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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...

Great! It was a fine morning: sunshine and plenty of wind blowing - all commodities that have been in short supply round here in recent months. My delicate hearing picked up the sound of at least three separate tractors working at the ‘back’ - as we call it! The heavy thud of low gear work...

Female Marsh Harrier hunting over hide wetland. The high tide series were starting to fall back - but with the gale, today‘s high tide had a really good push on it: white horses - the lot! We decided to tackle the wetlands first. Battling down the Lonning, the willow trees and ashes were...

"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...

One of a pair frequenting the Meadow Pools.

For some time now we had been able to detect a slight air of despondency, amongst the Staff on the Reserve, mixed with hope and anticipation - brought about by this monsoon-like summer that I’m sure most of us in the British Isles will have experienced. Our situation here on the Reserve is...

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...

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. ...

6 12 11 A pair had landed on an area of floodwater on the LHS of the Lonning. Had been spotted earlier last night and this morning from the hide. A bit unusual for a sea duck!.

Mixed flock consisting of 1050 Pink and 1250 Barnacles (including 4 leucistics) were grazing the wetland pastures which had been specially managed for them by the RSPB.

Good numbers of Pintail now on flooded pastures near the hide.

A group of Barnacles and Pinkfooted geese grazing the wet meadows on North Plain Farm, as seen from the hide.

A small flock of Pinkfeet flew into wet meadows in front of the hide on North Plain Farm.

24 Pinks came in to land on wet meadows in front of the hide

Flock of Pinkfeet having just landed on wet meadows in front of the hide, North Plain Farm.

This peacefully grazing flock, seen in front of the hide, was disturbed by the sound of a nearby light plane. They took off and headed out towards the raised moss area of the Reserve.