Last weekend’s trip to the Cotswolds and Slimbridge got off to a great start when we called in at the Cotswold Water Park and found, with the help of a local birder, a Short-eared Owl quartering one of the marshy fields. It didn’t take us long to work out which post was its preferred perch and so when the owl went off hunting for a second time we positioned ourselves to get a good view of the post - and waited. As we stood there a Barn Owl also flew in which was great, at first – until a mid-air altercation between the two birds resulted in the disappearance of the Short-eared Owl; but at least it allowed the Barn Owl to hunt undisturbed for a while. Fortunately, once the Barn Owl had caught some prey and left the scene, the Short-eared Owl returned and to our delight landed on the post we had picked out, giving us perfect views of it.
Mind you, I’m not sure who was watching who...
After a few minutes rest and a shake of its feathers, it was off hunting once more...
Late afternoon found us crossing the county boundary into Somerset for the Starling roost at RSPB Ham Wall reserve. I’ve seen such a spectacle reported a number of times on nature programmes but, believe me, no TV programme even begins to capture the atmosphere of the real thing - it has to be seen [and heard]to be believed.
On Sunday we spent the day with Beds Bird Club members at WWT Slimbridge. There were plenty of birds on view from the hides overlooking the Severn Estuary, and we enjoyed the 4 o’clock floodlit bird feeding from the Peng Observatory, but I particularly liked all the exotic wildfowl. Even if the day was rather grey and dull, those birds were anything but...
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| Ringed Teal |
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| Hooded Mergansers |
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| Chiloe Wigeon |
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| Red-breasted Goose |
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