Hodbarrow

Straight after the bank holiday I had to head up to Whitehaven to attend another meeting, which meant a long trip up and an overnight stay. On the way up, I stopped off at the RSPB's Hodbarrow reserve (http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/hodbarrow/index.asp). The weather was set fine so I managed a walk at pace out to the hides, a quick mooch around and a walk back to the car park in just an hour.


The view from the spit is spectacular taking in the land, the lagoon and the estuary. The reserve was quiet, it being evening, these Black-headed Gulls appeared to be enjoying some later summer sun:















Along the spit I followed this unusual looking bird, with a white rump flash and Wheatear looking markings. My field guide confirmed this as a juvenile Wheatear:















A very pretty bird, and a breeding success amongst all the reports of failure up and down the land. The last bird that caught my eye before I had to head on was this Meadow Pipit, as it appeared unusually green, both to the naked eye and on 'film':


















Again a very attractive bird. Hodbarrow is a very attractive location in the Western Lake District and one I hope to return to, although with much more time to soak it up...