Sunday 17th August 2014

Swallow (Juvenile)

    Todays trip started at Ashcott Corner, and Shapwick Heath. Not a very biddy day sadly. Stopped at the little house just before getting to the car park, there were quite a few hirundines on the wires there. All seemed to be juvenile birds too.

Sand Martin (Juvenile)

    A walk along the old railway track to the lagoons produced very little. A Hobby flew over the second (drained) lagoon, where there were also, one of each, Little & Great White Egrets. A further walk to the tower hide at Noah's Lake, only a few Dragonflies & Butterflies were seen. But from the hide an Osprey was sat in  one of the dead trees, a bit too distant for pix though sadly.

Southern Hawker (Immature Male)

  The walk back to the car park, again very quiet. Until just before the car park, i saw a Dragonfly fly around and land on the brambles in front of me. It was an immature male Southern Hawker, and it was kind enough to stay around for photos.

   Then shortly after another flew around and landed nearby, this time it was a female.

Southern Hawker (Female)

   A walk around the boardwalk trail from the car park, again was very quiet, although i did see Brown Hawker and a few Common Darters.

Green-veined White

      A stop by a little bit of open water, where there was a bit of Water Mint growing, produced a few Butterflies, including Green-veined White.

















    A walk around part of the Westhay tracks again produced very little.....as you can tell a quiet day indeed. After walking to the tower hide here, i started back along the track again. I had seen a couple of Brown Hawkers and quite a few Migrant & Southern Hawkers along here earlier. I had also found a patch of Bracken which was in the sun, and looked a good 'sunning' spot for Dragonflies & Butterflies. As it was i was right. Got there to see a Brown Hawker fly in and land. I managed to get fairly close, and got some shots again, but this time it was a Female, which was good because the last one i photographed here, was a Male...

Brown Hawker (Female)

Southern Hawkers (Close-up)

   Sadly, she didn't stay too long, and didn't come back either. But, on the other end of the Bracken was a pair of southern Hawkers mating, and they took no notice of me, got some really good dragonfly 'porn' shots......very rude i know!!!!

Southern Hawkers

     Next stop was Chew, and a brief look around Stratford. This turned out to be a good stop. In the car park there were loads of Migrant & Southern Hawkers flying around, also some landing along the hedge. But, from the hide there were actually some birds.......good raptor count, Hobby, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard & Peregrine...nice! Then all the big Gulls in the middle of the lake went mental, as they dispersed a bit..there was an juvenile Osprey too...very nice!

    A friend was in the hide, and we were all chuffed about the Osprey, and to add to that, he then picked out the eclipse Drake Lesser Scaup, which had been around for a little while. So, was well worth the stop off. Which gave a nice end to the day....