One of the signature birds of the Weymouth Wetlands is the Cetti’s warbler – a ‘little brown job’ with an ‘often heard seldom seen’ reputation for leading birders on a merry song and dance. Frequenting dense undergrowth into which their subtle plumage cannily blends, their presence is most often betrayed by their unmistakable detonation of song which is heard throughout the year, but most emphatically at this time.…

The plants are beginning to move and show themselves as the days are getting longer.  As I walked through Radipole this morning I came across a patch of Sweet Violets in full flower.  This is our only fragrant violet.

Next was a hawthorn tree in full leaf.  On closer inspection there were flower buds nearly ready to burst among the hawthorn leaves. 

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Nearby the blackthorn blossom is starting to…

With all the exotic and rare birds we have had knocking about of late it struck me that we have neglected to acknowledge the common - but often no less attractive or appealing - fare that are the reserve's bread and butter. The humble moorhen is just one such example.

Since my early days as a feeder of Swanpool Lake's waterfowl en route to my nursery school in Falmouth, moorhens have been a familiar sight.  It is…

Hot on the heels of Radipole's ibises, Lodmoor is now playing host to a scarce exotic of its own, (from the same Threskiornithidea family) in the unmistakably cartoonish shape of a spoonbill. We are accustomed to having one or two spoonbills drop in from time to time and on one occasion we had five in residence for a brief while.

Spoonbills are a captivating presence and a few years ago when we had three knocking…

A certain sign that spring is in the offing is the return of great crested grebes to the lake, having spent the deepest winter as coast dwellers. A quick stroll around Buddleia in this evening's dying light revealed no fewer than eight individuals - each bedecked in their striking summer finery. The area just North of the viewing shelter harboured six birds, including two bonding pairs going through the dress rehearsals…

The past couple of years has seen breeding bearded tit numbers fall quite markedly on Radipole in particular. Last year we could only confirm one pair for certain on the reserve although Lodmoor fared slightly better. The reasons for these declines are likely to be meteorological with the atypically cold recent winters doubtless impacting upon these little reed dwelling treasures.

However, cold was unlikely to have been…

There has been much avian interest to savour of late on the Weymouth reserves with most attention understandably directed towards our unusual and exotic glossy ibis, which has now – we can gladly report - been joined by a second individual. Luke caught up with the dazzling duo in one of the recently created pools deep within North Reed on Radipole. They appeared very settled and found a prolific source of food upon…

As you may know we have been attempting over recent months to film otters at Radipole. In practise this has meant identifying sites that they frequent (as indicated by recent footprints and a liberal scattering of fragrant otter poo nearby) and then installing a camera trap in the hope that our quarry is still in the habit of visiting the site and that we're looking at the right spot. That last bit is where things can…

The understandable excitement generated by our showy Glossy Ibis of yesterday saw a steady stream of expectant birders making their way up to North Hide in hope of more catwalk antics today. Although the green sheened one did put in an appearance this morning, it was - unlike yesterday - at a distance requiring the multitude of long lenses to work for their money.

Top local naturalist, (and RSPB volunteer) Bob Ford was…

Visitors to the North hide this morning would have been greeted with a rather tropical sight. A Glossy Ibis which first appeared yesterday final settled on a feeding spot - and it happened to be right in front of the hide. When I say right in front, I mean it!

See!

This species has started to become a regular visitor to the UK with several large flocks being seen in west Wales, Gloucestershire and Devon in the past…

If push came to shove and I was forced to definitively name my number one British bird the answer, almost invariably, would be the bullfinch, (while acknowledging the relative merits of both the starling and the shoveller).

I can remember how, when gazing out of my bedroom window as a kid, the sight of bullfinches would always demand my close observation in a manner never matched by the gardens more regular feathered fare…

The Radipole visitor centre has been closed for a few weeks now but there is still plenty to see out and about.

