Bob's Birding Days Out

I had a couple of hours to spare in the afternoon and decided to visit Upton Warren to try and catch the Kingfisher as the light was quite good when i left the house. However, by the time I got there the light had faded somewhat and it had got very windy but I decided to stick it out for a while anyway.

The real purpose of the visit had been to try a slightly different technique. When the Kingfisher appear in front of the Water Rail hide at Upton Warren, they are very close giving excellent views with the 400mm lens. That said, it is then very difficult to follow them as they dive and fly about etc. The plan was to try the 200mm f2.8 lensso that the Kinfisher perch and water surface would all be in frame and with some luck I might get some diving sequences. I would also have greater depth of field as well as a bigger range of setting variables becasue of the f2.8 aperture. Sad to say the Kingfisher never showed, well at least not long enough to setlle on a perch(-:).

There were still a few birds about to snap at. Greenfinch hogging the feeders

but letting the odd visitor use the lower levels, like this Dunnock

and this female Reed Bunting

Most entertainment was provided by a selection of Little Grebe. This adult was busy with one of a late (or second) brood.

The juvenile was still showing its humbug stripes

and was being well provided for.

This juvenile Little Grebe ( a different generation to the one above) was spooked by the adult swimming beneath it and ran off

so fast

that it ended up flying - first time I have seen a Little Grebe fly(-:).

I had heard that an Osprey was at Shapwick Heath reserve - possibly the same bird that rested there for a couple of weeks last year. As soon as I could I arranged a trip with a colleague as I knew he had never seen an Osprey and we arranged to set off at 0600 for the 80 mile trip. The fore cast said it would rain until about 0900 and then brighten up but we committed to the trip as it was the only day this week we could make it and there's no way of knowing how long the Osprey would remain on site. It rained all the way down the M5 and as we entered the reserve car park at about 0745, it rained even heavier. We stayed in the car for a while but it got no easier so we drove round to the Avalon Marshes visitor centre to check on facilities and returned to the car park. At about 0930 the rain eased sufficently to make the trip up to the hide at Noahs Lake, where the Osprey had been reported. As soon as we reached the corner of the lake, we could see the Osprey in a tree in the middle of the lake, which made everything so far worthwhile. When we got to the hide there were already 6 people in it, so it was full (-:). None of the people in the hide had been there more than an hour as we had seen them all arrive, but they said hat the Osprey had not been fishing or eating whiule they had been there, so with luck it would eventually have to fish. I took my first picture at 0944.

So we settled for the long term, knowing that sooner or later it would have to fetch breakfast. There followed a period of preening

This one fell out of focus, but I bagged a distant Jay(-:).

The odd wingflap

A load lightening exercise

and finally at 1221 we had lift off.

Fortunately it chose to fish in the lake in front of us (unlike last year) so there was a bout of Kestrel imitation

followed by a first dive

from which it pulled out a the last second. More Kestrel impersonation

and then a second dive

emerging with a late breakfast - it all looked rather easy.

Back to base

and time to eat.

So it was quite long wait but thoroughly worth it. Besides, while the Osprey was preening etc, we did manage to see quite few other birds. A pair of Great Crested Grebe still feeding juveniles during one of the heavy showers

and just looking graceful at other times

A flyover by a Marsh Harrier.

A host of Cormorant, some taking off to go fishing/

Lots of Coot but this one actually flew, rather than just running over the water.

A Water Rail, looking like it was admiring it's own reflection.

A few Reed Warblers flitting through the reed beds.

Wouldn't be a real reserve without a Black Headed Gull

Two Greenshank rushing by.

After the Osprey had reated us to the fishing expedition and was now intent on it's breakfast, we headed off to do a tour of Ham Wall. As we walked along the towpath leaving Shapwick we saw what might be a Green Veined White, but glad of any correction.

At the pool just before the car park I snapped this solitary Black Tailed Godwit preening amongst multiple waders but it started to rain again, so we headed to the car for some cover.

Once the rains stopped we sett off again heading directly into the Ham Wall RSPB reserve, catching this Hawker in mid flight - rather dilapidated now. I can't tell if ot's a Brown or a female Migrant or some other.

Further on we saw Brimstone,

a Wren,

Clouded Yellow but no flight shot.

In one of the reedbed channels this ormorant was basking

while Reed Warbler wer foraging at the reedbed edges.

Grey Heron overflew

as di this Buzzard.

Lots of Common Darter about

and the first male Blackcap I have seen in a long time.

Butterflies were plentiful, with Red Admiral

and a really fresh looking Small Tortoiseshell

A female Ruddy Darter

and a male Ruddy Darter

Further on this Grey Heron obviously couldn't see us

whereas this Little Egret clearly did(-:).

By now we had returned to the car park but had not really had very goos views or pictures of Great White Egret. We decided to head back into Shapwick to view th pool we had rushed away from earlier because of the rain as we had also seen some Great Whites there earlier in the day as we passed to view the Osprey. We were delighted to see one fly in, almost on demand.

It kept us very entertained as it fished, catching and eating at least 3 fish.

We also noted some Ruff along with the Black Tailed Godwit and Lapwing

as well as a group of 4 Dunlin.

In the far distance we spotted a Bittern but it really was a long way off, especially for the available light - but a Bittern is a Bittern!

Back now to the Great White Egret which was beginning to get reasonably close, intent on its fishing and we were blessed with a final purple patch of decent light.