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Campfield Marsh is quite a spectacle in May with its covering of Sea Pinks - not to mention the Gorse and May blossom along the fringes. Back to farm and estuary - we continue along the coastal road round the Cardurnock Peninsula. Within a few hundred yards of North Plain farm we arrive at the lay...

Campfield Marsh. Now we come to the 3rd part of the Blog, having dealt with accommodation issues. We can start to describe the main features of the area which is after all what you will be coming to enjoy, be it Spring, Summer or Winter. In the case of birders, winter in the Solway area is of particular...

Saltmarsh and pool. We had been down onto the North Plain wetlands and the hide and had just returned to the lonning entrance - I was casually scanning with the bins towards the scrape and the boundary fence, when we beheld a great sight: a goodly flock of Barnacles were scattered over the marsh....

The short answer to that is, “Yes” - so don’t expect any more bardic utterances from me! Evening view across the wetlands from the raised bower. Although it is still Spring, here on the Campfield wetlands, today it felt like the middle of June: the wind had dropped and the...

Campfield Marsh at high tide. 11 4 12 Spring is a restless time: weather pulling all kinds of tricks; counting the cost of last winter; assessing the possibilities of the coming Summer; old visitors still lingering on; new arrivals coming unexpectedly - and that’s just the birds … you...

'Doing the Campfield walk, Hey!' The Great White Egret arrived at Campfield on 1 st November 2011, just in time for the Guy Fawkes celebrations. We began to wonder how long this rare vagrant would stay - and lo and behold, miracle of miracles, it spent Christmas with us. People travelled from...

3 rd January, 2012 - Barnacles at Campfield ‘Hide Fever’ by John Rogers “I must go down to the hide again, to the lonely hide and the sky. For I’ve left my gloves and Collins there, and I only hope they’re dry.” No, seriously folks, I’d decided...

PHOTODIARY - end of November 2011 Winter evening after a stormy day, Solway Estuary 24th November. A midday high tide with a strong gusty wind. At 11.30pm flocks of Oystercatcher, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and Shoveler with 15 Pintail started to fly west along the, by now, flooding marsh. At...

15th - 23rd November 2011 15th November Cold light easterly wind with misty sunshine. As the tide came in a group of 13 Shoveler crossed the channel in front of the hamlet. A flock of Dunlin landed on the sandbar on the other side. A Reed Bunting showed up on the marsh edge hawthorn bushes and...

A photo diary - 25th October to 31st October 2011 25th October At 11.30 am, about high tide, there was a movement of Barnacles going east in small flocks. One flock came over the hamlet and seemed to be heading towards the Reserve wetlands. The high tide line held Wigeon, Mallard and Curlew. There...

Criffel and the Solway after the Storm, 17th October. 15th October A very warm misty morning with a rosy dawn. Small parties Barnacles could be seen and heard flying west most of the morning. Lots of Gulls out on the channel with a single Whooper on the tideline. Small party of Barnacles...

"Oh to be at 'Campfield' now that April's here" - a pastel-style digital painting by John Rogers Already the mighty pendulum, that governs all life on this planet, is well on its way. The Vernal Equinox is nearly a month past but the bird world would have been stirring even before...

Photo diary - 21st (Spring Equinox) to 31st March 2011 Daffodils in hedge bottom along Lonning Willow coming into bloom 21st March High Spring tides were flooding the Inner Solway Estuary marshes causing the Barnacle Geese who frequent them, to flight west to the Outer estuary pastures...

A photo diary - early March 2011 A calm early March day on the estuary 1st March An influx of finches to the area was noted today Female Brambling Lesser Redpoll and Siskin (both males) feeding on nearby garden niger seed 2nd March Goldfinch in splendid Spring plumage...