RSPB Campfield Marsh

 Day one of our long weekend Based in Dumfries. The first reserve we visited on our journey to our hotel was to Campfield Marsh.

Windy and clousy but fine for our walk around the reserve. Black-tailed godwits dropped in to one of the marshes as we were looking at the ducks.

From the hide we could see the osprey platform

We could just make out the head of a bird sat on the nest. On our walk round we managed to see a bird on the platform.

A hare ran across in front of the hide.

We saw 4 wheaters at one point, here are 2 of them.

On our walk along the boardwalk we encountered this caterpillar

and a lizard

A very pleasant day. RSPB Mersehead tomorrow.

Wednesday 15th.

 Yesterday was our monthly walk around the Museum Gardens. we were joined by two young girls who certainly know their stuff and could hear goldcrests! We heard and saw a chiffchaff in the "edible" part of the gardens.

There has been lots of reports about the peregrines at York Minster, so as I was in the area I went into Dean's park for a look. The gardening team were busy laying turf in part of the park and told me that they had seen the birds mating earlier that morning.

1 bird was sat on a gargoyle on the North Tower.

A second bird was perched on the Central Tower and was calling.

Are they going to breed this year, fingers crossed!

In the afternoon it was time to take my daughter's dog for a walk.

Mallards and moorhens in the beck. Skylark singing from on high above the field of cereal, chiffchaffs singing from various places, but no whitethroats yet.

Packing today, Dumfries and Galloway tomorrow.

RSPB Blacktoft Sands

 My view over Ousefleet Lagoon yesterday morning at 8am. Lots of avocets, black-tailed godwits, shelduck, teal, gadwall, mallard and shoveler.

This little egret entertained visitors to the reception hide as it hunted for food in the ditch.

Chiffchaffs were in the willows next to the hide.

A water vole was eating grass in front of reception hide.

A marsh harrier was sitting in a bush opposite first hide, inbetween food drops.

2 male mallards were having a preen before they starting chasing a female.

Two moorhens were getting friendly.

Visitors also enjoyed seeing a female hen harrier hunting over the grazing marsh, while others saw a bittern in front of 1st hide and a spoonbill flew over towards Alkborough.

Willow warbler at RSPB Fairburn Ings

 

I am leading a walk on Saturday morning, so visited today to have a look around and see what is about.

The first thing that I noticed was that the sound of singing chiffchaff has in several places given way to the sound of willow warbler. I heard several but just managed to see one.

Little egret from the Pickup hide, and a chiffchaff looking for food near the sand martin wall.

From the top lagoons looking down to the moat area.

A mixture of grey herons, little egrets and spoonbills nesting.

RSPB Bempton Cliffs, YWT Filey Dams. FBOG East Lea

 

RSPB Bempton Cliffs at 0603 today.

I was not the first person at the reserve this morning. Lots of other people either watching the sunrise or the barn owl.

Lots of meadow pipits, reed buntings and skylarks.

Heard and saw a corn bunting but not able to take a photo. The number of gannets continues to increase.

The early morning sun gave them a pinkish tint.

other gannets were displaying.

Lots of kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills on the sea, I did not see a puffin.

 I left as the number of visitors was increasing and drove to Filey Dams.

I was not alone in the hide!

A chiifchaf was near the hide

A common gull

A spaarowhawk flew over and scattered lots of birds, so I walked round to East Lea.

A little ringed plover was feeding along the edge of the water on the opposite side of the lagoon.

Shovelers were busy head bobbing.

A family of greylag geese became the centre of attention for all the greylags and the parents had to fend off other geese.

Jackdaws were having a bathe.

Two grey partridges flew in.

A barnacle goose was with the canada geese.

36 oystercatchers dropped in for a bathe and a rest.

I left just after lunch to try and avoid the traffic, but joined the queue for York just after the last part of dual carriageway ends.

Swallows at Bank Island

 

The new building is nearing completion and I am looking forward to spending time on the new rooftop viewing platfrorm. This was my view from Cheesecake hide at 1030

10 minutes later

Rain, sleet and hailstones! I just closed the window and sat in the hide and waited. When the rain stopped and the sun appeared so did the birds. A pair of Red-legged partridge were close to the hide.

a grey heron landed in the shallows to hunt, near to a great white egret.

At the edge of the reserve a buzzard was eating its prey.

After it had eaten for a while it joined another buzzard in a tree.

Wigeon, teal, mallard, pintail, shoveler, shelduck, tufted duck and gadwall were all busy feeding.

A pair of swallows were hunting for insects over the shallow vegetation at the waters edge.

A pleasant morning despite the showers of rain.