10th October - Titchfield Haven, Hampshire

After two and a half weeks convalescence after the cataract operations, I was finally able to get out birding.  Where to go on my first outing?  Well it could only be one place.  I met Ian just before 9.00am and we walked to a closed cabin, apparently there were problems with the doors so it was closed, but fortunately the hides and reserve was open.

Walking around to the west side there were a pair of Eider off shore and Sanderling and Turnstone on the beach.  We walked on to the reserve and then to the Meon Shore hide to be greeted with this view.

There had been quite a bit of work done since my last visit back in September.  Reeds have been cut back and the islands trimmed.  The Snipe island was now visible and of course there were Snipe on it.

And a few Redshank.

But of course it was the Snipe that had my attention.

With one sitting in the water.

Redshank numbers had increased and several of the birds were mobile moving from the islands.

There had been a movement of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits overhead and by mid morning there was a small movement of Swallows.  Interestingly the majority were adults showing their tail streamers.

With things quiet on the south scrape we decided to walk up to the Pumfrett.  The light though was awful so we moved on up to the Spurgin hide and a chance to see the work that was undertaken there at the end of September.

The view from the hide with the white clouds reflecting in the water of Eleven Acre Mere.

Those white clouds looking very impressive in black and white.

There was one person in the hide and he made a point of telling us that he had been present a while and nothing was happening at all.  With that he left the hide and almost immediately there was a whistling call and a Kingfisher flew up to the perch to the right hand side of the hide.

The light wasn't the best but when the sun went behind the clouds the views improved.

The small white tip at the end of the beak means this was an immature bird, but also the flush of pink on the lower mandible means this is also a female.

Th ebreeze was ruffling the feathers.

The photography was challenging when the sun came out.

The Kingfisher then exited to the left of the hide and was almost immediately replaced by a Grey Wagtail.

It made its way around the outside of one of the cut islands in front of the hide and was finding a lot of insects to eat, also leaping up to catch flies in the air.

Grey Wagtail are difficult to photograph, they are constantly moving either walking or bobbing the long tail.  This was an excellent opportunity though as the bird was close to the hide, so I took the opportunity to take as many as I could.

The male bird in the winter has an orange wash on the breast, which is replaced with black in the summer breeding season.

There was second bird, a female and they were calling to each other.

There were fallen reed stems at the base of the reeds and the wagtail used these to walk around the water.  At one point it tried to stand on the duck weed and fell in!

Then on the floating reed leaves.

Which proved to be a little more substantial to stand on.

Very much a wagtail that is almost always found around water, unlike the other two common wagtails seen in the United Kingdom, the Pied and Yellow Wagtail.

Back on the mud.

Two of my favourite shots.

The Marsh Harriers had gone AWOL, not one was seen throughout the day, but there was a Red Kite that came close over the mere.

And a Buzzard that took to hovering over the reed bed.

Things then went quiet so we decided to walk back and maybe try the east side of the reserve.  But before walking around to the east we stopped in on the Meon Shore hide once more and right in front of the hide the Snipe were showing very well.

It is not often you get to see the Snipe out in the open this much.  Here one standing on the mud of the island.

And one in the water.

And a good shake after an extensive preen.

Also in front of the hide was a drake Teal that was almost in it's full breeding plumage.

And a few Black-tailed Godwits had ventured closer to the hide.

There was a small flock of eight Pintail present on the north scrape and gradually from the early afternoon the numbers started to increase with birds flying from up the valley.  To see eight Pintail on the scrapes is something unusual but the numbers started to build up into the thirties and eventually reach an unprecedented fifty five by the time I left.

Here eight Pintail with a single Wigeon dropping into the north scrape.

One or two of the drake Pintail were almost in their breeding plumage.

The Water Rail put in a very quick appearance and all I was able to get was a glimpse of the tail as it ducked into the cut reeds and out of sight.  The last piece of action was a Sparrowhawk that came low over the scrape putting up all the duck and waders on the south scrape.

Great to be back out and it was nice to be able to catch up with a Kingfisher close to the hide and the very showy Grey Wagtail.

5th October - RHS Wisley, Surrey

My cataract surgery went well and almost two weeks in I am climbing the walls.  So what to do, I can't use the camera or my binoculars until the end of the week, but I can go out and I can drive.  So on a stunningly beautiful October dau we decided to head back to the RHS gardens at Wisley.

After the obligatory arrival coffee we walked in through the main gates and were greeted by a stunning vista of Michaelmas Daisies.

Looking even more impressive close up.

Colours varied from pale blues and yellows to the deep oranges, but the colours that were so vivid and covered in bees were those at the purple end of the spectrum.

Just beyond the daisies was a pond, but this had dried up in the drought and you were left with a colourful Cherry Tree in the middle of green.

While the majority of the trees were still sporting green leaves there were a few starting to show autumn colours.  This Narrow-leaved Ash Tree stood proud in the middle of the lawns and it looked very healthy showing no signs of ash die back at all.

Here a large Maple starting to show the characteristic red leaves of autumn.

Michaelmas Daisies dominated the borders and beds, providing lots of colour, probably more than was seen during the summer.

Over the summer we have developed an interest in succulents and cacti and have managed to grow quite a few of these impressive plants.  As a result we spent some time in the Glasshouse with some impressive specimens.

This is a Golden Barrel Cactus, or Echinocadus to give it it's scientific name, I love the patterns these can create when bunched together.

And this the Agave, the cacti from which Tequila is made.  From this angle looking like something from 'Stranger Things'.

And Aloe from which we get the cooling and healing gel, Aloe Vera.

The surgery has been literally eye opening.  All my fears prior to the operation dispelled and after the first day of ever so bright lights my vision has settled down and I do not need to use glasses for most of my activities.  One thing most noticeable is the brightness.  I know we are have exceptional weather at present, but everything is so bright and the colours are so vivid.  I never appreciated how bad my eyesight actually was.

This new sensory experience was demonstrated superbly when we stopped by the Trials area and came across so many forms of Celosia Argentea, other wise known as Plumed Cockscomb, or Silver Cock's Comb.

These are a herbaceous plant of tropical origin from Africa.  The plant can be annuals or some perennial and they have to be in bright sunshine to thrive.  They are known for their bright colours and this was definitely on show here at Wisley.

The vivid colours can include shades of orange, red, purple, yellow and cream.  An interesting fact, the leaves and flowers are edible and are grown for such use particularly in west Africa and Southeast Asia. Celosia argentea var. argentea or "Lagos spinach" is one of the main boiled greens in West Africa, where it is known as soko yòkòtò (Yoruba) or farar áláyyafó

We were so lucky with the weather, the temperature very much like a normal summer's day.  Our weather this year has been bizarre.  So we sat and had an ice cream and enjoyed the afternoon sunshine highlighting the surrounding trees.

It was great to be able to get out and enjoy both the weather and the beautiful gardens at Wisley, one disappointment though was the lack of butterflies.  I only saw one and predictably that was a male Clouded Yellow!

All being well I will be back out birding by the end of this week.