A trip with friends to Weymouth in Dorset, to visit Radipole Lake and Lodmoor RSPB reserves. The forecast was for warmth and sun but the sea mist didn’t clear all day and it was pretty cold, but good birds were seen including the expected Bearded Tit (though only the one male). Marsh Harrier ( I […]
Tag: marsh harrier
First visit to Elmley of 2019
My first visit to Elmley this year and as an official friend of Elmley that’s a little sad but the place looks good with plenty of water on the reserve and with it plenty of birds and a few Hares.
Radipole and Lodmoor – 13th February
I was working in Sidford, Devon again today and having finished at around 11:00 I decided to divert my route home and head for the Weymouth area for a couple of light weight rarities. First up, at Radipole RSPB was a first-winter drake Ring-necked Duck which had been present on the reserve since 4th November. […]
Winter Harriers – Haradh
Whilst birding the NADAC Farm area of Haradh recently I saw plenty of Harriers including a female Montagu’s Harriers in a pivot irrigation field. Male Montagu’s Harriers are easily identified by their upperwing pattern amongst other details but Juvenile and female Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers are difficult to identify with certainty and good views are […]
Great visit to Wallasea Island
Sometimes a days birding can deliver very little and then sometimes days like today come along where it all seems to go right. A Barn Owl as we pulled into the track to the reserve followed by two Short-eared Owls hunting at first light then a male Merlin flashes across us and sits out on […]
Autumn Migration
Raptor and passerine migration is now well and truly underway in my region of Japan. The Chinese Goshawks have finished and now it is the turn of the Oriental Honey Buzzards, Grey-faced Buzzards, Eurasian Sparrowhawks and smaller numbers of Northern Hobby and Japanese Sparrowhawk. The Eurasian Kestrels have just arrived at Isahaya, along with the […]
Oare
Yesterday saw a quick trip down to Oare Marsh in Kent. Arriving early we enjoyed a quartering Barn Owl and a Little Owl with a pair of Marsh Harrier along with the usual waders, Egrets and ducks. We heard a Turtle Dove calling in the distance and eventually picked it up sitting in the trees […]
Thrush Nightingale
May, guiding and demanding kids makes blogging difficult! Yesterday I guided Gene and Susan from Minnesota and we had a great day under a hot sun. Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Shoveler, Ruff, Wryneck, Osprey, Icterine, Reed and Sedge Warbler plus all three flycatchers was a pretty good showing. Today, as forecast, we had rain in […]