Still No Baby....

I'm fed up of waiting for this Grand child of mine. It seems like it never intends to arrive. I have had some good news though, I have had my Motorhome repaired.

Someone else has had some good news too, I'm thinking of starting a new blog just to announce his successes. Dave Slater has won yet another award, He won the Wildlife Behaviour section in this years Wildlife Photography awards.

Yet another well done and congratulations to Dave. Come on the rest of you catch up.

Back to me, I had to wait in the forest for my van, My son kindly allowed me use of his car so I spent the day floating around checking out the bits of the forest that I like so much.

Although the weather wasn't brilliant I did get these nice shots of two hard to get birds, Hope you like them.

Magpie.
Front on they are just so plain aren't they?


Yet from behind or side on they show the amazing colours that make up their true selves.

Blacks, whites, blues, greens, purples. Just beautiful.

Jay:

Then again this little character has it's own appeal. Again lots of lovely colours. How I wished that the forest had the weather that Herefordshire enjoyed. I don't think they are too bad though, do you?

I love the eyes, so alert and wary.

So, another day in the forest and another day spent enjoying myself, I also saw Raven, GSW, Buzzard, Pied Wagtail, Blue, Great and Coal tits, Squirrels, Chaffinch, and Stock Dove. I have not yet processed pictures of some of them, maybe more to follow.

Maybe a baby in the next 24hrs......who knows??

Still no baby, but badgers.

No baby yet, ten days and counting.

Whilst Chris G was away in Devon I fed the badgers. I decided to try and improve on the last efforts.

I've decided it's not as easy as I first thought, although Chris has done great things getting the badgers to accept movement and lights, but trying to get them in focus and in the frame is not easy, I am pretty pleased with my efforts but still not there completely. I must keep trying.

I spent quite a few hours and over the course of the two nights I took about 50 shots, as I said, I still feel theres room for improvement.

Water Voles but no baby.

I promised you Water vole and babies this time, but unfortunately my daughter who is expecting her first child, my first Grand child has not yet delivered. Four days over and counting.

After my Norfolk jaunt I went slightly north west to Derbyshire calling in at my brother Karl's house. Derbyshire is good for two species in particular, Water voles and Dipper. Unfortunately my back is not up to walking to the dipper spot at this time so I had to content myself with the voles.

Chris Grady first put me on to this spot about two years ago, and swore me to secrecy over it's location, but most of you reading this will know anyway. I had time to kill and tried to use it well so initially a walk with my dog was undertaken. My dog is a pest, she barks at everyone and almost everything, she loves attention and it's her way of getting it. So i was a little afeared that I would not get to see any voles or if I did she would quickly scare them off. This was not the case, these voles have become so used to human presence that the few I saw were not fazed by her at all, as long as she remained a good distance away, at least 10 feet. I spent an hour watching the voles before the sun went in and largely so did they.

I went off to Carsington Water and visited the wildlife centre there. A very nice place with well informed volunteers running it. I saw Tree Sparrow whilst I was there, and again wondered how, what had been, such a common bird had become so few in numbers.

But back to the Voles as soon as the sun came out again. Again I took my dog, but this time I
took my 300 lens and 50D camera with me. I managed some shots.
I vowed to return again and did so the next day. this time armed with my 600 lens, camera, and dog. Here's a small sample of what I got, and believe me it is small I took over 200 shots.

Apparently the water vole is this countrys fastest disappearing mammel, it will be a shame if they all go, they are so cute and endearing.

Back in Hereford to await the arrival of said baby I have spent a little time with Chris G. He has been kind enough to again let me accompany him on a couple of visits to watch the Badgers, again only as an observer. Chris has put a lot of time in, with these badgers, feeding them and such. He has established quite a rapport with them, so much so that last night whilst one of the two we saw was feeding he was quite literally talking to it, albeit from a short distance, the badger who he has nicknamed Scarface was not fazed at all, and now after all of Chris's hard work it hardly flinches when the flash goes off. I am very grateful to chris for being allowed to watch them with him.

