The World beyond the Forest of Dean

Happy New Year!

2012-01-21T10:29:00.000Z

Yes I know we're already a long way into the month. I havent done much photography since my last posting. I spent a morning trying to get near the Goosander that have been frequenting the lake up the road, with no joy. Other than that its been quiet.

Last year was probably my worse year of both bird recording and photography since I started in 2007. I only saw 109 different species last year, which is very poor. I should try and improve it this year. I didnt get a trip to Norfolk or Scotland in either which is even more disappointing. I have considered giving up photography.

I have only three shots to show you. First was a fleeting shot of a Long tailed Tit.

and second was a Robin that perched obligingly for me whilst I was sitting waiting for the Goosander to come near.

I wasnt going to add this one as its only a shot of Mallards, but its a pic for you to look at so here it is.

Some good news is that there has been a Kingfisher on the two lakes. I've seen it on more than one occasion flashing across the water. This morning (sat 21st) there were also a pair of Mandarin Ducks on what has become known as the nature lake. I have been undertaking a feasibility study of putting either a hide or screens on the nature lake for the local council. I was asked to help by another resident nearby. The long term plan is to clean the lake up, and make it more attractive to wildlife. It could be a great idea. Watch this space.

Anyway thats about it for now.

Thanks for looking, oh and if you are not already aware there is still a lot of good stuff being put on to a few of my links, in particular, the two Bobs, Bushell and Jones and Lewis Thomson. Lewis and Bob Bushell have both had notables on Birdguides Website for their shots of a Crossbill and Buzzard. Check them out.

Oh and one more thing Dave Slater and his friends have done some great work in securing a closed season in relation to the Wild Boar in the Forest of Dean. Check out the Friends of the boar link in Daves Website which you will find in my links.

Happy New Year.

Small is beautiful.

2011-10-30T09:41:00.000Z

Not a lot of photography since my last post. I only managed to do a bit of macro stuff. That doesn't mean that I haven't been out and about. I have seen some nice stuff. I saw a pair of Jays in the field near my house, both were looking splendid in their winter plumage. I had a sparrowhawk come down into my garden a few days ago it was a female and she's visited a few times recently, presumably after the numerous House Sparrows that are frequenting my garden feeders at this time. The Sparrowhawk landed on my decking and stood for about 30 seconds or so, it wasn't until I moved, trying to get to my camera some 10 feet away that she flew off. The Nuthatches are still visiting the feeders too.

Belmont pools have been providing me with some interesting views of the small and beautiful referred to in the title of this post. On one walk with Roxy I counted six different colour variations of Harlequinn Ladybird. Unfortunately when I had the opportunity with the camera I could only find three.

Also present was a large number of Larvae and pupa.

I'd never seen the larvae before, they are so completely prehistoric looking aren't they?

There were also a couple of Spiders, I recognise the first as a Garden Spider, but have not identified the second as yet.

I also found this snail in my garden, I quite like this different shot of it.

So all in all not a lot to report but I live in hope. Its also getting very near to Slimbridge time of year so a trip there can't be far away. Check out Brian Williams cracking shots of Water Vole from there on his blog (in my links).

Also if you want to see some cracking shots of stuff local to the Forest of Dean don't forget to check Bob Bushell's Blog, also in my links.

Come back again soon.

Missed chances and grabbed opportunities.

2011-10-09T14:18:00.000+01:00

The lovely weather we had recently saw me longing for a trip up to the Elan valley. The Elan valley and Rhayader are one of my favourite places and I like to try and get at least one visit in every year. I knew it was getting a little late in the year for many birds but I was hoping to try a little landscape photography if there wasn't much about.

I wasnt able to get up there before Sunday 2nd, other commitments kept me at home till then. I checked the weather and it was still forecast to be bright sunshine everywhere execpt the very north. I set off in the dark hoping to get some very early morning shots and everything was going well on route.

I stopped a few miles from Rhayader and got this shot.

It promised a lot, but unfortunately it never really delivered. The sun came out for about 20 mins once dawn had fully passed but then it clouded over completely.

I saw many Red Kite this trip, more than I have on any other single trip. A few more miles further down the road towards Rhayader I saw four sitting in a tree together. This adds credence to my belief that whilst Gigrin farm has done a marvellous job in the re-introduction of Red Kite it is now being a little counter productive. I honestly believe that the Red Kite are not speading away from Powys as well as they should be because they know that there is a ready supply of easy food at Gigrin. I know that there are a number of residents in the area who view the Kite as a pest, I would not say I agree with that but I can understand their concern. I saw a Countryfile or Country tracks programme recently where the Owner of Gigrin stated he has up to 600 birds attending his feeding sessions. With that many one would have expected the spread to be further than it is, but how often have you seen a Red Kite away from Powys? I have only ever seen one in South Herefordshire.

Don't get me wrong I think Gigrin has a lot to be thanked for. Without their efforts the Red Kite would still possibly be high on the endangered list. I recently commented on their website that they should consider not feeding so often in the summer, but unfortunately this was not well received. I fully appreciate that Gigrin put a lot of the money they make back into the birds but it must also be a great source of uncome at a time where farming in general is suffering. I wonder now if they have other things in mind than just the welfare of the birds. I will leave you to discuss your thoughts on this.

I did not get any photos of the Kite I saw, nor of the half dozen Buzzards or the 4 Ravens that came close enough to warrant getting the camera out. I didnt get to do any decent landscape photography either. These were two examples of how the weather was not condusive to it.

Imagine how much better these shots would have been if the sun had been out. I did get a few shots of some fungi. The first is taken with the flash as the light was still not great. The second is the same Fungus but a few minutes later.

Its very pretty don't you think?

Unfortunately that was the best of my trip to the Elan. I was very disappointed.

Back at home and back to work we had an unexpected visitor to the Workshop. This poor little thing flew into one of the office windows and stunned itself.

I'm happy to report that this gorgeous little Goldcrest sat on the pallet where I put him to rest for about 30 minutes or so before opening his eyes and eventually flying off, seemingly non the worse for wear. I have never been so close to a Goldcrest before, but I can definately say they are truly tiny little birds. It proved to be an interesting little distraction from the day's toil.

Another chance encounter led to another grabbed opportunity. Whilst driving home after work on Thursday I came a cross two men flying falcons over the fields between Allensmore and the Callow. I stopped and chatted to them. They had four birds with them, 2 Peregrine/Saker cross breeds, a Peregrine/ Lanner cross and a Harris Hawk. The Peregrine Lanner was only a young bird and they were training it up. I have very mixed views about captive birds. Part of me does not like the idea of birds being caged. I would much rather see them free. But birds such as these are bred for captivity and in this case it became clear that they were a) very well cared for and b) regularly exercised. The two chaps seemed to know a lot about the subject. They claimed they did not have the birds for any other reason than personal enjoyment. They did work the birds occasionally if asked to help with a pigeon problem by a disgruntled farmer, but mostly they did it for the enjoyment of being up close and personal with beautiful killing machines. I have never been so close to Falcons and Hawks. I was amazed by the way they sat quietly with their hoods on. A trick I wish I'd used on my kids as they grew up.

The Harris Hawk

The Peregrine/ Lanner cross.

Beautiful birds and a welcomed chance encounter.

My last grabbed opportunity for this post is a chance encounter with a Common Toad that has taken up residence in my garden. It was a grabbed opportunity only in so much that it was a clear evening and ideal for a grabbed shot or two of a critter that totally bemuses my dog Roxy. When she finds it in the garden, as she does most evenings, she is totally focused on it. She stands with her nose only inches from it, and gently growls at it. but never once have I seen her try to grab it. She must know that it will cause her no pleasure if she does. I literally have to drag her away from it. I took my opportunity to grab a few shots of it, it didnt want to play though and after getting a half dozen shots I allowed it to hop off the log on which I'd placed it and back into the bushes.

Not sure how I feel about toads. Different though and quite entertaining.

Come back again soon and see what else has taken my fancy.

A day in the Forest of Dean

2011-09-30T08:54:00.000+01:00

A trip to the Forest of Dean for my dog Roxy to have her hair cut meant that I had three hours to kill. I was keen to re-visit some of the haunts that I loved when I lived in the forest. Number one was Cannop Ponds, I was disappointed to see that the feeder table was missing. I can't understand why it was removed or by whom. If the Forestry have removed it then I hope they will replace it with something else, I remember that lots of folk used to stop and watch the birds, especially visitors to the forest. The top pond by the feeder station was looking lovely in the changing autumn colours.

Next I decided to visit the fallen tree at the arboretum. On route I was pleasantly surprised to come across a group of four young boar. I was pleased, yet worried by the fact that they were happily feeding/ playing/sleeping right by the roadside. This behaviour, in my opinion, is evidence of two things. One, they pose no threat to humans if approached quitely and carefully but not too closely. Two, they are unfortunately too trusting of humans, and not as wary as they should be.
I may not be explaining myself too well. I stopped my car approximately 75 yards away from them and approached with my camera, 300mm lens attached. I moved slowly towards them. Initially they were a little unsure, moving 10 feet or so further away from me. But they did not run off and that is the important thing. They could not have known what my intentions were, yet they were not overly concerned about my close proximity. If you think of deer then you immediately think of an elusive and extremely shy creature. They would not let someone within 20 feet of them. They are happily established within the forest, both Fallow and the occasional Roe. They pose no threat and are not thought of in the same way as the boar. If someone walking their dog through the forest was lucky enough to see a deer it would most likely be as it disappeared into the forest having seen or heard them first.
Boar, on the other hand will, more often than not, stand or even approach to investigate a human who it happens across. We shouldn't be surprised by this. Domesticated pigs do not fear human contact, the boar are pigs after all.
There are many stories circulating the Forest of Dean where people have been chased and dogs attacked, this is clearly due to the unfearing nature of the pigs and the mistaken belief that they are dangerous rather than curious. The desire to protect off-spring should not be confused with a desire to attack humans.

I'm waffling and I dont mean to do that.

This was one of the four boar that I saw.

Above are three of the group, they were relaxed enough to lie down and by this time there were 3 people taking pictures of them and numerous cars stopping to admire them. One of the three taking pictures was a chap I'd met before, Alan Hooper. It was nice to meet up with Alan and I spent some time with him. Both Alan and I have had a few problems in our lives and it was funny how we both saw the forest as a tool to coping with those problems. Thanks Alan for a great chat.

There are ongoing wranglings between a group of boar supporters and the Forestry over the culling of boar within the FOD. A friend of mine, David Slater is doing a lot of good work, along with others, to try and ensure that boar remain in the forest and are managed properly. I can't do his efforts justice on this blog but what I can do is suggest that you all, a) Have a look at his website, see how passionate he is about the boar and admire his wonderful photos, and b) Join his group, friends of the boar. I think there is a link from his blog but if not, try googling it.

I also met up with Bob Bushell at the Arboretum. Bob is a character who inspires me. He has a blog and a website (look in my links for a link). I would love to have the patience and drive that Bob has, If I did i might be able to get photos of the quality he produces. The photos of the buzzard that he has on his blog, the header is one of them, were taken in the FOD. I cannot remember having seen such amazing close ups of a genuinely wild Buzzard, check them out.

I enjoyed my day in the forest although I spent most of the time chatting rather than taking pictures but it was so nice to be back.

New Computer is finally here.

2011-09-18T22:50:00.000+01:00

Hello. Well here I am on my new computer. I haven't quite mastered all the ins and outs yet, I'm not sure if I have the resolution right or things like that but we'll see.

So I will try it out with just a few pics to start with and I'd be very grateful for some positive feedback, good or bad either through the comment facility on here or an email to my usual email address.

Start with A wood mouse.

This was the little critter I caught in my humane trap.

It was a pretty little thing. I photographed it through the glass of a small fish tank I purchased for the purpose.

Wish I'd had longer to spend with it. Haven't managed to trap anything since so I have to wait for another go.

I mentioned some time ago an experience with a Barn Owl, or to be precise two occasions with two seperate Barn Owls. The first was one I located whilst out looking for Butterflies. I didn't exactly locate it I was unaware of its existence until I was chatting to a local lady and she asked if I had seen the Short eared Owl. It duly turned out to be a Barnie. I didn't get too close to it but I was amazed by how beautiful it was to watch as it twisted and turned over the grass. I'm using one shot I got of it as my header, here is another.

It was a very pale bird even by Barn Owl standards.

The second was a trip to Anglesey and a very lucky chance encounter with what I believe was a juvenile Barn Owl. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my brothers car, had my 300 lens and 1D set up on my lap when my bro spotted this bird sitting on a Welsh Water notice board.

I spent a week a few years ago in Norfolk with Dave S and Chris G during which time we got quite close to a number of Barn Owls, but never this close. It was no more than 25 feet away and whilst this is a crop its not a big crop. When I looked at the pictures on my camera, once I'd calmed down, I thought it had an injured chest but it isn't its the other foot tucked up. A truly stunning encounter. I submitted the pic to Birdguides and was amazed to find it was the only shot of a Barn Owl on the site from Anglesey (at that time).

I have lost my mojo a bit for photography. If I'm honest not just photography. I cannot find the inspiration at this time. However I did get a few other shots, a couple of which were of butterflies.

This first is a Small Tortoiseshell.

The second is a Meadow Brown.

I carry my camera in the car most of the time, I was rewarded with a shot of a Rabbit kitten on the roadside near to my mothers home in Cheshire.

A cute little specimen

The nicest shot I've gotten over the summer was undoubtedly the easiest. It didn't move the while time I was doing it. A truly wild example of it's kind. This is going to be a marmite shot, you'll either love it or not. I love it. I haven't seen a truly wild one of these for a long time, not in its seasonal best.

It was in theForest of Dean. I love it.

So thats it for this occasion. I hope it was worth the wait. I have to catalogue the pictures that I didnt lose on my old computer onto Photoshop on the new comp. If the weather is kind I will endeavour to get out and about and find something of interest soon,

Thank you for your patience and thanks for coming back and looking at my website.

Hard drive saved.

