Microbirdology

Our second time in Rutland with the caravan. We took the opportunity to join the Leicestershire and Rutland wildlife trust and take out an annual pass for the reserve.   Time was spent on the Egleton and Lyndon reserves, and we paid for an afternoon session at the Horn Mill Osprey hide. Horn Mill Trout Farm : We treated ourselves to a session at the River Gwash Osprey hide while in Rutland. Sadly, no Osprey arrived at the trout pond while we were there, but we were entertained by a Red Kite scavenging a dead fish and 2 Grey Herons squabbling and fishing. The Heron’s feeding method was not elegant. There was a lot of slow walking to pick a spot, then a full body ‘launch’ into the water. Success rate was about 1 in 4.     The Red Kite made several passes to get the dead fish (possibly a deliberate lure placed in the water by the spotter). It took several runs to successfully retrieve the prize.   Heron with its hackles raised as it protected its catch from the Red Ki...

Trip out to the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory. There was a cold wind gusting in from the sea, so we stayed warm in the Restharrow Scape hides, rather than walking around Worth Marsh. There were a pair of Canada geese with three goslings on the bank and several Black-headed gull nests with chicks on the islands.   The challenge for the morning was to get pictures of flying House Martins, who were feeding in and around the scrape. 1700 pictures taken and about 10 were worth keeping!   You must admire anyone who successfully took pictures of flying Swallows, Swifts or Martins before the advent of digital photography.   Other species present included Gadwall, Coot, Tufted duck and Little Grebe.          

Seaton Wetlands The metal swift boxes, by the Discovery hut have two nesting pairs of Swifts, and the Kestrel box is also occupied, although the female is thought to be different from last year. The Swifts were incredibly difficult to photograph, even near the nest. It is just amazing that they spend the first three years of their lives on the wing, without landing.   They need a 2 metre drop from the nest to ensure that they can get airborne again. The male Kestrel was busy bringing food back to the nest. There is an owl in the adjacent wooded area and both Kestrels have been seen off the nest, displaying to keep the owl away from their young. Plenty of the usual Black Hole Marsh birds on display including Shelduck with chicks and a juvenile Robin.  The main, and very brief, attraction was the arrival of a Little Stint for a few hours.   This picture is highly cropped. Colyton to Seaton walk Took the tram to Colyton, then walked back to Seaton taking in part of ...