Wildlife on Brownsea Island, Dorset - 10th October 2025

I visited Ham Common at Rockley Park on my way to the bus stop and saw a Stonechat on a fir tree

This ragged Red Admiral butterfly was resting on a post near the entrance to Brownsea Island

Lots of Spoonbills were standing towards the back of the lagoon

The two Peacocks that live on Brownsea were perching on a bench in the churchyard

One told me off for taking photographs!!

A Chiffchaff flew down from a tree and was perching on a fallen branch in the waterlily pond

View of Round Island from the edge of Brownsea

Avocet with leg bracelets wading across the lagoon in front of the aptly-named Avocet hide

I was lucky enough to see the female Kingfisher again - posing on two different wooden poles in front of the Avocet hide

I was unlucky with the Red Squirrels during this second visit to Brownsea Island and just managed to photograph this one hiding behind a clump of grass before I had to catch the last ferry back to Poole

I stopped to photograph a Sika deer in the churchyard while on my way back to get the homeward ferry

 

Birds, nature and wildlife at Rockley Park and Brownsea Island, near Poole, Dorset - 5th and 6th October 2025

I spent 4 nights at Rockley Holiday Park in early October and, while walking to my accommodation, I discovered a beautiful Peacock butterfly feeding on Mock Orange flowers

After I had unpacked, I walked to Rockley beach where a Little Egret was searching for food

There were lots of orange Pyracantha berries in the hedgerows

I then wandered up to the Ham Common Viewpoint where I could see many moored yachts and a distant Brownsea Island

Oystercatcher on the beach below the Ham Common Viewpoint

Another view of the moored yachts and distant Brownsea Island

The closest I am ever going to get to a White-tailed Eagle

The next morning I got the ferry from Poole Harbour over to Brownsea Island

A Peacock was displaying his very short tail feathers while standing in front of the church

A few of over seventy Spoonbills in Brownsea lagoon

Close view of an Avocet standing in front of the aptly named Avocet bird hide

Greenshank - also in front of the Avocet hide

I was lucky enough to be in the hide when a female Kingfisher flew over and perched on a pole

I then went into the woodland where a Red Squirrel was posing nicely on top of a tree trunk

Female Common Darter dragonfly resting in a patch of sunlight

Grey Wagtail on a fallen branch in the waterlily pond

Wren perching on a twig on the dark side of the woodland path

Greenfinch on a feeder on the light side of the woodland path

Female Pheasant blending in with the fallen autumn leaves

Back at the lagoon, a Black-tailed Godwit was standing in front of a small island

Female Shoveler duck on the left, Greenshank in the centre and Redshank on the right

Redshank with reflection

A went for a last look in the woodland before leaving the island and came across a Red Squirrel sitting on the ground

 I loved my day on Brownsea Island and was planning to return there for a second time later in the week

Wildlife at Walthamstow Wetlands on 14th August 2025

I visited Walthamstow Wetlands on a sunny day in the middle of August and firstly went to the bridge  over the stream on the main road.  

There I saw of pair of mating Willow Emerald damselflies

also a female Banded Demoiselle damselfly

and a male Banded Demoiselle damselfly

and a Migrant Hawker dragonfly

Over the road in the other part of the Wetlands, I saw a beautiful Waterlily in a small pool

I walked along a path at the edge of one of the reservoirs where a young Grey Heron was hiding from me

It moved onto a shrub near a blackberry hedge at the edge of the stream

A tiny blue butterfly was resting on the edge of a leaf

View of one of the imposing tall electricity pylons on the site

Multi-spotted Ladybird on a patch of yellow flowers

Three juvenile Tufted ducklings swam in unison along the stream

A juvenile Grebe was lurking near some waterlily pads

A parent was skulking near reeds at the edge of the stream

I was lucky enough to get a view of a Kingfisher with a fish in its beak

A Little Egret was standing in nearby shallow water

A Terrapin came up for some air - I originally thought it was dead because it was motionless for some time but, when I went past the same spot a little later, it had gone

Pair of mating Common Blue damselflies attached to a twig

Large juvenile Great Crested Grebe swimming in one of the reservoirs

There was an adult Great Crested Grebe with two unevenly-sized chicks in the distance