Orchid year - Part 4 mid wales
Having not gone on a planned trip to Scotland due to a few factors I planned a couple of day trips and one of these was into mid wales with Adrian for 2 things first up was to check a known site called Vicarage Meadows which is the last place in Wales for Small white Orchids and then a stop in the Elan Valley to have a look for breeding Common Sandpipers. It was an about a 2 hour trip into the heart of Wales and a beautiful location we parked up to be greeted by a Kingfisher feeding young under a nearby bridge was a Dipper nest box with chicks. The surrounding woods were alive with birds. Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Tree Pipit, Wood Warbler and a Cuckoo were heard or seen nearby. We took the short walk into the meadow and the hunt began. A Barn Owl flew from a small white building and we could hear chicks calling inside. It was the closest I had been to a Barn Owl and it just stared at me before disappearing into the woods.
The first field was full of orchids and upon closer inspection we saw a new orchid for us both the Heath spotted Orchid, there was also a few Heath Fragrant amongst them but these were just beginning to flower. The Heath-spotted looks fantastic and there was a good array of colours.
Heath Spotted-orchid, Vicarge Meadows, June 2024
We careful walked around the hill slide checking for the star species but no such luck. We hoped for more luck in the 2nd field but after much searching we drew a blank. They are found here in such small numbers and they are not called small for nothing so we may have just missed them. Hopefully they are still hanging on here, but you do have to wonder if they will for much longer. They have already disappeared from most of England. The afternoon was spent in the Elan Valley watching a pair of Common Sandpipers. We had hope to locate a nest but nothing found today. A very late low crows nest which we could look down into was a nice end to the trip.
Orchid year - Part 3 Gloucestershire commons
The Gloucestershire commons started a little earlier than the trip to Kent. With a trip to Selsey Common en route back from visiting Worcestershire. I went a bit earlier this year to take in the Sword leaved Helleborine before they go over. The last few years I had gone later in May to see the Bee x Fly orchids at their best, I hoped they would be out as well. I headed over to the Bee x Fly orchids (Ophrys x pietzschii) first. They are on a nice steep slope that always requires a bit of care to walk down. I found a few that were just starting to look good. There was also a lot more Fly orchids here than I had seen before and you had to walk around with care. The Bee x Fly were a lot smaller than I had seen previously but that was to be expected this early in the year. The light was challenging as I visited the site on a sunny lunch time.
Bee x Fly Orchid, Ophrys x pietzschii, Selsley Common, May 2024
Fly Orchid, Selsley Common, May 2024
After finishing up here I headed back up the slope to the car and took the short drive to Rodborough Common to the site of the Sword Leaved-helleborines. They looked fantastic and I was pleased I made the trip earlier this year. I always have found this difficult to photograph due to the position they are in. They are at the bottom of a really steep slope or you can approach from the bottom via a small road but it's still very steep to reach their location. You also have to tread very careful as there are some very small individuals alongside the large plants which I photographed below.
Sword-leaved Helleborine, Rodbrough Common, May 2024
Next up was a trip in early June to the Stroud commons for the usual suspects. I did a pre visit with Hannah and Isabelle to Rodbrough to see what was about. We always enjoy a visit here as they is a superb ice cream shop that is always worth a visit. The ice cream was good and the orchids were putting on a good show. I returned a few days later on my own to try and photograph as many species as I could. First stop was Rudge Hill. It was a good first stop. Common Spotted and Chalk Fragrant were just starting to flower. I had a good look at these as crosses Between these had been seen here before. No crosses today but the other resident orchids were putting on quite a show.
Chalk Fragrant-orchid, Rudge Hill, June 2024
Common-spotted Orchid, Rudge Hill, June 2024
There were a few Greater Butterfly-orchids across the site which was nice as I hadn’t seen them here before. There was also a White Helleborine just coming into flower and lots of Common Twayblade. I also saw a very small white orchid it looked like a pure white Common Spotted-orchid, will be back in a few weeks to check it out. I had heard there were some Bee orchids on site but I couldn’t find any today.
