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Showing posts from June, 2009

Nightlife

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Friday 26th June 2009 A visit to Boys Grave, Forest of Dean, in the evening gave me good views of two male Nightjars (above) displaying actively from about 10:00pm onwards. Two Woodcocks were also seen roding and two Tawny Owls were heard calling. Another Tawny Owl was seen flying across the road at the Woorgreens car park.

Quails and Owls on the Wolds

Friday 19th June 2009 A trip out to Hawling with Mark this evening produced two calling Quail , at 9:10pm, south of the the minor cross roads near the dilapidated barn at SP059217. Also a Barn Owl , a Kestrel , a Corn Bunting , four Pied Wagtails , two Curlews and three Red-legged Partridges . A Little Owl was at Withington and four Tawny Owls (two seen and another two heard) around Chedworth Woods.

Firecrests in the Forest

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Saturday 13th June 2009 I spent an excellent day's birding in the Forest of Dean today making the most of the pleasant weather, with four singing male Firecrests (above and below) in the Speech House Walk/Great Saintlow/Yewtreebrake area, also a Tree Pipit , a mating pair of Garden Warblers , a pair of Chiffchaffs with two juveniles, four Willow Warblers , two Blackcaps , a Golden-ringed Dragonfly , a Black-tailed Skimmer and several Large Red Damselfies . A quick visit to Nagshead RSPB produced the target species there, a Spotted Flycatcher . Photos below: Golden-ringed Dragonfly and Large Red Damselfly

Little Bittern

Sunday 7th June 2009 I saw the Somerset Little Bittern this evening at 7:00pm, and what a cracking bird, but it hadn't been easy. I arrived with Linda at about 2:30pm with news that it hadn't been seen since this morning when it had flown deeper into the reed-beds. This didn't sound promising, and so we decided to visit the Peat Moors Centre and walk around the western end of Shapwick Heath. We later returned to Ashcott station to check out the eastern end of Shapwick Heath, but it soon became apparent after talking to some happy-looking birders that the Little Bittern had been seen recently several times around Loxton Marsh. We arrived at the spot (ST459396) to find it had been seen minutes before, and several times over the previous hour, but we had to wait an hour and a half, with it calling almost constantly, before someone managed to get on it with their scope. We had good views of this fantastic bird deep in the reed-bed as the reeds swayed out of the way, and after