Wood sandpiper

What did I say on Monday? Cracking find by Dave Helliar this evening at the local gravel pits, I just love these birds. Unfortunately I don't love my photos but in my defence it was a long way away and the light was rapidly failing...at least you can see what it is:

Birds 'n' the bees...and spiders too

Here's my very cropped, poor excuse for photos of a honey buzzard somewhere in Dorset - a stunning pale male.

So today I got my macro lens out and tried something a bit closer...

A few honey bees

and just to round it off, my first attempts at a zebra spider, I love these jumpy little arachnids

Insects on the wing...

Visited some Dorset heathland after viewing the honey buzzards at the weekend. The buzzards never gave good enough views for photos but the insects were more than happy. The birding will no doubt pick up very soon as there seems to be more wood sandpipers being reported each day, things are starting to move.

Common Damselfly

Female Black Sympetrum

Female Common Sympetrum

Grayling

The rain stopped for a day...

Finally, the rain eased off and the sun came out for one day! What a difference a bit of sun makes too. A visit to Chard res produced a redshank (not a common bird here) as well as a couple of reed warblers, a single sparrowhawk, 2 buzzards, 11 tufted duck and 7 common sandpiper at the northern end of the (flooded) res.

Path near the duck feeding area - about 10 inches deep here

The redshank in flight near the hide

With 2 of the 7 common sandpipers at the north end

Later in the day a visit to the in-laws house at Whitestaunton produced a nice peregrine over

and plenty of Azure damselflies on their pond

Unfortunately a not-so-lucky house martin had left the nest early at some point and had succumbed a few hours after it was found...

No birds but loads of bees

Very quiet on the bird front at the moment so I've turned my attention to other things for a while, like this Bombus hypnorum at the sewage works near Coombe St Nicolas. Since they invaded from the continent in 2001, when a single specimen was seen in Hampshire, they have spread right across the country. I only found my first one in this area in 2011 but have seen may here since.

More Red Kites

Always good to see red kites. Two appeared at the weekend with buzzards near Staple Hill on the Blackdowns - record shots below. One was still present on the morning of the 28th. There has certainly been a large influx from the continent over the last couple of weeks:

Around 30+ crossbills present close by too, including a large number of juvenile birds...

Red Kite over Chard

Just walking my usual patch up over the fields from my house this morning when I glanced up and saw this beautiful Red Kite drifting slowly overhead! First time I've caught up with them around Chard. It drifted off and over the town centre before getting mobbed by a Herring Gull and flying off to the south towards Tatworth.

Great Reed Warbler, Weston-super-mare SW

Record shots of the Great Reed Warbler at Weston sewage works. Poor quality but it was overcast and 6am so hardly surprising...

Woodchat Shrike, Noss Mayo, Devon

Stunning little bird and very confiding for a shrike - viewed down to 10 feet at times. Aged as a 1st summer male - I think it also has traits associated with a female, lots of white around the lores and a greyish back rather than black? Does have quite a bright head though, so maybe it is a male...

White Stork, Curry Moor

Distant record shots of the white stork on Curry Moor near Taunton. As I watched it, it took off and flew towards me before circling high and out of sight.

Axemouth, 5th May 2012

Not much on the river at low tide today but an obliging whimbrel provided enough distraction to keep me happy.

There were also a handful of grey plover and some black and bar-tailed godwits - some in stunning summer plumage.