Browse by Tags

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...

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...

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...

"Summer Solway Estuary and Gulls flying" - a pastel sketch from my studio window. Campfield Marsh Reserve, here on the Solway, is a really nice place to visit at the end of Summer, especially its estuary element. As you may know, inland reserves can be a little quiet at this time of the...

We had been to town in the morning - not my idea of a fun day out! But during the drive back along the Solway marshes towards Campfield, our spirits started to lift. The weather was wonderful: sun beating down from a Summer Constable sky - you know the one with the little fluffy clouds; the marshes looked...

18th - 31st AUGUST Looking inland across the 'sands' towards Campfield Marsh 18th August Cold wind from the west today. Wader numbers are starting to build up: predominently Oystercatcher with small numbers of Grey Plover, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin. Whimbrel could be heard calling...

Oh dear! it’s got round to August again. The birds down the Lonning have generally fallen silent, busy raising and feeding their young - but if one walks along quickly and quietly, you can run across small parties of young in the hedges waiting to be fed by their industrious parents: Willow Warblers...

Haymaking has started - end of July 18th July After early rain the sun came out making it very warm and humid, Sunshine and showers continued for the rest of the day. Insects and butterflies were in abundance which was great as it was the start of the 'Big Butterfly Count' for Butterfly...

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...

The last few days have been very warm and windless; rain at nights creating high humidity and the tides have entered into a high phase. One could feel a sense of the pulse of the estuary stepping up - it would culminate at the weekend with a particularly high one. Being Saturday, of course, this would...

Here we are: August; well past the Solstice; the days are detectably shorter; there’s a distinct crispness in the air in the morning; the robin is singing its winter song; the dog-days of Summer are passing; no warblers are singing. Birds are silent, busily feeding their young – bulking up...

…sort of a day. It was warm, when the sun came out it was really hot – but across the estuary big black clouds were looming. No wind. So we set out for the Reserve, ready for anything! The Common Hawker was our first encounter as we walked down the track passed the farm. We were buzzed...

This last few days the estuary seems to be livening up a bit after the Summer Solstice. A good many Bar-tailed Godwits, in a variety of plumage are around now and Oystercatchers are amassing. Have seen an immature, quite large, Shelduck with a parent bird. A few Black-tailed Godwits seem to have been...

End of June is a joyous time of the year with young birds everywhere filling the hedgerows, meadows, woodlands and ponds Loaning Sedge Warblers are still to be heard singing along the track. One was observed on 27th catching insects in the bushes round the hide – presumably feeding young...