Tuesday 30 October 2012

Tales from the river bank - 29/10/2012

With a slightly worse for wear head after an over indulgence shall we say I went for a stroll and a sit in the first hide over on Forest Farm. I'd been on my first BTO Winter Thrush survey the day before, and been down onto the flood plain, but I wasn't quite up for that this time around!!

The kingfishers dropped in during the rain -




And also this Snipe, disturbed initially by a magpie which brought it to my attention, and then flushed again out more into the open where it was ticked at by a tiny wren.



Sadly not the Jack Snipe that's rumored to be around!

Sunday 21 October 2012

Flight Of The Curlew - 20/10/2012

After blasting around Castle Comb Racetrack, Jess and I went back to Exeter for the weekend. Down at the hide on Bowling Green Marsh, the wildfowl had begun their winter congregations, with plenty of Wigeon, Pochard, Canada's, and Lapwing in front of the hide.

At the Estuary vantage point there were lots of waders out on the flats, and a Curlew flew up from the adjacent field, calling as it went -



A Little Egret also made it's way along the front of the viewing platform, feeding in the shallows.








Wednesday 3 October 2012

Armchair wildlife - 03/10/2012

Well autumn is well and truly settling in, and the birds are starting to appear in the garden more regularly. Just over pasta bake earlier we saw a Coal Tit, Robin, Blue Tit, and House Sparrow helping themselves to the seedy feast in the green feeder.



 A few nights ago we also saw a fox on Pant-Yr-Rhyn Road where we pulled over and shut off the headlights, and then tailed him onto Pantmawr Road too, brazen as brass.