Four new birds......

Monday 30th July 2007

Life has been a wee bit busy lately so not much time to blog, but we have been out and about and here are the highlights of the past couple of weeks.


131. rock pipit - Portland Bill
132. gannets - Portland Bill


133. ravens - Hurst Castle

134. grey wagtail - Arundel




Bird on a beach.....

We saw this Mediterranean Gull on Swanage beach and as it was ringed we notified the BTO to help keep the records up to date.


A pair of black swans turned up on one of the lagoons between Keyhaven and Pennington


Also saw some moths......



six spot burnet (day flying-moth)


Scalloped Oak


Ribond Wave Idaea aversata (ab. remutata)


Riband Wave Idaea aversata (typical form)

Durlston Country Park and Radipole Lake

Saturday 7th July 2007

It hasn't been much of a summer this year but today the sun was shining as we set off for Durlston Country Park in Dorset.


the lighthouse at Durlston

Durlston Country Park consists of sea-cliffs, coastal limestone downland, haymeadows, hedgerows and woodland and from March to July the cliffs are alive with Seabirds.

We saw some Guillemots, Shags, Razorbills, Great black-backed gulls and Herring gulls today.


guillemots


shags

Then after lunch we headed to Weymouth and had a walk around Radipole Lake and saw another bird for the year list - a Ruddy Duck.


ruddy duck - love the blue beak!

There were lots of butterflies too......


marbled white


red admiral


comma

and some wild honeysuckle....



128. guillemot
129. shag
130. ruddy duck

Testwood Lakes

Monday 2nd July 2007

Despite the showery rain we spent an hour or two at Testwood Lakes, Southampton.


threatening clouds


watching for sand martins

We were we were lucky enough to see some of the Sand Martins fledge today. Some of them popping out for the first time then quickly going back in again!


little heads appear....

Other highlights were a Little Ringed Plover a Common Sandpiper and a Oystercatcher with a little chick.

126. little ringed plover
127. common sandpiper

Seaford Kittiwake Colony - East Sussex

Sunday 1st July 2007

We took a run down to Seaford today to see the Kittiwake Colony.

The RSPB have a couple of scopes set up for viewing the Kittiwakes but although it was a dry day it was also very windy and the waves kept lashing up and drenching everyone so not good day for the camera.





125. kittiwake

Blashford Lakes

Saturday 30th June 2007


great crested grebe with chick

The weather wasn't great but in between the showers we took a trip to Blashford Lakes near Ringwood.


jay

We were only there for an hour or so but saw lots of nice birds including a family of six Jays, a Blackcap, a Grey Heron, a Kingfisher, Green and Great spotted Woodpeckers and a Great Crested Grebe with chick.


green woodpecker