Greylake and Brean Cove 6/2/17

A frosty start to our visit to Greylake with fast increasing cloud very quickly giving a grey and overcast morning.  Plenty of the smaller birds around the carpark and feeder including Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Starlings, etc. The walk to the hide was alive with the calling and whistling of Teal and Wigeon and over head a huge flock of around 100 Snipe whizzed overhead a few times. We have never seen so many Snipe.

From the hide its self we had good views of the large numbers of Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Snipe and a few Pintail.  The Shoveler seemed to be very active this morning with plenty of flights here and there. Unfortunately the dull and overcast conditions didn't help with the photography but the birdwatching was good.  Two Great Egrets were seen at the back of the reserve and also a Marsh Harrier which took flight and alarmed the wildfowl at the very back of the reserve.  It's a shame that on this visit the Harrier didn't come a little closer to the hide. 

After a couple of hours we left the hide to journey home but stopped off on the way to Brean Down Cove to try and see the Black Redstart.  The cloud had thickened up even more and the first few spots of rain began to fall.  We had just enough time to walk along the beach find the Black Redstart, Stonechat, Rock Pipit and Raven before the rain well and truly came down.

   Drake Shoveler 

               

                  Shoveler - We have noticed good numbers this year

   Wheels down 

                

                   Shoveler squadron

    Shoveler and Teal

              

                 Wigeon 

   Wigeon and Pintail

               

                   

               

                   Coot

               

                   Snipe

                

           

  

     Stonechat at Brean Cove

               

                

                

                   On the beach

              

                

                   Black Redstart

                

                

Westhay, Somerset Levels 11/1/17 - Grebes, Marsh Harrier, Gadwall, etc

A dry, sunny but very windy and cold day at Westhay. First stop was the hide at South Lake where there wasn't a single bird on the water probably due to the wind making the water quite choppy! Lots of birds on the 'fishing' lake a Great Crested Grebe, Tufted and Gadwall.  On to the new North Hide where we spent some time watching a pair of G C Grebes do every part of their courtship ritual apart from dance. Plenty of head flicking and even some diving for weed but no dance. 

Walking towards the screen hide there were Reed Buntings and on the lake keeping out of the wind were Teal, Shovelers, Tufted, and a group of Goosanders. We also got a good view of a Kingfisher hunkering down in the reeds and a Sparrowhawk flying low over the water.  

Our walk took us around to join Dags Lane Drove and on the way round in the fields were a group of Little Egrets and a Stonechat.  Continuing up the drove we eventually reached the Island Hide for lunch. Not too much happening from here but we did have a surprising flypast of a Bittern struggling to fly in the strong wind. A quick visit to the Viridor hide where there wasn't a single bird then we retraced our steps back to London Drove.  Back in the North Hide the G C Grebes  were still displaying and now also on the lake were some Gadwall plus Snipe on the reedy Island. A Marsh Harrier suddenly appeared in view and it coped amazingly flying across the reeds in the very strong winds.

A great days birding and walking in beautiful Somerset Levels countryside with a total of 42 species seen.

  Great Crested Grebe

               

                

                   Running across water - Grebes have quite small wings

   Nearly lift off!

               

                 Grebe greeting

    Presentation of weed but only one grebe dived for weed

                

                   Plenty of head flicking going on

               

                  Bonding

    Shoveler flypast

               

                   Goosanders and Coot

   Goosander female

               

                  Lapwing 

   Distant Sparrowhawk - seen flying low over the water

               

                  Roe Deer

   Westhay

               

                    Gadwall - male

   Shoveler

                

                   Stonechat

               

                  A year round resident at Westhay

  Great and little Egret

               

                   Little Egret

   Gadwall pair

                

    Male Gadwall 

               

               

   The chase - get off my lake! The Grebes very territorial on their lake

               

               

                   Amazing colours of a Gadwall in flight

               

   Marsh Harrier

                

   Despite the gale force winds the Harrier still managed to hunt across the reeds