Minsmere

The RSPB's flagship nature reserve at Minsmere was conveniently close to our temporary home in Suffolk for the last few days so deciding what to do on our first full day was an easy choice. The bird life was plentiful if not spectacular, with the odd scarcity among the expected wildfowl.

A pair of Whooper Swan (#98) were on the flooded Konik pony field

A Redhead Smew was roosting on one of the scrapes...

...it later flew it front of the Island Mere hide

Shoveler (#99) were plentiful on the scrapes

Greylag Goose making it's first appearance on the blog this year (#100)

Ringed Plover ditto (#101)

Chiffchaff - a poor photo included solely for the purposes of grinding the photo year list on another meaningless notch (#102) - and in case I forget to post one later in the year

Despite seeing not much out of the ordinary, I did get one tick at Minsmere in the form of Bird's Nest fungus - named for how it looks rather than where it is found. There was a profusion of it on the boardwalk near the visitor centre but it was so small that I think we would have walked straight past it had it not been for someone else on their knees with a macro lens giving its presence away. 

The tiny and exquisite Birds Nest fungus

This picture gives some idea of scale

Marsh Harrier against the slightly incongruous backdrop of the Sizewell nuclear power station

This area is one of the strongholds of Marsh Harrier in the UK

There was precious little going on out at sea but a few Red-throated Divers (#103) were on the move

We stayed until dusk to watch to sun go down, and were rewarded with close views of feeding Common Snipe, a short Bittern flight, a couple of dozen Bewick's Swans coming in to roost and 3 Otter scudding distantly across the Mere.

The Whooper Swans dropped in to the Mere as the sun was setting



Common Snipe

24 Bewick's Swans flew in to roost just as we were leaving for home

Dusk is a good time to see Bittern (#104) - this one just caught the last rays of the sun



The extensive reedbeds at Minsmere catching the evening sun

Marsh Harrier

Otters

Sunset at Minsmere



Different garden birds

Just back from a few days with the family in Suffolk where our cottage in Eastbridge had views over the marshes and a Barn Owl nest box on the lawn. Jackdaws were squatting in the nest box but the Barn Owl could still be seen roosting in a dead tree just beyond the end of the garden. I went out early one morning and came back to find the boys telling tales about seeing Marsh Harriers from the kitchen. I was just expressing my disbelief when George caused me to spit out my cornflakes by pointing one out just beyond the garden fence. I fumbled for the camera and managed a few shots before it sailed behind some trees. Marsh Tits visited the feeders while Cetti's Warbler, Snipe and Tawny Owl made it on to the 'heard only' list. Makes my small urban garden in Wareham, currently massively over-grazed by Guinea Pigs, look a bit lame.


Male Marsh Harrier, Eastbridge

Not a bad garden bird

Barn Owl, Eastbridge - #95 on my photo year list

The photos should have been better but I screwed up my settings at the crucial moment

Marsh Tit (#96) visited feeders in the garden with its commoner cousins

The birdseed also attracted larger visitors like this Pheasant (#97)

Catching up

I'm a bit behind with posts so here's some old news from last weekend. I hit the heaths in the hope of adding to the photo year list with my main target being Great Grey Shrike. There were two in Dorset to choose from - one at Morden Bog and one at Godlingstone Heath, but I fancied Studland so headed there first. Steve Smith gave me directions which were spot on, and after a bit of a yomp out to the heathland edge I managed a reasonably close approach before a yappy dog put the bird to flight. Jol and I then watched our sons almost certainly blow their chance of the Dorset Youth Football Under-12s League Division 3 championship in a top of the table fixture against Ringwood, so we went and had another look late afternoon to dull the pain. Returning to the same spot the Shrike was distant but fortunately flew in to not far from where we were standing. A harsh sidelight made photography difficult for Joe and I but it was a great view nonetheless.

Great Grey Shrike (#90)

The light improved later in the day on a return visit

Fieldfare (#91)

After that it was time to scrape the barrel, photo wise, with some distant but tickable Fieldfares, some even more distant but still tickable Slavonian Grebes, a badly photographed but tickable Ring-necked Parakeet at Studland, and a trio of untickable Great Bustards from the Salisbury Plain reintroduction scheme which have been knocking around the Dorset coast for several weeks now.

Ring-necked Parakeet - gaudy but tickable (#92)

Slavonian Grebe in the gloom off South Beach, Studland (#93)

Great Bustards

Great Bustard - the first of the released birds I have seen in Dorset or anywhere else for that matter

 

Binge birding continued...

This post is the final hangover from a weekend of binge birding around Poole Harbour. Holes Bay certainly provided the highlights on Sunday - as well as the Spoonbill, waiting patiently by the PC World drain outflow provided ample opportunity to get up close and personal with a variety of other good birds.

This Buzzard was one of two scanning for prey from lampposts on the dual carriageway around Holes Bay. Buzzard has already appeared on my blog this year but the photo was taken in 2014 so this is officially an addition to the photo year list (#79). I know, mad isn't it!

This Common Sandpiper was one of two present. I walked most of the length of the bay without seeing one but when I sat by the outflow both dropped in.

Another addition to the photo year list (#80). Bang it in!



Cormorant also graced the outflow (#81)...

...while I had to walk further up the drain to find Grey Wagtail (#82)...

...and Kingfisher (#83)

Spotted Redshank, one of my favourite birds, can give close views around the edge of the Bay

Spotted Redshank

On Sunday morning I also paid what felt like my first visit of the year to Swineham. Yes, my allegiance to patch has become that degenerate. I was rewarded for my efforts: as in, not much effort, not much reward. It did at least add a few ropey ticks to the photo year list:


Goldfinch, making its first appearance this year (#84)

Great Tit (#85) - singing like it was spring

Redwing in the shadows in Lady St Mary Churchyard, Wareham

Male Reed Bunting at Swineham

Robin at Swineham

Shelduck at Swineham (#86)

Several Common Snipe flushed from the wet grass around Swineham (#87)

Stock Dove (#88) with Lapwing in the paddocks at North Bestwall

Snowdrops added a spring-like feel to Sunday morning

My last photo year tick of the weekend was a Coal Tit seen on a family walk around Wareham Forest (#89)

The Fellowship of the Ging, Wareham Forest



Little Egret showing off its plumes in Holes Bay