I usually get quite lucky with Bitterns, and in recent years have seen them in flight during most trips to Ham Wall, but this year, they're staying shy! I can hear them booming away all over the reserve, and people are seeing them, I'm just being unlucky with my timing!
Oh well, I will keep on trying!
I did walk around the Walton loop for the first ever time, and it was glorious seeing the reserve from another perspective, away from the crowds and popular hides. As it's quieter, you're more likely to see wildlife too.
I heard Herons and Egrets making a racket, and when I looked over into the distance a Fox was walking across a raised rock walkway between 2 lakes and reedbeds with something in it's mouth (Probably prey).
A Cuckoo persistently called from closeby, and I saw it twice, high in trees on the reserve.
Pochards, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebes and other water birds were active and a Hobby passed overhead whilst a Kingfisher flew through (Heard, but not seen!)
I photographed a Wren that uncharacteristically posed for me, and I also got some shots of a Caterpillar carrying Long Tailed Tit which had lost it's tail and become an....um... Short Tailed Tit! It made it the smallest bird in Europe.... only it's long tail prevents it from being so!
Garden Warblers sang from the trackside trees, but locating them was not easy, I did manage to see one and get some shots of it though!
I also tested myself by trying to photograph Swifts in flight. It's currently doubly difficult as I'm having to use my Nikon D7200 at the moment instead of my Nikon D500, which has a better focusing system, as my Sigma lens is faulty and has stopped working with my D500!
Technology is fantastic, but it can also be frustrating and infuriating when it decides to stop working!
Below are all pics taken in the last week, including most of what's mentioned above. :)
^Above^ - Elusive Garden Warblers at RSPB Ham Wall in Somerset.
^Above^ - A Wren at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Tufted Ducks at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - The short tailed Long Tailed Tit at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - How the tail should look on a Long Tailed Tit! (Taken at Ham Wall.)
^Above^ - Hobby at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Pochard at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Great Crested Grebe with its chick at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Other Great Crested Grebes at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Gadwall at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Gadwall and Cuckoo at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Cuckoo at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Swifts at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Robin at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Mallard pair at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Black Headed Gull at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Fox and Grey Herons at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Typical view of a Cetti's Warbler at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Carrion Crow on the prowl at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Great White Egrets at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Grey Herons at Ham Wall (Young being fed in the bottom pic!)
^Above^ - Grey Heron and Great White Egret at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Marsh Harrier at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Little Grebe at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Mute Swans at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Backed Gull at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - White Butterfly at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Orange Tip Butterfly at Ham Wall.
^Above^ - Some scenes from Ham Wall.
^Above^ - House Martin at RSPB Greylake in Somerset.
^Above^ - Sand Martin at Greylake.
^Above^ - Collarded Doves in my garden.
^Above^ - Baby Robin in my garden.
^Above^ - Clematis in my garden.
^Above^ - Calf near Duntish in Dorset.
^Above^ - Bluebells near Duntish.
^Above^ - Extreme distant record shots of Fulmars off West Bay in Dorset!
