Interesting beasts at Cheddar village centre on 26th - a dipper, a female kingfisher, and at least 3 water voles.

The tame bird this weekend (25th) was a Lapland bunting at Sker Point in Glamorgan. The bird was feeding mainly on the flowers and seeds of equal-leaved knotgrass, as seen in the photos. I guess it's an adult from the pronounced breast markings. It was quite difficult to photograph despite its proximity, because vegetation got in the way, and the light was very contrasty at times. At times the bunting would creep, mouse-like, into the longer grass and disappear from view. I've only seen one Lapland bunting previously, and that was a rubbish view, so it was a real treat to get close up views of a subtly marked bird.

The 'longspur' can be seen in this image.

This glossy ibis was found in a roadside ditch at Avonmouth on 17th. I photographed it in nice light on 18th. It was so tame that it approached closer than the minimum focussing distance of my 500mm lens. It was mainly eating water snails (see last two photos). The bird was ringed at Coto Donana, arrived at Budleigh Salterton in Devon in a flock of 20 on 8th. 18 of then seem to have made in to Dungeness in Kent on 13th. It is at least 3 years old, having been ringed in 2007.

Some decent, though distant birds at Chew on the morning of 17th - black-necked grebe, 3 garganey, male ferruginous and ring-necked ducks, black tern, common tern, little gull, 3 greenshank, 2 green sandpipers, at least 2 dunlin, and the 2 grey phalaropes (on Herriot's Pool).

Chew Valley Lake attracted many terns on 5th. There were at least 70 black terns, about 20 common terns and at least one juvenile Arctic tern. Also present were the male ferruginous duck, a hobby, 2 black-tailed godwits, 2 greenshank, at least 9 little egrets and a kingfisher. The terns flew high periodically, though then returned to the lake to feed.

The unringed great white egret put on a good show at Meare Heath on 4th. The colour-ringed bird was on Noah's Lake. Also present were an osprey, up to 278 black-tailed godwits, 24 knot, 2 dunlin, 5 ruff, 3 greenshank, and a marsh harrier.

It's your basic backcomb structure, slightly root-boosted frame, and a cheeky fringe. Guess who the younger daughter met in town?