Emma's Safaris

This weekend the Country celebrated a new era with the Coronation of King Charles III. The locals brought out the local supermarkets so the baked good sections were sparse and settled down for five hours to watch our new King receive his crown.

Sitting down for the majority of the day was a welcome break from the hectic schedule of the preceding week, but it did take its toll on my muscles that were starting to ache. Inactivity as it turns out is just as troublesome for my tendons than taking a long hike so Phil and I took a Sunday walk to the Christopher Cadbury Wetlands and shared ownership of the camera for today.

What we noticed almost immediately was the change there. New life was emerging very quickly. As the Country celebrated the arrival of a new monarch, it seemed that over the past week the birds had been doing some celebrating of their own.

The Canada Geese has been busy and a few fuzzy gosling’s could be seen in hot pursuit of their parents wherever they could. It was always amazing to watch how fiercely protective the parents are. Frequently one of the parents would break away from the family group to chase a stray Black Capped Gull or Coot away from the nest site, their tongue hissing a warning to the intruder while the other would remain standing stoically over the babies checking that they were all present and unharmed.

Across the wetlands a male Mute Swan swam elegantly along the line of the reeds and he sailed with surprising speed towards another lone Canada Goose who had perhaps been a little optimistic about how close he would get to the reeds before being chased off by the much larger swan. Just as geese can pack a punch with their beaks, even they are no match for the mighty Mute Swan.

When you get settled in one of the many hides that adorn the bank of the wetlands you are plunged into silence and you find yourself completely immersed in the activity that is birding and photography. Sitting for a moment becomes a minute and then a good hour can pass watching and waiting and just being present in the moment and the more you look the more you notice.

A Shelduck delighted us with his presence, his large size and colourful plumage making him easy to spot on the bank. He silently preened at his feathers on the waters edge.

Sandpipers and Ringed Plovers adorned the edges of the wetlands, they have on previous visits been concealed by the rocks upon which they become almost invisible, so perfect is their camouflage but today both species could be seen dipping in and out of the waterline fairly close to the hide.

Avocets are now numerous. A male and female guarded carefully their nest. This was non existent even a week ago and now it is lined with moss and contained a few large but delicate looking eggs. The female covers them with her whole body only breaking to stretch her long blue legs periodically. She allows her mate to stand guard. Every Oystercatcher or Black Headed Gull a potential threat that needs to be removed from the vicinity.

Further along male and female Tufted Ducks sailed next to each other, diving in blissful union to graze on the silty water bed devouring all that they could before resting on a nearby island.

Phil notices the abundance of breeding Black Headed Gulls. A few of them are engaged in mating while others are sitting quietly on their nests. Baby Black Headed Gulls are absolutely beautiful. They are spotted and tiny and although it is too early to see them yet, in a few weeks they will likely be everywhere. As fair warning….the following photo is rated PG.

As we rounded the bend approaching the final hide in the field to my left I noticed a flash of red. My excitement grew as I knew instinctively what this was and as we stood at the far corner of the field my suspicions were confirmed. Crouched deep in the long grass lay an adult fox, his ears protruding tantalisingly just above the line of the grass.

It is always a wonderful moment when you meet a fox but one of the main rules of the safari is that you do not hound the animals. This individual was close and would be reluctant to break cover mere meters away. He was in a sense trapped so we left him to move away as he pleased in the hope that perhaps when we returned, he may be still in the area.

The final hide was alive with the movement, the thudding of flapping wings and the shrill call of Oystercatchers could be heard over the otherwise perfect silence of the hide. To the left a lone Grey Heron stands in perfect profile barely noticeable as he stands so serenely and still. Phil has taken some amazing photos today but I think that this one is one of my favourites (along with the PG13 gulls)

The Heron is soon bombarded by Black Headed Gulls, perhaps they felt threatened by his presence. The Heron is a very savage feeder, they have pin point accuracy and consume a large volume of fish with very little effort. It is also a possibility that the Heron would make a small meal out of a Black Headed Gull chick.

Black Headed Gull chicks are beyond adorable, they are small and spotted and perfect and in a few weeks time they will be numerous an I hope we can be at the wetlands with the camera to capture all those adorable moments for you

We walked back the way that we came in the hope of spying Mr Fox in the long grass and it seemed our respect and patience had paid off as the fox was very relaxed and also sitting in the long grass further up the hill and could just be seen above the line of the grass.

The fox was such a beautiful colour and in excellent condition. It is not exactly common to see them in the daylight it does happen. If for example they have a den full of hungry babies they can be seen in the daylight looking for additional food and sometimes you may notice them in your garden bathing in the sun somewhere high up and uninterrupted.

As Mr Fox disappeared into the longer grass Phil and I decided that it was time to depart for our bus. The sunshine was still shining bright an the warmth of the day still clung to the air. Celebration has been the theme of this weekend, welcoming in new chapters and Springtime for animals is a time where this is especially true.

Have a beautiful day everyone x