2011-08-27T20:53:00.000+01:00

No pictures this time, I've done no photography for weeks. However I have solved the hard drive problem. Another of those nice geeky men at PC World/Currys told me that the problem was more than likely to be that my hard drive chassis was damaged. He suggested a trip to Maplins as they had none in stock. 20 mins and 30 pounds later I was on my way home with fingers crossed on both hands, not easy driving that way I tell ya.

I duly un screwed the hard drive and popped it into the chassis and boom, there you go, all the pictures were there. However this computer is still playing me up so I am still in the market for a new one. I've had to have my brakes done on the car this month so it may be next month. But I have been looking.

You're not missing anything but drop by occasionally and check to see if I have posted. Dont give up on me, I hope to get my mojo back soon.

Help needed to prevent major disaster.

2011-08-14T21:52:00.001+01:00

I have a huge problem, apart from the fact that I'm fat and ugly. Seriously, I have saved all my images over the last 3-4yrs to an external hard drive. I have somewhere in the region of 10k images on it. However when i tried to use it recently after a request from Dave Slater it wont work.

I have tried to use it on two seperate computers with no joy. I am not very computer legitimate, as any of you who know me will agree, but I did ask a very nice Geeky man at PC World who told me that I needed to do. control panel, administrative tools, disc management, locate external hard drive, and repair. However when I get to the locate external hard drive bit and click on that it says "disc not ready" or "drive not ready". I know that I've done nothing so far that can harm the drive as the nice man told me in no uncertain terms not to click on anything other than repair, and I havent got to that bit yet.

Can any of you out there help? I know I have not got many great pictures but thats not the point. to lose the record of my efforts over the last 3-4 yrs would be devastating ( I know I always said different chris but I never expected it to happen).

I would willingly post the hard drive to you if you are expert enough to repair it for me or do any of you know somewhere where I can take it to get it repaired?

Please help if you can, get back to me on 07794 562074 or my email address b_davis20@live.co.uk.

Thank you.

Oh and by the way the purchase of a new bed meant that I didnt get the new computer yet so be patient with me.

Computer is Kaput

2011-07-03T19:54:00.000+01:00

I had got some shots that I wanted to bring you today but the computer is causing me horrendous problems. It wont transfer half of my pictures from the camera, it wont let me open pictures in EOS to change them into TIFS, so I can only advise you that a new comp is on the cards for the end of this month. So be patient and come back in a few weeks time.

I've had some lovely sightings too, Grass snake, Wood mouse, Barn Owl just to name a few. Work is still curtailing my photography though so whilst I have some I have actually done very little. Its a good job there are others out there doing some good stuff. Both the Bob's are still producing stuff, Brian W has given us some good stuff from Scotland but Mike Smith, who still hasn't done a website or blog, has produced some cracking Little Owl shots which he has posted on Birdguides (www.birdguides.com). Michael, I said it on BG and I'll say it again I am truly envious of your Little Owl images, but I know that it is only a result of your hard work and perseverence, well done mate. Hope we can get another trip to Norfolk or maybe Scotland in soon.

So a new comp will be mine at the end of the month and then I promise I will do a catch up.

From my back door and a little beyond.

2011-05-22T21:15:00.000+01:00

I have myself a job now, working 4 days a week, so chances for photography are few and far between. Add to that fact a head cold, very high winds and problems with my 1D mk 3 and you will hopefully understand why I have not got a lot to offer.

However, I hope that what I have got is of a quality that will please. I want to start with a subject that I have mentioned before, the moon. I love the moon, I find it very calming and mesmerising. I spent a while looking at the moon one evening recently and played about with different settings on the camera. I wish I had the ability to read the destruction booklet and learn more about using my camera but as soon as I start reading, my mind goes blank. I got one shot that I'm happy with.

I would love to get better shots,

Something else that always amazes me are Dandelion clocks. You know the one's that you blow to tell the time, unless you're a 4yr old child and you suck and get a gob full of seeds. I love the delicate nature of the things.

This isn't probably the best shot you've ever seen of one but it shows what I mean.

The birds in my garden are looking somewhat rough, the Blue tits are unphotographable at the moment. The Starling stay for only a second or two and are extremely flighty. The Woodpigeons are great but my dog dashes out to chase them off as soon as they land on the fence. The only birds that are brave enough to ignore her are the House Sparrows.

The best surprise of the week though was a Hornet in the garden. When I first saw it I thought it was dead.

This is exactly as it was. But as i set up my kit it started to move and only then did I actually realise just how large they are.

I can't recall having seen one this close.

I dont think it was well, it found a hole and crawled into it, but I enjoyed the short time I spent in it's company.

I banged my camera this week and have been having intermittent problems with it, now that I'm working I will be able to afford to send it off to get it checked. Thankfully I have the 50D as a back up. so hopefully weather and time permitting I will be able to post again soon. The exposure seems all over the place so best get it checked. I'm also still having problems with the computer, so a new one of those is on the cards too.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for this post. Andy C, you can update your website now.

Mixed bag.

2011-05-06T22:54:00.000+01:00

Hello all, I've been continuing with the Macro stuff for the last few days with an hours long lens thrown in, in the Forest on Weds whilst I waited for the dog at the hairdressers.

Ladybird.

Large White Butterfly.

Pearl bordered Frittilery.

A Cerposis Vulnerata.

are enough examples of the Macro stuff, the Wood Warbler was very frustrating, I found one who was not too afraid of me but it just wouldn't come low, this is a crop.

Wood Warbler.

One of the most enjoyable opportunities this week came from some more views of one of the Terrapins on the local pond, I have seen two together this week but the one decided it wanted to remain anonymous and plopped into the water just as I got my lens set up.

It is hard to photograph them on their favourite log as the sun is wrong in the mornings and the angle wrong in the afternoon. However I decided to have a go when it was very hazy the other day, I'm pleased with these.

Terrapin.

and

I tried to get the Mallard ducklings that are currently on the pond but the Cob Mute Swan was adamant that he did not want them in the picture, I have never witnessed such unfaltering chasing of ducklings. The Swan did not seem interested in stopping the mother from getting the bread that I had thrown out but it just wouldn't let the ducklings come close.

Mallard and Ducklings.

I hope you will agree another mixed bag of not a lot. But my I've been having fun doing the tiny stuff, its almost given me back my desire to do more photography.

On a sad note, I'm having horrendous problems with my laptop, it crashed the other day and despite getting most of my stuff back I lost a months worth of pics including some lovely ones of my Grandson, I cannot upload pictures to the gallery link, because it say's "access denied" every time I try and the EOS utility programme seems to be working only intermittently. I have problems with Photoshop updating too. I will get it looked at as soon as I can but for a while there won't be any updates in the gallery.

Just for your perusal and because I can I want to show you this shot of my boy, My little Grandson Kenzie-James Lamb, who now can say, Grandad, Car and Keys, and whom I have to allow to drive my car outside his house for 5 mins every visit.

As always click on the pics for larger versions.

Little Birding, Little critters.

2011-05-02T00:28:00.000+01:00

I have very few photos to show you this time, I have been struggling to get bird pictures due to weather and wind.

I did have a good week adding to my bird list, Common Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, and Yellow Wagtail have all been added since my last posting. I got photos of two wagtail species, but unfortunately neither was very good as both were large crops.

Yellow Wagtail.

I saw this bird in Herefordshire at a pond a few miles from my house, I was chatting to a fisherman when I saw it on a pad of lilies, it was having a wash. By the time I had gone to the car and fetched my camera a coot had decided it didnt want it in its patch and was just about to shoo it off. I managed a few quick frames but nothing to sing about.

Grey Wagtail.

This fellow was at another pond in south Herefordshire, clearly collecting food for its young. Again it was a snap shot and from a distance, its a large crop. You can see immediately though the difference between the two.

I was out with the camera today and whilst waiting for a Chiffchaff to come into range a Shield bug landed on my lens. I got the 50D out of the car and got a few close ups of it, this encouraged me to try my hand at a few others. I really would like to crack macro work, It gives me a lot of pleasure. The hardest part is identifying what you've snapped.

I think this first one is a Soldier Beetle but I only have a Collins Gem book of insects so I cant be 100% sure.

I have no idea what this is, or what it's feeding on.

This next one is a Cercopis Vulnerata. A very speedy little bug, when disturbed it disappears so quickly you dont see it go, honestly, I did not see it fly off, the book says its a quick mover too.

This is a Shield Bug, I think its a Green Shield Bug. This is the critter that landed on my lens initially and then proceeded to walk all over my kit.

A slow mover this one, no sense of urgency whilst it was on my kit.

The weather is going to be somewhat mixed again this week so it'll be get what you can whilst you can. Come back soon.

Gods Country.

2011-04-21T14:14:00.002+01:00

The Welsh are very quick to tell us that Wales is Gods country and after a 2 day stint in Powys and in particular the Elan Valley I am tempted to believe them. The Elan valley, close to Rhayader, is truly one of Gods best attempts to give us heaven on earth. Most of you reading this will have been there, but if any of you haven't then you should go. If for no other reason than to spend time in the open to admire the stunning views and the countryside at its best. The reservoirs and dams are beautiful, although if I had a choice of when to go to see them at their best it would be autumn/ winter.

Birds were our target, obviously, and Powys and the valley did not let us down. Let me list what what I've added to my yearly list from the 2 days spent there.

Red Kite, Ring Ouzel, Swallow, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Grasshopper Warbler, Lesser Redpoll, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Whinchat, Stonechat, and Dipper.

We also saw lots of stuff that I've already got this year, infact most of my yearly list to date was seen. The Highlight though were nesting Kestrels. I'm not going to say where we saw them, I'm sure you will understand why, but we did and although the views of them were very distant, it was great to see a pair of one of Britains most loved bird of prey hopefully bringing more of their number into the world.

Thats all well and good Brian I hear you say but lets see some photo's. Okay here goes.

Wheatear.

The top bird is the male of the species.

Meadow Pipit.

Buzzard,

Whinchat,

and finally Pied Flycatcher.

There will be more going into the gallery in the next day or two so have a look, its in my links. As usual you can click on each picture for a larger version.

I will be returning to Powys and the Elan valley again throughout the summer and will post anything more that I get on those trips in due course.

From a distance.

2011-04-13T14:03:00.000+01:00

Another 3 or so hours spent in my hide in the forest yesterday produced one single Hawfinch shot, not a very good one but its all I have to show.

It turned its head towards me just as I pressed the shutter, spoiling a better shot. It then flew off, obviously scared by the camera, not to return.

Other things came down including this Siskin.

I am slightly concerned that the leg with the ring on it appears to be swollen. I have voiced my concerns on this blog before about the excessive ringing of birds in this country. I hope the scientists and the like hurry and compile all the info they need so it can stop. I saw Blue tits, and chaffinch with rings on them too, I cannot believe we dont know all we need to know about these birds.

I then decided to have a walk in a different area of the forest and saw Blackcaps, Chiffchaff, and Willow Warblers in good numbers but they were all at a distance. I did manage a few shots of the Blackcaps and Chiffchaff, these are all crops.

Male Blackcap.

Female Blackcap

Chiffchaff.

Nothing would come close. Still, lovely to see and lovely to hear.

Whore Finch

2011-04-10T21:26:00.000+01:00

No not a spelling mistake, just me venting my frustration. I've spent the best part if 10 hrs in my hide in the last 5 days trying to get shots of the Hawfinch. As you will see below, I failed.

I got Squirrel.

I got Brambling, happy with this as she's lovely.

But thats it. I saw one Hawfinch, too high to photograph. I saw Siskin but behind a stump.To cap it all I also broke a section of my hide pole. Fortunately I had a spare section which I have adapted to fit. I am gutted. The weather is turning this coming week so I may not get another chance this year.

Other stuff I've seen this week include this Great spotted Woody,

He's actually at a nest hole, I've posted another two shots of him in the gallery, along with a couple more of the squirrel, dont forget to keep having a look, its in my links.

I was also driving near Eastbach and stopped to try and locate a Chiffchaff I could hear, whilst I was trying to locate him I saw some movement to my right in amongst the tall undergrowth. I hoped Fox, Stoat, Weasel. But no, just a female Pheasant mooching around.

So disappointing.

I have found a few nests whilst out walking the dog this week, GSW, Nuthatch, and Blue tit to name three. I actually saw something today (sun 10th) that I've never seen before too, GSW's mating, it was noisy and over in moments but it was amazing to watch.

A trip to Anglesey in the week fishing with my brother, although fishing isn't quite the right word as we caught none,produced my first Willow Warbler and Sand Martins of the year. The list is now in the 80s, dont think its going to be such a productive year this year.

As I said at the start the weather is predicted to get cold and wet this week so it may be a while before I have anything else to post, come back and check though hey.

Oh just one more thing, had a hedgehog in the garden twice during the night this week, must be coming in under the side gate. I put it in a box the first time hoping to photograph it in the morning but it escaped. Then the second time I quickly got my camera and flash together but not quickly enough, it disappeared somewhere. I dont want my dog getting fleas so I have blocked the gate but its given me the incentive to spend a night having a mooch around to see if I can find one on one of the many grassy areas on this estate. I'll let you know how I get on.

Every day is getting greener.

2011-04-05T13:11:00.000+01:00

No photos this time, have not had the chance to do any, but more of an observation. You will know that I have Belmont woods on my doorstep and that I walk the dog in them often twice a day.

In the last fortnight there has been a dramatic increase in the activity in the wood. The most noticeable change is the buds opening on the trees and bushes. It really is a different wood compared to a fortnight ago. The next thing that hits you is the noise, the cacophony of bird noise is breath taking. There has been a massive increase in the variety of birds in the wood too. I have seen all of the following in the wood.

Buzzard, Woodpigeon, Crow, Magpie, Jay, Blackbird, Song thrush, Mistle thrush, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Pheasant, Robin, Wren, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Great tit, Blue tit, Long tailed tit, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Coal tit, Treecreeper, and Mallard duck.

I am watching a thrushes nest, the female is sitting at the moment, I have seen wrens collecting moss off the bottom of a beech tree, and I am pretty sure a pair of Buzzards are going to nest in the wood. I see the two of them on a daily basis. The Jays are particularly vocal at the moment, as are the Chiffchaffs. I have counted 7 different males in different areas of the wood.

