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May blossom and gorse in bloom - Campfield Marsh. Spring was late this year – universally accepted, we think. We might add that here at Campfield, we are used to late Springs! We swear to you folks that the Ash trees at the top end of the Lonning only started to come into leaf 10 days ago! ...

This typifies Campfield Marsh on a late April afternoon - sun coming in at a low angle under storm clouds. A wonderful colour combination: dark grey April skies and blazing gorse. Male Great Spotted Woodpecker seems to be hording a small delicacy in hole in the tree trunk. He is already in pristine...

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...

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'...

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...

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...

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...

Two Woodcock - part of a large number visiting Campfield during the cold spell at the beginning of the year. The gregarious and colourful Wigeon that make the winter reserve so pleasurable. Whoopers, our glorious winter visitors. One of the Lonning’s Sedge Warblers declares his...

An early November Photo Diary Area round Saltmarsh Pool where the Great White Egret has installed itself 1st November A beautiful sunny windless day with first record of Great White Egret seen on the Reserve at Saltmarsh Pool. 2nd November Cool and breezy. 10.45 - 12.00 am, Great White...

September 2011 Photo Diary The evocative 'pink pink' was first heard on the 15th, over the Reserve ... returning skeins of Pinkfeet were subsequently seen during the following days. 1st September Rained early but became very warm as sun came out in the afternoon. The saltmarsh...

The weather was really warming up; a strongish dry southeaster was blowing across the estuary; hardly a cloud in the sky. I said to Judith, "Just the day for the outer saltmarsh and the estuary sands. Let's see what exotica presents itself!" Adventure was in the air and the Gods seemed...

"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...

Barnacles flighting at dusk, Campfield Marsh Reserve - a digital oil-style painting by John Rogers This winter, as we will all know, started very early with the big freeze-up, snow and ice - the whole deal! The country was in crisis. We thought, "here we are in the middle of an Artic winter,...

Thursday, 23rd September 2010 Of course, today was a typical day when everything happens birdwise and you are not in a position to do anything about it. We were going down to the municipal recycling facility with a whole accumulation of stuff - there was no escaping it! As we motored along the front...

1st September Adult fox hunting amongst recently topped rushes along the edge of 1st Meadow Pool. Seen from screen 4th September Common Darter on track Swallows were hawking everywhere today: over the pools, meadows and the 'sands'. Bird of prey glimpsed flying away...