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
We have wanted to visit Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour in Dorset for some time. Today, whilst we are having a short stay on the south coast of England, we managed to get there.
Brownsea Island is famous for red squirrels, wildlife and Scouting.
The approach to Brownsea IslandThe start of our walkThere were excellent boardwalks to take us through the wetlands
Plenty of flora on the wetlands
Dorset Wildlife Trust do an excellent job making the wildlife available to all
Disappointingly we didn’t see any red squirrels (nor any Scouts) but we did have fun observing close up the common and Sandwich terns who nest on the specially-created gravel islands.
The terns share the gravel islands with black-headed gulls. As yet there weren’t any tern chicks but we saw several black-headed gull chicks. There was quite a lot of squabbling but they all seem to exist together in close proximity.
Sandwich tern up closeSandwich tern with fillingCommon ternsCommon terns with suppliesBlack-headed gullEating or drinking?Sandwich ternCommon tern on the gravel islandsBlack-headed gulls and chicksOn 1 August 1907, 20 boys pitched their tents on Brownsea Island, little realising how important and far-reaching their week would be. Lord Baden-Powell’s (1857-1941) experimental camp, based on scouting skills observed during the Second Boer War (1899-1902), set the foundation for today’s worldwide Scouting and Guiding movements.
A pair of avocet succesfully bred here in 2023 and we did manage to see a solitary avocet.
Avocet
Poole harbour is quite famous for spoonbills and, again, we saw a solitary spoonbill (unfortunately with its spoonbill well hidden).
A spoonbill (with spoonbill hidden) to the right of the cormorantsShelduckLittle egretGreylag geese and goslings caused us to make a detour… but there were lovely walks throughoutBar-tailed godwits (we were told)We were led to believe that the hotel was available to John Lewis partnership partners but not customers!
We took the ferry from Sandbanks jetty and we were allowed just over 4 hours on the island. We certainly could have done with a little longer.
View from our balcony back at our airbnb accommodation… of the Isle of Wight
I’m lucky that I have had the chance to go to RSPB Ham Wall on the Avalon Marshes in Somerset for the last few Tuesdays but, even though I have had loads to see, I haven’t been terribly lucky with the weather. There were showers again today and only a very rare glimpse of the sun.
Today I saw swifts here for the first time this year. There were more sightings of hobbies. Marsh harriers, great egrets and grey herons made regular appearances. However, the real treat was to see 2 great crested grebe chicks and two coot chicks too.
Hobby with dragonflyCoot and two chicksGreat crested grebe chick taking a ride with another following behindMale great crested grebe returning with goodies …But only one chick benefitsMarsh harrierGreat white egretGrey heronLapwing came closeNot the day for swift photosTufted ducksHobbyGreat crested grebe on nest
It was rather misty on the Avalon marshes today but it warmed up as the day progressed and it was nice and sunny for my drive home.
Great white egretGreat crested grebe3 glossy ibisMarsh harrierMute swanMarsh harrierHobbyOrange tip butterflyOrange tip butterflyBrimstone butterflyBlack capMarsh harrierRobin with breakfastPheasantGreat white egretPochard
Some of the bird sculptures in the gardens at Highnam Court
This morning we had our first outing of the year to a National Garden Scheme garden.
Highnam Court, 3 miles out of Gloucester on the A40, was supporting the Pied Piper Appeal. Founded in 1992, The Pied Piper Appeal is the leading children’s charity in Gloucestershire. Their mission is to make a difference to the lives of sick and disabled children in the county.
Highnam CourtHighnam CourtA wisteria walk was planted in 2004 to serve as the entrance to the winter garden terrace.Not quite Giverny but still quite beautifulNot all the sculptures were of birdsMagnolias and bluebells still in bloom
We combined our visit to Highnam Court with a visit to Highnam Church which features in Simon Jenkins’ England’s 1000 Best Churches.
The meadows were not too wet to manoeuvre The Holy Innocents Church, Highnam
The Holy Innocents Church, Highnam, is a Grade I Listed Building, one of the most significant Victorian churches in the country. The church was commissioned by Thomas Gambier Parry the owner of the nearby Highnam Court, and was consecrated in 1851. The architecture is gothic revival style, and the church is decorated throughout with frescos painted by Thomas Gambier Parry. Hubert Parry, his son, inherited the estate and is best remembered for his musical setting for Blake’s poem ‘Jerusalem’ and much other memorable church music.
The knave of the Holy Innocents ChurchThe church is decorated throughout with frescos painted by Thomas Gambier Parry. Parry invented the Gambier Parry process of fresco painting.The organThe beautifully carved reredos
In Sir John Benjamin’s words The Church of the Holy Innocents is the most complete Victorian Church in England
Why did I bother to go to the Iberian Peninsula birding when there’s so much to see in the heart of Somerset? Because it’s a darn sight warmer!
