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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...

Pinkfeet against distant snow-clad Skiddaw. Wall to wall sunshine from dawn, with fluffy Constable-style clouds – completely windless. What a day! We had to go to Kirkbride so set off along the saltmarsh and within a couple of minutes ran into two Little Egrets near Biglands lay-by. They...

Badger routings in the orchard - 24 3 13 Our house, garden and orchard lie slap in the middle of the Campfield Marsh Reserve and we take great joy in all the birds and animals that flow across us in their various pursuits. We gaze out across the meadows and moss at the back, and the saltmarsh and...

Today, I was in pensive mood after yesterday's events. It was a day for garden birds. Yesterday, I'd speculated about the identity of parties of small birds moving along the saltmarsh. But, whilst into my third cup of coffee, I had a minor triumph: a small party came swanning down the saltmarsh...

'Conversation piece' Oh dear! An early hospital appointment, first thing Monday morning! The weather was dull, raining and bitterly cold. Things could only get better . . . and so they did! Coming through Drumburgh at 8 o'clock, a flock of about 1500 Barnacles were just coming in...

Crow on the lookout from the garden. Our house, as you may have gathered, is within the precincts of the Reserve, so we always consider that a bird seen in the garden is automatically a bird for the reserve – and we view it accordingly. We also feed the birds in the garden intensively, as indeed...

Tantalising view of geese across the flooded meadows. We had been aware for a few days that there was goose activity back over on the Reserve and local prominent birders, after much hard work, had estimated that there were in excess of 10.000 Pinkfeet on the Solway. So, in the middle of the afternoon...

Barnacles flocks in snow at Cardurnock The weathermen had been quite precise with their forecast with snow at low level followed by sleet turning to rain. So on awakening to a world of white, I said to Judith, “I'll get the van ready while you get your camera stuff together. We can look...

New Year's Day was crisp and sunny. Here are a few of the birds which put in an appearance today. Early morning now frequent visitors to the saltmarsh. Oystercatchers had been giving aerial displays as the tide came in at noon. The small Barnacle flock had stayed to graze. A pair...

A Christmas scene 25 th December 2012 A wonderful gift at Christmas! On opening the curtains on Christmas morning, somewhat belatedly I might add, as I had been playing with my new 'toys', namely a new publication about Talbot Kelly – the bird artist. I was greeted with the fantastic...

Seven Waxwings descended on a neighbours apple tree at 14:10 today. These are the first we have seen this Winter in the area, although there are some berries still on bushes and trees. They were not very confiding and eventually flew off but proceded to fly in a small group around the immediate...

Signs of Winter on the Solway. Having been to Carlisle in the morning, arrived back at Campfield in good time. The weather was perfect: sunshine with little wind, On arrival at Saltmarsh Pool the Great White Egret and three Little Egret , all very visible, watched by several other birders who...

Main business of the day was going to be a trip to the surgery for jabs and Judith to do a little shopping – after that the world was our oyster! So Judith said, “ let's take the motorhome, we'll have a picnic lunch and take the cameras and scopes and go on a 'wild goose chase'...

PHOTOGRAPHIC REVIEW OF EARLY NOVEMBER 1st November 2012 Massed flock of Whooper Swans at Seaville. Close-up of Whoopers at Seaville with Crifell in the background. Whoopers bathing and preening. Looking very relaxed. Further groups were coming in all the time. Fieldfares...

Huge excitement at Campfield! We believe that we have a return visitor to the marsh and wetland. The Great White Egret seems to have remembered us and was first reported on the saltmarsh on 10th October by Norman Holton, our Cumbria Coastal Reserves Manager - at which point the bush telegraph went into...

Anvil Cloud over the Solway estuary. We've definitely passed the Equinox: 12 hours of 'sunlight', 12hours of dark – the jury's still out on the sunlight bit! The equinoctial gales started right on time in the form of the tail-end of Hurricane Nadine which definitely stirred the...

Saturday morning, an enjoyable time of the week, a late breakfast had just been consumed and I was into my second cup of Douwe Egberts whilst casually scanning the estuary in front of me with my bins here at Campfield. Suddenly crashing into view came, what could only be described as ‘a regiment...

Raised Moss and Boardwalk, Bowness Common - looking towards Criffel. Strange thing to have to say … there was definitely a feeling of Spring in the air in spite of the fact we were well into the middle of June. Some of the Ash trees in the area hadn’t even attained their leaves! But there...

Across first Meadow Pool. The Lonning towards the hide. Second Meadow Pool. Nosy guest cattle. Pied Wagtail with Cranefly. Reed Bunting on Lonning hedgerow. Sandhills towards the Solway. Sedge Warbler - Black and White sketch. Sedge Warbler in colour. ...

Early June - Summer has officially arrived … monsoons of rain; tornados of wind; flooding that would frighten even Noah; caravans and tents being swept away; agricultural shows being flattened; seaside promenades under three feet of water and lashed by waves. Hello! but we don’t mind, we’re...

This Spring and early Summer have been a real mixed bag - especially this last week! One minute, glorious sunshine and the next torrential rain and bitter winds. One hardly knows what to do! Have turned into a softie really - should have taken it easier on the cupcakes, blue icing and party sized Eton...

Winter is back again - view across Meadow Pools towards Skiddaw 2nd April Great White Egret is still on the Reserve. Here seen fishing early morning on Saltmarsh Pool. Pink-footed geese are still on the estuary. These were seen on farm pastures near the Reserve's boundary fence. ...

Whoopers taking off from the hide wetlands. Since Christmas here on the Solway, and by implication, our very own Campfield Marsh, the weather has been very wet and windy. But, surprisingly, in the last few days it has been calm and windless - really rather pleasant. There has been a high tide...

Yes, Folks - the Great White Egret of Campfield has returned! The nation can now relax! We began to think that it had suffered the fate of most rare vagrants but it was spotted and photographed last Saturday (14 th Jan 2012) at the Saltmarsh Pool by local enthusiasts. This immediately brought on...

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...