Out & About

Dropped in to Longham Lakes on Friday afternoon after work and going to the hospital,
It was a nice fine afternoon after the early dense cloud cover that made viewing the eclipse impossible from Ferndown.
Had a walk round the South Lake lots of Chiffchaffs about, a good number of Reed Buntings and Pied Wagtails. Also a good number of wildfowl still out on the lake with the female Scaup still up in the south west corner of the lake.

Saturday went to go to the lakes again with my son but their was some sort of event on and the car park was full with kids ans small canoes. So we made the decision to go up to Badburys Rings instead. This was a good move as even though their was not many birds about we did manage to see four Skylark, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and best of all drifting high over Oak Wood and traveling towards Blanford a vert smart Red Kite my first one I have seen in Dorset seen them in other part of the country.

Sunday had a walk along the river Allen just across the road from home and went up to the farm track this is a Dorset walk up to High Hall route number 7
Along the river I saw Mallard, Chiffchaff singing also seen, Long-taile Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Wrens. Along the track and farm fields , More Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Dunnock, drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Stonchats, Buzzards and a migrant Chiffchaff that had the black sticky pollen around the base of its bill and face. They feed on pollen as they make there way up from Iberia.

All in all not a bad week-end and now up to 7 +1 bird photograph and on replacement of Reed Bunting for Ortolan Bunting as I think I would be very unlikely to see one of those.
This is the eight so far,.some of these I hope to improve.

Male Blackbird

Pied Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Blue Tit

Reed Bunting

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Dunnock