birds nest-building or, in the case of the geese and coots, looking after their new offspring.
Greylag geese and goslingsGreylag geese goslingsCanada goose with goslingsCoots and their young receiving lots of attention – not a bad thing with so many gulls aroundAvocets with black-headed gull behindAvocetCommon shelduck causing a rumpusBlack-headed gull with nesting materialMallards flying in synchronisation Avocet in flightI just can’t resist a robin
We also saw a pair of common kingfishers fetching food for their young but it was challenging photographing them as we were in a hide behind glass and at some distance. Still a treat all the same.
Common kingfisher flying in front of tufted ducksCommon kingfisher in front of yellow flagsCommon kingfisher close to its nestCommon kingfisher in flight
The centre has built a new area for school groups to have their packed lunches and the new planting has been very successful and particularly attractive at this time of the year.
Newly planted areaA riot of coloursRagged robin – lychnis flos-cuculiIris – blue flagsYellow flagsAlpine thriftEven the dandelion seedheads were looking attractive I even have a soft spot for sedums
The rain set in early afternoon on our way home – the farmers and the gardeners will be happy.
We have spent three nights visiting friends in Pembrokeshire in Wales. As I am building up my strength and confidence, 3 nights has been perfect as we had leisurely trips there and back (about 300 miles in total), two full days exploring parts of Pembrokeshire and plenty of time to enjoy our friends’ company.
Monday 27th April
On our outward journey we stopped off at Dyffryn Gardens, an Edwardian garden being restored by the National Trust, on the far side of Cardiff in the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan. This is only the second time we have visited these gardens and there have been huge improvements since our last visit in 2018. As the Dyffryn website says: “Dyffryn has something new to discover on every visit, from intricate themed garden rooms to sweeping formal lawns and productive kitchen gardens to a large arboretum”. We particularly enjoyed the show of wisteria which are at their best at this time of the year.
There always seems to be a robin to greet you in formal gardens – Dyffryn was no exceptionA view of the front of the house at Dyffryn from the edge of the arboretum – lots of orange tip and holly blue butterflies to see.The rear of the houseSplendid beech tree and very old wisteriaThe acers too were at their bestWisteria in one of the themed garden roomsClose up of wisteria at the rear of the house
Our second stop was at the delightful town of Laugharne, on the estuary where the River Taf flows into Carmarthen Bay, and which is synonymous with the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas who lived in Laugharne from 1949 until his death in 1953. The National Trust maintains the Dylan Thomas boathouse which has magnificent views across the estuary.
Laugharne Castle
We had a brief moment for birdwatching but mainly enjoyed the company of a local resident who engaged with us in conversation in the beautiful mid-afternoon sunshine.
Little egret and Eurasian curlewBarn swallow over the estuaryCloser view of the barn swallow
Tuesday 28th April
Our main focus was a a spot of birdwatching at Pickleridge Lagoon and the Gann on the coast near Dale.
The weather was rather dull but we saw some good birds including oystercatchers, whimbrel, a grey plover, common ringed and dunlin.
Grey ploverCommon ringed plover and dunlinWhimbrelDistant oystercatcher on the low tideNot the Strait of Hormuz but the refineries around Milford Haven
Wednesday 29th April
Back to sunshine even if the breeze was rather stiff and fresh. We spent the day close to our friends house near to Cresswell Quay. This area is particularly beautiful and there was plenty to see and photograph.
Dunnock in our friends’ gardenHouse martin at Cresswell QuayThe view from Cresswell QuayIt would be strange to see puffins (unless you had drunk too much of their local brew) at Cresswell Quay but Skomer Island, famous for its puffins, is not far from here.Whereas, London is 237 and a quarter (!) of a mile from here.Red kite at Cresswell QuayCommon buzzard at Creswell QuayLater we visited Carew Castle which is also close to our friends’ houseLots of house martin here but no sand martin which have been reported recentlyEarly purple orchid near the castle
After a leisurely lunch at Stackpole we visited the nearby Lily Ponds at Bosherston but not many birds in evidence.
Even too early for the lily ponds… but the ramsoms in the woods were spectacular
30th April
On our journey home we stopped at the wonderful Aberglasnay Gardens near to Carmarthen. Besides the gardens we enjoyed close up views of robins, wrens, blackbirds, a song thrush and a red kite which came close overhead and which I managed to photograph with my compact camera.
Song thrushEurasian wrenEuropean robinRed kiteAberglasnay gardensAberglasnay gardensWisteria – a speciality here tooRed kiteCamassia were the stars of the plant show
Post script:
Great spotted woodpecker in the garden at our friend’s (taken through the window)
Today we have been exploring the salt pans of Fuseta from where we have had some glorious views of the birdlife and the scenery of this part of Portugal. We stopped off at a small café/restaurant on the far side of the pans and extended our stay to include lunch – all of which was incredibly good value.