In february it took me about 30-45 mins to complete the walk, now it's 60-90 mins, purely because I am spending increasing amounts of time watching the birds and just listening to them. I know I'm a bit of a gobshite, but when I'm on my own It amazes me how much fun I get from the simplest of things, I stood for over ten minutes at the weekend watching a Coal tit at one of the old nest boxes that have been erected in the past. It was in and out of the opening and flitting around the box, I dont think it was looking to nest in the box but it may well have been hunting insects. My dog kept looking at me as if to say " come on pops, what you up to?"

Non of this will come as a surprise to any of you, I'm sure you are all out and about in you local areas, discovering your own amazing things. Isn't it great that in a country where everything has increased in price recently the best things can often be those that are free.

Gallery glitches.

2011-03-28T19:42:00.000+01:00

It was partly me, I had somehow corrupted the program. However there is a glitch for which I am not responsible. I know now though how to get around it, so hopefully the gallery should work ok.

Thank you all for your patience. Thanks again to a certain someone for his help.

Just need some decent shots now to put on the gallery. Dont forget to keep checking to see what I've added.

Let the sun shine.

2011-03-24T23:48:00.000Z

Wow, hasnt it been a nice couple of days? I have been fortunate enough to spend most of the last 2 days out and about. I was in the FOD on Wednesday and spent some time with Chris Grady and Bob Bushell. The photography involved Mandarin and Mallard Duck, and Mute swan.

Mandarin Duck.

Mallard Duck.

Mute Swan.

Chris and I then spent a great deal of time searching for the Wild Boar. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful. However during our walk around the forest we were lucky enough to have close encounters with two amazing birds. Firstly we stood and watched a Goshawk circling around tree tops some 200-300 metres in front of us. Then as we walked in a different area a Woodcock lifted off in front of us and gave us a fleeting but lovely sighting of a bird I've never seen before other than on television.

The butterflies are out now aren't they? We saw Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. I got this shot of the Peacock.

Closer to home over the last few days I have also been thrilled to see two birds almost on my doorstep. I was out walking with my dog and saw two Wheatear in a field nearby. I was gobsmacked to say the least. They were two males in perfect condition.

Today I saw a pair of Skylarks in an arable field less than a mile from my house. I absolutely love this time of year, I am regularly seeing Chiffchaff whilst out walking with the dog, and whilst out for a drive today I got this lovely shot of a rabbit through a gap in a hedge.

On a sore note though, I'm having problems with the new Gallery. I am confident its not me, but a glitch in the system. I have more pictures I wanted to post but seem to be unable to do so.

Newest Gallery.

2011-03-22T18:32:00.000Z

So finally I "think" I have got a gallery page linked to this blog. There have definately been a few teething problems, most of which are because of my inability but a few definately seem to be glitches beyond my control.

I have put half a dozen shots in there at the moment just so you can see the format and hopefully give me some feedback. As I said its just to show more of the type of pictures that I put on here, but without the spiel.

Its in my links, please keep having a look.

Boaring!!!

2011-03-09T10:13:00.001Z

I took a trip down to the FOD yesterday, I wanted to see how far spring has sprung. A quick look in at New Fancy saw the car park full of cars, Goshawk spotting season of course. Stayed just long enough to get this shot of a beautiful Robin.

I then went to Cannop and was amazed by how much mess the Boar have made of the entrance and picnic area. This got me thinking about the Boar. The Mandarin Ducks seem to have paired off now, the males are looking very striking.

I called in at Beechenhurst and whilst there I spoke to a couple who used to live in the forest 10 years ago and were back for a visit. They told me a tale of how, whilst walking their dog yesterday (mon 7th), they had come across a Sow boar and 4 piglets. unfortunately their dog was off the lead and it ran towards the group barking and possibly intent on chasing the boar off. Not surprisingly the boar had attacked their dog, tossing it into the air and lunging at it. They described how, in their panic, they had dashed towards the boar screaming and gesticulating. Fortunately the sow saw them as too big a threat together and turned tail and trotted off, complete with piglets.
The dog was shaken but unhurt and they were very grateful for that.

I discussed with them the need to have their dog on a lead, they explained that they had not realised that the boar were in the forest, there had been none when they lived in the area. They had spotted the upturned verges in the forest but had not immediately realised what was responsible. They assured me that from that moment on the dog had remained on its lead, which they had lengthened to give it a bit more freedom. I was left thinking that the Forestry are not doing enough to educate visitors to the forest about the boar. The few signs they have dotted around the forest do not go far enough to inform the visitors of the dangers of having dogs off the lead. There are also not enough of them.

The couple had met the boar in the area around Mallards Pike/ Soudley as they described it "off the beaten track". With this in mind I set off to track them down, of course I realised there was every likelihood that the group would be long gone but I thought there might be others in the area. I saw lots of signs.

How much rubbing has this tree seen to completely take off the bark?

This wallow was not the best example I saw but it was in the best light, I saw a total of four in a very small area. Another tree had been well used too.

So lots of signs but no actual boar. I believe that they are trying to keep themselves to themselves but with the forest being so over used by cyclists and walkers alike they will obviously come into contact with humans on a daily basis. I have changed my opinion slightly, I do believe that there is a need for active culling by the Forestry Commision. I still maintian however that the forest is a better place for having the boar within it.
On a slightly different note I never saw a single deer either, which, considering how much ground I covered, I do find unusual.

I finished my day with a little time at the Arboretum, I bumped into the two Bobs, Bushell and Jones. They had spent the day together without much success, but they too had wound their day up getting shots of the little beauts who visit the feeding areas.

The chaffinch, starting to look good.

Then the Blue Tit.

A very nice day in glorious spring sunshine.

Nearly there.

2011-03-01T22:07:00.001Z

No pics this time, but I wanted to let you all know that I am almost in a position to add a new gallery page to the blog. I have been looking at how without using picassa or flickr and I think, with Chris Grady's help, I have found the ideal means.

Of course my next dilemma is do I start the gallery a fresh putting only stuff that I get from this point onwards or do I dig into the archives and at least have one or two pics to put in there asap.

It's a challenging time for me and as I am not the most computer savvy soul I have had to turn to Chris to guide me through it. Thanks Chris, your help has been invaluable.

I will keep you appraised.

An Oasis in a desert of foul weather.

2011-02-26T01:18:00.001Z

One bright day in ages, what to do? Thursday had promised some sunshine and did deliver. I met Chris Grady for our prearranged day together in the forest. We had planned to do frogs. Mr G donned his neoprene suit and dropped himself into the water to get those special close ups the like of which he produced last year.

Meanwhile the less well prepared and in all honesty less able of us, namely me, donned our knee protectors and did the best we could. The sun came out and I did get some shots, but the beauty of frogs, in my opinion, is that they take a good photo even in poor light.

This chap, came up and said hello.

Whilst elsewhere in the pond another group of frogs eyed up the females across the way.

"Hey lads, you seen the legs on that frogette over there, cor she's lovely"
"Yeah but she has let herself go a bit, could do with a bit of attention to those spots"
"One of us should go over and say, Hi."
"I heard her and her mate chatting, she was asking how many of us she'd have to kiss before she met her prince......"
"Charming"
"Yeah that was his name, oh yeah I get it....Charming"

This next pic sums up the difference between a sun shining pic and a behind the cloud pic, I was left thinking, if only!

I still like it though. The picture of the session for me though was this one.

It shows perfectly the difference in size between the male and the female. For those of you who aren't familiar with frogs the male is the one being carried and hanging on for grim life.

My friend Brian Williams alludes to the noise of the frogs in his Blog (check the links on here). I want to confirm what he says, the noise is amazing, it truly does sound like scrambler bikes racing in the distance. Truly a special occasion and one that I wouldnt miss every year. I think Chris and I were there for about 3 1/2 hrs and I enjoyed every minute and every strange glance that Chris got from people out walking.

A quick lunch and a well deserved drink at Beechenhurst and we were left scratching our heads for something to follow our morning. Obviously nothing was going to match that so we settled for a few small birds at the arboretum. Here are a nice pair of tits.

Great Tit and then Blue Tit.

The light dsappeared very quickly so forgive me the lack of quality in these pictures.

Looks like the next week is not going to be much better, I hope that this is not a taster for the summer to come.

Horrible weather.

2011-02-22T16:46:00.000Z

The weather has been partuicularly bad since my last post. Grey, cold and occasional heavy rain have curtailed any attempts at photography. What it has allowed though is for me to spend more time watching the birds that are coming to the garden.

I have had a new garden visitor this week, three of them infact, Siskins. I was totally amazed when three of them decended on my feeders this morning. It was only a fleeting visit, but they have returned both in a group and singularly a few times. I hope they hang around.

I have also had the male Blackcap visiting regularly but no sign of his female and the Long tailed tits make occasional visits. This is of course in addition to all the other usual visitors, Great and Blue tits, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Collared doves, Robins and House Sparrows.

Also whilst out walking Roxy in the wood nearby a couple of days ago I saw a Grey wagtail. There are also a pair of Buzzards displaying over the field near the wood regularly and I had the amazing sight of a Sparrowhawk flying about 3 feet off the ground some 15 feet infront of me the same day that I saw the Grey Wagtail.

I cannot wait for the weather to start improving. In the meantime these Long tails were taken at Cannop ponds the same day as the visit to Hignham.

They are a lovely bird.

Website Closure

2011-02-16T23:45:00.000Z

Hi all, I have decided that I am going to close down my website. I think that I didnt acheive what I wanted with it. My original thoughts were that I would use it as a tool for showing only the best of the shots that I took, but in reality I feel that the pressure to constantly put something on there regularly, meant that I let the standards drop very quickly.

In addition to this I can't really justify the money to keep it to going. I have decided therefore to go back to the way that I originally had this blog set up. I have a Gallery page in my links, at the time that I started my blog it was just a way for me to put extra shots on here without all the narrative. I am going to go back to that set up, I just need to work out how I'm going to do it. I'm not sure that Picaso is the way that I want to go.

If any of you have any ideas then dont be shy in letting me know, I'm a bit of a numpty when it comes to technical stuff so I would appreciate the help.

In the meantime I will continue doing what I enjoy the most, posting on here and sharing the craic with you all.

A few shots I took at Highnam the other day for your perusal below. I was sitting watching for the Marsh tit on the one feeder post when I heard a kerfuffle to my left. I turned my head and saw a male Sparrowhawk on another post. before I had chance to lift my camera he was gone. A momentary glimpse but I loved it.

A punk rocker Blue tit, either that or he's got delusions of being a Crested tit.

Great tit.

A lovely Long tailed Tit.

and finally a Marsh tit.

or is it a willow? I'm going with Marsh.

More Slimbridge

2011-02-13T11:22:00.000Z

Just a few more shots from Slimbridge.

The Jackdaw has such character, its a great bird to photograph if you can get it to stand still for a while.

When the sun came out the Bewicks Swans were looking great.

Even in the fog they look quite majestic.

Sunshine gives great opportunities for flight shots, this is just a plain Greylag Goose but I think it looks great.

I missed the RSPB garden watch weekend, mostly due to being busy packing but in honesty I didnt fancy looking at the back garden in Barnsley for an hour knowing that at best I was going to see House Sparrow, Collared Dove, maybe a Blackbird, and if I was really lucky a Starling.

However if I was to do it now I'd be happy with my lot. I've had all of the above plus, Great, Blue and Long tailed Tits, a Robin, and the star so far a female Blackcap. Although I'm on a housing estate here I'm close to woodland and a couple of large lakes.

I took a drive around the area yesterday and saw Fieldfare, Redwing, Buzzard, and Jay in fields nearby. I must say though that I have missed driving a few miles to Broomhill Flash and seeing ducks and waders including Green Sandpiper, Snipe and Redshank. Its horses for courses I guess.

Up and Running.

2011-02-10T00:44:00.000Z

Finally I have my Broadband up and running. So, I can now post some of the shots I've got from Slimbridge on the last two visits. On both occasions the weather was not brilliant early on, but bright sunshine later on gave me some good chances.

Bewicks Swans were in abundance, it won't be long before they start their migratory journey away from Slimbridge once again.

There was one which I managed to catch in flight, it had a huge ring around its neck.

Now, I'm sorry but that's just totally unnecessary. I dont like ringing in any case but this, in my humble opinion, is worse. However, if we're going to talk about completely over the top marking of birds then cop a look at this.

That is just bizarre, how can this not be considered as intrusive? I think its appalling. Someone somewhere needs to address this issue. If I had the intelligence or the know how I would find out where this was done and by whom, and then ask them what the purpose and need for it were. Totally bizarre.

Away from that though it was nice to be up close and personal with some ducks.

Pochard.

Pintail.

The star of the two days, for me, was this female Lesser Scaup. I cant find any record of having a confirmed sighting of a Lesser Scaup in my files so this goes down as a lifetime first for me.

Only February and a lifetime first. Could this be another cracking year for me? I truly hope so and I hope that I can share the joys with some of my friends.

New home.

2011-02-07T22:23:00.000Z

No pictures this week, I am in my new home and have managed one trip with Chris and Mike to Slimbridge WWT, but as yet I only have my orange dongle for internet connection and it is too slow to upload pictures.

I have already found one lovely walk nearby, and both me and Roxy (my dog) enjoy it immensely. Buzzard, Long tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, and Nuthatch have been seen whilst out walking this week, thats in addition to all the usual woodland and garden birds I've seen, Blackbird, Robin, Blue and Great tits etc. I also saw a Sparrowhawk over the house today.

I think I have identified what I missed the most whilst I was in Yorkshire, woodland and woodland birds. I have felt spiritually uplifted on the two occasions that I have walked the dog.

So hopefully after tomorrows planned second trip to Slimbridge I will be able to upload some pics.

Make sure you come back.

Image Error

2011-01-24T09:37:00.000Z

The sharp eyed amongst you may have noticed that the image of the Coot in my last post was the same as the coot image in the previous post but I claimed they were from two different locations.

My bad, I uploaded the wrong image for the most recent post. It should have been this one.

not going to get chance to post for a few days now, what with packing, moving, and unpacking. Fortunately though it doesnt look as if the weather is going to be too good this week so I'm not going to miss much. See you in a couple of weeks time.

Pastures new.