A quick stroll through the reserve yesterday rewareded me with a hunting marsh harrier from the buddleia loop (where will they nest this year after the amazing success of 2011?), a group of bearded tits scooting over the reed tops, at least two 'plops' as the ever elusive water voles take to the water and a…

"Big Freeze" and "Arctic conditions" -  it seems to me that there's a certain inevitability about the way such phrases appear among some sections of the media when we are about to experience not unfamiliar winter weather conditions in er...  winter. However this time it has indeed been bitterly cold for some and the temperature did plummet to around -12ºC at South Newington, Oxfordshire on Friday night…

In my flower blog last week I mentioned that the flowering blackthorn was recorded on the phenology website. Phenology is the study and recording the timing of natural events such as budburst, first flowering, fruiting, autumn leaf fall, hibernation, migration of birds, first songs, nesting, first butterflies seen etc. By monitoring these natural events and recording the dates on which they occur we can work out if spring…

Friday is normally litter pick day so Chris and I went over to Lodmoor and as well as litter picking we also decided to spot how many plants we could find in flower on this sunny mild January day.  All these photos were taken today.

The surprise of the day was Blackthorn flowering.  This shrub normally flowers from late March to May before the leaves.  I recorded this event on the phenology website.

Some of you folks out there in Twitter world may have noticed that, among other offerings, Luke and I like to throw in the odd joke, lately with an ornithological slant, on https://twitter.com/RSPBWeymouth. Lovingly, laboriously (and perhaps hastily) crafted, and possibly of limited appeal and durability they may be, but we mean well. Perhaps there are more out there on the same theme... 

Anyway, here's one which can't be crammed…

Life as a fish on Radipole Lake isn’t the bowl of cherries that many folk might have you believe. Fair enough, you have the freedom of the lake that your ability to respire underwater grants you and added to this freedom is the boon of plentiful invertebrate life to feed you and your entire extended family - can't be all bad..? However, the cruel downside of a piscatorial existence on Radipole is that almost every other…

Firstly, the Radipole Visitor centre is now closed for improvements. Never fear the reserve is still open as is the hide and events are still up and running. And what a time to visit too. As Nicks previous blog suggests it's a great time to get down to see the majestic marsh harrier hunting on the reserve but there are also great opportunities to see our resident kingfisher, bearded tits, snipe and if you're very lucky…

In just a few years the marsh harrier - it could be argued - has become the signature bird of Weymouth Wetlands having successfully bred twice on each reserve since 2009 following a Dorset-wide breeding absence of almost half a century. The early weeks of 2012 have seen a steady stream of harrier activity with three individual birds active across the two reserves. The harriers provide a welcome reminder of an ongoing conservation…

I thought it’s about time I blogged about Gulls again. In fact, I haven’t blogged in ages so need to make an effort!

Back in the 80’s Radipole Lake was a Mecca for gull watchers from around the country. Rare gulls would be a regular occurrence including several species from the USA. Since then our gull reputation has been somewhat down graded due to infrequency of interesting species (apart from Med Gulls…

What a beautiful day in Dorset.

Thought I'd do a little post to let you know about one of my favourite birds that is astoundingly easy to see on the reserve at the moment. Look up this little wader and a bird book and you'd see words like elusive and shy, banded around but it couldn't be further from that at Radipole at the moment. I'm talking about snipe.

Andy Hay (rspb-images)

Just take a wander…

Last Friday I dusted down the video equipment which we'd been using to record the recent footage of otters. In fading light just before close of play, satisfied that the kit was ready for action after the festive season shut-down,  Nick and I re-installed it on one of the channels in the middle of Radipole with high hopes of getting a further peep into what the resident critters are up to when our backs are turned. It…

Well that's Christmas over and hopefully you all had a good one. Lots of people have been walking off their Christmas lunches over the last few days and have been popping in to the Visitor Centre to take advantage of the bargains in our sale. But the mid-winter feast isn't over just yet. It's been traditional at Radipole for us to keep a list of all our visitors New Years Day sightings, not just on the Weymouth Wetlands…

The RSPB in Weymouth have been working closely with the mental health charity Rethink for over seven years now and the relationship is as strong as ever - as are the benifits to all parties. Recent visitors to Radipole will have seen what is gradually becoming a substancial area of cut reed snaking up the main path away from the Visitor Centre, which has almost all been achieved during the past five relatively brief but…

Let us introduce you to Lassie. She lives in our bathroom, just inside the slightly ajar top window to be precise, from where she has a commanding view of all who come and go as their ablutions and bodily functions require. We’re most likely to notice her at night when she emerges from her favourite sanctuary, stretches her legs (all of them) and waits. Her identity had been a source of intrigue and speculation in the…