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...

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...

'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...

Norman Holton writes: “Over the last couple of months I have been moving my remote camera around the reserve to see what I might capture. The problem with this is sifting through the thousands of images you get (like bits of vegetation blowing in the wind) for the few good ones. It is also interesting...

Maryland farm on the very edge of the saltmarsh, overlooking the Pool - after a night of snow. The hamlet of Cardurnock - a small farming community that makes its living from grazing sheep and cattle on the wide estuary pastures. These are the little black and white Barnacle Geese that return...

Snow on the Scottish Hills viewed from Campfield Marsh - 22 1 13 The depth of winter this year at Campfield has been decidedly undramatic, whilst the rest of the country, if TV is to be believed, has suffered under continents of snow and ice, blocked roads, closed schools and more sledging than you...

Whoopers on Meadow Pools at dawn - 12th January 2013 The gentle pulsing of the alarm broke into my slumbers, although I have to say, we seldom use an alarm these days – but today would be special! We had pre-planned a very early morning foray onto the Reserve here at North Plain, as we knew...

For the past week or so we have been able to hear the wonderful sound of Whoopers , back over on the reserve wetlands, from the hamlet here at West Common. Although the weather has been very inclement recently and yesterday was no exception, we decided to take a walk down North Plain Lonning in hopeful...

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...

31 12 11 - 77 Whoopers sheltering from the fretful weather on hide wetland.

20 12 11 - Taking advantage of recently thawed water.

12 12 11 Canada Goose and three Whooper Swans taking advantage of recently cut rushes on North Plain Farm.

After spending some time grazing, preening and swimming around the meadows and pools in front of the hide on North Plain Farm, this group of swans took to the air.

Whoopers swimming and upending in the Autumn sunshine - First Meadow Pool, North Plain Farm

Having spent the night on this pool on Campfield Marsh RSPB Reserve, the calm of early morning gave way to a strengthening wind. The swans started to take off in to it in small groups, to find grazing on the surrounding grassy farmland.

A group of these swans had come in overnight and spent the next morning on this pool at North Plain Farm, Campfield Marsh RSPB Reserve. They were here seen happily preening and dibbling for weed from the bottom of the pool. Up to 200 + had been using the various pools about this time, flighting in at...