Greater Butterfly Orchid, Rudge Hill, June 2023
Common Twayblade, Rudge Hill, June 2024
There is also a few other orchids on site that wouldn’t be flowering yet but I checked them out anyway to see how progress was. The Broad leaved Helleborines were just a few small leaves and I couldn’t find any Green-flowered Helleborines probably a bit too early. The star species here is the Narrow-lipped Helleborine which is a pretty rare orchid and found here in small numbers. I had a look where I had seen them previously and they were in the very early stages. It looked like the damp weather had not been great from them but been good for the slugs that had, had a nice feast.
Next up was a trip across Gloucestershire to a beech wood near Colesbourne. It’s a great site for Birds-nest orchid and White Helleborine. The birds nests looked great in the dark woodland but it was too early for the White Helleborine and I only managed to see two of these in bud. The only struggle with photographing orchids in a dark wood is that the isn't much light to work with. The R5 is okay in low light but I hate pushing the Iso up too high. I used a manfrotto lighting attachment to help increase the light available. I don't use a tripod which would probably help in these conditions.
Birds Nest-orchid, Gloucestershire, June 2024
White Helleborine, Gloucestershire, June 2024
The next stop was going to be a new area for me but I had been tipped off and giving a W3W location of a Frog Orchid on Swifts Hill. I headed off hopeful of seeing one of these hard to find orchids. I have only seen one before and that was at Cleeve Common a few years ago. Even though I had an exact location it still took a bit of finding. I eventually found it and a few others nearby. It was a tad windy so it was a good job these orchids are tiny and not getting battered by the wind.
Frog Orchid, Swifts Hill, June 2024
The penultimate stop was Minchinhampton Common where I heard about some Bee orchid varieties. The one I was looking for here was f.bicolour. Its lip is spilt into two colours and is a pretty rare variation and a nice one to see. Having found a number of Bee orchids it didn’t take long to find the funky ones. I reckon there was at least 5 of them here. They are on the cross roads of a busy road that crosses the common. I guess the drivers wondered why I was laid down in the grass. There was also a really large Chalk Fragrant Orchid on the edge of the common that was worth a look at.
Bicolored Bee Orchid, Gloucestershire commons, June 2024
Chalk Fragrant-orchid, Minchinhampton Common, June 2024
Final stop of the day was Rodbrough Common to re-visit the Wasp orchids I saw a few days ago. I also wanted to have a look round at the Chalk Fragrant Orchids and Common-spotted Orchids for any funky ones. I started off with the more common orchids and found some nice range in the colours of the chalk fragrant. they range from dark pink through to the much sought after white of Alba form. It was the pure white ones I was after today. I found some good candidates but a lot still had signs of pink on the flower. After photographing numerous orchids in the pouring rain I headed back to Wasps Orchids. I spent some time with these before heading back to the car. En route I stopped to look at an area I have seen Bee Orchids in on previous years, it was here standing out like a sore thumb that I caught site of a bright white Chalk fragrant orchid of the Alba form. It was worth getting wet for.
Chalk Fragrant-orchid, Rodbrough Common, June 2024
Chalk Fragrant-orchid, (Alba form) Rodbrough Common, June 2024
Wasp orchid, Rodbrough Common, June 2024
I would be returning later in the year to the Gloucestershire commons.
Orchid year Part 2 Kent
A trip to Kent was very much on the cards this year to take in some of the UK rarest orchids. Adrian having been before had a few sites for us to visit. I won’t mention the names of some of these sites due to the rarity of these orchids. If you look hard enough on the internet you can find them all on other blog posts. One orchid in particular the Late spider orchid has suffered with theft in the past and it’s only found in around 6 sites. This orchid was going to be first up for us and after a lengthy travel delay on the M4 we arrived in the Folkestone area overlooking the English Channel hopeful about finding our first orchid.
