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Campfield Marsh - early April. 6th April 2013 Sunny all day with a light SW wind. Early morning there were 14 Shelduck with two Mallard pairs out on the mudflats. A small group of Redshank came in with the tide. On the Meadow Pools, Wigeon and Teal were gathering and seemingly pairing up. The two...

The following images suggest some of the additional things your sharp eyes could see on a visit to the Campfield Marsh Reserve - from mid July to late August. BIRDS House Sparrow in a crevice of the barn wall near the car park . A juvenile Woodpecker possibly using the farm bird feeders...

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...

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...

Barnacles are a speciality of the Solway. This group were on the Cardurnock pastures. Oystercatchers battling with the tail-end of Hurricane Katia. A typical Solway farm here on Campfield Marsh Summer Solway and Criffel from Campfield Marsh. Barnacles on the saltings of the R...

Skein of Pinks at sunset 1st October Weather is still warm and sunny. Speckled Woods seen mating today and a flock of about 80 Pinks flew in from the across the saltmarsh and headed off in a south-easterly direction. Speckled Woods mating. Female (the larger one) seems to have laid an egg...

7th July Norman reported a good collection of Waders and Gulls in the vicinity of Saltmarsh Pool today: 8 Black-tailed Godwits in Summer plumage, 420 Black-headed Gulls, 14 Redshank and 1 Adult Mediterranean Gull. The warm humid conditions brought out insects and good numbers of Swallows hawking after...

2nd July Barn Owl is still hunting regularly along the saltmarsh both during the day and at dusk. 3rd July A very hot and sunny day with a great sunrise. The Bore could be seen coming in at midday. 4th July - Hot windless weather continued. Bird song is silent now that the...

18th July 2011 Opened the curtains . . . Whoosh! The rain was coming in bucket loads; the light across the estuary was hard and sharp; the wind was definitely in the North West. "Mark my words," I said to Judith, "it's Autumn. We are nearly a month past the Solstice...

Photo Diary 15th to 30th June 2011 Bird Seed crop - Phacelia , Oats and Sunflowers 15th June Barn Owl busily hunting along saltmarsh. This is the second Barn Owl of a pair who are hunting along the marsh each evening now. Herons, possibly a family, scouring the shoreline...

A Photo Diary Black Galloways keeping cool on a hot summer's day, in front of Hide . 1st June Two Mute Swans landed briefly on wet meadows but were seen flying off, being chased by Lapwings who were nesting in the vicinity. 3rd June Today was a very warm still cloudless day....

A photo dairy, 14th - 31st May 2011 North Plain Lonning lined with flowering Cow Parsley 14th May Male Woodpecker heard hammering on nest box hole. A Tree Sparrow, currently occupying this box, was hovering round in the vicinity. Shelduck feeding on the tideline in the evening...

Gorse in bloom on Campfield Marsh 1st May A sunny although blustery day, with a helm wind blowing. Nevertheless butterflies and dragonflies could be seen flying in the shelter of the Lonning and the hedgerows were full of birdsong. Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly on poolside vegetation ...

"April Gorse, Campfield Marsh 27th April 2011" - a digital pastel-style painting by John Rogers It's late April and the weather up here on the Solway is like the middle of Summer. Migrants are coming in early, flowers are blooming that shouldn't be and there are dragonflies and moths...

"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...

17th September Flocks of gulls have been collecting round field drain outfall on mudflatts in front of the Campfield Marsh Good numbers of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies have been flying in the area 18th September A rather bedraggled looking young Wren after recent rain 19th...

4th August Common Blue Damselfly on track Heron had been hunting for frogs in the dyke Heron taking off near first Pool Small Copper on trackside vegetation Numerous small Tortoiseshell butterflies were flying today 7th August Red Admiral on Willow-herb 8th August...

They call it ‘climate change’. They always have to have a nice neat title for things these days: everything pigeonholed and computerised. It’s an industry now. Universities have whole departments on the subject; people are making careers from it. In the ‘old days’ we...

…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...

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...