Its been awhile since I last visited Nightingale Wood, and my goal was to find a Snipe at the pool. Alas it wasn't to be, but there was still plenty to see. Sounds a bit like yesterdays intro!!
Here are a few images from this afternoon:
Brook Meadow with Marston Brook running through it. This is the first time I've actually seen the brook in the meadow. And the reason you can see it is.........
.....someone has actually carried out some land management and cut back all the vegetation that had taken over the meadow. You can actually see into the meadow and follow the brook as it meanders through. I wonder how long that will last though.
Further down Marston Brook, towards the River Cole, these 2 Red-legged Partridges stopped to have a look at me before disappearing into the undergrowth.
I know its a Rabbit, but it's only the second one I've seen this year and the first one I've photographed. I actually saw 5 by the end of my walk. Also alongside the River Cole, 3 Roe Deer scampered away as fast as they could. To quick for a photo.
One of many Rooks in the field by the pool. Really ragged primaries.
One of 3 Common Buzzards........
.....seen here today.
Lots of interest by a few large gulls in this sheep field. Here are a pair of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls, whilst below......
......another Lesser Black-backed Gull with its wing outstretched and a Herring Gull watching on.
There's always a friendly Robin around and this one was interested in the flies on the manure heap.
And he wasn't the only one, as this Grey Wagtail was also feasting on the flies as well.
With a little bit of time on my hands I headed of to Cricklade's North Meadow in the hope of seeing the Black Swan, which has been there for the past few days. But as luck would have it, it was gone. Another day perhaps.
However there was plenty to see on the flooded meadows and neighbouring fields, and when I say plenty, I mean lots..... There were at least 280 Golden Plover, 300+ Lapwing and 400+ Black-headed Gulls. In amongst them were 11 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3 Herring Gulls, 2 Shelduck and a pair of Oystercatchers.
In the neighbouring fields I counted 6 Little Egrets, 3 Mute Swans and at least another 100 Black-headed Gulls feeding alongside them.
A Sparrowhawk was also having a field day, with several attempts to take Redwing and Blackbirds that were feeding on the Hawthorns in the hedgerow alongside the meadow. I must have seen in at least 4 times as it criss-crossed the field, putting up the gulls and plovers each time.
Not the best of notice boards, but it refers to North Meadow as "The Basin" or is North Meadow separate!
The Key to the above
Welcome to North Meadow
More information boards
A view across, I presume "The Basin"
A very flooded North Meadow
and the same looking north
You can just make out a female Sparrowhawk (centre of frame) as she continually harassed the winter thrushes, and upset the gulls and plovers as she did so
A pair of Coots make the most of the flooded meadow.
My first Shelduck of the year. An amazing size difference. I'm assuming the larger bird on the right is the male!
An immature Mute Swan
My first attempt at digiscoping, using a Viking Smart Phone Adaptor, a Galaxy Note 4 and my Kowa TSN 821M Scope with a 20 - 60 zoom lens. So that there was no shakiness when I took the photo, the Camera Phone was set to voice control, using either the commands Cheese, Smile or Shoot. I used the latter. Cheese or Smile, really!!
Not brilliant on this Oystercatcher
This was back to the Canon SX50 with the pair of Oystercatchers flying from left to right in the foreground.
Canon again and zoomed in on the first Oystercatcher.
Back to the Digi-scope with a few Golden Plover in amongst Black-headed Gulls and Lapwing.
Not too bad with the Digi-scope on these 2 Lapwings.
A few Golden Plover with the Digi-scope
And again
Back to the camera (as are all the remaining photos and video below). Here there are several Golden Plover again.
Just a few of the Golden Plover in flight.
Two drake Mallard head off down the River Churn towards the River Thames.
From the bridge that crosses the River Churn. The field beyond is quite saturated, but the gulls, egrets and Swans are finding it very much to their liking.
A Little Egret probes away with the Black-headed Gulls looking on.
