Happy New Year!

A recent iphoto from the Orchard Centre:

Happy new year!

and 5 months later......

To say I've had a bit of a hiatus is probably an understatement!
I'm afraid that I rather lost focus during the summer and became "otherwise engaged". Well no matter, I'm back now and just in time for a new year by the look of it!
I've decided to change the name of the blog. Limiting myself to just the Orchard Centre is also limiting my bird list. I'm unlikely to get more than 70 off this small patch.
From here on in I'll be vising 3 or 4 local sites regularly and updating the blog from all locations.

Today however, I returned to the Orchard Centre hoping to see a few migratory ducks but alas the waters were bereft of birds of the quacking variety.
No matter, it was a good day for bullfinches - 8 in all. A very good number for such an elusive and beautiful bird.

click on image to enlarge

A small group of Long Tailed Tits were also making their way down one of the hedgerows, allowing me time to fire off a couple of shots:

Good to be back!

A man needs a hobby

It's been a couple of weeks since I visited the patch - work commitments and this insufferable heat keeping me at bay.
Despite the hot weather, I thought I'd take a walk this afternoon. I reasoned that whilst the hot summer sun might not bring out many birds, I may get some good photos of the butterflies and dragonflies.
I'm glad I made the effort!
I had barely set foot onto the field leading to the hide when I saw a gorgeous Hobby swooping low over the water. As usual, I was unprepared and by the time I'd made made a cack handed effort to get my camera ready he was gone. He made a couple of return fly pasts at high altitude but the photographs that I did manage to get were little more than shaky silhouettes.
No matter, No. 61 is in the bag! (and about time).
It's a good job the Hobby did put in an appearance because there was very little other bird life around. A few Swallows and House Martins, a Tufted Duck and a family of Mallards. Otherwise, nothing to report.
Butterlies were plentiful. At least Meadow Browns and Small Whites were. A few Tortoiseshells were also on the wing. Good news as apparently this once common butterfly is now in sharp decline.

Small Tortoiseshell

I could see why the Hobby was so interested in swooping over the water. There was an explosion of dragonflies. Mainly Broad Bodied Chasers and Black Tailed Skimmers but also a few very large green/blue individuals that I think may have been Emperor Dragonflies. No photographs today though as they all seemed to be engaged in a frenzy of activity and wouldn't stay still.
However, a couple of other insect shots to round the day off:

Bumble Bee

Six Spot Burnet Moth

Take it Easy

After a 10 day hiatus I finally made it back to the patch. It was mid afternoon and a warm day so I wasn't expecting too much activity.
And there wasn't!

On the water were 3 Tufted Duck, a couple of Coots (with young), 2 Mute Swans, A Moorhen and a handful of Mallards. Plenty of Chiffchaff were evident by their song (I estimated 8) and at least 4 Reed Warblers. 2 Blackcaps, 4 Stock Dove, 2 Buzzards and a few Swallows pretty much made up the rest of the roll call.
I've always found Coots to be rather unnatractive birds. What with that black coat, spindly legs and severe white "bald patch". They look a bit like Max Wall.

Max Wall

A Coot

Although the place was a little light on birds, I decided that that I would take things at a leisurely pace today and really soak up the surroundings. I'm glad I did. You see so much more when you take your time.

With the sun out, the place was alive with dragonflies. I saw at least 30 and identified Broad-bodied Chasers, Four Spotted Chasers and Black-tailed Skimmers. 

Four Spotted Chaser

There were a few butterflies around, mainly Meadow Browns and Small Whites, but also a couple of Common Blues.

I rested for a while on the small wooden bridge that links the footpath to the field behind the Orchard Centre and saw a Red Fox trotting towards me. As I was obscured by a bush he (or she) was completely oblivious to my presence. I fumbled with my camera, thinking "this could be a really special shot" but as I raised the camera I couldn't seem to focus the lens (afterwards I realised I had accidently flipped the autofocus switch to off!). The fox got closer and closer and I realised the moment was about to pass. I attempted to manually focus the lens and got off three shots before he noticed me. Much to my suprise he didn't bolt off. He just picked up the pace and trotted casually out of view.