Salt pans of FusetaSalt pans of FusetaGreater flamingoGreater flamingosGreater flamingos coming in to landGreater flamingo seemingly walking on waterAmazing views of gulls tooBlack-winged stilts and a ruddy turnstoneI can’t work this one out. Yellow legs and (apparently) slim bill. Maybe a common gull? (Over to you Michael).More gulls and the church at Fuseta in the background
The walk back seemed further but we had a good stop as, incredibly, we bumped in to two men on bikes on the long distance cycle track through the Algarve who I used to teach as boys nearly 50 years ago back in Bristol in the UK. I am always amazed that such encounters ever happen.
The long distance cycle track through The Algarve
We were quite happy to encounter a few spoonbills too, but I had to take the photos through a net as they were on private property. Manual focus helped somewhat.
Eurasian spoonbillsEurasian spoonbillMore views of the salt pans and salt mountain – there must be other ingredients too with all those gulls!Pied avocetsCarline thistles, I believe
Back at base we had a relaxing time where I managed a few of the birds I was hoping to see.
Sardinian warbler had escaped me until nowCommon ringed plover in flightThe one bird I was keen to photograph – the common kingfisher (sort of my signature bird – Martin Pêcheur in French)Common kingfisherCommon kingfisherStill in my viewfinderCan you spot it here? I’ll give you a clue – bottom left.Pied avocets settling down for the nightHowever the greater flamingos were still quite frisky
Whilst Portugal was going to the polls in the country’s local elections (which are apparently poised to be another win for Europe’s far right) we were taking it easy on a stroll through the salt pans of Fuseta. We weren’t alone – there seemed to be be more people cycling, running and walking along the long distance path along the Algarve than heading to the polls. But to be fair, listening to the voices in the local square at lunch time there were more French people than Portuguese. This may be one of the reasons why the Portuguese are complaining about the cost of housing – the problem is particularly critical in Lisbon, where average home prices have shot up by nearly 80 percent over the last five years and are currently hovering at €5,769 per square meter.
We were so refreshed from the rest over the last few days that we were up to see the sun rising. And what a treat it was with a flock of spoonbills flying over the sun.
Spoonbills flying over the rising sunSpoonbillsThe flamingos had flown away last night but they were back when we awoke this morning.An early morning grey heron Pied avocets in the foreground
I’m not a great fan of gulls but they looked good as the sun rose:
Yellow-legged gullBlack-headed gullA crested lark at the beginning of our walkThe railway station just 5 minutes from our apartment on the outskirts of FusetaOur apartment (a converted carpenter’s workshop) seen from the other side of the salt pansA pied avocetStill dragonfly season hereAcross the salt pans to the mountains in the backgoundBlack-winged stiltSanderlingSalt mountain from the other sideLooking back at FusetaThe salt pans of FusetaThe salt pans of Fuseta
As we approached the village we were heading for there were lots of plants still in flower.
At the village we discovered the café/restaurant was closed and so we headed back to Fuseta.
View from our terraceCommon ringed plover in the stream by our terraceRedshank in the same place… and a curlew sandpiper
Just time this morning for a stroll over to one of our local parks before the rain came.
Duchess Pond in Stoke Park Estate
There are still plenty of dragonflies around but I didn’t see much in the way of bird life except for a grey heron (and coots and moorhens) although redstarts have been reported recently.
Common darterMigrant hawkerGrey heronGrey heronGrey heron
It’s a lovely spot but not as wonderful as it looks because it’s next to the motorway and very noisy.
The grey heron didn’t seem to be affected by the noiseCommon dartersThe lily pads look wonderful at the momentThe Dower House (now apartments) on the edge of the park
When I was young my mum and dad, bless them, took me to Slimbridge a couple of times: I can’t say I was very impressed; I was more into team games and I would rather get muddy by diving around on the sports field than sloshing about in wellies. My parents obviously thought it a worthy thing to do but clearly I don’t think it was really in their DNA either and so, as it was fairly expensive, we didn’t go too often.
I can’t believe how much we love going there now. I know we dodge the hordes of children (and their parents/grandparents) by heading for the hides (rather than the pens with lots of exotic birds) but I do recognise that Slimbridge is a fabulous place and does amazing work to get youngsters interested in wildlife.
Sadly we see lots of bad parenting there but today we met a young boy (and his dad) as we were heading out to the Severn Estuary who stopped us and told us that if we continued on this pathway we could follow a walkway which took us down to the estuary where we might see, if we looked carefully, curlew and ringed plovers. We were both impressed that his dad didn’t interrupt him but allowed him to be our advisor. This young boy was thoroughly enjoying his day and clearly his dad had encouraged him enough to reach this point. It was a very refreshing encounter.