2011-01-23T16:56:00.000Z

Yet again I am on the move. I am moving back to Herefordshire as of the 1st Feb. I have missed being near the Forest of Dean and also missed a few of my friends. I have enjoyed my stay in Barnsley and am very grateful to my sister, Sue, for letting me stay with her these past 7 months.

I have found some lovely places during my stay in Yorkshire, Its a pity in some respects that I didn't get to explore more of it. I think that RSPB Fairburn Ings particularly had the potential to give me some great opportunities, but unfortunately it was a little too far to travel to on a daily basis. RSPB Blacktoft Sands was also very good. A little less than I had hoped for, but with some excellent birds to see and photograph.

The biggest disappointment has been RSPB Old Moor, when I arrived at the end of June there were lots of migrant birds around. I was repeatedly told that winter was the best time to visit. I have not been that impressed with what I've seen there so far this winter, and indeed what I have seen has not been suitable for any decent photography. If I could spend a day with the management of the reserve I would try and show them how some alterations to the set up of the reserve could improve it, but lets be fair we could all think of ways to improve the reserves we visit.

Other places I have visited and enjoyed have been Anglers Country Park, Broomhill Flash and Worsborough Mill and country park, although the latter was merely for the enjoyment I got when walking my dog.

So a few last pictures from here before I go. All of the following came from Anglers Country Park in West Yorkshire.

Coot.

Cormorant.

Great Crested Grebe with a catch.

A stunning Goldfinch.

Star of the day, Female Goosander.

Heron.

Mallard in flight.

Mute Swan, very nearly in the valentine heart pose, I had a lovely time watching these two display. At one time there was a second female who kept trying to muscle in, but the male knew which of the two he wanted.

Talking of Swans in Valentine heart pose, check out Chris G's website for a recent posting of his showing two mute swans doing just that, cracking and the inspiration for my attempt. http://www.wildlife-imaging.co.uk/

Reed Bunting complete with bling. If I may just say one thing its that I hate seeing birds with rings on them. I understand that there are certain birds that organisations like BTO and RSPB need to learn more about but I can't see that there is much to be learned by ringing Reed Buntings in high numbers. At the feeder station at Anglers it seemed that almost every bird species that visited had high numbers of ringed birds, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Reed Buntings, Tree Sparrows, Goldfinch, and even Blue tits.

Tree Sparrow also complete with Bling.

and also lastly a Tufted Duck.

Anglers Country Park is a beautiful place, there are 3 hides overlooking differing habitats and the surrounding area offers beautiful walks. The lakes get a number of visiting birds and it was from there that I got my Great Northern Diver last year.

I will miss Yorkshire, I have enjoyed seeing a number of birds that I dont get to see down south as regularly as I have up here. However I am excited about my return to Herefordshire, especially as spring is just around the corner and we all know how exciting that is.

A belated start to 2011

2011-01-20T20:17:00.000Z

So, over half way through January and I finally managed to get out and do some photography. Not for the want of trying, I've actually been out 3 days on the trot but failed to get the camera out on two of the occasions. I have seen lots of birds though and have made a good start to my 2011 list.

A very cold morning this morning at Broomhill Flash in the Dearne Valley produced just one or two opportunities for a few distant birds. Only the coot and Wigeon came close enough to get anywhere near full frame shots.

Wigeon.

The coot.

A Pied Wagtail came and landed infront of the hide, but typically with this bird he wasnt standing still for very long.

The stars of the day were a Green Sandpiper and three Goldeneye, the Sandpiper came the closest, but this is still a large crop.

The Goldeneye stayed well away from the hide and this is really nothing more than a record shot.

I sat in the hide, freezing me goolies off for over 2hrs hoping and praying that they would skirt the front of the hide like the Wigeon, Coots and Mallards were doing but it wasnt to be. Still I thoroughly enjoyed the time, they really are beautiful bird.

Not a bad start for the year.

Couldn't pass this up

2010-12-20T17:45:00.000Z

Hi, I know I said I wasn't going to post again before the New year but how could I not post these shots of 2 birds which have always been bogey birds for me. A freezing cold (-4) day with bright sunlight spells meant an opportunity presented itself for Fieldfare and Redwing. The Redwings duly obliged but the Fieldfare was a little more stand-offish.

The Fieldfare will require more work.

Two birds that always look better when there is snow or frost on the trees. Thats it for this year, once again Happy Xmas.

Merry Xmas

2010-12-18T13:15:00.000Z

Just a few more from my trip down south recently.

Two more of the beautiful Waxwings from Hereford.

This Kestrel was also seen in Hereford, pity there was no light.

On the outskirts of Chester it seemed that we had a giant meerkat on the loose. This amazing sculpture is made from hay and stands over 40 feet tall.

There was also a heavy Hoare frost. The first of the pictures below was taken in my home village, Guilden Sutton.

This second one was taken in Plemstall, another village just a couple of miles from my home in Guilden Sutton.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Xmas and I hope that 2011 proves to be a good year for us all, wherever we may find ourselves. God Bless.

Here's to 2011, see you next year.

Waxwing Heaven

2010-12-15T14:14:00.000Z

I went down south this last week, I had a two night stay at my mums in Chester, during which I took in another match at Old Trafford, with my brother and son.

I then shot off down to Hereford to see my daughter, son in law and grandson, I stayed there for three nights. Then I shot down to Newport to help my son with his house move. I had hoped that I would get the opportunity to get some Waxwings from at least one of those locations, as there had been recent sightings in all three locations.

Hereford gave me the first of my opportunities, but the weather was foul.

Later the same day the clouds broke and there was sunlight, although the birds stayed firmly where they had been earlier in the day, right at the top of the trees.

Although there are three birds in each of the photos above, there were many more in attendance, I would estimate in the region of 35-40.

Hereford gave me the only opportunities for capturing these marvellous birds. Sunday was a particularly sunny day and fortunately for me the birds were feeding on much more accessible berries.

They really are a cute bird to photograph.

The really light background in this picture is the painted wall of a house.

You have just got to love that swept back look.

There are so many of these being seen around the country at the moment that it would have been mega disappointing not to have managed a few close ups, I was a little sad that I'd only been able to take my 300mm lens with me, but at least using the 1D mk 3 I could use the 2x converter.

I got a few other shots of various things whilst I was on my travels, when I get chance to go through them I may post one or two on here.

As always click on the pics for a larger version, all pics are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without my permission.

Top Shots 2010 (part 2)

2010-12-04T18:28:00.000Z

Time for a few more of my favourites from this last year. I hope you like them.

I want to start with this Tree Sparrow, I remember there being lots of these around Guilden Sutton in Cheshire when I was a child, yet now I dont think they are seen in the village at all.

The Tree sparrow was taken at Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve West Yorkshire, this next shot was a Kingfisher also taken at Fairburn, Its the only Kingfisher I've photographed this year so thats why its here.

It was a very grey day and he only made a few fleeting visits, but I was so pleased to get him at all.

The next shots are two birds that are very similar, infact they are cousins. I love both of these pictures.

This first is the Meadow Pipit.

and its cousin the Tree Pipit.

Two lovely birds I hope you would agree. The first was taken on Anglesey Island, North Wales, near to the cafe at South Stack. The second was taken near Abergavenny in Gwent, South Wales. It was taken earlier this year whilst I was trying to get the Mamora's Warbler.

I haven't got many mammals this year, but I did manage a shot of a poorly hedgehog, It has to be one of the smallest hedgehogs I've ever seen and despite the fact that it was obviously poorly it was nice to see him.

I was really chuffed to get this next shot, the first I had of this little wader. A Curlew Sandpiper captured at Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve.

I still have a few more shots to go through so there may be a part 3. Come back and see.

Thats Snow business.

2010-12-02T12:52:00.028Z

What a week, snow,snow and more snow. We've got well over a foot of snow here in Barnsley, and my car hasn't moved off the drive for days.

Unfortunately I've run out of bird seed to so the sparrows and Collared Doves that visit my garden are down to starvation rations.

But the kids love it dont they? My little great neice has been off school all week as her school has been closed, she has enjoyed sledging with her mum and Nanny.

Its given me the opportunity to try out some of my foul weather gear.

the fleece lined trousers are a godsend.

The streets have been very quiet too, with only the odd vehicle (mostly 4x4) using them.

But my sister was all for making a path to our door, the foolish child.

There's more to come, allegedly, so I will look forward to that.....not.

Top shots 2010 (part 1).

2010-11-29T17:15:00.000Z

I have decided to share again with you some of my favourite shots from 2010. They are not in chronological order but I hope you will enjoy them with me.

This first is a simple shot, taken with my nikon compact I think, its not technically brilliant but I love the simplicity of it.

This was taken on Hergest ridge, North Herefordshire, the day that Chris G and I went a searching for Dotterell, didn't see them but got my closest ever, and first confirmed view of a cuckoo. Again not technically brilliant but isn't it so lovely to see a foal with its mother?

Highland Cattle, so characterful and impressive with those horns. This one was at Fairburn Ings, RSPB reserve.

This was last winter, it was around the time that we got all the snow, I was living in Ross on Wye and this was the view from my back door.

Wild Boar piglets, this was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. I got up close and personal with these little fellows and 7 or 8 of their brothers and sisters with two adult sows whilst driving through the Forest of Dean. A chance encounter and one which I now have a photographic record of forever. I hope they dont eradicate them from the forest completely.

A simple shot of a Blue Tit, but I really like it.

Macro photography is something I would love to get better at. This was one of my attempts to capture the smaller things that lurk in our gardens.

Lastly for this post is a picture that I absolutely love. I have had a fascination with the Moon since I was a small child. I was really pleased to get this almost full moon.

These may not be the best shots I've taken this year, but they are amongst my favourites. I will post another selection soon.

Chasing Redpoll.

2010-11-27T11:10:00.000Z

Recent reports from Old Moor RSPB reserve suggested that Redpoll were being seen on a daily basis feeding on the reserve. These were Lesser Redpoll but also given yesterday was a Common Redpoll so if ever I needed a reason to drive the four miles or so to the reserve this was it. I have only one or two pictures of Redpoll, they are a bird that have eluded me in my photographic endeavours.

On my arrival at the reserve I immediately linked up with the staff and asked where the best place to see the Redpoll was, they told me and off I went. Unfortunately what they didn't tell me was that I wouldnt be able to photograph them in situ as, a) The area in which they been seen is not accessible to the public, at least not close enough even with a big lens and b) even if it was its only accessible from one direction and guess what, yes you guessed, its into the sun. I did see a few Reed Bunting but this picture will give you an idea of what I was up against.

This is quite a big crop.

I think they call this, backlit. Realistically is should be back in the deleted recycle bin.

In the feeder station Garden I suffered with the usual sun problem as well. In other words the shadow cast by the visitor centre completely covers the feeders from about 10am, which when you consider that the centre doesnt open until 9.30am rather limits one's chances. I did try though.

A Woodpigeon,

and a Goldfinch.

and finally a Grey Squirrel.

not a lot in the way of Redpoll and a very depressing visit to Old Moor. I checked later on the Old Moor webpage on the RSPB website and it was a day where very little being seen.

Bird list 2010

2010-11-24T13:56:00.000Z

I dont normally do this but this year as I have seen so many birds I thought I would list them.

Blue Tit
WillowTit
Great Tit
Marsh Tit
Bearded Tit
Coal Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Crested Tit
Blackbird
Thrush-Song
Thrush-Mistle
Fieldfare
Redwing
Wheatear
Lark-Sky
Lark-Shore (lifetime first)
Pipit-Meadow
Pipit-Tree
Pipit-Rock
Bullfinch
Goldfinch
Hawfinch
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Sparrow-House
Sparrow-Tree
Dunnock
Wren
Robin
Warbler-Willow
Warbler Wood
Warbler-Garden
Warbler-Grasshopper
Warbler-Cetti's
Warbler-Reed
Warbler-Sedge
Warbler-Mamora's (lifetime first)
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Bunting-Reed
Bunting-Snow
Siskin
Brambling
Yellowhammer
Goldcrest
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Woodpecker-Great Spotted
Woodpecker-Lesser
Woodpecker-Green
Redpoll-Lesser
Flycatcher-Pied
Flycatcher-Spotted
Redstart-Common
Moorhen
Coot
Water Rail
Bittern
Heron
Egret-Little
Egret-Great White
Spoonbill
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Buzzard
Red Kite
Marsh Harrier
Osprey
Peregrine Falcon
Owl-Little
Redshank
Spotted Redshank
Greenshank
Sandpiper-Common
Sandpiper-Green
Sandpiper-Curlew
Little Stint (lifetime first)
Ruff
Curlew
Oystercatcher
Turnstone
Snipe-Common
Snipe-Jack (lifetime first)
Lapwing
Plover-Golden
Plover-Grey (lifetime first)
Plover-Ringed
Plover-Little ringed
Godwit-Black Tailed
Godwit-Bar Tailed
Kingfisher
Dipper
Duck-Mallard
Duck-Tufted
Duck-Shoveler
Duck-Pintail
Duck-Mandarin
Duck-Eider (lifetime first)(wild)
Duck-Ruddy
Teal
Wigeon
Shelduck
Golden Eye
Goosander
Gadwall
Pochard
Grebe-Little
Grebe-Great Crested
Grebe-Black Necked
Cormorant
Red Grouse
Partridge-Grey
Partridge-Red Legged
Pheasant
Jay
Magpie
Chough
Crow-Carrion
Crow-Hooded
Rook
Raven
Starling
Waxwing
Dove-Collared
Dove-Stock
Dove-Rock
Woodpigeon
Diver-Great Northern (lifetime first)
Gannet
Guillemot
Kittewake
Razorbill
Puffin
Fulmar
Tern-Common
Tern-Sandwich
Tern-Black (lifetime first)
Skua-Great (lifetime first)
Gull-Herring
Gull-Common
Gull-Lesser Black Backed
Gull-Great Black Backed
Gull-Black Headed
Gull- Glaucous
Gull-Mediteranean
Goose-Greylag
Goose-Canada
Goose-Barnacle
Goose-Brent
Goose Egyptian
Goose-Snow
Goose-Ross's
Swan-Mute
Swan-Bewick
Swan-Whooper
Whitethroat-Lesser
Whitethroat-Common
Stonechat
Whinchat
Wagtail-Pied
Wagtail-Grey
Wagtail-Yellow
Avocet
Crossbill-Common
Swallow
Swift
House Martin
Sand Martin
Linnet
Cuckoo (Confirmed lifetime first)

When I was going through the birds I'd photographed and seen this year, from my main list, there were some that I had forgotten to add to my list for this year, Shelduck, Wren, Wigeon, Little Owl. Fieldfare, Little ringed Plover, Greenshank and Oystercatcher.

