Headed back to our favourite rspb reserve this morning and staying in a cottage around the corner for a whole week ! It was a beautiful sunny morning but we didn't start out too early and arrived after 10am for a quick recce round. It was fairly quiet on the main reserve although we did see a distant Great Egret as well as 4 of their smaller cousins and I believe there are two or three Cattle Egret so we'll catch up with those hopefully another day. After no reports for a week of the Great Grey Shrike, it was spotted by two rspb senior staff this lunchtime so it was a very pleasing report - not sure we'll see it ourselves during our week here but we were glad to hear it was staying around the area. Bitterns have also been reported and the same staff saw one today at Causeway hide and then same bird in flight. We haven't ventured off the main reserve on our quick trek round but lots of time to do that duirng the next 6/7 days.
Robins are a plenty as you would expect on this reserve and plenty willing to hop on to your hand or help themselves to live mealworms from the tub ! One robin was trying to break the four minute robin record today and eventually I had to politely ask it to head back to the twig before my frozen fingers dropped off lol A water rail was too close for photos as I had the 300mm x 2 on the camera but managed record shot of it. Not many pics today as it was a day for strolling round and looking through binoculars.
I won't keep Paul (MC) waiting for his robin fix so will start with those ....
We saw one Great Egret and four Little Egrets
GE was a bit distant for pics - seen from Lilians Hide
and its smaller cousin taking off
was a little breezy !
We saw a pair of Bearded Tits on the Grisedale grit tray but no decent pics
Lots of ducks around including these attractive Teal - Drake
female Teal
and rhe record shots of the Rail
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Regards, Hazel
Love the Rail pics and the Marsh Harrier. Have you dried out completely now, Hazel?! Shame about the weather but you still managed to get some very gorgeous photos.
Kind regards, Ann
Thanks Ann, to be honest I think the pic of me looking like a drowned rat on the Causeway gave the wrong impression lol on the whole we had dry days and there was blue sky now and again although mostly cloud cover. Last Monday when Nigel came it was almost like summer without the intense heat ! Silverdale seems to have its own micro climate so even when other nearby villages get bad weather it can often be ok at LM. Having said that we have been in snow, ice, storm Eleanor, floods ............. etc. nothing much stops us lol back home and its drizzling here ! Got to top the feeders up as the three sunheart feeders were empty when we got home and I've just had Earl the Crow staring at me from the lawn and crowing saying he's hungry lol chunk of mild cheddar shut him up !
I'm glad you enjoyed your week, Hazel. You had some good highlights including the Great Grey Shrike and the Bittern sightings. However, I reckon the star was Walter - what a bird. Let's hope your next visit is as productive.
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Tony
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