It was a short walk from the car and the first orchid that took our eye was a few Man Orchids. These were a new orchid for me and very much on our radar but it wasn’t what we were looking for here. The orchid in question the Late Spider soon revealed its self and we counted around 6 of these extremely rare plants. They looked fabulously and we took a few pictures of one individual going very careful not to damage anything in the vicinity. I also managed a few pictures of the few Man Orchids at this site.
Late Spider-orchid, Kent, May 2024
Late Spider-orchid, Kent, May 2024
Late Spider-orchid, Kent, May 2024
Late Spider-orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man orchid, Kent, May 2024, (iPhone pic)
Next we headed inland to ancient chalk grassland on the hunt for our next orchid. The Monkey Orchid was next on our list we arrived on site and met a group from Yorkshire doing the same thing as us. After a brief chat and some shared info we caught site of the first of quite a few Monkey Orchids. The site was set over 2 fields with the monkeys hanging around in the first field. We headed to the 2nd field first to have a look at what else was on site.
Before we started to photograph the Monkey Orchids there was another rare orchid at this location that’s stood out like a sore thumb. It was a single lady orchid another new orchid but seemed so strange to see it here all on it’s own. I spent a bit of time photographing this one whilst Adrian walked around and found a few other good orchids on site.
Lady Orchid, Kent, June 2024
Adrian came across some cracking looking Fly orchids and a few Greater Butterfly-orchids. Also here there were 100s of Twayblades, some Early Purple Orchids that were almost over and a few Common spotted that were just starting to flower. We also come across some native columbine, Aguilegia vulgaris.
Fly Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Fly Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Fly Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (|iPhone pic)
Greater Butterfly-Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Greater Butterfly-Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Greater Butterfly-Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (iPhone pic)
After a good hour or two on site we walked back to the monkeys and we spend some time checking them out. Difficult to get an exact count but there was probably over 50 flowers here. These are another extremely rare orchid and is only found at 3 sites across the Uk. When you really look up close you can see where they get their name from. Stunning little things.
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Monkey Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (iPhone pic)
Next up was a trip to Yockletts Banks. This is an ancient woodland on a chalk escarpment and a fantastic spot for a good range of orchids. We were here to see a Green fly orchid which is a rare variant of the fly orchid. It’s documented as being here but it's a closely guarded secret to its exact location. We had some information on where it might be so off we headed. We saw plenty of Fly orchids here so were very hopeful of coming across the green one. Despite being down on our hands and knees for best part of an hour we drew a blank. We were joined by another chap which meant we were in the right area. Sadly it wasn’t to be this year. Still there was plenty of other orchids to take in. We walked a few of the wooded paths and came across some beautiful lady Orchids these were difficult to photograph as they were surrounded by long grass. I like to try and get just the orchid in my pictures with a defused background as your eyes are then drawn into the orchid in focus rather than a messy grassy background. To stand any chance of showing off the lady orchids here it would have meant cutting back the grass of flattening it and that just isn’t right. I have often removed a blade of grass or 2 nearby to highlight an orchid but with ai in photoshop nowadays you can use that technology to remove it. I left these orchids alone in the natural beauty and hoped to come across some more in a more photographic location. Also on the woodland verge here we come across more flys, White Helleborine, Common Twayblades, Greater Buttefly-orchids and some Early purples coming to an end.
Green Fly area, Kent, June 2024 - needle in a haystack
Greater Butterfly-orchid, Kent, June 2024 (iPhone pic)
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (iPhone pic)
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (iPhone pic)
We crossed over the road to look around the other side of the reserve pretty much the same orchids seen but we did add what looked like Broad leaved Helleborine coming through. There was some more huge flys and common Twayblades. The lowlight levels within the wood must be a factor into these growing so tall. We also came across a pocket of Lady Orchids that looked really nice in the low level woodland light. There was also a few more White Helleborine here.
