Wednesday, July 31, 2013
A late-afternoon visit to the flood brought nothing. I couldn't believe how much it had shrunk since yesterday. A grey wagtail near the weir was my first for ages. I then walked upstream to Monument Hill. I went out onto the common intending to cut across to my car, but on impulse walked back along the hedgerow to view the flood once more.
Glad I did, because four dunlin were feeding on the far side. For once I had my scope, so I had great views and could also rest the camera on it. This might have lessened camera shake, but I couldn't make the sun come out.
The dunlin were put up once by noisy, hysterical Canada geese. They flew off over the Jubilee River with many a hoarse "treep" but soon came back.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Six godwits and five egrets
A late afternoon visit to the flood brought six black-tailed godwits, which had been seen by another birder about an hour earlier. I wish I could remember not to look at the bird sites so that what I see at the flood comes as a surprise; but my ever-clicking mouse finger just carries on clicking. Here's a record shot of the six.
And in fact there was a nice surprise, in the form of five little egrets. Lost amongst the gulls they went unnoticed by me for a worryingly long time. Here are four of the five.
Eventually the egrets took off and flew southwards and I left too, being hemmed in by approaching cattle and looming black clouds.
I note that the little egret is one of those species on Berks birds' list, reports of which are not published during the breeding season; but little egrets don't breed here, and these were clearly just passing through.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
A returning snipe
Late afternoon I decided to ignore my sore throat and visit the flood. Five black-tailed godwits in summer plumage had been reported yesterday, and it was nice to see them still there. Four were feeding constantly while the fifth slept.
Yesterday a mallard was here with ten ducklings, and many of them were still around today; in fact one has got itself into the picture below. Also, in the foreground on the left-hand side, is a snipe - which I failed to notice at the time. (I note from my blog that I saw my first returning snipe last year on August 14th on the very dried-out common flood and then two on August 19th on the Eton Wick flood.)
As I walked away I realised that all the birds had gone up in the air, but a willow tree was in the way so I don't know what spooked them. I walked back to the gap to see the birds already settling again, although one godwit seemed to have left completely.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
I haven't been feeling great since we came home but I ventured out for a short walk this afternoon. The Eton Wick flood is still holding on although the only waders I could see were one redshank and a bunch of lapwings. Dorney common is dry and dusty but the brown grass is full of grasshoppers - great for any returning chats.
The banks of the Jubilee River at Marsh Lane brought a few butterflies: Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Large White, and Common Blue.
It's the first time I've managed to photograph the Common Blue. The underwing is pretty, but I failed to catch this male with his wings fully open.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
What heat wave?!
This is the weather map that appeared in the Guardian at the beginning of last week. See the dark cloud and raindrop in the far north-west of a country otherwise in the grip of a heatwave? Yep, that's where we were.
But driving through Scotland on Saturday was pleasant enough. Greger decided on a diversion to get away from the fairly boring A9, and high on a single-track road I spotted a male hen harrier quartering a distant slope. We couldn't hang around as this was only a passing place, but I got a record shot.
Next stop was the Glenshee ski area south of Braemar. A bright butterfly with ginger body-hair was patrolling a grassy gully and landing now and then on thistles. I've since learnt that it was a Dark Green Fritillary; fairly common, but a new one for me and a lovely one.
On another high road near Tomintoul we pulled into a layby to look at the Cairngorm mountains. Across the road, just up the bank beyond the fence, a covey of red grouse foraged in the heather. There are five in this picture, although Greger counted at least eight.
After that, the weather was mostly cloudy, windy and cold. A day at Achnahaird brought a knot; four greenshanks were also present.
On another grey day we drove down to Poolewe and did the Kernsary circular walk, setting out south-east along the River Ewe. The first part of the walk was on a road and pleasantly wooded; but the wind kept the leaves in constant motion and made searching for small birds difficult.
It wasn't until we were on the rugged path high above the loch that we had some good sightings.
Two red-throated divers came flying over cackling. They flew round and round but ever higher, and I nearly fell over backwards trying to follow them with the camera.
We walked on a bit further, and a large bird flew up from the loch-side (on the map, at the marker between 8 and 9 kilometres). With its neck held straight out it momentarily fooled us but then we realised that it was only a heron. As I turned away, another large bird sailed into view over the ridge to the east and we gazed up in disbelief. It was a blooming white-tailed eagle!
We swapped bins and camera back and forth but the camera remained on autofocus and so we ended up with very dark images. Although I've always said that I'm not much bothered about seeing white-tailed eagles (because they're re-introductions, they're not as beautiful as the goldens, etc) I have to admit I was won over. It was a very surprising and special way to see one; an oddly moving experience.
During this week we did only one hill-walk, and we kept it till the last day. Although the cloud was down over the hills, we drove round to Culnacraig again and went up onto our old friend Ben Mor Coigach to bag the pointed top of Sgurr an Fhidhleir, which we'd by-passed on two previous trips.
