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My blog will predominantly feature a selection of photographs and reports of recent wildlife photographic trips, mainly in the UK
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A couple of Temminck's Stints had been reported at Dernford Reservoir in Cambridgeshire which is a really good site for passage waders if there is mud showing. With the hot weather we have experienced, that was not a problem! Indeed, levels were the lowest I have ever seen there. The landowner uses the reservoir to irrigate his fields.  Also present were Common, Green and one Wood Sandpiper as well as a single Ruff, but all too distant for shots. However, there were a number of Yellow Wagtails that were more obliging.     Luckily, the Temminck's Stints were really close in when I arrived. They Winter mostly in Africa and breed in the high Tundra and Taiga regions. We generally get a few passing through the UK in May and August. The same size as a Little Stint, but much less common. About the same size as a Wagtail as you can see from these shots, where there was a certain amount of interaction.      And a few shots of them on their own.       A great couple of hours and good to meet Jonathan Nasir as well as Alan Reynolds and Alan Ford.
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A coach trip to Frampton with the RSPB SE Herts Group. Obviously planned well ahead, so no one was aware that the majority of England was in the middle of probably our worst drought ever! The water levels were very low, just some in the main reedbed scrape and none in the other three. After a warm welcome from the site manager people set off on different routes with some even venturing to the river mouth. We went straight to the Reedbed Hide seeing two Greenshank, Snipe, a few Pintail and an eclipse plumage Garganey which quickly flew off. The first image is of Boston Stump which dominates the flat landscape.  Spoonbills are regular at Frampton and today there were about 20 loafing on the lagoon, together with large numbers of Black-tailed Godwits.  One of the Godwit's ventured a bit closer.  And a passing Buzzard spooked the flock, making them wheel around for a while, before settling again. Can you spot the lone Avocet in one of the images?   Next up was a clockwise walk around the sea wall. Recent tides I believe have been quite high so there was water here, and we saw our first Yellow Wagtail.  One group had a Whinchat and we had one Wheatear, Curlew, at least three Whimbrel and a Hawker Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby!  Pressing on, we spied Mike's group scanning the salt marsh. Not sure what they found, but the local Frampton cattle came along to join them!  We wandered up towards the raptor viewpoint, and this was the view over the saltmarsh.  This area was good for Redshank, Dunlin and this Lapwing that was close in.  And a lone Ruff.  But the highlight was a small number of Golden Plover on either side of the sea wall, still in their breeding plumage. This one came close enough for a few shots.       A really good day in the end and across the group we racked up around 80 species of bird with other good finds including Clouded Yellow butterfly, Water Shrew and Grass Snake. Big thanks to Paul Ballantyne for organising and as always, great service and support from all of the staff and volunteers at the reserve. Hope you get lots of rain in the coming weeks!
The hard working Kingfisher pair are now on to their third brood of the year and the young had hatched a couple of days ago. Time therefore, to pay a visit and see how they are getting on. The local Sparrowhawks have also raised a brood and two of them were hanging around on the pylon.     Later in the day, one of the juveniles made an attempt to intercept the male Kingfisher as it returned with a fish, but luckily (for the Kingfisher) missed! When I arrived, the female was sitting out on the bushes on the left allowing for some good shots with a decent background.      She heard the male returning and called out to attract its attention.    They both did a great job of bringing in a number of fish, some quite large.    Even having time for a quick discussion!  Here is a useful size comparison with a young Carrion Crow.  As some of the pond had cleared, I was able to attempt a few dipping shots as they cleaned themselves after being in the nest bank. It is essential to keep the feathers in top condition.     A great couple of hours and good to see some friendly faces including Kevin Garrett and Mark O'Dell.  I have had some lovely trips to Fowlmere this year, mainly for the Water Voles and Marsh Harriers. The juvenile Marsh Harriers have now appeared to have moved away and I did have views of possibly a new bird which looked like a young adult male. Entering the reserve, I could hear Spotted Flycatchers but could not locate one, so it was on to the Spring hide. A juvenile Cuckoo had been seen there for a couple of days, being fed by its "foster" parents, a pair of Reed Warblers. As I entered, I had brief views before it disappeared for a good while. After walking up to the Reedbed hide and back, it thankfully had returned and stayed in the same area for a good hour. Here are a few shots.            From time to time it would make short flights before landing and demanding to be fed with constant calls. I am sure at this stage it could find its own food, but the chance of a free meal is not to be sneezed at! Of course its parents will now both be back in Africa, probably a good 4 to 6 weeks ago. I managed a couple of shots of it stretching it's wings. Come September it will be ready to head off, on its own to Africa.   The biggest challenge was trying to get images of the Reed Warblers feeding it, as reeds or twigs always seemed to be in the way. The vegetation also gave the images a green cast, as shown here. I managed to remove some in processing, but still a problem.  It did however move position allowing for a few clearer shots.     An amazing experience and whilst I have seen juvenile Cuckoo's before I have never witnessed one being fed! Those Reed Warblers certainly had their work cut out. Reed Warblers are the main host bird for Cuckoo's but Dunnock are also used, and on moorland, Meadow Pipit is the preferred host. The young birds when ready to breed, will only use the same host bird to lay their eggs with. One final shot to end.  Good to see some familiar faces in the hide, including Chris Kenyon and Mark O'Dell, as well as some other friendly souls.
