A lovely morning spent photographing birds at Slimbridge. Nothing remarkable except for nature itself and the warmth of the sun on our backs.
Tag: photography
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5th March 2025 – WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
Statue of Sir Pater Scott who established the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust in 1946 and helped found the World Wide Fund for Nature, Northern pintail Greylag goose Common crane Mute swan taking off Eurasian curlew Eurasian teal Common crane Avocets standing out from the wigeon and the shovelers White fronted geese in front of the barnacle geese More barnacle geese arriving above the Canada geese Greenfinch Goldfinch Long-tailed tit Blue tit Coal tit Common chaffinch Robin -
25th February 2025 – Catcott Lows, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
It was very wet on the Avalon Marshes today and there was a fresh wind but, thankfully, the light was very good. I couldn’t face getting muddy so I hunkered down in the hide at Catcott Lows and enjoyed seeing a variety of birds at quite close quarters.
The rarest bird was a spotted redshank and it was a toss up between lapwings, wigeon and shovelers for the most prolific numbers.
The spotted redshank was difficult to see at first … and then it took to the air 
… and was almost showing off There were distant marsh harriers, a red kite and a peregrine which caused constant consternation and allowed me lots of opportunities to take photos of birds in flight.
My favourites, however, were the great white egrets which are quite common here.
Great white egret 
Great white egret photo bombing a little egret 
Northern shoveler 
Wigeon having a snooze 
Wigeon 
Lapwing up close 
Lapwing in flight 
Wigeon taking to the wing 
Northern shoveler in flight 
The peregrine was responsible for all of this 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Great white egret 
Not very often you see a single starling in these parts. I did see huge flocks of them as I drove here. 
Just had to get a silhouette of Glastonbury Tor in somewhere I won’t bore you with the other 900 photos I took during the day!
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13th February 2025 – Ria Formosa Nature Reserve, The Algarve, Portugal
There is a roundabout just outside our hotel with a statue of a seahorse. There is the largest population of seahorses in the world in the Ria Formosa Natural Park.
The seahorse roundabout On our last full day here in Portugal we decided to revisit the Ria Formosa Nature Reserve at Quinto de Marim. At the entrance to the park there is a poster reminding us of the fragility of the seahorses in nature with the population diminished by 90% in the last 15 years.
On our boat trip earlier in the week we had seen buoys protecting the area where the seahorses exist.
We had much better light on our visit today but the tide was very low and the mudflats were almost empty of waders. However, we did have a very good view of this plover below which, according to one ID app, is a semi-palmated plover. However, it is more likely a non-breeding adult common ringed plover. In fact, having studied several sources, the slight webbing between only one of the toes convinces me that this is definitely a common ringed plover
Semi-palmated plover or more likely a non-breeding adult common ringed plover 
Stonechat 
The flora was even more beautiful after the rain and with quite warm sunshine 
Oxalis pes-caprae has all sorts of common names, including slender yellow wood sorrel 
The mudflats were empty of birdlife but it was great walk 
The tidal mill with very little bird life today 
Mainly cattle egret with a few little egrets at the freshwater pond 
Chiffchaffs and/or willow warblers were putting on quite a display at the freshwater pond – difficult to say which when they weren’t singing 
Little grebe 
Teal 
Teal and shoveler 
Terrapins 
Lupins have appeared in flower after the rain 
… and these beautiful crocus-leaved romulea 
Iberian magpie 
Iberian magpie 
And saving the best to last, just as we were leaving the park a Eurasian hoopoe Eurasian hoopoe 
And then back to Olhão for a celebratory last lunch – although, we didn’t really need an excuse.
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12th February 2025 – Estoi, The Algarve, Portugal
This morning we had a non-birding trip to the pretty little town of Estoi, about 10 kilometres north of Olhão. There were three interesting tourist attractions: the Matriz de Estoi Church (which we only visited briefly as there was a service on); the Palácio de Estoi (a 19th Century Neo-Rococo styled palace, now converted into a luxury posada hotel, whose beautiful ornamental gardens are open to the public; and the nearby Ruínas Romanas de Milreu, the best preserved Roman ruins in southern Portugal.
