Some friends have suggested that I do some serious birdwatching over the next few days. They seem to think that I should be spending some more time in the company of reedbeds, rather than video cameras, my iPad, or writing on my blog. They seem to fail to comprehend that I often combine these activities. Nonetheless, I have been persuaded to spend some time with them. If there are some delays in moderation over the next two or three days, that will explain the cause.
Today began near home, at Welney. We were there for six hours in all, and I got off to a bad start by forgetting to take a card for my camera, so I had to rely on my phone instead. A good day's birdwatching was had, nonetheless.
Greenshank and green sandpiper were back, already on southward migration.
Yellow wagtails were spectacular.
Ruff were around in good numbers.
A march harrier was, almost inevitably, present.
So too were black-tailed godwits, and house martins and swallows were literally filling the air at some points.
There were reed warblers too - four at one point, all happy to be seen, which is rare.
And a snipe appeared, skulking as usual.
A lot of coffee was drunk.
East Anglia was, as usual, offering big skies:
A roe deer got a look in, with an avocet, a lapwing and a ruff towards the bottom left.
Baby starlings were on the bridge:
The bindweed was looking magnificent:
As was the yellow loosestrife:
And the orange or spotted jewelweed, which looks like an orchid, but isn't:
And this cow just seemed to want to have a chat:
My thanks, as usual, to all the team at Welney.
We might go further afield tomorrow. I will see what happens.
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Buy me a coffee!
Fab. Thank you for this Richrad – good for you.
You richly deserve a break.
Thanks
Today was a lot of fun.
I realised a few weeks ago that baby starlings are the same colour as baby sparrows, just larger with pointed beaks. I must have a couple of dozen of each in my hedge.
I wondered what these large sparrows were doing following the starlings around begging for food! They soon change into starling wings and sides, though.
Starlings will only beg for food from their parents, whereas sparrows will beg from anyone.
Agreed!
At this time of the year many birds just look odd. Plumage is all over the place.
Careful with those cows, they can be surprisingly dangerous, especially in herds.
Thanks for the photos!
We had a light fence between us, but it did genuinely seem to want to converse. If you want to converse with a cow play it jazz. They love it. They always come to listen.
Cows are always worth chatting to. If you are stressed, find a cow or a group of cows and watch them chewing the cud for 20 minutes. Your brain waves will alter and your BP will fall.
(Don’t take a dog)
After you have learned to listen to cows, you can next learn to talk to them, which takes a bit more time but is very rewarding.
The next tutorial will be on the gentle art of pig-whispering and how to tickle a sow till she slowly collapses onto your feet in an ecstatic trance…
🙂
Forgetting your card! Ouch!
Do you walk all the way around Richard (is it a circular route?).
What make and magnification are your binos?
Thanks,
PSR
We tend to walk the northern half of the reserve – but there is also an eastern loop – which we did not do today. You can go several times and not repeat routes. I like that,
I use these binoculars. https://www.dhjames.co.uk/hawke-frontier-apo-8×42-binocular/a/1355/s/hawke-frontier/ I buy from Cley Spy who provide great service. I have had cheaper Hawkes and they are good too. I have tried more expensive binoculars and cannot really tell much if any difference and certainly not enough to justify spending any more. Jacqueline has these and likes them – she can carry them for hours, and she spends more time birdwatching than I do. https://www.dhjames.co.uk/hawke-frontier-ed-x-8-32-binocular-green/a/1208/s/hawke-frontier/. My summary is these are good enough for all my needs but not so expensive as to be paranoid about them – and I think that is the right balance.
Looks very rewarding.
More variety than the thousands of herring gulls at Whitby the last few days! Squawking day and night.
No herring gulls at all – but one lesser back backed, quite a lot of black-headed, and four common terns.
Enjoy your birdwatching, the world will still be here when you get back. Me and the missus just had a nice bus ride to the coast on the Wirral, very nice and chilled.
The coast might be my destination tomorrow.
Richard – I’m almost envious back here in High Peak – but I will be in East Anglia next June! Meanwhile my relaxation was an evening of Gilbert & Sullivan – ‘Pirates of Penzance’ – a professional production in Buxton Opera House and extremely good – followed by a late night ‘cabaret’ in the café next door of ‘HMS Pinafore’ by members of Peak Opera (not a permanent troupe – just put together for the annual G & S Festival) – excellent and good relaxation from the trials and tribulations being heaped upon us by ‘our leaders’ – I am sure that WS Gilbert would have a lot to say about the ‘goings on’ in the world today – but, in reality, nothing to joke about – it is good to be able to shelter from these tragedies around us from time to time – but, please never forget or ignore these tragedies – too many human beings are suffering – where is the justice?.
I will not forget, even if out in a reedbed today.
You have a totally different set of birds to us in Bwlchtocyn! We’ve had some new birds visiting us this year, plus some pleasing viewings from the caravan front door.
Our “usuals” are sparrows, greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, bluetits, (no great tits this year, wonder why not) robins, blackbirds, and a couple of woodpigeons. The woodpigeons do a fair amount of walking around on the caravan roof… Where they sound like they’re wearing hobnail boots!
In the field are crows, magpies, and the inevitable seagulls. There’s a wren that I see some mornings from my bed, and yesterday evening we spotted a bank vole underneath the honeysuckle. We also see (and hear!) the choughs flying from Hellsmouth to Porth Ceiriad occasionally.
This year we have a couple of collared doves visiting – I’ve never seen them around here before. One of them comes and sits on one of the decking posts, looking for sunflower hearts, every morning. The sunflower hearts that we’d put out for the other deck visitors! The doves are very pretty, with restrained feather colours, light greyish with maybe a hint of pink. One came down onto the deck yesterday, and following seed that we threw out earlier, almost came in the front door!
The other surprise visitors we had on the deck were a bluetit and a wren. The blue tit flew to the top of the bamboos supporting sweet peas, then fluttered down into the middle of the plants, and was pecking away at something – I assume greenfly.
Perhaps the most surprising visitor to the deck though was the wren! I’ve always thought about them as being very shy and retiring birds. This one flew onto the deck, then onto the hanging chair, and climbed up the back of the chair like a ladder. Then a quick flutter to the top of the sweet peas, and down into the heart of the plants to enjoy whatever it is a wren enjoys eating – small insects mainly, I suspect.
Reckon we’ll have some humdinger battles soonish too! We have at least 3 different robins. One is just a babe, with a speckled breast and not a hint of red. Then there’s the young un with a red bib. And a fully adult bird with full red breast. I’ve seen robin battles here before, and they ain’t a pretty sight!
Enjoy!
I would love a chat with that English cow!
She was French, I think
Legal, illegal or just stopping over for visit on a tourist visa?
She wouldn’t say.
Here is a little assistance to get you started…
https://www.omniglot.com/language/animalsounds/cows.htm
“Meuh!!”
🙂
Reading an interview with Bill Bailey I was reminded of RJM’s comments about ideas and walking: “ Walking allows you to order your thoughts: we’re so assaulted by thoughts in the daily churn of life, you’re sort of floating in this viscous liquid of ideas, but when you walk, the sediment of distraction settles”. With hindsight, I rather wish there had been desks with pedals under at school, or slow treadmills, as my brain often does better on some tasks when on the hoof.
I’m glad you were out on the move with friends and enjoying nature.
There is a great deal of evidence to support this.
It is especially so, it seems in neurodiverse people.
I find I develop ideas very quickly when walking, and dictating.