Pagham and Medmerry

This weekend saw us at the RSPB Pagham harbour and Medmerry reserves.

On leaving the car park at Pagham a quick check on the well positioned nest box we found a Tawny owl peering out a good start to the day.

On our walk down towards the harbour hide we found several warblers with Sedge, Reed, Willow, Cetti's, Chiffchaff along with Blackcap and Linnet all calling from the bushes some giving good views. Further along both Common and Lesser Whitethroats were seen.

Several Reed bunting were sat at the tops of the smaller trees both male and female could be seen. Just before we moved on a Cuckoo called from over the estuary and a quick scan found it sitting at the  top of a dead tree.

Out on the water both Little and Great crested Grebes were seen along with Coot , Moorhen, Mallard and Gadwall.

Out in the fields Lapwing, Pheasant and Red legged Partridge are feeding along with Woodpigeon and a couple of Stock Doves.

Further along a more tree lined area Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Blue tit and Great tit were found along with a singing Song Thrush.

Moving down to the hide we stopped for a rest and a coffee and spent a little time looking out over the estuary more species were found which included 20 whimbrel, a group of 30 Dunlin also Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Oystercather, Shelduck, Cormorant, Curlew and Mute Swan.

On the way back to the car park other birds of note seen included Buzzard, Red Kite, Swift, Swallow, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Skylark, Blackbird and a couple of Little Egrets.

A quick scan out into one of the channels found us a splendid summer plumage Spotted Redshank a nice bonus to end the morning.

After lunch we headed off to the RSPB Medmerry reserve.

This is a relatively new site which is a very large area so we decided to head towards the sea wall with  its shallow pools to see what we could find.

Out in the fields the tractors were busy cultivating the land which resulted in a large group of gulls following looking for food on closer inspection both Black headed and Lesser black backed Gulls were found along with a group of around 30 Mediterranean Gulls always a joy to see this lovely gull at such close range which makes them easy to pick out from the other gulls as their wings look transparent in the sunshine.

Moving on down to the pools both Syklarks and Yellowhammer were seen along with several Meadow Pipits and a Fox hunted in the meadow.

Scanning out over the pools several Avocets were sat on their nest's on the main island with Little ringed Plovers running around in front of them.

About 10 Little Terns could be seen flying in and out from their fishing trips out over the sea, these birds also nest out on the island, checking the water out in front of us a small gull was sat on the water this turned out to be an Adult Little Gull in summer plumage another good find.

Other birds seen here include Starling, Pied Wagtail, Herring and Great black backed Gulls.

With the weather starting to close in we headed off back to the car after a very rewarding day with a species list of over 70 birds. DT.

Somerset Levels

A full day on the Somerset levels

Lovely sunshine to start our day on the Somerset Levels.

Today we started at 07:00 to make the most of the good weather.

Lots of birds noise today all around with Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Song and Mistle Thrush, several Cetti's warblers and Bitterns booming from almost every area of the reserve.

At our first stop we soon found a fine male Marsh harrier quartering the reed beds in front of us giving some very close views as he drifted past. We continued watching from here and saw another 2 males and 2 females again giving fantastic views. After an hour or so we moved onto our next viewpoint.

Scanning a wetter marshy area several waders could be seen and looking at them through the telescope 5 Greenshank, 50 Black tailed godwit, 2 Common sandpiper, 3 Little ringed plover, 3 Dunlin, a Whimbrel, Redshank and Glossy ibis were found.

Moving onto a higher viewpoint both Great white and Little Egret were seen flying in and out of the area.

Checking on the ducks we found Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Pochard a pair of Pintail and 4 Gargany, also seen here were Grey heron and 2 Bittern.

With time moving on we headed back to the car for a lunch break, this proved to be a good move as we could here trumpeting coming form over our heads and looking up saw 6 Common cranes circling over us great to see these birds so low giving good views.

After lunch we headed out looking at a different area in the hope of finding more Marsh harriers and another 3 birds were found again giving very close views as they drifted past.

Moving to a larger area of open water we had an excellent view of a pair of Great crested grebes performing their courtship dance always nice to see this at close range.