The Matriz de Estoi Church 
El Palacio de Estoi 
The orange and lemon groves 
Although it was a non-birding day we did have a very good view of a European hoopoe in the gardens and white storks flying high overhead.
A traditional Portuguese farmhouse (Casa Rural) was built on top of the Roman Villa 
Inside the Roman villa 
The temple was one of the earliest churches in Portugal , and has been used as a Roman temple, a church and a mosque, but is now a ruin 
There were many fine mosaics 
Of course there had to be a bath house 
The beautiful spring flowers are just everywhere in the countryside at present 
And they are a feature of town gardens too -
11th February2025 – Olhão, The Algarve, Portugal
Today’s forecast was always looking pretty dire, with torrential rain supposedly lasting all day. As it turned out we did have torrential rain all morning (which allowed me to catch up with blogs) but it abated for a good 2 hours at lunch time and we made the most of it with a walk into town to get a spot of lunch. The rain returned in the afternoon but again stopped in time for us to get a late afternoon walk around the Salinas de Olhão. We were well rewarded with a massive number of birds in decent light, the best of which were five spoonbills. And so it wasn’t too bad a day, although we had to cope with pretty muddy boots.
Kentish plover 
Chiffchaff 
Chiffchaff in different light 
Eurasian spoonbill 
Eurasian spoonbill 
Dunlin 
Lots of dunlin (and probably a few other waders). 
Las Salinas de Olhão 
Common ringed plover 
Common redshank 
Black-tailed godwits 
Black-winged stilts 
Grey plover 
Lesser black-backed gull with crab supper 
Lesser black-backed gull with crab supper 
Stonechat in the fading light -
10th February 2025 – Quinta de Marim, The Algarve, Portugal
We took an Uber to Quinta de Marim, a few kilometres to the east of Olhão.
Quinta de Marim (or Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim) is a beautiful estate with many different habitats that attract birds. A 3 km trail takes you through various ecosystems – dunes, salt marshes, pine woodlands. There is a visitors’ centre and a couple of hides at the edge of the marsh, one looking across the mudflats and another looking over a fresh water pond.
The dull weather was rather disappointing for photographs but it was still quite warm (17C) and we didn’t need coats. The visit was not at all disappointing.
Lavender 
Iberian magpies in the pine trees 
Rosemary in flower 
Iberian magpie 
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Stonechat 
Swallow 
From the roof of the mill there were spectacular views along the coast 
There were waders everywhere along this stretch of the coast 
Grey plover 
Bar-tailed godwits and a whimbrel 
Greenshank 
Iberian magpie 
Purple viper’s bugloss 
A flyover Eurasian spoonbill Tidal mill at Quinta de Marim – In other times, when energy sources were scarce and limited only to muscle power, wind and current, tidal mills had a major advantage over other forms of energy: their constancy and predictability. There are two daily tides that guarantee approximately 4 hours of grinding. They were built in estuaries on low land and in sheltered areas where the water could be dammed 
Kestrel 
White stork, not looking so white in this light 
Dunlin 
Little grebes on the freshwater pond 
Cattle egret 
Wigeon with barn swallow flying past 
Roman salting tanks 
Cowpea 
Barn swallow on a wire 
Blackbird on a log In the late afternoon on our return to Olhão we had another walk around the Salinas de Olhão.
Whimbrel 
A different swallow ? 
Pied avocet 
Redshank 
Pied avocet -
9th February 2025 – Ria Formosa, Portugal
We made the most of the sunny and calm conditions to take a three hour trip around the Ria Formosa lagoon, located in the Algarve, in southern Portugal.
In 2010, the lagoon was recognised as one of the country’s seven natural wonders and the series of barrier islands connects to the sea through six inlets, one of which is artificial to allow easier access to the port of Faro.
We spent half an hour on the tiny island of Armona, just enough time to visit the village with its charming minute houses which are mainly used as holiday homes and to savour the tropical feel of the island.
The approach to the public toilets 
Large white butterfly 
A typical holiday home 
Clear water and sandy beaches of Armona 
Ruddy turnstone We then moved on to the larger island of Culatra which has a permanent population of about 1,000 people who are mainly involved in the fishing trade.
