Saturday 20th September 2014

    Chew Valley Lake today, bit dull, but got some half decent birds.

Hobby (Adult)

    We stopped at Herons Green, to look for the Hobby, which had been around. Luckily, it was still there, sat on top of the same tree, as on Thursday. But, this time i managed to get a shot....would have loved to get closer, but........

Osprey (Juvenile)

    I drove a bit further down Moreton lane, when i realised there was a rather large bird sat in the dead tree at Moreton point......so onto the car park near the point, parked the car, and got out with the camera, to get some shots of a juvenile Osprey.

   So, two decent raptors already, always a good day.....

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

      Onto the hide..........i counted 28 hibernating Peacock butterflies, brilliant.....but, best of all was the juvenile Lesser Horseshoe Bat roosting there. I had only seen them here once before, as this is not a full time roost, i feel i can mention it here, if it was a permanent roost site........well it wouldn't be here would it!!!!

Lesser Horseshoe Bat

Hobby (Juvenile)

    So, onto Stratford hide....from there we continued the raptor count, with Sparrowhawk, Buzzard & a juvenile Female Peregrine........and then a juvenile Hobby too.....


    So despite the weather, not a bad day at all.

Thursday 18th September 2014

   Dads Birthday, & the parents Wedding Anniversary today, so they went out. I said i would pick them up, and we could go out for a meal.

   That ended up with a visit to Chew.

   Stood at Herons Green Bay i noticed a Hobby flying around the Southern end, and while watching it, 5 small waders flew by. I managed to see there were Ringed Plover there, but they went by too quick. Luckily for me they flew around the bay, and came back and landed right in front of us....amazing. 3 Ringed Plover & 2 Curlew Sandpipers all juveniles too....spot on

Curlew Sandpiper (Juvenile)

Curlew Sandpiper (Juvenile)

Ringed Plover (Juvenile)

   If you are wondering, we did go for a meal on the way back too.............

Wednesday 17th September 2014

   As the sun was out, i thought a quick visit, after work to Sand Point, was a good idea, especially as the long-staying 1st Winter Red-backed Shrike was still around.

   I did see it fairly briefly, but it flew off, when i moved from behind a small Hawthorn, and i didn't ever find it again...did manage 2 shots, both exactly the same....so here is just one of them. Not brilliant i know, but the best i could manage.

Red-backed Shrike

Monday 15th September 2014

Black-tailed Godwit

   An after work visit to Slimbridge WWT today.

   A fairly decent assortment of Waders were seen.......including Black-tailed Godwits, Green Sandpipers, Ruff etc. Mainly juvenile birds on their first southbound journey.

   While there, there was a small flock of Goldfinches flying about feeding on Thistle heads, and then coming down to drink. But, overtime i moved the camera to photograph them, they were off, except this juvenile bird below.

Goldfinch

Ruff & Reeve

Common Cranes

   Last stop in one of the hides, brought in 2 Common Cranes, which flew in from somewhere near the 100-acre......

   Lets hope they stick around, and return to try and breed again next year.

Common Cranes

Sunday 14th September 2014

    Today, was not quite as bright and sunny, but still not too bad. Actually it did brighten up later!!!

   The morning was spent looking for the Caspian Gulls again, but again there was no sign, even though one had been reported earlier. Best i could manage was the yellow-legged Gull again, but the only shots of anything i got were Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls...

Herring Gull (Adult Winter)

Herring Gull (2nd Winter)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (2nd Winter)

   A drive to Winterton Dunes this afternoon, took a lot longer than i remember, and was a bit of a waste of time. There was a report of an Olive-backed Pipit there, but it was never seen again, as far as i know. I had a fair old walk about (for someone with a dodgy knee anyway), but the only thing i saw of any note, was a Grayling butterfly, and even that was really tatty......as you can see below, also NOT the most photogenic of locations either......

Grayling

    Reminded me of an old Monty Python sketch....

    Whats Brown and sounds like a bell?

    DUNG........................Sorry!

    A return to Cromer, to see if the incoming tide would produce the Caspian Gulls! No sign again, but at least i did manage some photos of the Yellow-legged Gull this time....

Yellow-legged Gull (Adult Winter)

Yellow-legged Gull (Adult Winter)

Yellow-legged Gull (Adult Winter)

Yellow-legged Gull (Adult Winter)

   All in all, not what i was hoping for, especially from Norfolk, but still a decent weekend.

Saturday 13th September 2014

   Something different this weekend....a trip to Norfolk.

   First stop was at a site for Stone Curlews, which had been recommended to me, sadly i have also been told to keep it a bit hush-hush.....so sorry, i can't really say where it is! Im sure some of you already know anyway....!!! We had about 16 birds there, including adults & juveniles.

