Middlebere Farm & Hengistbury Head
This weekend and a visit to two different locations, Middlebere Farm on the Saturday and Hengistbury Head today.
The track down to Middlebere Farm has a couple of hides that provide lookouts over the heathland, affording you with the opportunity if you are lucky to spot a Dartford Warbler. Although I did not see a Dartford I did sight my first Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) flying over the marshland and reed beds to the left of the track on the way to the Farm.
A couple of record shots, not the best due to the distance.
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3.
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3.
You will find another hide at the far end that looks over the upper reaches of Middlebere Lake and if you time it for low tide you may view waders, ducks and geese that feed on the exposed mud flats.
On this visit there was a large flock of Golden Plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) and a flock of Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), shown here in flight.
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3. Image cropped
I mainly saw Gulls today at Hengistbury Head, Black-Headed, Lesser black-backed, and Herring gulls.
I did manage to get some decent profile shots of the Adult & Juvenile Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) in between the dogs scaring them off.
The Adult
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3.
The Juvenile
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3.
The other type birds sighted were Redshanks and these Turnstones (Arenaria interpres).
Olympus OM-D EM-5 DSLR & Sigma 50-500mm F4-6.3 APO DG lens at F6.3. Image cropped
Middlebere Farm
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Hengistbury Head map
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