Two of the photos were hopeless.This is the best one but not as sharp as I would have liked!

Red Fox

A Father's Day Treat

So I said to my daughter, "C'mon, it's Father's Day. You can come birdwatching with me". And to my suprise she came. I thought that she did a marvellous job keeping her obvious disappointment in check.
"You can be my lucky Charm", I said, "I could do with some good luck".
It was raining lightly when we arrived (no change there then) but every now and again the sun struggled to peek out. We made straight for the hide, making enough noise to scare off a gaggle of Mallards and 2 Tufted Ducks in the process.
There was plently of birdsong to be heard. Blackbirds, Robins, a Wren, a Whitethroat, at least 4 Chiffchaff and a Song Thrush. We also saw 4 Reed Warblers, 2 Stock Dove, 4 House Martins, 6 Swallows, 4 Long-tailed Tits, a Jay, a Moorhen and 2 Coot.
We then watched a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Carrion Crow team up to mob a Buzzard. An extraordinary sight and something I have not seen before.
However, my daughter decided that the "cute" lambs were far more deserving of a photograph than any bird life and she proceeded to snap away happily at the rather gormless looking ruminants staring at us through the hide windows:

Not a bird

A butterfly landed just next to the hide. I got a couple of shots before it flew off again. Later examination of the photograph suggested that this was a female Green-veined White.

Green-veined White

Just as we were about to leave I caught sight of a small bird alighting in a tree on the opposite side of the main pond. Could it be? Could it really be? Yes, it was...... a Spotted Flycatcher, flitting back and forth from it's perch in typical flycatching mode.

(Too far away for a photo unfortunatley)

I said to my daughter, "I told you. You are a lucky charm!"

"Look at that funny sheep with the wonky teeth, Dad", she replied.

Ah well, I consoled myself with the fact that my patch list now stood at a respectable 60.

Four Seasons In One Day

I know that I go on about the weather, but really......... what's going on?
It is June, isn't it?
I've had a few evening visits to the patch lately, so I thought I'd make the effort and get there early today (6:45am). I reasoned that the place would be buzzing with birdlife as they'd all be busy gathering food for their young. Breakfast ahoy!
It didn't quite pan out the way I had expected. I wondered for a moment if I had entered some kind of time warp and walked into a typical February morning. Freezing cold, intermittent rain (April showers?), biting winds and just the occasional glimpses of sunshine. Delightful.
I decided to abandon the hide after 5 minutes. The "windows" were taking the full force of the north wind and it was pulling it through like some kind of vacumn.

So to the birds:
23 Mallards, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Willow Warbler, 4 Chiifchaff, a Jay, 2 Stock Doves, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 2 Whitethroats, 2 Song Thrushes, a Green Woodpecker, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, 5 Carrion Crow, 2 Buzzards, 2 Coots and a Moorhen.
However, none of these hung about long enough for me to take a decent photograph. I expect that they needed to keep moving to stay warm!
It was nice to see that a pair of Swallows have nested in one of the barns.

It was too early (and too cold) in the day for dragonflies but at least I could rely on the Brown Hares to offer me a photo opportunity. They really are very obliging animals and allowed me to get close enough for a reasonable shot.
Mind you, this poor fella is curled up into a little ball of fluff. He may just have been frozen to the spot!

Brown Hare

It's funny but when I look at that hare, I can't help thinking that he would make a really good hot water bottle cover.

One of those days

I have this theory that if you spend enough time in an unremarkable place then one day something truly remarkable will happen.
Today was not that day.
In fact, as unremarkable days go, this was the mother of them all.
I took a late afternoon visit to the patch after the rain cleared and the winds had died down a little (yes, it looks like summer is over. It was never going to last was it?)
There were very few birds to be seen. A few Swallows, a couple of Mallards, a Mute Swan and some singing Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats. Otherwise....... nothing.
I thought, "Never mind, I'll find some dragonflies instead". Although not as elusive as the birds, the weather has been unkind to them today so numbers were far from abundant. There were a few Large Red and Common Blue Damselflies and 3 or 4 large dragonflies that I simply couldn't get close enough to either photograph or identify. I did eventually manage to catch up with two Broad Bodied Chasers but the photos were disappointingly blurry. These are beautiful creatures some I'm including a photograph from a previous jaunt here:

Broad Bodied Chaser (female)

And one from today!

