Giant wingspans.

Date: 23/08/2018

Location: Newton St Loe + Chew Valley

Weather: Mostly overcast and grey

Species Highlights: 
Buzzard, Roe Deer, Hobby, Spotted Redshank,Peregrine, Greenshank.
Observation: 
First off anyone Id Feather ? Little Owl ?

Normal Thursday route our through Bath mill and as usual they are cutting the grass! 

So all very quiet through the site although a single Common blue butterfly seen on sunnybank. 

Up on to fields and 4 Buzzards seen together calling and tumbling over fields.

Lots of Speckled wood butterflies along byways to seven acre but little else bird wise

as i rejoined byway the Buzzards we’re still above and me letting me get a few pictures.

Into village and very few Barn Swallow and Martin’s, date last year they left was
: Barn Swallow=24/09/2017
House Martins =27/08/2017 ( so maybe departed ?

All of interest was a Holly bush with 100s of wasps and hoverflies on.

Down through church yard and more grass cutting going on! 

Send a Cow woodland a highlight as a family of Long tailed tits.

Plus Coal tits & Treecreeper

Willow and Chiffchaff we making there way through.

No fishermen on bottom lake but just the single female Mute and few Mallard,

top lake and it looks like at last they are starting to repair dam. So hope it refills to its normal level. 

While sat 2 Ravens croaked past.

Stockdove calling with Goldcrest in surrounding trees, started chatting to a lady explaining there not

JUST Ravens and a Roe deer wandered down to feed on grass lake side.

Amazing to see so close and the reason I try to explain to dog walkers about leads, deaf ears!

The nice lady walked on and the dear carried on feeding.

Very quiet on up through top woodland but a few dragons around mainly Common Darter 

Brown hawker and a few Migrant hawkers by the small ponds,sports fields.

This little Wren popped up and posed unusually.

Was going return via college but could see lots of gulls on fields below home farm so walked up that

way mainly lesser black backed with a few Herring gulls, but you never know.

Walked back along lanes toward Newton st loe with a male and female Kestrel sat on tree boxes, 

unfortunately I saw them just as car sped past making them both take to the air. 

Little else was seen but just before home another kestrel hunting over lower field.

The Comma Butterfly, you can see why its called a Comma.

At home our resident Collard Dove was waiting.

A nice walk ending on 39 species.

22/08/2018 I went to Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon a great day was had, 

from Morton hide had a Greenshank.

Hobby always great to see.

Then a Marsh harrier, shame light was so bad but so close. Also a peregrine flew over hide.

After a couple of hours headed off to Blagdon Lake to see if i could catch up with the 

Spotted Redshank, 

plenty of birds around and with some help found the Spotted Redshanks just.

You'll need to squint!

Returned to Chew and popped into Villace hide 

always been a good spot for Hobby, this family of Little Grebe floated by.

Then the Hobby made a few passes, light was getting worse so i'll try again after the weekend.

Thanks For Looking! 

&

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Pipit Party ! Blyth's and Water Pipit.

Date: 22/12/2016

Location: 
Blagdon Lake and Chew Valley Lake

Weather: Some sun with Cloud, Rain to Finish.

Other Species: 
Blyth's Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Golden Eye, Great White Egret, Shoveller, Shelduck, Greater Black Backed Gull, Common Gull, Water Pipit, Buzzard. But lots more missed.  

Observation: 
Sunshine forecast so headed to Blagdon Lake for the Blyth's Pipit which didn't disappoint! on getting out the van with Robert and Anne saw the bird within minutes!

It stayed mostley at the water's edge but showed the hole time we were there with some following.

Once you've seen it it was fairly easy to tell apart from the many Meadow Pipits, It's stance and size being a bit bigger than m'pipits made it quite obvious.

Last one although i took quite a few shots these four  about about the best ones, still very happy and a great little bird. Hope it stay's for everybody including Lauren !

Time still on our side so headed to Chew Valley Lake and Morton hide. Where on arrival there was not much showing from hide. A Greater Black Backed gull feeding on a dead fish about the best. Then...... 

A Water Pipit landed, distant but Water Pipit and the second Pipit tick of the day!

I've seen before at Piling Wetlands but if this is even possible, a more distant shot!

A much paler bird then the Meadow Pipits and eye Stripe as well. 

An excellent day!

A Great White Egret also landed in front the hide but a fly past Buzzard put the Teal, Shoveller, Egret and the Pipit up and that was that.

Day before Wednesday I also went to Chew valley to check out new lens here's a few of those shots from Herriots and Herons Green.

A  Common Gull bullying its way round the Lake.

Lesser Black Backed gull incoming.

A Great Crested Grebe in a reflective mood.

A real Egret mecca both Chew and Blagdon. 

Amazing to think that 2012 there were only 2 nests in Somerset. 

Highest count on Chew Valley Lake this year 27 ! 

With also plenty of Little Egrets as well.

This one made a catch proving why Chew Valley and Blagdon Lake are so good for them.

A great 2 days was had and some nice people met :) and some cracking birds !

Thanks For Looking !

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