It is funny but with the exception of the Little ringed Plover they are birds that are so common to me that I must not have recorded the first sightings of them this year. The Little Owls, for instance. I see little Owls every year at Symonds Yat and Eastbach, and this year I spent a great time with Chris Grady watching whilst he photographed them in Herefordshire, yet I had not recorded them on this years list. When compiling my list I always cross reference the birds I see with my main list that I started in 2007 when I got back into birdwatching and when I first met Chris and Andy. That list amounts to 209 birds, which I know is not a huge number but it is a number that I am pleased with as I am, as previously stated, in no way a twitcher or serious lister. I have nothing against those people, whatever rocks your boat, but I could not chase around the country after rarities just to say I saw them.

I am really pleased to have added some cracking birds this year, Shorelark, Jack Snipe, Mamora's Warbler, Great Skua, Little Stint, Black Tern, Grey Plover, Eider Duck, Sandwich Tern and Great Northern Diver. There's one more bird which I saw up close and personal this year and despite it being a bird that I've known of all my life and possibly seen in the past without really knowing, this year I can say that I definately saw one and had Chris Grady with me to confirm it. The Cuckoo, Hergest Ridge, Herefordshire May 4th. What a cracking moment that was, and what a pleasure to share it with a bloke who has become a very good friend to me over the last four years.

There are birds that I would have hoped to get this year that I didn't, although there's still time for one or two more, Pink Footed Geese, Barn Owl, Hobby, Merlin, Black Redstart and even Tawny Owls have evaded me this year, but thats part of the beauty of wildlife watching and photography, you never know whats around the corner.

Two days of Glorious sunshine.

2010-11-16T21:56:00.000Z

The last two days have been glorious haven't they? I spent the first (mon) trying to get Redwings, which aren't up here in any large numbers yet. I found a spot on Sunday where small groups of 5-6 were coming visiting the thorn bushes for the berries. I returned on Monday and got myself in a position where I could grab a few shots if the birds appeared.

Well thats what I hoped, didn't quite turn out that way though. Only a few birds showed and those that did, didn't hesitate on the outer edges of the bushes as I'd hoped. So time wasted. I walked to another spot that they had been reported at but again with no joy.

Today (tues) I decided to visit a spot which I've come to like immensely in my time here, Anglers Country Park. Its about ten miles away and is a complex of lakes which hold a large number of ducks, geese and other water birds. A few birds have visited recently which added a bit of excitement, Great Northern Diver and Red Breasted Merganser. In addition to these Goldeneye and Goosander often frequent the lakes too, so I was hoping for some fun.

Golden Eye and Goosander were seen, but too far away to get even record shots. I did get Pochard and Wigeon though.

and some lovely close ups of Mute Swans.

The Merganser had disappeared earlier in the morning but the G.N Diver was there to be photographed, albeit at a distance.

Great Northern Diver.

I would have loved it to come closer, but it wasnt to be. Still I'm not disappointed as yet again a great day was spent at the country park. A move to a different lake gave me views of distant Goldeneye and Goosander but the star of that lake was a Great Crested Grebe.

Bad weather predicted now for a few days so come back soon and see what else I've been up to.

Is this the best I can get?

2010-11-14T00:44:00.000Z

A decision to shoot over to Sheffield this morning would have possibly been so much more rewarding had I not stayed in bed for fifteen minutes after the alarm had gone off.

Had I arrived at Sheffield 15 minutes earlier I would have seen no less than two dozen Waxwings, but instead there were a lot less and unfortunately for me they became very camera shy and shot off into the distance about ten minutes after I arrived.

I did manage to get two slightly different shots of the same bird, but they are merely record shots.

and,

I spent a further hour driving around other locations that they have been seen in Sheffield with no luck.
Just before I left the original site I saw and captured this female Bullfinch, very sweet.

I was disappointed, but the Waxwings I saw bring my yearly total of different birds seen to 160, so far. My best ever year, and despite what Mr Grady and Mr Smith might say I am not a ticker, or lister. I have not shot over to Manchester for the Grebe, or to Hatfield Moor for the Rough legged Buzzard, or to any other nearby sightings such as the Great Grey Shrike. I merely record what I see. Travelling to Sheffield was a lot less than a trip to Slimbridge from Ross on Wye when I lived there, I merely wanted photographs of these beautiful birds.

I still have a couple of more targets but unless I'm very lucky they will probably remain just that, targets. (Barn Owl and Pink footed Geese).

I cannot believe how many Waxwings are being seen across the country, I am hopeful that they will call in somewhere in Barnsley, My sister saw at least 3 from our back door in the garden a fortnight ago, and tomorrow I am going to walk along a public footpath near Old Moor RSPB reserve that has a number of Rowan trees along its length. Wish me luck.

Norfolk.

2010-11-12T13:23:00.000Z

I returned yesterday from a three night break in Norfolk. I went with two very nice gentlemen (Chris Grady and Michael Smith) who, despite the odd bit of bullying (told you I'd put it in my blog), made the trip very enjoyable.

Those of you who aren't aware of Norfolk as a birding mecca must have been living on a different planet for a long while, it has tens of thousands of people flocking there from all over the country and it never fails to deliver something for everyone.

Weather wise it was pants this trip, save for the odd sunny spell the first two days and a rather prolonged spell of an hour or two on Wednesday. However did it still produce some excellent stuff? It sure did. Four lifetime firsts for me, Grey Plover, Shorelark, Eider Duck (in the wild), and Jack Snipe. It also added to my yearly total with Turnstone, Red Breasted Merganser, Brent goose, Egyptian Goose, Bar tailed Godwit, and Glaucous Gull.

Grey Plover.

The above picture was taken in the evening light on Titchwell RSPB reserve. It was the second location that we'd seen Grey Plover, the first time we'd seen one was during a heavy rain squall so I could not photograph it. Seeing this one and photographing him was a real bonus for me.

Photographically the weather gave me the opportunity to improve my skills, It was a case of upping ISO levels and trying different aperture settings. At Cley Marshes NWT reserve the Snipe were coming very close, but the light was absolutely appalling but I persevered and managed to get one or two shots which I was very pleased with, this shot is one such example.

Common Snipe.

The Jack Snipe I mentioned seeing was a real treat, I had obviously never seen one before other than in books, I knew it was smaller and had a shorter beak from what I'd read, but Chris and Mike assured me that once I'd seen one I would immediately know it, well they were completely right. It is so different, and if someone ever asked me now how I knew what I saw was a Jack Snipe and not a Common Snipe I would merely say it Jis, (it just is). It is one of those birds that couldn't be anything else, it couldn't be a common snipe, it is so different. Smaller, Shorter beak, more pronounced stripes on the back, constantly bobbing up and down, and it looks so different. We saw one twice on the same day, briefly and fleetingly in amongst reeds and watercress type plants I only managed a partial shot of it, but I think you can see the difference in beak size from this shot.

Jack Snipe.

A truly cracking little bird.

We spent a short period of time on the Tuesday morning sea watching. It's something I've never bothered with before as I didn't realise just how much can be seen. It never occurred to me that stuff moves around our coastline all the time. But I am truly hooked now and would happily spend a few hours doing so at any given opportunity.

We saw, Ducks, Geese, Waders, Auks, and Gulls all within a short space of time. I saw wild Eider Duck swiming past, I saw Gannets fly past and when they were pointed out to me saw Red Breasted Merganser which I recognised. But there were also a lot of birds which I had no chance of identifying. Thanks though to Chris, Mike and a couple of other chaps who stood with us for a short period of time I saw quite a lot of other stuff, mostly Scoters and auks and a Bonx (skua). Now I am happy to add the Eider, and the Merganser to my yearly list because I could recognise them, however when it comes to the other stuff I could not honestly say I would recognise it if i saw it again, because I didn't see it for long enough or close enough. However I hope that one day I might become confident enough to do sea watching justice.

It was a very blustery day and one of our group decided a few pictures of the huge crashing waves might be nice so he walked down the beach to do just that, I don't want to dwell on it or cause him any embarassment but suffice to say, it pays to watch whats going on around you when you are stood next to an incoming tide. Unfortunately he didn't. Nuff said.

I am a simple man, I have no desire to acheive things in my life, other than to see my kids grow up as decent, well balanced human beings. I find great pleasure in the most simple things and kneeling on the beach at Titchwell, in the company of two very good friends, in the evening light, photographing some amazing birds gave me immense pleasure. I think I said outloud that if I died there and then I would have died extremely happy. It was just beautiful, words can't really do it justice, the golden light, the fresh salty smell of the sea, the high pitched calls of the Oystercatchers and Curlews, and the little birds and their scurrying around getting the bits of food from amongst the shells and pools were just overwhelming.

I know that Mike struggled with the walking, and chris was disappointed with the lack of light, but the occasion, for me was made all the better for their being there. Last year when I had my motorhome and I travelled and saw some great stuff, the thing I missed the most was not having people there to share the moments with me. I don't mean in a soppy lovey dovey way, just being able to have someone with whom you can share the moment makes it so much more enjoyable. Thanks Mike and Chris.

Curlew.

Oystercatcher.

Bar tailed Godwit.

Dunlin.

Turnstone.

Hope you enjoy, as always click for bigger versions. More to follow in the next post.

And now for something completely different....!

2010-10-28T11:33:00.000+01:00

A change of subject this week, I know I'm allegedly a wildlife photographer but it doesn't mean I don't want to try other things.

This week I had the ideal opportunity, a trip to Old Trafford to watch Manchester United against Wolverhampton Wanderers. I knew that I'd be sitting pitch side, 2 rows back to be exact so I knew I'd get the opportunity.

I took my 1D mk3, my 70x200mm lens and a flash. Off I went and hoped it wouldn't be that hard.

Well it was, I couldn't get the settings right, I couldn't hold the damn thing still and I couldn't remember anything that a friend, who shall remain nameless, had told me last time I was doing any flash photography. Did I get any shots? Yes. I hope you like them.

Wes Brown.

The Boss, Alex Ferguson with his number two Mick Phelan.

The star Player, Hernandez (Chicarito).

The Legend that is, Gary Neville.

The Mascot.

The opposing manager, Mick McCarthy.

United player, Park, Ji Sung.

The young defender, Rafael,

and finally, a young goalie making only his second appearance for United, Ben Amos.

Unfortunately there were none of the big names, like Rooney, Giggs, Nani, Berbatov, Scholes, or Fletcher playing so I missed out a bit there.

A great evening though, made all the more enjoyable by having the company of my son's future father in law, Stuart, and his other daughter, Chloe, with us. It was Chloe's first ever football match and she hopefully enjoyed it, she seemed to.

I would have liked to have been able to rest the camera on a beanbag or similar as I really do suffer with the shakes these days, must be an age thing, that or the fact that I was beaten as a child.

As always, click on pics for bigger versions, all pics are, as always, copyrighted.

Leighton Moss-RSPB Reserve.

2010-10-22T17:54:00.000+01:00

A beautiful day was forecast for Wednesday so I was determined to make the most of it and try and get some nice new photos for the blog and website.

In hindsight I wish I'd stayed closer at home and used less time travelling and maybe more photographing but I also had heard that a Great White Egret was at Leighton Moss and of course there are always good opportunities for Red Deer, Bittern and Bearded Tits there too.

I set off at 7.00am anticipating that the 86 mile journey could be done in 2 hrs as a good chunk of it would be on the motorways, how wrong was I? I arrived at the reserve at a few minutes to 10.00am so had already missed some opportunities especially on the salt marsh parts of the reserve where the sun is most favourable in the early morning and where you can get onto the reserve before the centre officially opens. I did not let that get me down though and was pleased when the centre staff told me that Bearded tits had been showing well on the grit trays adjacent to the causeway path to the Lower and Public hides. I set off but spoke to a gent coming in the opposite direction who informed me that there weren't any there during the 45 minutes he'd been waiting, this put me off going straight there as I didn't want to be standing around and missing opportunities to get other things, so I decided to shoot to the Griesdale and Tim Jackson hides for a quick look-see.

The Griesdale hide has to be my favourite hide on any reserve I've been to, other than for the fact that it is facing into the sun virtually all day. Why then is it my favourite? It is at a very low level and it is right up close to the action, in fact a local was telling me that on good days the Bearded tits are often on the reeds some 8-10 feet or closer to the hide, and the Red deer are often only 30 or so feet away. There are also great opportunities to get close up shots of the Marsh Harriers and occasionally Otter. Unfortunately Wednesday wasn't such a day. There was a Heron fishing very close to the hide though.

I saw him catch 3 fish and I believe that they were all small pike, the one in the above picture certainly was.

The Red Deer were around and a Stag was giving it his best shot at putting off others from encroaching onto his patch.

I then went back to the centre and on route got up close and personal with 2 Bearded Tits. They were flitting around in the reeds right next to the path, I stood stock still and they didn't seem to notice me, I was treated to a brief but very enjoyable view of two very pretty birds.

Back at the visitor centre I was told that the Bearded tits were still not visiting the grit trays so I decided to have a drive to the salt marsh hides and see what was there. I was actually very disappointed, because other than a large group of Black Tailed Godwits there was very little else. a few Greenshank, Redstart, Curlew, Little Egret, and snipe and that was about it. A Kingfisher did give a brief appearance but only as it dashed past the hide.

The Greenshank did come within range for a slightly cropped shot.

and the curlew just wouldn't come close enough, this is a huge crop.

although I do like the light on it's wings,

The Snipe came the closest. I managed this shot, it's only been slightly cropped for composition.

When I went back to the main part of the reserve I was told that there had been Beardies at the grit trays 20 minutes or so previously, so I set up and waited, and waited, and waited but with no result. I gave it a good 90 minutes and then called it a day.

