There is still plenty to see and enjoy on our walks, the young birds are fledging and there are many chattering in the trees with parents trying to keep them together until they go out on their own. The young Robin below has already got the characteristics of his parents his curiosity and not being too afraid of us humans although he still hasn’t got his distinctive red breast yet.

One morning I decided to walk down the road a little way to Haywards bridge, for two reasons. The hay had been cut over Bere Marsh fields and I didn’t want to walk in the laying hay and also the day before I had spotted some duckling chicks when I was passing over in the car and couldn’t stop. I was lucky although the were on a little island a distance from the bridge I managed to see them and get a picture. I think the Mallard had around ten ducklings. I haven’t seen them again they must have moved downstream.

It always surprises me the wildlife you see by the bridge, there is often Little Egrets, Herons, Mallards, Kingfishers, Moorhens to name a few but when I was taking a picture of the duckling a bird flew over and I just managed to get a photo of it. I was still unsure of what it was after I’d put it on my computer it looked like it should be on the seashore and not the banks of a river. Anyway I posted it on the Dorset Wildlife Facebook page and they came back with a Common Sandpiper. A surprise but lovely to see.

With the more settled weather of course comes the Haymaking on Bere Marsh Farm they work late into the evening to get it done before the rain.