A Long-tailed Shrike had been reported at Eastleach Martin, just south of Burford on the Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire border. It looked settled, so despite yet another hot, sunny day I decided to take a trip down there, braving the M25. It was so hot, it seemed to affect the Sat Nav, but the site was reasonably easy to find, down some single track roads. The local farmer had done a great job of providing safe parking and we readily donated to his chosen charity. This was the view from the car. In the distance is the hedge line where the Shrike is residing.  The bird breeds in Central and Eastern Asia so is an extreme rarity here, indeed there have only been three UK records and this was the first one in England. There were a few other birders present and after initially viewing it distantly, we were able to get closer, though still keeping a good distance away.     It appears to be moulting, hence why it has stayed for a while. At one point, doing some feather maintenance.   Every so often, it would drop down from the bush onto the path looking for prey, mainly bugs and insects though small mammals would also be on the menu. It was difficult getting shots due both to the position of the sun and the heat haze. The next sequence show the bird just after it had caught something.    Despite the initial impression of a barren landscape, there were a number of smaller birds including Yellowhammer, Linnets, Wheatear, Common Redstart and Whinchat. A brilliant bird to see, so one last shot to end with.  With the hot, sunny weather continuing, it was a perfect time to visit Panshanger Park and try and get some shots of Dragonflies. That being said, I will start off with a Purple Hairstreak which came down from an Oak tree to get some moisture, near one of the ponds.   There were good numbers of the commoner Damselflies and I managed a shot of a Small Red-eyed Damselfly. Once very scarce, they are a species that are increasing their range.  However, the star Damselfly was this Emerald Damselfly. It is a species that is limited to just a few sites in Hertfordshire.      Some of the commoner, larger Dragonfly species were in evidence including this Four-spotted Chaser.  And a male Broad-bodied Chaser.  There were a couple of Brown Hawkers, though I was unable to get a shot of this species as they seldom land and are very erratic in flight. I did however get some images of our largest species - the Emperor. This is a female egg laying.    This shot shows the Emperor with a Small Red-eyed Damselfly!  The Darters were well represented including this pair of Ruddy Darter.  Resting Common Darter.   And some flight shots.   One of my favourite species is the Southern Hawker. They are very inquisitive and will hover right in front of you, usually too close for images. With a bit of patience, I managed these shots of a male.     But the surprise was at least two male Southern Migrant Hawkers, another fairly new species which is expanding its range in the South East. Tricky to get flight shots against a distracting background, but managed a couple.    Such amazing creatures to watch and photograph! Big thanks to Allan & Tracey Burrows for lending their expertise and sharing their time - greatly appreciated as always.
So the plan was to have a birding day out to try and see a Caspian Tern that was reported the previous day at Abberton. As we drove in that direction there was no further news so we decided to continue on to the Essex/Suffolk border for a Hudsonian Godwit. This bird had been around for a few days and in appearance is much like a Black-tailed Godwit, though it is a resident of North America and quite a rarity here. It spends a lot of time on the river, but when we arrived it had relocated to North Marsh and we soon spotted some local birders who had found it again. We had some good if distant scope views, but way too far for a picture. I am therefore deeply indebted to Marcus Nash for allowing me to use his brilliant image when the bird was showing a lot closer.  It was extremely hot, so rather than wait a couple of hours in the hope it flew back to the river we decided to head to Abberton. The Caspian Tern was not relocated and we failed to find the female Ring-necked Duck. From the Layer de la Haye causeway, these Common Terns showed well.    At the Layer Breton causeway it was very quiet. Distant Spoonbills and Great Egrets, but good to get this little group of Cattle Egrets.  A few Yellow Wagtails were feeding on the floating vegetation, including this juvenile bird.  And there were obviously some feeding opportunities for this Great Crested Grebe.    Not a great day for photography, but great to get a lifer in the shape of the Hudsonian Godwit!