During the day I chatted to some very nice people, one of whom I met at the Eric Morcambe hide. I later found out that this was a man who's pictures I have often admired on Birdguides website by the name of David Cookson. I did not introduce myself at the time, which I now regret, but had I done so I would have complemented him on his work, You should check out his pictures on Birdguides. He posted a stunning picture of a cuckoo a few weeks ago.

So the day wasn't perhaps as good as I'd hoped but I love Leighton Moss and thoroughly enjoyed the time there.

A few more Squirrels.

2010-10-12T19:12:00.000+01:00

I bet you think that my last post was enough Squirrels. But I was so taken by them that I just wanted to show a few more.

These Squirrels are wild but very much used to being fed by visitors to the Grosvenor Park, some are incredibly brave and will take food from ones hand, others will merely approach and collect food near your feet. This obviously allows for great photo opportunities, if you can a) get them to stop squabbling, and b) find a spot where you are alone to feed them as you want them. Some of the best shots though come when they are not aware that you are near.

This one was having a little scratch.

This one was burying its nut, they are quite busy at this time of the year, storing up for the winter.

This one was eating a fungi or mushroom.

The only examples I could see were this one.

It looks like a puffball but I know someone will tell me its not.

When they were burying their nuts there were raiders waiting to steal the stashes. It was quite amusing watching the magpies following the squirrels around, and the squirrels seemingly unaware what was happening.

All in all, I had a very enjoyable time watching the squirrels. I fully appreciate that they are vermin and that the lack of Red Squirrels in the country is largely down to their presence, but they are incredibly cute.

Click on pictures for larger versions.

Grey Squirrels Up close and Personal.

2010-10-10T00:03:00.000+01:00

Dog sitting for my mums dogs means that I'm not allowed to be away from them for too long so I went to a spot in Chester where I know there is a good population of Squirrels. I was quite pleased with some of the results. They are taken with a 300 lens.

I think I would be right in saying that those first two were males.

and this one.

This one below looks like he's waiting for the bus.

I didn't think that he would be able to manage this conker, but....!

This Chiffchaff was also a nice surprise.

I'm going back tomorrow, weather permitting, to try and get a Jay that was flitting around but not close enough for a shot.

Slimbridge and Herefordshire

2010-10-05T14:27:00.001+01:00

I have been back to Hereford this week as I told you in my last post. I arranged to meet Mike Smith at Slimbridge WWT reserve in Gloucestershire, yesterday (mon 4th).

Mike informed that there wasn't a lot at Slimbridge yet but we were hopeful for something. Looking in at one hide we saw a Sparrowhawk sitting on a post across the scrape from us, unfortunately it was still quite foggy and the viewing windows in that hide are too small for long lenses so no pictures, but it was lovely to see. The next hide we visited was slightly better, there were Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Black tailed Godwit, Mute Swan, Buzzard, Wood Pigeon, Greylag Goose, and a quick glimpse of a Water Rail.

Godwit:

Mallard:

I love the reflection of this one.

Shoveler:

In this one the duck seems to be imitating the Swan in cleaning itself, I can just imagine it thinking to itself "will I ever be as handsome as the swan? "

After a quick coffee went to the South lake hide and saw, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Black Headed Gull, Jackdaw, Lapwing and a Kingfisher in addition to what we'd already seen.

Mike was correct, there wasn't the large numbers of Ducks, Geese and Swans that will hopefully be present in a month or so. So we cut short our time on the reserve to head off to another nearby location, but not before I'd snapped a close up Jackdaw at the restaurant.

Jackdaw:

Would you agree there is something quite stunning about the Jackdaw, I think it's in the eyes.

Leaving the reserve we had to wait for the canal bridge and mike spotted two Brown Rats, mooching about in the farmers yard area just to the right of the road we were on. Great views of them whilst we waited. They were in deep shade so no photos again, but I'll keep my eye out for them in future, I think Rats are fascinating critters, I don't like them but I admire their tenacity.

So a short drive to Frampton to look for a bird I've never seen was undertaken. Mike advised me that the target bird may have moved on so he suggested a walk with the bino's might be the best first option. We were lucky. The birds we'd come to see were Black Terns and there were a pair of them flying about and resting on bouys on the water. It was fascinating and thrilling to see birds I'd never seen before quite close up. Too far for decent pictures but great through the bino's. On a couple of occasions they flew close enough to see, in detail, with the naked eye and I wished then we'd had the cameras but in all honesty they fly so quickly and acrobatically that I doubt I'd have been able to keep up and lock on with the lens. I can add another life time first to this years list.

A very enjoyable time spent with Mike soon came to an end and we said our farewells. Thanks Mike!

Driving back to Hereford I happened across a Kestrel sitting on a telegraph pole. it was in the area of Weston Under Penyard, on the outskirts of Ross on Wye. I stopped the car and got the camera out of the boot. I was a bit surprised it didn't fly away. I got a shot of it.

and i was very pleased with it too, However when I zoomed in on the camera I could see what I thought was blood on it's beak and it didn't look right.

So I waited and when it turned it's head I got another shot.

this time I could see that it wasn't right. I again zoomed in on the pic.

Clearly this poor thing had been in the wars, could it have been done by another Kestrel? Could it have picked on prey that fought back? I'll never know, but I don't fancy it's chances of surviving a harsh winter with only one good eye. Nature at its cruelest perhaps.

A good day, nice to be back on my old patch.

A day in the sunshine.

2010-09-30T22:18:00.001+01:00

After a quite long spell of miserable weather up here in S. Yorkshire today turned out nice. It was forecast to be a good day so I wanted to make the most of it, and in order to do so I made for Derbyshire.

I considered doing Dippers at a spot Chris Grady showed me a year or three ago, but couldn't face the walking, (if only I'd known). I opted instead for a little spot which is well known for Water Vole called Cromford Canal. It has to be one of the best known spots for these endearing little critters in the country, or at least it was. I didn't see a single one. I saw lots of Little Grebe which also provide excellent opportunities for close up photography.

I also saw Mute swan, Moorhen, Mallard Duck, and a Pike (in the shallow water). But not a single Vole was seen. I spoke to the young lady working in the shop and she advised me that the Vole seemed to have disappeared, one or two were being seen but very infrequently.

I spoke to a number of local people walking their dogs and they seemed to confirm what the shop lady said, the Voles just weren't being seen in the numbers they had been previously. I did glean a bit of information about other areas that the Vole were occasionally seen and set off to see if I could track them down.

This is where the walking came in. Foolishly when I arrived at the location I'd been directed to I decided to just have a short walk along the bank of the stretch of water and see if I could spot any likely areas.

Well I walked about 3/4 -1 mile before I saw anything, I was just so taken with the colours and the peacefulness of the area that I forgot that I hadn't brought my kit with me. So I had to walk all the way back to my car to get it, all the while hoping that the Vole would still be present on my return.

It was and I managed to get some nice shots.

I spent the best part of an hour watching and photographing this one, I find them a truly fascinating creature. They seem oblivious to their surroundings but then suddenly a loud noise or sudden movement and they are off, quick as you like.

Walking back to the car I happened across another little beauty.

and then another, although I was very lucky to see this one, a slight movement caught my eye.

It was busy chewing at the bramble bush.

So a very enjoyable trip and most of it spent on my own with just the Water Vole, heaven.
Tomorrow I am heading down to Hereford for the week, hoping to spend a day with Mike Smith at Slimbridge, and a bit of time in the Forest. I'll post when I return.

Hope you enjoy.

Preparing for the winter.

2010-09-24T21:35:00.000+01:00

A trip to Old Moor RSPB reserve this week unfortunately coincided with work that is being carried out around the area of the Bittern Hide. I had hoped to spend some time in the hide and hoped to see the Water Rails and Kingfisher that have been reported there recently. A change of plan and I decided to spend a little time in the next hide, the Reedbed Hide. There were only a few species here including, Ringed Plover, Coot, Moorhen, and Great Crested Grebe.

Great Crested Grebe.

The Little Grebe caught a fish.

and a Common Darter came to visit.

I did not have long before the weather became too cloudy for decent photography, I wasnt very happy with the Little Grebe shots because the light was very poor.

Only a short day but again some nice shots.

Blacktoft Sands RSPB reserve.

2010-09-18T12:55:00.000+01:00

A last minute decision to visit this RSPB reserve near the port of Goole on the East Coast was rewarded with the first sighting this year of Marsh Harriers. In addition some nice shots of some other birds too.

Blacktoft Sands is located on the Ouse estuary area, its a "well out of the way" reserve and attracts a lot of birds including the aforementioned Marsh Harrier, Bittern, Bearded Tit, and a plethora of waders and ducks.

Take a Lunch with you though, there is no cafe. A hot water dispenser and some coffee/tea sachets means you wont die of thirst, but you will starve.

Within minutes of arriving I had seen Goldfinch and Tree Sparrow feeding along the hedgerows and at the feeder station. Collared Dove and a blue Pheasant were later seen at the feeder station too.

Collared Dove.

Pheasant.

The reserve is basically a long straight affair with 7 hides (including the reception area) spread out in a line over a distance of approx a mile. The hides cover a number of scrapes/lagoons of differing style and size. The hides are well maintained and suitable for long lens photography a couple of them are set on two levels and are good for both photography and scoping, Unfortunately as is always the case on RSPB reserves the hides are a little distant from the water in most cases but the two hides I found to be the best were the Townend Hide and the Marshland hide. The Townend Hide produced views of; Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Snipe, Curlew Sandpiper, Moorhen, Marsh Harrier, Teal, Mallard, Little Egret, Black Tailed Godwit, Black headed Gull, and Goldfinch. My best acheivements here were these,

Redshank.

Curlew Sandpiper.

and Little Egret.

I also got a couple of very distant shots of one of the Marsh Harriers, this is a heavy crop.

What I really wanted were Snipe shots, but despite the fact that there were 2 in view they were just too far to focus on, so I was most disappointed.

The walk to the Marshland hide was broken with a coffee in the reception hide. I lingered in the hope of seeing the Juvenile Bittern that, for the previous 2 days, had shown well infront of the reception hide, unfortunately he failed to show so more disappointment there.

The Marshland Hide looks out over a lagoon with a number of islands dotted within it. These islands have recently been covered with new lumps of soil and earth so they were very un-photogenic, which was a shame because on one there were a group of three Snipe. I did try to photograph them but because of the distance and the fact that the snipe blended in with the soil I could not get the camera to focus. I satisfied myself with some nice views through the bino's though. I was also kept amused by a young Redshank feeding directly infront of the hide.

A number of Teal, a Shelduck, a Heron and some Lapwings were also present. I was about to call it a day when a movement caught my eye to the right of the hide and imagine my delight when it turned out to be a Snipe. I was shell-shocked, I absolutely love snipe. I am amazed by the size of the beak compared to the body so it was all I could do to contain my excitement for long enough to get some shots. As is always the case it never came completely into the open but with the exception of a few tall strands of cut reed/grass I managed these two shots which I hope you will agree are pretty good. They are only small crops mostly for composition.

Again, typically of Snipe, it wasnt long before he was skulking off to find better cover,so I didn't see him for long. Still I was in my element, chuffed doesn't cover it.

So all in all I had a very enjoyable 4 hrs on the reserve, less wind and cloud might have made it better, but I am not complaining, another bird for the year list (Harrier) and closest ever views of Curlew Sandpiper and Snipe made for a great time and a definate reserve to revisit.

New Places to visit.

2010-09-10T23:47:00.001+01:00

My move to S.Yorkshire has meant that I have some new places to visit. One such place was Fairburn Ings RSPB reserve. Situated near Castleford and alongside the river Aire the areas of open water on the reserve were formed by the subsidence of coal workings up to half a kilometre underground, (ok, I stole that bit of speil from the brochure) What I can tell you is that there was an abundance of stuff there to be seen and some good stuff to photograph too.

If you find yourself in Yorkshire and are kicking your heels for somewhere to go you could do a lot worse than visit the reserve. I would advise that you take a packed lunch. The visitor centre has sandwiches, cakes and a drinks machine but the 2 ends of the reserve are 3 miles apart (appx) and the reserve is located smack bang in the middle so realistically its a 3 mile round trip to get from the centre to either end. There are five hides and a few viewing areas, there are 3 feeder stations located near the visitor centre and these attract a wide variety of birds. I saw Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Collared Dove, Pheasant, Coal Tit and amazingly Willow Tit. How do I know its Willow and not Marsh Tit? apparently the reserve don't get Marsh Tit so it had to be.

Willow Tit:

On the reserve I wasn't disappointed either, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Kestrel, Kingfisher, just to name a few. The weather in the morning was disappointing, the cloud cover was almost constant and a few spells of quite heavy rain, during one lull in the rain a Kingfisher came to the front of the Pickup hide, I managed only two frames.

and

He returned some 20 minutes or so later and I managed another 3 frames, this was the best.

I decided not to wait any longer and set off to explore. Back outside the visitor centre I sat and waited for the Tree Sparrows, I wasnt disappointed.

It was starting to rain so I only grabbed a few shots. Tree Sparrows are a bird that I used to see a lot when I was a kid but they are not so common now.

They are so characterful aren't they?

I'm quite pleased with the results. Around the reserve there were lots of birds, at the Lin Dike hide I was advised there was a Wood Sandpiper. I have to take the word of the three other birders with scopes who assured me that, that was what it was. I'm going to include it as a yearly tick because over the last few days a number of birders have idetified it as such, so thats good enough for me (or is it?) There were some examples of my favourite cattle on the reserve. Yes you guessed it Highland Cows.

Again so full of character.

I got a shot, albeit from a distance, of a Greenshank.

and another of a Green Sandpiper.

Or is it? I think it is, I saw the white rump when it flew off but it looks nothing like this Green Sandpiper I saw at Old moor the other day

and here it is the very distant shot of the Wood Sandpiper, or is it? you tell me?

I have no idea what it is, but I do know its not the same bird as the Greenshank above they were 150 yards apart. Is it another Greenshank or a Green Sandpiper? I really would like to hear your views, you can leave a comment on this post or email me at b_davis20@live.co.uk

I did manage to get some other stuff, a Common Darter dragon fly.

and a Hawker, which I believe is a Migrant Hawker.

