...for a week or so. Lucky for me nothing spectacular turned up locally and, more to the point, nobody found that mega gull at Topsham Rec that I've been waiting for.
First a few photos of Great White Egrets and Bittern from Ham Wall, Somerset. A drive to Bath to collect offspring number two and her belongings from Bath Uni gave me the excuse for a morning's birding at the Avalon Marshes. This place gets better with each visit, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, four spp. of Heron (and I didn't see Little Bittern or Night Heron), even an amphibian tick in Marsh Frog - (noisy and everywhere right now). Photos weren't that great, bright sun mostly and I always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time.
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| Great White Egret - 10/6/2015 Ham Wall, Somerset. Dark bill and reddish tibia of a breeding bird. |
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| Great White Egret - 10/6/2015 Ham Wall, Somerset. Dark bill, reddish tibia and long back plumes/aigrettes of a breeding bird. |
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| Bittern - 10/6/2015 Ham Wall, Somerset |
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| Bittern - 10/6/2015 Ham Wall, Somerset |
So that's one day accounted for, what about the previous week? Well, just a short cycle ride across the country. Known as the Way of the Roses or, as it turned out, a tour of the best pie shops between Morecambe Bay and Flamborough Head. Interesting to return to the old home county - some great scenery and fine food - but it definitely confirmed my original good sense in moving south all those years ago.
Little birding possible given all those miles to cover (190 with the requisite detours and faffing) but interesting to see/hear so many breeding Curlews in the Dales and numerous Corn Buntings in East Yorkshire. And Red Kites of course.
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| Red Kite - 6/6/2015 Haxby, Yorkshire |
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| Red Kite - 6/6/2015 Haxby, Yorkshire |
Not forgetting the holiday snaps:
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| The Start, already looking forward to second breakfast. |
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| somewhere up north |
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| even further north |
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