Tuesday 19 February 2013

Arne RSPB - Mon 18 Feb

After the failure on the Somerset Levels we had a family trip out to Arne RSPB this afternoon. Arriving just in time for a picnic lunch I had a quick walk around Combe Heath whilst Tristan had a nap. It was really windy so it was not surprising that I failed to find any Dartford Warblers. In fact the heath itself seemed devoid of bird life completely. The channel contained a host of waders, but the light was poor and I couldn't pick out anything extraordinary. A large flock of a couple of hundred Dark-bellied Brent Geese were grazing in one of the fields. I didn't waste any more time and headed back to the car, by which time Tristan was awake.
We all set off for a walk out to Shipstal Point. A quick rest at the small beach produced Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit and an opportunity for us to have a play in the sand! On we went and a total of sixteen Spoonbills were present on the saltmarsh...all of them were asleep (Spoonbills always seem to spend a lot of time sleeping). Commoner waders and wildfowl were also present but a walk back via the church failed to produce any Firecrests. All in all a really enjoyable afternoon out enjoying some lovely weather and quality time with the family.

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