Monday 22 June 2015

Otmoor reserve, Oxfordshire

19/06/2015
Otmoor is a nature reserve of wet meadows and reedbeds only a few miles from Oxford city centre. But if you've never been there it can be a little tricky to locate. The car park is off Otmoor Lane in the village of Beckley, but we didn't see a single signpost saying RSPB Otmoor until we reached the car park! If you drive east along the High Street in Beckley, with the Abingdon Arms pub on your left, at the end of the High Street (you continue straight ahead rather than following the road around to the right). It looks like a dead end but Otmoor lane is a left turn obscured by the last house on the left. If we hadn't asked someone we would have assumed this was a dead end and driven somewhere else.


We stopped for lunch first at The White Horse Inn, a tasty Thai meal, and while sitting out on the patio in the sun, a couple of Red kites drifted overhead - several times, I think they were looking at our lunch!

Red kite overhead at the White Horse, Forest Hill.
Although South Wales is undoubtedly the best place to visit to see and photograph Red kite, the area around Oxford especially along the M40 corridor and from Wendover and Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire south past High Wycombe and into South Oxfordshire there are numerous pairs and it isn't uncommon to see 5 or 6 together - often more.


As I parked the car in the RSPB car park I noticed a juvenile Brown hare which was paying little attention to its surroundings, I was able to approach fairly close to get some shots but the light was against me for a lot of them so only limited success.



I was soon distracted from the Hare by the sound of a Turtle dove calling. I saw it on an overhead wire alongside the path. Luckily for much of my route to it I was screened by a hedge, so I was able to get quite close before having to step out for a photo. It seemed fairly unconcerned by my presence and after a few seconds observing me continued its calling. Unfortunately there was a large ceramic insulator next to the dove and it rather spoilt the view but I took lots of shots before attempting to get into a better position - I was able to walk right past the bird to take some shots without the insulator but these don't show the beautiful patterning on the wings.



Click photo to enlarge.

Ideally it would have been nice to see one in a tree rather than the stark power lines, luckily for me that is exactly what happened on my return visit. This time wasn't supposed to be a visit to a bird reserve, it was just coincidental that we happened to be in the area and I happened to know Otmoor reserve was nearby!



My last 'bird on a wire' for the day was a male Reed bunting which was singing away happily but completely silhouetted with the sun behind him, again, I was able to walk past (and directly beneath) it without it flying off so I could get a better shot with the sun on it.

21/06/2105

With a couple of hours to kill before collecting our daughter and all her possessions from university, I used my powers of persuasion to convince my wife we should return to Otmoor. No sign of the Hare today but the Turtle dove could still be heard calling. I saw a large group of birders using binoculars and scopes to watch it but it was too distant for a photo. However, on following the path to the hide I realised we would be walking right past the dove in the tree if it didn't fly off in the mean time. It didn't, I managed to finally get a decent photo of a Turtle dove in natural surroundings.




We didn't see much of note on the rest of the journey to the hide but once there we watched a group of 5 distant Red kites swooping around, a Sparrowhawk gave a fly by and two Brown hares sat grooming themselves in the field for a good 20 minutes. On the return along the path to the car park I spotted a pair of Common terns, they sat side by side for a while and then mated.



We were about to walk on when my wife spotted a small wader at the waters edge, I borrowed the binos' and couldn't believe my luck, it was a Little ringed plover, a life tick for me - it wasn't a particularly good view but you could see the dark bill, yellow eye ring and pale legs. I am surprised I've not seen them before, they get a 'Green' status according to the RSPB website whereas the Ringed plover is an 'Amber' status and I see dozens of these every time I visit the beaches in winter and occasionally during the summer as well.

It is only a record shot but nice to see one all the same.
A few birds were using the feeders set up near the path, a Great spotted woodpecker, plenty of Goldfinches and Great tits and a few Greenfinches. The feeders were a little bit too far away for a great shot but I sat quietly by the fence and managed a half decent Greenfinch.
We didn't have long at the reserve but it is certainly worth a visit if you are anywhere near Oxford.

