Lords for a Day

Lords Cricket Ground

Today I took time out to follow my other great passion by visiting Lords for the first day of the First Test Match against the West Indies.  It was a great day with Stuart Broad taking six wickets.  My bird list from the St.John's Wood ground was Feral Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Mallard, Herring Gull, Canada Goose, Cormorant and Swift.

Knettleshall Heath

Today together with one of my hosts Patrick Barker and friend David Tomlinson I visited Knettleshall Heath the latest acquisition of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.  It is a well known site having been managed for years as a country park by the Suffolk County Council.  The site came up for sale and SWT acted quickly to secure it for the County.

Knettleshall Heath

There is a large amount of heathland and mixed woodland and borders the Little Ouse river. SWT have immediately introduced a herd of Dartmoor ponies and another of the threatened Exmoor ponies to help with the management.  You can see that there is much to do to improve this marvellous place for wildlife and people.

Exmoor pony

  During our walk watched in awe at a large flock of Swifts and House Martins hurrying north and listened to Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Garden Warbler and Blackcap.  We discovered a pair of Stonechats with the female carrying food a sure sign of nesting and watched a Buzzard and Sparrowhawk soar overhead.

Male Stonechat

On the way back David took us to a field where we were able to watch a Stone Curlew perhaps my favourite Suffolk bird.

Before Breakfast at Elmley

Steve and I were our just after 7am - the weather at that time was superb.  First we stopped so I could photograph one of the many Brown Hares on the property and then some obliging Stock Doves.

Brown Hare

Stock Dove

Moving on we drove across a meadow with 6 wonderful adult Mediterranean Gulls and went looking for Short-eared Owls.  We did have one bird hunting but too distant to get any more photographs.

Adult Mediterranean Gull

Stopping off to get breakfast we just had time to catch a glimpse of a Grey Partridge.

Grey Partridge

Elmley is a fabulous National Nature Reserve with more breeding waders than most other sites in the UK.  Most of the birds found are declining species elsewhere and have been affected by modern farming. It is therefore heartening that this splendid effort is down to the vision and enthusiasm of farmer and landowner Philip Merricks.

Skylark

Goose-stepping Lapwing chick

Redshank

Tomorrow I visit a new Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve.

Down in Kent

I drove through the day down to Kent for the Management Committee Meeting of Elmley National Nature Reserve.  Entering the reserve is a bizarre experience.  One minute hurtling along in very busy motorway traffic and then turning off into a green and pleasant land.  Very green and wet with huge open skies.  Immediately there were Brown Hares everywhere and Lapwings and Redshanks all over the place with the former already with large chicks.

A damp Short-eared Owl

After a cup of coffee I was taken by Steve Gordon to see the Swale NNR which almost adjoins Elmley.  We saw lots more nesting waders and a group of 12 Avocets, quite a few Marsh Harriers but best of all a rather damp Short-eared Owl sitting obligingly on a post.  We must get up early tomorrow before our meeting to enjoy more of the spectacular wildlife of this place.

Wild Dotterel Chase



Meadow Pipit


This morning Julian Friese and I set off to walk up to Tair Carn Isaf a hill of nearly 500 metres and one of the regular places for seeing Dotterel on migration.  Sadly we failed to see those gorgeous birds on this occasion but the walk was exhilarating to say the least.  Bright sunshine made the task a little easier and we did note at least 20 Skylarks and 10 Meadow Pipits holding territory.  We also discovered 4 pairs of Wheatears, a Red Kite, Raven and a passing Swift.

One of our Wheatears carrying food.

We moved down after about three hours and moving through Palycwrt we encountered 2 Redstarts, one of which was in full song and also heard a Cuckoo.  Heading further on we stopped by a beautiful wood to hear a Wood Warbler singing  and a Dipper flying along the stream before we moved on to a series of clearfells at Cennen Tower.  A Grasshopper Warbler sang in the distance and we also picked up Garden Warbler and a Common Whitethroat.




Common Redstart


Crossing the Tywi Valley we stopped to listen to a couple of sedge warblers before heading home pretty tired out.

Back in Wales

Crossbill

Predictably the weather here has been awful until today when sunny periods attracted me to Taliaris Woods. There were plenty of Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and a single Wood Warbler uttering its trill and "lu-lu" song.  A party of 12 Crossbills also flew over maybe the results of breeding behaviour seen here earlier in the year.  Tomorrow Julian Friese and myself are going looking for Spring Dotterels on local hills.

Oh I forgot!

Narrow-leaved Helleborine

When I went out this evening I spent a few moments appreciating the local flora.  We have seen great stands of French Lavender recently and swards of beautiful Cistus but this evening I was so impressed with dozens of the pristine white Narrow-leaved Helleborines.