Sunday 10 August 2014

8 August 2014: Frampton on Severn and Slimbridge.

I took a visit to Frampton on Severn again to try and catch the Cattle Egret feeding in the fields with the cattle. I parked up and wandered off down the canal. First of the day was this Small Tortoiseshell.

 Closely followed by what I believe to be a male Ruddy Darter
 The first Frog I have seen swimming in a very long time, swam across the canal.

 The Cattle Egret was not to be seen out with the cattle, so I headed towards the lake where we had seen it roost the night before, in case it was having a siesta- I learned later that it was at Slimbridge but only visible to those who went on the Land Rover safaris. The Common Tern were quite active feeding
 but usually quite distant when actually fishing.
A Kingfisher came in for a while and sat high in the trees
obviously fishing
and eventually catching one. 
 I witnessed a female Emperor busy laying eggs
 and the Tern kept cruising.
 A further Ruddy Darter on the way back to the car.
 Having dipped out on the Egret I carried on the extra few miles to Slimbridge and found it to be pretty quiet there too. There were some juvenlie and adult Ruff on the South Lake.

 This Swallow was obviously busy feeding a late (or second) brood.
 A Grey Heron having a preen outside the Lathbury hide
 and then having a good old throat clear.
 A young Moorhen trying out the seedheads.
 Outside the Rushy hide it was bath time for this adult and juvenile Goldinch.

 A pair of Common Crane flew from the back of the Rushy area and out to another part of the reserve.
 An Oystercatcher still being shadowed by a well developed chick.
 For a change it was the male Moorhen rather than Coot who decided it was scrap time(-:)
A last visit to the South Lake befor closing caught this Cormorant returning to roost.
 As the resrve closed I decided to call back at the lake in Frampton to see if the Cattle Egret had returned. On the walk over to the lake it was a treat to see and catch this Green Woodpecker, though it would have been better if someone hadn't started shouting at me and asking something about a white goose in the area(-:).
 The light was already going but the Cattle Egret was there waiting for me, though all it did was sit and preen(-:).

Time for home before the weather changed.

3 comments:

  1. I think your Toad is a Frog. Difficult to tell for sure from the pics , but it seems to have a dark patch behind the eye and two ridges along its' back which are typical of a frog.

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  2. A nice set of shots to accompany your report Bob, and you did manage to see the Egret in the end.

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