Tuesday 2 June 2015

Two countries in two weeks, Wales and Italy

I realise I haven't written anything for a while, it takes quite a bit of time to locate and resize the photos and then to write the blog. So to catch up a bit I'll condense my two recent trips into two blogs. We were flying to Italy from Bristol airport with our daughter and her boyfriend who both live in Cardiff, so we spent a few days in South Wales before our flight. This first blog covers our time in S Wales, the second. our time in Italy.
13/05/2015. A recommendation from one of my Flickr contacts was an RSPB reserve at Gwenffrwd-dinas 
which was reputedly good for Pied flycatcher, high on my list of 'must see' species, amongst other desirable's. It was a lovely spot, and Pied flycatchers were indeed present. But, before even reaching the reserve, we passed through Llandovery, a small town, north and just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park. As we approached the town, the sky was awash with Red kite. A field had been cut for hay or silage and was being collected. Up to 20 Red kite and a few Buzzard were circling the field to pick up anything that may have been disturbed or revealed during the harvest.
 

I took lots of shots but as always with the little Canon SX50, it was quite difficult to get a focus on moving targets and also I failed to set the exposure compensation correctly for the bright sky, so most of my shots are silhouetted to a certain extent. A shame as it was the greatest concentration of of Red kite I'd ever seen (apart from over the M40 when I am driving). Apparently there is a feeding station nearby which offers photo opportunities on a daily basis, so the birds are clearly regularly in the area - maybe next time!
At the Gwenffrwd-Dians reserve, a board walk leads you through a damp wooded area, lots of nest boxes had been fitted to the trees and sure enough, stand patiently for a few minutes and Pied flycatchers appear.

 They never came particularly close during my time there but I guess if you dedicated an hour or two to the cause the opportunity  to get some closer shots may well occur. My wife was with me and although she is interested in birds, she's not that interested! The board walk ends and the path continues around the side of a hill, it involves a little bit of scrambling up rock steps in places but generally it was easy walking. It was a beautiful spot and apart from the occasional RAF fighter plane screaming over head, was very peaceful. 
The path around Gwenffrwd-Dinas.
At one point we stopped to watch a Treecreeper on a nearby trunk, it had a beak full of insects and after a couple of minutes it dived into a split in a dead tree. 

It was feeding young, and from our vantage point beside a larger tree it  pretty much ignored us. We stood and watched the pair come and go a few times when I became aware of something flying about overhead - it was a Great spotted woodpecker, but rather than fly off, it hid around the back of a tree and then flew a few yards to another tree. I saw it several times - and then I saw the hole in the tree we were stood next to. It obviously had a nest in the tree and we were preventing it from returning. We moved off leaving both Treecreeper and GSW to feed their young in peace. The other bird of note for me was a Tree pipit. It was singing from the lower branches of a tree and then parachuted down to the ground in a very graceful descent. After a few moments on the woodland floor it would fly back up and start singing again. We stood and watched it for several minutes. 
Because of the low light levels in the wood I wasn't able to get a photo of the flight display but I did get a few of it when in the tree. I'd seen one in Germany last year but this was the first UK one to my knowledge (I may have seen them years ago in Blean Woods but not sure if we saw them or just went to look for them, it was so long ago).
Other notable species seen at the reserve were Nuthatch, Grey wagtail, Willow warbler, Spotted flycatcher and Marsh tit. One I was hoping to see but didn't, a Redstart.
Back at the entrance was a feeding station for finches etc and a pair of very nice Yellowhammers came in to feed giving me my best shots of them to date.
Another excursion, on the 15th May, was to the Gower Peninsula, and again we were blessed with fabulous weather. The peninsula was the first place in Britain to be designated as 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty', a designation it lives up to very well. Our first stop was at Oxwich for a coffee and a brief look at the Nature Reserve. There wasn't a lot about from the hide while we were there, a lone female Gadwall floated about, a Willow warbler called from outside somewhere and a distant Heron drifted on thermals into a field.
Obviously used to getting scraps from visitors a Robin sang lustily from a fence where we'd stopped for the coffee and piece of cake and earned a reward, other than that it was pretty quiet.
We took our time but ended up at Rhossili Bay and Worm's Head, the bay is about 3 miles of sand and when we were there only a handful of people were walking on it. I spotted a muddy puddle near the village which the House martins had also discovered, collecting mud to make their nests. I was able to sit down by a wall a couple of metres from them and take lots of photos without them paying me much attention.
After a walk along the beach we headed towards Worm's Head which you can reach at low tide, we'd left it too late to attempt, but if you do cross the causeway you have to leave plenty of time to get back otherwise you can be stranded until the following low tide. 
Overcrowded Rhossili Bay and the now flooded causeway to Worm's Head.
A compliant Meadow pipit sat on the wall for me and also a Pied wagtail was nesting somewhere in the stone wall near the car park and was quite used to the people walking past - although they definitely spot when you pay any attention and pretend there is no nest  to be seen by wandering aimlessly about with a grub (and some dried grass) in their beak!