Common Blue Damselfly

So, dragonflies aside, a truly unremarkable day.
But I'm ever the optimist and I know something remarkable is on it's way. I can feel it my water (although that may just be the bladder infection).

Come in No.59, your time is up.

It's been a couple of weeks since I added anything to the Patch List so a pair of Swifts today was long overdue. No.59 in the bag!
I'm suprised that I haven't heard a Cuckoo yet and I was hoping for either a Spotted Flycatcher or maybe a Hobby by now, but beggars can't be choosers...
And in any case I was richly rewarded today with a variety of birds and a staggering number of dragonflies and damselflies.
First, the bird life: all the usual suspects were in situ. 10 Mallards, 6 Tufted Ducks (4m 2F), a pair of Mute Swans, 2 Grey Herons, 4 Stock Dove, 5+ Chiffchaff and 4 or more Willow Warblers.
I had a bit of luck with photographing the latter. I could hear a Willow Warbler calling but couldn't see it. As I had my Iphone with me I was able to play the call of this bird back from my Birdguides "British Birds" app. It brought 3 curious birds out of the bushes and nicely into a photo-call. Cheating I know, but I was pleased with the photos:

Other notable birds seen: 6 Swallows, 4 Buzzards, 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls the aforementioned Swifts, a House Martin and a Whitethroat.

I've probably overdone the Tufted Duck photos latley but couldn't resist this. I swear the little blighter was laughing at me:

And so to the non-bird life:

A Brown Hare of course! I don't think I've ever been here and not seen a hare. It makes me wonder if I have stumbled into some top secret government hare breeding programme! Some of them are huge as well. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? (One for the conspiracy theorists).

Now, I'm no expert on dragonflies but this place is teeming with them so I've been doing my best to learn about them. The titles on the photos below are my best guesses. If anyone knows differently I'd be glad to be corrected (click on photos to enlarge):

Common Blue Damselfly (female)

Black Tailed Skimmer (immature)

Beautiful Demoiselle (female)

Large Red Damselfly (male)

In to June

My second visit this weekend and a sunny, if somewhat blustery, afternoon.
Only 2 Tufted Ducks to be seen today. I'll give them their due, they are very obliging when it comes to photographs and will sit and pose with ease. It's shame that some of the other birds can't be so loving of the camera.

A number of Skylarks could be heard singing and at least 4 Chiffchaff were in full song too. 

A large Brown Hare ran out in front of me just as I got to the hide:

Other birds putting in appearances today were : 12 Mallards (including the white bird), 2 Stock Doves, 15 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 4 House Martins, 2 Buzzards, 8 Jackdaw and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

There were a good number of damselfly around the water today. I believe that this one is a female Large Red Damselfly (but I wouldn't hang my hat on it). They are amazing creatures seen in close up.

I think Summer has finally arrived. This place is really bursting into life now. Wonderful.

Return of the Tufties

I haven't seen Tufted Ducks on the patch since early winter, so it was rather pleasing to see 5 here today. Two pairs and a single male. Beautiful ducks, handsome and sleek (they remind me of myself).

House Martin numbers are slowly increasing (at least 5 today) and around 8 Swallows were also zig-zagging across the skies.

2 male Chiffchaffs were still singing, a pair of Grey Herons and a pair of Mute Swans were seen from the hide, with around a dozen Mallards.

A Buzzard got close enough for me to get a couple of reasonable shots:

Other birds seen today; 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Linnet, 2 Stock Doves and a Blackcap.

