WHAT'S BUZZING OR FLYING NEAR YOU 2018

@Scrungee, there has been up to 20 Cattle Egrets around here but I have missed them each time I have been out, they are very wary and mobile. Nice to see you have a close up. Did you see any Great White Egrets at Ham Wall or Shapwick? they are fairly common as they are breeding there now and spreading.

 

Didn't see any Great White Egrets at Ham Wall and didn't have time for Shapwick (took our daughter to Bristol Uni and back as she's considering taking a Masters there next year) so got quick trip in whilst she was there. Read there were Cattle Egrets there, and rembering what you said about the ones at Abbotsbury heading off out during the day, I took a drive around locally before visiting the reserve.

Spotted 5 or 6 large white birds amongst about a dozen Bullocks in a field beside the road between Shapwick and Shapwick Reserve, luckily there was somewhere to park, just enough verge to stand on to avoid traffic/falling in the ditch and a few holes in the hedge (that obscured me) that enabled me to get some shots.

Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to stay for the expected Starling mumuration, and dozens of people were turning up just as I had to leave and drive off, arriving into the hell of Bristol City Centre traffic at 17:00. Next time I'll start earlier, visit more places and head off for some B&B around Exmoor for the night, returning home the following afternoon.

P.S. I'm sure at times they were actually looking into the Bullock's ears!

 

I think once the cattle stop and sit down they move on as no insects are being disturbed.

This is the first Redwing I have seen this winter.

 

The 17 Cattle Egrets around here seemed to have split up when I went to look for them today and only found 4 in the distance and are extremely wary, this is the only I could get a pic of!!!

 

Coal Tit.


Mallard, forget how attractive they are as they are so common but in the sun the drake plumage is stunning.

 

A rather scruffy looking Red Breasted Merganser, I'm sure he looked smarter after a good preen!

 

I’m back...

We have been away living up on the Sandringham Estate while Liz and Phil were down at Windsor helping our future King celebrate his milestone birthday (70th) Anyway met up with friends for the first week while we were in Norfolk so spent an enjoyable week birdwatching at Titchwell,Cley,Thornham Harbour,Holme,Sheringham (King Eider) with them until they left for home

The best bits though was for me and Mr Kandy was to see our second ever White deer stag this time in the woods behind the caravan site and then I spotted it when we were driving to Titchwell a couple of days later.Evidently there is one stag and two hinds,all white and the warden told us that they are seen more at this time of the year due to the rut,so the sightings made our day

We managed a day out to Holkham Pines and found the Shore Larks (Life Tick)which at one point flew straight over our heads We also had four trips out to the beach at Titchwell where we eventually saw the Purple Sandpiper so that was a relief but kept missing the Snow Buntings

It was mild for the first couple of weeks away unlike the same time last year when it was bitterly cold but as soon as we paid for extra days the weather turned cold and wet

Wi-Fi was really hit and miss and I had to give up with trying to download photos so here are a few of them now,from bottom to top...

1...Little Egret...Titchwell
2...Shore Lark/Northern Lark..Holkham Pines
3...Shore Lark/Northern Lark...Holkham Pines
4...Teal...Titchwell
5...Fulmar..Hunstanton Cliffs
6...Purple Sandpiper...Titchwell
7...Curlew...Thornham Harbour
8...Heron...Bungalow Roof...Dersingham

 

Love the cute Teals Kandy. Your photos are lovely and crisp. Pleased you had an enjpyable break away and thank you for sharing it.

 

Some good sightings @Kandy, I have never seen a Shore Lark and I will probably have to wait until the new year to see Purple Sandpipers at Portland Bill.

 

@Victoria you haven’t seen the out of focus ones. I had to go through a lot of them to get these in focus ones as the birds were either moving or the wind was blowing me or the birds around so much it was hard at times getting a sharp photo with my little camera.

@strongylodon It has taken us thirty years to see them and was annoyed last year that our friends got a couple of photos from one of the hides last year when two dropped down on the ground in front of them and we missed them as we were elsewhere

We have Cattle Egrets in the county plus some Whooper swans but we have been busy sorting out the caravan stuff and the weather has been crap either foggy or raining so haven’t been yet to track them down.Hundreds of Fieldfares and Redwings feeding on the berries though in the hedgerows

 

The 20 or so Cattle Egrets here haven't been seen for a couple of days so they might have moved on.

A few from a damp, rainy walk around Poole Park lake.
Redshank.


Herring Gull with crab lunch.


A few pairs of annual wintering Goldeneye and Red Breasted Mergansers have settled on the lake now and will probably stay until March.






Eslewhere in the harbour there were more Pintail.


I have never seen a Little Egret in so deep.


Little Grebe.