Slimbridge 11/03/2012

11th March saw me head off down to the WWT at Slimbridge to meet up with the birding group I'm a member of. There followed good banter within the group and a great days birding enjoyed by all, though many of the birds were out of my current lens's range.

 The weather throughout the day was excellent, early spring sunshine encouraging this first Comma Butterfly of the year to sunbathe. The first baby rabbits were also seen on one of the cleared grass-ways through the reed beds.

 

  But birds were what I'd travelled all the way to Slimbridge to see... So we took the hints and followed the signs.

Our first spot inside the reserve was this Woodpigeon making the most of the brilliant sun, whilst posing on an ivy clad fence.

 Wandering around the many hides and viewing screens, we managed to catch a good look at a Water Rail, busy raiding a very large fat-block before scurrying back into the reed-beds, only to re-emerge a few minutes later.

 It was good to see this Greenfinch making the most of the human-supplied seed as they have largely disappeared from the area around me.

 

But water birds are what Slimbridge is famous for, and we were not disappointed, this male Pochard looking resplendent in black, grey and maroon.

 There were many Shelduck around and clearly those first spring rays were turning their minds to 'other things' as there was much displaying and posturing going on -

 This worked well, as it enabled me to get a few shots of this striking drake.

 Even the frequently overlooked Moorhens were shaping up nicely for breeding

 Greylags were already paired up and patrolling their chosen patches

 Stopping to take a closeup 'gander' at the nosey person with the camera - they are quite intimidating from only a metre or so away!

I'm not quite sure what this Rook was trying to prove by balancing on a feeder, but he didn't seem to be having much success eating the contents - maybe it was just Spring high jinx or  'Joie de vivre'!

It was a strange time of year to be visiting neither Winter nor Summer, but somewhere in the no-mans-land in between. This was one of the last of the winter flock of Bewick's Swans still here, sadly a poor shot having been taken through non too clean double glazing! These had crossed over with four early arriving Avocets - sadly only visible in the far distance with the more powerful scopes.

Our day-list consisted of 49 species, with the Water Rail winning the 'bird of the Day' award from those present

Slimbridge was somewhere I'd not visited before, but definately one I'll be visiting again!

K

Conwy RSPB Reserve - Spring 2011

On the northwest coast of Wales lies Conwy, with it's hugely impressive castle, and it's equally delightful RSPB reserve.

 
Few reserves can be situated in such wonderful scenery, across the reedbeds and mudflats of the Conwy Estuary to the West or overlooked by the edge of Snowdonia to the south.

 





This male Siskin was spotted on one of the many feeders around the coppiced woodland.

There are 3 walks mapped out around the site,  2 short walks (1/3 mile & 1 mile) around common land, coppiced woodland and small ponds, and a longer 2 mile one which takes in grazed common land, lagoons and the banks of the estuary.

















There are 4 good sized hides around the site, and en-route to the first one, the summer migrants were announcing their arrival with a chorus of song - I think this is one of the Warblers, but I couldnt get a good enough view or shot of it to get an ID.

















Whilst at the first hide, we were treated to the arrival of a Mute Swan as it water-skied into land. Very impressive!


 
Before leaving to the accompaniment of a Reed Bunting singing from his vantage point high in a gorse bush.

 










There were several Butterflies around, and whilst I was unable to get a decent shot of the Green Veined White, I did manage a reasonable reaction shot of this Peacock as it basked in the sunlight.


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A viewing screen situated along the main path, with the opening facing out at ground afforded a close up of a foraging Jackdaw...



























... and a somewhat less active Canada Goose - scourge of so many reserves and parks.






Those fortunate enough to have high-end viewing scopes, binoculars and bigger (than mine) telephoto lenses were able to get a better view of this Great Crested Grebe as it battled to kill and swallow a small fish it had just caught.

I'd spotted this Cormorant earlier as it stood with open wings, drying out in the sun. I just about managed to catch it as it flew off in search of a spot of lunch of its own.















But the star of the day was, by far and away, this female Wheatear amongst the rocks at the side of the estuary path, she made absolutely sure I had chance to catch her in 'supermodel pose' mode!

My last shot of the day, a stunning reminder that spring had well and truly sprung, with apple & cherry blossom in abundance along the paths round the site.

