31 August 2007 Somerset Coast - West Huntspill

This juvenile Sabine's gull was found today by Tom Raven at the Huntspill Sea Wall...

sabs gull

sabs gull flight

This species breeds in the high Arctic of N. Siberia and N. America. The northwesterly wind probably helped bring it to the Somerset coast during its southerly migration. The flight photo is just a record-shot really, to show in part the distinctive wing-pattern.

30 August 2007 Greylake RSPB

A brief stop here enabled me to get this shot of a grey heron...

heron flight

28 August 2007 Portland and Lodmoor RSPB

A trip to south Dorset wasn't particularly productive, especially since the new filter on my camera seemed to ruin most of the photos I took.

At Portland there was a group of 12 yellow wagtail, plus a lesser whitethroat and several wheatears. At Lodmoor: 2 sandwich tern, 10+ black-tailed godwit, 5 lapwing, 1 common sandpiper, reed warbler, little egret, 5 ringed plover.

I've included this dunnock photo as it's pretty much the only one of the day that came out OK...

dunnock

10-23 August 2007 North Devon

A two-week holiday in North Devon enabled me to check out some of the sites around the Taw estuary.

22 August - Northam Burrows

This wheatear was one of two I spotted around the car park at the end of the toll road...

(this photo published in North Devon Journal)

wheatears

...and this bizarrely plumaged brown and beige rook was also frequenting the car park...

brown rook

There was very little on the beach or sea 1.5 hours after high tide.

22 August - Isley Marshes RSPB

A few ringed plover present. Big passage of swallows and house martins feeding as they passed through. Good views of a little egret (c. 45 birds) day-roost across the creek.

22 August - Tarka Trail, Heanton

A sunny day at last and I got well-lit close views of this little egret...

egret

21 August - Woolacombe

Despite a very busy beach, 2 sandwich terns alighted briefly on the stream across the beach. About 20 gannet were feeding just off shore.

20 August - Crow Point

About 40 ringed plover and 15 dunlin were feeding at low tide and were flushed by a sparrowhawk before I could photograph them!

19 August - Ilfracombe

A very strong north-westerly wind brought gannets very close to shore and I counted 5 Cory's shearwater from Windy Corner - one of them soared right over Capstone! About 40 Manx shearwaters also passed through.

17 August - Tarka Trail, Heanton

Curlew and osytercatcher still the most abundant waders, with 1 common sandpiper and at least 2 whimbrel...

whimbrels

16 August - Tarka Trail, Heanton

The Tarka Inn (formerly Heanton Court Hotel) is a great place to get close to shore birds from the Tarka Trail - and it serves real ale and has a free car park! 2 whimbrel were present, along with abundant curlew and oystercatcher...

curlew flight

osytercatcher

As well as a little egret and this common sandpiper...

common sand

16 August - Braunton Marshes

Low tide meant no noteable birds but there were a few Painted Lady butterflies...

painted lady

12 August - Braunton Burrows

These charming Common blue butterflies were feeding from hawkbit and ragwort (male top, female lower)...

common blues

... and Gatekeeper butterflies were very abundant...

gatekeeper

11 August - The Torrs, Ilfracombe

A walk over the clifftops provided a very close encounter with a peregrine which flew inches above the ground along the path right next to me. 1 common redstart present along with abundant gatekeeper butterflies.