The island has an extensive sandy beach on its ocean side to which we made our way across the protected sand dunes on a raised wooden walkway. It was warm enough to sit on the beach next to a bar and enjoy a beer.
The walkway to Praia da Culatra 
The best of the bird life on the island – a crested lark 
Yellow-legged gull As the tide was high most of the sandbanks were submerged and so, apart from gulls and cormorants, we saw very little bird life, except on the return journey we saw a small colony of spoonbills.
Eurasian spoonbills 
The covered markets of Olhão seen from the lagoon. In the evening we had another walk around the Salinas de Olhão, next to our hotel.
Black-winged stilt in the evening sunshine 
Little egret 
Chiffchaff 
Chiffcaff 
Chiffchaff catching its last meal of the day -
8th February 2025 – Olhão, Portugal
A two hour flight from Bristol, a 15 minute transfer from Faro and we are transported into what seems like another world and, in particular, a different climate.
On the first morning of our stay, within a 2 minute walk from our hotel, we are strolling amongst nature in the Salinas de Olhão with colourful wild flowers, huge numbers of waders, lots of small passerines flitting around almost at our feet and with the sun on our backs.
Salinas de Olhão 
Black-winged stilt 
Redshank 
Redshank photo bombing a group of dunlin 
Walks through the former salt pans 
Black-tailed godwit centre stage 
Little egret 
Chiffchaff 
Sardinian warbler 
Zitting cisticola 
Chiffchaff 
Black-winged stilt 
Slender-billed gull 
Black-headed gull 
Slender-billed gull 
Kentish plover 
Sanderling 
Greenshank, common ringed plover, sanderling and redshank (back to front) 
Common ringed plover centre stage 
Common sandpiper I could go on – there was so much to see.
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4th February 2025 – RSPB Ham Wall, Avalon Marshes, Somerset
There were very few people out and about today and I didn’t stay long as, having caught everything there was to catch in January, I was “taking it steady”.
I didn’t even bother going out again after lunch as it was raining and I had had a very pleasant lunch break in the company of a couple I had met in Cyprus at Christmas and who live in Brentwood in Essex (on the other side of the country) and who just happened to be in the Avalon Marshes Centre at the same time as me. “Small world”, as they say.
Just a few photos to show I did have a camera with me.
Great white egret at RSPB Ham Wall 
It was pretty blowy out there but this grey heron coped quite well 
Keen to meet up with its mate (hopefully) 
Great crested grebe 
… trying to attract a mate? 
Or simply trying to score more points in the diving contest 
Gadwall in flight. I’m sure the sky was never that blue – I must have over-edited it 
Northern shovelers 
Grey heron with Glastonbury Tor in the background 
Well, I can see a common snipe 
Dunnock 
A cheerful robin 
A field full of cattle egret (and a few little egrets) on the way home 
… and they seemed to be heading home too. -
14th January 2025 – WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire
It’s been a slow start to the year for bird photography as we have been “confined to barracks” by chest infections and very cold weather; on the few opportunities we have had to get out and about I have not felt like lugging a camera with me. And so, here we are with almost half of January gone and my first offering.
Slimbridge is a fairly safe bet as it is teeming with birds at this time of year. The big attraction is the Bewick Swans, the smallest of the swans that regularly winter here, having come from their breeding grounds in Siberia. I bet they have not been complaining about the cold as much as I have!
It was a fairly grey morning but with lots of large birds flying around I had enough photo opportunities to keep me happy.
There were also a couple of the larger Whooper swans there too.
Whooper swan to the left and Bewick swan to the right 
Bewick swan 
Bewick swan in flight 
Greylag geese 
Canada goose 
Shelduck 
Lapwings and dunlin 
Northern pintail 
Shelduck 
The lapwings are so spectacular, even in the dull light 
Lapwing 
Bewick swan 
It was quite a thrill to see common cranes too 
Common cranes in flight 
Common cranes 
There were some small birds – a female common chaffinch 
Snow drops added a bit of joy at the end of our morning’s visit -
22nd December 2024 – Akrotiri Peninsula, Cyprus
Our second day proper of the natural history trip was a very good one with lots of interesting birds and plants to see in a variety of venues on the Akrotiri Peninsula, about an hour’s drive to the east of Paphos.