It was very windy, very fresh and with the threat of rain throughout for my morning’s birding on the Somerset Levels at RSPB Ham Wall.
The weather may have been dull but from an excitement point of view it was far from that.
Common craneGreat bitternGlossy ibisMarsh harrier
Glossy ibis, common crane, marsh harriers, great white egrets, a hobby and a bittern in flight were the highlights. However, there were plenty of other birds to see too. Quite a joy.
Great bitternGreat bitternEurasian hobbyEurasian hobbyGreat white egretMarsh harrierTufted ducksCommon pochardEuropean robinEuropean goldfinchGreat crested grebeGreat titBlack capBlue titEurasian cootGreat cormorantSand MartinGreylag geeseCanada goosePlenty else to see too
We have had a very happy week immersed in the nature of a wonderful part of Spain, in the company of a small group of like-minded people.
Our fellow birders clearly had a huge knowledge and experience of nature. They also had great observational skills from which Wendy and I benefited enormously.
During the week I have reflected often about the purpose of my blog. I particularly enjoy the mental stimulus it provides and I feel, at my time of life, that the exercising of the grey cells is good for me. It certainly helps me to reflect on what we have done and seen (or heard) on each sortie and it serves as a very important souvenir for us.
I am happy to share my experiences with others but I do not particularly pretend to inform – there are many people who are much better equipped to do that than me.
In this blog I start with a slideshow of some of the bird highlights of the trip and try to show, through my photos, why we had such a wonderful trip.
I follow with a more detailed personal day-by-day breakdown of the trip with relevant photos. I won’t attempt a tour report per se as that would duplicate what Naturetrek offers and my version would certainly be full of inaccuracies.
As a friend once said to me: “We don’t read all the writing, Martin, we just look at the photos”.
On this trip I have taken photos with a Sony A7R Mark IV camera (with a 200-600 lens), a Sony RX10 Mark IV bridge camera and with the camera of my iPhone 14. I recognise that by spending a lot of my time taking photos I will have seen less than others, but I thank our guides who were very generous with their telescopes and gave us plenty of opportunity to see things out of my range.
For me there were some key elements to the success of the tour and I list them in no particular order:
The choice of travel company:
We chose to travel with Naturetrek as we feel they have a very good reputation in the nature travel market and present themselves very well. The organisation before and throughout the tour was faultless. They responded very quickly and fully to any communication we had with them. The small size of the group was a real bonus.
The guides:
We were very fortunate to have two excellent and very experienced guides: they were fundamental to our enjoyment of this trip. First and foremost they were really nice people and genuinely good company. They both had a huge knowledge of the natural world and were very good at sharing it with us.
Dominic Couzens is a leading nature writer, tour leader and lecturer based in the UK. He has now written 50 books largely based on nature, he writes three regular magazine columns, and to date, has had more than 700 published articles. His nature anecdotes enlightened our day from before breakfast until bedtime and he was excellent at spotting things and pointing them out to us.
Keith Hamilton is a very proud West Cumbrian now based in Spain in la Sierra de Gredos with clearly a good knowledge of Extremadura. As well as sharing his knowledge of birds and all things to do with nature he gave us a great insight into Spain, the Spanish people and their language. His love of Spain seems to match his love of Cumbria. One night he also gave us an interesting practical introduction into “mothing”, one of his many passions.
There was continuous banter between the two of them and their ability to work as a team made for a very harmonious group. I also appreciated that they both drove the comfortable hire minibus and car cautiously and we felt safe at all times. They also gave us plenty of “comfort” breaks.
The picnics they provided were very healthy, tasty and refreshing and were often in lovely surroundings.
The accommodation:
A real highlight of our trip was the accommodation and meals we enjoyed at La Casa Rural Finca Flores Amarillas. Its setting, in the middle of the countryside a few kilometres from the quiet village of Almoharin (an hour south of Trujillo), was stunning. However, the friendly welcome we received from our hosts Paul and Eva even surpassed that. Their Spanish home-cooked food and wine were also always tasty and generous and greatly appreciated by all.
This region of Spain is a hidden jewel. At this time of the year the flora is spectacular as is the bird life.
I felt we were a very harmonious group and I thank our fellow travellers for their good company which was genuinely appreciated.
La última cena
What would I have liked to be different? Not a lot really. I would have appreciated being able to “go birding” a bit like I do in the UK, that is to walk a little more and to spend more time just watching and listening.
It might have meant giving up on one of the top aspects of the tour such as the raptor feeding session or looking for sand grouse and bustards. But then again if we had had good views of the latter I might be seeing things very differently!
Please click on links below for fuller details of the trip day by day:
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 