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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...

It's Monday morning and I'm recovering from a fun, if slightly damp and muddy Sunday at Newton Rigg College's Countryside Day, near Penrith. There was plenty to see and do from all aspects of the countryside from den building to tractor rides, clay pigeon shooting to wildlife gardening, and...

While up in Cumbria for a day I thought I'd pop into Geltsdale, having never been there before. I didn't have time to go round the wooded part of the reserve, but went around both sides of the tarn. Although the wind was vicious the sun more or less made up for it. Loads of Meadow Pipits in the...

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...

Black-tailed Godwit. After lunch, Judith said to me,”I'll have to get into the garden. These last two days of sunshine and rain have brought everything on. “OK,” I said, “I need a walk. I'll go down the Lonning and see what's there.” Unusually there was very...

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...

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...

Badger routings in the orchard - 24 3 13 Our house, garden and orchard lie slap in the middle of the Campfield Marsh Reserve and we take great joy in all the birds and animals that flow across us in their various pursuits. We gaze out across the meadows and moss at the back, and the saltmarsh and...

Across the Meadow Pools towards the snow clad Lakeland Fells - 20 3 13 10th March. Small flocks of Curlew are regularly appearing on the tideline. Watched this Kestrel hunting along the wetlands in front of the hide. It kept dropping down amongst the rushes but rapidly re-emerged...

Robin on Campfield Lonning.

Ashness bridge near Borrowdale in Cumbria, Derwent water in the background.

Little Egrets have been regularly seen on Campfield Marsh RSPB Reserve over the last few autumns. We are sited on the the very edge of the Solway Estuary which borders both England and Scotland. 14th September 2010 - Two of four seen on the saltmarsh in recent days.

Hi Steve, Nice sighting, that one! You’ve been really lucky. We have never actually seen one on the Farm, in all the time it has been a Reserve - although I don’t know if Norman(RSPB Cumbria Coastal Reserves Manager) or Dave(RSPB Campfield Marsh Reserve Manager) have ever seen any? ...

Art sketch showing the Solway as it is today. Get yourselves up here. Its quiet, the air is clean, its a haven for tired overworked people. You know you have always wanted to start birdwatching. Its really easy. Stacks of good books on the subject. You can either dabble or you can give meaning to the...

This view is from Campfield Marsh Reserve looking north across the Solway towards Criffel

The famous view of Ashness Bridge, with Derwentwater in distance. (2007)

Sun glints in the amber eye. Beautiful bars - natures abstract art. To and fro, To and fro. A moment frozen in time. Oh my, Oh my. Talons tighten, Tighten, tighten. Feathers blown in the wind. Goodbye little sparrow. Your soul is soaring now.

The late afternoon sun glistening on Autumn's golden leaves. Overhead, a flock of geese, calling, searching for a night time roost. A solitary robin singing the day's grand finale.