Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The sound of the sea.....
There were several herring gulls at Dorney Wetlands weir this afternoon. Three of them flew over uttering their melancholy mew which probably drives people who live at the coast mad, but which I don't think I would ever tire of.
This cuckoo was loitering around the boardwalk area, where there were several singing reed warblers.
Five redshanks were on site, which is the most I've seen here for some time; but these are probably "shared" with Dorney Lake. There was no sign of the lesser whitethroat that was singing four days ago; and I think I've missed my chance of seeing or even hearing the grasshopper warbler.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thanks to the hot, still weather we are at last seeing an increase in the number and variety of insects in the garden - including this tiny Holly blue butterfly.
My brother-in-law Terry had mentioned seeing a drake mallard with a purple head, so when I saw one on a short walk today I took a couple of photos. My books state that the mallard has an iridescent bottle-green head - so the colour can change with the angle of view, lighting etc. These two drakes appeared distinctly different - one predominantly green, the other predominantly purple - but as they moved around I could see gleams of the "other" colour on each one.
On a more gruesome note this corpse was attracting the attention of a crow. It's possibly the remains of a cuckoo but I didn't want to get too close as it was crawling with bluebottles and other nice beasties.
A very-much-alive cuckoo was seen from above as it flew upstream, a hobby and a sparrowhawk were soaring, and a Cetti's warbler was singing yards away from a couple sunbathing. Monday, May 17, 2010
An evening walk brought a medley of sounds: the growling of three airborne shelduck, the shriek of a parakeet hurtling over. A chiffchaff and a willow warbler sang high in willows, and two garden warblers competed unseen in the scrub. Whitethroat, song thrush and dunnock added their two penn'orth - and several times came the explosive "Now here-ere I am again!" of a Cetti's warbler.
As I left, swifts were screaming overhead and a redshank's "te-heu-heu" rang out on the still evening air.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Dorney Wetlands
Yesterday: I was peering through the low hide window at a redshank on a distant island, when a second redshank emerged on a nearby island. Upon which it immediately saw me and flew off calling. I would like to take an axe to these hides.
By way of exchange, an Egyptian goose flew in. The bright white wing panels make this a nice bird to see in flight, and some of the other colours are attractive; but there's no doubt this is generally rather an ugly goose.
"Oi! 'oo you calling ugly?"
Today: I walked in Cliveden and watched a singing firecrest until my neck ached. A visit to Dorney Wetlands brought a large flock of swifts, swallows and sand martins.
The rather muddy sand martin pictures were taken just before a violent downpour. At least six of them were perching on wires with swallows - but the swallows took exception to their presence. This was the third time I've seen swallows being aggressive: the first was at Dorney Lake when they were feeding young and a chiffchaff got too close; the second was on the cliffs in Cornwall when they dive-bombed wheatears; now it was the hapless sand martins.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Swinley Forest
Yesterday's 12-kilometre walk began with a singing firecrest just above me - my first one here.
A tree pipit was remarkably confiding, flying towards me and landing in a small tree nearby. I struggled to get my rucksack off and the straps undone, muttering: "You won't stay there, will you? You'll fly before I can get the camera out, won't you?" But it didn't.
I even took a few steps towards it and it simply scratched its head and watched proceedings with interest. I ought to have repaid this obliging behaviour with a decent photo - but I have a good excuse in the glumness of the day. The pipit preened a little, sang a little, gave me an old-fashioned look as I packed up again - and was still in the tree when I walked away.
Stonechats, whitethroats, swifts, chiffchaffs, willow warblers, treecreeper, nuthatch, gold crests, and a male redstart were also seen; and I watched a woodlark singing from the top of a pine tree.
Twenty to thirty calling crossbills were a lovely sight as they flew in a bounding flock across the danger area and landed in a pine tree right next to me. I did learn one thing (not the hard way fortunately): never stand under a pine tree crossbills are feeding in. Several cones came down, and each one landed with quite a thud!
A male siskin low in a ditch was the last good bird of the day. I didn't manage the lesser spotted woodpecker at Caesar's Camp, I failed to see or even hear any Dartfords and I only heard cuckoo and tawny owl in the distance - but it had been a very enjoyable birding walk.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Dorney Wetlands
There were at least two garden warblers on the site this morning.
Over a period of a few minutes, this small tree held various permutations of two garden warblers, a wren, a dunnock, a sedge warbler and four greenfinches.
There were fewer terns, and I looked at them all carefully having apparently missed Arctics yesterday. A lesser whitethroat was rattling and there were two wheatears behind Monument Hill.
There were clouds of midges over the stream on the edge of Dorney Common, and swallows and swifts were swooping low to hoover them up.