All quiet on the Western Front

The first chance I've had to visit the patch in over a week and I was a tad disappointed in how quiet it was.
The theme of the day was Warblers - or the lack of them. Not a Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler to be seen. what's going on?
However the lack of warbling was made up for by a flurry of activity from a group of some 15 Lesser Blackbacked Gulls, mostly first or second year birds, judging by the plummage.
A group of around 8 male Mallards were loafing around together near the reed beds. They reminded me of a bunch of bored teenagers.
Three Swallows passed over and then I was treated to a magnificent ariel display by a pair of House Martins. That was worth the trip alone. Now, you may think House Martins are nothing to get excited about. But these were not just House Martins. These were No.58 on the patch list. Huzzah!
The only other notable sightings today were a couple of soaring Buzzards and a Stock Dove nesting in one of the Barn Owl boxes.
Let's have a photo (note lack of birds):

The song remains the same

There's a certain familiarity beginning to creep in now.
I can pretty much predict the regulars now and they were all there today:
2 Mute Swans, 2 Grey Herons, 2 Canada Geese, a handful of Mallards and our shy, nervous friend: the white duck.

I've only ever seen gulls flying over, or landed, in the adjacent fields but today there were around 50 Herring Gulls alighting around the main lake. Chiffchaff were plentiful, a couple of Swallows and a very handsome Jay were also in attendance.

Otherwise, it was a quiet day for birds so I took the opportunity to take a few other photographs:

The hide. You can find me in here most days, huddled against the wall, avoiding those Artic winds.

A couple of locals

and......a dandelion.

Later this afternoon I paid a visit to nearby Ashleworth Ham, where I managed to get this photo of a Redstart:

So nothing new for the patch list today but there's time. There's always time.

Nice weather for.....

"Nice weather for ducks", people say when it's lashing it down.
Really?
I got away early from work today and I thought as the rain was torrential it was pointless going to the Orchard Centre (I've had plently of experience of birding here in wet conditions!).
So I thought I'd go down to Ashleworth Ham. Ideal weather for ducks, I reasoned!
I was slightly disappointed then to see just a single Shelduck, a Wigeon, 9 Canada Geese and a couple of sorry looking Mute Swans.
On a positive note the Swallows (about a dozen) seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the rain!

Another day, another ........ hare?

I'm thinking of changing the name of the blog to Hartpury Orchard Centre Hare Blog.
I took 132 photographs this morning. 3 shakey images of a fleeing Grey Heron and 129 more of Brown Hares.
The sun was trying hard to get out from behind the clouds this morning, but it was cold (for May) and still quite windy.
A smattering of birds were on or around the water and reed beds. 2 Grey Herons, 2 Mute Swans, 8 Mallards, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Reed Buntings, several Chiffchaff, a Linnet, 3 Herring Gulls and a Buzzard.
It was nice to finally see more Swallows around - about a dozen today.
So nothing new and no rarities to report.
Thank goodness then for a pair of Brown Hares who allowed me to get close enough to take some half decent photographs (well I like 'em!).

Click a photo to enlarge.

Hare fact of the day: Hares eat large quantities of plant material and so their digestive system is specially adapted to cope with this. During the day they produce soft faeces (droppings) which they then eat. This means that the food in these faeces is digested a second time, extracting more nutrition from it.

And I bet they've got bad breath too!

Whistle down the wind

There's something reassuringly dissapointing about Local Patch birding in May.
I don't know if it's the biting wind, the lashing rain or even the unseasonal hailstorms - or possibly the combination of all of these elements - that ensures such a complete lack of birds. But boy, was today one of those days:

After a long week at work and a busy day off , I arrived with my usual enthusiasm in tact about 5.30pm. A small flock of Goldfinches greeted me and I made my way to the hide. A Grey Heron flew up and over me and a number of Mallards huddled together near the reed bird.
I managed to get a couple of shots of the elusive White Duck.  Is it a Mallard?

I didn't get much time to consider this before the heavens opened and the deluge began. It was so bad I even got wet in the hide!
Mission aborted. Wet, cold......... and reassuringly dissapointed.