Other birds seen here included Buzzard, Swift, House and Sand martins, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler, Willow warbler and Chiffchaff.

We then headed back to our first location for the final part of the day, here we saw 4 Hobbies hunting the many tiny flies that were on the wing today, also a Cuckoo called and flew past.

Here again we had good views of 4 Bitterns that flew in and out of the reed beds.

In total 58 bird species were seen along with 5 different butterflies Orange tip, Green veined white, Large white, Peacock and Brimstone.

I do really enjoy this area when the suns out its an amazing place to be.DT

Warblers and Nightingales

Early Start.

An early start for our tour looking and listening for Warblers and Nightingales.

First birds heard were Cuckoo and a Grasshopper warbler calling in the scrub, moving on Whitethroat, Sedge warbler and several Linnets were seen.

Stopping at a higher vantage point we could hear a Nightingale which was deep inside the vegetation no chance of a view of this one so we moved on.

Further on both Chiffchaff and Willow warblers were both seen and heard well, along with Blackcap, Garden warbler, Sedge warbler and a Lesser whitethroat called in the distance.

Now in the favourite nightingale area we waited for one to call and it was not long before we heard one close by, patients was now required in the hope of a view of the bird. After a few minutes the bird sang again and this time we could see the bird sitting out in the open, the bird remained for about ten minutes given some fantastic views through the telescope.

Moving to another area several more species were seen including Common tern, Buzzard, Hobby, Cuckoo, Bullfinch, Snipe, Swift, Sand martin and House martin.

A pleasant early morning tour with some great views of a Nightingale. DT

Springtime in The Cotswold Water Park

A morning tour.

A lovely spring morning, with blue skies, and the sounds of spring drifting across the Park.

More signs of spring are appearing each day, including the first sprigs of white Blackthorn flowers dotting the hedgerows,
Elsewhere around the park, new migrants are arriving daily, with Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, and Chiffchaffs all seen and heard in good number this morning.

Also out and about, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Green woodpecker, Song thrush, Cettis Warbler and Long-tailed Tits to name just a few.

Nests full of young Grey Herons on the island with a few Little Egrets now starting to move in also.

Several small groups of Swallows and Sand Martins moving overhead.

Still a few Goldeneye hanging around before they fly off to their breeding areas further north.

Buzzards riding the thermals and a lone Sparrowhawk dashed by.

Great Crested Grebes performing their courtship dance always a delight to see.

All looking good for the coming months for another fantastic year of wildlife watching. DT.

Keep feeding the birds!

I've recently seen my first swallows of the summer, there are chiffchaff singing seemingly everywhere and the wibbly-wobbly song of the willow warbler is starting to drift out from the trees. Colours other than brown and green are starting to appear in the woodlands and fields as flowers appear and the female hares are boxing away the overly amorous males.

So Spring is starting to coil up, but has it really sprung yet?

The short answer is no, not really. If you've been outside much recently its that period of the year where you might need your woolly hat one minute when its cloudy, but as soon as the sun pokes through its quickly removed.

As you can perhaps guess from the heading, its a tricky time for the wildlife. They are looking to get in condition to breed, for the males that can mean periods of singing and protecting a territory and/or mate from other males and for females getting in tip-top physical condition to produce eggs.

So to help the birds in and around your garden please keep feeding them, perhaps don't leave things like peanuts loose on bird tables, make sure they are in metal mesh containers so they have to be broken up, but do keep going!

March trip to Cotswold Water Park

Luckily we booked great weather for this trip! We did a circular walk at the Western end of the Cotswold Water Park and we soon picked up some movement on the first lake which turned out to be a couple of cormorant busily diving.

We headed towards the main road, which is flanked by mature hedgerows, we were lucky enough to pick up a pair of bullfinch picking at the bursting buds, always a pleasure to see! We also managed brief views of goldcrest, song thrush and redwing in these well managed hedgerows. Shortly afterwards we managed much better views of the two thrushes as they foraged on the ground looking for worms.

We soon arrived at the next lakes where we saw about 40 red-crested pochard feeding and displaying. They are mostly paired up now, with the males busily diving and bringing weed to the females to eat. 

Male red crested pochard

We were also managed to see tufted duck, coot and mute swan here.

