Swellegant elegant

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I was struggling to think of somewhere to go on Saturday. I didn't fancy the usual then didn't fancy going too far. How about Swell Wood over near Curry Rivel. It's years since the EFRS has ventured over there. I put dusted off my party frock walking gear etc and drove out. It was a bit cold and windy so the wood would be a nice sheltered place for the afternoon.
There's one thing I should point out about the EFRS. We don't do easy, well not often anyway, so we tend to wander off into random areas and places you shouldn't. When you go off into the wilds you really want to get away from the norm, the cars and people. That's what I did here. Striding out to the Heron Hide and walking right past the multitude of small birds in the car park. I entered where a couple from South Wales where visiting and pointed out a Gold Crest in the puddle conveniently created. I managed to bag it

Gold Crest

Gold Crest in a muddy puddle

Sitting there for a bit I looked above for the beginning of the nesting season for the Herons. There were a few about being a bit lazy and chillin'

A bit of high society looking down on the mere mortals

A very bad shot of a pair of Nut Hatches

That was enough for me I needed to get out and away from it all. The walk round was pleasant enough but there was a dearth of birds or anything else for that matter. Never mind I enjoyed the wander all the same. So where's this party at then?

Returning to the car park I found it. I was scornful though. The Welsh couple were aiming their lenses at the feeders hanging by the parked cars. "That's cheating" I joked. They responded with points of "Nut Hatch on the feeder". Oh how can I betray the EFRS moral of not doing feeders. There's a big wild wood over there and I'm standing in a car park six feet away from feeders.

I have to say readers that I did succumb to temptation. I'm not proud but hey if I didn't prostitute myself like this you wouldn't be seeing or reading this blog. I hope you can sleep at night.

Nut Hatch on a feeder!

Very nice Chaffinch

I do like the wing colours on a Chaffinch. It's not all about the front

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Another Chaffinch

Greater Spotted Woodpecker in the wild

Well actually two foot from the feeder in the carpark

There he goes off into the wild

The sweet little flitty things occasionally all disappeared on the screech of usually a Black Bird. The reason being a couple of Buzzards that were hanging in the breeze with a quick circle around to see what's what.

It was a bit of a pleasant shock to see such big rough things even if it is 'just' a Buzzard after the cuteness of the little ones.

How cute!!! (Well to us anyway. To most other things it would be food)

There they go again

Looking for little brown things flitting around the trees and bushes is a very different concept to the big stuff lazily wafting around the wide levels. You have time with those even if they are a million miles away. In the woods and in particular if there are a lot of them it can be dizzying to say the least.... "What was that? Where? Ah? Hold on was that? Its over... no there, there, Is that it? what was that? I've got i.... oh its gone, quick it just flown ov...... AHHHHH! bloody auto focus" Ad infinitum. You've been there.

Out the corner of my eye I saw in the gloom of the canopy a strange looking bird. It was sitting on  a large branch. I couldn't quit make it out. It looked different to anything I had seen before. Ooh! Have I got a coupe? Have I spotted something uber rare and a first for Somerset. I snapped and snapped just to make sure. Twenty shots of this strangling later I had a quick look....

Female Black bird looking left

Female Black Bird looking right

The remaining eighteen pictures are available upon request.

I stayed by my car in the carpark for some time enjoying the melee of the feeding party of a multitude of small cuties. There was one bird, however, that I was missing. Possibly my second favourite small bird, a Tree Creeper. Their shape and sleekness, there plaintive call and their ability to climb down a vertical surface is all very attractive but nothing compared to their plumage. Those water marked patterns like a good old book are fascinating to me. For a flash of a second I saw one beneath a feeder and managed to get a few shots.

Tree Creeper

Blurry Tree Creeper

Female Chaffinch

Robin looking a bit shagged

Can't see me

Male Black Bird

With my head spinning from trying to keep up with the Brownian motion at Swell Wood I needed something a little more familiar. So with the usual scenario of 'Fast Response' the EFRS was a little late to the party with some proper close up shots of the Cattle Egret at Westhey. I parked up on the side of the road and sat in my car next to the field and began snapping at it a few dozen yards away. Who you calling a hypocrite!!!!

A pair of Pied Wagtails were in the mud just dredged from the dyke

Best of friends

The Cattle Egret in all its back lite glory

Little Egret in the dredges

Perfect example showing the differences between the two Egrets

Erm Cormorant just passing through

Photobombed!

When a cyclist went passed they got spooked and where off to the other side of the field

Three legged Egret. You can just see the Cattle behind the little

What a day! and what a party was had by all. It didn't seem it at the time but it was a pretty good result all round. So not to be a party pooper I'll say I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't need an invitation again. The EFRS are twenty four hour party people!

