Your Custom Text Here
Blog posts presented with permission of the author
I had a wonderful weekend birding in Somerset with my husband, visiting 3 new-to-us reserves: RSPB Ham Wall, RSPB Greylake and Shapwick Heath - a national nature reserve.
We had 5 target birds: Bittern, Glossy lbis, Garganey, Ring-necked Duck (which would be a lifer) and Spotted Redshank.
The male Blackbird is well-named, as it is an all-black bird. It has a bright yellow bill, and a thin yellow eye ring. The female Blackbird is a dark brown colour, usually with a slightly paler throat, brown bill and mottling on the breast.
The Little Egret is a small white heron that has become a very familiar sight around the southern coasts of the UK. It is not too long ago that a LIttle Egret was considered a rarity in England. Over the past 40 years, the range has increased northwards from its Mediterranean roots.
The Ruddy Turnstone is considered to be a wader, but unlike most other waders, it uses its shortish, sharp bill to turn over stones, shells and seaweed when searching for food, rather than probing the ground for invertebrates.
A cold, wet, windy summer’s day brought moments of wonder with Ravens, Little Terns and Black-tailed Godwits!
The Hawfinch is a large finch, its most striking feature being its powerful, oversized, cone-shaped bill. Its diet includes fruits and insects, but that powerful beak really comes into its own when breaking into the kernels of cherries!