Another Little Egret is about to be mobbed by the gulls.
Safety in numbers, 3 Little Egrets make their way along the edge of the field.
Close to main road a real "chatter" from at least 50 Redwing. Really nice to hear.
One of 6 Little Egrets in the field on your left as you come out of Cricklade, heading towards the A419 north.
A Little Bit of History
Now the history bit, as told to me by a lovely gentleman called John. There's a field on your right just before you come out of Cricklade. As you pass over the River Thames and before the next bridge which crosses part of the River Churn, the field on your right has lots of troughs and rises which believe it or not are "Dry Docks." Many hundreds of years ago boats were built here and if you look into the field there are at least 3 Dry Docks.
Below is an aerial photograph of the field and the next photo is my crude attempt to show where the boats were built before they were released onto the Thames.
Here is the field with the old "Dry Docks" still visible. If you look very closely you can just make out 3 dark green patches running through the field. (Photo courtesy of Google Earth)
Here is more crude overlay, showing three Dry Docks that are actually more visible at ground level than my examples shown above. (Photo courtesy of Google Earth)
The field from ground level. Still not the best shot to see the docks. Its actually far better to walk along the fence and see how evident they are.
Having been stuck indoors for over a week with a bad back, I managed a 20 minute walk around Liden Lagoon yesterday. It wasn't too bad but it did ache for a good hour or so. However I decided to be a bit more adventurous today and as I had to go Clifton Cameras in Dursley for a new eye piece for my Kowa spotting scope, it seemed silly not to go and have a look at the two male Penduline Tits at Horsebere Reserve, Gloucester.
So having sorted out what I needed at the Camera Shop it was off up the M5 to Horsebere. Once parked up, in probably the most dangerous layby I've ever parked up in, it was off up to reserve gate.
Dawn and I weren't the only ones there, and it was quite apparent that once on the reserve that the 5 or so other birders on site, hadn't seen the Penduline's in the time they had been there. With scopes and binoculars scouring the reedbeds, it was that time to catch up on who was who and how far had you travelled.
There were a couple chaps from Bridgewater, 2 from Gloucester and 1 chap from Newport, Shropshire. And amazingly he knew my good friend Ed Wilson, who also lives in Newport and sends in reports from Priorslee Lake to the FoPL Blog that I run. What a small world we live in.
After 10 minutes of watching loads of Chiffchaffs, Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Reed Buntings feeding in the Bulrushes, I noticed in the corner of my eye two birds fly onto the reserve from the direction of the main road. Having seen on BirdGuides that they have a habit of flying off and then returning later, I hoped that the two birds that had flown in were the Penduline's.
I was in luck as a male popped up from behind a Bulrush. A quick it's over here and all the birders trained their scopes and binoculars to the spot I was pointing out. Yep they were back and so that we all could see them better, without peering into the setting sun, we all set off to the embankment adjacent to the main road.
From here the views of both birds were excellent and we watched them for a good half-an-hour or so, before leaving. A UK tick and a really good one. My first ever Penduline Tit was just north of Brindisi, Italy back in 1994, so its been a long wait for my next one.
Horsebere Reserve
The Birders and yours truly (the baldy one) in the centre
One of the male Penduline Tits
Not so much here in the sunlight, but in the shade there really do blend in with bulrushes.
Always on the move I think I was extremely lucky to capture at least one of the two here.
I believe they have been present here since 11 Jan 16. If they were a pair, they might have bred here. As it is, come Spring, I would think they will move on in the hope of finding a mate. Extremely unlikely as there are only about 7 in the UK this year.
Little Egret and an annoying post!
a bit better
Heading into the reedbeds
to join his mate.
Also seen there this afternoon 2 Little Egret, Mute Swan, Mallard, 2 Buzzard, Moorhen, Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, 12+ Chiffchaff, 8+ Long-tailed Tit, 5+ Blue Tit, Wren, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting.
