Acres Down - Fri 8 Jun

I had the day booked off work so I drove down to Mudeford with Ellie and Tristan and dropped them off with Ellie's folks before driving up to the New Forest. I arrived at Acre's Down soon atfer 10.30am and walked out to the usual viewpoint in the hope that there would be some raptors around. I was not feeling overly confident as it was rather grey and cloudy and the wind was blowing a gale. However, I struck lucky and within quarter of an hour managed to pick out a Goshawk as it dipped below the skyline. A few Common Buzzards kept me on my toes and three Hobbies and a Sparrowhawk also passed through. Finally I picked out my other target as a Honey Buzzard made a quick and distant flight over the trees before dropping out of view. There was not much else to see due to the weather conditions but a few Tree Pipits were in constant song whilst I was on site. I had promised to be back in Mudeford in time for lunch with the family so after a successful visit set off.

Trinity Hill - Wed 6 Jun

Another spot of birding this evening, only this time it was a pre-arranged trip to Trinity Hill near Axminster with Andy and Crimper and a couple of Crimper's friends (Paul & Aiden). We arrived on site at around 8.30pm and with a bit of mist creeping over the plantation I was hopeful that our quarry might show itself sooner rather than later. It didn't! We were hoping to see some Nightjar's but in the first hour on site we only managed a Sparrowhawk and a couple of Yellowhammers.
Paul wandered off and as we were just making out some distant churring he returned saying he had heard some birds calling much closer. So we hot-footed it onwards to another clearing and as we cleared the trees I stopped everyone as a Nightjar was sat in a small tree right in front of us. Before long a second bird actually flew in to a tree above our heads and starting singing. Over the next twenty minutes or so we were treated to some smashing views. At 9.45pm I bid my farewells and hiked back to the car and on home to bed.
UK list for 2012 now at 197 species.

Ibsley & Martin Down NR - Wed 6 Jun

I started work early today so that I could zoom off at lunchtime and drive down to the small village of Ibsley, just north of Ringwood in Hants. I arrived on site at about 1.15pm and as I got out of the car I could hear the bird I was after singing away in a clump of brambles right next to the road. I joined the ten or so other birders that were on site and after just a five minute wait I got really lucky as the Marsh Warbler that had been found last night popped out in to the open to chase off a Sedge Warbler before darting back in to the undergrowth. Result, a lifer and a bird off my dip-list! In the next half hour I saw the bird just once more as it flew in to some dense vegetation further from the road...so I didn't linger and instead headed back towards home.
I stopped off at Martin Down NR on the way home in the hope to find Turtle Doves, but I faield to see any. However, I did hear a Quail singing away in the grass but although it was not that far away I had no chance of seeing it! A Cuckoo was heard, a Red-legged Partridge put in a brief appearance and there were countless Skylarks and Yellowhammers around, I also managed to see my first Small Heath butterflies of the year. At 3.00pm I called it a day and drove home after a very successful trip.

Meare Heath NR & Ham Wall RSPB - Sun 3 Jun

Family Service at Ellie's local church today and as Tristan was up and awake at 6.00am I made the last minute decision to pop up on to the Somerset Levels for a couple of hours. We had lots planned for later in the day with Jubilee Celebrations taking place in our village, so I knew I could not be out for long.
Parking at Ashcott Corner I walked out to Meare Heath, but only so far as the drained lagoon. I was hoping to finally catch up with a Garganey having missed several already this year. Luck was with me this time as I found a drake feeding on the fringe of the reeds.

Also on the lagoon, the normal flock of Black-tailed Godwits...some twenty-one birds, and a couple of Shelduck. A Great White Egret (one of the breeding pair) flew in and fed for a while and a Bittern did a prolonged fly past. As I was watching the assorted birdlife I could hear the distinctive pinging of Bearded Tits and before long a small flock popped in to view in front of me. I counted thirteen birds, all juveniles and females. As I was getting ready to move on a friend of mine and fellow SBR birder, John Rickards, I heard the Bearded Tits call again and the flock reappeared, only this time there were eighteen birds present!

 

I returned to the car and thought about a drive up to Tealham Moor but as time was an issue I took a walk out to Ham Wall RSPB reserve and walked round the Loxton Heath section, something I'd not done for a while as it's not suitable for a pram! I heard a couple more Bitterns booming and saw yet another Bearded Tit this time a cracking male. As I neared the car park (having got pretty wet during a heavy shower) I saw a very obliging Spotted Flycatcher.

All in all an enjoyable couple of hours out and back home before Ellie and Tristan had returned from church.

Catcott Lows NR & Meare Heath NR - Sun 27 May

I set off with Tristan at about 8.20am and drove up to the Somerset Levels where our first stop was at Catcott. Although I didn't see anything of note from the hide, I did have some cracking views of a Cuckoo singing away as I approached the reserve.
I then drove round to Ashcott Corner (seeing my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year in Westhay village), parked up, and popped Tristan in his pram for a walk out on to Meare Heath. Overhead a female Marsh Harrier was harassing a Buzzard, whilst at least two Bitterns could be heard booming from deep within the reedbeds. The drained lagoon hosted the usual suspects, including a Great White Egret. Tristan then decided he had reached his limit of excitment for the morning so we drove home.

Meare Heath NR - Sun 20 May

An afternoon trip out to the Somerset Levels with Ellie and Tristan and we decided to take a walk at Meare Heath. Our hour long walk produced a few things of note with an Osprey (feeding on a rather large fish) presumably being the individual we had seen earlier in the week. A male Marsh Harrier passed overhead and at least ten Hobbies were seen. A single Great White Egret was on the partially drained lagoon with the usual small flock of Black-tailed Godwits. As we returned to the car a Bittern flew over the path in front of us and out over the reeds. So a pretty enjoyable hour or so this afternoon.

Weston-Super-Mate WTW - Sat 19 May

A busy morning sorting out a few things around the house and tidying up before taking a load of stuff to one of the local charity shops followed by a leisurely lunch...until I checked the pager and saw news of a singing Great Reed Warbler at Weston-Super-Mare at the Water Treatment Works. So I pretty much dropped everything (luckily I was not holding Tristan at the time) and jumped in the car to head north. It took less than an hour to reach the site and as soon as I got out of the car and climbed the bank I could hear the bird singing! After a walk of about 100 metres I joined the couple of dozen other birders and soon got on this massive warbler as it sang away in the reeds.

After about ten minutes it started getting harassed by a pair of Reed Warblers which were dwarfed by their larger cousin, and the unwelcome attention was enough to send the bird to a more distant patch of reeds. But it did not matter, I had connected with a UK tick. As I was about ot walk back to the car a raptor drifted overhead before dropping over the fields behind us, it was a female Marsh Harrier, a nice little bonus. I didn't hang around much longer, and after a quick chat with some of my Somerset birding mates I drove back home for dinner.
UK list for 2012 now at 191 species.