Brownsea Island

I visited Brownsea Island, and the nature reserve on it managed by Dorset Wildlife over the last two weekends. The reserve has a couple of hides that overlooks a lagoon that attracts lots of different species of birds, and at this time of year the woodland part of the reserve is a popular place for another kind of visitor, the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) searching for nuts.

This is a selection of the best shots from the two trips, the weather being a lot better on the second visit (you will notice this paricularly for the shots of the Avocets)

The Red Squirrels who liked to scavange around the bird feeders in the woodland

Landscape shot of same red squirrel

and one on a bird feeder

Next the birds, starting with the Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta).

These last two are my personal favouries shots of the Avocet with the setting sun bathing them in golden light

There were also wildfowl including Adult and Juvenile Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna), and a Teal (Anas crecca).

This is the Teal

The other birds that I photographed on the lagoon were..

A Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria).

There are also a number of Spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia), numbers circa 20+, four of which are seen here in front of Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo).

This last bird photograph of a Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) was shot in the woodland part of the hide

Finally I photographed the autumn colours of the surrounding trees and woodland.

 

 

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