I was amazed at how close it let me get this next shot is the camera's full frame (yes I know the camera is a 1.3 crop Chris).

All in all I had a great day, I met a really nice old chap who was so full of info about the origins of the reserve and how he'd seen the area change since the 60's. Would I go again? You bet I will.

Making the effort

2010-09-02T14:07:00.003+01:00

I made a determined effort to get out and about this week, I took advantage of the gorgeous weather to force myself out with the camera.

Old Moor RSPB reserve was my first port of call, surprisingly there wasnt as much about as I had hoped but the Wath Ings hide produced some good stuff, including a Curlew Sandpiper. I wasnt able to take photos due to the distance of the bird and an impossible heat haze, but a gentleman kindly allowed me to view the bird through his Scope and get another tick for the year (143 so far).

The water levels are very low and this meant that some nice stuff came close to the hide, there were several Herons both Juv and adult present.

Juvenile Heron.

Adult Heron.

Also present were at least four Greenshanks.

and Green Sandpiper, note the difference between these two pics, the sun is not out for this first one,

whereas it was for this second.

A trip the following day to the Anglers Country Park between Barnsley and Wakefield also proved very interesting. The main hide is an excellent place to see most of the birds that visit the lakes, the Lapwings were there in high numbers.

Half a dozen Cormorants were also present. This is a cropped shot of one doing a low fly past.

whilst this one was sunning itself on the rocks. This looks better in larger form and clicking on the pic should open a new window to show it.

The star of the trip, for me was this Juv Great crested Grebe, it came pretty close and the two following pictures are only small crops.

It was a lovely bird and surprisingly was alone, clearly making its own way in the world.

I have some more shots to post of the 2 days activity and will do so shortly.

Small is beautiful.

2010-08-20T12:21:00.003+01:00

I have no desire for photography at the moment as I have slipped into yet another period of deep depression. I have only these small things to show you.

Hoverfly,

Wasp,

Greenbottle.

I am thinking of giving up photography, I am no longer enjoying it. I am no longer enjoying life though so perhaps the two are linked. I will eventually sell my kit if my mood does not improve. I will advertise it on here first.

I am not looking for sympathy, nor do i want messages of support. I merely feel that as this blog is a big part of my life I can use it to express my feelings. I have struggled with Depression for many years and last year decided that I will no longer use tablets to keep my life balanced. I do not want to spend my time in a false world of medicine induced happiness, not that the pills ever made me feel that happy anyway. I will try and get through it in my own way.

I'm a crap photographer anyway so its no great loss. I much rather enjoy looking at photos in others blogs and websites.

Happy Days.

2010-08-11T11:09:00.003+01:00

No wildlife shots today, I've been busy with the wedding of my daughter, Lesley and my son in law, Matthew. I only have the one daughter and I was so proud to see her get married, It was a great day and lots of fun.

Back soon with some more wildlife shots, promise.

More from Wales, They talk funny you know!

2010-08-04T14:02:00.005+01:00

More stuff from Wales, competely random in order.

One day we went to the River Glaslyn Osprey Project on the outskirts of Porthmadog. The Project is run by the RSPB and is staffed largely by Volunteers. We saw Osprey through the scopes and Its great to hear that the birds are returning year on year and breeding succesfully.

Another bird that has returned are the swallows. A pair nest inside the hide, here are two chicks on the nest, they are completely at ease with all the visitors, the adults fly in and out with food an barely pay any heed to the human activity.

In my last post I think I alluded to the fact that there were lots of Herring gulls seen. I like this flight shot of one, its different to the norm having its wings forward.

Whilst on Anglesey my son came across this little fellow or lass on the road. It wasnt very well. I could see a tick attached to its underside and it was breathing funnily. I moved it to the side of the road and hope it manages to live.

I was sitting wait for a bite whilst fishing and this pair of Damsell flies started to perform infront of me. Got this shot with my 300mm lens so apologies for the poor quality.

This Greenbottle was caught with my 100mm macro lens. I think I would like to get into Macro photograpy a bit more. I love to see some of the offerings on the UKNP forum site, I can't match some of the shots on there but I am pleased with the first few efforts.

We saw 44 different bird species whilst in North Wales, thats over 1/4 of my year to date list all seen in 5 days. I think that Wales has so much to offer, and have been watching the wild Wales series on TV, it has certainly opened my eyes to the diverse wildlife population that this part of the British Isles has to offer. I would strongly advise yu all to take a trip to Wales, it might be the best experience of your lives.

Just a few more pics to follow in my next post. As always click on pics for larger versions.

Back from Welsh Wales

2010-08-01T11:25:00.004+01:00

I had a very nice time in Wales, with lots of birds seen and some not only first for the year but some lifetime firsts. However the weather was pants so there aren't many great shots, Its a mixed bag, so rather than just showing birds or one particular thing I'm going to mix it up over the next few postings. The one constant during the trip were the Herring Gulls, They were everywhere and although I've seen Herring Gulls before I was still amazed by the size of them.

I made the mistake of throwing bread out to some Blackbirds that were hanging around our caravan one morning in the hope of getting some shots, when I did it there were no other birds in sight. Yet almost before the first scrap had hit the ground there were a dozen Herring Gulls outside.

During a fishing trip to Anglesey I managed a few close up shots of a few smaller things. These were all hand held shots using my 100mm macro.

This is, I believe, a Magpie Moth.

This is a Large White Butterfly.

I have looked for this in both the Collins insect guide and the internet and I think its a Potato Capsid.

This is a Greenbottle fly, I dont like flies at all, but the make up of these things is amazing.

During the week I tried a bit of Landscape photography, again in poor light, This is not a good shot technically but the huge expanse of rock behind this tower was impressive, I have a few more which I'll post over the next time or two.

A trip to some waterfalls near Llanbedr was amazing, the weather was not great, very grey and humid, and very wet, muddy walking conditions but the waterfalls were something to see and I'm glad I went.

More to follow soon, however on the birding front I mentioned seeing some new birds, I will list the birds we saw in a future post but the new birds were, Great Skua and Sandwich Tern. Unfortunately I did not have the camera with me on the occasion that I saw these 2 birds. Suffice to say I was very happy, especially with the siting of the Skua, it was just off shore and was attempting to get a young Black Headed Gull off the sea, It was being mobbed by other BHG's but at one point it did manage to grab the young bird and start to fly off with it, but the sheer pressure from the other birds forced it to drop it. It was very amazing stuff.

A Break in the Clouds

2010-07-22T10:22:00.005+01:00

A break in the weather allowed for a visit to Old Moor RSPB reserve. I am so looking forward to seeing this place in the winter, it holds such promise. First stop is the feeder hide by the centre. There are usually tons of birds on the feeders including Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch, Magpie, Woodpigeon, and Collared dove. I loved this picture of the Greenfinch.

Out on the reserve there were lots of Juvenile birds and still a large number of chicks. Here is a female Shoveller with some chicks,

A juvenile Moorhen.

One of a pair of Juvenile Carrion Crow.

A juvenile Oystercatcher,

along with one of it's adults.

and lastly a juvenile Grey Heron.

Not as striking as an adult but still quite a magnificent bird, i hope you would agree.

I have yet to get any shots of the Med Gull chicks, there are 3 on the reserve, a first for the reserve. They are too distant at the moment but hopefully as they get bigger they will start to congregate with the large number of Black Headed Gulls. There are also at least one set of Common Tern chicks on the reserve but likewise they too are too distant for shots at the moment.

It's back to rain today so no shooting. I have found a great spot at a place called Adwick, not too far from my place and a walk without the camera yesterday gave me close up sightings of, Goldfinch, Longtailed tit, Reed Buntings, Willow warbler and Lesser Whitethroats. I hope for some decent weather before the weekend and the chance to get some shots of them.

I'm away in North Wales next week with my brother, hope to get some shots from South Stack amongst a few other places, will post anything I get on my return.

Bad weather and too much wind.

2010-07-18T11:19:00.007+01:00

Due to bad weather and incredibly strong winds on those days where there has been some sun I have no new pictures to post. So a few more Gannet shots from Bempton Cliffs RSPB reseve for your viewing.

Firstly however, a quick mention to Andy Carey who has had his Squacco Heron shot included in Bird Watch magazine recently. Well Done Andy, however I think I'm right in saying that he's not yet posted them on his website for us all to see, come on Andy finger out!!! and before you say it I know you've been busy moving into your newest new House. Good luck for that mate, hope you and Kim will be happy there.

So Gannet, here are a few more for you.

The Gannet is a fabulous bird I think you would all agree.

Oh, I have to say, I've been nagging another friend, Chris Grady, to put more shots up than he has recently and he has listened and posted quite a few this week. If you havent already then go have a look at his website http://www.wildlife-imaging.co.uk/ and check out the Swallow pics in particular, tell me that the first of them isn't a brilliant shot if you dare.

Hope to have something new for you all shortly, thank you for your patience.

To continue.

2010-07-08T11:35:00.008+01:00

More trips to Old Moor have not furnished me with any good bird shots. However this cheeky Squirrel made me chuckle.

Dragonflies and Damsel flies are busy rushing around.

This Black tailed Skimmer is regularly seen.

Further afield I went to Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve near Bridlington on the East coast. I was a little disappointed, dont get me wrong I saw lots of the sea birds that Bempton is famous for, but the opportunities for photography were limited. There were too few viewing platforms and too many people. I travelled 2 hrs to get there and I left feeling that I wouldnt be rushing to go back. Thats not to say I wont, but I am sure that there are better places for Puffin (Skomer) and Gannet (Bass Rock).

That said, here are a couple of shots of the Gannet.

Razorbill.

Puffin

Kittiwake.

and Herring Gull.

Inland there were lots of Small tortoiseshell Butterflies.

and my favourite shot of the day, this Linnet.

Not a bad trip I guess.

As usual click on a pic for a bigger version.

South Yorkshire, a good start.

2010-07-04T14:59:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone, have you missed me? I doubt it.

Well I'm finally settled in at my sisters place, with the exception of waiting for the delivery of a chest of drawers. I have had time to look at one or two places and even get a few shots.

Old Moor RSPB reserve has been my first port of call. It's on the site of one of Yorkshires old coal mines and if I do say so myself its pretty impressive. I have had 2 1/2 days there and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I have added 3 species to my yearly list so far, Common Tern, Tree Sparrow, and Med Gull. I think I also saw a small flock of a different Tern but unfortunately the photos i got were under exposed and too far away to ID. However on the same day other small flocks of Artic Tern were seen flying over by a number of birders. I am not going to record them as a tick though because I could not say what the flock I saw were.

Old Moor has a good number of Mammels on it, amongst which are Water Voles, Weasels, Stoat and Hare. I only managed Rabbit, here's one I saw.

I was hoping to get Tree Sparrow, but I would have liked one away from a plain post. However I was not complaining.

The reserve is alive with Buntings and Warblers at the moment. Full breeding plumage Reed Bunting males are everywhere.

Reed Warblers are also around in high numbers. I managed to get this one which was creeping around the reed bottoms.

The star of the week was this Whitethroat, I believe its just a common, but I have seen and heard Lesser Whitethroat which nest on the reserve but not photographed. If not next week then that will be a target for the future.

There are a number of reserves in very close proximity to Old moor. Wombwell Ings, Bolton Ings and Broomhill flash are just three of them. I have already checked out Broomhill and Bolton Ings and believe there are good photo opportunities to be had at both. I also saw Ruddy duck and Green Sandpiper at Broomhill so that makes 5 new ticks to my yearly list. Also nearby is Gypsy Marsh, which has Northern, Southern and Marsh Orchids and I'm reliably told a good head of Grasshopper Warbler. I will check that out ASAP.

Its good to be posting again and I hope you'll come back and have a look.

A few before I Go.

2010-06-21T18:33:00.004+01:00

This will be my last post until I have settled in at my new home, I hope to have something on here not too long after I move.

Its been a mixed week or so. Not a great deal to show for it, I will start with a plant. I dont do plants normally but when out looking for dragonflies the other day I saw this Common Spotted Orchid and couldn't resist.

Back to birds, whilst driving around the sticks the other day I saw this House Sparrow coming out of a hole in a sandstone wall. I quite like this picture.

Two more trips to the Blorenge after Marmora's Warbler produced this Whinchat,

and this Tree Pipit.

Over the other side of the hill I found this Skylark.

In the Forest I got these shots of a Redstart pair. They are well photographed and you can see similar shots on Brian Williams's blog which you'll find in my links.

Both birds are looking tired, not surprising with the amount of feeding they are doing, I noticed that the male seemed to be catching a lot of insects on the wing whereas the female was happy to come down for some offerings.

You have to just love them though.

Now I mentioned earlier the Marmora's Warbler. Its a visitor from afar, usually from Corsica or Sardinia. I made 4 visits to see it but couldnt get decent shots. This was my first attempt.

and unfortunately this shot, my best, isnt a lot better.

I'm gonna stick my neck out and say that I cannot quite fathom twitchers. I met people who had travelled from Essex, Nottingham, Manchester, Somerset, and Surrey. Most of them had come armed only with their scopes, nothing to record the fact that they had seen the bird. It seems odd to me. I love birds, love wildlife, but to travel hundreds of miles and have nothing but memories seems odd. But then me trudging around with 8 or 9 kilos of kit on my back just to take a picture will, I don't doubt, seem mad to others.

Anyhow, thats it for now, give me a week or two and pop back and see what I've been up to in South Yorkshire.

Moving on again.

2010-06-14T21:20:00.003+01:00

I promised you more Pied Flycatcher and Redstart pictures, I hope these will suffice. These birds were caught in Powys. I quite like these shots.

This is the female. and although she appears as a dull bird she is far from it, in fact she is very elegant and sweet.

The male is more striking, here he is with a mouth full of insects for his chicks.

This male at the entrance to his nest hole was a particular success for me as I found this hole myself and wasn't directed to it by anyone else. The Pied Flycatchers are not overly worried by human presence near the nest site as long as one the photographer is quiet, keeps low and doesn't sit too close to the hole. I can assure you that for the short time that I sat and photographed them both adults made numerous visits to the nest.

