I have been quiet for a while. There is one simple reason I was on my trip to Dorset. When I got back I also needed some time to get my head round all I had seen and experienced.
The short version of my trip is the title of this post. I saw so much wonderful wildlife in a truly spectacular part of England. There will be longer versions(s) as I would like to share some of the trip with everyone on my blog.
The real problem is that I don’t really know where to start. Every day I was thinking ”that was such an incredible day, it cannot be bettered tomorrow.” Only for that to happen! On our last evening we tried to decide our favourite bit of the trip. Everyone found it incredibly difficult and we all ended up having at least a Top 3 if not a Top 5 🙂
So here goes. My top 3 wildlife experiences of the trip (cue the Pick of the Pops theme music…) And naturally they will be in reverse order
Nr 3 Searching for Nightjars as the sun went down. Even the fact that we all got picked off slowly one by one by the mosquitos and other biting creatures cannot dampen my enthusiasm.
Nr 2 Marsh Harriers. I hoped to see them and we were treated to a wonderful ariel display. In at number two as this happened on the first day of the trip!
And my Nr 1 are the Hobbies. We spent a glorious day watching these agile hunters swooping and diving through the sky on the hunt for food (dragonflies and other insects.)
There is also a Top 3 for the best place
Nr 3 A little hide on Brownsea Island where I sat for an hour or two gazing over the reedbeds. Not really concerned if I saw wildlife just enjoying sitting, looking and listening.
Nr 2 Kingcombe Nature Reserve. A haven of meadows, hedgerows and bird song nestled in a Dorset valley. Lovingly preserved and unspoilt by new farming methods or chemicals. This was our only rainy day but I still thoroughly enjoyed our visit. If it had been sunny and dry I think there would have been a tie for the number one spot.
Nr 1 Arne Nature Reserve. Or beautiful beautiful Arne as I now call it. We had a full day exploring this mix of heath, coastal waters and in some places bog. Spotting (and holding!) some of the rarest reptiles and birds in the United Kingdom. As an added bonus we went back on our last day and had another superb visit.
So there you go. My Top 3 (or is it 6.) It feels so wrong not including waking at 3am for the Dawn Chorus, badgers, rock pooling at Kimmeridge Bay and many other highlights. But these may very well appear in a later post 🙂
Another thing that made the trip were the people I experienced it with. I had an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of fellow participants. Also a very humorous group. This was no dry serious wildlife holiday. Oh how we laughed when we had the opportunity! The same was also true of everyone at the company who organised the trip (Wildlife Whisperer – link to their website.) This is the company of Simon King: the naturalist and filmmaker/presenter of many BBC nature series. He was one of our guides and the chance to share the holiday with him was a definite highpoint: there are not too many opportunities to have such a guide!
The photos have also been reviewed and I am delighted to report that I have one or two good shots. Thinking back to an earlier post this is another big plus from the holiday. My new camera didn’t fail me. Or should that be I didn’t fail it! And yes do not fear a few photos will be added here.
Was that the short version? Maybe it was. Now I think I just have to say WOW what a holiday 🙂
Bags packed I'm off 