Broad leaved Helleborine, Kent, June 2024
,
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024 (iPhone pic)
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Last stop of the day was to reserve on the North Downs near Wye. We hoped to see some more Man Orchids here. We soon found a few but numbers seemed to be down on last year.
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Man Orchid, Kent, May 2024
The area also held, Common Twayblades, Chalk fragrant-orchids, and we even found a few White Helleborines.
The next morning we had planned a morning stop at Denge Wood. Its an ancient semi natural Woodland It’s a great spot for Lady Orchids and in various colours. We parked up and walked through the surrounding woodland. We had numerous firecrests calling as we walked in. We arrived at the spot for the Lady Orchids and I wasn’t disappointed. There were 100s everywhere and in some fantastic colours we walked around the area admiring the sheer volume of them. Amongst the Lady’s there was also numerous Fly Orchids, Common Twayblades, Greater butterfly orchids and a few White Helleborines. There was also a few Common Spotted coming through. I found a nice spot and got the camera gear out. First up I started photographing some of the Greater Butterfly-orchids these looked fantastic.
Greater Butterfly, Orchid, Denge Wood, May 2024
Greater Butterfly, Orchid, Denge Wood, May 2024
Greater Butterfly, Orchid, Denge Wood, May 2024
Greater Butterfly, Orchid, Denge Wood, May 2024
I then spent some time looking at and photographing the Fly Orchids and the White Helleborines. This really was an amazing place with an area the size of a A4 piece of paper you had Fly, Common Twayblade and white Helleborines all growing side by side with Lady and Butterfly orchids all in the same field of view.
White Helleborine, Denge Wood, May 2024
After I had finished with these orchids I moved onto the Lady Orchids and I had a few marked up that I wanted to photograph to show off the amazing colour range.
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
It was at this point the sky started to go darker and darker. A light rain shower started that quickly turned into torrential rain. We tried to shelter from in but it just got heavier and heavier. I wasn't very well prepared as the rain wasn’t due to arrive until the afternoon and it was long before I was soaked to the skin. Adrian had a small Umbrella that did little in the heavy downpour. I tried in vain to photograph the orchids but in the end I had to pack up as it was impossible to keep my kit dry. It was a real shame and we left with unfinished business. It was an uncomfortable walk back were the once dry paths were now little streams. We dried up jumped in the car and started to the homeward journey.
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
Lady Orchid, Kent, May 2024
We had a shop planned for the way home and it was for another super rare orchid. Military orchids are only found in 3 sites throughout the Uk and we planned to stop at one of them. It was a short walk through a woodland to a small meadow. As you walk through the gate you can already see the pinkish orchids standing loud and proud across the slope. Some lost in the grass but a few really stood out and were great for photography.
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
Military Orchid, Homewood, May 2024
We took a short walk through some pretty dense woodland admiring more fly orchids that were the biggest we had seen yet before arriving at another meadow this one slightly larger and again packed with Military Orchids. A large chunk of this was off limits to help with protecting these rare orchids but a few outside this boundary were worth photographing. A few fly orchids nestled among them. This Brought a close to our Kent trip we missed a few aberrations but ticked all the main species we were after.
Orchid year Part 1 - The Early ones
I have done this blog just for fun and to look back on in the future. I am pretty new to Orchids and I'm still very much in learning phase. This year I planned to try and take in a lot of new orchids so a very steep learning curve. Thank you to the people out there I have come cross who have helped me locate and ID certain orchids, and my travel buddy for many of the trips Adrian.
The year started with a giant bang, quite literally. We found ourselves near Didcot in Oxfordshire in mid March on the hunt for Giant Orchids. Normally found in the Mediterranean a handful of these orchids had been discovered a few years ago on a steep slope here in Oxfordshire. Their range is said to be moving northwards with globally warming but no one is entirely sure how these ended up here. That’s not a question I’m here to answer. I haven’t revealed the exact location as these are extremely rare and probably the only ones within the UK.
