Trip to Arne Day 2




Dartford Warblers

Day 2 was a special day, I’d photographed a Dartford Warbler from a distance at Minsmere last year but wanting a closer view of one I made it my days quest to find one here at Arne.

Dartford Warbler at Arne
Dartford Warbler. Bad light so excuse the pixels

One of the volunteer RSPB Wardens told me of the best areas, so of I went. I asked a few locals if they’d seen any today and all replies came back as “haven’t seen one for a few weeks”.
After waiting and watching in the known favourite spot, I gave up and started walking back to the Car Park. I saw one ‘last chance saloon’ in the form of a small footpath going up through the Gorse, walked about 10 meters and two suddenly popped up!

Not being sure if they would stay long enough to get a shot of them both, I made about three quick clicks before thay upped and went !

Parasol-Funghi    Birch-Fungi
Parasol Fungi – Birch Fungi

More Fungi and a Stag

The walk from the Hide to Shipstal Beach takes you through a nice mixture of Woodland, wetland and damp overgrowth, ideal for Fungi and through the summer, Snakes and other Reptiles.

At this time of the year, the Fungi is showing well and there aren’t many trees or rotting branches which haven’t something growing on or around them.

Stag at RSPB Arne

Richard at Arne
Me disturbing the Wildlife as usual !!

Taking the route back from Shipstral to the RSPB Centre you go through more Woodland with a massive amount of large Chestnut Trees, thus Squirrels are very popular as are occasional human foragers!
Then it’s back on to the fields where Stags and Deer are pretty prominant, some more shy than others! If you don’t see one, being rutting time, you certainly hear them now and again.

Except for the bad light, it was a good day, back to the Campsite via Sainsbury’s where I noticed a Raven sitting right next to the Van. As always, I didn’t have the Camera to hand !

I think that’s the best tip for Arne and the surrounding areas, always have a camera ready.

[fblike]





Trip to Arne – Day 1




My first full day on a Camp Site close to Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck naturally meant a day at RSPB Arne.

Although I’d been there last year, it was just half a day and upon my return I noticed I didn’t really walk round ‘the best bits’.

Spoonbills

Spoonbills at Arne
Some of the Spoonbills

One bird I’ve always missed at Dungeness is the Spoonbill. Arne disappoint, I saw 27 grouped togther on the islands north east of the Hide facing Poole Harbour.

In fact, the day before there were over 70 apparently, but I was quite happy with my lot !

Curlew at Arne
Curlew

White Fungi at Arne
White Fungi – Species I know not

Visions of the Sahara !

From this Hide I spotted a distant Kingfisher but too far away to focus, some Redshanks, Curlews and Lapwings were about but not many others.
This was probably due to the fact that it was the day when Sahara Dust along with ash from the Spanish Land Fires was blowing up from the south which brought about a coloured sky not too far amiss from the Full Eclipse a few years ago.
It was certainly very quiet.

Sahara-Dust-over-Arne-in-Dorset    Heath and Woodland Arne
Two scenes showing the strange light given out by the dust clouds

The RSPB have done great works at Arne and although the car park may appear full, walking around the various tracks you don’t seem to see an awful lot of people.
You can see why the BBC presented Springwatch from there, the diversity of heath, reed, coast, farmland, coast and woodland is unique, as are the approach roads to it.

[fblike]