I have not done much since my last post, no photos and nothing to say. July is normally a very quiet month and the weather is not the best it can be. (Nowhere near as bad as some have experienced elsewhere in the country of late). Yesterday afternoon I popped into East Blean Woods and was able to photograph what I think is a Large Skipper but well may be a Small Skipper. (They look all the same to my untrained eye) I did check on the B.B web site but came off even more confused.
Whilst at East Blean I met Tim Gutsell and we called into Grove Ferry on the way home where we saw 6 Green Sandpipers from the ramp and my first returning Wood Sandpiper. This morning I arrived at Stodmarsh and made my way to the Reed Bed hide where I spent an hour watching a shoal of Carp spawning in amongst the reeds on the pools edge. They were fairly decent sized fish, I would guess at between 3 and 6 pound so with nothing much else to point the camera at I took a few photos, waiting and trying to catch them with their heads above water.
I noticed a Common Sandpiper that came into view from behind the reeds, feeding on some exposed mud to the left of the hide as you look out. It was spooked by the fish that were thrashing about around the pool perimeter, flying off over the pool towards the Lampern Wall, but arrived back again after a few minutes. This is also my first returning Common Sand of the summer. With the excitement reaching fever pitch (Hobby and Marsh Harrier being seen in quick succession) I left the hide and had a stroll down to the Marsh hide where Tim Gutsell was on duty counting Bitterns for Natural England. (He had been there since six o clock and by 10.30 he was up to nil). On the way down I saw a Female Marsh Harrier perched in a small tree and although it was far too distant for a photo, I took one anyway.
I had a brief chat with Ben Ring the volunteer warden who was also on a Bittern count, (he had seen a single bird on 2 or 3 occasions) and spent an hour in the Marsh hide watching next to nothing alongside Tim. We did see a Sparrow hawk dart low over the wet meadows out in front of the hide, and a Green Sandpiper landed and bobbed its way around the mud in front of us. A single Turtle Dove was seen, 4 Marsh Harriers but I think that was about it. I left Tim to concentrate on his Bittern counting (I did not want to put him off when he came to his totting up) and made my way back to the car, stopping back in the Reed Bed hide on the way. Nothing different except the Sandpiper had disappeared and a Grey Heron had landed on the pool. After 5 minutes the Heron left, allowing a photo as it went, and then I did the same.
Whilst at East Blean I met Tim Gutsell and we called into Grove Ferry on the way home where we saw 6 Green Sandpipers from the ramp and my first returning Wood Sandpiper. This morning I arrived at Stodmarsh and made my way to the Reed Bed hide where I spent an hour watching a shoal of Carp spawning in amongst the reeds on the pools edge. They were fairly decent sized fish, I would guess at between 3 and 6 pound so with nothing much else to point the camera at I took a few photos, waiting and trying to catch them with their heads above water.
I noticed a Common Sandpiper that came into view from behind the reeds, feeding on some exposed mud to the left of the hide as you look out. It was spooked by the fish that were thrashing about around the pool perimeter, flying off over the pool towards the Lampern Wall, but arrived back again after a few minutes. This is also my first returning Common Sand of the summer. With the excitement reaching fever pitch (Hobby and Marsh Harrier being seen in quick succession) I left the hide and had a stroll down to the Marsh hide where Tim Gutsell was on duty counting Bitterns for Natural England. (He had been there since six o clock and by 10.30 he was up to nil). On the way down I saw a Female Marsh Harrier perched in a small tree and although it was far too distant for a photo, I took one anyway.
I had a brief chat with Ben Ring the volunteer warden who was also on a Bittern count, (he had seen a single bird on 2 or 3 occasions) and spent an hour in the Marsh hide watching next to nothing alongside Tim. We did see a Sparrow hawk dart low over the wet meadows out in front of the hide, and a Green Sandpiper landed and bobbed its way around the mud in front of us. A single Turtle Dove was seen, 4 Marsh Harriers but I think that was about it. I left Tim to concentrate on his Bittern counting (I did not want to put him off when he came to his totting up) and made my way back to the car, stopping back in the Reed Bed hide on the way. Nothing different except the Sandpiper had disappeared and a Grey Heron had landed on the pool. After 5 minutes the Heron left, allowing a photo as it went, and then I did the same.
.jpg)