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
Good to see the Rails are showing again. I hope it will be like last year, with loads of winter sightings. Glad the Shrike is still around and you got to see it, even from a distance. Never seen one yet.
I'll try and get up there on Monday - I have the new lens I spoke of, now, so any reason to put it to use!! I'll let you know when I get to the main reserve (after doing the estuary hides first) and I'll keep an eye out for a woman with a false moustache
That's brilliant to hear Nigel and look forward to seeing you on Monday at some stage; we haven't done salt marshes yet but keep an eye open for the America Wigeon - may be distant but it is there I think, occasionally showing better from Allen hide. We may look in the morning. Jason from the forum is also arriving tomorrow and he's here for 2 nights, staying at Pine Lake. Look forward to catching up.
Nigel O said:I'll keep an eye out for a woman with a false moustache
lol ! today it was the woman laden like a packhorse with harness; two cameras and binoculars ! wouldn't mimd but I only used the one camera. I'm completely cream crackered now.
There's no doubt about what it is with the bandit mask. Nice one, Hazel.
Many thanks Tony, I hope we see it again and will head down there in the morning again as the Lower Hide was a good area too for this bird ................ once again record shots of this bizzare Bittern ! I'm off for an early night as I can't keep awake after such a busy and thrilling day; we will meet up with Jason in the morning as he's driving up for a couple of days.
what a strange creature lol
Wow, very nice hazel, and that second shot of it does make it look strange :(
Just posted on Facebook Hazel :)
Glad you saw the Bittern, Hazel. I'd be chuffed to get shots like that. I've never noticed before how green their legs are. We used get them in the winter on my local patch but I haven't seen one for years.
Nice to see your Robin pic being used by LM.
Great Grey Shrike showed well this morning by Lower Hide a chap got a nice picture of it.
Sounds like a good visit so far. Thank you for placing the Robin pics first lol
Thanks Jim ...... fame at last lol I've had a few photos which have been used in blogs, veterinary handbook and BTO books but its nice to hear they are of some use to others as my original copies end up archived on my external hard-drive !! another photo has been requested for a book by BTO due out next springtime about garden birds/health - other upside is that I get a free copy of the book when it gets released lol