Nightjars, Quail and Barn Owls

An early start listening for Quail, A lay-by in wiltshire and I could here 2 Quail calling only a short stop but well worth the early start to hear these birds.

This evening a trip to hopefully see and hear Nightjars. We arrived early and was surprised by the total lack of any type of birds. As the sky became darker we started to hear the faint churning of a Nightjar but very distant. We decided to sit under a tree and wait and see if the birds would come to us, we where not disappointed. First a Barn Owl hunted close by then 3 Nightjars performed right in front of us and to cap it off a bird landed in the tree above us and started churning, what a wonderful end to the day in the company of these wonderful birds.

In search of the Large Blue Butterfly

Today a visit to a Gloucestershire hillside in search of butterflies.

On the road leading up to the reserve a pair of Redstarts where seen darting around the tree tops.

Out in the meadows a large number of butterflies were out on the wing which included Marbled Whites, Large Skippers, Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Small White, Red Admiral and around 15 Large Blues the butterfly we were looking for. 

I spent a few hours watching these wonderful butterflies some offer very close views.

A very enjoyable time spent watching these tiny but magical insects.

Local wildlife sightings

 Over the last few days I have been staying local to home observing some of the local wildlife on offer,

Some nice views of the local Water voles along with Otter and a Stoat are all great to see, my first Swift and hobby of the year seen today along with the local Red kites and Buzzards.

A quick trip out to a local wood produce several Pearl boarded Fritillary Butterflies such a stunning orange coloured butterfly. Other Butterflies seen included Marsh Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Dingy Skipper, Grizzled Skipper, Green Hairstreak, Small Blue, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral along with several large Whites.

May’s Highlights

Today we visited Somerset one of my favourites places.

We had an amazing day today spotting around 70 species of bird and a few Butterflies.

Highlights from today included several Marsh Harriers patrolling the reed beds on the lookout for an easy meal, several Great white Egrets and a few Little Egrets out on the edge of the water fishing.

Several Duck species around today with the best find of 4 Gargany out on the water, also a few Bittern  flying in and out of the reeds.

A few waders around with Snipe, Black tailed Godwits, Redshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Lapwings and a nice Glossy ibis found.

Several Warblers species around and a couple of Cuckoo calling in the distance, also a couple of Water rail were head squealing in the reed bed.

The final highlight of the day was a nice fly over by 3 Common Crane calling as they flew past.

Butterflies seen today included Comma, Brimstone, Orange tip, Speckled Wood and Peacock.

Another wonderful day in Somerset.

April’s Highlights

 A couple of local tours and one further afield tour produced some wonderful wildlife moments.

With most of the migrant birds now back with us we soon managed a good number of Warblers species.

Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler, Garden warbler all seen well, also a pair of Cuckoo’s chasing each other around at close range was a real highlight.

Another area produced several Sand Martins along with a few House Martins and Swallows too.

A barn owl sat on a roadside fence allowed close up views also a distant flight of a Bittern was nice to see after hearing one booming close by.

A weasel ran across the track in front of us also a few butterfly species are on the wing now with Brimstone, Tortoiseshell, Comma and Orange tips all seen.

March Highlights

 lots of wildflowers now out in flower.

The first reports of migrant birds arriving back in the uk. Sand Martins, House Martins, Swallows, Little ringed Plover, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Wheatear all reported alongside with a few Ospreys.

A Bittern heard Booming was nice to find.

 Both Brimstone and Red Admiral butterflies seem also.

Still the occasional Barn owl seen on my early morning drive.

A trip to an upland moorland site produced both Black and Red grouse, and a visit to a coastal area produced several species of waders.

February Highlights

With the very different weather that when saw in February I managed to do a couple of local walks.

Nice to see the Snowdrops out in force along with a few Lesser Celandine also shooting up. Again a lot of the common birds where singing Blue tits, Great tits, Wren, Robin, Blackbirds, also a nice Song Thrush.

The local Magpie’s have built a nest in the tree at the bottom of the garden so I will keep an eye on that, don’t think they have eggs yet.

I did see a Woodcock on my early morning drive this week always nice to see one of these birds albeit a brief view.

Several reports of a few migrants arriving at the moment with Wheatear, Sand Martins and Little ringed plover all reported locally.

No butterflies seen yet but hope to see some in the coming weeks as the temperatures rise.