Stone Curlew 

Stone Curlew

   Nothing really happening on the pager, or even people reporting stuff.....but at least the sun was out.

   So the rest of the day was spent at Titchwell RSPB. I was hoping to photograph Curlew Sandpipers, and other waders. sadly, i only saw one Curlew Sandpiper, and it was miles away.....

   But, as i said the light was really good, so i took some wader photos anyway....common stuff really i know, but in this light they still look cool, i hope you agree?

Lapwing

Black-tailed Godwit

Curlew

Spotted Redshank

Ruff

   Sadly, Titchwell is not what it used to be! It was probably the best in the UK, in my opinion anyway, and hopefully, after all the work that has been done, to protect the reserve, it will return to its best days soon..........look forward to that day.

   We then spent the last hour or so, looking for Caspian Gulls at Cromer Beach. Sadly, i couldn't find them. Lots of Gulls were there, the only stand out one though, was a Winter plumaged Yellow-legged Gull. Try again tomorrow.....

Sunday 7th September 2014

    Another Wryneck reported locally today, this time at Brean Down.

    They always deserve a visit....so we did.

    I took a little time, but eventually it showed fairly well, but not for the waiting cameras sadly. While we were there a Black Redstart was reported from the top of the slope, but never seen again, and same can be said for a probable Long-eared Owl, which was accidentally flushed, from the scrub on the side of the track up to the top!!! Shame that didn't stick around

Saturday 6th September 2014

   A visit to Portland & Weymouth today, hoping for some migrants. We got to see some, but very few photographable sadly.....

    We were watching the Obs quarry, waiting to see a Nightingale, which had been seen there earlier, when a shout of Osprey went up. We all looked up and there it was, quite high up, but an obvious Osprey, very nice. A Redstart landed in some Blackthorn near the quarry, but then quickly disappeared too. Another shout of Osprey, this time further away, the other side of the Obs. Two in a day, not bad.....

   Then Joe Stockwell, the Obs assistant warden, walked across to the quarry, carrying a ringing bag. He opened it, to reveal a Grasshopper Warbler, which he had just ringed. It flew straight to the other side of the quarry, never to be seen again.....

   There was a fair bit of movement in the quarry, which was catching people out.....it was mainly Whitethroats.

Whitethroat

   Eventually the Nightingale showed a couple of times, very briefly though. Then it disappeared again too. A fly over Yellow Wagtail, was the only other thing of note really.

Spoonbills

    A fairly quick visit to Lodmoor RSPB, produced 2 juvenile Spoonbills from the shelter.

   Usual excuses I'm afraid....including the light was all wrong, and from the completely wrong direction...

Sunday 31st August 2014

Wryneck

   A Wryneck reported at New Passage near Severn Beach today. So theres where to go. The bird didn't show for a while after i got there, but eventually showed very close in the trees along the seafront. Sadly straight into the sun, as you will see, on the right here.

   After another bit of a disappearing act, due to quite a few  regular passes by a Sparrowhawk, it began to show well, on the lawn of one of the gardens, along the seawall. Always just too far away for really good photos though. But, still a nice bird to get locally.

Wryneck

Wryneck

Wryneck

    Always love seeing these birds, the camouflaged plumage has amazing patterns, at one stage it stops on a branch in the garden, and virtually disappeared......below.

Saturday 30th August 2014

Black Tern

   A trip to Chew Valley lake today produced a few Terns, not seen too many this year....so this was pretty good. 2 Common Terns and a flock of 14 Black Terns, sadly they didn't really come close to the hide for long periods, tending to stay in the bays either side off it.

   2 flyover Yellow Wagtails & a Hobby were seen from Stratford hide as well. Also there were 2 Garganey, both either females or eclipse males.

Black Tern

Sunday 24th August 2014

    A birding day on the Levels, turned into a Dragonfly and plants day. Birds were few and far between sadly. But for the 3rd time in recent weeks, and after years of trying......another Brown Hawker posed for photos!!! Right by the car too...bit of a tatty male this time though.

Brown Hawker (Male)

   After a real lack of Birds and anything else really, i decide to go and look for some local plants instead. One i knew was at Westhay was Sundew, what i didn't realise was how much of it there was! The light was poor, but as they don't move too much, it made the photography a bit easier....

Sundew

Sundew

Arrowhead

   The second plant, was actually one i had never heard of, until someone put some pix on Twitter!!! There were quite a few plants in the ditches along the road on Tealham Moor. Glad i looked now, makes you realise what you know nothing about!
Its called Arrowhead, and you can see why.......

Arrowhead

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....