Wildlife – Magnificent May

Posted on 23rd May 2020 by Richard

Nature springs to life in Bishop’s Waltham

I say magnificent May for the reason the weather got warmer, wildlife very active and some hope after the Lockdown ending to a certain extent.
To get to the more tranquil places around here you first have to walk through more the Dog walker, Cyclists and Jogger parts of the countryside and through the past few weeks I’ve got to meet same faces daily and have a quick chat. What’s very noticeable is the amount of people speaking about what’s around them. I guess that not going to work so much and the need to get out more has brought about the will to appreciate and learn and indeed I still have a lot to learn !

Two of many Swallows Bishop’s Waltham

After weeks of walking around the locale I’m getting further afield now with trips to Titchfield Haven, Hook-with-Warsash on Southampton Water. Of the two, the latter is better, to get to the Beach and the protected area means a 400 meter walk from the car thus avoiding the crowds on the more popular beaches and Ice Cream Vans !

Green Woodpecker – Sedge Warbler – Skylark (Hook-with-Warsash

The Garden here is also very active, especially with the young Starlings from their nest in the Gutter above plus occasional visits from Long Tailed Tits, Goldfinches and the Great Spotted Woodpecker which for some reason loves the tree in the neighbours garden at the back, there every day without fail !

Young Starling causing havoc on the feeders

Blackcap – Hook-with-Warsash

Hopefully the rush of people going to the surrounding popular beaches won’t be the start of another Virus surge and life can get back to normal, Nature has moved ‘onwards and upwards’ over 5 or so weeks of partial rest.
The air is cleaner, the importance of nature has come to light. Long may it be so !

Winchester Green Party

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Birds settling down for Winter

Posted on 5th November 2017 by Richard

Dungeness and Conningbrook

Late October and early November is a great time for spotting the smaller birds; the leaves are almost off the trees making things more visible and most of our feathered friends are now returning to their favourite Winter residences.

Stonechat

A trip down to the area around Dungeness Old Lighthouse produced the ever present Pied Wagtails on the Nuclear Power Station wall and in amongst the Gorse were the usual Robins, Starlings, Dunnocks and Meadow Pipits.

Meadow Pipit

Over the fields from here to Conningbrook showed some nice views of the Stonechats on North Field and on the fence posts beside the Great Stour, as indeed the Goldfinches did as well all be it they were only there for a couple of days before moving on.

Pied Wagtail – Goldfinches

As always, the unexpected seems to happen when I return home, a few days ago it was a Sparrowhawk and today, a Reed Bunting in the bushes of the front garden.
Garden wise we’re getting a lot of Long Tailed Tits who in a pack of around a dozen, flip along the trees before going on their way somewhere else. The Feeders have produced one Goldfinch and the Greater Spotted Woodp[ecker is back feeding at least three times a day.

Male Reed Warbler

It’s about now the Fieldfares along with Redwings return to the fields here. The challenge will be taking a photograph of them, they have a habit of wanting to be two trees ahead of you all the time !!

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Trip to Arne Day 2

Posted on 17th October 2017 by Richard

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. 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 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.

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.

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More birds inland Pembrokeshire

Posted on 10th May 2017 by Richard

Swallows

I was lucky enough to find a campsite just a mile from the coast, space for 80 Campers and Caravans, but I was only one of four people staying there.
In true anti-social fashion I found a spot the furthest away from anyone else and enjoyable the peace and smell of the Farm no end.

Fist to show up were a gulp of Swallows, a fair number of them flying at speed past my Camper just some three feet above the ground. Luckily photo wise some settled now and again so I was able to get a few half decent close up shots of them.

Swallow
Although seeing much the same amount of birds as I would back in Kent, it’s always nice to see them in another setting, so a good showing of Wheatears, Sedge Warblers,Reed Buntings Greenfinches, Linnets and more

Wheatear – Sedge Warbler – Linnet

Greenfinch – Reed Bunting – Whitethroat
There’s no doubt the fact this is a great area to visit. You have the Pembrokeshire Coast Path which goes through the places I visited; Marloes Sands, Martins Haven and up to St. Davids.

The nearest larger town with well known Supermarkets is Haverfordwest, about 6 miles inland but most of the Villages along the Coast have some smaller Stores and / or decent Public Houses !

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Willow Warblers and more return down the Lane

Posted on 10th April 2017 by Richard

Willow Warbler

Like many, I easily mistake Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs when they show up down the Lane, so when I heard the soft ‘squeaky’ call I looked closey at this little bird flying from branch to branch not giving much chance to take a photo.
Luckily one shot came out well and another bad shot clearly showed it’s more orange legs and streak along the top of it’s eye.
Just to double check I watched the BTO Video and that confirmed it was a Willow Warbler.

Although seeing one in my Garden, the above photo was actually taken at Conningbrook Lakes.

Green Woodpecker

I haven’t seen the Green Woodpeckers for a while, I’d heard their laughing like call a few times but that was it, so I was glad to be sitting eating my Breakfast and suddenly noticing a male in the front garden digging well as they do.

It’s a pity because the female was about but never landed.
It’s always good about now and the Garden / Feeders attract both the Greens and Greater Spotteds.