Power to the People

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It was a pretty good day over all. It started with the usual waiting around for James to get his arse into gear but eventually we made it off down the road for an EFRS adventure. Question was where to go on a wonderful dull and grey-ish day. I mean what more do you want for birding and photography!
Being that quiet time of year there wasn't much to choose from. We could follow the crowd and head to Greylake. That's where its all happening at the m but we don't roll like that. We prefer to go the opposite way. With that ethos in mind we we couldn't think of anywhere to really go so headed over to Westhay to see if we could see the Cattle Egret. Like no one else has done that recently have they now!

So off we went and indeed did end up crawling along past the fields just by the entrance. There were plenty of Egrets to choose from. James scanned and counted while I tried not to drive into ditches. Little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little, little. It wasn't there.

Oh well!

Where next? Could it be over at Tealham? Haven't been there for a bit. Lets go. Nope nothing but a few herons flying around.

Nice pair of Ravens caught our eye.

Heron bringing in the tea

James took exactly the same pictures. We often do this.

James doing a bit of Arty stuff

We bit the bullet and headed through Westhay ending up at the raised hide.

Almost looks like a reflection!

It was all getting a bit flat to tell the truth. We often have quiet days but they usually perk up. This Cormorant help a little but we needed more.

This sign caught our eye. Sarcasm?

This was nailed to a tree along London Drove. The digger was busy clearing the trees from his patch of land. Now this isn't good in our books. We lamented the loss of trees, the noise and fumes, the general destruction and what about London Drove? Will there be great lorries lumbering up and down as the drain the land of its soil? Good luck with any Fire Crests that brave returning. Wear a hi-vis and brush up on your green cross code! Anyone know whats afoot? Are we jumping the gun? Is it all going to be alright? Will no one think of the children? We could hear the tearing apart of the trees as we walked for ages. 

When will it all end????

This chap wasn't impressed either

With the sounds and sights of maddening and willful destruction still seared on our senses we wandered back to the car. Not much else to do really. To late to go far a field, might as well call it a day. We'd had a relaxing, too relaxing as I was nodding off, along London Drove. James suggested just having one last look for the Cattle Egret. Couldn't hurt I suppose so we did.

Now not a lot had changed since James had a close scan of the Egrets earlier. A total of over eighty years between us and we didn't see it. We stopped by this kid and asked him if 'it' was there. "Yeah its in the field here" We stopped and snapped!

Two points to make at this moment. Have a look at the yoof above. What do you see? Thats right, he's writing. More precisely he's drawing, making sketches of the Egrets. How wonderfully old school is that. the lad is making notes, you know just like in the olden days when pen and paper was rife. We had a chat, he wasn't into photography and couldn't afford one. His solution, he drew them. We agreed as to how much more notice you would take if you concentrated so much on all the details. As James and I drove off we both agreed he was a Mr Riley incarnate. Mr Riley would have been proud. It was a good job Mr Riley wasn't there, it could have got embarrassing!

And my second point? Take a look at the two pictures below. What do you see? Yes a Cattle Egret a bit too far away and in bad light taken by two amateurs. In other words by a couple of real working class heroes. Non of your bourgeoisie with their elitist big lenses and flashy snappy cameras. No these are the photographs of the people for the people by the people brothers (and sisters as you are awfully clever and can take pictures just as good as some men, well done). There are some photographs flying around the t'internet at the moment that are, well, not to pull any hare punches, are just too good. I find them offensive to be honest. I'm deeply offended by there brilliance. They should be banned and an apology made. It's my right to be offended and so I will. The pictures below are honest and true with (ok a touch of Lightroom but hey who doesn't) all the reality of working class life. We use the glass of the lower class, we are the Proletariat..............

James being arty again

James spotted this. We think it's a Greater Spotted Woodpecker given the red rump. Any ideas?

And a Great White Egret to complete things

The young lad mentioned the Ring Necked Duck over on Glastonbury Heath. Having lived in Glastonbury for over seven years I have no idea where it is but the yoof gave us brief directions. We set off and immediately turned left. We were lost but James bagged this Heron through the window.

We were driving round with no idea. All we knew was the Tor was in front. We were on course. It began to look familiar. I knew where we were. We were heading for the Sheppy! A quick call to let everyone know we were going to be 'a bit late' and we had a pint in our hands leaning back and remarking on the successful day we had just had. !Ahhh this is the life".

We heard an odd call from a tree. Luckily I had brought my Manualfocusuk stuff in and could just about get it with my 135mm. I Googled the call and after a couple of tried we discovered it was a Siskin. Well done James.

It was indeed a good day. This usually happens. We start off with good intentions, it all goes a bit flat then it picks up and we get a good ending.

Oh and for those reading the bit about the down trodden working classes and were wondering...............

;¬D