As we wandered on along the river Thames we saw a few more bullfinch, as well as goldfinch, chaffinch and  long-tailed tit busily feeding in and on the hedgerow bushes. Despite my best efforts we only heard the cetti’s warbler in the river-side vegetation!

On the next lake we saw little grebe, mallard, lesser black-backed gull and black-headed gull to add to our growing list.

Further along the river Thames on our left, we picked up another goldcrest feeding in ivy and a male great spotted woodpecker showing very well at the top of a tree. Through the trees we could see a pair of goldeneye, a pair of great crested grebe and several wigeon.

After a brief view of a stock dove and very briefly hearing a singing marsh tit, we crossed the Thames again and checked out a lake on our left where we were treated to the display of a pair of great crested grebe – fantastic!

On to another lake, this time we saw  a number of pochard, as well as cormorant and grey heron, precariously balancing in the trees. We continued to see more of the previously mentioned duck species, giving us opportunities to compare them to each other.

We were next distracted by a lovely treecreeper working its way up trees, then flying to the base of the next one.

As we worked our way back towards the car park we saw more redwing feeding, the next sighting was of bits of a signal crayfish left on the bank by a mammal, most likely an otter.

The last duck for our listen was a pair of gadwall.

A very enjoyable trip!

Please keep an eye out for brambling, lesser redpoll and siskin in and under your garden bird feeders!

Male brambling

(NA)

Pagham Harbour Tour

A full day tour at Pagham Harbour.

A very cold and windy day greeted us at the car park today but the day produced some fantastic sights.

First stop the small ferry pool which is a very easy place to view. From the well placed hide two avocet were seen at close range, also a green sandpiper, shoveler and teal with a large group of brent geese out in the field.

Moving on to explore the marsh path down to the estuary hide we soon found a kingfisher given a brief but close view as it sat on the mud bank just in front of us also in the fields were woodpigeons and a few stock doves.

As we rounded a bend we could see two roe deer which gave very close views as they walk across the field.

Moving on towards the hide which overlooks the vast expanse of mud at low tide we could see several large flocks of waders wheeling about in the air obviously disturbed by something!

From the hide you have a wonderful view over the whole estuary and we soon found the culprits for all the disturbance the two local peregrine falcons were seen sat on one of the islands out in the middle, on closer inspection you could see that they had just made a kill and the larger bird the female was eating its prey. With the two birds sat so close together you could see the obvious size difference with the male bird being almost half the size of the larger female. We watched the falcons for the next couple of hours as they flew around a bit often as a result of a couple of crows trying to get at their food.

By now the tide was coming in over the mud pushing the waders closer to us so a scan through produced several species knot, dunlin, turnstone, grey plover, golden plover, ringed plover, curlew, oystercatcher, snipe, little egret, redshank, lapwing, black-tailed godwit and around 50 avocet along with pintail, shelduck, great crested grebe, and a red breasted merganser.

A wonderful few hours watching the movement of the birds but we were now starting to get a bit cold so we decided to head back to the centre for a warm drink.

On the route back we found a few tufted duck along with two little grebes in one of the smaller pools and out on the marsh a large flock of wigeon could be seen with a couple of grey herons and three snipe flying around.

On one of the grassy areas a green woodpecker was feeding.


After lunch we walked along the opposite bank which has a few more trees and hedges and soon found greenfich, goldfinch, chaffinch, robin and a wren.

There were a lot less birds at this end so with time running out we heading back towards the car park, stopping at the bend we noticed a mixed group of gulls feeding on the tiny flies on the waters surfaces these included black headed gulls, common gulls, lesser black backed gulls and a couple of Mediterranean gulls, with herring and great black backed gulls seen earlier in the day a total of six gull species seen.

The last bird of the day turned out to be one of the peregrine falcon flying straight towards us, as it banked above our heads you could see that it was looking at getting some speed up to launch an attack and as we watched it fly back out over the estuary it stooped down at great speed and sent all the birds up into the air it was then lost from view, maybe it had made another kill?

A very cold and windy day but some great views of some of the wonderful sights the estuary has to offer.

Total species seen 60. DT