Tag Archives: Stonechat

Blakehill Farm Nature Reserve – February 2018

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This afternoon I had a few hours spare so decided to visit Blakehill Farm Nature Reserve.  I have been meaning to visit since last summer but I just haven’t got there! The idea of seeing a short eared owl tempted me.  As soon as I had set foot in the reserve I saw a redwing, my first for this year 🙂  I wandered along the path keeping an eye out for anything that moved.  There was a collection of carrion crows and rooks feeding on the grass but little other activity.  I carried on walking as it was bitterly cold – I had dressed in all my warmest clothes but my fingers were suffering even with gloves on.  A kestrel flew over in the distance.  The sun was starting to set and the temperature was dropping further, I started to head back to the car.  I noticed a stonechat and then a robin in a nearby tree.  The stonechat’s accompanied me on part of my walk back, keeping a few fence posts in front of me.  I stopped to take a few images, on another post behind the stonechat’s a kestrel had perched.  I didn’t see a short eared owl on this occasion but there’s always another day, hopefully a warmer one!    

RSPB Ham Wall – December 2016

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Over the Christmas break I decided to take a trip to RSPB Ham Wall. Although I didn’t leave overly early it was still freezing and misty outside. After an hour and 20min drive to Glastonbury the mist had cleared and the sun bathed the wetlands.

I have only been to Ham Wall once before and that was in June so this time I decided to explore a little more of the site. It was also an excuse to keep warm! 

At one of the screens I was watching 6 Snipe, when the lady next to me asked if I knew what the smaller bird next to them was. She thought it was a Water Pipit, as she had heard one had been seen recently, so having a closer look and comparing it to an image I looked up on my phone we decided it indeed was a Water Pipit. This was the first Water Pipit either of us had knowingly seen. A great start to the day!

On the Loxton’s Marsh Trail there were Black-headed Gulls doing laps of the reeds. They were so predictable it was quite easy to get a nice shot of them. I quite like Black-headed Gulls they seem to have a lot of personality 🙂

I headed to Avalon Hide in the afternoon. On the walk there, there were signs that Deer had been sleeping in the reeds.  The hide is currently being used by a Barn Owl as it’s dining room so there are a lot of Starling feathers about! With the sun creeping just above the tree line the reeds seemed like they were made of gold. A great time for a Bittern to appear at the far side of the reed bed 🙂

I headed back outside at 3pm to get set for watching the Starlings. There were hundreds of people congregated so I stood a little away from the crowd. They first started to appear at 16:08, streams of them coming in from all angles, diving down into the reeds. The sound they make is lovely. Unfortunately there were no murmurations but the sheer number alone was a sight to see. Its definitely worth a visit. 

My full sightings list:
Wren, Robin, Snipe, Water Pipit, Shovler, Great-crested Grebe, Coot, Mallard, Cormorant, Little Grebe, Mute Swan, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Black Headed Gull, Greylag Geese, Canada Geese, Kingfisher, Wigeon, Stonechat, Reed Bunting