I got a new photo tick (not a very good photo mind you) on the headland, a very agitated Kestrel was chasing off a pair of Raven, I looked around and was just in time to grab a couple of shots. I'd seen the occasional Raven on the cliffs in Kent but hadn't managed to get a photo.
On a separate walk, on the road between Marcross and Monknash, a Brown hare bounded along the road towards us - it suddenly saw us and hesitated before turning around and setting off the way it had come, only to turn again as the tractor which had disturbed it in the first place rumbled up the the road. It finally weighed it's options and darted through a gap in the hedge to find freedom in a large field. Luckily I was able to get a couple of shots off before it went.
This just about concludes the few days in South Wales, although we did spend another day on our return from Italy, where we had a short walk along the remnants of the Glamorganshire Canal at Forest Farm in Cardiff. The few shots of this can be seen on my Flickr site either side of here.
Next stop, Italy.







Sunday 26 April 2015

SBBOT trip to Minsmere

A 06:30 start from Sandwich Bay with visits to Abberton Reservoir Nature Reserve and then on to Fingringhoe Wick on Sunday, both in Essex, before the whole of Monday at Minsmere on the 20th. I was looking forward to seeing, and hopefully photographing some new species - especially some waders, maybe Little ringed plover, Greenshank, Common or Wood sandpiper, so expectations were high.
The first thing everyone noticed at Abberton were the huge swarms of flies, I think they were a species of Robber fly, but there were quite literally millions of them. As you walked through a swarm you could hear the high pitched whine of them flying, I was surprised they weren't being hoovered up by hirundines, perhaps they were unpalatable? They were completely harmless but you had to be careful not to swallow any or get them in your eyes.
Skylark at Abberton
I'm sure there are lots of interesting birds at the reserve but few were near enough to photograph. When you first arrive at a new reserve it is difficult to decide how best to go about it - especially as a photographer. The first hide, overlooking the reservoir, had nothing other than Mallard or Coot within 200m and nothing on the shore line. If time were unlimited it might be worthwhile sitting there for 4 hours in the hope something would turn up - but you could be missing something stunning elsewhere. My ploy was to visit each hide and area to see if anything was about and then choose where to spend most of my time. A Reed bunting was calling close to the path near the visitor centre which I took a few shots of on my way out and it was here I stopped for the last few minutes for better shots.
Reed bunting.
It took quite a while for the bird to climb high enough for a decent shot but it was always partially obscured by twigs and stems.
I didn't get any worthwhile shots from the hides but I spotted a pair of Yellow wagtail in the long grass - also near the first hide. They never really came out into the open (apart from a time I was photographing the Reed bunting and, unknown to me, the Yellow wag had landed on a plastic tree protector behind me, someone else on the trip got that photo). 
There was an extension to the main reservoir a couple of kilometers away from the visitor centre so my wife and I walked out to that. It was marginally more rewarding with Nightingales singing near the exit and another 2 pairs of Yellow wagtail en-route.