Hare we go!

I could only manage a mid-afternoon visit today. This, for me at least, seems to be the worst time of day for birding. The birds are between morning and evensong, and on a warm day (yes it was!) they seem to evaporate in the heat.
So with a nagging sense of pessimism I began my "rounds".
As I thought, most of the birds were skulking in the hedgerows. Plenty of Chiffchaff heard but not seen, a Whitethroat, 2 Blackcaps.
On or around the main pond, as seen from the hide, were 2 Grey Herons, 2 Mute Swans, 4 Canada Geese (yes, Billy No-mates has found a girlfriend), a Moorhen, several Coot and 4 pairs of Mallards.
Interestingly there is also a near pure white duck with a single duckling in attendance. Probabaly an escaped domestic duck, but for all intents and purposes I'd say it's a white Mallard.
I then heard the unmistakable twittering of Linnets and thought "By Jove, that's No.57 in the bag!"
8 all together and they even paused for a photograph:

And then, the first of four Brown Hares bounded into view (that pale line on the photograph is not a fault. It's out of focus barbed wire! If I had the time I'd Photoshop it out!).

At least 30 Jackdaws were present today and although it's hardly a rarity I saw my first Rook on the patch (No. 58). A lovely male Kestrel, a pair of Reed Buntings and 4 Stock Dove and a Great Spotted Woodpecker rounded of the day...... almost.
As I got back to the roadside I caught site of a Collared Dove.
Not a bad afternoon after all.

The first day of Summer

Apparently today is officialy the first day of summer, so as the sun was shining and the there was no hint of wind I thought the omens looked good.
In fact it was decidedly quiet for 7:30 in the morning! However the familar residents were in their usual positions: 2 Grey Herons, a pair of Mute Swans and the 3 Canada Geese. There were around 6 pairs of Mallards too. No sign of the ducklings I saw a few weeks back. Maybe the poor weather conditions took it's toll?
I spent the next hour or so by the reed beds trying to get a good photograph of a Reed Bunting. They were being extremely elusive today, refusing to climb to the top of the reeds and I had a devil of a job focusing the lens through the layers of stems. My best effort is below:

Other birds today included a Whitethroat, 2 Jays, a Greater Spotter Woodpecker, 2 Buzzards, a Stock Dove and 6 Chiffchaff.

A large Brown Hare bounded across my path as I made my way back to the hide.

Will it ever get warmer?

Balancing the demands of work with birding and the weather is proving ever more difficult. My first visit here in over a week and it was cold, windy and rather...... British, I suppose.
I arrived at 5.30pm this evening and didn't expect to see much as the gale force winds had probably blown most of the birds into the next county.
What few birds were there appeared to be pairs: Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Geese and 3 pairs of Mallards. The Teal appear to have moved on. Most of the smaller birds were sheltering in the hedgerows and several Chiffchaff were noticable by their distinct song.

Just when I thought I'd give up and go home, I had an unexpected windfall of "new to the patch" birds. Firstly a skulking Whitethroat in the hedgerow, followed swiftly by a Willow Warbler and then out of the blue a small flock (around 12) Lapwing cascaded across the sky and over the reedbeds.

So, patch list up to 56 and plenty of good weather to come! (fingers crossed).

A late visit today. I didn't get here until after 6pm but it was another calm, glorious sunny evening.
I spent the first 20 minutes sat in the hide watching the Mute Swan terrorising a pair of Canada Geese. Like some school yard bully he chased one, then the other goose, relentlessly. I concluded that they were either strong willed or plain stupid as they just kept coming back for more. A gaggle of Mallards sat and watched the proceedings with some amusement, quacking their approval (or maybe disapproval?) as the swan lunged out.

Unfortunatley I only had my fixed 400mm lens and couldn't get both birds into the same frame but I think the swan's body language says it all! (click photo to enlarge)

A single Stock Dove flew over during the proceedings pushing my patch list to 52.

