Tuesday 21 December 2010

Marshland walk

Together with my son Jeremy and grandson Morris (13 yesterday) we walked around the big marsh near Capestang.  The weather was dull, windy and very muddy under foot.



The area is mainly enormous phragmites reedbeds but with some rough grazing marshes and open lagoons (photo shows the area on a better day).  The strong wind suggested that reedbed birds would be difficult to find.  A couple of Stonechats caused no such problem and three Little Egrets , a Great White Egret and a Grey Heron flew overhead.  Further on 2 Reed Buntings broke cover and up to 6 Marsh Harriers were quartering the wetland.  Additionally a couple of Cetti's Warblers sang from deep in the vegetation and a Coypu swam across a lagoon while others moaned from deep cover.



Heading on down the central path it was Jeremy who first spotted a small bird running along the edge with the reeds.  Its cocked tail gave Jeremy the confidence to call "Bluethroat" and that is what it was.  A splendid male feeding in the open but the light far too dark to get a picture.

If that was not enough as we were still discussing the previous bird a Bittern flew out of the reeds and continued across the track once again disappearing into cover.  It was now getting darker and colder and we headed back to the car.  Driving away we noticed a couple of flocks of Corn Buntings feeding around the stubble fields a sight now so difficult in the UK.

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