The extension to the reservoir was view-able from a road causeway called Layer Breton Hill, there were Common tern, Great crested Grebe, some hybrid ducks and geese and on the far side a heronry where several Little egret and Grey heron nests could be seen - at some distance.
Heron with 3 young.
Also visible from the causeway were two Cormorant colonies with nests in the trees - I'd always assumed they nested on cliff faces until I saw tree nesting bird in the Cotswold Water Park.
From here we were taken to Fingringhoe Wick, a lovely reserve on the banks of the River Colne (which empties into the North Sea near Brightlingsea). Scrub and woodland covered a lot of the reserve and it was criss-crossed with paths. A couple of hides overlooked the river and others a scrape and saltmarsh. But, like the morning, everything was quite a long way away. People reported some Black-tailed godwit in summer plumage but these were only picked up by scope on the far side of the river. It is a great place to see Nightingales, there were 26 territories reported, but I only saw one for a fraction of a second as it flew across the path. Blackcaps and Chiffchaff were quite common but apart from the Chiff below I didn't get any photos. It was unusual to see one on the ground.
We did just catch a glimpse of a Marsh harrier displaying, it folded its wings and dived, pulling out of the dive as it approached the ground, by the time we'd got to an area with full visibility it had stopped displaying and was flying away. It did eventually come back our way and was joined by another but they were a long way away, we saw a second pair even further away.
That was about it for the day and we were driven to our hotel ready for an early start in the morning.
20th April, Minsmere.
I'd been to Minsmere a few times before but many years ago, my memories of it were very good and parts of it seemed familiar. There was a Sand martin colony near the visitor centre and I did manage a few shots of one by a nest hole, a new photo tick for me.
A circuit of the West Scrape, visiting the 5 hides revealed very little in range, my memories of Avocet with chicks a few metres away were not replicated, everything seemed a long way off. I saw a Greenshank, reasonable numbers of Avocet, and Black-tailed godwit and a few Ringed plover but none really close enough.
Black-tailed godwit - heavily cropped!
A pair of Greylag geese with about 12 young were on one of the pools and for a change, they were close.

The only other really close encounter was a Sedge warbler which was singing away just the other side of a ditch, I was able to use a bush on my side to partially hide behind.

From the Bittern Hide there were some great views of Marsh harriers, the hide is on stilts and quite high giving the chance to view the birds at almost eye level. I had my best opportunity for some great shots but disappointingly they were poor (very poor!) Mostly out of focus and silhouetted, but apart from that...
We passed a cordoned off patch labelled 'Adder viewing area' but having read the information board about the most likely time to see them, we weren't hopefully. Having spent a few minutes peering into the long grass under bushes as advised and literally seconds after my wife said "I don't think we'll see any" she spotted a couple performing their mating courtship, necks extended intertwining with each other, I missed that - they were only visible for a few seconds, but then one moved off through the grass and I managed to get a snap.
With time running out I was keen to try to see a Dartford warbler, these were most likely to be found on Dunwich Heath just to the north of the actual reserve. It was going to be a ~3 mile round trip from where we were so we had to keep an eye on the time. Having never seen a Dartford warbler before I wasn't sure where to look  and despite scrutinising every bird and scanning the low gorse and heather bushes I didn't see any. I met a couple of people who had binoculars, so I assumed they were birders, and asked if they had seen any, they had seen 3 during their walk across the heath. As the woman told me this, she said "There's one now" and sure enough, although difficult to see against the still brown heathers, was my first Dartford warbler. I did take a few shots but they are not much more than a few pixels of warbler - ID-able from the photo but not worth showing here.
We made it back to the coach with a little time to spare and right next to the visitor centre I got my next photo tick, a Marsh tit, a frustrating little bird to photograph, there were a pair but neither stayed in the same place for much more than a second, every time I'd found it in my viewfinder, pressed the shutter to focus, they were somewhere else. I did get a couple of shots but definitely one to improve on.