Down on the estuary we clearly didn’t look carefully enough as we only heard a curlew and the ringed plovers were too far away for our “old” eyes.
On the estuary we saw lots of egrets and grey herons.
However, we did see loads whilst we were at Slimbridge. I hope you enjoy some of my photos from today.
Probably my photo of the day, a Cetti’s warbler, if I am correctReed warblerReed warblerSand Martin chasing fly (top right)Sand Martin about to gorge its preySwallowSwallowGrey heronHoney beeWaspMigrant hawkerCommon snipeRock dovesCommon snipeTufted duckling practising its divingThe beauty of the Severn Estuary
We managed to get to visit the RHS Garden Rosemoor near Great Torrington today.
They were busy getting ready for their annual flower show which starts tomorrow. That and the dull weather meant that there were not too many people around, although more than my photos suggest – hoorah!
Hope you enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the garden (in spite of a short rain shower).
We saw and heard a fair number of birds (common buzzard, carrion crow, goldfinches, gold crest, blue tit, chaffinch, stock dove, wood pigeon, great spotted woodpecker, house martins and swallows) but especially enjoyed the trees and shrubs.
GoldfinchesSwallowHouse MartinSwallowMeadow sweetThere’s an insect in there among the grassesGreat spotted woodpecker
The WWT (Wildlife and Wetlands Trust) is a growing, global community of nature lovers who do brilliant things for nature, especially encouraging young people to engage with nature. However, we visit WWT Slimbridge in the school holidays with some trepidation as we know it is going to be packed with very noisy, excitable children. Yet today (as most times) we were able to visit certain parts of the reserve in relative peace and quiet. The only children we came across were well-behaved and already enthusiastic nature lovers, generally accompanied by knowledgeable and encouraging grandparents.
This is the time of the year when many “birders” turn to butterflies but today there was plenty to keep us engaged and the only butterflies of note were red admirals. We had a good walk down to the Severn Estuary and , although the tide was really too high to see much on the water, we saw plenty en route.
Red admirals are ubiquitous at the moment in this part of the countrySlimbridge is famous for its Bewick and Whooper swans in winter but today there was a black swan.The juxtaposition of this little egret to the black swan was quite splendidA young lapwingWho says we only have LBJs in the UK? Goldfinch having a drink.We are lucky to see so many egrets in this part of the world these days.Little egret in flightLapwing in flightA proud mum tufted duck… and one of her ducklings… and another (only because they are so cute)Clever planting attracts many beesI wish the achillea in my garden was as bright as this cousinOne of five green sandpipersGreen sandpiperGreen sandpiperSand Martin down on the estuaryThe light was poor down by the estuary but I could just capture these barn swallowsCommon sandpiper on the Severn EstuaryGoldfinch in flightKingfisher with a small appetiserKingfisherKingfisherKingfisherKingfisherKingfisherPied/white wagtailPied/white wagtailsBlack-headed gullBlack-headed gullGoldfinch
A spoonbill, common cranes and curlews (heard but not seen) all too far for my lens.
There was even a lovely exhibition of very accomplished textile wall hangings
We are enjoying (or is it enduring?) our second heatwave of the summer and with temperatures reaching 32 ° C today its certainly too hot to go birding; so, I have gone on safari in the garden to amuse myself.
But now I’m finding it a bit too hot to write a blog. Back to the tennis and the cricket then …
But before I go, just a few photos of what I discovered:
We made our second trip to Slimbridge to try to see the white-spotted bluethroat which has returned to the Severn Estuary for the fifth year running. Normally, the white-spotted subspecies typically breeds on the near continent but this is perhaps a sign that with climate change it is extending its range further north. Sadly, however, this male has so far failed to find a mate. Our luck was in and, after not too long a wait, it made an appearance. Ironically it appeared on a notice board warning not to linger and, showing its discipline, soon moved off. It continued to show well in the reeds.
You would think that singing like this its song would carry both the Bristol and English ChannelWhite spotted bluethroatWhite spotted bluethroatWhite spotted bluethroatWhite spotted bluethroat
There was plenty else to see on the walk out to the Severn Estuary.
Bee orchidsMeadow brownLarge skipper butterflyPainted lady butterfly
The marbled white escaped my camera
I imagine a hybrid gooseA snow goose or a Ross’s goosePied avocet (or simply avocet as we call them in the UK)Black-headed gullsGreat egretGreat egretGreat egretA shelduck ducklingMore shelduck ducklingsScarce chaseScarce chaserA rather shy robin
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 