Archive News and Pictures - Devon, Glamorgan, Oxon & Somerset - to 30^th June 2009

1^st June. The stunning hot sunny weather continued so I managed to take a day off work for some serious birding. I'd intended on heading back to the Forest of Dean but instead found myself heading south on the M5 and into Devon to hopefully reacquaint myself with one of its specialities. I arrived at Berry Head, past Brixham at 7:30am and immediately caught sight of my quarry. A male Cirl Bunting was sat right on top of a tree in the car park which proved to be my closest view but before I'd even got the camera out of the bag! Swiftly getting myself in order, I pootled off in search of the bird and after 15 minutes or so managed to spot him singing from the top of another more distant tree. The song was certainly bunting-esque and was quite distinctive from the other singing birds which included several Greenfinch and numerous Whitethroat which seemed to be songflighting from every available prominence. I managed to lose the Cirl Bunting and found myself at the headland where I was easily distracted by the Fulmar soaring effortlessly in the updraughts. Great Black-backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls & Herring Gulls were constant sights as they passed by the clifftops along with a few House Martins, Swallows and plenty of Swifts. Heading back I followed the coastal path and heard the unmistakable sound of Guillemots and saw several rafts on the shimmering sea below. I also managed to lay eyes on an iridescent green Shag as it flew to its nest on the cliffs. The Cirl Bunting seemed to have moved on and I was again distracted by the butterflies, again spotting yet more Painted Ladys, along with Common Blue and also a few Wall Butterflies. After another couple of laps without any sign of the Cirl Bunting, it was time to move on and so I battled through the holiday traffic to Dawlish Warren. Once I actually found the nature reserve, I headed off in search of waders but being distracted again by lots of Little Blue butterflies. After a incredibly hot hike across the reserve and through the sand dunes I arrived at the hide to be presented by a lot of mud and some very distant waders. A few Grey Plover, Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin were on the foreshore but no sign of the mystery sandpiper that has been seen on and off. A few Little Egret, Cormorant and a collection of Gulls made up the other birds and after walking round the headland looking for waders in what looked like a Mediterranean setting we came up empty handed apart from a couple of Sandwich Terns flying over our heads. Deciding to cut the losses I headed back to the car having another quick go at the butterflies and soon arrived back at the car and had a well earned drink. Pointing the car North and via a few hairy diversions I eventually arrived at Chew Valley Lake and was immediately apprehended by the Bristol Water Gestapo that turned up in a cloud of smoke, actually screeching his car to a halt and demanding a permit. I was unaware of the requirement and after talking to the jobsworth, drove off to find one. Once back at the hide and now on the correct side of the law I wandered the wrong way and peeked over a gate and was delighted by the sight of a young Fallow Deer which looked adorable in the field of buttercups and even when it became aware of my presence, was unperturbed and carried on its business. Leaving the young deer to its own devices I left and found the hide and was soon looking at a drake Ferruginous Duck. I took a number of record shots through the camera and then had a go at digiscoping a few pictures. I was surprised that some of them came out quite well which certainly improved my existing pictures of the species. The ducks were happy roosting on the island and after 45 minutes of inactivity I decided to have a go photographing the numerous Swift above the hide. I managed a few nice images but as I was doing so, something spooked the ducks and they all moved onto the lake - photo opportunity missed! I moved back into the hide but there was no further sign of the Fudge Duck so after a half hours wait it was time to head back but what a great days birding.

11^th June. I'd had a nagging urge ever since I'd heard about a great find over in Somerset the previous weekend. By Thursday, with good dawn weather forecast I could wait no longer! Out of the house before 4:30am and arriving at the wonderful Ham Wall / Shapwick Heath reserves at 5:45, I soon set off in search of Bitterns. I briskly walked to Walton Heath and then started out on loops of the marshes with ears open for any doglike barking sounds! After 40 minutes or so of battling through the clouds of insects and admiring the screaming flocks of Swift gorging themselves on the bounty I'd heard nothing promising on the Bittern front but several Cuckoo sightings along with Reed, Sedge & Garden Warbler singing away along with Blackcap and Whitethroat and also a distant perched Hobby made the wait less frustrating. I bumped into my first fellow birder of the morning around 6:40 and after chatting to him, discovered that he'd heard what was likely to be the Little Bittern on the Loxton Marsh loop. After listening at the location where he'd heard it before, we were soon on to the sound and decided to go opposite ways around the marsh to try for a sighting. For once, I struck lucky for as I walked round to a part of the marsh with some open water, there clinging to the tops of the reeds was the male Little Bittern virtually in clear view "singing" his heart out. I quickly rattled off some pictures as his calling stopped, which we were to learn was an indication of the birds preparation to take flight. It soon took to the air with a flappy Barn Owl quartering style of flight, giving the pale wing markings extra prominence. That was to be my best view as we then followed the calls and the saw the bird in flight many more times than we saw it perched. All too soon it was time to head off to work but what a smashing bird. I'd definitely give it a 9 out of 10 with its almost constant calls allowing birders to get its rough location to then hopefully catch a glimpse!