Having seen some pictures on social media we planned our trip so we would see them at their best. We arrived at the location and took the short walk to the rumoured site. They are on a very steep slope that took a bit of negotiating but safely at the bottom we soon saw the pink flowers of several Giant Orchids. They weren’t as big as I thought they would be and some looked a little lost in the long grass. Still fantastic to see and not something that was on my orchid radar a few years ago. I don’t think they are even on the British list. They certainly aren’t featured in my British orchid reference book. I use Britain's Orchids by Sean Cole and Mike Waller its a great reference guide and has come in very handy over the last few years. Also of note in the area was a pair of Red Kite at a nest site and some Yellowhammers.
Giant Orchid, Oxfordshire, March 2024
Giant Orchid, Oxfordshire, March 2024
I had hoped to head to the Dorset coast again this year to see the Early Spider Orchids but sadly time didn’t allow. These are a pretty rare orchid only found in a few places in the UK and I was lucky enough to spend a day in April 2023 photographing these beauties. Although not seen this year below is a couple of pictures from last years trip.
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Early Spider Orchid, Dorset, April 2023
Next up was another new orchid and another with questions on how it ended up on UK soil. It is another extremely rare orchid and so out of respect to others I won’t reveal the exact location. The orchid in question is a cross between a Woodcock orchid and a Fly orchid. Fly orchids can be found at the location but Woodcock orchids aren’t generally found in the Uk. The rough location of these orchids is on the steep verge of a road near Dorchester. You have to have your wits about you as you walk from the nearest parking spot down to the site. All manner of vehicles hammer down this road. Once on the slope it didn’t take us long to locate 2 of these beautiful orchids. There were a few Fly Orchids on site that were close to bursting into flower.
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Woodcock x Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Fly Orchid, May 2024
Last up for Part 1 of my orchid year was a trip to Worcestershire to check out a few fields of Green-winged orchids on a small reserve. The fields here are said to be stacked with orchids and a good colour range as well. I wasn’t disappointed when arriving at the site. 1000s of Green winged Orchids across a few fields. The colour range was superb and I spent a good few hours photographing as many of the colours I could. Also one to look out for is one called Chimera where the flowers are two different colours. There is potential 4 at this site of which I photographed one. On the way back I headed into the Cotswolds to check out the fly x bee orchid that should be coming into flower about now. More about that in the Cotswolds section.
Green-winged Orchid, Worcestershire, May 2024
Day 6 - Day 2 In Batsjford the tundra hunt
It was the final day in Norway before heading back to Finland and after another decent breakfast in the hotel we headed back out on the tundra in search of the elusive Dotterel. It was another beautiful day and felt pretty warm in the sun.
Tundra, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
We first stopped as last nights destination to check again on the Shorelarks. Within minutes of pulling up we had a pair of Snow Bunting with the cock bird serenading us with his beautiful song. The pair were joined by an another cock bird and then another and before long we had up to 6 birds. They didn’t hang around for too long. Adrian and Ricky took a direct route in and I went around the outside to cover a bit more ground. I had another Pair of snow Bunting and not much else. I couldn’t join up with the others the way I went due to ground being to wet. I back tracked and joined the others. They had watched the Shorelarks feeding chicks so we had no chance of unearthing another new nest here. I did a bit of research before bed and it appears that Shorelarks are early breeders and most will have chicks already. The Shorelarks didn’t play for the camera but still great to see.
Shorelarks, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Shorelarks, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
We turned our attention back to the dotterel. We had seen a roadside pull in a couple of miles down the road and that was to be our next stop. It looked over a beautiful valley and onto a whale back pleatau perfect for Dotterel. We pulled up and saw a LT Skua feeding to our left, our experiences of these birds so far told us there would be an incubating bird nearby. Turned out later we would find one there and it was to the right of us about 200m ahead. Adrian planned to walk up the road on the right side and Ricky and I planned to cross over and go up the left side. We had read that the local Dotterels often nest close to the road. So the tactic this morning was to stick close to the road. Ricky crossed over ahead of me and it was then I heard those famous words again. Matt I got a wader here. On the other side of the road was a large patch of melting snow and a very wet area. Ricky had spotted a wader in the snow. It turned out to be a Purple Sandpiper. It was feeding on the snow line probably feeding on insects that die as they hit the snow.