Wednesday 22 April 2015

15th to 18nd April
15th.
The day started bright and sunny so I went to Sandwich Bay in the hope of finding something interesting to photograph, I did my usual slow drive along Golf Road, I can nearly always find Grey partridge doing this but often they are too far from the road to photograph as was the case today. I have become quite adept at keeping an eye out for other vehicles (in front and behind) and pulling over to allow them to pass so I can continue my slow crawl along. I could walk it but the birds seem far less concerned by a car than a person walking and this has given me some great opportunities for shots at quite close range.
I did park up and walk around the large gorse patch roughly halfway along, a Whitethroat was singing but the sun was behind it so I couldn't get a shot. The Linnet (below) however was lit perfectly but I couldn't get any closer because of the density of the gorse bushes. I just love the coconut smell of the flowering gorse - and it looks great in photos!
The Scrape was devoid of pretty much anything but Coots and a few distant ducks so I spent half an hour wandering around the Elms chasing what seemed like ghosts - the Blackcaps were there in reasonable numbers but melted away whenever I got close. Perseverance paid off in the end and I did get a few shots of both the male and female. I'm fairly sure that if I had time, standing quietly in a good spot and waiting until they came to me would pay off but it is difficult to do that when you can hear them singing  somewhere else.


In the afternoon I was visiting my mother but took a circuitous route via Ickham and Littlebourne to see if the Grey wagtails were around. I didn't see them anywhere but a Red kite drifted overhead, I couldn't resist firing a few shots but it was obviously too far away for anything other than a record shot.
16th. A day out at Lullingstone Roman villa near Eynsford, somewhere I'd promised to take my wife for ages, ideally it should be combined with a visit to The World Garden at the Castle, but that wasn't yet open this season. We'd barely got out of Eastry when I spotted a Crow mobbing a Red kite, normally there is nowhere to stop when I see something like this but I was on a little country lane and luckily there was an area I could pull the car off the road. I leapt out of the car with my camera zoomed in on the birds as the red 'low battery' flashed its last and the camera turned itself off. Life! I grabbed another battery but the birds were now a way off, I was thinking I may have to pursue them in the car when they headed back my way. I got a few shots, a couple on my Flickr site and this one.
I'd assumed the Crow was just mobbing the Kite but when I saw the photos on the computer I could see the Kite had something held in it's claws, it is difficult to make out what but it could have been a Crow chick?
Five miles further on near Adisham, I passed a Mistle thrush on an area of grass, we drove within 5 feet of it and it didn't pay any attention. They are normally very wary so this was an opportunity not to be missed. I opened the window and took some shots but the sun was in the wrong direction (or, more acurately, I was in the wrong direction to the sun). The piece of grass forms a triangle between three roads so I was able to drive around and get on the right side, just in time for a few frames before the thrush flew away with it's worm catch.
A brief word about the area where Lullingstone Roman villa is situated. It is in the Darent Valley within the surprisingly rural M26/M25/M20 triangle, the nearest village is Eynsford which is a pretty little place on the river with a small stone bridge for light traffic, lorries and coaches have to use the ford next to the bridge. When you consider that Eynsford is less than 3 miles as the crow flies, from Swanley or 5 from Orpington or Dartford, it is an amazing oasis of tranquility. I suspect the area would provide good birding along the river and in the nearby woodland although we didn't see much during our time there worth mentioning apart from a pair of Grey Wagtails near the castle, 
Eynford village and the river Darent.
17th and 18th. Staying local I ended up at the Bay again, more of the usual suspects with the exception of a Snipe in the 'Water rail' corner of the Scrape. The Chiffchaff was calling in the Elms (I say 'the' Chiffchaff as it appears to be the same one, it has a tuft of unruly feathers on its right side just above the wing, see photo below). The great thing about chiffs is that they tend to call from exposed branches and as the leaves aren't properly out yet you can often get a clear view.
Snipe on the Scrape
The Chiffchaff with extra feathers, in the Elms
A Wren was singing loudly from a very photogenic perch and I caught a Grey partridge that had ventured close to the road and the warm weather had brought out some Speckled wood butterflies in the Elms.


We're off to Minsmere on the 19th so hopefully a few different species to report next time.