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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Axe Estuary (1 Viewer)

Hello all.
We must congratulate karen, for her Wonderful Images of a Very rare Bird to visit our Patch,
We tried to find it Late am, no luck for us we saw the one at Chard Reservoir.
Seeing one on patch would have been Special,
Managed a Pic, Buzzard over.
Hope you enjoy.
Sue & Simon,
 

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BHM Tower Hide

The Tower Hide at BHM is open for the weekend, although it doesn't have windows or benches yet - these will be installed between Tuesday and Thursday next week.

Some (rather poor) taster photos are attached. These do not do it justice. To get the full effect you really need to visit.

I can see myself spending a lot of time in this hide!
 

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I am a keen bird photographer and as I hope to be staying in the Axe valley area for a few days in June I would be pleased if anyone could let me know of any birding spots to visit in the area.

Max.
 
Not bird-related, but we found droppings from young water vole on Black Hole Marsh earlier today, so if you are heading down to the tower hide, keep an eye out for a vole in the water!

Borrow Pit is still a great place to see them, but takes a lot of luck!

James
 
I am a keen bird photographer and as I hope to be staying in the Axe valley area for a few days in June I would be pleased if anyone could let me know of any birding spots to visit in the area.

Max.

Hi Max,

I would get yourself down to the Axe Estuary Wetlands on day one and see how it tickles your fancy. Series of reserves, map on here a few comments back, which should keep you occupied for a few days at the very least!

James
 
Broad bodied chaser tenerals are everywhere in Stafford Marsh, looking like burnished brass ornaments, beautiful.

Doug and I counted at least four water voles, heard feeding as we walked down to the new Tower hide. Keep your ears open when you next visit!

James
 
The summer plumaged Grey Plover was on the river for its third day, viewable from Tower Hide. It did not come close enough to take a decent photo but I haxe attached my best effort. Yesterday there was a second summer Med Gull, when it flew there was a very small amount of black in the wing.
 

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Visitors to the Tower Hide may like to look out for water voles on the walk down from the Black Hole Marsh main entrance. There has been lots of feeding activity noticed throughout the day along the ditch on the right hand side, so please keep an eye and ear out for the sights and sounds of water vole munching!
The voles seem quite accepting of people nearby, so you could be lucky enough to get really good views of these wonderful mammals, however please keep to the path as the ditch is deceptively deep!

James
 
A Water Vole showed really well on the way to the Tower Hide, I only had my digi-scoping camera with me but I could not resist taking a photo anyway. Birds seen today include a Hobby flying north past the hide at Colyford and 13 Common Scoter, 10 Manx Shearwater, five Bar-tailed Godwit and an Arctic Tern past the seafront this morning.
 

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Great shot Ian, we'll be filming that little chap next week (hopefully)

Reserve filling up with troops of chiff-chaffs, could autumn be here already?

James
 
I spent a pleasant hour and a half this morning, in the company of Ian Waite, looking around the Wetlands. We started at Colyford Common where there were four Little Ringed Plover (an adult and three juveniles), 14 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper. Next stop was the Island Hide at Black Hole Marsh which produced the baby Oystercatcher, a Green Sandpiper, a Dunlin, 11 Common Sandpiper and ten Black-tailed Godwit. Finally went to the Tower Hide and saw a further two Common Sandpiper and a juvenile Med Gull. On the way back from the Tower Hide saw two Water Voles.
 

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There was a Wood Sandpiper on Black Hole Marsh this morning.
 

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I have seen two Med Gulls on Black Hole Marsh today, an adult sporting a white leg ring and a second summer. Other birds seen include two Kingfishers, the baby Oystercatcher, 14 Black-tailed Godwit and 12 Common Sandpiper.

The adult Med Gull was ringed as a pullus in Belgium in May 2005.
 

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My first visit to the reserve (yesterday) since the tower hide was completed. Please pass on my congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to make this such an outstanding place to visit.

A reason for my visit was to see the water voles - and they are so obliging! One posed quite happily for me - but I only saw the rear of a second.

A good selection of birds on Black Hole Marsh, and even the Common Sandpipers came near enough to the Island Hide to get a reasonable image. However, the Mediterranian Gull was a little distant - they come a lot close in Lyme!

I'm not sure what the last bird is - a juvenile Reed Warbler?
 

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The young Oystercatcher is still doing well being fed by its two attentive parents. The only other bird a bit different was a Greenshank on the river opposite Tower Hide.
 

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Visited the Tower and Island hides late morning and the highlights were a juv Little Ringed Plover, 14 Black-tailed Godwit, five Dunlin and eight Common Sandpiper. There was a Juv Yellow-legged Gull on the river and another probable on Black Hole Marsh.

Last Tuesday there was a Second Summer Herring Gull on the Tesco Site that was ringed on 16th May 2011, white 7CF2, at Chouet Landfill on Guernsey.
 

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