More Butterflies show up

Small Whites have taken off down the Lane, so many more (and others) than last yer which was affected badly by a very wet Spring).
The Holly Blues are doing what they say on the tin and busying themselves on both the Holly and Laurel Bushes. We have loads, so they’re very welcome.

With the exceptive of a few birds such as Swallows, Martins, Swifts and Whitethroats, much is going on.
The above birds are being seen on the coast and some inland, so not long before it’s a full summer house !
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Sedge Warblers & more at Dungeness

Posted on 10th June 2016 by Richard

Although I go to Dungeness on probably a fortnightly basis (25 minute drive) and have done so for the past year, I hadn’t a photograph of a Sedge Warbler up to now.

The Sedge Warbler

My day started off just before 10am and it was cold! I walked from the ARC Car Park along to the viewing point on the main Site and sat there for a good hour. In this time I saw four Hobbys, a Marsh Harrier, Common Terns and the usual Reed Buntings making a right racket.

I walked back slowly, got the car and drove round to the main RSPB Car Park and set about a long walk around the whole Reserve. Between the Christmas Dell Hide and Denge Marsh Hide I found myself face to face with a Sedge Warbler sitting very calmly amongst the shrubbery.

Starlings – Wild Foxgloves – Small Blue
Ah good I thought, at last I’ve seen one. For the rest of my walk I must have seen another 8 or 9. It’s strange how this happens, you never see something, but once you do, you seem to see them over and over again.
This makes for not being so excited about seeing one (unless it’s rare) but on a challenge to take a better photo than the one you had before!

The Swallow, nice pose, pity it wasn’t on a twig though!

I finished up around 3pm, the sun had come out and from being cold in the morning I was now quite hot!
A Linnet and some Swallows sat on the telegraph wire back on the ARC and that roundd my day off quite well.

Other wildlife included quite a few Electric Blue Dragons, Four Spotted Chasers and lots more Invertebrates, most being in the form of Midges.

Good preparation for Scotland in two and a half weeks !

Over 60 pages of Garden Wildlife on the main Web Site here Nature on our Doorstep

A day in Hamble

Posted on 17th May 2016 by Richard

17th.May

With the weather quite good I managed a few hours to have a walk around the shoreline and venture along the footpath toward where the Estuary meets Southampton Water.
Many of the Waders have now dispersed, just a few Terns, Mallards and Teal about.

The Jay

On to the Woods then! It was nice to see a Jay resting in the branches of a tree, We have one or two visit the front garden here but all too often when you see them elsewhere, one little noise and they’re gone. All the more reason to try and get your photo right on the first attempt, usually even the click of the Camera is enough to send them flying and you end up with some pretty decent shots of a branch!

Nice to see was a Cettis Warbler. I’m forever confused by them against the Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, the answer being mainly in the colour of their legs. Luckily this one showed it’s legs and paler patterns under the head so I’m pretty certain I have to right this time.

Cettis Warbler

Beside that, there were a few Greenfinches around. They’re very much the first you see them then you don’t bird. You can go for days, even weeks, looking out for them, then suddenly they’re like a London Bus and come one after the other for a day or two.

But it’s not all about Birds and to see the flora around and about in that in between the Spring and Summer mode is of great wonderment.

Over 60 pages of Garden Wildlife on the main Web Site here Nature on our Doorstep

Pett Level birds at the end of April

Posted on 30th April 2016 by Richard

Saturday 30th. April

On my way to visit family in Hastings I left home earlier than required and drove down to Pett Level. Although it was a Bank Holiday Weekend very few people about and those who were weren’t there for the birds. In fact I don’t know what they were there for, maybe the Smugglers Inn

Greylag Geese

Not much to be seen on the Beach, a few passing Gulls and that was about it. There could have been something closer to the water’s edge, but with the tide out, you need to know your way around or you’re sinking in the sand.

The Beach at Pett and close up of the Reed Warbler

Most action was as usual going on around the Pools and Reed beds opposite the Beach and next to the road running between Winchelsea Beach and Fairlight. Nice and flat and slightly sheltered from the wind by the raised banks coast side.

First to my attention was an extremely noisy Reed Warbler. I could hear it darting around and thought I’d have no chance of picking him out, but as luck would have it, for a few brief seconds, he settled on a Reed not more than ten feet away from me. I would imagine he’d not long arrived and busy setting up home and a partner for the Spring and Summer.

Common Terns
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Already born were a few Greylag Geese and the two star attractions were a pair of Common Terns who sat on some old fence posts for a good 15 minutes.

I spent around an hour then moved on. It’s strange how you can go somewhere and see very little, but the little you do see are often the best!

Over 60 pages of Garden Wildlife on the main Web Site here Nature on our Doorstep

Wildlife Diary

Recording wild life through the year around Hampshire, Kent and elsewhere

Tag Archives: Warblers

Wildlife – Magnificent May

Nature springs to life in Bishop’s Waltham

Birds settling down for Winter

Dungeness and Conningbrook

Trip to Arne Day 2

Dartford Warblers

More Fungi and a Stag

More birds inland Pembrokeshire

Swallows

Willow Warblers and more return down the Lane

Willow Warbler

Green Woodpecker

More Butterflies show up

Sedge Warblers & more at Dungeness

A day in Hamble

17th.May

Pett Level birds at the end of April