All in all a great day at one of the smaller RSPB sites ( or so it felt), definately one to revisit at migration time!

Thanks for reading!

Hopwood Woods & Rhodes Lodges LNR's

Being a birder with a general interest in nature and for making photographic records of the species I see, my two local nature reserves get fairly regular visits throughout the year. This is a blog of various shots I have taken over the last few visits in no particular order with regard to season or venue. First a little bit about the reserves and their habitat and flora;

Both venues have similarities, they both have small rivers running through broad-leaved mainly deciduous woodland and both are on the edge of a small township to the north of Manchester. 

Hopwood Woods is the quieter of the two reserves and has borders shared with open farmland and a golf course. In actual fact is it a group of smallish wooded areas, all closely linked with public footpaths. Even on a clear Winters day it is sometimes easy to forget just how close to Manchester I am.

Rhodes Lodges is a former industrial site, which has been 'returned to nature' the old mills being long-since demolished leaving little behind apart from their series of five mill-ponds or 'lodges'. One of these is currently maintained & used by a local angling group, there rest are largely left to their own devices. The rear of this site is bordered by open scrubland to its boundary with  the M60 Manchester Outer Ring Road. The well marked paths around the reserve are used for a wide variety of pass-times by local residents including horse-riders, mountain bikers and walkers so some of the paths frequently become very churned up and muddy!

In Autumn these paths can be a great place to spot a wide variety of fungi, from tiny puff-balls, with their 'laughing faces' once they have dispersed their spores, to the glossy topped toadstools shown below.

 





Try as I might, I've still yet to find my favourite fungi, the stunningly coloured red and white-spotted Fly Agaric at either of these reserves. Although I have spoken to fellow fungi enthusiasts on my walks who swear they can regularly be found in autumn!













Wherever there are broad leafed woodlands, there are guaranteed to be grey squirrels, and much as I think these litle guys are cute, I'd much rather have our native red squirrels around.


















Both reserves have their fare share of these furry tailed little mammals scampering through the boughs, or foraging for morsels buried the previous autumn, and I have to admit it's hard to resist taking the odd shot of them!

Being aware of nature and your immediate surroundings as you wander round occasionally means your eye will be drawn to something slightly more unusual in the undergrowth. This small snail made for an easy target with my camera, though sometimes it may well be a larger creature, such as this red fox which watched me warily as I passed through its territory, albeit at a distance. Rumour has it that there are deer in Hopwood woods, though I have yet to spot one.

Over the nest few months I hope to spend some more time on 'field craft' in these two reserves. I intend to just sit and watch particular points of interest, in the hope of learning a little more about the behaviour of the inhabitants. Particular interest will be finding the elusive Kingfisher, and studying a couple of the woodland birds - namely the woodpeckers & treecreepers.






Back round at the Lodges, there is a good range of birdlife to be found, Canada geese have become somewhat of a nuisance, though Mute swans and the occasional Grey lag goose stand their ground. 

Recently there has been an influx of Tufted Duck - Aythya fuligula to compete with the ever present Mallard - Anas platyrhynchos which are always a delightful sight in spring with their stripey ducklings in tow. 
Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea are also regular visitors to the lodge edges.

Relatively new arrivals in recent years have been the Goosanders - Mergus merganser and Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps cristatus.




 
 I have to admit that my favourite birds are those of the woodland & hedgerows - probably a throwback to my childhood upbringing in rural Cheshire. That being the case I am fortunate that both LNR's show evidence of woodpeckers, although I have only ever seen Greater Spotted woodpeckers - Dendrocopos major at Hopwood, where I know them to nest. 




Treecreepers - Certhia familiaris can be found at both venues, and last year I was fortunate enough to spend several hours watching a very industrious pair as they built their nest in the crevice behind the bark of an old birch tree. 

Perhaps my current favourite woodland bird is the Nuthatch, which so far, I have only found at Hopwood.






Both reserves have extensive and interesting bird species listed as sightings. These include Redwing, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Fieldfare, Waxwing, Kingfisher, Grey wagtail & Woodcock.


Whenever I go to any local nature reserve I endeavour to leave a supply of bird food for them to find - in the hope that it will encourage them to hang around so that next time I see more, and get better shots. Other than that, my motto regarding wildlife is '"Take only pictures, leave only footprints"


Thank you for reading.