I think I said in my previous post about Redstart that the male is the prettier of the adults, I wish I could show you a picture of the female for comparison but as yet I've failed and chances are that as we are now quite a way into their breeding season I may not get one.

Back at home the feeders are being constantly visited by juvenile birds, this Starling is one of many.

I am more pleased to have the Goldfinch coming back to the garden. They stopped for a while, presumably while they found a nest site and had eggs.

I truly love this shot. The buds you can see are on the dead branch that I'm using as my feeder post. Its much more photogenic than the green metal post.

Now the title of this post suggests that I am on the move again and this is true, I am moving away from Ross on Wye up north to Barnsley to live with my sister. I am looking forward to the new challenges that this will present. I am hoping to feature more coastal birds in the next twelve months or so. I am also going to be living within a stones throw of Old Moor RSPB reserve so I am very excited about that.

I hope you will continue to follow my adventures and keep coming back to see what I've been up to. I guess I should rename the site again and perhaps call it "Wildlife beyond the Forest of Dean" your opinions would be welcome. The move is due to happen at the end of this month.

2010-06-08T20:09:00.004+01:00

Last week I spent a number of days in and around the Elan Valley. Its a favourite place of mine especially early in the morning. I love the fact that if you get there early enough you're very unlikely to see another vehicle for hours. But you will see lots of wildlife.

This Buzzard was one of many that I saw during the week, I know he's backlit, but I couldn't get to the other side of him. I love the way he has his tail spread and appears to be warming himself up.

This is a different bird in a different location, but no less lovely to see.

I would rather have had this Swallow sitting somewhere other than on the wire of the fence but beggars can't be choosers.

Meadow Pipits were everywhere and with some care you can get close, again not an ideal perches but.....

This one was collecting nesting material.

Curlews were slightly harder to get close too, this is a good crop.

But my favourite birds of the week were Whinchats. They seem to be in high numbers this year, I'm pleased, they are a real beauty.

I'll post a few other things from Powys next time, I know I've promised you more Redstart and Flycatcher. Make sure you come back soon.

Walks along the Wye

2010-06-04T15:05:00.002+01:00

Part of my drive to lose weight has meant that I try to walk my dog a lot more than I was, it's working I've lost 26lbs since 1st Jan. I regularly walk along the river Wye and it has been quite wonderful. I've seen some lovely birds, Kingfishers, Herons, Mandarin Duck, Swans, Mallard Duck and Common Sandpiper just to name a few. However I was really chuffed one evening when I decided to take my camera with me and got these shots of a Skylark.

What a cracking bird, I managed to get quite close these are only a small crop for composition.

I was made up, I have never photographed Skylark quite so close before.

Imagine then how delighted I was when I also came across this Yellow Wagtail, I have worked and lived in and around Ross on Wye for about 17 years and I've never seen Yellow Wagtails before. Unfortunately he/she was a little skittish to say the least so these pictures are quite heavily cropped, but I am very very pleased with them and with seeing the little blighter at all.

I also saw, just the other day a cuckoo only about a mile from my house. I didn't have the camera with me then but it was only about 75 yards away and flew alongside me in a field so I got great views.

So not only is the walking doing my weight good but I'm also seeing and recording some lovely stuff too.

Oh by the way, more Redstart and Pied Flycatcher to follow in the next posting so make sure you come back and see what I got next time.

If at First.......

2010-05-29T14:57:00.002+01:00

.....You dont succeed, etc.

Well i didnt give up, I kept trying. I promised Redstart and Flycatcher and I like to think of myself as a man of my word, so here they are.

Firstly however this pic of a willow warbler, which is about the only other thing I have worth mentioning this week.

I was saying to my friend Andy Carey that its been a pretty poor few weeks, I think I've put in a lot of effort but with very little reward. I have walked miles and yet have very little to show for it. However, I did get both of my target species so here they are. Firstly the Flycatcher.

A lovely little fellow this.

The Redstart meant a journey of 60 miles round trip, poor light and very biting wind. These are not great shots, they are both heavy crops, but I got them. Seven hours spent on a windy hillside and this is the best I got, If I had a day job I wouldnt be giving it up for photography this week.

Still I can only improve. What to do this next week? I'll take what I can get I think. As always click on pics for bigger images.

Not a redstart to be seen.

2010-05-23T17:45:00.003+01:00

I said in my last post that I was after Flycatcher and Redstart this week, well I failed, not a picture of either to show you. Not for the want of trying though I assure you.

So what did I get? The Mute swans were still sitting on their nest.

Until Saturday, at which point they hatched seven chicks.

Tell me they are not beautiful.

This Garden Warbler was quite obliging.

as was this Fallow Deer.

The Bluebells are in full bloom.

A trip to Newport Wetlands RSPB reserve gave me views of a Heron.

But more pleasing were the glimpses of the Bearded Tits.

Can I get Redstart this week? Maybe not as I have to go to Chester for 2 days. We'll see.

Busy times

2010-05-14T16:22:00.004+01:00

Its busy times in and around the forest. Lots of birds dashing around making nests or feeding young. Here are just a few birds I've photographed this last week.

I know she's just a little brown job but I quite liked this close up of the female Chaffinch.

This Great Tit is looking a little shabby, no doubt its well into the breeding season.

This Blue tit is really showing signs that it is neglecting itself to look after young.

This one doesnt look too bad. Oh, and yes before you ask it is the right way up.

This is the first Gosling I've seen its a Canada Goose chick and there's an interesting story linked to it. It was one of two chicks that were born on a pond just outside of Ross. The pond is a small fishery, I was worried that the chicks were vulnerable as the pond is neither deep or large, my concern was either predation or injury by kids. My fears proved to be well founded as within 48 hrs of leaving the nest there was only one chick left. I have no idea what happened but I do know that Mum and dad Canada Goose walked the remaining chick almost half a mile to another pond nearby. I know they walked because a) the chick is obviously too young to fly and b) they were seen by a nearby resident crossing the road approximately 300 yards from the initial pond, This is more amazing as on the opposite side of the road they crossed is another pond, also a fishery but they chose to ignore this pond and move to another which is more secure and less well known and not fished. Truly nature at its best and most amazing.

Chris Grady and I visited a favourite spot of ours for Wood Warbler and were rewarded with views of this beaut.

Most of the Warblers are rather dull little things, the Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Garden Warbler spring to mind immediately, but this little beaut is quite colourful with its yellow tinges and bright white chest.

I'm hoping for Redstart and Pied Flycatcher this next week, weather permitting, so keep your fingers crossed for me and pop back soon to see if I was successful.

Up Hill and.......Up more hill!

2010-05-08T10:57:00.002+01:00

This last week was short on opportunities for photography. Tuesday I spent the day with Chris Grady, we decided to head up to north Herefordshire in search of some reported Dotterell. Thankfully I'm 24lbs lighter in weight nowadays and I was very pleased of the fact as we trudged up hill for what seemed miles.

Not a Dotterell in sight however we did see some great stuff. I saw my first ever Cuckoo up close, I say cuckoo but it was actually cuckoo's, 2 of them to be precise. It was a thrill to see what has become a rarer bird so close. We also saw, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Redstart, Red Kite, Yellowhammer, and Northern Wheatear. I managed a grab shot of the Northern Wheatear.

We also saw a lovely group of Ponies, one of which had a foal. I love these shots of them.

I enjoyed the day on the hills albeit that we didnt do much photography. We also shot off into Shropshire to the Longmynd Hills near Church Stretton after reports of Dotterell being seen and photographed there. We missed out again unfortunately. So my first attempts at Dotterell failed, Chris is getting used to it, he has failed on his last four attempts to get them. Unlucky son.

Hawfinches

2010-04-29T15:06:00.003+01:00

I spent a great deal of time in the forest this last week, mostly after Hawfinch but also more Boar. Unfortunately I only got Grey Squirrel.

Now I know that they are vermin and that they cause damage to trees, but honestly they are cute aren't they.

A very nice surprise.

2010-04-23T23:51:00.003+01:00

A day spent in the Forest of Dean had been pretty unproductive until I was making my way home.

Just off the side of one of the forest roads were a group of Boar. Two sows and 8 or more piglets. I managed to stop and grab the camera to get a few shots, they turned out pretty good.

This shot was both moving and amusing, moving because of the closeness between the sow and Piglet and amusing because she has a piece of bracken on her forehead.

I love this shot of two of the Piglets.

A chance encounter and one that I will remember for a long time. At one point the sow and the piglet in picture 3 were only 6 feet away from me. I couldnt get them in the frame on my 70-200 lens.

As usual click on the pics to see larger version.

Home for a spell.

2010-04-18T08:49:00.003+01:00

I have been up to Chester to House and Dog sit for my mother whilst she went to visit my brother. Its given me the opportunity to see a few different things. I have also seen some regulars. The Chiffchaffs are here in numbers too.

There are quite a few Blackcaps too.

I took a visit to Inner Marsh Farm, RSPB reserve. I was pleased to see lots of the usual birds, Coots, Mallards and Teal.

But there were some less common species there too. There were a number of Avocets.

And a very distant Spoonbill, this is a huge crop, but you can see what it is.

I also saw, but didnt photograph, Reed Bunting, Willow Warbler, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Black Headed Gull, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Pintail, Shelduck, Little Egret, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Heron, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Rook, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Swallows and Black Tailed Godwit.

I've also had chance to cover some of my old stomping grounds and I've also seen, Weasel, Bank Vole, Grey Squirrel, Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Long tailed Tit, Starling, House Sparrow and Orange tip, Speckled wood, Comma, Peacock, and Small White butterflies too. All in all a very enjoyable spring weekend. I'm Loving it.

Make Hay whilst the Sun Shines

2010-04-11T18:25:00.005+01:00

I'll start again with my garden. Yet another first for my garden just recently, this Lesser Redpoll. This is a large crop but you can see what it is. I was really chuffed to see this at the bottom of my garden.

This Hawfinch was a nice find in the Forest of Dean this last week. This is a male bird.

A day out reptile hunting produced some good results. This is a Slow worm, a real contradiction, its called a worm, it looks like a snake, yet its a Lizzard, albeit a legless one.

This one was about 10-12 inches long. You can pick Slow worms up but they excrete a nasty smelly Poo type substance. Unless you have a reason to pick them up It might be best to leave well alone.

I love the tongue poking out on this shot.

The Forest of Dean has a number of areas where snakes can be found. This is a male adder, He is about to shed his skin, you can tell by the colour and milky look of his eye.

This is the famous melanistic Adder, that was featured in the Forest Review newspaper a week or so ago. You can see he's almost completely black. This picture was taken by me this week so he's not suffering too much from fame, although there have been a number of people taking his picture this week so you could say he's being papped.

Just a note of caution, its not a good idea to try and handle an Adder, their bite can be fatal in people with underlying health problems and even if it doesnt kill you, you will certainly know its bitten you.

Neither the Adder nor the Slow worm were harmed in the making of this blog entry.

Snatched opportunities.

2010-04-03T10:00:00.009+01:00

After the recent spell of dry weather we are well and truly suffering now as we move into April and the historical April showers.

So its been a period of snatched chances, I will start with my garden. The Woodpigeons that visited my garden in numbers are now gathering twigs for nests, the trees at the back of my garden have seen large numbers sitting in the branches.

In the forest there were the usual Nuthatches, I am well aware that I post a lot of shots of Nuthatches on this blog, but in all honesty I think they are a beautiful bird.

Ditto with the Robin.

A trip out to look for Hawfinch didn't produce any so instead I had to satisfy myself with this Squirrel.

A cheeky little chappie.

The Great Crested Grebes are starting to nest build and at this time of year you are likely to see them doing their dancing rituals, Unfortunately I didnt, the weather only allowed for this shot.

The Grebes are having to compete for nest sites with the Moorhen,

and the Coots. I read in one of the nature magazines that Coots are notorious for smashing eggs on the nests of nearby competitors, I guess its a food supply issue, they have to ensure they have enough for their chicks. I hope the Grebes don't nest too close to the Coots.

You can see from it's low down position that this one is chasing off another, they fair power through the water and then raise up and run along the top chasing off the other birds that have wandered too close to their territory.

I'll finish off back in my garden. There have been up to four Goldfinches in my garden at any one time this week. They truly are a colourful little bird. Very pretty.

Easter weekend has been a washout so far, I feel for anyone who books a weekend away and gets weather like this. Lets hope that the weather picks up, The Met office are predicting a Barbecue summer, didnt they do something similar last year? I wont hold my breath.

My female Blackcap has not been around for a few days, she must have found a mate, good luck to her in raising a family this year.

The mornings are full of birdsong now, Its a pleasure to wake up and open the window for a listen. Chiffchaffs are often singing nearby and I'm hoping they may visit the garden which has lots of long grass and bushes for them to find insects.

Visitor from abroad.

2010-03-23T21:20:00.003Z

An unusual and rather rare visitor came to Gloucestershire this last week. A Great White Egret. It was wearing rings from which it has been identified has having been ringed in France. It has also been spotted at various places around the Uk including Lancashire and Newport in Wales.

I waited, unfortunately, until the weather had taken a turn for the worse and only got distant shots in poor light. The first of the pictures below is probably the best, but its such an amazing bird I thought I'd include some others of it.

Hope you enjoy them.

At the same time I also saw my first Chiffchaff of the year and my first swallows too so all in all despite the poor weather a nice time was had. It was also made better by meeting a few very nice people, One of whom was a lovely lady called Cherry and another was Richard Smart, a very informative gentleman who lives in Huntley. It was nice meeting you both.

Buzzard

2010-03-19T11:04:00.003Z

Its unusual to get close enough to a Buzzard to get a single shot, but this obliging bird sat still for long enough for me to get a few. These are the ones I like the most.

He was quite a pale fronted fellow, I say he, it could have been a she I dont know. I love the shadow in this one, it gives the eye a more menacing appearence. If you click on this you will see it in a much bigger form and see the detail more clearly, I think this is my best Buzzard shot for a long while.

A beautiful bird.

Been a quiet period for me these last few weeks. A trip up to mums took up a bit of my time so I haven't done a lot.

As always click for bigger picture.