Not far from Newport there is a small marsh with an overlooking hide. The owners live at Wall Farm and are happy for birdwatchers to walk along the permissive path to the hide. Car parking is a problem in the narrow lane though
I visited recently and here are some of the photos I took:
The resident Mute Swans were visited by another two adult birds. This one, looking like a cob (male) seems to have a BTO ring on its right leg.
The other bird looks as if it has been in the wars.
... But flying strongly enough ...
... And not about to give up after the first attempt. Wheels down ...
... Seems to be having second thoughts ...
... Looks like it will be splash and go ...
... And away again.
A pair of Shelduck seems to have taken up residence. Today these, like the resident swans, had to deal with a pair of visitors. Here is the inbound drake.
And inbound the pair, the smaller and less brightly coloured duck in the lead.
The resident male was having none of it and set off in threatening pose.
Have seen off the visiting Shelduck the resident drake decided to harass the other ducks. Here is after a drake Gadwall.
And here having another go.
The drake Gadwall comes back.
Pleased with himself the drake Shelduck returns.
And now the duck Gadwall is put to flight.
And the drake Shelduck is off again.
The ducks all gather together for protection – the pair of Gadwall and a drake Shoveler.
The Shoveler was not immune from being chased by the Shelduck. Here he comes back. Great plumage with the green head and speculum and blue forewing.
A pair of Little Grebes is nesting here. This one was doing the fishing. What exactly has it caught?
Looks like a newt to me.
There are currently three very noisy Oystercatchers. Here are two of them
Not sure what caused this, but most things panicked. The ducks are Teal. The Oystercatcher is obvious. Less obvious are two Dunlin that I did not realise were present until later. Small waders with, in summer, a distinctive black belly.
All three Oystercatchers were put to flight ...
... Before doing what Oystercatchers do best – head-down making loud piping calls.
If you thought these were practicing for the Lapwing formation team you were mistaken ...
... They are ‘out of sync’ anyway, but ...
... It was all about territory and occasionally got rather dramatic.
I mentioned the two Dunlin. Here they are in front of the duck Gadwall. The rufous back and black belly of these breeding-plumage birds belies the two-tone grey plumage we see them wearing in winter on our estuaries. The duck Gadwall needs a handkerchief.
Same view enlarged somewhat.
A Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. Although some individuals hibernate this specimen looks too fresh and is surely a new brood.
Orange-tip butterflies do not hibernate so this is a new brood. Only males have the orange tip, the females being all white above and with a very intricately patterned underwing. I had not previously realised that ‘orange tip’ is a misnomer. The very wing-tips are grey!
Both the plant and the insect have me beat. The plant looks like an all-white Red Deadnettle – if such a thing exists.
Well it is Easter... and it is a working farm.
(Ed Wilson)
