DIPPERS AND GREY WAGTAILS

I spotted my first small tortoiseshell butterfly of the year today, sunning itself on my drive just after I arrived home at lunch time; a reminder that the butterfly season will be shortly upon us. 

However, today I planned to visit a small nature reserve known as Frome Banks, in Stroud, which  starts just under the viaduct close to the Waitrose store, where dippers are regularly seen. I didn't get to see one of these birds last year so I was keen to do so today.

Having parked in the pay and display car park adjacent to Waitrose, I made my way  down a flight of steps to some traffic lights where I crossed the road and followed the footpath round to meet the canal towpath and then to the bridge at the start of the reserve. Water flows rapidly under a foot bridge here and over some rocks, and I immediately caught sight of a dipper on one of the rocks in the middle of the stream. It quickly flew off though as a dog walker passed by, but was almost immediately replaced with a grey wagtail which I endeavoured to photograph, in fact two of them. While doing so, I was aware of two brown shapes flying past, two dippers perhaps. Things were definitely looking hopeful. 

Someone stopped on the bridge and I could see that they had spotted a dipper on one of the large flat stones but it didn't stay for long and I missed another photo opportunity.

Nothing else was around, the grey wagtails had moved downstream so I strolled along the footpath alongside the river for as far as it went before returning to my starting point where I had first seen the dippers.   Determined to see one I then waited for a further twenty minutes on the bridge and  was rewarded by a dipper which seemed to appear from nowhere. It stayed around for a few minutes then flew quickly under the bridge and disappeared from sight. 

Dipper

The viaduct built by Brunel and the footbridge over the river Frome in the centre

view from the bridge showing the slabs where I saw the dipper

LOWER MOOR

A grey day but I decided to drive over to Lower Moor Farm for a short walk. At the hide there were already a couple of ladies with zoom lenses targeting the feeders but while one of them went to stretch her legs I made the most of the opportunity take some of my own pictures at the window. 

The usual birds were around; male and female reed buntings, lots of blue and great tits, male and female bullfinches, dunnock, robin and chaffinch. Mallards, greylags and canada geese on the lakes.

bullfinch f

 bullfinch m

chaffinch m

great tit

reed  bunting

 I then left for a walk round to the second hide, here all was quiet, a few long tailed tits on the opposite bank of the lake, then suddenly a grey heron flew directly towards the hide, saw me and did a 180 degree turn mid-air and flew back along the edge of the lake out of sight. 

grey heron about to land...

..then turned and flew off

Back home, the blackcap is still frequenting the feeders, together with the usual house sparrows, blue and great tits and goldfinches. 

face to face! 

FARMOOR

I spent a couple of hours in Oxfordshire this afternoon, notably walking the couple of miles around the larger of the two reservoirs at Farmoor. It was dry but with a cold wind when not sheltered by the hedge.  Very few people about, but on the water the highlights were  several goldeneyes, pochard, tufted ducks, little and great crested grebes. Also scores of pied wagtails at the edges and a feral flock of snow geese. I had intended visiting the hide on the nature reserve but realised too late  that I'd left the note of the door keycode in my car! 

goldeneye

great crested grebe

snow goose

I then paid a quick  visit to Rushy Common. Lots of black headed and lesser black backed gulls on the lake, also oyster catchers and red crested pochards. Just next to the hide a stunning cock pheasant was picking up spillages from under the feeders.

red crested pochard

 beautiful patterned feathers!

FURTHER SNOW!

Another weekend of snow, we had about 3 - 4 inches here. It has attracted fieldfares back into the garden to finish off the remaining apples; also another blackcap on 
the feeders, a male this time. 

Although it has rapidly been thawing, I went over to Stanton park in pursuit of a few snowy photos.  My birdseed and peanuts attracted blue tits, coal tit, marsh tits, great tits, long tailed tits, robins, dunnock, chaffinch, blackbirds... and almost a jay! There were no squirrels around, and a jay was gradually getting nearer but then a low flying helicopter scared it off at the last moment!  Oh well, another day......

blackbird

marsh tit

blue tit

jay

cormorant camouflaged by the background snow

female chaffinch

STANTON PARK DUCKS

A sunny afternoon and a bit milder than of late so I used a free couple of hours to visit Stanton Park. 

On arrival I was greeted by continual bleating from lambs, in the field beside the entrance track. 

I decided to walk around the lake first then position myself at the feeders afterwards. Peering through the trees at the lake, I soon made out a pair of shovelers, ducks that I don't think I've seen here before.  Then I noticed some gadwall, and counted 17 in total, after which I spotted a male teal, again two species that are not common on this lake.  A cormorant stood drying its wings, and other species noted included mute swan, mallard, coot , moorhen, blackheaded gull and a pair of great crested grebes. 

gadwall

great crested grebe swimming at speed!

teal

At the feeders were blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits, a marsh tit and coal tit. Also robin, blackbird, dunnock and chaffinch. No nuthatches seen today, but a jay was around also the usual jackdaws. 

marsh tit

coal tit

SHORNCOTE IN THE RAIN

It was a wet afternoon for my second  U3A birders trip ; this time we met in the South Cerney car park for a walk to the nature reserve at Shormcote reedbed, With the rain starting as we set off, there were definitely no photographs to be taken today! 

I don't  mind birding in the rain, apart from the difficulty in actually seeing anything through binoculars or through my glasses for that matter, due to constant raindrops getting on the lenses!  Nevertheless, as a group,(21 of us) we managed to tick off 29 species, though I must confess that I didn't see quite a number of them -  with a large group of people spread out as we walked along the path, it was inevitable that some would see things that others didn't.  We also managed to see roe deer, a fox and some rabbits.

However, I did see my first little egret of the year which brings my total so far to 100 species. 

MORE GARDEN VISITORS

Its been snowing most of the day, apart from a short spell at lunch time. The fieldfare flock has been in my garden for most of the day, at one time peaking at 40 birds! They have nearly devoured all my apples, so I have tried them with defrosted apples from my freezer; they are just as popular but prove a little more tricky to take away to a quiet spot because they have no skin to grab hold of! 

Additional visitors today included several long tailed tits. a female blackcap and a pied wagtail. A singe redwing tries to join in the apple feast, but is soon chased off by greedy fieldfares! 

fieldfares seen from my window

fieldfare fight!

female blackcap

long tailed tits

pied wagtail

redwing

WINTER THRUSHES AT STONECOTE,..IN THE SNOW

It has been snowing on and off today and the fieldfares have been back again, fighting with each other and also the blackbirds over their rights to the apples which I am regularly putting out for them. They come quite close to the house now, and their desire to keep the apples to themselves seems to outweigh their fear of being watched  and photographed through an open window!  A couple of thrushes have also been  around, and a pied wagtail, which, interestingly, also paid a visit during the last lot of snow we had.