Purple Sandpiper, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Purple Sandpiper, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Purple Sandpiper, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Purple Sandpiper, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
I then caught site of another bird. Boom it was a stunning female Dotterel. It too was feeding along the snow line but it was a start. Ricky and I started to tog the waders taking it in turns both birds were very confiding. The Dotterel walked right up to me and passed my lens not bothered by me at all. The Purple Sandpiper did the same, it was an awesome experience. Adrian walked on heading up to a nearby ridge to scan for the Dotterels boyfriend.
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
As we togged the Dotterel and Sandpiper there was another wader joining us and it was easy to call what it was before we saw it. We had several Temmincks Stints doing there butterfly flight routines and trilling all around us. They must be breeding nearby. They would at times join the other waders on the snow patch. Other birds were around as well we had a few snow buntings feeding, but always to quick to get any decent pictures. We also had a few pairs of Lapland Buntings and Red-throated pipits calling around us. We had hit another hot spot. Clearly this patch of snow was the place to be.
Wader hot spot, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
The Dotterels flew off over the car and towards the ridge we had seen from the car. I lost it and didn’t see it drop down. I was also watching the Temmincks and they appeared to launch their display flights from an area of rough grass about 20m up the ridge. Clearly an area they must be nesting in. I had a walk along and first put out a few lemmings that got my heart racing and then a pair of Dotterel. I didn't currently have my camera on me as I had left that by the snow patch. I watched them for a while but they didn’t seem to be doing much. I marked the area to check again later. Adrian had come back down of the ridge and had seen a pair of Laplands but not much else. We decided to walk the side of the road as planned to see if we turned anything up. The area was pretty wet with a rapid snow melt on the higher parts filtering down to were we now walked. We put out a Willow Ptarmigan that got the blood pumping. We also had a pair of Dunlin that were very vocal and probably had chicks in the area.
Dunlin, Batsjford, June 2023
Willow Ptarmigan, Batsjford, June 2023
We were again treated to a lovely song flight of a Red-throated Pipit and as we walked back to the car a female Ruff flew into the snow melt to feed. We decided to use Adrian’s skills to see if we could find another Temmicks nest and it wasn’t long before he had watched a bird back from a feeding foray back onto its nest. Boom number 4 of the trip and in complete different habit to the first ones we had found. These were several 100m above sea level in a montane setting. The ones we had found previously were pretty much at sea level along an estuary. We were sure there were a few more pairs to be found but we needed to put some time into the Dotterel. We were now buoyed by the fact we had seen 3 birds.
Temmicks Stint, Batsjford, June 2023
Temmicks Stint nest site, Batsjford, June 2023
Temmicks Stint nest site, Batsjford, June 2023
We moved a few miles or so down the road past some random garages that were in the middle of nowhere. We guessed these garages were maybe were the locals kept their snowmobiles. Just looked very strange having a row of garages miles from any civilisation. We took a small track we had seen yesterday that lead onto the tundra. We found a place to pull over and after tucking into some lunch we headed off across the tundra we had snow bunting pretty much after leaving the car. We headed higher up and then walked across the plateau. It was a beautiful but some what empty landscape, I could imagine how bleak it is out here in the winter.
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023 - random middle of nowhere garages
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023
Tundra, Batsjford, June 2023
After not seeing anything we headed back down across some large snow patches it was here we caught site of another pair of Dotterel. Both females. They weren’t very accommodating and flew off. As I crossed the snow I heard the sound of one of my favourite waders. A series of short, high-pitched whistles that suddenly increase in frequency. A Purple Sandpiper again it was feeding on the snow it wasn’t the easiest to get down to so I moved on. Soon after it flew off probably to its montane breeding grounds. We headed toward the main road a few miles west. We could now see the garages again. The ground was wet in place’s probably due the rapid snow melt. The temperature was into double digits and the sun was high in the Arctic sky. Again not the weather we’re had been expecting all week. We had certainly been blessed. We caught site of another Dotterel again a female this one i managed a few distant pictures of.