The weather improved as we climbed, stopping frequently to admire misty views of sea and the Summer Isles. By the time we reached the top the sky was blue and the sun was shining.
But first we were treated to a magical panorama, almost as though we were in a plane. A layer of cloud/mist lay below us, with neighbouring hills gradually becoming visible as it dispersed. Greger took the landscape below with his mobile.
The only birds of the walk were wheatear and meadow pipit; and as we made our way down, a tiny lizard and a small frog were seen near the sandy path.
On departure day, because of the heat down south and because good weather had finally arrived in the north-west, we decided to make our way slowly through Scotland with several stops, aiming to reach the motorway network in the evening and then drive through the cool of the night. This was one of our stops, where we stretched our legs along the old military road across the moors. The dark blocks in the middle distance are shooting butts, for hiding behind while you blast red grouse to kingdom come; and to the left of the track near its low point is a 17th century bridge.
It was grouse I was hoping for, but a sudden urgent "kee-kee-kee" made me look up to see two merlins flying in circles above me. I think the first picture is of a male bird, while the second shows a female. They were so close, and moved so quickly, that it was very hard to snap off any shots.
The birds were clearly agitated but I was on a public track with no intention of walking into the heather where they presumably had a nest/young; so before retreating altogether I knelt on the little grassed-over bridge to make myself small and unthreatening, and watched some fish darting to and fro.
Brown trout or sea trout maybe? The water in the burn looked dangerously low. After a while I could no longer hear the merlins so I risked standing up again and taking a look round.
The lovely silent moors stretched away in all directions; but of the merlins, there wasn't a sign. I walked slowly back up to the main road with many a backward glance - but I never saw them again.
Another stop was along the River Dee near Braemar, where a large mixed flock of tits gave hopes of a crested (not to be!). However, among them were a siskin and my first spotted flycatcher of the year.
We took turns driving home and arrived at about one o'clock this morning. And you know where we later heard had the hottest temperature in the UK? Aviemore, near where we spent quite a lot of the day! We actually found England to be quite cool. Aaaaargh!!!
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
How did we end up doing all this house maintenance during the hottest spell of the year?! Helping with the re-roofing of the shed by holding the material in place on Sunday (after it had been lying in the sun all day flattening out) I burnt my fingertips. They still tingle now!
This afternoon I returned to the gravel bay on the Jubilee River, where the number of minnows in the shallows was unbelievable.
Now here's a coincidence: When I saw the grass snake on this bank on Saturday I thought at first that its nose was a beetle creeping through the grass. Today there was a real beetle but alas, it was dead, bobbing about with the weedy detritus on the shoreline. I fished it out of the water and examined it; owing to its large size (35-40mm) and smallish head I think it's a female stag beetle.
I put it back in the water and watched it drift away.
According to all I've read, the stag beetle has declined alarmingly and become quite rare. It's even rarer now. (Later: after reading up on them, I find that the stag beetle spends most of its life (several years) as a larva. The adults live only a few weeks; so perhaps this female had laid eggs and then expired naturally.)
Saturday, July 06, 2013
Greger went off for an exercise walk and I paid a visit to the Jubilee River, parking at Marsh Lane. At the same little gravel bay where I saw them last July I sat and watched a shoal of minnows.
I think the flowers next to me were Great Willowherb.
Somewhere in the depths of the willowherb, something was approaching with a slow, stealthy movement. I couldn't think what it could be but had little hope of actually seeing it.
Then something dark appeared gliding through the undergrowth, and I took it for a large beetle. As more of it emerged I realised it was a grass snake. It was about two feet away and it must have heard or sensed me because it stopped, and flicked out its tongue several times before reversing out of sight.
Next time I saw it, the snake was swimming away upstream.
A nice peaceful interlude on a very hot day.
Thursday, July 04, 2013
A ringed plover was at the Eton Wick flood this morning. I returned late afternoon with my scope just to confirm identity; the plover was still there together with two green sandpipers and a redshank.
The Weymouth Break
Isle of Portland: Starting at the Bill, we walked quite a bit of the coast path, up the west side and down the east.
Our second walk was on the mainland. These old coastguard cottages at White Nothe are quite forbidding, looming up on the cliffs like a haunted house.
The falls of chalk spilling out onto the beach in this photo were not there on our last visit, in August 2011. They seem relatively minor affairs.....
......unlike this massive and famous cliff-fall which occurred in April, just east of Durdle Door. A stretch of the south-west coast path has gone for good.
Perhaps Lulworth Cove would be more picturesque without all the human additions; but it looked okay from a distance, and even the parked cars added a certain - well, something.
The photo was taken from Hambury Tout, which we climbed so that I could bag a new trig point.
On our last morning we paid a visit to Chesil Beach and looked at the little tern colony there. One tern chased a herring gull and looked so tiny in comparison! Greger got some exercise by running up and down the shingle bank.