There were less birds generally this evening. Most of the Teal seemed to have moved on and only one Snipe was evident. However, I saw 3 Reed Buntings and Chiffchaff were plentiful.
I ended the evening trying (unsuccesfully) to get a photo of a singing male Yellowhammer, high up in an oak tree but obscured by branches and I just couldn't get the focus right. I had to settle for simply notching up No.53 on the list.
I'm happy with that.

You learn something new everyday

I made a late afternoon visit to the Orchard Centre today and I wasn't disappointed.
Today must be the first time that I haven't worn a jacket. "Huzzah!", I thought,  "It's summer".
In fact this was confirmed by the sight of four Swallows skimming over the meadows.
My patch list topped 50 today with the addition of Raven, Reed Bunting and Shoveler.
I was particularly pleased to see the magnificent raven croaking overhead.
Other birds, particularly ducks, seemed much scarcer today. Just a couple of Teal, a few Mallards, 2 Snipe, a Heron and a handful of singing Chiffchaffs.

The female Mute Swan was sitting alertly on the nest while the male was in full on territorial mode, harassing 3 Canada Geese who looked as though they were considering moving on somewhere for a quieter life!

However, the highlight of the day had to be the sight of a swimming Hare.  I saw a small animal dive into one of the ponds. My immediate thought was that it was a Muntjac Deer. I was shocked when it reached the other side of the water and then shot off through the long grass. Two more (somewhat drier) hares were waiting at the other side of the field for him. I never knew that hare could swim.

One swallow does not a summer make

In fact neither do two. It's wet and windy and not at all welcoming weather for migratory birds. Still, it's my first Swallow sighting of the year so I shouldn't be complaining. Welcome to England, chaps!

Some enchanted evening.

The demands of work are making bird watching difficult this week so I thought I'd try a late evening visit. I had "a feeling in my water" that a Barn Owl sighting was due.
I arrived about 7:30pm. What few birds were there were preparing to roost. Birds seen: 12 Teal, 6 Mallards, 30 Wood Pigeon, 18 Goldfinch, a Canada Goose and 2 Jackdaw.
The pair of Kestrels were displaying well and quite noisily too.
No Barn Owls though.
I won't lie. I went home cold and a little disappointed.

Not the Orchard Centre today, but Hartpury itself.
In the fields opposite The Watersmeet Country Inn this evening, at least 450 to 500 Fieldfares.
The largest flock I have seen for a long time and a sighting I thought worthy of note.
So there we are. I've noted it.

Hare today, gone tomorrow.

Another glorious morning. This can't last, surely?
The first thing I noticed today was a pair of Mallards with 8 newly hatched ducklings. It's official -  spring has arrived!
The Mute Swans have also built a magnificent nest.
The Kestrels were showing better today and I got a shot of the male (click photo to enlarge):

Ploughing in the field adjacent to the Orchard centre was attracting a large flock of gulls (Herring and Lesser Black-Backed). So that's numbers 47 and 48 added to the patch list.
More suprisingly, this was also pulling in a large number of Buzzards (I counted at least 12).
Whilst I was watching the Buzzard/Gull ariel display a Hare shot out from under my feet. I managed to swing the camera around and fire a couple of shots off but they're not the best:

Other than that, it was the usual suspects: 7 Snipe, 14 Teal, a lonely Canada Goose and a Grey Heron.

Saturday 6th April

Arrived at the Orchard Centre at 7:45am. What a glorious day! Still cold and frosty but the sun was shining and that bitter wind had at least subsided.
I counted 27 species within the hour I was there today. This included 7 Snipe, 4 Bullfinch, 2 Chiffchaff, 14 Teal, a Grey Heron and at least 4 Buzzards. I could only find one of the Canada Geese today, so thought I better take a photo before he/she disappeared!

Two new species seen today: A pair of Kestrels and a singing Skylark.
So that's number 45 and 46 in the bag!

A late afternoon visit to the Orchard Centre.
The wind was biting and I was in no mood to sit in a freezing hide for long.
However, I can now add Goldfinch to the list.
So that makes 44 so far.