We had mixed weather but managed to stay dry all day. However the light was not good and not very conducive for good photos or, indeed, any photos at all.
We started at the Zakaki bird hide which, although it had fabulous large posters of the birds to be seen, was poorly managed and we couldn’t see much through the giant reeds.
Not a lot to be seen from this hide Locally we did have lots of sightings of marsh harriers and a kestrel and some of the group saw a male hen harrier. Despite my attempt to take plenty of photos, I achieved very little. When will I ever learn that tiny specks in my view finder will never produce decent photos?
We walked further along the road to a pool next to the sea where there were greater flamingos and lots of gulls (mainly black-headed but some slender-billed and one larger one which caused lots of discussion without a definitive id.).
Greater flamingos 
Greater flamingos 
Lots of discussion about this gull – Michael Sammut from Malta tells me it’s a sub-adult yellow-legged gull We drove west along some mud flats (Lady’s Mile) but saw very little.
We crossed the estuary on the low tide in the coach and eventually arrived at a monastery (no one around – they must have all been in chapel) where we parked and walked to Bishop’s Pool. The walk here was very interesting with people spotting lots of butterflies, a hummingbird moth, carpenter bees and many interesting plants.
At the pool there were lots of ducks including shovelers, little grebes and, the best of the pick, a ferruginous duck.
Ferruginous duck After lunch we moved on to a wetlands where there was plenty to see but impossible to photograph as it was into the poor light. The highlight here were spur winged plovers.
Spur-winged plover Our last visit was to the Kensington Cliffs where we were treated to views of a long legged buzzard and a peregrine. We also looked more closely at a variety of the vegetation on the cliff tops.
Close up of a kestrel which spoiled my view of the ferruginous duck 
Long-legged buzzard 
Peregrine falcon 
Favourite plant of the day – Friar’s cowl 
A romantic moment for a couple on the edge of the cliffs – a first sighting for me of such a cultural event. -
21st December 2024 – In and around Paphos, Cyprus
We joined the main group of our natural history tour to Cyprus today but, as they were visiting the Archeological Park in Cyprus (which we did yesterday), we were kind to ourselves and had a gentle stroll around the park focussing on the birds.
Yesterday we started with a Sardinian warbler and today it was in the same spot to greet us; yet I failed again to get a decent shot. Stonechats were two-a-penny again but we were not complaining as they are lovely little birds and much more accommodating than warblers. We did manage to see a Cetti’s warbler but it soon disappeared into the depths of a bush before I could operate my camera.
Photography with a bridge camera was not easy as the light wasn’t great today. At my time of life compromise is a constant!
Stonechat 
At first I thought it must be a stonechat from its position but then realised it was a meadow pipit. 
This kestrel was clearly not a stonechat Kestrel obligingly flying past 
Some new plants to us in the park – Fagoniao cretica 
I think these hooded crows are more handsome than our carrion crows 
… and quite attractive in flight 
Coffee on the quay and a chance to add to our list with these great cormorants in the harbour In the afternoon we travelled inland and in the Anarita Park our guide Andy had a great spot with a Finsch’s wheatear.
If you look closely you can see the Finsch’s wheatear on the top of the post. You might realise what a good spot this was as this is a highly cropped photo of a shot with my bridge camera with 600 mm lens. 
The Finsch’s wheatear a little closer 
Another good spot – this time by our botanist guide Jessica – Hyacinthella millingenii We ended our day at the Agia Vagara settling pools which was a little disappointing as the light had more or less failed by then: we saw a few common snipe and a jack snipe, a teal and a pair of coots before we got caught in a heavy shower which had been threatening for most of the day.
Although the forecast for the week had looked very good before our arrival I think it must have been written by the Cyprus Tourist Board because the reality is now somewhat disappointing. It’s definitely better than the UK though.
Christmas in Paphos
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 