21^st June. After a day with the family the previous day, on Fathers day I headed west to do a little targeted birding with my Father. We met at 6am and headed further west to Rhossili Down on Gower to look for an overshoot. After driving along an incredibly bumpy track and taxing our map reading skills we parked the car in earshot of a singing Lesser Whitethroat and began to scan the bracken and gorse. Plenty of Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Stonechat with the odd few Yellowhammer, Skylark & Kestrel thrown in. We were searching for the first summer female Woodchat Shrike which had been seen at the location only 9 hours earlier and repeatedly over several days but as much as we looked there was no sign. Several other birders appeared and also began to look but even with the extra pairs of eyes there was no sign and it was becoming evident that the bird had moved on. We moved away from the "Green Barn" where it was most regularly sighted and down into a marshy area to the north. We both heard a Sedge Warbler and I picked up a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and we were soon treated to some wonderful views as it patrolled its territory. An amazingly elusive and stealthy bird, it was a master at suddenly emerging into full view and giving a burst of song in a totally different location to where it was last seen! I did manage to get a few decent if a little grainy images as it belted out its distinctive song from a sprig of bracken. We left the bird to its business and headed back to the car, taking note of several spotted orchids and increasing numbers of Swifts and Swallows. The trip was a dip for the shrike but a nice bit of Fathers Day birding all the same.

27^th June. With the breeding season in full swing and the Gower shrike not having been re-found since my visit the previous weekend, I had to head further afield for a potential new species. So after being woken at 4am by our daughter, I dragged myself up and into the car for a drive to Oxfordshire and the RSPB reserve at Otmoor. Driving through thick fog for most of the distance I had visions of my earlier visit to Rainham in February with a grey days birding but at least that day had come up trumps. After a navigational mishap and reversing back up a bridleway I arrived at 6:45, found my bearings via the car park map and with the accompaniment of a purring Turtle Dove somewhere in the gloom, set off in search of Acrocephalus warblers. Walking along the tracks skirting the marsh with 100 yards visibility it was down to the ears for the birding. They picked out a reeling Grasshopper Warbler, a second purring Turtle Dove, Yellowhammer, Skylark, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed, Sedge, & Willow Warblers along with the usual residents. After a 20 minute walk I found further birders assembled on a bank staring at the reedbed. Obviously I was in the right location and after a 10 minute wait I heard the Marsh Warbler singing away with its clear punchy song awash with mimicry of numerous other species. The bird was no more than 25 feet away, totally invisible in the reeds but its wonderful song was interjected with snippets of Goldfinch, Linnet, Swallow, Greenfinch, Song Thrush, Starling & Sedge Warbler amongst others. Its singing brought smiles to the faces of the birders as it suddenly popped in a quick impression and then reverted back to being a Marsh Warbler. Views were limited and therefore difficult to photograph but I managed a few acceptable images in the 3 hours I was there. Much more successful were the horseflies that bit huge lumps out of my legs and made me look a bit like a dot to dot puzzle! Heading back to the car, I focused on butterflies and snapped some of the numerous Meadow BrownMeadow Brown and Ringlet going about their business in the tall grasses. I also saw a single Clouded Yellow, two Marbled White, yet another Painted Lady and a couple of distant unidentified Fritillary butterflies. I managed to see the second purring Turtle Dove and got a few images before it flew into cover. Driving back on a hot and sunny A34 I finally caught sight of my first three Red Kites of the year - embarrassingly enough for a Welshman, English Red Kites!