An afternoon visit to Rye Meads to see how the juvenile Kestrels and the Kingfishers were getting on. Still in the grip of very hot weather, so it was nice to sit in the Draper hide. At least one Green Sandpiper had returned from breeding and a couple of Common Terns were fishing in front of the hide.      The Kingfisher Hub was relatively quiet so plenty of space for all. The juvenile Kestrels seemed to like using their nest box as a base, despite fledging some time ago. All three were showing and the adult male also put in an appearance. Here are two together, a youngster and I believe the adult female on the left.  One of the youngsters had caught a vole or mouse and was a bit unsure what to do with it. At one stage it regurgitated a pellet.  And a few more shots.     While I was there in the afternoon I did not see the female Kingfisher who remained with the chicks in the nest hole. They are probably due to fledge in 2 to 3 days and the male was bringing in a number of fish of reasonable size. After dropping off a fish he would disappear to bathe behind the bushes as the pond has quite a cover of algae. On the way in however, he would pause on the central perch.    And taking the time to lighten the load!  No chance of diving shots today, but I did manage a short take off sequence.    A great three hours and lovely to meet David Gowing as well as Sue and young photographer Alastair and his Mum.
Time for a Nightjar trip, but first a stop at RSPB Lakenheath. It was extremely quiet on the bird front with no Hobbies and it looks as if the adult Cuckoo's have started to head back already. One or two Marsh Harriers visible and we did have a fleeting glimpse of a Kingfisher at Mere Hide. On the Wash, were a few waders including Black-tailed Godwits, Avocets, Redshank and Lapwing. However, we had incredible views of a Bittern flying along the river. Sadly, it was flying away from me, so I didn't get a chance of a shot. The shortage of birds, meant time for some Dragonfly shots. Firstly, one of many, Four-spotted Chasers.  A male Ruddy Darter.  And some shots of the orange/yellow females.    There were loads of Butterflies and it has certainly been a good year for them so far. First up - Red Admiral.  Painted Lady.  And a personal favourite of mine, Brimstone.   It was good to bump into Alan Reynolds whilst walking around and he said he was off to Weeting Heath where we were also planning to go. He rang later to say the Stone curlews were showing well. We headed up there and getting there later in the day meant the heat haze was not too bad. We had views of a Spotted Flycatcher feeding along the fence line and this Mistle Thrush gathering a large bill full of insects.    The Stone Curlews showed well from the West hide. I believe two adults and three young in all. Certainly the most I have seen there.   I was lucky enough to get some flight shots as one bird took off and did a short circuit of its territory.     Fantastic to see these amazing birds! Next stop was The Red Lion for a meal and to kill some time, before heading to Mayday Farm. We had good views in the fading light of a Tree Pipit, calling high up.  This is the typical view whilst waiting. No roding Woodcocks, but we did hear a Tawny Owl hooting away.  And then, as it got darker, we heard our first Nightjar churring. It was not until well after 10pm that we saw our first bird flying and then got much better views as one flew close. We also located one churring, perched on a small side branch of a pine. Too dark for shots, but do enjoy this video of the sound. A final treat was coming across a couple of Glow-worms on the way back to the car. From the Beetle family, it is the females that glow, to attract a male. A very poor phone shot as a record.  A long, but brilliant day and good to also bump into a few RSPB SE Herts members along the way.
A really hot day, but Allan & Tracey Burrows had found a couple of Lesser Emperor's in Panshanger Park the previous day, so I popped down to try and see this scarce Dragonfly. As I walked up there, the wild flower meadow looked amazing!  As to be expected, there were lots of butterflies, including these mating Skippers.  As well as a Green-veined White.  It was fantastic to see so many Marbled White butterflies, certainly well over a hundred as I walked around. One eventually settled, to allow for a couple of shots.   Panshanger is a really good spot for Wasp Spiders and there were a number around the lake. All quite small at the moment, though they will increase in size as the Summer progresses. This one had damselfly prey.  Standing by the lake, waiting for the Dragonflies, there was the sound of a Water Vole munching away out of sight. Later it swam across a small bay but just as I raised my camera it dived out of sight. I had more luck with this Common Frog, making its way back to the water.   As for the Dragonflies, there were at least one Emperor, one Norfolk Hawker and lots of Four-spotted Chasers. Quite a lot of male Black-tailed Skimmers and it was nice to get a picture of one with a decent background as they usually favour gravel areas.  It was a nervy wait for the Lesser Emperors, but they eventually started to show about 11am. Initially erratic, they seemed to develop a route and I managed to get a few flight shots.     They were hunting butterflies that were flying across the lake, eating them on the wing. I was extremely fortunate to grab a couple of shots as one landed close by, for a matter of seconds.   Great to see this scarce species expanding its range! The heat finally defeated me, so time to head back home. Lovely to see Allan & Tracey down there as well.
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