I started out from Shuart today. Rain was threatening for the first part of the visit and I could see a couple of flashes of lightening out to the west but they never got any closer. In the end it stayed dry and turned warm and sunny. 5 Wren's were in the car park area with a couple of Robins. I stopped to enjoy a male Blackcap's song a little further on and as I did so I heard a brief call that sounded like a Water Rail. Though I stayed a while to listen I didn't hear anything further and the only birds I could see in the dyke were an adult Moorhen and a youngster. I will have to see if I hear it again. A Little Owl called which is always a welcome sound. It was a fairly quiet walk through to the sea wall with most of the usual jobs present. I enjoyed watching a couple of immature Willow Warblers as they worked their way through the hedgerow.
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| immature Willow Warbler |
There were certainly good numbers of Wren around and at least 4 Migrant Darters. I saw several juvenile Reed Warblers. I was puzzled by one of the warblers that I saw and managed to get some photos. Further on I met Matt Hindle and asked him to have a look at the photos. He instantly recognised it as a Reed Warbler and once I got home and looked at the photos I could see it but at the time I really wondered what it was. I have still got lots to learn.
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| juvenile Reed Warbler |
A juvenile Cuckcoo flew from a bush and gave a brief view before it dived into the next one. I did not manage much of a shot but was pleased to get what I did.
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| juvenile Cuckoo |
I saw a large family of Blue Tits working their way through an apple tree with 8 youngsters busily feeding. I couldn't get much of a shot but it makes a good memory shot.
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| young Blue Tit |
30 Swallow were hawking for insects over the horse paddocks as I came up to the stables and several of the horses had rows of Starling passengers on their backs. 6 Pied Wagtail were busily looking for insects. The sea was rougher today but appeared very quiet for birds as I reached the sea wall. The tide was almost in but on the turn. A Sandwich Tern flew east and a Ringed Plover was calling noisily from the beach. I had a Kingfisher fly past and fly up onto some rocks. They are always a joy to see.
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| Kingfisher |
A single Great Crested Grebe was out to sea and 8 Whimbrel were roosting on the shore in groups of 5 and 3. A Ringed Plover flew in overhead before turning for shore again. Meadow Pipits were popping up onto the sea wall. Plumpudding Island was very quiet apart from a few Goldfinches, Linnets and Meadow Pipits and a single Little Egret. I could hear a Greenshank calling from out to sea but could not see it from where I was at Plumpudding Island. I carried on towards Coldharbour and the odd Sandwich Tern continued to fly past as did a Little Egret. A young Yellow Wagtail was on the sea wall. They are lovely little birds.
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| immature Yellow Wagtail |
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| immature Yellow Wagtail |
I carried on to the green bank and had a Common Sandpiper past out to sea. 3 Stonechat were alongside the sea wall. I headed up the path parallel to the green bank. Several Emperor Dragonflies were on the wing as were Common Darters. A Common Blue Butterfly paused long enough, as it fed on some Red Clover, for a photo.
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| Common Blue Butterfly |
I could hear a Linnet calling away and could see a particularly brightly pumaged male above me.
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| male Linnet |
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| male Linnet |
A teneral Migrant Hawker was hanging from a stem and gave an opportunity for some photographs.
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| teneral Migrant Hawker |
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| teneral Migrant Hawker |
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| teneral Migrant Hawker |
On reaching the railway embankment over 30 Goldfinches were enjoying the thistle heads. They make such a lovely sound as they chatter away. A Grey Heron was in one of the fields. There was a lot of Common Toadflax in patches along the embankment.It looked lovely in the sunshine but was hard to find a bit that was not partially obscured by vegetation.
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| Common Toadflax |
On reaching Chambers Wall I had a look beside the river. 2 Green Sandpipers flew up calling noisily and Swallows were hawking for insects. I could see a couple of Brown Hawkers and also 2 Emperor Dragonflies.Unfortunately I had run out of time and needed to get back for a meeting so I couldn't linger. A male Sparrowhawk shot through and turned on a sixpence to chase a Reed Warbler that had flown up in alarm. It missed it by a fraction and carried on through. I finished with distant views of a Common Buzzard and 7 Lapwing flying over. It had been a fairly quiet visit overall but an enjoyable walk through.
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| Lapwing |
Birds seen this visit include: Wood Pigeons, 15 Wren, 2 Robin, 6 Blackbird, 7 Green Woodpecker, 6 Chaffinch, 1 Little Owl, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 8 Magpie, 2 Moorhen, 2 Pheasant, 8 Reed Warbler, Herring Gulls, 1 Blackcap, 1 Jay, 5 Mallard, 9 Whitethroat, 16 Reed Bunting, 17 Sedge Warbler, Skylarks, 2 Common Buzzard, 3 Willow Warbler, 3 Sedge Warbler, Carrion Crow, 1 Dunnock, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Kestrel, 36 Goldfinch, 53 Swallow, 7 Pied Wagtail, House Sparrows, Starlings, Linnets, 6 Sandwich Tern, Black-headed Gulls, Cormorants, 10 Ringed Plover, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 8 Whimbrel, 13 Meadow Pipits, 3 Little Egret, 7 Oystercatcher, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Tern, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 3 Coot, 1 Turnstone, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 Stonechat, 2 Mute Swan, 2 Green Sandpiper, 1 Sparrowhawk, 7 Lapwing
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