RSPB Titchwell marsh

On the way to Norfolk for my family  holiday I stopped off at the RSPB Titchwell marsh reserve. It was a beautiful sunny morning with a fresh breeze.

I followed the main path towards the beach, visiting the hides on the way.  There were huge flocks of avocets here with a very obliging individual foraging for food just in front of the hide for a while.  I also saw more spoonbills, and what I was told was a spotted redshank, which was standing one leg with its back to us. It was a pleasant walk onto the beach, but there wasn't much in the way of birdlife there today.
I enjoyed lunch from the cafe outside near the bird feeders, watched by a tame juvenile robin.
Bird seen today included:
reed bunting, reed warbler, ruff, avocet, spotted redshank, dunlin, lapwing, spoonbill, little egret as well as other common species.

Avocet

RSPB Frampton Marshes

Spending my holidays in East Anglia has meant I can visit some of the nature reserves that abound in this area.
On Friday 28 July I went to Frampton Marshes with Karen. The morning started off sunny but gradually cloud built up.   We spent several hours at the reserve and watching the bird life, including having good views of little ringed plovers from the hides. It was also nice to see a couple of spoonbills to add to my year list. Sandmartins were everywhere too, 

Species noted were:
starling, blackcap, goldfinch, pied wagtail, spoonbill, little egret, mallard, avocet, ruff, blacktailed godwit, dunlin, lapwing, swan, little ringed plover,
reed warbler, gadwall, dunnock, blackheaded gull, sand martin, swallow, woodpigeon. 

spoonbills

ruffs

little ringed plover

HERE AND THERE

It looked as if today was going to be the sunniest day of the week, so  decided to combine a couple of places for my trips out today. 

Firstly I set off for Farmoor reservoir where a number of interesting birds had been spotted recently. It was cloudy but fairly warm and hardly any breeze. The water was like a millpond, ideal for some children learning to paddle board I would imagine. 

I walked up the causeway; there were lots of pied wagtails flitting about and a couple of grey wagtails too. I found a couple of dunlin too 
.On the water there were also large numbers of coots and great crested grebes. I also spotted a yellow legged gull and a common tern and four young adult red crested pochards.  
My list was as follows:
cormorant, mute swan, coot, heron, great crested grebe, dunlin, pied wagtail, grey wagtail, common tern, herring gull, blackheaded gull, yellow legged gull, red crested pochard, swallow, (sand?)martin, green woodpecker.

dunlin

yellow legged gull

a number of blackberries already ripe

(No sign of turnstone or ruddy shellduck)

As the sun started to break through the cloud, I headed off down the A34 to Greenham common where I hoped to find a grayling butterfly. However, I didn't manage to spot any, although there were plenty of gatekeepers, meadow browns and common blues. I also spotted linnets, meadow pipits and stonechats. I'm hoping to be in Norfolk next week, so maybe I'll have more success there, if the sun comes out!  

common blue

linnet

stonechat

SOMERFORD COMMON AND RAVENSROOST

Hoping for some breaks in the cloud, I headed over to Somerford Common, where I had been on Saturday for bird ringing. It had been sunny that morning and a photographer told me that he had found 15 species of butterfly. 

However, it remained cloudy and I had to be satisfied with 10 species, namely:
common blue
ringlet 
gatekeeper
meadow brown
silver washed fritillary
small copper
comma
peacock
large white
small skipper

I followed this with a trip to nearby Ravensroost, hoping I might get a glimpse of a purple hairstreak, but none were seen, but I did get a green veined white as well as those species above, but not the small copper. 

comma

common blue

green veined white

meadow brown

ringlet

small copper

silver washed fritillary

AN INTERESTING MORNING...

I got up at five o'clock this morning in order to be at Somerford Common by six o'clock. I had agreed to join some bird ringers I'd met recently, during their morning session there.

I had an enjoyable morning although things didn't start off very well, as when turning into the car park, I became aware something was wrong with one of my tyres, and when I looked, it had gone completely flat!  I called out the RAC but as  they didn't arrive till nearly the end of the session I was still able participate in the morning's activities. 


I accompanied the two ringers, Simon and Jonny  while they finished setting up the mist netting, and then we went to retrieve the first few birds, which included a juvenile robin and a chiffchaff. I was fascinated watching how each bird's feathers were  carefully examined to find out its age and what stage of moulting they were at each bird was weighed and wings measured and if unringed, given a ring, before being released. 

We  made several tours of the nets, each time collecting about half a dozen individuals. I was able to hold several of the birds and then release them and Simon then gave me  the opportunity to weigh, measure and ring a juvenile robin myself! I was surprised how small the birds seem when in your hand compared to looking at them in the wild. We had a range of species (of which  many were juveniles) which included  blackbirds, wrens, blue tit, spotted flycatcher, marsh tit, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, robins, dunnocks, long tailed tit, bullfinches, and garden warblers.

Our most exciting  catch was the spotted flycatcher, which apparently are rarely caught in the area. We also had a marsh tit which had to be coloured ringed as part of a project. 

I am very grateful to Simon and Jonny for allowing me to join them and share their knowledge. 

juvenile blackbird

juvenile blackcap

female bullfinch

male bullfinch

chiffchaff

garden warbler

male blackcap

 juvenile marsh tit which hung around a bit before flying off

dunnock

juvenile robin

spotted flycatcher

BUTTERFLIES AT COATE WATER

I don't normally associate Coate Water country Park with butterflies, but having read of some sightings of small coppers on a 'grassy bank' there, that's where I headed after work today. 

Having worked out where I might find the butterflies, I walked part way round the lake to find  an uncut grass area, which had obviously been trampled on recently. A few butterflies were fluttering around the flowers there, and I soon identified meadow browns, gatekeepers and small skipper, and then a couple of common blues.  

common blue

common blue

small skpper

Then I spotted an orange coloured small butterfly which landed on a flower and turned out to be the small copper I was hoping for. It posed well for photographs, and in fact as I walked around this small area, I found at least six individuals. I don't know whether this is a hotspot for small coppers, but I shall have to find out, certainly a lot nearer than other places I have seen them. 

small copper

small copper, gatekeeper and common blue all on one plant

Butterflies seen at Coate today:
Red admiral, comma, common blue, small skipper, small copper, meadow brown, gatekeeper. 

GARDEN BUTTEFLIES

Very pleased to see butterflies on my buddleia today; last year I saw none, but today for the first time I had Red admiral and Peacock at the same time, They were later joined by a Large White.

As I watched them, I became aware of a family of long tailed tits in the willow tree, at least one of which was a juvenile

juvenile long tailed tit

. 

ASTON ROWANT

Another warm and sunny afternoon so I when I finished work at lunch time I drove straight over to Aston Rowant NNR   ( just over an hour away) in search of more butterflies. 

Once I had walked down to the chalk grassland which forms the reserve, I was surrounded by butterflies. I soon counted up to 15 species, chalkhill blues were a first for the year (there were many of these fluttering around, though difficult to  photograph with wings fully open). I was  also hoping for silver spotted skippers, seen last year, albeit slightly later on, and possibly small coppers, but didn't find either. 

species seen: gatekeeper, meadow brown, comma, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, peacock, large white, green veined white, brimstone, brown argus, ringlet, common blue, chalkhill blue, essex skipper, marbled white

gatekeeper

chalkhill blue

green veined white

brown argus

brimstone

the flower covered grasslands

comma

common blue

marbled white

small tortoiseshell and ringlet

small skippers mating