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
The question was where are all the females boyfriends? Female Dotterels are unlike most birds they don’t incubate the eggs or raise the chicks, that is left to the male. We continued to walk across the Tundra I was just ahead of Ricky and Adrian slightly down hill when I heard the shout. I got a wader here!! Boom Ricky had struck again a male Dotterel came up at his feet literally right in front of him. Golden boots!!!!! It did what a lot of waders do and that’s to fake an injury so you (or predator) follow it and move away from its precious cargo the eggs. It’s really clever and amazing to watch. I had my camera to hand so managed a few pictures. We had a search at the area it come up from for its eggs. Their camouflage is amazing we know where it had come from but it took some looking to locate the scrape. A one point we were on our hands and knees going very careful with every movement. It was well worth the many miles we had put on over the last 48hours. I have dreamed of seeing the nest of a Dotterel for a long time and now I was staring at a beautiful full set of 3 eggs. It’s common for Dotterel to lay 3 eggs which I have always seemed is rather odd!!
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel nest, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel nest, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel nest, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel nest, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Dotterel nest, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
We took some quick photos and I set my GoPro up on the nest to return to later. We had only moved away about 10meters and the male was already on the move within minutes he was back incubating. It was a great opportunity to get some pictures of him incubating on the nest. These pictures will be passed onto a team of scientists who are looking at incubating waders and their camouflage. The GoPro was probably far enough away for me to remove it without disturbing the bird so I slow crept in and removed it. These birds are incredible confiding I could of probably reached out and touched it.
Dotterel approaching nest site, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Incubating Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Incubating Dotterel, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
The walk back to the car was made a lot easier now we had found our first and only Dotterel of the trip, it was made even better by a very showy Rock Ptarmigan. The Ptarmigans here are much like Iceland they seem to be a lot more cautious of people than the Scottish population. I wonder if that’s because they could be hunted here.
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Rock Ptarmigan, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Next on the agenda was to have a look the Long-tailed Skua we had spotted early on in the day. The off nest bird was again feeding on the same spot and we could see the incubating bird sat on a 100m up the road. We walked towards the bird and it took flight we walked in on the area we thought it was in to find another c2. I have later learnt that it’s common for Long-tailed Skuas to lay 1 egg. All the sets we had seen were c2s, these often happens in a good Lemming year when food is plentiful. We quickly took a w3w location and a few photos and left. I understand that nest recording isn’t very everyone and people may claim it causes a lot of distress to the birds but these birds are fairly resilient and like the Dotterel it had returned to its nest within minutes. We had earlier watched this pair leave the nest and chase off a Rough-legged Buzzard.
Long-tailed Skua, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Long-tailed Skua, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Long-tailed Skua, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
Long-tailed Skua habitat, Batsjford, Norway, June 2023
We had been in the hills for a few hours and had ticked our major targets so tired and hungry we headed back to our base in Batsjford for some food. We had a big drive tomorrow so I didn’t plan on returning to the hills tonight. As I didn’t need to dive later we celebrated the successful day with another Pizza and a couple of Norwegian beers.
After tea we had a walk around Batsfjord it was a lot nicer than some of the other ports we had visited. We saw the floating hide which is used in the winter to tog the sea ducks. Hopefully I will be back on day to have a go at this.
Batsjford harbour, Norway, June 2023
Batsjford harbour, Norway, June 2023
Batsjford harbour, Norway, June 2023 - Floating hides
Batsjford Hotel, Norway, June 2023
Icelandic Poppies, Batsjford, June 2023
Icelandic Poppies, Batsjford, June 2023
Icelandic Poppies, Batsjford, June 2023