It is a sett that I discovered many years ago whilst out walking with my first dog when I lived in Hereford back in the mid 80's. I don't mean that no one knew it was there then, merely that I didn't. It was a huge sett then and over the years it has spread out a long way, some of the original sett still seems to be being used, a lot of the bank which contains the sett has however collapsed probably due to undermining. There have been many satellite entrances opened, presumeably as the social group has expanded. Badgers are sociable creatures and will often live in setts containing large numbers. I told Chris about the sett but it has been his hard work that has led to him obtaining some cracking shots. Check his website via my links.

Next time, babies and who knows what else.

Minsmere RSPB

During my reason trip to Norfolk I decided to head further south to Suffolk and to Minsmere RSPB reserve. A little off the beaten track to say the least, I was pleasently surprised at what I found. Typical of similar reserves it nestles away but, tardis like, it has a shop, cafe and toilet facilities.

Unfortunately like all other reserves it is between seasons and there wasn't a lot to see. It was also suffering from a lack of rain, not something that we further over to the West can complain of. However if Minsmere is suffering of anything it is suffering with an explosion of Rabbits. They are everywhere, literally under feet. I believe the problem is being addressed but unfortunately this means myxamatosis. I recall commenting on this before. I dislike the disease immensely, It seems a very cruel way to kill something off. However unless a better way can be found then I accept it is a necessary evil.

I did see the following, can anyone help me identify these two first birds. I believe that this is a Juv Willow Warbler.

This second I believe is a Juv Chiff chaff.

There was quite a fuss being made in the car park, there were Flycatchers to be seen. Both Spotted and Pied were seen. I believe this is a Juv Pied. Am I correct?

Now one of the species I was hoping to see was the Kingfisher, there were reports on the information boards that sightings at the sluice were common over the previous day or two.

I trudged down to the sluice, the furthest point from the centre and upon my arrival the weather which had been overcast turned worse and rain started to fall. It was light but not what I had wanted. Fortunately it didn't last for long.

Whilst waiting I met a gentleman called Jon Evans, a volunteer at the reserve, and also a keen photographer. He was very forthcoming with information about the reserve and what I could expect to see and where. He had seen the Kingfisher fleetingly some minutes previously. I was not aware beforehand but I am now that Jon occasionally contributes to Birdguides website, I have checked out some of his offerings and would suggest they are well worth a look.

Jon moved on in search of Whinchat, which he got. I hung around for a while, determined to give the Kingfisher chance to visit. I contented myself with pictures of Juv Swallows perching on a wall and being fed by the adults occasionally. I then saw a flash and the Kingfisher landed a short way infront of me. It paused for literally a second and then took off again. I managed to grab this shot. It was taken through tall grass, as you can see. Not bad for a true grab shot though.

The Swallows were not looking great but I have included this shot of one.

Back at the car park, I saw the above Deer and its calf. I believe that there are quite a few of these around too.

I was advised that there were sightings of Bittern and Hobby during the day, I didn't get to see them despite visiting every hide but one, the canopy hide. If I may just take this opportunity to say that on the whole I was very impressed by the hides at Minsmere, they were spacious and in a few cases on two levels, a top layer for twitchers and a lower floor for photgraphers, there was ample room in most of the hides for large lenses.

I will return. I think it would be worth it.

I couldn't finish without a picture of the scourge of the reserve. I still think that Rabbits are lovely little critters.

Water Voles and babies in the next posting.

Norfolk Pictures

Here are some of the pics from Norfolk hope you like them. I had a great few days down there, I added quite a few birds to my yearly list and a few to my lifetime list such as Ortolan Bunting, Curlew Sandpiper, Stone Curlew, and Whimbrel.

I loved the Dunlin, seen lots but never photographed any that were this close.

A lifetime first this Ortolan Bunting was a great opportunity for me and lots of others that day, One chap I spoke to had travelled for 1.5hrs by bus from Hunstanton just to tick it as a Norfolk first. He didn't even take a picture, Twitchers are mad.

On the one day the area infront of one of the hides at Cley was very busy, but two days later nothing. Guess it's about time and place. This Green Sandpiper was very obliging.

This is a Common Sandpiper.

Three Bar Tailed Godwit were seen on the same day as the Ortolan Bunting. Here's one of them.

The Marsh Harriers were coming within range, to a degree.

This Little Ringed Plover looked thoroughly peeved at my intrusion.

I have nearly 1000 shots to go through so there may be more to follow. Watch this space.