Apr 24 2013
One of our key aims in visiting the Dorset coast was to drop in at RSPB Arne We were particularly interested in the lowland heath environment and were hoping to get a view of a Dartford Warbler. Well, we did not get a view of a Dartford Warbler but we did have a great walk and saw some unusual birds.
Apr 23 2013
We made a second visit to WWT Slimbridge on the morning of the 23rd before we drove down to Poole. This time we got much closer views of the Cranes and a chance to observe some interesting behaviour. As we watched the Cranes at the far side of the lake, one of them broke from the group and strode off purposefully to the right. As we homed in on this it was clear that the bird had something in its mouth and this turned out to be an egg. Slimbridge observers took this to be a Greylag Goose egg and it was certainly the right size for this. As it set off with this egg, it dropped in onto the ground and started to eat the contents. It proceeded to pick it up again and move further away with it and as it did so the yolk was clearly visible dripping from the shell. Continue reading
Apr 22 2013
We broke up our trip from Manchester to Poole with a stop for the night at the Tudor Arms Hotel in Slimbridge on the night of 22nd April. We arrived with a little time to spare so we had a chance to make a short visit to WWT Slimbridge. We arrived fairly late but we managed to get an hour and a half in before closing. Our first interest was to try to get views of the Cranes. We headed off to the Martin Smith Hide which overlooks the “Tack piece”, a small lake surrounded by fields with the River Severn in the background. We were instantly rewarded by views of three Cranes.
Apr 20 2013
We at last got a nice sunny day and despite it being a Saturday we had a fancy to take a walk over to Sale Water Park. We crossed Brook Burn and walked past the Heronry where we could see three or four bids on the nest – less than usual but perhaps we are a little late in the year for them. In any case there wasn’t the usual clacking of young birds. As we walked along this path we stopped to look at some flitting in the bushes and we could make out a Blackcap – our first “spring” Blackcap of the year.
Apr 15 2013
After we finished up at Inner Marsh Farm we decided to drop in on Burton Mere Wetland. As it happens a tree had fallen across the main road to the reception so we parked up in the filed at the top of the lane and walked down through the woodes where we saw a Nuthatch and could hear Chiffchaffs but, again, we could not see them.
The reception hide was busy as usual – a mecca for bird watchers who like their comforts. Again the glass was extremely frustrating. You are usually better standing outside the hide to the left side and getting a clear view. Anything other than a straight ahead view starts to cause distortion. – a big design flaw ! Continue reading
Apr 15 2013
We had a lovely spring-like day for our group visit to Inner Marsh Farm and with the weather being quite sunny and warm we had everything we needed for a food days birding. Our treat of the day cam early on with very good views of our first Wheatear for the the year – about half a dozen of them too-ing and fro-ing from the dry-stone wall on the left just as you get past the gate that cuts across the path down to the railway line and thence to the hide.
Apr 09 2013
The first birding group morning out of the term was to Moore Nature Reserve was a little under-attended due to holidays and other commitments so there were only six of us. Still we hoped we might hear or see some summer migrants and perhaps also get sight of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again. In fact there had been reports on the Manchester Birding Site of someone getting a “Woodpecker hat trick” there recently so we wondered if we would get lucky. It helped that is was a dry day, if a bit cold and grey.
Apr 06 2013
As we still had a bit of time available to us when we had finished at Mere Sands Wood we made the short drive to WWT Martin Mere. When we go to Martin Mere I reflect that we never see Curlew when we drive past Curlew Lane and I always though the name harked back to a previous era. However, this time, as we drove from Mere Sands Wood to WWT Martin Mere we drove along Curlew Lane and – lo and behold – there were about thirty of them feeding on the fields ! Continue reading
Apr 06 2013
We looked out the window and for once it was a beautiful dry and sunny day so we wasted very little time getting our gear ready and headed off to Mere Sands Wood which we have been meaning to go to – without the addition of snow or rain – for a while now and it turned out to be a lovely day for a walk round the woods taking in most of the hides and although there wasn’t anything special on show it was as if spring was actually threatening to arrive for the first time this year. Continue reading
Apr 02 2013
The provisional schedule for Spring is as follows :
| Tue | 09-Apr-13 | Moore Nature Reserve |
| Mon | 15-Apr-13 | Inner Marsh Farm ? Burton Mere Wetlands |
| Tue | 23-Apr-13 | Pennington Flash |
| Tue | 30-Apr-13 | Marshside / Mere Sands Woods |
| Tue | 07-May-13 | Stayley Brushes |
| Tue | 14-May-13 | Macclesfield Forest |
| Tue | 21-May-13 | Neumann’s / Haydn’s Flash |
| Tue | 28-May-13 | North Cave / Blacktoft Sands |
| Tue | 04-Jun-13 | Goyt Valley |
| Tue | 11-Jun-13 | Conwy / Anglesey |
| Tue | 18-Jun-13 | tcs poss Etherow |
| Tue | 25-Jun-13 | Brockholes |
| Tue | 02-Jul-13 | Dove Stone tbc |
| Tue | 09-Jul-13 | Marbury – autumn planning |